Picking Up The Pieces

Couples: Mostly based on the book, so a lil CaineXDiana, a lil SamXAstrid, maybe some of the other lesser couples but this story will be focuessed on Sam and Caine brotherly love.

Other Comments: Will be using a bit from my oneshot at the very end. read and find out/understand.


Chapter Two

Saturday, Sam and Caine went out and took a nice walk along the streets of Perdido Beach. Most of the houses were destoryed, a few people moved away and some had just disapeared with no word, whether they moved or even just died was anyones guess. Those who moved were mostly those who had lost someone or someone who was afraid of the freaks. Bette's little brother had moved, they had dug up her body and cremated her so they could take her with them. Then disapeared. A few people were staying with friends while there homes were rebuilt and others were being nasty, keeping people out of the homes that lasted and threatening the police on anyone who dared so much as tread on a bit of grass growing over onto the pavement, they were the ones who were more frightened than others.

They passed Mary and John's house, the two were inside with there parents, just having breakfast. Mary looked a lot better, so did John, they no longer needed to look after the prees. Howard walks passed but looked miserable, he missed Orc. Albert was with his father. If anyone was more proud of there child it was Albert's father. He was amazed at how Albert had kept McDonalds going and then had helped with other things too. At first he did not believe him, but then he heard from others and he walked around, almost showing Albert off to other peoples parents. At least he had the decency to avoid the houses of those grieving for lost children.

Astrid was outside her own house, reading a complicated Science book. Inside Little Pete was with his mother. The baby boy was no longer her responsibility and she looked better because of it, much more beautiful without all that stress. She smiled when she saw Sam and waved but lifted her book up to say she couldn't come over, she was busy. Sam just nodded in reply and smiled back.

"Freak" someone hissed

Sam looked up and scowled. Zane passed, glaring at the two of them darkly as he made his way into his house, the walls had been freshly painted and Zane's father was glaring at Caine and Sam angrily from the doorway, holding it open for his eldest son. Like father like son.

Ahead they saw Edilio with a few of his friends, kicking a ball back and forth whil chewing on small bars of chocolate (the sight almost made Sam want to cry, even after the months they had gotten them back again). Sam waved and Edilio waved back but neither approached each other. It was amazing... In the FAYZ he had been close friends with Edilio and others while he was not very close to Quinn. And now, he was back with Quinn but not very close with Edilio at all.

"Want to get something to eat?" Sam asked Caine after a while when they continued there walk.

"Whatever" Caine shrugged, he never responded much unless he had switched. It was what Sam called it, switching like a light bulb. He had his dark side and his light side, Sam just wasn't sure which was which.

"OK then" Sam led the way. Caine glared after him but followed.

Just as he stepped forward, Taylor appeared, dead in front of him, and he had to jump back, slamming into Caine and knocking him over. Zane laughed loudly and Caine looked ready for murder.

"I have a letter!" Taylor grinned and held it out "From Lana"

Lana had long since returned home. Her parents took her away at night, when no one was around. They kept her safe from all the vultures eager to use her healing ability and were now in hiding from the news and camera's. No one knew much, just that Lana was hiding for her own protection. The only person she stayed in contact with, was Taylor, after she offered to heal anything wrong with Taylor as long as she kept quiet about where she was and became her messanger.

"Thanks" Sam smiled, Lana hardly ever wrote to anyone. It wasn't important though, just told him to help Taylor spread the rumor that she was in Austrailia. Normally meaning someone was close to figuring out where she was "Understood".

"So how ya been, Sam?" Taylor asked, grinning

"Not bad, you?" Sam asked

"Same, same" Taylor grinned and leaned forward, whispering "How's the jerk?" she meant Caine.

"He's... Fine" Sam said slowly, a small smile as he looked back Caine, still staring darkly at Zane and his father.

"Oh I have some news" Taylor grinned "Brianna and I both decided to try and convince our parents to move here! It's fun at my new school, I am pretty popular since I can sneak into rooms and let them in or get cheat answers or stuff but they still think I am a Freak and weird, so we talked to our parents about coming somewhere where we would be accepted"

"That would be great, we have all really missed you two" Sam laughed

"Oh yeah, really" Caine grumbled

Taylor glared at him before turning her eyes back to Sam "I'll tell Brianna you said hello" then she was gone.

"Are we getting something to eat or not?" Caine demanded

"Yes" Sam sighed and rolled his eyes

They walked all the way down to McDonalds, one of the only surviving buildings that sold food. Hell it was one of the few surviving buildings at all! They went inside and looked around the room, mostly empty but there were a few people sitting in corners nibbling on chips and picking out bits of there burgers. It had been cleared up so much that it almost looked as good as new again, no longer like Albert's club.

"What do you want?" Sam asked, pulling out some money Connie had given him.

"Don't care" Caine mumbled, watching a family as they all said grace. What a stupid place to come and say grace.

"Alright then" Sam sighed, he ordered two Big Macs with two milkshakes and took the tray to get a seat.

When they sat down and took there seperate foods, Caine kept his eyes down. Sam let his own eyes wander. He looked mostly out the window at the street. The roads were a lot cleaner now, and it almost looked normal if you didn't look at the houses that were all under construction. The adults walked down with there children and said hello to one another.

"Excuse me..." came a voice, they looked up to see the manager of McDonalds, a blading older man wearing a tight tie and a golden name tag.

"Yes?" Sam blinked

"We were... Hoping you'd just... Take the food and go" he said slowly, as if being very careful.

"What?" Sam said, generally confused

"There are a few... Worried people that would prefer if you ate while you moved" he was trying to say it carefully but Sam knew what he meant. He wanted them to leave because they were Freaks.

Caine scowled, his hand twitched, itching to use his power to throw this man across the room and anyone else that dare ask them to leave. But then he saw the look Sam gave him quickly. Any other day he would have ignored Sam and done what he wanted but lately, he knew it was either stay with Sam or go to the Lab. Making one wrong move could send him away for the rest of his life.

"Um. You want us to leave?" Sam asked

The manager smiled tightly and nodded, saying nothing at all but looking a hell of a lot more relieved.

"OK, we don't want any trouble" Sam stood, collecting his things.

Caine scowled at Sam. He was sick of the way Sam always gave in. But if he argued then Sam would just drag him off like a child and embaress him. So he too collected his own foods and made his way after Sam.

Outside Caine stared down at his food. He was suddenly not very hurngy. But still he didn't want to give up the food, he was too used to the FAYZ were the smallest amount of food was important. So he walked over and set down down in front of a small boy playing in his garden. The boy blinked at him, confused, and Caine turned, walking back over to Sam with only a Milkshake in his hand.

"You feeling OK?" Sam asked, frowning

"Fine" Caine mumbled "Just... Bored... Let's go back" he never called it home. Just said back.

"OK" Sam said, they walked beside one another, eating while they made there way down the street again.

Then, on Sunday they stayed at home. Caine and Sam normally kept themselve busy doing what most of the other kids in FAYZ did. They wrote or drew pictures.

Some kids wrote or doodled anything that would keep them from thinking of the FAYZ while others only thought of the FAYZ, writing about expieriences, painting what they saw and what they remembered that happened. Caine and Sam both wrote (since neither were very good at drawing) about things they regretted and things they were proud of. Connie had both gitten them small red note books which had locks on them, like Diaries.

Both held the books closer than anything else and neither had looked at one anothers books. Though Sam was very curious of what Caine put in his book and vice versa.

Unfortunately you could only write so much like that before you ran out of things to say. Caine sat, staring at the book in front of him with his hand wrapped around the pen.

"What are you writing?" Caine asked eventually.

"Huh?" Sam blinked, not looking up from his own book.

"What are you writing?" Caine asked, trying to peer over.

"Hay! I don't try to read YOUR work, so stay out of mine" Sam scowled "How can you have run out of things. You should be able to fill the whole book with things that you did wrong."

"Nope" Caine smirked and reached over to snatch Sam's book.

"Cut it out!" Sam shouted and shoved his hand hard.

Caine scowled and smirked, using his power to throw his pen so it slapped Sam's face. Sam sat up and grabbed his things, then made his way towards the kitchen to work in peace. Although Caine stood up and followed immediately. They then sat at the table with Caine still trying to peer over his shoulder at his stuff.

"Would you go away!" Sam shouted and hit Caine lightly over the head.

Caine scowled and slapped his hand away hard. The two glared at one another. Then Caine slowly stood up and Sam followed him.

"Don't do anything stupid, Caine" Sam threatened

"Are you threatening me?" Caine smirked, he looked awful, as if he was a alcohol addict getting a sip of a beer for the first time in months.

"No" Sam hissed "I am just warning you not to do anything stupid!"

Caine and Sam stared at each other, Caine smiling coldly as he slowly rose his hand, in a threatening motion, as if daring Sam to make his move before he did. When he didn't Caine took it a step too far and threw Sam back down into his chair. It rocked slightly as he almost fell back but managed to stay leaning forward. Then he jumped back up and stepped around the table, raising his own hand but with no intention to use it.

"Go on, I dare ya" Caine snarled

Sam was shaking angrily. He took a few deep breaths before lowering his hands again. Suddenly he was thrown back into his hair, this time falling right over backwards and shouting in shock.

"Caine! Stop it!" Sam shouted, standing and brushing himself down

"Make me" Caine snickered nastily

"I am NOT going to fight you" Sam said but Caine could see he was loosing his patients.

"Then this will make it a lot easier for me" he threw him down, only with no chair to help him so Sam sprawled on the floor.

Sam jumped up and took a step forward, but he didn't use his powers, instead he used his fists and catch Caine hard in his shoulder. Caine stumbled back and growled holding his hand up, but before he could throw Sam away like trash, Sam jumped and they both fell down to the ground.

"Now quit it!" Sam snapped, pinning Caine's arms above his head and straddeling his hips to keep him down.

Caine struggled and glared up at Sam. The two glared at one another, neither moved for a moment, then Caine slapped his hands away and sat up.

"Get the hell off of me!" Caine shouted

"Are you going to grow up now?" Sam asked

"I said get off!" Caine swiftly held his hands up and Sam was thrown all the way into the wall of the kitchen.

"Caine wait!" Sam shouted as Caine jumped to his feet and ran from the room out the back door of the kitchen, easily climbing over the small fence and dashing down the street.

He stood up and sighed, he couldn't leave Caine, who knew what trouble he could get into. So closing and locking his book he was just about to leave when he saw Caine's book was hanging open on the table. Curiousity hit him hard.

It was just there. He could look over and peak in his book and know everything Caine was glad he did and upset he did. Maybe it would help him understand his new brother better. Maybe it would help the two get along better. Maybe everything could be better if he just took a small look?

Shaking his head he closed Caine's book without looking at it, locking it and placing them both up on the fridge. Sam was not Caine. He was not going to act like him. So instead he turned and dashed out the back door of the kitchen, over the fence and down the street in the direction that Caine had ran. If he hurried he could make up for the stalled time and catch him before he did anything stupid, like threw Zil or Zane down the street for looking at him the wrong way.

He slowed down to a fast walk after a while and looked around. No sign. So he then turned to look for a friendly face to ask.

Soon he found Albert, walking with his mother, bags full of shopping as they made there way back home again.

"Albert! Have you seen Caine?" Sam called, running over.

Albert's mother stiffened, she watched Sam closely. Despite the stories of how Sam and others saved Albert she was still very afraid of the freaks.

"Uh yeah I think. Ran into the shops and brought have a dozen sweats and sodas" Albert blinked, "Then went to the park."

"Thanks" Sam dashed passed

It didn't take him long before he found the park again. He was actually surprised to find Caine was still there, he expected him to have moved on already.

Instead he was just sitting there, on the swing, a bag by his foot and a cat purring around his legs. The cat was smaller, barely older than a kitten, and Sam expected him to kick it, but instead he just reached down and stroked the animal. He was sipping at a drink and looking lost in his own thoughts.

"Caine" Sam said, walking up to him "Time to go home"

"No" Caine scowled, picking the cat up and setting it on his lap, stroking it, hard eyes stuck on the creature but trying to pretend like he didn't care.

"Yes" Sam scowled "It is getting late, you don't want to be out at night"

Caine stood, letting the cat jump from his lap. He turned and began to storm off. The cat quickly followed him.

"Caine!" Sam snapped, he ran up and tried to grab Caine's shoulder.

"Stay away from me!" Caine shouted, shoving him, but his feet caught onto one another and he fell back, landing hard on the cat. He felt a sharp sting but when he sat up and looked behind he saw the cat's head was facing the wrong way and it was still "Cat?" Caine whispered, his mind switching "What's wrong with the cat?"

"Uh... Nothing" Sam said kindly, kneeling beside of him "Just sleeping. Come on, let's get back home. OK?"

"It's getting dark" Caine whispered, eyes wide as he just noticed the sun setting.

"Yeah, so let's go home" Sam helped Caine stand up and wrapped an arm over his shoulders, walking him down away from the park. They left the food and drink by the swing on the ground for someone to pass and eat for themselves, or for the food to rot away on its own.