Hiding Scars

Chapter 4Cassandra looked in the mirror in her bathroom, but the reflection staring at her was not how she knew she looked. The reflection had blonde hair and blue eyes. The large tattoo covering her shoulder was missing. The face in the mirror was younger, too, with less internal scars left by the past. "You can't hide forever." Cassandra turned away from the mirror and tried to run out of the bathroom, but she tripped and fell, her face landing in a puddle of water...

Cassandra opened her eyes. Cherry was licking her face. "Ugh, okay Cherry, I love you too," Cassandra said, sitting up and pushed her dog's face away from her. Cherry sat down on her haunches and stared at Cassandra. Milly had taken Riley and Maria down to the water to play in the waves. Cassandra sat up and brushed the sand off her arms and legs. Cherry nipped at her.

"Alright, alright," Cassandra said. She attached the leash onto Cherry's collar and led her away from the beach into the pet area, so Cherry could take care of business.

Quatre was able to arrange for the vacation house Heero found to be available for two days before the start of the Second Annual VA Summer Bash, and last for three weeks. The Bash would take place during the last few days of April and into the first couple days of May. It was a long, two week wait until their trip, but finally, Heero, Quatre, Duo and Hilde were able to pack their bags and take their respective flights across the ocean to the Americas.

The four of them met at the Norfolk International airport in Virginia Beach. In strange circumstances, Heero's excitement about the situation was infectious. Everyone was smiling. They made their way through the airport to the car rental area to pick up their car that Quatre had booked for them. They loaded up their luggage in the large SUV and Heero took the wheel with Quatre navigating.

The drive that should not have taken very long took much longer than anticipated, as the traffic was extremely heavy through the entire city. There were many out of state license plates, and many people craning over their steering wheels to look around, clearly confused about where they were trying to go. Heero tried not to be one of those people.

After about an hour of waiting in traffic, they finally arrived at their vacation home. It was a large home in the New England Colonial fashion. Heero pulled into the driveway and the group got out of the car and admired the beautiful place. The house was painted a bright blue with white trim, and though the color seemed too bright, it matched the other houses on the street. Quatre walked up to the front door and found an envelope in the mailbox, which contained all their information for their stay at the home. Quatre unlocked the front door and they filed in.

Everything in the house was clean and looked relatively new. It was spacious and well lit, with many windows catching all the sunlight of the day. They spread out and inspected the rooms, with Duo and Hilde claiming the master suite, leaving Quatre and Heero to their own bedrooms with a shared bathroom. They hauled their luggage out of the SUV and brought it inside to unpack.

Heero could barely concentrate on unpacking his clothes. All he could think about was finding Cassandra Cooper, and that way, finding Relena. Quatre had told him ahead of time to not get too anxious about going to find her. Quatre suggested that she might try to run again if they made it too obvious that they were there. Unable to concentrate, Heero sat on his bed and looked out the window at the sea of other homes in the area.

Once everyone had unpacked and gotten settled in, Quatre told them they he had made reservations at a nice restaurant next to the ocean. He said that if he was going to spend the money on a vacation home, he was at least going to have a vacation. Duo and Hilde agreed with him, but Heero grew more and more anxious as each hour on American soil passed. They drove out to the restaurant and managed to find a parking spot nearby. The place was a large, nautical themed restaurant, with an air of authenticity that many places like it lacked. Quatre gave his name, and they were taken right away to a table on the front porch, which looked out over the ocean. Once they had ordered, Heero excused himself to go to the bathroom. As he weaved through the tables, he overheard a conversation nearby.

"We made one addition to the schedule, which is a book signing by Cassandra Cooper. I spoke with her agent and set it up. She'll be there for about three hours to sign books." Heero glanced around and saw a young woman sitting at a table with many other people. They all had papers and notebooks with them. Heero saw the top of one of the pages that read "Second Annual VA Summer Bash." Heero was starting to look suspicious, so he hurried past the table to the bathroom.

When he returned to the table, he immediately told his friends what he had overheard. "I suppose that would be one way to get in touch with her," Quatre said, taking a sip of his martini. "We are here for three weeks. We don't have to rush," he added.

Heero looked angry for a moment, but he looked down at his hands in his lap. Hilde put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. We can only do our best to get in touch with her and try to find out what happened four years ago," she said. "The most important thing is not to scare her into hiding."

"I just don't think I can go another four years without her," Heero confessed. His friends exchanged sympathetic glances.

The next morning, while everyone else was still sleeping off their jet lag, Heero was up and dressed. It was only 7:30 in the morning. He used his phone to map out walking directions to Cassandra Cooper's house. It was about a ten minute walk. He started on his way.

As he walked, he admired the homes along the street. Many were large and beautiful. Some looked like they were inhabited all year long. As the GPS on his phone told him he was nearing his destination, Heero looked and found her house. It was a large house, with elements of a Victorian style. The red car was parked in the driveway, and there was a woman standing in the front yard, bent over a flower bed. A dog was stretched out next to her in the grass. Heero slowed his stride and inhaled sharply.

The woman had braided her long, red hair into a single braid, which hung down over her shoulder. She wore a tank top and a pair of loose shorts. Her feet were bare. When she turned to pick up a gardening tool, Heero could see color on one shoulder. Is that a tattoo? he wondered to himself. His stomach was fluttering in a way he didn't know it could. His whole body was responding to seeing the woman on the lawn. The years of longing and desire for Relena flooded over him when he caught a glimpse of her profile. His fingers itched to reach for her. His heart ached to hold her in his arms.

He tried to watch her a little longer, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself. But he knew. The way she moved was all too familiar. The way she drew her hand across her brow to wipe away the early morning sweat. The way she smiled when her dog rolled around, scratching her back on the grass. Cassandra stuck her hand in the pocket of her shorts and drew out a cell phone and answered the call. She turned back to the dog, patted her thigh and called out, "Here, Cherry," then walked into her house with the dog behind her. Heero's heart nearly stopped at the sound of her voice after four long years.

Heero made a circuit around the block and headed back to their vacation home, his mind reeling. She had been right there. It was so obviously her that he wanted to run back to her house and pound on her front door. But the rational part of his mind knew this would be a terrible idea. So he settled on going back to the house and drinking coffee instead.

After everyone had finally woken up, much of the day was passed with sightseeing and shopping. Heero trudged along with his friends, trying to keep a positive mood, but inside, he was dying to go back to her house and see her. He didn't tell his friends that he had walked to her house that morning. He knew they'd be mad. So instead he followed along, stopping in stores and people-watching the other tourists in the area.