"Tag, you're it."

Chloe has no idea how her day of shopping for furniture turned into chasing a child around the department store in order to find his parents. She took a step back from the king size bed, head tilted, whilst trying to envision it in the bedroom currently under construction in her new apartment. A quick check of the measurements and a quiet wince at the price and suddenly something was pulling at the fabric of her shirt.

A boy, no older than eight with brown hair and a thick pair of glasses was stood before her, a wide and overjoyed smile on his face. He tapped her waist, before jetting off down one of the aisles shouting a very loud and excited, "Tag, you're it."

Chloe remained where she was, confused and unsure. She scanned as far as she could see for any signs of the child's owners before she felt the need to finally be the responsible adult her Mother had warned her she'd have to become...

So, she lightly jogged to the bedding aisle the boy had disappeared down and hoped she would find his parent's debating over a bedspread – she was wrong. Upon turning the corner, Chloe was met with a pile of stray display pillows laying haphazardly on the ground, and the child peeping at her behind the end of the shelf stand.

"Hey there" she said calmly, walking slowly in an attempt not to spook him. The boy giggled, as he smiled the same smile at her, shouting something about giving in.

"What?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow, gradually closing the distance between them.

"I said do you give in? If you do, you need to tell me I am the tag master and you're just too slow."

He grinned, smugly, finally stepping out of hiding from the display shelf and awaiting a reply. Suddenly, growing impatient, the child folded his arms over his chest, with eyebrows reaching his hairline, giving a slight bob of his head.

"Well...?"

Chloe smiled, before shaking her head good naturedly, a dramatic tone to her voice.

"Yeah, you're right, Mr Tag Master, you are so fast that I couldn't possibly keep up with you..."

The boy threw his head back laughing, as Chloe was finally standing in front of him.

"So, what's your name?" she questioned, bending on her knees in order to match his level.

"Dylan."

"That's a cool name. So, where is your Mom and Dad, Dylan?"

"At home. Hey do you want to see something cool?"

Before Chloe could respond Dylan was around the corner and sprinting down the back wall of the store. She paused for a second, processing what had just been said.

His parents are at home? How'd the hell did he get here then?!

Before she could answer her own question, the boy was gradually disappearing out of sight. This was the second time she was chasing after a small kid – god, she hopes no one is watching this and getting the wrong idea...

Eventually she matched his speed and Dylan abruptly stopped at the lighting department. It was a secluded area, made into a corridor with all the different light fittings dangling down, each one a different brightness or colour. She slowly walked through behind the amazed little boy, carefully weaving in and out of the lower hanging shades and keeping a close eye on the runaway ahead.

"Isn't it cool?" he asked excitedly, jumping up and down whilst searching Chloe's face for approval.

"Yeah, it's super awesome!" she said mirroring his smile. It was actually pretty cute how this little kid was so enthusiastic about light fittings in a store – she remembers the same feeling on family vacations when looking for shells on the beach with her Dad; the pure joy and curiosity filling her insides when they found one hidden deep in the sand.

Chloe shook her thoughts away, watching as the boy sat down in a corner, leaning against a box, his legs crossed underneath him.

"So, who drove you here today then, Dylan?"

"BecBec" he replied simply, as Chloe joined him on the floor.

"Who's BecBec?" she asked, trying to get as much information as possible without him running off again.

"Momma's friend; she said I can call her BecBec if she can call me Shitface when Momma isn't around..."

"Oh" Chloe replied nodding her head slowly, noting the proud look on the child's face, like being called Shitface was the biggest compliment he'd ever received.

"...So, where is BecBec then?"

Before he could respond, a woman was rushing up the same path they had just walked down, her breath heavy and her arms raised level with her shoulders.

"Jesus, kid, where the hell have you been?!" she demanded, looking at the rather guilty looking boy beside her.

"I didn't want to wait in line anymore..." he spoke quietly, eyes cast to the floor.

"Yeah, well lining up to buy your Mom a replacement for the door we broke wasn't what I wanted to do either" she replied sarcastically, not bothering to address Chloe; a stranger sat next to a child in a dimly lit make shift corridor – because, no, that couldn't be taken out of context at all...

"You were the one that broke the door, and I'll tell Momma that too"

"No, Shitface, you won't, because we're going to get ice cream and then fix the door before she gets back, like we agreed?"

"As long as it's strawberry and vanilla?"

"Yep, whatever damn flavour you want..." she trailed off, before finally making eye contact with a now shifty looking Chloe. "Hey, you're not a pervert or anything, right?"

"Who me? God, no! I was just minding my own business when he tagged me and ran off further into the store, unattended and alone. I swear I was just trying to help him find h-"

"Save it, Red. I was just kidding" she smirked, "but thanks for helping, I'm Beca" she offered out her hand with a more genuine smile, before surprisingly pulling Chloe up as soon as their hands were pressed together.

"Chloe" she smiled, "and no problem, kids will be kids."

Beca stepped back a little, causing Chloe to realise she still hand hold of the smaller woman's hand. Once she let go, Beca and Dylan were making their way out from under the light fittings, Beca mumbling something about kids hold adults hands from now on.

She let out a chuckle, following behind them, until they both turned around to bid their goodbyes. Chloe couldn't help but notice the beauty of the other woman now they were stood in the light – OK, fine, Chloe thought she was hot the minute she marched down the corridor – but now in the actual light, Chloe couldn't help but notice her stormy blue eyes holding her gaze, making her forget that she was previously drawn to the ear piercings and sexy tattoos. Somehow, they both had a look of gentleness and detachment in the same stare. It wasn't until they slowly widened, bringing Chloe out of her daze and back into the moment.

"I said thanks for staying with him" she said a little too loudly.

"Yeah, no sweat – apart from making me run the perimeter of the store, he was great..." she said, a nervous laugh escaping.

Wait, nervous?

Now that she thinks about, this woman does kind of make her nervous; which is weird because Chloe never feels nervous, with, like, anyone. l

"Well you look like you keep in good shape, so I don't think it would have fazed you too much."

Suddenly the brunette was looking a little flustered and Chloe spotted a slight roll of her eyes. Her last sentence sounded like a compliment, but judging by her reaction, it wasn't supposed to be, or was it?

Chloe felt the tables turn, and the odds in her favour, because now Beca was the one looking nervous.

"I look like I keep in good shape? What makes you say that?"

And Chloe just can't help it; she's a shameless flirt; always has, always will. The wink was probably overdoing it, but seeing the once confident woman in front of her turn into a stuttering mess was priceless.

"I-no-well, you."

She stopped, before sucking in a deep breath.

"So, do you like ice cream?" she asked, uncertain, scrunching up her face, shuffling her weight from one foot to the other nervously.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do" Chloe replied with a knowing smile.

"So, do you maybe want to, like, go, for ice cream, right now, with us?"

"OK" she answered simply, completely aware of the wide grin taking over her face.

"But do I really look like I keep in shape?" she asked partly joking, and partly curious.

Beca's eyes suggestively roamed her figure, before smirking a confident "Hell yeah" and leading them out into the parking lot.

XXX