The Stars Between Us: Chapter Three
Cassie's new favorite thing in life was very quickly becoming her sister's shower. The water pressure was intense, the massage feature was heaven and the water heater was just shy of industrial, made to keep up with one mechanic and three Martian mice.
After spending nearly an hour under the steady spray, working through her thoughts like Vinnie had taught her, Cassie turned off the tap and stepped out of the shower. She pulled her towel from the rack, wrapping it around herself, then used a second to scrub the dampness from her hair.
Her pixie cut was becoming more shag and less chic. She'd contemplated cutting it again but was growing tired of the style. She studied herself in the mirror, ruffling the mess, then tugging at the ends with her fingertips. She'd have to put more of an effort into styling it until she had a job and some financial leeway.
Hopefully, after today, she'd have one and be working her way towards the other.
She flipped the lights off and crossed the hallway to her room. The blinds were pulled against the early morning sun. From her bed, one white-furred foot poked out from under a pile of snoring blankets. Cassie opted to be kind and not turn the lights on, partially opening the blinds instead so that she would have some light to search for clothing by.
"An early morning show? Lucky me."
She threw a dirty look over her shoulder to Vinnie, who'd pulled the blanket off his head. "Hardly. I thought you were out cold."
"Gettin' ready for your interview?"
She hummed an affirmative while digging through the top drawer for a pair of socks. "Am I going to have to kick you out so that I can or will you be chivalrous enough to do that on your own?"
He grinned and threw the covers back. "Babe, I'll even start coffee for ya."
He dropped a kiss on her head before strutting out. "Use the fancy stuff!" she called after him.
"I know!"
Cassie laughed to herself and went back to searching. She'd been living with her sister for a little over two weeks which meant that for a little over two weeks, this had become her's and Vinnie's morning routine. He slept while she got ready for the day, took a few suggestive shots at her when she came back into her room and then gave her the space she needed, always promising coffee as he strutted out.
The problem, however, was that with her mind considerably less messy than it had been, she was starting to feel like a bit of a freeloader. Charley was constantly assuring her that she wasn't, but watching her sister head down to the garage every weekday to work was making Cassie feel otherwise.
She did what she could to ease the discomfort. When she wasn't with Vinnie working through the wreckage in her mind, she cleaned, cooked both lunch and supper, took up baking for the sense of accomplishment and the opportunity to destroy the kitchen so that she could clean it up again.
But still...she wanted out.
She wanted to not see herself as a burden. Not just to Charley, but to Vinnie as well. He'd nearly moved in himself in order to help her. When he wasn't helping her, he was sleeping. Though he never complained and quickly shut her down whenever she would insist that he take a break, it was clear that spending so much time in her mind was taking its toll on him. He was losing weight, eating less than normal and even his machismo attitude seemed less natural and more forced.
Cassie was confident that she was stable enough to not need him at all times. She had regained her memories and what remained of Stoker's that weren't closed away were memories she could handle without feeling sick, anxious or terrified.
And truly, Vinnie was too nice to say it, but he needed the space just as much as she did.
Cassie settled on a pair of dark maroon leggings, a gray sweater and a silver collection of three tiered chains. After styling her hair into a subdued mess of soft curls and doing her makeup, she made her bed, pulled on a pair of black, low heeled boots, then followed the scent of coffee to the kitchen.
Vinnie was leaning against the counter by the coffee pot when she walked in.
"Hmm...you should stay here and work for me, Sweetheart. I'd hire you in a heartbeat," he murmured with a tired grin.
"You should eat a decent meal that you'd actually have to chew and get some more sleep," she shot back, reaching around him to pull a coffee cup from the cupboard.
He was quick to brush her off, as usual. "I'll sleep when I'm dead."
"You need to stop arguing with me or blowing me off and just do what I tell you to do." She filled her cup before turning to him and leveling her best zero-nonsense glare on him. "Seriously, Vin. I'm beyond appreciative of everything you've done for me but what good are you to me when you're this exhausted? I can manage a day without you. I know I can. And if I can't, I'll call you."
"Cass, I can't just-."
"Yeah. Actually, you can. Go...eat something, watch mindless TV, enjoy having some time out of my head."
He looked like he wanted to argue with her but more than that, he looked relieved. "A little more practice and you're gonna be better than your sister at arguin'."
"Better than?" She smirked and rolled her eyes. "I already am. You just haven't seen the extent of it."
"Terrifying. Alright-." Vinnie finished off what little coffee he had remaining, put his empty cup in the sink, then pulled her into a hug.
If anyone found their closeness strange, they didn't say so. Cassie had questioned herself only once on the matter but their behaviors seemed so normal to her that she'd easily blown it off. He'd been in her head and knew every intimate detail there was to know about her. Next to Stoker, she doubted anyone knew her the way that Vinnie did.
As a result of having him constantly moving through her thoughts, she felt close to him and comforted by everything about him. The fact that it was nowhere near sexual added a depth that made the relationship valuable on a level she'd never known before.
Still…
She needed a break.
"Call the Scoreboard if you need anything. I'll see you tonight." His lips brushed her temple. "Oh, hey! Good luck on your interview!"
The silence that followed in the wake of departure was a little unnerving. Charley was out picking up parts from one of her backup distributors. Modo had gone with her and Cassie truly didn't believe they'd be back until much later, taking advantage of the quality alone time. Throttle had left for the Scoreboard when they had taken off. With Vinnie spending the nights in her bed, Throttle had spent just as many nights on the couch by some unspoken agreement. Maybe the three of them were just that close. Maybe it was some kind of Matian or soldier mentality. Cassie didn't know and because it seemed so normal to everyone else, she didn't question it.
She hadn't noticed until now though just how empty the apartment could feel without anyone there.
She sipped her coffee and, out of growing habit, tugged Stoker's dog tags out from under her shirt.
What was he doing right now? Leading soldiers into battle? Dealing with the mess of her memories? Missing her as much as she missed him?
For some reason, she'd thought not having him around would be easier. She'd left her fair share of men after having spent more than a few days with them and had enjoyed the solitude that followed when she pulled herself free from those entanglements.
Now? Now she hated it.
She wanted Stoker - wanted him filling the empty spaces in her life, wanted his arm around her while they watched movies on the couch, wanted to share coffee with him in the mornings, to have her next to him in bed.
And missing him hurt. A piece of her seemed to ache constantly for him. It was like the piece of her that had loved and mourned Andrew but less consumed with depression.
She felt the tell-tale sting of tears and quickly pushed away from the counter, forcing herself to be busy. She washed hers and Vinnie's coffee cups, dried and put them away, filled a to-go cup and snagged an apple from the basket on the table as she headed down to the garage.
As she pulled out of the garage, telling herself she'd drive around to figure out the city before going to her interview, she tucked the dog tags back under her shirt where they settled over her heart.
Vinnie slept like the dead for hours after stuffing his face with corn dogs and root-beer. Throttle hadn't questioned any of it beyond giving Vinnie an amused glance as he staggered past him on his way to his room to pass out.
And he'd enjoyed every second of that uninterrupted sleep. Cassie was restless at night, her subconscious brain far more active than she even realized. That was the bitch of her situation - she thought she was fine because she couldn't remember the nightmares that took advantage of her when she was out. Vinnie knew differently.
He worked tirelessly through the night to silence her memories, frustrated when the ones he thought he'd taken care of popped back into the mix, knowing that his exhaustion wasn't helping things at all.
When he was pulled out of his sleep by Throttle knocking on the door, it was nearly dark out, the first stars of dusk winking at him through the high windows in his room. He fumbled with the blankets, yanking them clumsily off of himself.
"Yo Vin, leavin' for Charley's soon. You comin'?"
"Yeah," he called back, his voice clogged with sleep. He cleared his throat before trying to speak again. "Be right out."
He switched into a pair of clean jeans, tugged a Harley Davidson t-shirt over his head and joined Throttle, nodding his thanks when Throttle handed him a jacket.
"You doin' okay?" the tan mouse asked.
Vinnie nodded. "Better now that I got some sleep. What time is it?"
"Little after eight. Cassie told me not to wake ya. She not sleepin' at night?"
"She is. But when she gets to that point where she's really out, it's like someone busted down a dam. She starts havin' nightmares and they're pretty intense. She's kicked me like five times."
Concern flashed across Throttle's face. "Well, that explains a lot. Don't stretch yourself too thin, bro."
"Tryin' not to. I forgot how insane this whole process is. Hopefully Cass nailed her interview and I can catch up on sleep when she's workin'."
The streets were quiet on the way to the garage. Vinnie took it as an opportunity to go well over the speed limit, the combination of the adrenaline rush and cold wind quickly waking him up. By the time they made it to Charley's, he was fully awake and feeling more like himself than he had in days.
They found Charley, Cassie and Modo in the kitchen, both women holding glasses filled with champagne from the open bottle on the table.
"Champagne, huh?" Vinnie asked. "I'm guessing you got the job?"
Cassie's smile was blinding. "I did! But not the sales associate position. They made me assistant manager and head of purchasing for women's health and beauty! I guess the positions been open for a while but they haven't had anyone apply and with my background in department store sales, they said I'd be a great fit!"
"That's awesome, Sweetheart!" Vinnie swept her up in a hug. "Congrats! When do you start?"
"Next week, Monday."
"That's great news, Cassie," Throttle offered, also giving her a quick hug once Vinnie relinquished his hold on her.
"Thanks guys. Hey, what's the deal with downtown Chicago being so much nicer than this side of the city?" she asked, quickly switching subjects.
"That's 'ol Lard Ass' side," Modo muttered. "He's got an image to maintain. Can't have his side of the tracks lookin' all messed up."
"Lard Ass?"
"Limburger," Charley clarified. "He's the one these guys are always dealing with."
"Oh! That...what was it?" Cassie's brow furrowed. "Plant something-or-other?"
Vinnie choked on a laugh as he pulled open the fridge and reached for a beer. "Plutarkian. Nice try though."
Cassie shot him a dirty look and he winked back, saluting her with his beer after popping the top off. "Whatever he is," she said dismissively. "I heard dad and Stoker talking about him the night you guys showed up. What's his deal? If his kind is fighting a war on Mars, why is he here?"
"He was supposed to be scountin' Chi-town for resources," Throttle explained. "He's made a few efforts here and there but we've shut 'em all down. Now he just runs his mouth a lot, keeps himself in the public eye and makes nice with all the rich yuppies."
"He's as useless to the Plutarkians as deodorant," Vinnie snickered. "And they know it. Probably why they don't bother with him much. They just want him outta the way."
"So he just...hangs out here? He's not a threat?"
That caused a riot of laughter from the three mice. Cassie threw a questioning look at Charley but her sister just rolled her eyes and shook her head as if she'd had to deal with this type of reaction from the three mice often.
"That guys about as threatening as a box of puppies," Modo said.
Throttle nodded in agreement. "He's more annoying than anything. Good for a workout every once and awhile when he gets it in his head that he needs to create some elaborate show of force but really, the guys incompetent and he ain't worth anybody's time."
"Especially not ours," Vinnie tacked on. "Weren't we supposed to be celebrating? Enough talkin' about that guy." He swung an arm around Cassie's shoulders, lifting his beer in the air to salute her. "To the lady of the hour!"
Several beers, another half a bottle of champagne and some questionable take-out later, they called a halt to the celebrating and everyone started turning in for the night. Vinnie shuffled into Cassie's room, stretching his arms over his head and yawning as he walked through the door. Cassie was already laying in bed. She'd excused herself earlier to take a shower. The scent of her shampoo hung in the air with the lingering steam, clean and feminine. It was one of the better things about Earth women - their bathing habits. Women on Mars weren't nearly as consistent, not that they could be. Dust baths were most common and they sure as hell didn't smell anywhere near as floral or exotic.
"Did you get some good sleep?" she asked as she rubbed lotion on her hands.
Vinnie flopped down beside her, kicking his boots off. "Better than good."
"You look a hell of a lot better. Haven't you been sleeping at night?"
Vinnie avoided her gaze as he pulled the covers up around him and started unbuttoning his jeans. He didn't want to make her feel guilty. There was no real way around it but he didn't want to just throw himself into a situation like that. Unfortunately for him, he had enough beer running through his system to feel like being far too honest.
"Not really," he admitted. The weight of her gaze was making him twitchy. "You sleep really hard so it's a lot easier for all that shit I'm repressing to creep back out. Makes for some pretty busy nights."
Stop while you're ahead, man!
Cassie frowned. "How do you even know that's happening?"
"You ahh...move around a lot...when you're havin' nightmares. And kick. And throw a mean right hook."
So much for shutting your big mouth…
Cassie sat up, looking horrified. "Oh my God, Vinnie!"
"It's not a big deal!" he quickly tried to assure her. "Seriously, Cass. I can' handle it."
"Oh really? Then why did you look like a freaking zombie this morning?"
"This morning! I don't now, do I?"
Her eyes narrowed. Clearly, that was not the right thing to say. He tried again, taking her right hand just in case she tried to throw a conscious right hook. She swung hard enough when she wasn't even aware that she was doing so. Goddess knew what she would be capable of when she was awake. "Listen Cassie, this whole process is tricky, okay? I knew that goin' in. Honestly, if I didn't think I could hack it, I wouldn't have offered to help."
"I know, but-."
"But what? Would you rather be living with all that crap lose in your head?"
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. "No."
Vinnie sighed. She had that guilty look on her face that made him feel about two feet tall. "With you workin', I'll be able to catch up on sleep. And I will. Promise."
She relaxed with that. "Good. I don't like being responsible for draining you."
"Especially when it's got nothing to do with sex."
He felt her jerk and tightened his grip around her hand before she could pull it back to swing at him, chuckling at her efforts.
"Do you have a filter?" she asked, fighting against his hold.
"Not a good one."
"No shit."
She tugged once more, then gave up with a sound of disgust. Their hands feel against his ribs. He gave her a grin she couldn't resist, one that clearly said, 'You know you love me' and she rolled her eyes, then settled down next to him on her side.
"How come I can't remember any of these nightmares?"
Vinnie twined his fingers through hers. She wore three rings - one on her thumb, middle finger and ring finger. They were simple bands of silver with different colored stones. He caught one with this thumb and twisted it idly. "I'm quick. I'm able to snag most of 'em before they leave your subconscious. And like I said, you're a really deep sleeper so it's easier for Stoker's memories to slip through the cracks, get all mixed up with your and create some pretty nasty visuals."
She remained silent, watching him toy with her rings. In quiet moments like these, he could feel the connection that bonded them like a series of wires. It was inevitable that it would happen with him spending so much time inside her head.
There was so much about her he could relate to. They were two lonely souls worlds away from the ones they loved, craving touch and affection that wouldn't ask for anything beyond that.
He knew Stoker wouldn't care for it, but Vinnie didn't really give a damn. With Cassie, Vinnie could feel like he was understood. And although Coach knew loss, he hadn't lost anyone the way Vinnie had lost Harley; Not knowing if she was alive or dead, constantly caught between hoping and mourning.
"Thinking about her?" Cassie asked softly.
Vinnie's mouth twisted into a sad smile. "Always."
Releasing her hand, he shifted on his side and slid his arm around her waist. He tilted his head down. As his antennae brushed her forehead, she closed her eyes.
Within moments, he was steeped in her mind, all thoughts of Harley silenced for the time being.
