Inheritances
Back-from-wherever-post 7/8
Summary: Rese stares at the woman in shock. Cass's mother is tiny. On character traits and other inheritances. OneShot.
Warning: supposed humor. Last chance to run.
Set: Story-unrelated, future-fic
Disclaimer: Standards apply.
"Coming!"
The front yard is a picture of rural tranquility – flower beds, a stone bench and even a tiny, almost hidden fountain – and the white front door is lovingly decorated with a bouquet of dried sunflowers. The lovely picture, though, doesn't manage to take away her stage fright. She still feels like a nervous wreck just thinking about what she is about to do.
"Welcome!"
The door opens to reveal a woman in her late fifties, with warm brown eyes and silvery hair. The soft scent of cake wafts through the door of the little house.
Rese cannot help herself.
She stares in shock at the woman who has opened the front door of this urban paradise and now is smiling at her with the most heartbreakingly familiar smile. Of course, the woman notices. But her smile does not waver. Instead, she grants her a second to recover from her initial shock.
Because Cassidy's mother is tiny.
How on earth can he be so tall while his mother is that small? How can she even be his mother?
The woman isn't just an antagonism by her own right. She is a telepath, too, because she looks at Rese with brown eyes full of laughter and winks.
"Wait till you have seen my husband – ah, there he is. They are here, Brian!"
Rese dimly notices that the only thing she has done during the last minute is staring. But right up walks the next surprise in form of a tall man. A really tall explains a lot and opens up even more questions. And he looks exactly like Cassidy: the same hair, the same eyes, the same face. If not for the obvious fact that they were father and son they might have been twin brothers.
"Cass is here, and he has brought his girlfriend!"
Rese recovers just in time to hear the woman making the introductions to her husband. And at the sound of the word girlfriend she blushes furiously. She can feel Cass smirking at her from behind. A hand brushes her back softly and then he steps past her, his green eyes shining. His parents greet him with the enthusiasm of people who haven't seen their only child for years and he hugs them with the same intensity. The blush still not subsiding, Rese inconspicuously tries to fawn cool air into her heated face and feels like the odd one out. She has not yet had the time to think over those strange feelings when Cass takes her hand and introduces her properly.
-v-
Rese still didn't know what made her accept Cassidy's proposal in the first place. Let's visit my parents next weekend. Such a harmless introduction! They had been sitting in the living-room that evening, Cass going through some papers and Rese trying to read a book. Trying meant she tried to read while she again and again was distracted by his closeness. He dropped the suggestion suddenly, right out of the blue. And she actually needed a second to understand what he was trying to say.
She couldn't simply refuse outright. If Cass wanted to see his parents that was his business and besides, he hadn't seen them for years. Nobody could stop him if he wanted to see them. If she was honest, of course, she did want to get to know the people that had been his family before he came to live with them. But her second instinct took over and it was far stronger than the first one: sheer horror.
He could read it in her eyes because his became soft and his hand found hers and squeezed it slightly. Not wanting him to notice the slight trembling that had begun to spread all over her body, she pulled back her hand and knotted into a fist.
"Can't you go by yourself?"
His gaze was intense. "Please, Rese. I want you to get to know my parents."
What could she say without hurting him? The only way she could get out of this was admitting she was afraid of meeting his family. She wouldn't do that. She didn't need to, he knew her too well.
"You don't have to be afraid."
"I'm not afraid!"
"So you'll come?"
She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to calm her furious heart-beat. It didn't help. Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and she was pulled into a tight embrace.
"Please, Rese?" A voice whispered, right next to her ear. Rese felt heat rising into her face and was glad it was buried in Cass's T-Shirt. He was fighting dirty.
"Okay," she mouthed.
-v-
While mother, father and son start filling up each other on recent events, Rese carefully watches them. She cannot understand how this is possible – how Cass can walk into a house he hasn't been in for years and still feels at home immediately. How he can talk to those people he hasn't seen for years as if they had just met the day before?
There is more than just one meaning to the word family, she guesses. And feels jealousy rising.
She fights it back determinedly (so what if Cass has two families – at least she's part of one of them) and searches for something to focus on.
Cassidy.
Because he is always on her mind he is the best choice right now. Next to herself he is the one person she knows best. Now, here, in this little house on the outskirts of town, she suddenly sees why he is the way he is. And from whom he has inherited what.
"Would you like another piece of cake, dear?"
A voice brings her back to reality and with a start she realizes someone has spoken to her. She looks up and sees three pairs of eyes stare at her with a similar expression in them. Two pairs are bottle-green, one pair is brown.
"Yes, please," she answers to cover up for her lack of concentration. "It tastes great."
"Thank you," Cass's mother says genuinely and hands her back her plate. "I wasn't sure what I was supposed to make, so I went with apple cake… You always loved it," she continues with a look at her son. Cass smiles at her. He has smiled a lot since they have entered this house. It suits him well. Whenever he smiles she can feel her heart flutter. She is about to blush again and tries to ignore the sensation by focusing on the other people present. Which is no good because that way she can see where his smile comes from. And his red hair. His green eyes. His gentleness. Sitting here with him and his parents suddenly feels like she is surrounded. It's a whole new definition of awkward.
"So you're a hunter, too?"
Cass's father turns to her and suddenly she is the center of attention. She isn't prepared for this. She has faced hunters, weirn, demons, werewolves and vampires alike. She has fought and killed and hunted – and yet she is not prepared to talk to Cass's parents. She throws him a helpless look which he registers and answers. But he doesn't attempt to help her. Embarrassed, she turns back to his parents and sees their gazes still locked on her. Even with her meager communication skills she knows the question has only been a polite entrance statement. They know she is a hunter, after all. She clears her throat.
"Yes."
So much for a competent answer. She can feel herself blushing furiously once again. But Cass's parents wait for her answer patiently and don't seem offended by the curtness of her answer. Instead, his mother smiles and his father sighs.
"Never was easy, being a hunter. Well, we're all still alive. I guess that counts for something."
"Anyway, where are you from, Teresa?" Asks his wife, changing the subject skillfully. What is meant to be a helpful question makes Rese feel even more awkward.
"Umm… My parents came here from France."
"From France!"
Both are delighted. "They were hunters too, I gather?"
"Yes."
"What made them come here?"
How often has she told the story? It is painfully familiar.
"My mother was from the US. My father was born in France. They met there when my mother was over in Europe for a mission and she stayed with him. When I was three years old, we moved back."
"Are they still active?"
"They are dead."
Silence falls over the room. Cass's hand touches her arm, a gesture so casual it seems unintentional. It is anything than that.
She has told many people about her family. She has seen many different reactions: From embarrassment to compassion to feigned pity. She has encountered pure acceptance exactly once. Now, history repeats itself. She should have known. Of course – he is just like his parents.
"You must miss them a lot."
The lump in her throat is almost too much to bear.
"I cannot remember their faces," somebody says and after a second Rese notices with a jolt she has spoken. It doesn't sound like her voice at all. The carpet has an interesting pattern, black and blue with green vines. "I cannot remember anything. Not their voices or their faces or…"
Why is she talking about it right now?
Why can't she stop?
It's pouring from her like a river freed from its dam. She already hates herself for doing so as she utters the first words. Stop. Stop it. Just… But she can't. Luckily, Cass can. She feels his arms as he pulls her into him. Her rambling is muffled and finally stopped by his arms which wrap around her middle and successfully prevent her from falling apart.
"I'm sorry," she mumbles and untangles herself from him. Weirdly, after that breakdown she is able to look at his parents without feeling awkward. Maybe that is because she already has made a fool out of herself. But all she encounters in their eyes is quiet understanding. A soft smile creeps up into Cass's mother's eyes.
"Let's talk about something entirely different," she suggests.
"So… Has Cass already proposed to you?"
Talk about new heights of awkwardness.
"Mum!" Cass starts up. His father winks at him.
"She's only making fun of you, son."
"It's not funny," he huffs and Rese can see the tiniest hint of a blush creep into his cheeks. She giggles softly. Seeing him embarrassed definitely distracts her from her own embarrassment.
Well, this isn't as bad as it could be.
-v-
Dinner is a rather enjoyable matter.
As is the entire evening. They spend it on the little porch on the backside of the house. The terrace is hidden from the view of random passers-by and even the sounds of the street are muted. It feels like a whole different world to her. These people are old enough to be her parents yet they talk and laugh and tease the way she is used to seeing and hearing from her friends and her substitute family. They laugh and smile and joke and scold like the people she knows and the need to differentiate somehow grows until it is overwhelming.
This is not her family.
This is Cass's.
Still, she cannot help herself. When she came here she was afraid of meeting those who are among the most important people to Cassidy. At one point of the evening she realizes she is afraid of learning what it feels like to have parents who are alive and her fears prove to be justified. It is overwhelming: the safety the little house and its wild though well-kept garden convey, the happiness that starts to build up at the pit of her stomach. The feeling of protection those two – three – people are able to give her. The contentment, caused by the mere fact that she is there and is able to talk and laugh with them, that warms her entire body.
It shouldn't be that easy. Yet it is.
"She's doing it again," Cass's father says in an accusing tone and Rese yanks her concentration back to reality. Realizing everyone is staring at her her forehead creases but she doesn't know what they have been talking about.
"What?" She asks, reasonably confused.
"You're spacing out, dear," Cass's mother chuckles. Then her gaze becomes intense. "Are you tired? I'm sorry, we should have realized how late it is!"
Indeed, it is late. The full moon above their heads blossoms in full beauty. A few moths surround the little electric garden torches.
"Oh no, I'm not tired!" She hastens to ensure. "I'm just…" She doesn't find a suitable way to finish her sentence and it hangs in the cool night air for a while until it disappears. Three pairs of eyes look at her kindly.
"Well, it has been a long day," Cass's mother says. "It is understandable that you feel exhausted. We didn't intend to take up so much of your time. Please accept my apologies."
"There's no need to apologize!" Rese almost cries out. "You haven't seen Cass for years so it's only natural if you have a lot to tell. I'm fine, please don't worry! I didn't want to interrupt you, so…"
"We might as well get going," Cass says. A hint of disappointment colors his voice. "It really is late and we haven't checked whether we have to run another patrol shift tonight."
"I asked Ten to take care of that," Rese answers. "Since you're here for once, you might as well enjoy yourself as much as possible. We still have time."
"But…"
"No buts."
To her never-ending surprise this evening, Cass's father chuckles. His laugh is deep and rumbling.
"She's a pretty headstrong woman, your Teresa, isn't she?"
"Wha-"
For something that feels like the umpteenth time this evening Rese blushes to a deep red. It is the honesty in their words, the open kindness and the unashamed observation that really throw her off-track. Is this the way it is supposed to be?
She sees the similarities between Cass and his parents clearly. She can see them everywhere. In the way they move, they talk, smile and laugh. When his mother brushes away a stand of grey hair and smiles. When his father leans back and watches them closely from over the rims of his glasses. There is so much of Cassidy in both of them – or, rather, there is so much of both of them in Cass.
It makes her want to cry.
-v-
Later, much later, on their way back home, Cass takes her hand.
"So?" He inquires carefully.
"So?" She asks back.
"What do you think?"
There is something in his voice that makes her stop dead in the middle of the street.
"What do I think?"
"Yes."
He fidgets a bit, then gives in to her a look.
"They were a bit … forceful, weren't they?"
Stunned, she stares at him for a few seconds. Then she starts laughing.
"Cass, they were perfectly fine. Your parents are great. You should be proud of them."
Her voice drops a few tones.
"You should be happy to have such parents."
"I am."
He hesitates a while but continues to walk. She follows him closely, still trying to catch a look at him. He stares at the ground as if grey and black pavement offered redemption to mankind.
"I just felt bad because you… Rese, you…"
She elbows him in his ribs. Hard. "Shut up, idiot. I told you to be thankful for your parents. This has nothing to do with mine. And I really liked yours."
"But…"
"No buts."
He stares at her for a few seconds and then begins to laugh quietly. "Dad was right," he finally manages. "You are stubborn, Rese."
She blushes.
It felt like she has been blushing the entire day. She didn't exactly like the feeling of being exposed like this but it didn't seem like there was a way to change that.
"Well, sorry!" She exclaims and quickens her steps. She can hear Cass catching up to her quickly but she doesn't look back.
"I realize this habit of mine must be annoying. I apologize for not being perfect but for being a headstrong, forceful, stubborn idiot."
She can hear him chuckling next to her.
"It's not that bad."
"What do you-"
"Actually, I'd like our children to inherit this certain character trait of yours. It can be quite adorable. Like your habit of blushing."
Rese doesn't know what causes her blush this time: His teasing tone, his mentions of her bad habits or the fact that he has told her he loves her with words he never has used before.
Or him mentioning children.