If that's what it takes

18

Derek walked with Zoey toward the car. The evening was settling and he could feel the little girl shiver slightly as they approached the car. "We need to get you a jacket." Derek said softly as he reached for his keys and unlocked the car door, shaking his head at the bunch of balloons that had been shoved into his backseat.

"Balloons!" She giggled, pointing at the them as they stuck to the ceiling of the car, Derek shook his head.

"That Mister Mark... always getting things that I never asked for."

"I like balloons, Just Derek..." She smiled as she climbed into the car seat, she jumped when she nearly sat on something in the seat and she leapt from the car when she saw what was in the seat.

"What? What's wrong?" Derek asked as he saw the shocked look on the little girl's face as she pointed into the car.

"That's Mister Derek!" She squealed as she pointed at the pink bear with the little bow seated and buckled in her car seat. "THAT IS MISTER DEREK! HOLY COW!"

"What is Mister Derek?" Derek asked as he tried to hide his smile as she climbed back into the car and stared at the bear.

"In there! In my car seat! Look! Look, Just Derek! Look!" She exclaimed as she leapt into the car and pulled at the seatbelt, pulling the bear from the car seat, she hugged the bear as tears started rolling down her cheeks. "Oh! I thought I lost you! I thought you were gone forever! Just Derek! Where did you find him?" She exclaimed as she hugged the bear as the happy tears continued to flow down her cheeks.

"He must have been waiting for you in the car this whole time!" Derek exclaimed.

"I don't believe it! How did he know that I was going to come home with you?"

"He must be a pretty smart bear..." Derek nodded as she held him at arms length and looked up at Derek with a suspicious look and then looked back at the bear.

"I don't care how he got here... he's with me now and he's not going anywhere!" She exclaimed as she hugged the bear again and turned in the seat, allowing Derek to pull the seatbelt over her lap, he buckled her in.

"Are you all set?" Derek asked as he kissed her nose as she wiggled it and giggled slightly.

"I'm all set now, Just Derek..." She said with a smile as she leaned forward and kissed his nose too, cuddling Mister Derek tightly in her arms as if everything were to fall apart if she let him go.

Derek closed her door and walked around to the driver's side. He opened the door and climbed in, looking into the rearview mirror, he watched the little girl's eyes close as she hugged the bear into her tightly. "I have a theory..." He said as he watched her look up.

"I think that other bear was a Mister Derek stand in...like... a stunt double..."

"A what?"

"I think the real Mister Derek was right here all along..." Derek nodded.

"You really think so?" She whispered as she kissed the bear and cuddled it.

"Yes I do..." Derek nodded.

"How do I know that this Mister Derek isn't going to disappear?" She whispered as she looked up at him with a worried look.

"This Mister Derek is in it for the long haul, little girl... This Mister Derek will never give up...he's the real thing, Zoey... and I'm sure that he'll do anything to make you happy." Derek replied with a smile.

"Will he get me a cheeseburger?" She asked with a smile, watching Derek grin.

"I think he can work on that." Derek said with a chuckle as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. He smiled as he looked down at his phone, the picture of the little pink bear that Zoey had taken when they had first met was plastered across the front as the tone indicated a text message. He looked down at the phone and chuckled slightly as he drove. The message from Mark blinked across the screen.

'I nearly had to go all the way to Portland for that bear, Derek... keep it safe.'

"I don't think that have anything to worry about." Derek whispered, as he looked into the back seat quickly, watching the little girl close her eyes, as she hugged the bear as tightly as possible.