The Cassidy Chronicles

One - Ready to Roll

"Let's go!"

It occurred to Chris not for the first time that his daughter – his precious Cassidy – might have been more than human. At four years of age, she possessed an octave range to rival an opera soprano. There was little doubt in his mind that the girl had inherited his husband's impressive strength. One bop from her tiny fist left a person seeing stars. Even as he attempted to strap Cassie into her car seat, Chris was certain the little girl was part octopus. All arms and legs.

"The sooner you get hooked up, the sooner we'll get going."

Cassidy Jericho found this response unacceptable. It meant her Daddy was doing something wrong. If they were ever going to get underway, she would have to take matters into her own hands. She was a Jericho, which meant she was capable of taking charge of a situation.

Resolutely, Cassie grasped the red cloth straps in her hands. "I do this." Two clicks later, she was buckled in and ready to rock. "Let's go see the puppy!" she excitedly exclaimed.

"And Uncle," added Chris.

Cassie clapped her hands. "Let's go see the puppy and Uncle!"

Shaking his head, Chris closed the door. He circled around the back of the car before climbing into the front passenger seat. "You think we should tell your brother that his only niece puts his dog before him?"

Kane chuckled, "Some days I like the dog better than my brother. At least the dog knows how to take orders."

"And hasn't tried to bury you alive," Chris added.

They pulled out of the garage, down the driveway and into the street.

"To be fair," said Kane, "I did burn his eyebrows off. It took over two months for them to grow back in fully."

"In the mean time, he had to pencil them in! Mark looked like Liza Minelli."

"An angry Liza Minelli."

Cassie was bored. Entertainment was required. "Daddy!" she shouted. "Play my songs!"

If not for the shoulder restraint of his seat belt, Chris would have bashed his head on the dashboard. Repeatedly and with increasing intensity. Instead, he rubbed his temples in anticipation of the battle he was about to lose. "Please, Cassidy…"

On the subject of her songs, Cassie was unbendable. She turned to her Papa. "Papa, I wanna be famous!"

It wasn't that Kane had a problem denying his daughter. If anything, Chris was usually the first to fold. Cassidy could wrap the older Jericho around her finger like a rubber band. It was the dimples. The minute they popped out, any adult within a two foot range was a goner.

Turning to his partner, Kane said, "It's only three songs, Chris. And we'll be there before you know it." Lucky for them, a majority of their destinations were in a three-song radius. That was as long as Chris could last.

"But it's not even music!" Chris held his ground. "It's… It's…" His face crumpled in disgust. "Autotune!"

Between the whimpering in the backseat and the obvious discomfort of his husband, Kane had a tough decision to make. He pressed a button on the steering wheel. "Big Time Rush… Famous…"

The digital music kicked in, much to the delight of the littlest Jericho.

"I wanna be famous… famous… Wanna be the one who's living the life…"

Kane reminded Chris. "It could be worse… Be thankful she's not into Hannah Montana."