Mall of Vetis

Nell felt really betrayed. No, more than betrayed, she felt-well that didn't really matter. The point was that William had installed security cameras in the store the night before. Nell could understand the need, but something told her that he hadn't put these up just for the costumers.

"It isn't for you." William punched a text into his phone, "It's for shop lifters. I know you don't take anything."

Nell pouted, leaning up against the wall in an attempt to look uncaring, "But now you'll watch me work and become even more neurotic."

William didn't look up from his phone, "Maybe you'll use the dust pan instead of sweeping unwanted particles under card stands."

"That is cruel and unusual punishment."

"Doing your job must be really tough, huh?"

"You suck, William Beckett." Nell dragged chap-stick across her lips, "Can I go on break?"

"You just got here, and then told me I sucked!"

"Yeah but, I've got business to attend to!"

William opened his mouth and then closed it again, furrowing his brow. He really didn't want to know what business she would be attending to, just incase the police came into play and then he became witness to a crime. Or, you know, he just didn't really care.

"Yeah, that's right Mr. Smarty Pants."

"I didn't actually say you could leave" William smirked at her. Nell shrugged.

"I don't need your permission, Beckett."

"You kind of do, I'm your boss."

"But nobody else wants to work here, so you'll never fire me." When Nell was right, she was right.

"Just shut up and go attend to your business." William set his phone down on the counter and pointed at Nell, "But if you get put into mall-jail, you need to call somebody else because I'm not bailing you out."

"Don't you worry." Nell grabbed her messenger bag off of the ground, "Heaven will bail me out, and if not Tarra will and then there's Nicole and Parker. I've got a million of people in this mall that owe me favors, so don't feel so significant."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that if you get put in mall-jail, they're gonna be in there with you."

"Shut up!" Nell threw her hands in the air and walked out of the store.

William proceeded to roll his eyes and smile, maybe just a little bit. Because everybody knows that he totally enjoys Nell's stupid antics once and a while.

.................................................

Nell walked into Picasso Pizza humming the Mission Impossible theme song, swishing around corners and slowly sliding down walls to make a dramatic effect. Gerard just looked at her.

"I need your help." Nell sat on the counter, Ray sprayed her with water. She fell.

Gerard looked over the counter and peered down at her, "With what?"

Nell glared up at Ray, "You know how Parker's been addicted to Harry Potter lately?"

"Yeah, so?" Gerard shrugged and Nell smirked, setting the last book in the series on the counter.

"I stole it from her car this morning."

"How did you steal it from her car?!" Ray's mouth dropped open.

Nell shrugged, "Gabe owed me a favor."

Ray rolled out some dough, "That still doesn't explain anything."

"Yes it does." Gerard snorted.

"Anyway, I need you guys to do me a favor. When Parker storms in here, demanding you tell her where the book is. I want you to give her this clue." Nell handed Gerard an envelope, sealed with a wax stamp.

"Where the hell did you find time to do all this?"

"I have a lot of downtime at work."

"How many clues did you make?!" Gerard looked the envelope over from front to back.

"About fifty, and they're all riddles."

"Wow. That's dedication."

"I try." Nell smirked, "So will you do that for me?"

Gerard nodded his head enthusiastically, "Absolutely."

"Thanks. Now can I have my usual order? I'm starving."

Gerard sliced off a piece of supreme pizza and set it on a plate, Nell grabbed it away from him like some crazed animal. Gerard just held out his hand for money. She gave him the exact amount without having to look.

"So what're you going to do when Parker finds out you did it?" Ray was washing his hands in the sink and looking at Nell, who just shrugged.

"I plan on blaming it on somebody else."

"Like who?"

"Like Pete."

"That's actually not a band plan."

"Right?" Nell laughed, putting a piece of crust in her mouth, "I thought it was pretty brilliant."

Gerard was leaning all of his weight on the counter, "So how many other clues do you have to hand out?"

"About forty eight or so. This is the second one I've given out." Nell glanced at the clock, "I better get going if I want to finish before lunchtime."

"Your dedication really does astound me." Ray chuckled.

Nell laughed and shrugged, "Well I needed something to do, other than my job."

"Such a hard worker." Gerard smirked at her. Nell smirked back, saluting the two pizza makers before skipping out of the store.

.................................................

"Where is it?!" Parker tore through her messenger bag, throwing random articles of clothing and books out.

"Where's what?" Heaven lifted an eyebrow, she was playing cards with Nicole and Tarra who had both gotten bored at their shops.

"My book!"

"Which one?" Nicole lifted an eyebrow.

Parker scrunched her hands into fists, "Deathly Hallows! Where is it?"

Alex walked over to Parker with a smirk on his face, he handed her the envelope. Parker snatched it from him and tore the seal open.

"What's it say?" Heaven quirked an eyebrow.

"Is that a clue?" Tarra laughed, setting her cards down.

"Hah! I win!" Nicole looked at her cards.

"Cheater!" Tarra snatched her cards back and glared.

"Both of you shut up, I wanna hear this!" Heaven leaned in closer to Parker.

She cleared her throat, "Go to the place where dreams come true. There you will find your next clue." Parker dropped the note on the table and grabbed Alex's shirt, "I swear to God, if you did this..."

"I didn't!" Alex's eyes opened wide, Heaven snorted.

"I don't think Alex has the patience."

Parker sighed, "Then who did do this?"

"I can't tell you." Alex swallowed hard.

"Why not?." Parker narrowed her eyes.

"I made a promise!"

"Fine." Parker let go of Alex and cracked her knuckles, "I guess I'm going to have to make you tell me."

Alex's eyes got even wider and he bolted out of the store, running so fast that he ran into a family of five, knocking over one of the children. He looked both ways and sprinted up, taking a hard left and disappearing from sight.

"Did he just knock a kid down?" Heaven blinked.

"Yep."

"Great."

"What the hell does the clue mean? 'Go to the place with dreams come true, there you will find your next clue'? Where is that?"

"Maybe the Disney store?" Heaven shrugged. Parker grabbed her by the shoulders and shook lightly.

"Genius! You’re a genius!"

Parker bolted out of Macy's and towards the Disney store.

"Should we alert the captain?" Tarra leaned back in her chair.

Heaven nodded and took out her phone, dialing a number, "Hey Nell, It's begun."

.................................................

The thing about Nell is that when she's determined to make something work, she makes it work. That's why her house was always the scariest during Halloween, and why it was the brightest during the holiday season. When she really puts her mind to something, it works out for the best.
This is why she is almost certain that Parker won't be able to find her book without the clues.

"She really hurt me, you know." Brendon rubbed the side of his face where a red mark was starting to appear, "Those plastic princess dolls are really solid, and she hits hard."

Nell put a hand over her mouth and controlled her laughing, "Um, I'm...I'm so sorry."

"No you aren't."

"I'm really not!" Nell burst out laughing, high-fiving Vicky-T in the process.

"She knocked down the entire stuffed character display!" Brendon flailed his arms, frantically pointing to a pile of stuffed animals that kids were jumping into.

"Hey!" Vicky-T yelled, pointing at the kids who had a true look of terror on their faces, "Stop doing that or I'm telling Santa and you'll never get another gift again!"

The jumping stopped.

"I'd help you pick it up, I would, but I've gotta go make sure she didn't hurt and or kill Frank or Mikey."

Brendon quirked an eyebrow, "I thought you hated Frank?"
"He gives me food for free ever since I promised I wouldn't rat him out during our next game of hide and seek."

"Aw, no fair!"

Nell patted Brendon on the cheek, "I do what I gotta do."

"Does Parker know you did it?" Hayley leaned up against the 'Snow White' display.

"Nah. I'm pretty sure she suspects Gabe and or Pete."

"What're you gonna do if she finds out you did it?"

"I have an elaborate story about how Pete did it."

"Nice!" Hayley smirked and high-fived Nell.

"What's the next clue leading her to?" Brendon peeked his head out of the store.

"She should be visiting-"

There was a crash and then Shane started screaming in a high-pitched, almost girl like squeal, which was followed by Parker swearing and threating in a very angry voice.

Brendon blinked, "Ah."

"Was that Shane?" Vicky-T laughed into her hand.

"I think so..." Hayley blinked, "Either that or it was Nick."

There was another scream before Parker ran to her next destination, looking like she meant serious business.

"Ah, crap. I better go make sure that everyone's okay." Nell kissed Brendon on the cheek and ran out to see if an ambulance was needed.

……………………………………

Parker held the last note in her left hand and pointed a finger at Pete who looked, understandably, terrified. He was holding Patrick by the shoulders and using him as a shield.

"I swear to God that if you did this, I'm going to make the rest of your existence on this earth so painfully awful you'll wish you never took this job. Understand?"

Pete nodded quickly, "I didn't do it! Do you honestly think I have the patience to do this? I promise!"

"Can I go now? You smell like green peppers and plastic." Patrick's expression resembled that of a ticked off cat.

"NO! She'll hurt me!" Pete squeaked.

"Oh Pete, I'm going to hurt you no matter if Patrick's standing in front of you. Because you and I both know that he'd move aside and let me." Parker tweaked an eyebrow and looked down at her clue.

"Patrick, is this true? You'd let her?" Pete's voice went from terror to something an upset kid would have.

"In a heartbeat."

Pete snorted, "Liar, I know we're bestfriends!"

"Shut up, Pete. I'm trying to think." Parker sat down and stared at the note.

"What's it say?" Patrick peered over her shoulder, pushing Pete aside.

"You've looked high and you've looked low, but you still don't know. I suggest you use your head, to think of where this book has fled. Go to where caffeine is consumed, there you will find your lost book."

"Jabba the Hut, duh." Pete sprawled out over the counter and looked up at Parker.

"I hate to say this, but I think he's right." Patrick pushed him off the counter.

"Thanks guys." Parker waved before skipping to the coffee shop. When she walked in, she could see it, the shining, beautiful sight of her beloved Harry Potter book. Only, it was under Spencer's hand who was smirking at her like the little brat that he is. Then he spoke.

"Beg for it." Spencer blinked slowly and continued to smirk.

"Don't you DARE try me, Smith. Just hand over that book and I won't hurt you."

"No, no. Not until you get down on one knee and tell me how awesome I am."

"I'm gonna smack that dumb smirk right off your face." Parker moved closer and Spencer continued to smirk.

"Try me."

There was silence before a loud 'smack' was heard, followed by a very loud shriek. Nell peeked her head out of the card store and cringed.

"I told him not to be a smart-ass about it."

"Do you think she knew you did it?" William turned down a page in his novel and looked out as well.

Nell waved a hand, "No, I'm pretty sure that at this point she's just mad at Spencer."

"I can't believe you let that happen."

"Hey, I set the book in there on the counter with a note on it that said 'Congrats! You have won!', but apparently Spencer ignored my warning and decided to be a jerk about it." Nell shrugged and picked up the broom.

William cringed, "Ouch, he looks like he might cry."

"Is she still hitting him?" Nell tried to look past William.

"Nope. She's walking back to Macy's and he's just holding his face-ah, now Ryan's laughing. Whoa, Tarra just walked out of her office and then walked back in, shaking her head and muttering." William laughed, "Classic!"

Nell smirked and adjusted the 'Team Spencer' pin on her blouse, "He's gotta learn not to mess with Parker. Nobody messes with Parker."

William chuckled, "Especially when Harry Potter is involved.