Author's Note: Man, to think that this is all happening just next year; per say, lol. 'Cause, I mean, if it's 2011 now, and this is happening in 2012, well the dates speak for themselves... And that's another thing. That's how I know the world isn't going to end in 2012. Who's going to stop Kira if everyone dies in 2012? Kira is stopped in 2013 ;P ...Aaand I'm sorry if some of you didn't know that and I just ruined the rest of the series for you. I suppose I should have put a spoiler alert at the top of the page this time.
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, or anything remotely associated with it.
December 13 2012
I woke up especially early today, not an easy task in my opinion. Sleeping until noon was more my style. People always asked me how I could sleep so much, or why I slept so much. I always gave them the same answer. My dreams. My dreams were fascinating to me, and always more exciting, and positive than my reality. I loved my dreams; in my dreams Mello was mine, Matt was there for me, and Near was never too far away. In my dreams Kira was gone and L was still alive... Well, we all need dreams.
But I couldn't think about my dreams this morning; I had things to do. The past couple of days we had been getting ready for our trip to Japan, it was still a while before we had to go, but it gave us something to look forward to; a change of pace. There was something I had to do before we left though. Something I had to do today!
I snuck craftily out of my apartment, and onto the street. The purr of my engine would've woken the dead in the silence of this early morning, so I slid my car into neutral and pushed it down the block before I started it. The boys had had a long night; I hoped they'd sleep in late today.
First stop on my list was the party supply store. It was a miracle they were open this early on a Thursday, or on any day for that matter, but the fates I'm sure were on my side in this. I bought balloons and streamers and every other manner of birthday decoration in the place.
Next I went to see a very old friend of mine. I knocked on the back door of his shop and he let me in.
"Ahh Mademoiselle," he said in his glorious accent. "I 'ave vhat you 'ave come for." He took my hand and lead me through the back of his store where his few employees were getting ready for the early morning rush.
When we got to his office he released my hand to retrieve a box covered in black wrapping paper with a silver bow and ribbon from his shelf. "'ere you are m'dear. To your exact specifications: 'zee finest imported chocolates." I smiled mischievously.
"Ahh merci beaucoup monsieur," I bowed my head as I took the enormous box which was surprisingly heavy. The small French man had made carrying it look easy.
"Any'zing for a friend," he bowed his head as well. "'Zis must be one special man friend," the portly pastry chef winked at me.
"You have no idea," I winked, bowed again, and left the way I had come.
My next stop brought me to a grungy looking biker's store. Grungy it may have looked but it sold top of the line products. I strolled in like I owned the place.
"Ahh the diamond in the rough," the threatening looking manager said to me from behind the counter. "Here to pick up your package Jewel?"
"You know it," I flashed a toothy smile.
He went to the back for a moment and when he came back he had a rather large but flat box in his muscled hands. Just like the last box it was covered in black paper with silver accents. "When I can I interest you in one of these sweetie? You'd look so much classier in leather than denim." I glanced down at my threadbare coat; denim lasted a long time, but not forever. "We've got a whole women's line," the burly biker pressed.
"Tell you what, I'll take you up on your offer," I started, "But not today," I winked again and stuffed a piece of bubblegum in my mouth as I strolled out.
I ticked off one more item from my mental list; I needed to make sure I wouldn't forget anything. A normal person would've made a physical list, or maybe picked everything up ahead of time. But a normal person didn't have to deal with a genius in the house. Mello would've sniffed out my plot in a heartbeat. I checked my watch; I was slightly ahead of schedule. I'd overcompensated for the lack of traffic so early in the morning, but now it was starting to get congested. Everyone was on their way to work; those who weren't there already.
The cake was the last thing I had to pick up; I made my way over to Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, to Sweet Lady Jane. They'd done Jennifer Aniston's 40th birthday cake as well as Ellen and Portia's wedding cake. They were perfect.
The cake I'd requested was simple enough. In the shape of a 20, it would be the most...
"Ohh look! It's the chocolate girl!" cried one of the women on the floor, breaking my delicate train of thought. "You're cake is already miss! Chocolate batter with chocolate chips, layers of chocolate nougat and chocolate crunch, chocolate syrup, chocolate icing, all the way down to the chocolate sprinkles!"
I laughed at the monstrosity they had created for me. "And it has the chocolate..."
"The chocolate pudding in the center?" she finished for me, and signalled to another employee to get the cake from the back. "Of course it does! And the chocolate mousse made a great little cocoon for the chocolate ice-cream." She winked at me as a perfect cube wrapped in black paper with silver ribbons and a bow was handed to her. She handed it over to me and said, "We had it in the freezer so it wouldn't melt. I suggest putting it in the fridge just before you're going to serve it so it's not too hard. But not for too long mind you, the ice-cream you understand."
I nodded and thanked her whole heartedly.
I got back into my car and placed the cake delicately on the seat beside me. It was time to make the call.
"Hello?" the voice on the other end answered.
"Is it safe to talk?"
"Yeah, Mello's in the shower," the voice whispered on the other end. "I don't even think he's noticed you're gone."
"'kay good. Once he's out of the shower get him out of that apartment!"
"Can I let him get dressed first?"
"Smart ass. Now, you remember the plan?"
"We went over it fifty times, of course I do. I tell Mello you're missing. I give you a call when we're about to leave, and you don't answer. I drag Mello kicking and screaming into my car and we go looking for you. I call you once when we're away from the apartment and once again when we're on our way back. Unless of course you phone first and say it's safe to return. And above all else I don't mention to him that we remembered... hold on, I heard the water turn off. I'll call you in a bit," the last part was rushed as Matt hung up the phone.
Alright, now I play the waiting game.
I started making my way back to the apartment, but I couldn't get too close, and I couldn't afford to take a main street, if Mello and Matt actually found me when they were supposed to be looking for me, well that'd just be insane.
Not ten minutes later I got a call from Matt; a call I ignored. It was safe to move in.
I brought the cake in first and shoved it in the freezer. I told Matt to give me no less than an hour to set up the apartment. I would have plenty of time to unthaw it and still make sure the ice-cream stayed frozen.
In no time at all I had streamers and balloons hanging from every inch of my place. The entire apartment was spotless and the presents complete with sappy card were nestled on the coffee table. I was ready, I made the call.
"Oh my gosh Jewel, it's you!" Matt said with a bit too much enthusiasm.
"Of course it's me, who else would it be. Where are you guys? I come back to the apartment and no one's here." We were going through this conversation for Mello's benefit. If Matt was driving, which of course he was, he would have hooked his cell phone to his Bluetooth; Mello would be listening in.
"Where are we? Where were you?"
"I just went for a run. Woke up early, couldn't get back to sleep. You guys worry too much," I teased. "Come on back I'm making breakfast." If cake could be considered breakfast, and if I had made it. I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Alright, we're on our way."
Mello's complete silence had been apparent through that conversation. I wondered if he was mad that he thought we'd forgotten his birthday. And then I wondered if he had remembered his birthday himself. There'd been so much on his mind lately.
But that's what this was about; to celebrate Mello's birthday and to hopefully take his, and our minds off of Kira... even if it was only for a couple hours.
There was one thing I hadn't considered when I was planning this party. Where was I going to stand when the guys came in? I was self conscious enough as it was. If I stood in the middle of the room to emphasise the decorations I would put myself in an uncomfortable position. If I was sitting casually on the loveseat like I wanted, it would be like the whole event was being down played.
I eventually settled for sitting on the arm of the loveseat, and that's where I was when the door creaked open.
It wasn't Mello, and it wasn't Matt.
"CARTER!"
"Whew, you look like you've got some kind of shindig going on here."
Bloody Hell!
"Get out NOW Carter!"
"Aww, was this because I didn't knock? You always had a thing about knocking."
"And you always had a thing about not knocking, now get out this instant!" Mello and Matt would be back any second! Wait, that gave me an idea! "Mello and Matt are going to kick our butt when they get back!"
"So, you wouldn't let me move in, but you're already sleeping with TWO guys?"
"You're just jealous because I never put out for you," I stuck my tongue at him. "Now get out, or I WILL put you out!"
"Ohh, feisty. Just the way I always liked you."
I didn't have time for this.
Usually I was a peaceful person; usually I tried not to resort to violence. Today was not a usual day.
I stood from my seat and stormed over to him. I made like I was going to punch him, but instead landed a kick to his most priceless possession. Carter doubled over and I took this time to silently thank him that he hadn't walked any further into my apartment. He was no more than a foot from the closet, which allowed me room enough to reach into it and pull out my baseball bat.
One good clunk later and Carter was unconscious on my floor. Two rolls of duct tape after that and I was rolling Carter down the stairs and out the back door. I got some strange looks on the way down but no one questioned me. After I'd rolled him behind the nearest dumpster I booked it back up to my apartment and resumed my position on the loveseat. I barely had time to catch my breath before the door opened again; before Mello and Matt walked in.
The look on Mello's face was priceless. Surprise = Success. Matt started laughing and gave Mello a firm slap across the shoulder, sending Mello stumbling forward.
Mello stared in shock at me and so finally I had to say, "Happy birthday Mello." I smiled sweetly and tried not to blush. The look on his face was well worth the trouble I'd just gone through; finally something a little more than disdain was showing.
"Happy birthday to youuu, happy birthday to youuu," Matt broke into an off-key rendition of the traditional song of the day; I just smiled sheepishly.
Mello made his way over to me and I shrugged at the question in his eyes.
"W-when...?"
"Just now," I smiled again. It was unusual to see Mello unable to find his words; I hoped it was a good sign.
"Buddy!" Matt hollered. He came up behind Mello and caught him in a headlock.
"Oi, get off!" Mello coughed, but the seriousness was gone from his tone.
"Do you want the presents or the cake first?" I broke in. Traditionally, (at least this was what I found,) the games came first at any party, then the food, the cake and then the presents. Well since a rousing game of chess was out of the question, on account of my missing board, and with Mello's lack of interest in Matt's video games, I figured we could skip the 'games' bit. And since Mello ate nothing but chocolate and Matt ate almost nothing at all, the need for an excessive spread of food was not required. That left the cake and presents.
"There's a cake?" As much as he tried to hide it, there was a hint of excitement in his tone.
I bounded into the kitchen and fished the cake out of the fridge.
Three hours and three chocolate smeared faces later we were all passed out on top of each other on the floor.
"I've, never, eaten, so, much, in, my, life," I groaned.
"You know, there's a new British survey out that says that nine out of ten people like chocolate, and the tenth lies," we all chuckled.
"Man, I didn't think it was possible to cram so much chocolate into one cake."
"Anything that is good and useful is made out of chocolate," Matt said again, and we all had to agree.
"The only thing better than good friends, is good friends with chocolate," Matt and I raised our heads from the floor to look at each other. Had Mello just said something sentimental?
"Well of course; money talks, but chocolate sings."
"Chocolate is nature's way of making up for Monday's."
We spent the rest of the day trying to pull our chocolate coated selves off of the floor and bouncing jokes and quotes about chocolate off of each other. Good times.
It was after dark before we cleaned ourselves up. Matt said he was going out for a smoke and would be back in a while. It must have been a little more than a smoke if it was going to take him a 'while' but I wasn't going to say anything. I had a feeling Matt and Mello had been planning something of their own.
After the door closed behind Matt I said to Mello, "I've got something I want you to know." Mello looked at me as if to say, 'What could you possibly have left to tell me?' I smiled reassuringly and said, "I want you to know my name."
"Your name! But Jewel, what if it gets out, what if..."
"'What if' nothing. I've made up my mind Mello." He opened his mouth to protest but I cut him off, "I already know yours, it's only fair."
"But what if Kira uses me to get to you? You've already told me Kira can manipulate people into giving him information. That's the same thing that happened to Raye Pember, and that's probably how Kira found our base back in Los Angeles."
"My mind is made up." The look on Mello's face? Defeated. "Don't you, don't you want to know it?" Mello looked up from the floor to look me in the eyes. I feigned being hurt; which actually wasn't much of a stretch.
"Of course I do," he rested his hands on my shoulders, "but not at the cost of your life."
"Mello please, so long as I have you and Matt looking out for me, I'll be fine," I winked at him.
"I'll let you tell me... on one condition."
"What condition?" I asked suspiciously.
"Close your eyes."
"That's the condition?" I asked saucily, but did so anyway.
"Don't get smart, hold on a second." I heard Mello leave the room for a second, shuffle a drawer and come back. "Hold out your hand."
"'Hold on a second,' 'Hold out your hand.' What am I going to be holding next I wonder?" I let my sarcasm disguise my nervousness; Mello was acting weird.
I held out my hand and felt a small, velvet box being placed in my ivory hand. Oh no. My lungs stopped breathing, my brain exploded and I could almost swear I was having a heart attack.
What was I getting so worked up for? I mean, it could be a pair of earrings, a collectable coin, an antique pin; hell, he could've bought me a car and put the key inside this box.
And then I took a moment for myself and asked myself WHY was I getting so worked up? Assuming it was what I thought it was, didn't that just mean it was the beginning of everything I always wanted?
I opened my eyes and found a black velvet box with the tiniest silver bow I'd ever seen. Matt had been in on it. He was the one who'd told me the colours to use for Mello's gifts. I opened the box and sure enough, it was what I thought it was. In that moment I realised it was definitely the beginning of everything I always wanted.
My voice caught in my throat and my breath hitched in my lungs as I beheld the glorious stone before me. It was a full carat, princess cut stone. I would hazard a guess in my almost expert, but blind opinion that the colour grade was quite high. Clarity was impossible to tell for me, but I would suspect Mello would settle for nothing less than the best attainable. A brilliant fire escaped the table of the diamond and my heart leapt and the beauty. The band was white gold with a unique braided pattern. It was breathtaking.
"That's an awfully pretty stone in my opinion, but you're the only jewel in my life."
"I can't believe you sapped out like that brutha'," came a muffled voice from the other side of the door. "Can I come in yet?" Matt asked playfully.
"I haven't even asked her yet idiot!" Mello called back.
"But you gave her the rock right? The rest is implied."
I started howling with laughter. "Come on in Matt," I said, wiping little droplets from the corners of my eyes. Matt threw the door open dramatically, a bottle of champagne and three glasses in his hands.
"She might've... might still say 'no' genius, I told you to wait with the champagne."
"She's not going to say anything until you ask her, now git 'r done!"
Mello sighed and I could just picture the mental face-palm he was doing.
He looked back to me earnestly.
"Jewel, will you marry me?"
I took another look at the ring and smiled evilly.
"On one condition."
Author's Note: I got the idea for this chapter from an actual real life experience. However, it was much more of a close call on the surprise almost being spoiled, and it required more than two people to pull it off in time ha-ha. Man it was fun though! It was my friend Laurel's 19th so Paula and I decided to throw her a surprise party. I went down and got the cake, and the presents and the decorations. Paula and I decorated her room while Rikki kept her busy and of course we couldn't have done it without Simon... These people need their props. We pulled off the best surprise party ever because of them :) We finished with seconds to spare and then almost gave it away because we couldn't stop laughing. Good times.
So anyway, I actually checked a calendar. Yes! December 13, 2012 IS on a Thursday ^_^ Here's your 'Did 'Ya Know' for the day: Taylor Swift has the same birthday as Mello. Yeah, she's on Ellen right now (what a series of cool coincidences,) and I was wondering when her birthday was, and sure enough, December 13.
Also, as a side note I would like to say that I hope the cake store likes the free publicity and does not decide to sue me :)