The Pact discussion

Everyone loves a cake, right?

Derek walked into the shop ready to start his shift. He waved with a smile to other workers. Derek entered the back kitchen to start some prep while there weren't many people in the Cake Shop.

Ali was craving sugar again. She couldn't wait to give birth, maybe then she would be able to see her feet again. She sighed, moving past the bakery, then stopping. She sighed, she would just get a cupcake or something. Nothing too bad. She groaned as she pushed inside, not caring that people were looking at her funny. Yes, she's pregnant, get over it. She won't be for much longer anyway, she was due in a week, and mom said all her sisters had come before their due date..so chances were good. "Hello?" she called softly, looking for someone behind the counter.

Derek heard someone call and quickly went out "Welcome to Its Merely A Matter Of Cake" He smiled at Ali, noticing how beautiful she was "How may I help you?" Derek asked.

"Um.. do you have red velvet cupcakes?" she asked him, biting her lip, still smiling at him, thinking he was pretty handsome, and that under other circumstances, she might try to get him out on a date. "Actually, I'll take any cupcake at all, I'm really just craving frosting."

"We do have red velvet cupcakes" He replied and began to ring up the order "I made them myself" Derek wanted to ask her name but was far to nervous to ask. After ringing up her order, Derek went into the back to grab her a fresh cupcake with a far bit of extra icing.

Ali started to dig out her wallet from her purse, driver license falling on the counter without her knowledge as she paid him and thanked him, smiling in earnest when she noticed the extra icing on it, then moving over to one of the tables, sitting sideways so her stomach wouldn't get in the way, starting to lick the icing off the cupcake, smiling to herself, not realizing her drivers license was missing.

Derek looked at the license on the counterreading her name. He walked out from around the counter and over to Ali, he lightly touched her shoulder "You dropped this Miss" Derek handed her the license "And if I may you have a beautiful name" He said, flirting with her.

Ali was a little surprised when the boy from the counter called out to her, even more so when he touched her. She turned and smiled at him, taking her license from him. "Oh, thank you, I mean, it's nothing special. Allison is a common enough name," she told him, motioning for him to sit with her. "What's your name?"

Derek looked around the shop, it was only them so he figured it was fine to take a break. Derek took a seat acrossed from her "I'm Derek" He introduced giving her his most kind smile. "Is the cupcake good?" He asked motioning to the pastry.

((Can you post in trucks hunks, Ana is back in the shop))

((oh, yeah, okay. Sorry))

Ali nodded, licking off a little more of the icing. "While, can't say for sure on the actual cupcake yet, but the frosting is very good," she told him with a smile, a little bit of it ending up on her nose, though she was near unaware. Just a little tickle there to tip him off.

Derek leaned forwards and using his finger he got the icing of her nose and licked it off "I think your right about the frosting" He agreed, Derek couldn't believe that he met such a beautiful girl, finally he glanced down at her stomach "How far along?" He asked, thinking about his own sister and little niece.

"Full term, one week until my due date," she answered with a shrug, thinking he would start running for the hills too. She was a little surprised as he wiped frosting from her nose, and was blushing like crazy, picking up a napkin to wipe her mouth and nose. She bit her lip lightly. "You want to share the cupcake?"

Derek shook his head "No its your cupcake" He answered, smiling inwardly at her blush "Are you having a boy or girl?" Derek loved little children, especially babies. "I have a little neice and they are quite cute when they're small"

"It's a girl, I'm still working on a name though," she whispered, smiling slightly as she looked down at her belly, rubbing it lovingly. "It's odd, I just want to see her, want to hold her in my arms for real. I like to think that she'll have my eyes, my nose."

Derek nodded in understanding "If she looks like you she'll be beautiful" Yet again Derek was flirting with Ali, and to him it seemed to be working. "Would you like to go on a date with me tonight?" He asked her, speaking a little quickly cause he was nervous.

Ali smiled when he called both her and her baby beautiful. She looked over at him. "Really? You would want to go on a date with me?" she asked him, more than a little stunned. She hadn't been asked on a date since the rumor of her pregnancy had started into the school. She smiled a little nervously at him.

Derek nodded "I should be asking you the same question, I think you are one of the most gorgeous girls I've ever seen and I don't care that you going to have a baby" He told her honestly. The pact didn't turn him away from girls, because his own sister was a part of it and had his neice Lucile.

"You really think I'm that pretty?" she asked him, blushing like crazy, screaming Yes I want to go on a date with you! Over and over in her mind. She was smiling widely, licking at her frosting again, her eyes flicking up to his every few seconds.

Derek chuckled lightly at her smiles and blush. "Anyone with eyes could see your pretty" He assured her, he watched her contently as she licked the frosting off the cupcake, thinking she looked adorable while she kept looking up at him. "So what do you say will you go out with me Ali?" Derek asked again, this time talking a bit calmer.

Ali flashed him one of her most dazzling, happy smiles. They were rare, but they lit up her whole face. "I would love to," she said calmly, while her brain threw a little party in her honor for accepting the date with an awesome guy and making it sound like she didn't want to hug him and kiss him in relief that someone still thought her attractive and worthy of their time. Most of the older kids thought the pact was stupid. She just wanted to be special.

Derek's mind went into over drive when he saw her smile, it made her look so much more beautiful, something of which he didn't think could happen "You have a pretty smile" He told her. His mind wandered to the pact, to him it wasn't appealing to join but he didn't hate it, because Chloe changed his thoughts on it.

"Thanks, I've always wanted to be a model, mom says it'll be near impossible if I have a kid," she told him, finally pulling the cupcake wrapper down and taking a bite of the actual cupcake, a thin layer of frosting still on top of it. The cupcake was immaculate, crumbling when she touched it, she caught some of the crumbs, little red specks on her hand.

Derek smiled while watching her eat the cupcake. This was one of his favourite sights, seeing someone try one of his baked goods. "How is it?" He asked her, and he chuckled at the little crumbs in her hands.

Ali chewed and swallowed her first bite before smiling at him. "It's really good, like, amazing," she told him, taking another bite of it, thinking she was glad with the choice she made. She might have to stop back more often. Especially if he was here. She glanced up at him, liking his smile, feeling a blush creeping into her cheek again.

((=P))

Derek watched her eat more of the cupcake "One day I'll have to make you my devils food cake" He told her, not really knowing what else to say as he was still quite nervous and baked goods was something easy to talk about.

"Maybe you will," she told him with a smile. She finished the cupcake, sitting up a little straighter as the baby started to kick again. The thing really packed a punch when you weren't expecting it. She still smiled though. "I'm guessing you've felt a baby kick before?" she asked him, slipping her hand into his a little. "My baby girl is the most active little thing these days, I think she's trying to kick her way out."

Derek chuckled and nodded "At least she'll be out soon" He assured her, although his neice didn't kick very often. "What are you going to name her?" Derek questioned, curiously as to him the name was so important, cause you didn't want to pick a name the child may not like as they got older.

Ali bit her lip, "I honestly don't know. I want to name her Madeline, Maddie for short, or Annalisia. I like the long names, and they both come with built in nicknames. I'm just imagining her in kindergarten trying to learn to spell her name and hating me for naming her something long," she told him, rambling a little, one again feeling like she was getting cramps, though they hurt a lot more than usual. Mom told her to call whenever it happened, but she didn't want to freak out, or leave the boy. It was probably nothing."

"Are you okay?" He asked, as he could faintly see that she was in pain or uncomfortable. Derek didn't want her to be in pain at all, even though with pregnancy it was almost enevitable. "Do you need anything?" He continued.

"No, I'm fine, it's been happening all week," she told him, leaning back against the chair, a hand on her stomach. She just took a deep breath and smiled at him. "Is it always this quiet around here? Or am I the only one who craves cupcakes when they go by?" she asked him jokingly, trying to take her mind off it.

Derek thought about it "I guess it depends on the day, some days are much busier and other we have no one coming in" He replied, silently thanking god that it wasn't busy that day because if it were then Derek wouldn't have had the chance to get to know Ali.

Ali smiled, feeling what she assumed were more false contractions. She thought about just blowing the day here with him, it seemed like a nice idea to her. "So, do you want to show me the back where you make everything?" she asked him, curious. She wanted to watch him make things, do what he loves.

Derek nodded "Of course" He agreed then stood up, holding his hand out to Ali. Derek's boss wasn't in today so he could do basicaly anything he wanted and he definatly wanted to show Ali the bake shop in the back. Maybe let her try some samples.

Ali smiled, taking his hand and carefully standing up off the chair. This made her smile, thinking that she would get to see where the magic happens. She loved little bakeries, but she had never seen how they worked. It made her wonder. That he would show her made her excited to see everything.

Derek lead her into the back of the shop "This is where I love to spend my time" He said while he showed her around. He stopped at one of the tables which held little butter tarts "Try these" Derek held one out to her while trying one for himself.

Ali took it, smiling at him as she nibbled at it, not recognizing the little pastry. It was really good though, melt in your mouth dessert. She smiled up at him. "This is good what is this?" she asked him, eating the rest of it in one bite.

"Its a butter tart, they are really quite popular around here" He answered her, before he continued walking with her. Derek stopped at the large oven "This is where the baking happens and it gets quite hot in here due to the size of this" Derek explained.

"It's huge, like, Hansel and Gretel witch huge!" Ali exclaimed, looking through it. She could probably fit in there on one of the racks. She smiled at him. "Am I going to be getting lots of free samples on this tour?"

Derek nodded as they continued, he stopped yet again at a table. On this table were cookies "These chocolate chip cookies are my best pastry" He held one out to her, taking a couple for his sister and neice.

"Don't mind if I do," she told him, taking the cookie, and eating it slowly, thinking she could make it last until she got another little snack. She was smiling happily, trailing behind him again as he moved on. She was just about finished with the cookie when another contraction practically doubled her over, she clutched a counter, her knuckles white as she gasped.

Derek moved towards her quickly, he picked her up easily and set her down on a chair. "Is she coming now?" He asked, ready to drive her to the hospital. "Do you want me to call anyone for you?" Derek questioned, motioning to the phone.

Ali gasped, panting a little, she nodded to his first question, she was near certain on it now. "My mom, I need to call my mom," she gasped out, the pain surprising. "Then to the hospital, I need to go to the hospital." She was trying to keep calm, but this was the part of pregnancy that scared the shit out of her due to everything that could go wrong.

Derek nodded, then handed her his cell phone before he grabbed his keys. "Just breathe everything will be fine" Derek stayed calm for her just as he had with his sister. "I guess we have to postpone the date" Derek joked, trying to help calm her.

Ali smiled a little, pain tempering her eyes as she dialed the phone, talking quickly to her mom, who couldn't leave work at the moment, which terrified Ali, having no one there while she went through this. Ali wasn't going to cry. Hell no. Not now. She looked to him, her eyes huge and terrified. "Hospital?"

Derek picked her up and carried her towards his car "Don't worry I'll stay with you" He said after seeing her eyes, even if she didn't want him to stay he wouldn't leave her by herself. After seeing what his sister went through, the last thing Derek wanted was Ali to do this alone.

Ali nodded, a little surprised at how easily he carried her. She was shaking a little, scared to death, just trying to breathe through the contraction, finding that it eased now, like the lull in the waves. She held tight to him, glad she had picked here to stop, and that she had actually talked to Derek for awhile, because this was a lot to unload on a stranger.

Derek drove to the hospital, going as fast a the law allowed. Part of him was shocked at the fact he was taking a girl to the hospital, to have her baby despite the fact he had just met her. Although the other half was glad he had gotten to know her and was able to help her.

When they were about halfway there, another contraction hit her, though she forced herself not to make a sound, biting down on her lip, closing her eyes and breathing through it. Why now? Why could this wait 2 days. She really had been looking forward to that date with him.