- Chapter Eighty -

One Step Closer To The Finish Line

Invitations leaving an open-ended time slot for the festivities and largely sent out via word of mouth, the time had come at last: Cassie Drake's birthday had finally arrived. House cleaner than it had been in over a year, much of it had been scrubbed down, organ- Well, true organization was simply out of the question, however that wasn't to say that there wasn't a certain level of neatness that had been achieved. Dog hair vacuumed as recently as that morning, anything and everything that wasn't an absolute necessity had been stored away for the occasion.

Polychromatic, crinkled, and made entirely out of hardened tissue paper, a multitude of colorful streamers had been hung from the ceiling and wrapped around just about every vertical surface that could be easily reached. Some of the ends were shredded from canine curiosity, but after getting sick off the first couple bites, Vicky had learned her lesson.

Breeze playing pleasantly across the day and causing skirts to flutter half-heartedly, the most resistant to the elements was Elena's old tablecloths; tarp-like and emblazoned with sunflowers, they'd served her faithfully since before her stint on reality tv. Set up the night before, the food tables were now about to buckle beneath the weight of their contents; at least if they went, the cake was still on the kitchen counter thawing out. Because someone who needn't be named *cough* Nate *cough* had had the brilliant idea of freezing it so that it would keep better overnight. The rest converted into stations for face-painting and fairly decent caricatures, Ali had been smart enough to weigh down the corners with extra supplies he wasn't likely to actually need.

At the risk of panicking a certain coulrophobic, the overall scene looked like a carnival had come to town and was rushing to get everything in place for the big show. A pure and touching labor of love that had seen the entire stretch of beach done up brightly for a child's party, it was safe to say that Nathan and Elena had gone all-out. Unfortunately that same love hadn't kept Nathan from dusting off bits of the old routine (sans the bunny).

Home theater wrapping up it's annual requested showing of an iconic 90's masterpiece that was simply ageless, just when the little girl hacked her way through the park security system did Nate tap his brother on the shoulder to get his attention. Anticipating such a summons, albeit during a different yet equally intense sequence, Sam gave the smaller hand that just so happened to be resting underneath his own a gentle squeeze, as if to say that it was time. Briefly making eye contact through crafty use of the corners, that inexplicable third paw fell by the wayside and the man rose to assist his little brother with whatever it was he needed help with this time.

Caught up in the dire scramble up into the vents, Chloe completely missed the doleful look being thrown her way in real time, instead seeing some kid squirming out of death's jaws by a hair. Been there, done that... expect it wasn't quite a scaled bird of prey on the hunt, but close enough.

Kept enraptured by the images on the screen since the workplace transfer went sideways, Cassie was positively oblivious to her surroundings, as well as the fact that she was mouthing the words in time with the actors on screen. Yeah, dinosaurs were pretty fantastical, but come on, this movie was great! Most of the others seemed to think so as well, since they were also glued to the action. All propped up on their elbows in front of the television screen, Jenn, Kielo, and Georgie in particular were immersed; despite being in the thick of the crowd while the princessa got to lounge about in the back row, Rafael was getting into the film too. The only one that didn't appear to be watching very attentively was Stella Rose...

"Pst," considerate enough to keep her voice down to the bare minimum, the would-be rival whispered conversationally to the cute older boy at her side, "Joey? I was wondering-"

"Not now, Stella Rose." Speaking brusquely from the corner of his mouth as to not ruin the experience for anyone else, Joseph had a pretty good idea what it was that the girl wanted to ask, and he wanted no part of it. He only got to see the spunky tween so many times in a year, so each visit was special, and he wanted to make the most of it.

Shot down in flames, the girl spent the rest of the time sulking.

Once the credits rolled - with several compliments to the birthday girl's selection in entertainment - all the party people discovered the way out of the back room, stretching and shuffling as they poured into the hall. While some of the guests were more suited to sitting idle than others, everyone was grateful for the breather and the chance to use their legs again.

Nearest to the back and with obligations to the hosts, Chloe was the first out the door - a fact that was not lost on Nadine. Basically zipping out of the darkened vestibule to see the sun, Noah left everyone else in his dust; far more mellow after the PG-13 carnage, Dylan hung back to assist Joey... should he need it. Dude was pretty collected, so he probably didn't. The again, those born and raised on the rock knew Stella Rose and just how shady the girl could get, so it never hurt anything to be prepared for whatever antics she was going to pull. Bringing up the rear were Cassie and Ella, each girl very conscious of the other as they followed the crowd.

Heiress and most unwelcomed of the guests (after Joey, obviously) standing shyly aside as the mob departed, the bespectacled preteen remained behind only to turn off the electronics. Normally her mom was the one to take care of that stuff, but the prototype blonde was understandably engaged elsewhere, and anyways, she didn't mind all that much. What did bother Cassie was that the young woman was hanging back intentionally, searching for something to say, as if she needed forced compliments. Glowering over her shoulder, the younger of the two finally snapped.

"Can I help you with something?" Sorely tempted to tack on a dig at the height of her uncle's unfortunate plus one, the girl refrained and took the high road. Kinda. "You don't have to waste your breath, no one's here to see the act."

Genuinely having nothing against the tween, Daniella wore her emotions on her sleeve in that moment, openly allowing Cassie to see that she was stung by the accusation. Given the circumstance, it wasn't entirely surprising that the birthday girl would be so aggressive towards her; in fact, Dells had even been expecting some manner of snub. Still though, this might be her only chance to say all of this and clear the air. For herself, and maybe a tiny bit out of gratitude for the kindness that Elena and Mr. Drake had shown.

Mind bullishly set on a particular course of action, Dells took a step forward, "Actually, I was hoping I could steal a few minutes of your time." Secretly revealing that she knew something about the Drakes and their friends that even Cassie did not, the heiress smirked as if she had just told a rather clever joke. Having said that, this wasn't a laughing matter, "Believe it or not, there are those that dislike me more than you do... But you've been really gracious about this whole thing, so I wanted to thank you."

"Please, like there was a choice in the matter." Rolling her eyes at what she took for false charity, the girl turned away from the other to fuss with the buttons on the glossy machine. Her folks totally kept it retro, and she wouldn't have it any other way. "You can come here acting all innocent, but I know your kind, Ella." Sharp as an eagle's proud talon through the belly of vermin, there was more behind the blonde's words than what the heiress had previously imagined.

Still annoyed to see the tramp arriving for the party with her uncle - the mismatched pair grinning like complete imbeciles and shooting cutesy glances at one another when they thought no one else was watching - it was the flirty little wave Joey and 'Ella' exchanged that really incensed her. Bad enough that she had came in and immediately played the role of chameleon, now the would-be bimbo was shifting her sights from Cassie's kin to her best friend! And Joey was letting it happen!

Technically speaking, Cassie was right to point out there really hadn't been a choice, however Daniella hadn't been anticipating this level of hostility - sure, things were uneasy between them right out the gate, but to learn that there was this degree of disgust? Never dreaming that they would be the best of friends by story's end, she had at least hoped they would be copacetic. Faltering in place, the elder of the two females shook her head, "What do you think I'm doing here?"

Besides usurping the focus of her parents, hijacking the best friend she only ever got to see a handful of times a year, and whatever twisted mind game she was playing with uncle Sam? Who the hell knew?! Whatever it was though, Cassie knew it couldn't have boded well for anyone. "You tell me." Crossing her arms in a stern and disapproving manner, her mouth fell into a hard line and her glasses flashed in the shifting rays of the setting blood orange sun. It was eerily reminiscent of Daniella's mother...

Cautious (and rightfully so) of what she told the child, the heiress took an inadvertent step back, "I..." Firm as she told herself that this child wasn't the source of her living nightmare, Dells actively had to remind herself to be gentle, "I'm here because I have to be. That's something I have no control over, but I can promise you that we'll be gone after tonight."

"We." And there it was. "You may have some kind of hold over my uncle, but he'll wise up to you, mark me. Or he'll get bored and move on. You aren't the first girlfriend he's brought around here," Cassie may not have had much of a memory of occasions past, but she remembered enough to know that the same women never came around twice, "you won't be the last."

Girlfriend.

You aren't the first girlfriend he's brought around here. Tapping directly to the root of a thought (a fear) that had occurred probably at least a half a hundred times that day, Dells looked at Cassie in alarm, as if she were a proven fortuneteller and not a kid that was having problems adjusting to a drastic change in her life. Maybe - most likely, in all honesty - the girl was right; there were far more reasons why this thing wouldn't work than there were editions of the bible, but she couldn't shake the glowing, joyous feeling that permeated her bones every time they touched, the hope that had taken a hold of her heart.

It was secret and exciting - whatever this thing was - a promise left unspoken in the hope that there would be no hurt. Call it cowardice or jaded pragmatism, for now it just worked... although, admittedly there was a tiny speck of self that still wondered about the alternative... But hey, that little seed existed in the back of everyone's mind, right? The important thing was that it hadn't crashed in flames just yet, so that was enough. Shooing away the ominous swirl of perpetual storm clouds, the heiress smacked herself back to attention, to deal with the here and now.

"Maybe." Diplomatically acceding to the very real probability, if there was one lesson to be had from this entire mad experience, it was undoubtedly the one that ought to have been submitted as the new record-scratch, the new definition of insanity, the newest attempt to measure infinity. "All I can do is try to appreciate the moment. And I can see this one is over." Wishing to postpone the other apology she still felt obligated to give for as long as she possibly could, the heiress could only hope that the encounters with Chloe and Nadine went a hell of a lot better than this one had. "Sorry to have bothered you, birthday girl."

[You Saw That, Right?]

Elena paused in the middle of the naked corridor, halfway between the back room and the kitchen, her hands growing warm beneath the thick quilted material of bubbly berry-colored oven mitts. Intending to make sure that everything was alright - by her count, they were still missing two outside - it was Nathan that brought her to heel. Freshly coated in sand and dog hair from petting the heat-seeking mutt missile that had been let loose on the unsuspecting guests, Nate had wrapped his hands around his wife's middle in a tender embrace that lifted her off her feet. Back from his errand with his big brother (who seemed to searching for something or someone over their heads), his lips were welcome on her cheek.

"Hey there." Greeting one another in familiar fashion, the inseparable duo were both in infectiously high spirits, even if one of them was marred ever so slightly by the subtle crack of concern.

Virtually no need to act as if he knew every tonal shift in his partner's voice better than he knew the back of his own hand, (which after so many years together and hard work might have been a fair assumption to make) Nate frowned at the blonde. Slinking around the corner like some sort of eavesdropper on a mission, the woman seemed mildly bothered by something, which prompted a rather timely, "What's up, 'Lena?"

Context clues some of the most important, his question of why the masterful executor of the shindig had wandered off from her station when Mary-Elizabeth was struggling to keep up with the demand for sustenance on her lonesome was answered when he glanced down the hall. Alone and appearing anxious over the fact, it was Rafe's little girl, none of his menace and yet all of the insecurity...

Fair head steamed cherry tomatoes and visibly flustered beneath it's unseen burden, everything about the figure ambling forward was rigid, giving off the impression that she had been harried all the way out of the back room. Gaze flickering back over her shoulder before registering who was all waiting for her around the bend, a certain pair of icy marbles snapped to the oldest and tallest of the trio after sparing the others a courtesy glance that lasted for a whole half-beat. Utterly incapable of hiding the radiant beam that cracked through the glacier mask, the heiress tried and failed to collect her composure when her thief had come into sight.

Whereas Nathan and Elena had been together long enough to develop a concerning kind of marital telepathy, it was Sam's turn to be the one in the know. Well, in theory, from a certain perspective. Usually more aware of his surroundings and if he was being watched, Elena was amused to note the very Drake grin that spread across her in-law's scruffy face at the mere sight of his date. Oh, he definitely likes this one. Exchanging a knowing look with her husband as the young woman slowed to a halt right in front of the man, the reporter looked smug, as if she had been proven right about a long-standing theory.

I told you, she mouthed the words to her spouse. Never really disagreeing that there had been something brewing between the two (who could have, when it was so painfully obvious?), Nate shrugged it off in favor of noticing the second figure coming down the homey hallway. Smile lighting up the crinkles in his eyes, Elena never saw her husband as happy as when he was interacting with their daughter, even now that she was another year older and that much closer to leaving the nest. Honestly, the co-owner of D&F Fortunes was most afraid of raising a teenager, but Nathan? He never said it in so many words, but there was no mystery as to what he was dreading the most.

Old enough now to start on that terrible and rickety road to her own independence, Cassie saw the foursome clumping together like pre-mixed batter and kept on going; giving a semi-nod to her family, the final look that any of them received was a distrusting glare. Questions springing up as to what that had been about, the girl's parents turned to the heiress after a rapid process of elimination, wondering what all had been said between them. No one labored under the impression that the girls were friends - the obvious write-off being the age gap - however this was a case of notable escalation. Each party making a mental note to inquire into this matter further at a more convenient time, for the time being it didn't seem pressing enough to delve into the deep end.

"Popular as ever, I see." Glib as he glossed over the fact that the young woman was actually quite high on people's list, Sam was more curious to what could have set off his niece to be so welcoming, "Anything we need to worry about?"

Weary of the fact that all of these people were blood related to Cassie and therefore genetically predisposed to take the child's side on just about everything -especially today of all days - Daniella tried to dismiss it like it was nothing. "Just a little disagreement. It's nothing we can't work out by ourselves." Kinda sorta wishing the girl were older, it would have been easier to talk about it the way she'd talked it over with one of the three guys that had busted her head open and had left her to drown...

Ashamed by the dark turn her thoughts had taken, Daniella unfurled her fingers before anyone could see that they had become fists; was she really so insecure as to wish violence upon a child? Telling herself that she wasn't that person, that she was right to feel guilty for entertaining something so twisted (and probably jotted down somewhere in the family play book), the heiress studied her toes.

Reading something deeper into her actions than Nathan and Elena ever could, the auburn-kissed silver fox grabbed for his girl's hand, earning her misted zirconium as well. Ignoring the fact that they weren't the only ones in the room he tugged lightly against her body weight, "C'mere." Aim to guide her back the way he had just come from, the smoking grifter allowed time for his baby girl to match his stride, "We're burning daylight here."

Plagued by the thought that Sam was going to let her go at any moment - even if it was only to protect what little pretense they had left - Dells could feel the dread bubbling up as soon as they had set off together. But... He didn't. To the contrary, the historian pleasantly surprised the heiress by tightening his grip around her hand. Eyes usually so much more guarded, the shades of hazel eased into one another, everything about them growing warmer the closer they came to the home stretch. All the comfort and absolution anyone could need, they both had the inexplicable sense going forward that it was going to be alright.

Shows what they knew.

Author's Note:

That moment when you realize the current arc has been going on for over forty chapters. Meep.

In Response to gudi:

Fair enough. I definitely see the cynical/realist side of the argument - I fully agree it's a total corporate cash grab. But sometimes, that part of myself that hasn't really moved forward and still sees the world from the prospective of a naive innocent (like back when I was a kid, and my mom would get me something small), that truly believes in love (and is admittedly a major sucker for romcoms), it wins. So I guess it's fair to say that I float in the middle? Like it just depends on my mood at any given time. The 'day of' have been pretty much just any other day, but in the days leading up to it, I find myself liking to look at all the hearts and enjoy what the day SHOULD be about. Shame it's all about the Benjamins now :(

Right?! Every time I thought about taking it to that place, it just felt cheap. Plus, without them technically saying the words, it leaves more raw material to work with. As to that... We'll just have to see!