Disclaimers: I don't own Dark Angel or anything related to it,
doesn't life suck!
What if Max's mom had escaped Manticore with Max? What if Max grew up knowing Original Cindy and Kendra? What if Max's mom hadn't named Max, "Max," but something different. What if Logan wanted to find this Manticore "orphan." Here's their story...
A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed, you all made me feel loved. Sea Siren and Kelly, you all got the knocker, congrats!!!!!!!
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"Logan, Cassandra, I know you're in there," the voice called.
"Oh my God," Logan and Cass said together as they looked in horror at the door.
"Logan, do you care to explain-" Kali shouted through the door before Cass yanked it open, glasped her hand over Kali's mouth, and pulled her in side.
"Shut up," Cass whispered viciously.
"Kali, you have a lot of explaining to do," Logan glared at her. He rolled over to his computer and called up the files he had copied off the disks.
Cass put her hand on Kali's back and shoved her after Logan, taking a quick side step into the bathroom to grab a bathrobe, Cass followed both of them.
"I swear, Loogie, I had absolutely no idea," Kali pleaded. "No one told me what was going on, not really." Kali tried really hard to get out of the trouble she knew she was in, "Come on, Logan, you know I would never do anything illegal, well, not entirely."
"Cass, you know that thing I told would probably not be that good of an idea," Logan nodded in her direction without taking his eyes off Kali.
"I remember," Cass answered, thinking of how could it would be to punch Kali repeatedly.
"Well, I think that it might be a really good idea to use Chinese wa- " he began as Cass raised her eyebrow and smiled evilly.
"I'll do anything you need me to do," Kali interrupted Logan before he could finish. Looking at Cass, she added, "But I want protection, at least until I'm out of the country."
"We'll get you in a witness protection program if you help us," Logan promised earnestly.
Cass nodded in agreement, "I'll protect you until then." She moved closer to Kali and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Just don't evade me, or then, I'll be forced to kick your ass, repeatedly."
Kali eagerly agreed and helped Cass and Logan to hack into the website where many of the clients were listed. It was close to six in the morning. "Can I sleep here?" Kali asked.
Logan looked at Cass, "I'll set up the couch for you."
Cass smiled and grabbed sheets for the couch, which Logan made up for Kali. After saying their goodnights, Cass and Logan walked back into the bedroom.
Cass grabbed a swimming suit and changed quickly into the bathroom. She came back to find Logan zonked out on top of the covers and she smiled. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and wrote him a note telling him she was out at the pool, soaking up some rays. Before leaving, Cassandra grabbed a towel and a tote bag, in which was a book, a magazine, and sunglasses. She was about to forego the sunscreen, but thought better of it if Logan came out to join her after one or two hours of sleep. She wrapped a sarong around her waist and grabbed the key. She went down into the restuarant on the groundfloor, and she got a bagel with cream cheese and a fruit salad.
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*Poolside, three hours later*
Cass had just turned onto her back again, before deciding that a nice cool swim might be helpful. She put her stuff back in the bag and dove into the cool inviting water. Because it was nine o'clock, few people were out other than some college boys on Spring Break. They were playing a game of water volleyball when Cass came over. Her black bikini was a little flimsier than she would have prefered, but she was on vacation, at least for a few hours.
"Hey, boys, mind if I join you?" Cass smiled and tilted her head to the side.
"No, come on over. Do you know how to play?" a tall, dark-haired guy, the leader, spoke to her, at her nod, his smile grew. "My name is Jake, and this is David, Greg, Kevin, and Mike," he pointed to each in turn.
"What's your name?" the guy named David asked, serving the ball.
"Cass," she answered, her spike was perfect. By the end of round one, the guys were pretty out of breath, but she was going strong.
"Hey, who's the wheelie?" Kevin asked, nodding over to a man in a wheelchair, who was in a pair of swim trunks. He and his friends laughed.
Cass turned to look, and smiled at the approaching figure, "That's my husband. Good game, gotta blaze." She climbed out of the tub and walked over to Logan.
Logan swallowed hard and tried to concentrate, but the only thought running through his head was along the lines of, 'Oh my lord, Cass is walking towards me in a bikini, wet. A wet Cass is walking towards me in a bikini. A wet, bikini-clad Cass is walking towards me.'
"Hey, Logan," Cass dropped a kiss on his cheek. "Whacha doing?" she asked, grabbing her towel and drying off.
"Looking for you. I know you don't sleep, but this has got to be a new record," He smiled at her, in all her bikini-cladness. "Saw last part of your game, pretty good."
"I know it's not exactly fair. I mean, superhero against average college guys, not fair, but fun," Cass sat on the lounge chair and stared out at the pool.
"You like it here don't you?" Logan asked, looking at her. She looked completely relaxed and was smiling like the cat that cought the canary. He wished she would look like that all the time. The only time she had been prettier was when she had dressed up to go to his cousin's wedding.
"I like it now, I didn't really like it yesterday, or last night, or the day before. But it is nice not to be on the run for once. Wouldn't wanna live here though," she sighed, turning her head to face Logan.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because you wouldn't be here," she stated like it was obvious, "and what would I eat without you?" She added the last part in a hurry, afraid he would reject the first part.
Logan smiled, not because of the last part, which he knew she had added only to derail him, but because he knew what she had meant. "Well, I wouldn't want you to starve to death." They laughed together and looked truely relaxed for a moment.
"Where's Kali?" Cass questioned.
"I slipped her a few sleeping pills, she'll be out for awhile," he felt proud of his sneakiness.
"So, we have no obligations," she murmered, staring at the pool that the college boys had just abandoned, "and the pool's free." She gave him a suggestive look.
"What have you got up your, well, sleeve?" Logan asked, mock-worry showing on his face.
"Well, you have feeling in your legs, so why not do a little, physical therapy?" she smiled innocently. Walking over to the side of the pool, she winked at him. "Care to join me?"
"Sure, but how do I get from here to there," Logan reminded her.
Cass rolled her eyes, walked over to him, wheeled him to the pool, and helped him sit on the side of the pool. She dove into the water and surfaced hext to him. Helping him in, they worked on stabling him first, and then, they swam a little before sitting on the steps on the shallow end. They talked and laughed about little things before settling down.
Cass bit her bottom lip before beginning, "Logan, I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done. From helping me find out more about my past to letting me use my "powers" for good, and most importantly, for helping me be a better person. Last time I saw Zach, I told him I had to stay in Seattle for you, 'cause we were saving the world one person at a time." Cass closed her eyes for a long time.
Logan sat there stunned, not sure how to react. "No, I think it's I who should be thanking you. You are helping me get my life back, you give me a reason to go on, and you help me to make sure I get up in the morning. I don't how I can show how much I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I know if I thanked you everyday for the rest of my life it wouldn't be enough," he grabbed her hand and they smiled at each other. "Besides, you are better company than Kali."
Cass groaned and pulled away, splashing him, "Logan Cale, that is so definately not cool!" He laughed and splashed back until they were in an all-out splash war. Shrieks of laughter could be heard all around as the two had a short vacation from all the harsh realities of their world. And to Cass, Logan's laugh was worth dealing with Kali for another couple of days.
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*Back in the Gigantic Hotel Suite, Later*
Logan and Cass came back up to the suite happy and, in Logan's case anyway, sunburnt. They walked into find Kali still zonked on the couch. Cass smirked as she whispered to Logan, "How many sleeping pills did you give her?"
"Two," he answered quickly. Both went into the bedroom and got some clothes. "I claim all bathroom rights for the next thirty minutes," he proclaimed, rolling that direction.
"I don't think so, Cale," Cass was close behind. Getting there first, she stuck out her tongue and pulled the door shut. She shook her head and let out a breath of air, she took a ten minute shower and put on a pair of dark jeans and a black tank top. Sticking her feet into black running shoes, she went out in search of a hair dryer. "Your next," she called over her shoulder, and Logan quickly rolled in.
"Can we try something really quick?" he asked her, slightly nervous.
"Sure," she cocked her head and waited.
"Could you help me walk around the room a couple of times?" he looked down. Asking for help had never been his strong suit, especially to Cass, his superhero, but he was trying to work on that.
"Yeah," she tossed him a half-smile and went over to him.
Letting him stand on his own, she stood beside him and let him use her for support. His legs were weak, but he had done his best to keep some strength in them. The two of them walked around the room two times before Logan collapsed on the bed. He cursed under his breath then grabbed for the chair. Cass narrowed her eyes at his frustratedness. She released the chair breaks and slid the chair over to Logan. He glared at the chair, clenching and unclenching his jaw, before going to the bathroom.
Cass was slightly worried to see him go by himself. She didn't know if she could trust him not to try to walk around, and if it was wet- She let the thought hang. Walking into the living area, she opened the doors leading out to the balcony and walked out. She put her arms on the railing and looked out at San Juan. This hotel was perfectly perched so that you could see most of the city. Cass breathed in the tropical smells and felt happy. She felt like this was her private haven, no crazy, genetic freak- makers to out run, no personal enemies of Logan's to avoid, and the best part was no "Bip, bip, bip," from Normal. She had a feeling that Normal could either be her best supporter or her worst enemy. She did miss Original Cindy terriblely, and turned back towards the room, looking for the phone.
Finding the portable, Cass walked back out into the sunshine and perched herself on the railing this time. Dialing a number she knew she would never forget, she waited for O.C. to pick up. It was about 8:00, so her roommate was probably home, unless she had gotten lucky last night. Cass was about to hang up when a groggy voice answered.
"What?" it asked.
"Hey, boo! Just called to hear your voice," Cass smiled at O.C.'s wonderful morning mood.
"What's up?" Cindy asked, slowly coming out of her morning shell.
"I haven't talked to ya in awhile, and I just wanted to check in with my homegirl. You are awfully groggy since ya have to be at work in about an hour. Unless you've cut down your primping time," Cassandra smiled as Cindy gasped.
"Oh shit, boo, you're serious," Cindy slammed the alarm clock and it started beeping. "Sorry, I was out all night with that por fool, Sketchy. Guy got dumped last night by some girl who was just usin' him to make her ex jealous. Original Cindy got it out for a girl who won't play straight, that just ain't right," O.C. shook her head and winced as the headache kicked in. "Would love to find out what you've been up to, but like you said, only an hour to get ready and be there. Luv," and with that, Original Cindy hung up.
Cass rolled her eyes and hung up, she walked back in, grabbed her hair dryer, and dried her hair. She was comtemplating actually reading the magazines Cindy and Kendra had sent with her until she heard Kali stir. Immediately on alert, Cass put down the magazine and walked into the living area. After checking to make sure all was well, she glanced at her watch. Logan had been in the bathroom for almost thirty minutes. Weighing the pros and cons of just walking in the bathroom, Cass noticed most of them were the same. Sighing she walked over to the door and threw it open.
Logan was standing in front of the mirror, no shirt, glasses on, and he was examining his sunburn. He whirled around when he saw Cass's reflection. He just pointed to his red skin, and winced involunteeringly. Cass tried hard not to smile, turned, grabbed some aftersun lotion, and walked back to the bathroom.
"On the bed, we haven't got all day," she ordered, and watched as Logan sat back in the chair and rolled in. He laid on the bed, back up, and let Cass apply the lotion and give him a massage all in the same go. He sighed and relaxed as she worked, wincing occationally as she hit a sorer spot. "On your back," Cass nudged his side. She handed him the lotion, which Logan looked dumbfoundly at. "Take," she commanded, and narrowed her eyes as he refused. She pushed him flat and applied the lotion to his chest. Neither said anything, and simply enjoyed the normalness of the situtation.
'This is how normal people vacation,' Cass thought. 'Laughing, smiling, sunburns, massages, and all around contentment. This is what it's all about. Not saving the world, except maybe your sanity, but all-in-all happiness. It's a shame this peacefulness won't last.' When she was done, she nodded and was about to stand when Logan pulled her back. He pulled her to him, careful about where she touched, and they just laid there. He turned to look at her, and her at him, they leaned into kiss-
"Loogie," Kali's sing-song voice rang out. "Loogie, I'm hungary."
Cass and Logan groaned, pulled away, and walked out to see Kali. Logan taking longer than usual to get into his chair, not wanting to leave the almost perfect state of normalness behind. "We can order room service," he suggested, rolling over to the table with the menu.
"Or take-out," Cass quickly suggested. "Are there any good delivery places?"
"There's a Puerto Rican restuarant not far from here, and they deliver," Kali suggested, wishing that Cassandra would suddenly be called away. Kali knew she could get Logan to leave his much to young wife and come to someone much more mature. "They also have samplers so you can try a little bit of everything."
"Sounds great," both Logan and Cass answered.
"Great, I'll order, and you two can-" Kali sneezed abruptly. She sniffed then sneezed again.
"Bless you," Logan said out of habit.
"I must be allergic to a plant out on the balcony. Cassandra, honey, could you close the doo-" Kali sneezed again.
"No problem," Cass stormed over to the doors, slammed them shut, and walked back to Kali. "You can order, and I'll go located some hygiene products for you," Cass turned to Logan. "Money," she held out her hand.
Logan handed it to her, "Take care, dear." He kissed her hand gently and looked up at her, smiling.
"Of course," she dropped a kiss on his cheek and, grabbing a room key, left.
"Oh, and if you're not back in thirty minutes, I'm coming after you," Logan turned in his chair after her retreating figure.
"Damn right," Cass shut the door and ran down the stairs. She wondered into the small store in the ground floor and bought what she thought Kali needed. While standing in line she noticed a small disturbance in the corner of the hotel. A man and a woman were fighting.
"Senorita," the tired man behind the counter called to her. "Senorita."
Cass turned to him, showed him the items, tossed him more than enough money, "Keep the change." She grabbed a bag, dumped in the items, and ran over to the fighting couple just in time to see it was Jace and Zach. "You two had me worried there for a moment," she said as way of greeting.
"Hey, Cass," Jace smiled. "Zach was just telling me how he recieved an urgent call from Canada today. Turns out he and I need to leave suddenly, and I was saying the rest of our family can take care of themselves for a couple more days," Jace glared at Zach. "Trust me to fall in love with the leader of our pack," she muttered, but Cass and Zach heard.
"Yeah, well, I had to fall in love with the most stubborn, frustrating, smart X there is," Zach grumbled.
"You don't have to keep the secret from me. All of us know that you and Cass have a connection," Jace snapped back.
"Jace, that's not-" Cass began, but was cut off.
"I was talking about you," Zach turned towards Jace. "I take back the smart comment."
Jace's eyebrows raised so high they practically disappeared into her hairline, "Wha-"
"Call when you get back in the states," Cass quickly turned as Zach and Jace kissed. She ran upstairs and opened the door to the suite as Kali pointed a gun at her face. "Oh boy," she muttered under her breath.
"Glad you could us," Kali smiled not so sweetly. "Move away from the door and go sit next to your lover-boy on the couch." Kali gestured with the gun, then shut the door behind Cass. "See, I started talking with Logan," she glanced at the man slumped on the couch, a bruise was already forming at his temple, "after you left, and found out the most amazing thing. He knew I was behind it all. He went behind my back and looked at the files this morning. I can only assume he told you, so this is no big surprise."
Cass started to put the pieces together in her head. 'So, that's why he gave her the sleeping pills, and them came out to find me. Would have told me if I hadn't distracted him,' she mentally kicked herself. "Yes, he did tell me, but I don't remember all of it. I'm only a curator after all," Cass put on her ditzy voice.
"Oh, please, I'm not stupid. I graduated third in my class," Kali narrowed her eyes. "I know he told you, so don't play stupid. Now, I'm going to take your I.D. and your passport, leak a clue to the cops as to who broke in last night. Tell my partners to get the hell outta town, then leave. Comprende?" Kali knew she had won, or so she thought.
"No, 'fraid not," Cass jumped up, landed behind Kali, and pulled her arms back. She yanked the gun out of Kali's hand. "I told you I was stupid."
"What kind of freak are you?" Kali screamed trying to break away.
"We like to call ourselves genetically-engineered, and we can get real testy when someone calls us otherwise," Zach said, as he and Jace stormed into the room.
"If you're gonna threaten somebody, you might wanna take the time to lock the door," Jace shrugged. "Just came in to help, but you seem to be on top of things. We'll see you back in Seattle. Bye, Cass." Jace had dialed the cops and tossed the phone to Cass.
"Yeah, bye," Zach dropped a kiss on her head. He took Jace's hand and they left the hotel.
"Bye," Cass called to them before turning to the phone. "Yes, I would like to report an attack made on my husband by a young woman, and she's responsible for a lot of illegal trading along the lines of underage girls, drugs, and weapons....You'll be right over. Great, thanks." Cass used one arm to hang up and the other to push Kali into a chair. "Now, we wait."
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*Next evening, The hotel*
Logan was leaning against the railing out on the balcony. His head was still sore, but that was to be expected after all. He had had some tests done at the hospital, and they had proved his legs were working, totally. He took a deep breath, then smiled as Cass came up next to him.
"Well, I don't about you, but I never wanna come to this hotel again," she joked. Her hair had been secured at the nape of her neck in a ponytail, and she was wearing a pair of cargo capris and a tee-shirt. Her hair stirred as a sharp breeze picked up.
"I couldn't agree with you more. Of course, there was one good thing that came about on this trip. More than one actually," Logan turned to face this young woman.
"Really?" she raised an eyebrow. "Give me an example."
"I'm walking," he whispered, "and it's all because of you. Plus, we got to catch the bad guys."
"True," Cass smiled. "I think we got another good thing outta this catasrophe too."
"What?" he asked, a bit warily.
"A true moment of normalcy," she nodded, then turned to face the view.
"You just might be the single most gorgeous, annoying, aggravating, intelligent, gorgeous woman I have ever met," he leaned close to her, "darling."
"You are completely right," she laughed. When she turned to look at him, their gaze locked and Logan leaned in. Their lips met with vigor and when he pulled back for air she took his hand and pulled him into the bedroom. "Let's give those peepers something to talk about."
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Ha, I'm still not done, I have a final chapter that will occur about a year and a half later. Thanks for all the reviews, I am confident that enough are reading. I know the Zach/Jace was a little weird, but it just sort of happened. I tried, but I couldn't stop it. I'm sorry this took so long, but between the ACT, summer things, and I'm going out of town for like two weeks (don't panic, of course they have a computer), but this should be updated with in the next two weeks. **Peace to all in this time of need**
What if Max's mom had escaped Manticore with Max? What if Max grew up knowing Original Cindy and Kendra? What if Max's mom hadn't named Max, "Max," but something different. What if Logan wanted to find this Manticore "orphan." Here's their story...
A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed, you all made me feel loved. Sea Siren and Kelly, you all got the knocker, congrats!!!!!!!
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"Logan, Cassandra, I know you're in there," the voice called.
"Oh my God," Logan and Cass said together as they looked in horror at the door.
"Logan, do you care to explain-" Kali shouted through the door before Cass yanked it open, glasped her hand over Kali's mouth, and pulled her in side.
"Shut up," Cass whispered viciously.
"Kali, you have a lot of explaining to do," Logan glared at her. He rolled over to his computer and called up the files he had copied off the disks.
Cass put her hand on Kali's back and shoved her after Logan, taking a quick side step into the bathroom to grab a bathrobe, Cass followed both of them.
"I swear, Loogie, I had absolutely no idea," Kali pleaded. "No one told me what was going on, not really." Kali tried really hard to get out of the trouble she knew she was in, "Come on, Logan, you know I would never do anything illegal, well, not entirely."
"Cass, you know that thing I told would probably not be that good of an idea," Logan nodded in her direction without taking his eyes off Kali.
"I remember," Cass answered, thinking of how could it would be to punch Kali repeatedly.
"Well, I think that it might be a really good idea to use Chinese wa- " he began as Cass raised her eyebrow and smiled evilly.
"I'll do anything you need me to do," Kali interrupted Logan before he could finish. Looking at Cass, she added, "But I want protection, at least until I'm out of the country."
"We'll get you in a witness protection program if you help us," Logan promised earnestly.
Cass nodded in agreement, "I'll protect you until then." She moved closer to Kali and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Just don't evade me, or then, I'll be forced to kick your ass, repeatedly."
Kali eagerly agreed and helped Cass and Logan to hack into the website where many of the clients were listed. It was close to six in the morning. "Can I sleep here?" Kali asked.
Logan looked at Cass, "I'll set up the couch for you."
Cass smiled and grabbed sheets for the couch, which Logan made up for Kali. After saying their goodnights, Cass and Logan walked back into the bedroom.
Cass grabbed a swimming suit and changed quickly into the bathroom. She came back to find Logan zonked out on top of the covers and she smiled. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and wrote him a note telling him she was out at the pool, soaking up some rays. Before leaving, Cassandra grabbed a towel and a tote bag, in which was a book, a magazine, and sunglasses. She was about to forego the sunscreen, but thought better of it if Logan came out to join her after one or two hours of sleep. She wrapped a sarong around her waist and grabbed the key. She went down into the restuarant on the groundfloor, and she got a bagel with cream cheese and a fruit salad.
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*Poolside, three hours later*
Cass had just turned onto her back again, before deciding that a nice cool swim might be helpful. She put her stuff back in the bag and dove into the cool inviting water. Because it was nine o'clock, few people were out other than some college boys on Spring Break. They were playing a game of water volleyball when Cass came over. Her black bikini was a little flimsier than she would have prefered, but she was on vacation, at least for a few hours.
"Hey, boys, mind if I join you?" Cass smiled and tilted her head to the side.
"No, come on over. Do you know how to play?" a tall, dark-haired guy, the leader, spoke to her, at her nod, his smile grew. "My name is Jake, and this is David, Greg, Kevin, and Mike," he pointed to each in turn.
"What's your name?" the guy named David asked, serving the ball.
"Cass," she answered, her spike was perfect. By the end of round one, the guys were pretty out of breath, but she was going strong.
"Hey, who's the wheelie?" Kevin asked, nodding over to a man in a wheelchair, who was in a pair of swim trunks. He and his friends laughed.
Cass turned to look, and smiled at the approaching figure, "That's my husband. Good game, gotta blaze." She climbed out of the tub and walked over to Logan.
Logan swallowed hard and tried to concentrate, but the only thought running through his head was along the lines of, 'Oh my lord, Cass is walking towards me in a bikini, wet. A wet Cass is walking towards me in a bikini. A wet, bikini-clad Cass is walking towards me.'
"Hey, Logan," Cass dropped a kiss on his cheek. "Whacha doing?" she asked, grabbing her towel and drying off.
"Looking for you. I know you don't sleep, but this has got to be a new record," He smiled at her, in all her bikini-cladness. "Saw last part of your game, pretty good."
"I know it's not exactly fair. I mean, superhero against average college guys, not fair, but fun," Cass sat on the lounge chair and stared out at the pool.
"You like it here don't you?" Logan asked, looking at her. She looked completely relaxed and was smiling like the cat that cought the canary. He wished she would look like that all the time. The only time she had been prettier was when she had dressed up to go to his cousin's wedding.
"I like it now, I didn't really like it yesterday, or last night, or the day before. But it is nice not to be on the run for once. Wouldn't wanna live here though," she sighed, turning her head to face Logan.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because you wouldn't be here," she stated like it was obvious, "and what would I eat without you?" She added the last part in a hurry, afraid he would reject the first part.
Logan smiled, not because of the last part, which he knew she had added only to derail him, but because he knew what she had meant. "Well, I wouldn't want you to starve to death." They laughed together and looked truely relaxed for a moment.
"Where's Kali?" Cass questioned.
"I slipped her a few sleeping pills, she'll be out for awhile," he felt proud of his sneakiness.
"So, we have no obligations," she murmered, staring at the pool that the college boys had just abandoned, "and the pool's free." She gave him a suggestive look.
"What have you got up your, well, sleeve?" Logan asked, mock-worry showing on his face.
"Well, you have feeling in your legs, so why not do a little, physical therapy?" she smiled innocently. Walking over to the side of the pool, she winked at him. "Care to join me?"
"Sure, but how do I get from here to there," Logan reminded her.
Cass rolled her eyes, walked over to him, wheeled him to the pool, and helped him sit on the side of the pool. She dove into the water and surfaced hext to him. Helping him in, they worked on stabling him first, and then, they swam a little before sitting on the steps on the shallow end. They talked and laughed about little things before settling down.
Cass bit her bottom lip before beginning, "Logan, I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done. From helping me find out more about my past to letting me use my "powers" for good, and most importantly, for helping me be a better person. Last time I saw Zach, I told him I had to stay in Seattle for you, 'cause we were saving the world one person at a time." Cass closed her eyes for a long time.
Logan sat there stunned, not sure how to react. "No, I think it's I who should be thanking you. You are helping me get my life back, you give me a reason to go on, and you help me to make sure I get up in the morning. I don't how I can show how much I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I know if I thanked you everyday for the rest of my life it wouldn't be enough," he grabbed her hand and they smiled at each other. "Besides, you are better company than Kali."
Cass groaned and pulled away, splashing him, "Logan Cale, that is so definately not cool!" He laughed and splashed back until they were in an all-out splash war. Shrieks of laughter could be heard all around as the two had a short vacation from all the harsh realities of their world. And to Cass, Logan's laugh was worth dealing with Kali for another couple of days.
******************
*Back in the Gigantic Hotel Suite, Later*
Logan and Cass came back up to the suite happy and, in Logan's case anyway, sunburnt. They walked into find Kali still zonked on the couch. Cass smirked as she whispered to Logan, "How many sleeping pills did you give her?"
"Two," he answered quickly. Both went into the bedroom and got some clothes. "I claim all bathroom rights for the next thirty minutes," he proclaimed, rolling that direction.
"I don't think so, Cale," Cass was close behind. Getting there first, she stuck out her tongue and pulled the door shut. She shook her head and let out a breath of air, she took a ten minute shower and put on a pair of dark jeans and a black tank top. Sticking her feet into black running shoes, she went out in search of a hair dryer. "Your next," she called over her shoulder, and Logan quickly rolled in.
"Can we try something really quick?" he asked her, slightly nervous.
"Sure," she cocked her head and waited.
"Could you help me walk around the room a couple of times?" he looked down. Asking for help had never been his strong suit, especially to Cass, his superhero, but he was trying to work on that.
"Yeah," she tossed him a half-smile and went over to him.
Letting him stand on his own, she stood beside him and let him use her for support. His legs were weak, but he had done his best to keep some strength in them. The two of them walked around the room two times before Logan collapsed on the bed. He cursed under his breath then grabbed for the chair. Cass narrowed her eyes at his frustratedness. She released the chair breaks and slid the chair over to Logan. He glared at the chair, clenching and unclenching his jaw, before going to the bathroom.
Cass was slightly worried to see him go by himself. She didn't know if she could trust him not to try to walk around, and if it was wet- She let the thought hang. Walking into the living area, she opened the doors leading out to the balcony and walked out. She put her arms on the railing and looked out at San Juan. This hotel was perfectly perched so that you could see most of the city. Cass breathed in the tropical smells and felt happy. She felt like this was her private haven, no crazy, genetic freak- makers to out run, no personal enemies of Logan's to avoid, and the best part was no "Bip, bip, bip," from Normal. She had a feeling that Normal could either be her best supporter or her worst enemy. She did miss Original Cindy terriblely, and turned back towards the room, looking for the phone.
Finding the portable, Cass walked back out into the sunshine and perched herself on the railing this time. Dialing a number she knew she would never forget, she waited for O.C. to pick up. It was about 8:00, so her roommate was probably home, unless she had gotten lucky last night. Cass was about to hang up when a groggy voice answered.
"What?" it asked.
"Hey, boo! Just called to hear your voice," Cass smiled at O.C.'s wonderful morning mood.
"What's up?" Cindy asked, slowly coming out of her morning shell.
"I haven't talked to ya in awhile, and I just wanted to check in with my homegirl. You are awfully groggy since ya have to be at work in about an hour. Unless you've cut down your primping time," Cassandra smiled as Cindy gasped.
"Oh shit, boo, you're serious," Cindy slammed the alarm clock and it started beeping. "Sorry, I was out all night with that por fool, Sketchy. Guy got dumped last night by some girl who was just usin' him to make her ex jealous. Original Cindy got it out for a girl who won't play straight, that just ain't right," O.C. shook her head and winced as the headache kicked in. "Would love to find out what you've been up to, but like you said, only an hour to get ready and be there. Luv," and with that, Original Cindy hung up.
Cass rolled her eyes and hung up, she walked back in, grabbed her hair dryer, and dried her hair. She was comtemplating actually reading the magazines Cindy and Kendra had sent with her until she heard Kali stir. Immediately on alert, Cass put down the magazine and walked into the living area. After checking to make sure all was well, she glanced at her watch. Logan had been in the bathroom for almost thirty minutes. Weighing the pros and cons of just walking in the bathroom, Cass noticed most of them were the same. Sighing she walked over to the door and threw it open.
Logan was standing in front of the mirror, no shirt, glasses on, and he was examining his sunburn. He whirled around when he saw Cass's reflection. He just pointed to his red skin, and winced involunteeringly. Cass tried hard not to smile, turned, grabbed some aftersun lotion, and walked back to the bathroom.
"On the bed, we haven't got all day," she ordered, and watched as Logan sat back in the chair and rolled in. He laid on the bed, back up, and let Cass apply the lotion and give him a massage all in the same go. He sighed and relaxed as she worked, wincing occationally as she hit a sorer spot. "On your back," Cass nudged his side. She handed him the lotion, which Logan looked dumbfoundly at. "Take," she commanded, and narrowed her eyes as he refused. She pushed him flat and applied the lotion to his chest. Neither said anything, and simply enjoyed the normalness of the situtation.
'This is how normal people vacation,' Cass thought. 'Laughing, smiling, sunburns, massages, and all around contentment. This is what it's all about. Not saving the world, except maybe your sanity, but all-in-all happiness. It's a shame this peacefulness won't last.' When she was done, she nodded and was about to stand when Logan pulled her back. He pulled her to him, careful about where she touched, and they just laid there. He turned to look at her, and her at him, they leaned into kiss-
"Loogie," Kali's sing-song voice rang out. "Loogie, I'm hungary."
Cass and Logan groaned, pulled away, and walked out to see Kali. Logan taking longer than usual to get into his chair, not wanting to leave the almost perfect state of normalness behind. "We can order room service," he suggested, rolling over to the table with the menu.
"Or take-out," Cass quickly suggested. "Are there any good delivery places?"
"There's a Puerto Rican restuarant not far from here, and they deliver," Kali suggested, wishing that Cassandra would suddenly be called away. Kali knew she could get Logan to leave his much to young wife and come to someone much more mature. "They also have samplers so you can try a little bit of everything."
"Sounds great," both Logan and Cass answered.
"Great, I'll order, and you two can-" Kali sneezed abruptly. She sniffed then sneezed again.
"Bless you," Logan said out of habit.
"I must be allergic to a plant out on the balcony. Cassandra, honey, could you close the doo-" Kali sneezed again.
"No problem," Cass stormed over to the doors, slammed them shut, and walked back to Kali. "You can order, and I'll go located some hygiene products for you," Cass turned to Logan. "Money," she held out her hand.
Logan handed it to her, "Take care, dear." He kissed her hand gently and looked up at her, smiling.
"Of course," she dropped a kiss on his cheek and, grabbing a room key, left.
"Oh, and if you're not back in thirty minutes, I'm coming after you," Logan turned in his chair after her retreating figure.
"Damn right," Cass shut the door and ran down the stairs. She wondered into the small store in the ground floor and bought what she thought Kali needed. While standing in line she noticed a small disturbance in the corner of the hotel. A man and a woman were fighting.
"Senorita," the tired man behind the counter called to her. "Senorita."
Cass turned to him, showed him the items, tossed him more than enough money, "Keep the change." She grabbed a bag, dumped in the items, and ran over to the fighting couple just in time to see it was Jace and Zach. "You two had me worried there for a moment," she said as way of greeting.
"Hey, Cass," Jace smiled. "Zach was just telling me how he recieved an urgent call from Canada today. Turns out he and I need to leave suddenly, and I was saying the rest of our family can take care of themselves for a couple more days," Jace glared at Zach. "Trust me to fall in love with the leader of our pack," she muttered, but Cass and Zach heard.
"Yeah, well, I had to fall in love with the most stubborn, frustrating, smart X there is," Zach grumbled.
"You don't have to keep the secret from me. All of us know that you and Cass have a connection," Jace snapped back.
"Jace, that's not-" Cass began, but was cut off.
"I was talking about you," Zach turned towards Jace. "I take back the smart comment."
Jace's eyebrows raised so high they practically disappeared into her hairline, "Wha-"
"Call when you get back in the states," Cass quickly turned as Zach and Jace kissed. She ran upstairs and opened the door to the suite as Kali pointed a gun at her face. "Oh boy," she muttered under her breath.
"Glad you could us," Kali smiled not so sweetly. "Move away from the door and go sit next to your lover-boy on the couch." Kali gestured with the gun, then shut the door behind Cass. "See, I started talking with Logan," she glanced at the man slumped on the couch, a bruise was already forming at his temple, "after you left, and found out the most amazing thing. He knew I was behind it all. He went behind my back and looked at the files this morning. I can only assume he told you, so this is no big surprise."
Cass started to put the pieces together in her head. 'So, that's why he gave her the sleeping pills, and them came out to find me. Would have told me if I hadn't distracted him,' she mentally kicked herself. "Yes, he did tell me, but I don't remember all of it. I'm only a curator after all," Cass put on her ditzy voice.
"Oh, please, I'm not stupid. I graduated third in my class," Kali narrowed her eyes. "I know he told you, so don't play stupid. Now, I'm going to take your I.D. and your passport, leak a clue to the cops as to who broke in last night. Tell my partners to get the hell outta town, then leave. Comprende?" Kali knew she had won, or so she thought.
"No, 'fraid not," Cass jumped up, landed behind Kali, and pulled her arms back. She yanked the gun out of Kali's hand. "I told you I was stupid."
"What kind of freak are you?" Kali screamed trying to break away.
"We like to call ourselves genetically-engineered, and we can get real testy when someone calls us otherwise," Zach said, as he and Jace stormed into the room.
"If you're gonna threaten somebody, you might wanna take the time to lock the door," Jace shrugged. "Just came in to help, but you seem to be on top of things. We'll see you back in Seattle. Bye, Cass." Jace had dialed the cops and tossed the phone to Cass.
"Yeah, bye," Zach dropped a kiss on her head. He took Jace's hand and they left the hotel.
"Bye," Cass called to them before turning to the phone. "Yes, I would like to report an attack made on my husband by a young woman, and she's responsible for a lot of illegal trading along the lines of underage girls, drugs, and weapons....You'll be right over. Great, thanks." Cass used one arm to hang up and the other to push Kali into a chair. "Now, we wait."
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*Next evening, The hotel*
Logan was leaning against the railing out on the balcony. His head was still sore, but that was to be expected after all. He had had some tests done at the hospital, and they had proved his legs were working, totally. He took a deep breath, then smiled as Cass came up next to him.
"Well, I don't about you, but I never wanna come to this hotel again," she joked. Her hair had been secured at the nape of her neck in a ponytail, and she was wearing a pair of cargo capris and a tee-shirt. Her hair stirred as a sharp breeze picked up.
"I couldn't agree with you more. Of course, there was one good thing that came about on this trip. More than one actually," Logan turned to face this young woman.
"Really?" she raised an eyebrow. "Give me an example."
"I'm walking," he whispered, "and it's all because of you. Plus, we got to catch the bad guys."
"True," Cass smiled. "I think we got another good thing outta this catasrophe too."
"What?" he asked, a bit warily.
"A true moment of normalcy," she nodded, then turned to face the view.
"You just might be the single most gorgeous, annoying, aggravating, intelligent, gorgeous woman I have ever met," he leaned close to her, "darling."
"You are completely right," she laughed. When she turned to look at him, their gaze locked and Logan leaned in. Their lips met with vigor and when he pulled back for air she took his hand and pulled him into the bedroom. "Let's give those peepers something to talk about."
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Ha, I'm still not done, I have a final chapter that will occur about a year and a half later. Thanks for all the reviews, I am confident that enough are reading. I know the Zach/Jace was a little weird, but it just sort of happened. I tried, but I couldn't stop it. I'm sorry this took so long, but between the ACT, summer things, and I'm going out of town for like two weeks (don't panic, of course they have a computer), but this should be updated with in the next two weeks. **Peace to all in this time of need**
