A/N As usual, my thanks to everyone that has reviewed. It really helps.
While I don't find this to be one of the most exciting chapters, we do have
some excitement coming, so stick with me. Please!
Chapter 29
At first Cass thought the beeping was just the pounding in her head. Then she realized there was pounding in her head as well as beeping next to it. She sat up and looked around. The beeping was coming from Roger's watch which was on the arm that had been shoved under the pillow she was laying on. No wonder he hadn't moved yet.
Mark was in a similar state, but he had two pillows over his head. Cass pulled herself out of Roger's arms. She picked up his wrist and turned off the alarm. She let go of his hand and it hit the bed with a thud. Roger mumbled something as he rolled over. Cass crawled across the bed and turned off Mark's as well.
She climbed out of the bed and stepped into the bright living room. Izzy was asleep on the couch. Ugh was about as much of her vocabulary she could really string together at this moment. She walked into the bathroom and decided brushing her teeth might make her feel better. It didn't work. She went to the kitchen and got a glass of water and Roger's pills.
"Roger." She nudged him. "Roger." He rolled over and opened one eye. "Here." She handed him the water and pills as she sat back down next to him on the bed.
"Thanks." He said groggily. "What time is it?" He swallowed more water. "Oh, stupid question, huh? It's to early." He laid back down, pulling her down with him. He pulled her in close and kissed her on her neck.
Cass snuggled into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. She could hear his heart beating in his chest as he entangled his fingers in her hair. In a few minutes they were both asleep again.
"What's that noise?" Mark asked from under the pillow. "Please make it stop."
"What is that?" Cass asked getting up off the bed.
"I don't know," Roger told her, getting up. "But it's the last thing whoever it is may ever do."
"Marky you okay?" She asked him.
"I think my head might exploded." He started to sit up on the edge of the bed. "What time is it?"
Roger looked at his watch as he opened the door. "Twelve thirty. Get up, you'll feel better." He laughed.
"Asshole." Mark said to him as he stood up. He looked at Cass. "How the hell does he drink like this and stay up all night and still it doesn't bother him?"
"Talent I guess." He grinned as he walked into the living room. "What the hell is all that noise?" Roger yelled into the living room.
"Good morning sunshine." Jen called from the kitchen as she poured the freshly ground coffee out of her coffee grinder into a filter.
"I have yet to see anything good about it." Maureen said sourly from the chair.
"You never made it home Mo?" Cass asked as she fell onto the couch next to Roger.
"Yes. But I came back. Joanne had stuff to do before leaving today. We decided she could get more done if I wasn't there. So I slept at Jen's."
"Oh." Cass was sorry she asked.
"Please tell me there is coffee." Jason said coming out of Roger's room, followed by Collins.
"Eww Mark you look like crap." Maureen observed as he walked in and flopped down on the couch and leaned on Cass.
"Well then it matches how I feel at least. Does anybody know what happened to my glasses?"
"I set them somewhere last night." Cass told him.
Collins and Jason sat down at the counter. "We're getting too old to drink like that and stay up all night." Collins said as he took Mark his glasses from the counter.
"Speak for yourself." Jen laughed pouring scrambled eggs into a pan. "The coffee's going, give it a few minutes.
"So you guys are coming to the Iguana tonight right? Do this all over again? Right Marky?" Roger joked, apparently feeling no ill effects of the night before.
"I hate you sometimes, you know that right?"
"Okay coffee's done, and so are the eggs and toast."
Everyone but Mark and Maureen got up to get breakfast. Cass came back to the couch with a few pieces of toast on a plate. She handed one to Mark as she started to sip her coffee.
"Hey what happened to Izzy?" Roger asked as he handed Mark a cup of coffee and a bottle of aspirin.
"Okay, hate maybe a strong word sometimes." Mark told him.
"I don't know." Jen answered Roger's question. "He was gone when we got here. Cass you don't want any eggs?"
"Yuck, no, I'll pass. No offense Jen. Toast and coffee are fine though." She told her as she started scratching at her shoulder.
"You sure?" Roger asked holding out a forkful of eggs.
Cass slapped her hand over her mouth and plugged her nose as she pushed Roger's hand away. "Sorry." He laughed at her through a mouthful of scramble eggs.
"I can't believe Izzy gave Krystal $10 and told her to take a cab home last night." Jason laughed.
"Yeah, he'll be paying for that one." Roger said, taking a bite of toast. "She's gonna be pissed."
"Who names their kid Izzy anyway?" Jen asked.
"That's not his real name." Roger explained, taking the third piece of toast that neither Mark nor Cass had touched. "It's actually Izador or something I think."
"Well that's worse than Izzy. Why do people do that?"
"It's no worse than my name." Cass said.
"Why what's your real name?" Maureen asked.
"Yeah I thought it was Cassandra or Cassie or something." Jen said.
"No that's just what my mother calls her. Among other things." Mark grinned at her.
"Do I look anything at all like a Cassie?"
"No. Not at all." Roger said bluntly.
"It's actually Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia Isabelle Du Bartas Sullivan." Mark was grinning and everyone else was just looking at her. "Give me a break, it's a family thing. It sounds better in French." She shrugged, scratching her arm.
"Your name is actually Cassiopeia?" Jason asked in amazement. "As in the chick from Battlestar Galactica? The one that was actually a space age hooker? And was doing Starbuck? And Lloyd Bridges when he guest stared? You're really named after her?"
"No," she looked at him strangely. "I'm not named after, whatever it is you're talking about."
"Jason you are such a geek!" Maureen joked.
"How do you remember all that? Collins laughed.
"Why do you remember all that?" Roger asked him.
"Oh you don't even really know that half of it." Jen laughed. "Jason may be out of the closet on the big issues, but he's still in there as far as everyone knowing he's a sci-fi, Star Trek, super geek!"
"Hey that was a really good show!" Jason tried to defend himself.
They were all still laughing at him when Cass got up to get more coffee. The phone rang just as she stepped in front of it.
"Don't answer it." Roger told her. "Let the machine get it."
"Hello?" The voice screeched into the machine. "Mark? Mark are you there? It's me. Your mother. In Scarsdale."
"She needs to specify, in case he confuses her with his other mother or something." Roger commented.
"Mark I need your help. We got a new VCR and I need to know how to tape my show. Call me back. Soon. I want to tape something tonight. Daddy said you should be able to help me, having gone to school for that and all. I'll call you back later." Beep.
"Great she'll call back later." Roger said.
"Oh yeah, that's exactly what I went to school for." He shook his head. "If I'd gotten my degree that's exactly what it would have said. Bachelor of Arts in VCR programming. Yeah there's a conversation I want to have with the world's most clueless person. I'll let the twins teach her how to do that I think."
"Mark does your mom have e-mail?" Cass asked.
"Yeah I guess. I mean they bought Molly a new computer. I think she's got her old one."
"So why don't you just email her. Then you wouldn't have to talk to her. She could email you everyday if she wanted. And you wouldn't have to actually talk to her all the time."
"Only one problem." Mark began. "I don't have a computer on this end."
"Hello? What exactly do you think I do for a living? You can use my computer you know. Once I get all that crap set up and running. Right now I don't have the energy or patience to deal with it. But if I don't do it soon, I'll never get caught up." She shook her head.
"Oh I know exactly what you mean." Maureen said sarcastically. "I have the same problem at the copy shop."
"Yeah." Jen laughed. "For this I went to college."
They all laughed at that. "True. Who knew in high school that whole permanent record thing was total bull?" Collins said.
"I knew." Roger announced,
"You didn't know." Mark said, looking up from Cass' lap where he had laid his head. "You just didn't care."
"Or that your SAT's really don't mean squat in the real world." Jason joked.
"Yeah I spent enough time stressing out over the SAT's and for what?" Jen shrugged.
"Yeah." Mark agreed. "A lousy 1100. Little did we realize that stupid number meant nothing."
"You got a 1100?" Jen asked. "I got an 1100 too."
"I don't even remember what I got." Maureen said.
"I got a 1250." Collins said. "Thinking back, I always thought that would translate to more money in the long run."
"Yeah." Jason laughed. "Me too. Well okay, not really, I only got an 875."
"What did you get Cass?" Jen asked.
"Um, well you have to remember I didn't go to traditional high school and all that."
"Tell her what you got." Mark grinned. "Or I'll tell her."
"Oh alright. I only got a 1560." She frowned. "Both times."
"You took it twice? And scored that high both times?" Collins asked amazed.
"Yes. I still don't know what I got wrong."
"Gee Cass you know you probably could have gotten a 1600 had you bothered to 'apply' yourself. Kinda like someone else." Mark said looking up at Roger.
"Well I had stuff to do the night before. I got in late both times."
"Yeah just like somebody else I found sleeping in the backseat of my car the morning of our SAT's."
They all looked at Roger who was drinking his coffee and trying hard to ignore them. "What? I needed a place to crash. Why do think he left the car unlocked?"
"Roger took the SAT's?" Jen asked amazed.
"Roger can spell SAT's?" Maureen said snidely as Roger gave her a sideways glare then ignored her.
"What did you get?" Jen continued.
"I don't know. I don't remember." He tried to blow it off.
"He got a 1025." Mark told them. "With a hangover."
"Roger?" Jen asked wide-eyed. "I don't believe it."
" So don't." Roger said as he stood up to get more coffee.
"He doesn't like stuff like that getting around." Mark laughed. "Afraid it will ruin his bad boy image or something."
"Whatever. I'm gonna take a shower."
"Yeah we gotta take off too." Collins said.
"What time do you guys play tonight?" Jason asked.
"At nine. You guys coming?"
"Yes. We'll come by for awhile." Collins told him. "We'll see you guys later. Mark you gonna be okay?"
"As long as my head doesn't explode."
"I can second that feeling." Maureen echoed. "Jen can I take a shower and borrow some clothes?"
"Sure. I need help picking out what to wear tonight anyway. What are you guys gonna do?" Jen asked Mark and Cass.
"I think I'm gonna go back to bed for awhile." Mark said from his spot on Cass' lap still. "I don't feel so hot."
"Big surprise there." Roger laughed. "I gotta run through some stuff before tonight, that's all. Can you bring Cass home tonight if she wants? So she doesn't have to sit there till 2 AM."
"Yeah we'll do that. We'll see you two tonight then." Collins said. "Mark, hope you feel better buddy."
Mark just waved as they left. Roger went to take a shower and Jen headed back to her place. Cass was still sitting on the other end of the couch flipping through the newspaper Jen had brought up.
When it was just the three of them left, Maureen spoke. "Marky? Um, are we still on for tonight? To do that, that thing?" Her eyes glanced towards Mimi's room.
"Yes." Mark said slowly.
"What are you guys doing?" Cass asked from behind her paper.
"Um," Mark began, "I'll tell you later."
"Okay." Cass let it drop. If Mark wanted her to know now, he would tell her. If he says he'll tell her later, Cass knew he would. She could wait.
Chapter 29
At first Cass thought the beeping was just the pounding in her head. Then she realized there was pounding in her head as well as beeping next to it. She sat up and looked around. The beeping was coming from Roger's watch which was on the arm that had been shoved under the pillow she was laying on. No wonder he hadn't moved yet.
Mark was in a similar state, but he had two pillows over his head. Cass pulled herself out of Roger's arms. She picked up his wrist and turned off the alarm. She let go of his hand and it hit the bed with a thud. Roger mumbled something as he rolled over. Cass crawled across the bed and turned off Mark's as well.
She climbed out of the bed and stepped into the bright living room. Izzy was asleep on the couch. Ugh was about as much of her vocabulary she could really string together at this moment. She walked into the bathroom and decided brushing her teeth might make her feel better. It didn't work. She went to the kitchen and got a glass of water and Roger's pills.
"Roger." She nudged him. "Roger." He rolled over and opened one eye. "Here." She handed him the water and pills as she sat back down next to him on the bed.
"Thanks." He said groggily. "What time is it?" He swallowed more water. "Oh, stupid question, huh? It's to early." He laid back down, pulling her down with him. He pulled her in close and kissed her on her neck.
Cass snuggled into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. She could hear his heart beating in his chest as he entangled his fingers in her hair. In a few minutes they were both asleep again.
"What's that noise?" Mark asked from under the pillow. "Please make it stop."
"What is that?" Cass asked getting up off the bed.
"I don't know," Roger told her, getting up. "But it's the last thing whoever it is may ever do."
"Marky you okay?" She asked him.
"I think my head might exploded." He started to sit up on the edge of the bed. "What time is it?"
Roger looked at his watch as he opened the door. "Twelve thirty. Get up, you'll feel better." He laughed.
"Asshole." Mark said to him as he stood up. He looked at Cass. "How the hell does he drink like this and stay up all night and still it doesn't bother him?"
"Talent I guess." He grinned as he walked into the living room. "What the hell is all that noise?" Roger yelled into the living room.
"Good morning sunshine." Jen called from the kitchen as she poured the freshly ground coffee out of her coffee grinder into a filter.
"I have yet to see anything good about it." Maureen said sourly from the chair.
"You never made it home Mo?" Cass asked as she fell onto the couch next to Roger.
"Yes. But I came back. Joanne had stuff to do before leaving today. We decided she could get more done if I wasn't there. So I slept at Jen's."
"Oh." Cass was sorry she asked.
"Please tell me there is coffee." Jason said coming out of Roger's room, followed by Collins.
"Eww Mark you look like crap." Maureen observed as he walked in and flopped down on the couch and leaned on Cass.
"Well then it matches how I feel at least. Does anybody know what happened to my glasses?"
"I set them somewhere last night." Cass told him.
Collins and Jason sat down at the counter. "We're getting too old to drink like that and stay up all night." Collins said as he took Mark his glasses from the counter.
"Speak for yourself." Jen laughed pouring scrambled eggs into a pan. "The coffee's going, give it a few minutes.
"So you guys are coming to the Iguana tonight right? Do this all over again? Right Marky?" Roger joked, apparently feeling no ill effects of the night before.
"I hate you sometimes, you know that right?"
"Okay coffee's done, and so are the eggs and toast."
Everyone but Mark and Maureen got up to get breakfast. Cass came back to the couch with a few pieces of toast on a plate. She handed one to Mark as she started to sip her coffee.
"Hey what happened to Izzy?" Roger asked as he handed Mark a cup of coffee and a bottle of aspirin.
"Okay, hate maybe a strong word sometimes." Mark told him.
"I don't know." Jen answered Roger's question. "He was gone when we got here. Cass you don't want any eggs?"
"Yuck, no, I'll pass. No offense Jen. Toast and coffee are fine though." She told her as she started scratching at her shoulder.
"You sure?" Roger asked holding out a forkful of eggs.
Cass slapped her hand over her mouth and plugged her nose as she pushed Roger's hand away. "Sorry." He laughed at her through a mouthful of scramble eggs.
"I can't believe Izzy gave Krystal $10 and told her to take a cab home last night." Jason laughed.
"Yeah, he'll be paying for that one." Roger said, taking a bite of toast. "She's gonna be pissed."
"Who names their kid Izzy anyway?" Jen asked.
"That's not his real name." Roger explained, taking the third piece of toast that neither Mark nor Cass had touched. "It's actually Izador or something I think."
"Well that's worse than Izzy. Why do people do that?"
"It's no worse than my name." Cass said.
"Why what's your real name?" Maureen asked.
"Yeah I thought it was Cassandra or Cassie or something." Jen said.
"No that's just what my mother calls her. Among other things." Mark grinned at her.
"Do I look anything at all like a Cassie?"
"No. Not at all." Roger said bluntly.
"It's actually Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia Isabelle Du Bartas Sullivan." Mark was grinning and everyone else was just looking at her. "Give me a break, it's a family thing. It sounds better in French." She shrugged, scratching her arm.
"Your name is actually Cassiopeia?" Jason asked in amazement. "As in the chick from Battlestar Galactica? The one that was actually a space age hooker? And was doing Starbuck? And Lloyd Bridges when he guest stared? You're really named after her?"
"No," she looked at him strangely. "I'm not named after, whatever it is you're talking about."
"Jason you are such a geek!" Maureen joked.
"How do you remember all that? Collins laughed.
"Why do you remember all that?" Roger asked him.
"Oh you don't even really know that half of it." Jen laughed. "Jason may be out of the closet on the big issues, but he's still in there as far as everyone knowing he's a sci-fi, Star Trek, super geek!"
"Hey that was a really good show!" Jason tried to defend himself.
They were all still laughing at him when Cass got up to get more coffee. The phone rang just as she stepped in front of it.
"Don't answer it." Roger told her. "Let the machine get it."
"Hello?" The voice screeched into the machine. "Mark? Mark are you there? It's me. Your mother. In Scarsdale."
"She needs to specify, in case he confuses her with his other mother or something." Roger commented.
"Mark I need your help. We got a new VCR and I need to know how to tape my show. Call me back. Soon. I want to tape something tonight. Daddy said you should be able to help me, having gone to school for that and all. I'll call you back later." Beep.
"Great she'll call back later." Roger said.
"Oh yeah, that's exactly what I went to school for." He shook his head. "If I'd gotten my degree that's exactly what it would have said. Bachelor of Arts in VCR programming. Yeah there's a conversation I want to have with the world's most clueless person. I'll let the twins teach her how to do that I think."
"Mark does your mom have e-mail?" Cass asked.
"Yeah I guess. I mean they bought Molly a new computer. I think she's got her old one."
"So why don't you just email her. Then you wouldn't have to talk to her. She could email you everyday if she wanted. And you wouldn't have to actually talk to her all the time."
"Only one problem." Mark began. "I don't have a computer on this end."
"Hello? What exactly do you think I do for a living? You can use my computer you know. Once I get all that crap set up and running. Right now I don't have the energy or patience to deal with it. But if I don't do it soon, I'll never get caught up." She shook her head.
"Oh I know exactly what you mean." Maureen said sarcastically. "I have the same problem at the copy shop."
"Yeah." Jen laughed. "For this I went to college."
They all laughed at that. "True. Who knew in high school that whole permanent record thing was total bull?" Collins said.
"I knew." Roger announced,
"You didn't know." Mark said, looking up from Cass' lap where he had laid his head. "You just didn't care."
"Or that your SAT's really don't mean squat in the real world." Jason joked.
"Yeah I spent enough time stressing out over the SAT's and for what?" Jen shrugged.
"Yeah." Mark agreed. "A lousy 1100. Little did we realize that stupid number meant nothing."
"You got a 1100?" Jen asked. "I got an 1100 too."
"I don't even remember what I got." Maureen said.
"I got a 1250." Collins said. "Thinking back, I always thought that would translate to more money in the long run."
"Yeah." Jason laughed. "Me too. Well okay, not really, I only got an 875."
"What did you get Cass?" Jen asked.
"Um, well you have to remember I didn't go to traditional high school and all that."
"Tell her what you got." Mark grinned. "Or I'll tell her."
"Oh alright. I only got a 1560." She frowned. "Both times."
"You took it twice? And scored that high both times?" Collins asked amazed.
"Yes. I still don't know what I got wrong."
"Gee Cass you know you probably could have gotten a 1600 had you bothered to 'apply' yourself. Kinda like someone else." Mark said looking up at Roger.
"Well I had stuff to do the night before. I got in late both times."
"Yeah just like somebody else I found sleeping in the backseat of my car the morning of our SAT's."
They all looked at Roger who was drinking his coffee and trying hard to ignore them. "What? I needed a place to crash. Why do think he left the car unlocked?"
"Roger took the SAT's?" Jen asked amazed.
"Roger can spell SAT's?" Maureen said snidely as Roger gave her a sideways glare then ignored her.
"What did you get?" Jen continued.
"I don't know. I don't remember." He tried to blow it off.
"He got a 1025." Mark told them. "With a hangover."
"Roger?" Jen asked wide-eyed. "I don't believe it."
" So don't." Roger said as he stood up to get more coffee.
"He doesn't like stuff like that getting around." Mark laughed. "Afraid it will ruin his bad boy image or something."
"Whatever. I'm gonna take a shower."
"Yeah we gotta take off too." Collins said.
"What time do you guys play tonight?" Jason asked.
"At nine. You guys coming?"
"Yes. We'll come by for awhile." Collins told him. "We'll see you guys later. Mark you gonna be okay?"
"As long as my head doesn't explode."
"I can second that feeling." Maureen echoed. "Jen can I take a shower and borrow some clothes?"
"Sure. I need help picking out what to wear tonight anyway. What are you guys gonna do?" Jen asked Mark and Cass.
"I think I'm gonna go back to bed for awhile." Mark said from his spot on Cass' lap still. "I don't feel so hot."
"Big surprise there." Roger laughed. "I gotta run through some stuff before tonight, that's all. Can you bring Cass home tonight if she wants? So she doesn't have to sit there till 2 AM."
"Yeah we'll do that. We'll see you two tonight then." Collins said. "Mark, hope you feel better buddy."
Mark just waved as they left. Roger went to take a shower and Jen headed back to her place. Cass was still sitting on the other end of the couch flipping through the newspaper Jen had brought up.
When it was just the three of them left, Maureen spoke. "Marky? Um, are we still on for tonight? To do that, that thing?" Her eyes glanced towards Mimi's room.
"Yes." Mark said slowly.
"What are you guys doing?" Cass asked from behind her paper.
"Um," Mark began, "I'll tell you later."
"Okay." Cass let it drop. If Mark wanted her to know now, he would tell her. If he says he'll tell her later, Cass knew he would. She could wait.