The Disbanded: Divided We Stand-Chapter 31

By MyNameIsCAB

---Fang's POV---

We were at the local mall, Christmas shopping for each other. I didn't have a lot of cash, but decided I'd tag along with Ted and Iggy when Cal and Max went off together with Ella.

"So you and Cal are dating?" Iggy asked Ted as we walked aimlessly, not really knowing where to buy presents for everyone.

"Yea. We've been friends for a while," Ted answered. "And I think I'm going to ask her to marry me."

I think Ted told me that before. Iggy seemed a little shocked though. "How old are you guys? You're in the FBI, what does she do?"

"Cal, she's actually older than me. Eighteen and in college. She skipped grades," Ted explained. "She amazes me. I'll be eighteen in a couple of months. FBI recruited me actually."

A/N: Okay, yea, I know Cal probably couldn't be that smart and Ted wouldn't think about marrying until he was older, but this is fiction and I already screwed up their ages in the beginning of the story, so just deal with it. In the end, it doesn't really matter how old they are. Thanks!!!

"Oh, okay," Iggy nodded.

After a while, we lost Iggy in a glasses store where he was looking at sunglasses. Ted and I moved on without him.

"What the hel..heck am I going to buy Max?" I asked Ted.

He looked down at me. "Why are you asking me?"

"Because you've spent the last two years with her," I answered. "You probably know all her new interests and stuff better than I do."

Ted shrugged. "I hate shopping for girls."

I had to agree with that. "No kidding. Maybe you ought to propose to Cal this Christmas."

"I've been thinking about that. I have the ring already," he said.

"I didn't know that," I said. "Good for you."

Ted smiled. "You know when I first met Max, I thought she falling for me. I've had girls do that do me, confess their love. I hate telling them I have a girlfriend already. But I got to know Max and she told me about you."

"Really? What did she tell you?" I was actually a little afraid to know.

"She loves you more than you think, Fang," Ted told me. "I wouldn't lose her if I were you."

"Thanks, Ted."

"Like I said, I still owe you," Ted responded with half a smile.


---Max's POV---

"I can't believe I'm getting to spend money this Christmas," Ella said excitedly. "There's never anyone but Mom and me so we end up just going to see a movie and shopping, never really put presents under the Christmas tree. The only problem is, what are we going to buy?"

I usually handed out gift cards at the old Christmas parties we used to have when we were actually working for the FBI. I remember Ted and Cal were the only couple I actually bought real presents for. It always took me forever to decide what to get for them.

"You're not going to hand out gift cards, Max?" Cal joked, like she was reading my thoughts.

"I wish," I laughed.

We ended up in a sports store. I looked at a couple of wrist heart rate monitors for Fang. I blew one hundred dollars buying him a really nice black one that was waterproof, very durable, and looked a lot better than the one he had now. The store even offered to make it beep at a certain number. Of course, I asked them to set it at 170.

"Well that's nice you have a present for Fang, but what am I going to get Teddy?" I loved how Cal called Messina "Teddy". It almost killed the image of the strong and manly Messina I knew.

"You all have guys to buy presents for. I wish I had boyfriends like you," Ella murmured.

I looked at her. "You've got Iggy. He likes you more than you know."

We ended up in another sports store and I bought Fang another present. I was positive he would love this one. A Nick Markakis jersey. Cal was amused when I went to pay for it and explained to Ella why we were laughing.

"You know Ella," I said, spying Iggy walking aimlessly around a sunglasses store. "You oughta buy Iggy a pair of new sunglasses that you think will look nice on him or get him something he can use for cooking."

Iggy had left the sunglasses store by the time we got there. He hadn't bought anything. Even when we were a whole flock, I never understood why he liked to go to places that sold sunglasses. He couldn't even see them.

But Ella bought him a really nice pair of red and orange sunglasses that reminded me a lot of fire. Stopping at a cooking store, Ella also got Iggy a personalized spatula that had Iggy's name engraved on it. I chipped in and paid half so it could be from the both of us.

"Okay, that's nice you have all your presents, but what am I supposed to get Ted?" Cal asked, looking at our shopping bags.

"What do you usually get him?" Ella asked.

Cal shrugged. "Last year was that gun holster. You remember, right Max?"

I nodded. We still had our guns, but Ted and I had agreed that we wouldn't let that be a known fact to Mom. Then I suddenly remembered a conversation I had a couple months ago with Messina. "Get him an Xbox 360."

"Why?" Cal asked.

"Because he said he wanted to get one," I said. "Told me when we were stuck on a long car ride from Maine."

And so we ended up in a video game shop buying and Xbox 360 along with Halo. I chipped in some money too.

We still had to get presents for each other and so we ended up splitting up and shopping alone for the next few hours before meeting at the food court for lunch. I was surprised to see that Iggy, Fang, and Ted were carrying bags.

I guess I could only wonder what they bought.