A/N Before I go on to this chapter, I wanted to clarify what happened at the end of the last chapter for those of you I might have confused. Charlie's parents became psychic as a result of a government experiment. Generally, its taken that the only thing she inherited from them was pyrokinesis. I'm saying that her mental powers have grown to include telepathy. Also there is an aspect having to do with Charlie and Cash being soul mates that I'm going to try to incorporate later. That's why they got together so fast. ;) So the thing with Cash's vision at the end of Chapter 6 either had to do with Charlie inadvertently showing Cash her memories telepathicly or with Cash picking up on his mate's distressing mental images. Take your pick. Everyone got that? Good. Please keep reading and reviewing. I'm trying to work out the kinks, honest. Feedback, I beg you.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. You get the picture.
Chapter 7
After Cash took Charlie home the night of the carnival, she told him everything. She told him about how her parents had been subjects of a government experiment during the seventies that left her mother telepathic and her father able to control the minds of others. Cash learned how the government agency responsible for the experiment had come after her at the age of eight when they'd learned how powerful her pyrokinesis had become. They murdered her mother and, in turn, little Charlene McGee had burned several of their agents to cinders.
Charlie gave him the details of how they'd sent a child psychologist named John Rainbird undercover as a janitor to get close to her. They'd kept her away from her father Andy and made made her go threw endless tests of her abilities. In the end, Rainbird had killed her father. Eight year old Charlie took her vengence by burning the agency's military compound to the ground with everyone in it.
Cash listened supportively as Charlie told him of the years she'd spent running from phantoms and of how she came to live with the Kohaneks. She told him of her final showdown with Rainbird. How he had killed her lover, Vincent. How he had created a small army of young boys with powers very like her own. In the end, she'd defeated them all and eventually she had found a semblence of peace. That was until the day of the carnival. That night, they had made love all night and into the morning, until Cash had to leave for work.
For the next three months, Charlie and Cash became even more closely knit than before, if possible. Charlie felt free to be herself around Cash. She'd even taken to hanging out with his friends when she wasn't at the gallery or with Cash himself. The human had become quite a fixture with Gangrel Clan, and Cash's subordinants couldn't have been more pleased. This usually ment hanging around The Haven, which was fine with Charlie. She liked the club's atmosphere and had become fast friends with its owner.
The only thing that made Charlie uneasy about being with Cash was that she could tell he was holding back some big secret from her. But she was sure he would tell her in time. He had promised that there would be no long-standing secrets on either side, and Charlie had faith in Cash's word. It was during one such night at The Haven that Cash's secret would be revealed to Charlie by the last person she could have expected.
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Sasha Luna sat at a table with her Primogen and glared at the redhead in the corner.The Brujah would never admit to her clanmates or to any other person that asked that she still loved Cash. But anyone who looked at Sasha could tell she was seething with jealousy toward Charlie. Cameron saw the look Sasha was giving the Gangrel Primogen's girlfriend, and decided to use it to his advantage.
"It's disgusting isn't it?" Cameron whispered into Sasha's ear.
Sasha barely looked up at her Primogen. She didn't particularly like Cameron but she didn't hate him either, not like Eddie Fiori. "It really is,"she snorted. "What the hell does he see in her?"
"Human? I hear the Gangrel boss has a thing for Warm girls." Cameron sneered.
"She's not even that pretty; and look at her! The whole Gangrel Clan is flocked around her like fucking Ezmeralda or something!"
"Well, I guess there's no accounting for taste where those gypsies are concerned." Cameron concluded. Then, the Brujah's smile turned evil, as he prepared to reel Sasha in, "You know, that little spitfire ought to be taught a lesson."
The Prince's niece turned toward Cameron, intrigued, "Whaddaya mean? We can't just kill her."
"No, but we could scare her. Make sure she doesn't want anything to do with that Gangrel ever again. He shouldn't be openly consorting with humans anyway. It endangers the Masquerade. Who does he think he is?" *The Prince?* Cameron finished mentally. He gauged Sasha's reaction. Oh, yeah. He had her: hook, line, and sinker.
Sasha gave him an evil grin. "What did you have in mind exactly?"
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"Tell us another one, Charlie!" a guy in the back of the group pleaded. Charlie was perched on a high barstool, regaling her new friends with tales of her travels (carefully edited, of course). Lorraina sat by her side while Cash was off somewhere playing bodyguard to his boss. The blonde Gangrel and the redheaded human had become fairly close friends over the past few months. Lorraina and Charlie both had a lot of respect for each other and the affinity they both had for Cash.
"Actually, guys, I gotta get home. Now that the gallery's open I hardly ever get any sleep." Charlie sent Lorraina a warm smile, which the Gangrel quickly returned.
"Yeah, and how much of that is Cash's fault?" the Firestarter heard from behind her as she climbed down from her stool.
"Hey, I heard that!" she laughed. Charlie hunted down Cash for a quick kiss and bid Lillie a warm goodbye before leaving out the side door of the club near where her bike was parked.
Charlie was about to mount her motorcycle and drive home when she felt a hand come down rather hard on her shoulder. She turned around to see three or four of the gangsters Cash had pointed out to her their first night together in The Haven. Cash had said to stay away from the "Brujah scum" as he called them. Apparently, like most gangs, these guys were bad news.
"Hey, pretty lady." one of the goons said. His fairly expensive suit rubbed against her skin as he brushed past her arm.
"What do you guys want? Look, I don't want any trouble." Charlie tried to remain calm as the goons began to crowd into her personal space. Nevertheless, she couldn't seem to keep the air temperature down around her as the group backed her up against the brick wall behind her.
The goon holding her arm raked his gaze over her body. "No trouble, sweetness. We just thought, your such a pretty lady, we thought we'd do you a favor."
"And what pre-tell is that?" she asked incredulously while mentally trying to calm herself.
The answer came from behind the group of goons. "Just a little relationship advice."
Charlie recognized the woman that Lorraina had pointed out to her as Cash's ex. The "Brujah Bitch" as she'd called the curly haired woman had evidently had a falling out with Cash when she had joined another gang. Also, Lorraina had noted, Sasha was the niece of Cash's boss Julian Luna.
"I think, aside from being none of your buisness, my relationship is going quite well. Thank you." Charlie was not in the mood for a confrontation. She was tired and her self-control was slipping slowly but surely.
"Relax," came another voice from next to Sasha, "What my dear Sasha here means is that running around with a gypsy gangbanger like Cash can be hazardous to a lady's health." The man who emerged to her line of sight might have been handsome she thought. *Yeah, if he didn't look so much like a godfather.*
"Get away from me." Charlie said. She was going to put a stop to this right now. *Cause nobody but nobody threatens Charlie McGee, or Charlie McCall for that matter.*
"Now, now," Sasha said, pulling a large switchblade from her overly tight bodice, "Don't be like that. The party's just getting started."
"I'm warning you, stay the hell away from me." A hot wind came out of nowhere and began to whip Charlie's crimson hair away from her face.
Sasha laughed cruelly, "Or what? Whatcha gonna do, princess? You're surrrounded!"
Behind Cameron, a row of trash barrel erupted into flame. At the same time the sleeve of Sasha's hand that held the switchblade caught fire, seemingly of it's own volition. Sasha screamed and began to frantically try to douse the flames with street dirt. Charlie tried to run for it but Cameron was to fast for her. He caught her up around the waist and pulled her back into the alley. He threw her to the ground and pointed his handy automatic at her.
"Don't move, bitch. I'm not finished with you yet." Cameron's eyes blazed with the predatory nature of his kind. For the first time, it occurred to Charlie that he wasn't human, but there was no time to contemplate it.
The gun's metal frame began to glow red in the Brujah Primogen's hand. He yelped and quickly dropped it, holding his burnt hand. Just then, several Gangrel burst out the club's side entrance with Cash among them. A young Gangrel had seen the going's on in the alley and had gone unnoticed to inform his Primogen.
Cash came out to see several Brujah running the other way down the alley, while Cameron stood yelping and holding his hand. Charlie was lying on her side in the dirt but he could see her hair whipping around her head and the flames still eminating from the trash barrels. *Oh, shit.* was all that came to mind.
Charlie looked up as she felt a cool hand on her arm. Cash was standing above her with a worried look on his face. Charlie, still a little frightened at what she'd seen in Cameron's eyes, took her boyfriend's outstreached hand. As soon as she did, a wave of images swept over Charlie: A young man drafted in the height of his youth. That same man caught in the horrors of the war in Vietnam. A tall blonde man rescueing a disillusioned soldier from life on the streets. Teeth, no fangs. Blood running. A family built of blood ties. The blonde man is killed, staked out on a rooftop; a father lost. Now the soldier leads his family. A tall, dark haired man and a beautiful woman offering the soldier a job. The soldier and a curly haired biker girl fall in love. The girl is ripped away by a buch of mobsters. A bald, serpent-eyed creature that the soldier is sent to hunt. An assasin that comes after the dark haired man. The soldier fails and yet does not. A musician friend betrays the soldier and his people, and is put to death. Many of the soldier's family die. The dark haired man makes a decree to a table surrounded by people. Then darkness and peace.
Cash looked around, seeing Sasha still writhing around in the dirt but not being able to bring himself to care. She'd tell Julian, but Cash would cross that bridge when he came to it. Right now, he wanted to find out what happened from Charlie. "Are you okay?"
The look in Charlie's eyes froze Cash to the bone. It was a look of shock, then confusion, realization, then acceptance. Cash recognized the look immediately. It was the same look he'd given Charlie a few months ago when he'd found out she was a firestarter. It meant that she knew. She'd seen his life, both as a man and as Kindred. He hadn't planned to tell her until their four month anniversary, in two weeks. Then, he'd planned to ask to Embrace her. It was all going to be perfect. But now she knew. And again, the only thing Cash could think was *Oh, Shit.*
"Cash," Charlie said uneasily, "I think we need to talk."
"Yeah, go on home. I'll meet you there. Have to tell Julian why I'm leaving. I'll be there in an hour." he said, shooting looks to all of the Gangrels still gathered in the alley. They immediately began to herd back into the club.
Charlie nodded and Cash placed a light kiss on her forehead before following his clanmates into The Haven. On the way back to her bike, Charlie crouched for a moment next to the alley corner where Sasha still sat cowering. She looked the Brujah strait in the eye. Fear shown through Sasha's gaze as flames danced across the eyes of the Firestarter.
"Listen to me, because I'm only going to say this once." Charlie checked to make sure Sasha was still listening."Stay away from me and Cash. I know he can take care of himself, but I don't like people who threaten me and mine. So just leave us be." With that, Charlie mounted her bike and rode off into the rising dawn, leaving a confused and angry Sasha Luna in her wake.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. You get the picture.
Chapter 7
After Cash took Charlie home the night of the carnival, she told him everything. She told him about how her parents had been subjects of a government experiment during the seventies that left her mother telepathic and her father able to control the minds of others. Cash learned how the government agency responsible for the experiment had come after her at the age of eight when they'd learned how powerful her pyrokinesis had become. They murdered her mother and, in turn, little Charlene McGee had burned several of their agents to cinders.
Charlie gave him the details of how they'd sent a child psychologist named John Rainbird undercover as a janitor to get close to her. They'd kept her away from her father Andy and made made her go threw endless tests of her abilities. In the end, Rainbird had killed her father. Eight year old Charlie took her vengence by burning the agency's military compound to the ground with everyone in it.
Cash listened supportively as Charlie told him of the years she'd spent running from phantoms and of how she came to live with the Kohaneks. She told him of her final showdown with Rainbird. How he had killed her lover, Vincent. How he had created a small army of young boys with powers very like her own. In the end, she'd defeated them all and eventually she had found a semblence of peace. That was until the day of the carnival. That night, they had made love all night and into the morning, until Cash had to leave for work.
For the next three months, Charlie and Cash became even more closely knit than before, if possible. Charlie felt free to be herself around Cash. She'd even taken to hanging out with his friends when she wasn't at the gallery or with Cash himself. The human had become quite a fixture with Gangrel Clan, and Cash's subordinants couldn't have been more pleased. This usually ment hanging around The Haven, which was fine with Charlie. She liked the club's atmosphere and had become fast friends with its owner.
The only thing that made Charlie uneasy about being with Cash was that she could tell he was holding back some big secret from her. But she was sure he would tell her in time. He had promised that there would be no long-standing secrets on either side, and Charlie had faith in Cash's word. It was during one such night at The Haven that Cash's secret would be revealed to Charlie by the last person she could have expected.
********************************************************************************************
Sasha Luna sat at a table with her Primogen and glared at the redhead in the corner.The Brujah would never admit to her clanmates or to any other person that asked that she still loved Cash. But anyone who looked at Sasha could tell she was seething with jealousy toward Charlie. Cameron saw the look Sasha was giving the Gangrel Primogen's girlfriend, and decided to use it to his advantage.
"It's disgusting isn't it?" Cameron whispered into Sasha's ear.
Sasha barely looked up at her Primogen. She didn't particularly like Cameron but she didn't hate him either, not like Eddie Fiori. "It really is,"she snorted. "What the hell does he see in her?"
"Human? I hear the Gangrel boss has a thing for Warm girls." Cameron sneered.
"She's not even that pretty; and look at her! The whole Gangrel Clan is flocked around her like fucking Ezmeralda or something!"
"Well, I guess there's no accounting for taste where those gypsies are concerned." Cameron concluded. Then, the Brujah's smile turned evil, as he prepared to reel Sasha in, "You know, that little spitfire ought to be taught a lesson."
The Prince's niece turned toward Cameron, intrigued, "Whaddaya mean? We can't just kill her."
"No, but we could scare her. Make sure she doesn't want anything to do with that Gangrel ever again. He shouldn't be openly consorting with humans anyway. It endangers the Masquerade. Who does he think he is?" *The Prince?* Cameron finished mentally. He gauged Sasha's reaction. Oh, yeah. He had her: hook, line, and sinker.
Sasha gave him an evil grin. "What did you have in mind exactly?"
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"Tell us another one, Charlie!" a guy in the back of the group pleaded. Charlie was perched on a high barstool, regaling her new friends with tales of her travels (carefully edited, of course). Lorraina sat by her side while Cash was off somewhere playing bodyguard to his boss. The blonde Gangrel and the redheaded human had become fairly close friends over the past few months. Lorraina and Charlie both had a lot of respect for each other and the affinity they both had for Cash.
"Actually, guys, I gotta get home. Now that the gallery's open I hardly ever get any sleep." Charlie sent Lorraina a warm smile, which the Gangrel quickly returned.
"Yeah, and how much of that is Cash's fault?" the Firestarter heard from behind her as she climbed down from her stool.
"Hey, I heard that!" she laughed. Charlie hunted down Cash for a quick kiss and bid Lillie a warm goodbye before leaving out the side door of the club near where her bike was parked.
Charlie was about to mount her motorcycle and drive home when she felt a hand come down rather hard on her shoulder. She turned around to see three or four of the gangsters Cash had pointed out to her their first night together in The Haven. Cash had said to stay away from the "Brujah scum" as he called them. Apparently, like most gangs, these guys were bad news.
"Hey, pretty lady." one of the goons said. His fairly expensive suit rubbed against her skin as he brushed past her arm.
"What do you guys want? Look, I don't want any trouble." Charlie tried to remain calm as the goons began to crowd into her personal space. Nevertheless, she couldn't seem to keep the air temperature down around her as the group backed her up against the brick wall behind her.
The goon holding her arm raked his gaze over her body. "No trouble, sweetness. We just thought, your such a pretty lady, we thought we'd do you a favor."
"And what pre-tell is that?" she asked incredulously while mentally trying to calm herself.
The answer came from behind the group of goons. "Just a little relationship advice."
Charlie recognized the woman that Lorraina had pointed out to her as Cash's ex. The "Brujah Bitch" as she'd called the curly haired woman had evidently had a falling out with Cash when she had joined another gang. Also, Lorraina had noted, Sasha was the niece of Cash's boss Julian Luna.
"I think, aside from being none of your buisness, my relationship is going quite well. Thank you." Charlie was not in the mood for a confrontation. She was tired and her self-control was slipping slowly but surely.
"Relax," came another voice from next to Sasha, "What my dear Sasha here means is that running around with a gypsy gangbanger like Cash can be hazardous to a lady's health." The man who emerged to her line of sight might have been handsome she thought. *Yeah, if he didn't look so much like a godfather.*
"Get away from me." Charlie said. She was going to put a stop to this right now. *Cause nobody but nobody threatens Charlie McGee, or Charlie McCall for that matter.*
"Now, now," Sasha said, pulling a large switchblade from her overly tight bodice, "Don't be like that. The party's just getting started."
"I'm warning you, stay the hell away from me." A hot wind came out of nowhere and began to whip Charlie's crimson hair away from her face.
Sasha laughed cruelly, "Or what? Whatcha gonna do, princess? You're surrrounded!"
Behind Cameron, a row of trash barrel erupted into flame. At the same time the sleeve of Sasha's hand that held the switchblade caught fire, seemingly of it's own volition. Sasha screamed and began to frantically try to douse the flames with street dirt. Charlie tried to run for it but Cameron was to fast for her. He caught her up around the waist and pulled her back into the alley. He threw her to the ground and pointed his handy automatic at her.
"Don't move, bitch. I'm not finished with you yet." Cameron's eyes blazed with the predatory nature of his kind. For the first time, it occurred to Charlie that he wasn't human, but there was no time to contemplate it.
The gun's metal frame began to glow red in the Brujah Primogen's hand. He yelped and quickly dropped it, holding his burnt hand. Just then, several Gangrel burst out the club's side entrance with Cash among them. A young Gangrel had seen the going's on in the alley and had gone unnoticed to inform his Primogen.
Cash came out to see several Brujah running the other way down the alley, while Cameron stood yelping and holding his hand. Charlie was lying on her side in the dirt but he could see her hair whipping around her head and the flames still eminating from the trash barrels. *Oh, shit.* was all that came to mind.
Charlie looked up as she felt a cool hand on her arm. Cash was standing above her with a worried look on his face. Charlie, still a little frightened at what she'd seen in Cameron's eyes, took her boyfriend's outstreached hand. As soon as she did, a wave of images swept over Charlie: A young man drafted in the height of his youth. That same man caught in the horrors of the war in Vietnam. A tall blonde man rescueing a disillusioned soldier from life on the streets. Teeth, no fangs. Blood running. A family built of blood ties. The blonde man is killed, staked out on a rooftop; a father lost. Now the soldier leads his family. A tall, dark haired man and a beautiful woman offering the soldier a job. The soldier and a curly haired biker girl fall in love. The girl is ripped away by a buch of mobsters. A bald, serpent-eyed creature that the soldier is sent to hunt. An assasin that comes after the dark haired man. The soldier fails and yet does not. A musician friend betrays the soldier and his people, and is put to death. Many of the soldier's family die. The dark haired man makes a decree to a table surrounded by people. Then darkness and peace.
Cash looked around, seeing Sasha still writhing around in the dirt but not being able to bring himself to care. She'd tell Julian, but Cash would cross that bridge when he came to it. Right now, he wanted to find out what happened from Charlie. "Are you okay?"
The look in Charlie's eyes froze Cash to the bone. It was a look of shock, then confusion, realization, then acceptance. Cash recognized the look immediately. It was the same look he'd given Charlie a few months ago when he'd found out she was a firestarter. It meant that she knew. She'd seen his life, both as a man and as Kindred. He hadn't planned to tell her until their four month anniversary, in two weeks. Then, he'd planned to ask to Embrace her. It was all going to be perfect. But now she knew. And again, the only thing Cash could think was *Oh, Shit.*
"Cash," Charlie said uneasily, "I think we need to talk."
"Yeah, go on home. I'll meet you there. Have to tell Julian why I'm leaving. I'll be there in an hour." he said, shooting looks to all of the Gangrels still gathered in the alley. They immediately began to herd back into the club.
Charlie nodded and Cash placed a light kiss on her forehead before following his clanmates into The Haven. On the way back to her bike, Charlie crouched for a moment next to the alley corner where Sasha still sat cowering. She looked the Brujah strait in the eye. Fear shown through Sasha's gaze as flames danced across the eyes of the Firestarter.
"Listen to me, because I'm only going to say this once." Charlie checked to make sure Sasha was still listening."Stay away from me and Cash. I know he can take care of himself, but I don't like people who threaten me and mine. So just leave us be." With that, Charlie mounted her bike and rode off into the rising dawn, leaving a confused and angry Sasha Luna in her wake.