By Wickedclowns101
Authors Notes - Add another fic to my collection
of Rachel/Jake ficcies. No real romance, but it can be interpreted.
As can a little bit of Jake/Tobias. This fic takes place in three
different time periods, so don't get confused. Read on!
*1990*
(Approximate ages - Jake, 5. Rachel, 5. Cassie,
4)
I stood up
in the back seat of the van, trying to see over the top of my mom's seat.
"Jake, put
your seat belt on!" Mom yelled.
"It is on."
I said, and pointed to the belt, which was wrapped around my ankles.
Two strong arms wrapped around my shoulders, and pushed me down to the
seat. "Sit down, squirt." Tom said, and picked up his basket ball
from the ground.
"Are we there
yet?" I complained, and crossed my arms over my chest.
"Yep." My
dad said, stopping the car.
"Yay!" I yanked
off my seat belt, and opened the door. I ran up the sidewalk, and
knocked on the front door. It opened swiftly.
"Hi Jakey!"
It was my Aunt Naomi. She picked me up, and hugged me.
"Hi Aunt Nai-nai...
Where's Rachel?" I asked cheerfully.
"She's upstairs,
waiting for Cassie and Melissa. And you, of course." Aunt Naomi said.
I wiggled out of her arms, and ran upstairs. It was hard work to
climb all those stairs, and there was a long hall way at the end.
I walked down the hall way slowly, and peeked inside each doorway, looking
for Rachel. At the third door from the stairway, I found her, standing
on her bed, looking in the mirror.
"Rachel!"
I said, as I walked into her room. She spun around, and smiled.
"Jake!" She
jumped off of the bed, and hugged me. I hugged her back. "New
dress?" I guessed. She looked down at the red, sparkly dress she
was wearing.
"Uh huh.
Mommy bought it for me for my birthday today." Rachel said.
"Want to go
play?" I asked. She nodded, smiling brightly. I took her hand,
and ran downstairs with her.
"Ah, to be
young," My Uncle Dan said as we ran outside. Another girl was walking
up the driveway with an older man.
"Hi Cassie!"
Rachel said. I waved to her.
"Hi Rachel.
Hi Jake." Cassie said.
"Want to play
with us?" Rachel asked. Cassie looked up at the man holding her hand.
"Can I, daddy?"
she asked.
"Of course,
Cassie." the man, her father, said. He let go of her hand.
"What are
we going to play?" Rachel asked. I grinned, and touched her shoulder
softly.
"You're it!"
I said, and started running away. Rachel growled. "You come
back here!" She screamed, and started chasing me. "You'll never catch
me!" I said, dodging behind a tree.
***
"I'll get you!"
I yelled, and started chasing Cassie. She giggled, and started running,
but I was faster. I caught up with her quickly, and jumped on her,
knocking her over. Rachel came up behind us and jumped on top, sandwiching
me in the middle. We started laughing.
"Jake!
Cassie! Rachel! It's been an hour! Come back inside,
it's time to open presents!" My dad called from the doorway to Rachel's
house. We stopped laughing, and helped each other up. We started
to walk inside.
"Stop right
there!" It was my mom. "I want a picture of you and Rachel,
Jake." she said. Rachel and I turned around, staring into the camera.
"Like this?"
Rachel asked.
"Closer together."
My mom instructed. I wrapped my arm around Rachel's shoulder, and
she leaned her head on my shoulder. We both smiled.
"How precious,"
my mom said, and snapped the picture.
"Now
can we go open my presents?" Rachel asked.
*2000*
(Approximate ages - Everyone, 15. Ax, unknown)
"Where is she?"
Marco asked annoyingly, leaning against one of the couches inside of Ax's
scoop.
"Chill, Marco.
She'll be here." I insisted. I eyed the four packages that sat on
the couch on the opposite end from Marco. It was Rachel's birthday.
Cassie and I had arranged for everyone to meet here. Rachel thought
she was on her way for an emergency meeting.
There
she is, > Tobias said. He was perched in a tree almost directly above
the scoop. His excellent hawk eyes never missed a thing. Rachel
fluttered to a landing a few yards away from the scoop, and demorphed.
"What are
the Yeerks up to now?" She asked eagerly.
"Nothing we
know of." I said. Rachel looked confused.
"Then what..."
She asked. Marco laid his head on her shoulder.
"Tis a noble
day, when fifteen years ago, this heavenly angel of the light side was
birthed," He said in a british accent.
"My..." Rachel
stuttered.
Happy
birthday, Rach. > Tobias said. Cassie emerged from the scoop carrying
the small cake she'd made, and I gathered up the gifts.
"You guys
didn't have to do this," She said. Cassie set down the cake, and
placed her hands on Rachel's shoulders.
"We know,
Rachel. We wanted to." Cassie said.
"Should I
open the presents first?" Rachel asked.
"It's your
day, go ahead." I said. Marco picked up a box, and handed it to her.
She shook it gently, listening for a booby trap.
"Oh come on,
Rachel. I'm insulted." Marco said, and faked a faint.
"Sounds like
clothes." She commented, and tore off the wrapping paper. She tried
to open the box, but found that it was taped at the bottom. She ended
up breaking a nail trying to get the tape off.
"You're paying
for this, buster." Rachel said, growling at Marco.
"Geez, didn't
know a piece of acrylic covering your nail was so important." Marco said,
as Rachel lifted off the top of the box, and stared down at its contents.
"A leather
skirt and top?" She asked questioningly. Marco nodded solemnly.
"Authentic
Xena wear." he said. Rachel rolled her eyes.
"You are such
an idiot... but thank you anyway." She said, and put the box down on the
ground next to her. She reached back over to the pile, and picked
up a small square box.
"From... Ax?"
she asked, looking at the Andalite. Ax scuffed his right front hoof
against the dirt, and raised one stalk eye to look at her. It was
almost cute. He was embarrassed.
I did
not know what a human teenage female would like for a gift, so I had Cassie
help me. > he said. Rachel opened the box, to reveal two small tear
drop shaped platinum earrings.
"Aww, thank
you Ax!" Rachel said, and hugged Ax lightly. He seemed surprised,
but then hugged her back.
You are
very welcome, Rachel. > He said. Rachel took out the earrings, and
put them on. "How do I look?" She asked. I decided to try a
joke.
"Smashing,
baby!" I said in an Austin Powers voice. Everyone laughed, save for
Ax, who had no idea who Austin Powers was. She dropped the box inside
of the bigger box that held Marco's present, and picked up the big box
that Cassie had gotten her. She tore off the paper, and looked inside,
at what appeared to be a pair of boots.
"How did you
know I wanted these?" Rachel asked.
"Please, Rachel.
I can read you like a book. A book that screams 'Kitaki Boots!
Kitaki Boots!" Cassie said. Rachel giggled.
"Thanks, Cassie."
Rachel said, and picked up the last present, which was a long narrow box.
She opened it, and pulled out a golden chain, with a small locket on the
end. She opened the locket, and found a picture of the human Tobias
staring back at her. She looked up at Tobias. "Thank you, Tobias."
She said lovingly. I swear, I saw him smile. In his hawk form.
One by one, six pairs of eyes turned to stare at me.
"My present
is kind of a family thing." I said.
"Come on,
Jake. We're all like family here." Cassie insisted.
"All right
then." I reached into my jacket pocket, and pulled out a small, thin picture
frame. I handed it to her. "Happy birthday, Rachel." I said.
She took the frame, and looked at it. "I was looking through my mother's
picture album, and found this. I thought you might want a copy."
I said.
"Isn't this
the picture your mom took of us on my fifth birthday?" Rachel asked.
I nodded, and looked at the picture again. My arm was wrapped around
her, and her head was on my shoulder. we both smiled brightly.
"We were so
young. So..." I started.
"Naive?" Rachel
finished.
"Will we ever
get those days back?" I asked. Rachel took my hand in hers.
"After we
win, Jake." She said. I squeezed her hand and smiled. "Happy
Birthday," I said.
"Thank you
for making today so special. I love you, Jake." She said. That
took me by surprise. Rachel isn't an 'I love you' person.
"I love you
too, Rachel. I always will." I said.
*2010*
(Approximate ages - Jake, Cassie, Marco, 25. Ax,
Tobias, unknown)
I parked my
Viper outside the cemetery, much like I did every night. But tonight
was special. I pulled out the boquet of roses and the small package
from the passenger seat.
"Evening,
Mr. Berenson." Stan, the night watchman, said. I shook his hand.
"And to yourself,
Stan." I said as he opened the gate for me. I walked from the main
entrance, and up the narrow walkway, passing by the other monuments for
the rich and famous. Bob Hope, Gerald Ford, even Ozzy Osbourne.
How ironic, to think that the largest monument here, belonged to a normal
girl.
Rachel's monument
was easily three times as big as any other in the cemetery. Hell,
it was like a temple. A walk in memorial. "She wouldn't like
this," I muttered to no one. It was true. She'd want a simple
memorial. They made her into a God.
At the center
of the memorial, there was a statue of her. Enlarged of course, it
stood nearly thirteen feet tall, and was carved out of solid marble.
I pressed a hand against one of the arms of the statue. "Rachel..."
I whispered. I sat down on a bench inside the shaded region next
to the statue, and looked up at it.
My pretty,
smart, confident cousin, I thought about the sixteen years we'd spent
together. The good times, and the bad. I thought about that
last moment of her life. It had ended at my hand.
Even now,
I'd retrace that entire situation back, and figure out imaginary solutions
about how she could have survived. I thought about what would have
happened if I'd have gone in her place.
I chuckled
to myself lightly. If our roles were reversed, Rachel wouldn't still
be mourning. She would have moved on long ago. I could almost
hear her voice.
"Come on,
Jake. What are you doing here? What's done is done. You
can't change the past." She would say.
"I know, Rachel.
I should be out living it up like Marco. I should be
out trying to make a difference like Cassie... I just can't." I couldn't
believe it. I had tears in my eyes, from arguing with the imaginary
ghost of my dead cousin.
"Why not?"
she would say.
"Because I'm
responsible! It was my fault that you died! My call, to flush
all those Yeerks. My call, to have you kill Tom. I should have
been on the blade ship, not you." I sobbed.
"Stop it."
She'd say. "Quit blubbering. You know as well as I do, that
I was the only choice." I wiped my eyes.
"Talking to
someone?" A vaguely familiar voice said. I turned around, and saw
him. He was just as I remembered him. The shaggy blond hair,
the dreamy blue eyes...
"Tobias..."
I said in astonishment. I hadn't seen or spoken to Tobias in ten
years.
"Jake." He
said with a nod, and sat down next to me. He placed a hand on my
shoulder, then stared at the statue. "She was something, wasn't she?"
he said finally.
"Something
else," I agreed. Tobias turned to me.
"Jake, I'm
sorry for the way I acted, back then," He said.
"It's okay."
I said, not taking my eyes off the statue.
"No Jake...
Pushing you away was the worst thing I could have done." Tobias said.
He leaned over and hugged me. I hugged him back. We sat there
for a few minutes, before I got up, and placed the boquet of roses at the
base of her statue. I started singing. Tobias joined in at
the third or fourth line.
"Happy birthday
to you... Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday dear Rachel... happy
birthday to you..." We sang softly.
"Happy birthday
to you," Both of our heads snapped toward the entrance. It was Marco.
"Happy birthday
to you," Cassie chimed in from the adjacent entrance.
Happy
birthday, Princess Rachel. > Ax, of course.
" Happy
birthday to you. >" We all sang together.
"You guys
are awesome." I said.
"What, you
think we'd forget Xena's B-day? Oh, look who's here. What's
shaking, Bird-boy?" Marco asked. Tobias just laughed.
It is
nice to be reacquainted with all of you. Especially you, Prince Jake.
> Ax said.
"Don't call
me 'Prince'." I said reflexively. Everyone laughed. They all
sat down, except Ax, of course.
"Ah, the harshness
of reality..." Cassie said after a long silence.
"When exactly
did we stop being children?" Marco asked.
"When we decided
to take a shortcut home from the mall." I said. Everyone sighed at
the memory of Elfangor.
"Hey guys,"
Tobias said. We all turned to stare at him. "You wanna go get
some ice cream, or something?" He asked. I smiled.
"Sounds great."
I said.
"Who rides
with who?" Marco asked.
"I'll ride
with Jake." Cassie said instantly. Tobias and Ax took the hint.
"I got shot
gun!" Tobias said, running toward Marco's jeep. Ax was morphing to
human as fast as he could.
"What is shot
gun?" He asked once he had a mouth. Marco rolled his eyes.
"Nothing,
Ax-man. Let's go." He said, and then turned back to Cassie and I.
"You two love birds better not kjeep us waiting." Marco said, and headed
to his jeep, with Ax trailing behind him. I blushed furiously.
"So," I asked.
"How are things?"
"Great, actually.
I'm getting married in December." She said. Another dagger in the
heart.
"You are?
That's great!" I exclaimed.
"Thank you,
Jake. You know that your opinion means a lot to me. I'll never
forget what we had." Cassie said.
"Neither will
I. But you moved on. I'll treasure those years forever, but
you've moved on. I'm proud of you." I said. Cassie smiled,
and hugged me. I hugged her back.
"We should
get going." Cassie said.
"Yeah, i'll
be right there." I said. Cassie nodded, and walked out to my car.
I walked back to Rachel's statue, and took the two pictures out of my pocket.
One was the picture of Rachel and I on her fifth birthday. The other,
was of All of us on her fifteenth birthday. I placed them next to
the roses, and wiped another tear from my eye.
"I love you,
Rachel." I said, and walked back out to my car, where Cassie was waiting.
-FIN