Chapter 4

Same disclaimer applies. And this chapter is dedicated to Chero.

Cassie didn't realize how hard her hands were gripping the side of the chair. She could barely speak; her mouth felt like it was covered in super glue. She could not believe what Marco had told her.

Paralyzed.

Nothing would ever be the same for him. All his struggles, his depression-before, they were bad enough, but now he's paralyzed?

She felt sick. Sick to her stomach.

Rae could sense her mommy wasn't feeling well and burrowed into her chest.

Cassie sat there, stroking her daughter's hair.

"Can he morph out of it?"

Marco sighed and leaned back.

"No he can't. That was the first thing the doctors asked him to do. He tried every morph he had. He jut kept returning to the same state. It didn't matter how he pictured himself.

What's even worse is that, for some reason, he can't morph people. He tried, he tried to acquire a nurses DNA, but it didn't work. The doctors, and Andalites, have no clue why. I just hope... When he first discovered he couldn't morph out of it, he asked me, begged me to put him out of his misery, to kill him. I told him he was crazy, that a true friend would never do something like that. He said a true friend wouldn't want to see him suffer. I don't know anymore. I just want him to be Jake again."

"Jake hasn't been Jake for a long time," Cassie said softly.

"I know, I just-"

"Mom-my," Rae said softly, interrupting Marco, "Cinmin bun"

"In a second sweetheart. I'll get you a cinnamon bun."

"Marco, do you mind?"

"Not at all." He went down the hall and returned with a cinnamon bun.

"For you, princess!"

Rae squealed and tried to open the package.

"Not right now, honey." Cassie grabbed the treat out of her daughter's hands.

Cassie gently swung Rae back and forth. Marco was amazed. But Cassie always had a great maternal instinct.

"So, I see you were busy back here on Earth too."

Cassie shot Marco daggers.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but she sure is cute. Is Ronnie…?"

Cassie sighed.

"No he's not. I better explain from the beginning..."

            ___________________________________________________________

Almost 3 years ago...

Cassie kissed Ronnie on the cheek. "Have fun at the Lakers-Kings game tonight."

"I'll be back by tomorrow. L.A. will be too rough a ride to do on one night."

Ronnie kissed her back, and grabbed the keys to his Escalade parked outside. She hadn't been successful in getting Ronnie to ditch his gas-guzzler, but he had been supportive of her in every single way. He was almost like Jake…

She shook her head. No one could ever be like Jake. At least, not the way he was before the valley. Cassie locked the door and made her way down the hall to her master bedroom.

I need a shower. A nice long one.

She stepped into the shower and tried to clear her mind. Today, while Ronnie and she were hiking. Jake stopped by to get the coordinates to Tobias's valley. Poor Ax had been captured, and Jake was going to lead a rescue mission. But he wouldn't allow her to go.

Stay on Earth, live your life. She repeated those words over and over in her head. She did have a nice life. A top selling book, a great fiancé in Ronnie, endorsements with L.L. Bean and Roquefort, a beautiful house in Berkeley...but...

She cut the water off and slipped out of the shower, into her robe and slippers. And as if someone could read her mind, she saw a Peregrine Falcon fly by her window.

"It can't be…" she thought to herself.

She heard a rap on her door about a minute later.

Don't open it. A little voice in the back of her head quipped. She ignored it and went for the doorknob.

Jake was standing at the threshold.

"Hi," Jake said sheepishly.

"Jake, what are you doing here?" Cassie said, a little surprised. By the way he was acting earlier today, she expected him to be gone by this point in time.

"I uh, I came to say, goodbye...We won't be leaving until tomorrow..."

Now Cassie was starting to get mad. Not a word from this boy in almost a year, and now he wants to come in and talk?

"So? I'm going to go back to living my life. That's what you told me to do, Fearless Leader. So you go and play hero. I'm going to live."

She started to close the door. Jake stood in the way, preventing her from doing so.

Cassie had made him mad. Furious. Nah, he was more than furious. He was pissed off. Cassie made him feel like dirt. All he wanted to do was say goodbye. He probably would never see her again, and she was this cold to him? Heh. If it wasn't for her, he wouldn't be in this situation. Tom...and Rachel... Goddamn her! She really was a bitch sometimes! But, in a strange way, that REALLY turned him on...

"Jake, just go," She turned to leave.

"Don't you walk away from me," he growled, grabbing her arm with power.

"Stop! Let me go!"

She was pinned to the now-closed door by him

"What the hell, you arrogant son of a-"

She was cut off but one of the most passionate kisses she had ever experienced.

"Oh Jake…" she moaned when she was finally able to catch her breath."Do it again," as she kissed him back, with all of the emotion that he had kissed her with.

All the years of anger, pain and frustration came out as they tore at each other's clothes on the way to her bedroom. When they finally got there, Jake looked into her eyes. Her beautiful, warm, brown eyes. They made him want to melt into the bed.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked sincerely while planting kisses all over her face.

Cassie kissed him, and took her engagement ring off her finger.

"I can't go back to him. Not after this." She placed it on the nightstand.

And then they were lost in each other.

Back to the present......

"Wow." was all Marco could say.

"He left me after we made love. The next morning, I was by myself. And VERY sick. I found out I was pregnant. Nine months later, I had Rae. We did two DNA tests. One from the military database, and his parents gave blood for a reverse DNA test. Two perfect matches."

She stroked Rae's hair.

"Sometimes, I thought, 'Why me?' I would wake up everyday and see him in her face, knowing I'd never see him again. But then I would hold her in my arms, and all of it would be worth it."
Cassie could feel the tears start to swell in her eyes.

"And now that he's alive, I don't know what to feel."

Marco didn't know what to say. What could he say? I'm sorry that my best friend and you ex-boyfriend knocked you up and left you pregnant before he went on an intergalactic kamikaze rescue mission and ended up a cripple?

A nurse came out and broke Marco's thoughts.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Berenson is awake."