by ID Johnson
They had only dated for about three months before he broke it off, saying that she was too much of a distraction. And he was right. They did not do well in high pressure situations, especially not when he was giving her orders--which was part of his job. She had ended up botching a hunt pretty badly and almost got herself accidentally shot by a Hunter who didn't realize Eliza was out of position. The entire team had been outraged, and Aaron broke up with her, saying he didn't think it was a good idea to date someone he worked with. Of course, he had recently told Cadence the same thing, so technically they weren't dating either. But, after Aaron had told Eliza that he didn't want to see her anymore, he hadn't ended up in her bed. Score one for Cadence.
Speaking to Laney about Jack had brought up a lot of questions about that situation, too. She knew that Aaron would probably be annoyed if she started asking them right now while Morgan was talking. But she couldn't help herself. "What's up with Jack? Is he headed toward Shenandoah?" she asked, knowing Aaron could probably tell her his exact coordinates if she asked that.
"Yes, if he isn't there by now." Aaron replied, not even glancing at her as he did so.
"Laney was asking. I guess Giovani's with him?"
"Believe so," he replied shortly, completely ignoring the mention of Laney, which also alluded to her sister.
"Any activity?"
He audibly sighed then, and Eliza knew she was pushing her luck. "Body at a truck stop between Omaha and Shenandoah. Found this morning."
That could be a game changer, Eliza thought. "Innocent?"
"Yes," he replied.
"Giovani or Jack? Or do you know?" she asked, wondering if Jack just made the Naughty List.
"You know how Giovani operates," he replied glancing at her this time. They both knew that Giovani was notorious for convincing newbies to commit acts of violence against Innocence, getting them on the Rogue list, where there was only one option for the Vampire Hunters; find them and destroy them.
"So, you putting him on the Rogue list then?" Eliza wondered if Aaron would do that, considering that Cadence would probably flip-out.
"No confirmation yet, so I'm holding off. We still need to bring him in. Now, would you please pay attention so you don't get yourself shot tonight?" he ordered her.
"We're just consulting," Eliza said, huffing a bit. "It's not like I'm going to be doing anything."
"Well, I am so shush," he said, attempting to choose a word that would keep her from getting her feelings hurt. He could tell by the way she crossed her arms that he had not been successful. It was moments like these that made him remember why they had argued so much. Breaking up with Eliza had been one of the smartest things he had ever done. Breaking up with Cadence, on the other hand, was one of the dumbest. Now that he had fairly good evidence that Cadence's ex-boyfriend had gone Rogue, the situation became even more complicated. It was bound to be a tough next few weeks. Right now, however, he needed to prepare for this hunt. He attempted to put Cadence out of his head and focus on Morgan's speech, but concentrating on the speaker was increasingly more difficult and Eliza's huffing beside him made it even more so. Hopefully, they would accomplish what they needed to that evening so they could get back to the job at hand--finding Jack and bringing him in unharmed.
***
Cadence slept well that night, and the next morning, and into the afternoon. Elliott had explained to her parents what he had done so they wouldn't worry; but at 2:00, when her mother had come into her room to see if she needed anything and she was still fast asleep, Mrs. Findley had been a bit panicky and sent Elliott in to check on her. Cadence was fine, just regaining her strength and clarity. She would wake up when she was ready to.
It wasn't until 4:30 that she finally awoke. At first, she wasn't sure exactly where she was. It took her a few minutes to realize that she was in the bed she had grown up in. She rubbed at her eyes and yawned. Then, stretching, she sat up and looked around the room. She had a feeling she wasn't alone and she expected Elliott might still be there, but she was a little surprised to see who was actually sitting in one of the two chairs by the window across the room.
"Hey," Christian said quietly, standing and walking toward her. "Are you finally awake?"
It took Cadence a moment to speak. Finally, she said, "Yes, I think so. What are you doing here?"
"We came up for the memorial service," he explained, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Jamie and Meagan are back at the hotel with Elliott and Hannah, but I couldn't wait to see you. How are you doing?"
Mention of the memorial service brought a flood of recent memories into her head, and she had to think for a moment before replying. Finally, she said, "I'm okay. I know Hannah's talent is definitely working. It just seems a bit . . . surreal."
"I bet," he said quietly. "Is there anything I can get for you? Anything you need?"
Cadence considered the question for a moment. "No, I don't think so," she finally replied. "I can't think of anything."
Christian nodded slowly. "Okay, well, if you think of anything, anything at all, please let me know." Cadence nodded, and he sweetly patted her leg, which was still beneath the blanket, before continuing. "I'm sure you want to see your family so I'll get going. I hope you don't mind me sneaking in. I just. . . I wanted to make sure you were okay."
Cadence wasn't exactly sure how to reply to that so she simple said, "It's all right."
Christian gave her a small smile before standing, staring at the floor for a moment, and then turning back toward the window. He paused for a second before spinning around to face her. "When we get back to LIGHTS and everything is sort of back to normal, as normal as it ever is at LIGHTS anyway, do you think. . . would you like to grab a cup of coffee, or something?
Cadence could see just how much he wanted to spend time with her, and she wasn't about to crush his hopes just now, not when she had no idea what was going on with Aaron, especially considering the vagueness of the request. She gave him a small smile and said, "Sure, that would be nice."
He nodded, returning her smile. "Okay, then," he replied. "Cool. All right. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay. Bye," she said, watching him quickly disappear out of the window.
Cadence was suddenly aware of just how badly she needed to use the restroom. She also wanted to take a quick shower before going downstairs to let her parents know she was still alive. Hurrying to the adjoining bathroom and turning the water on, she thought back to the time she had walked out of the shower only to find Aaron standing in her room, and she secretly hoped that might happen again this time, though she didn't think it likely. Chances were that, if he was back, he would have let her know. And she was pretty sure he had a hunt that night.
After her shower, she dried her hair as much as she could with the towel, wrapped another around herself, and opened the door to her empty room. "Drat," she mumbled under her breath. She got dressed in some of the clothes that she had brought with her in her luggage. The rest of her clothes had all been moved to her new apartment at LIGHTS last month. Opening her bedroom door, she distinctly smelled the aroma of her mother's meatloaf and realized she was starving.
Familiar voices greeted her on the stairs, and she recognized that her father was talking to Elliott. She didn't hear her mother, so she assumed she was in the kitchen. Reaching the bottom of the stairwell, she caught her dad's attention. "Well, hello there, Cadence!" her father, Eli, chimed from where he sat in his comfy recliner. "We were wondering if you were ever going to wake up."
"Hi, Dad," she said stopping at the end of the couch, across from him. "Hey, Elliott. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, your dad and I were just reminiscing about old times. Fast cars, talented NBA basketball players, good music, that sort of thing. How are you feeling, kid?" he asked.
Cadence hadn't considered the point that Elliott and her dad were about the same age. The fact that Elliott looked just a few years older than her was rather confusing. "I'm fine. I'm definitely n
ot tired."
"That's good," he replied, not at all surprised.
"Does that mean I won't be able to sleep tonight?" she asked, hoping that this long nap wouldn't throw her off completely.
"No, it shouldn't affect that at all," Elliott assured her. "You may actually sleep better."
"Good," Cadence said, taking a deep sigh of relief. "Is Mom in the kitchen?"
"Yes," her dad replied. "Making her famous meatloaf."
"Where's Cass?" Cadence asked, realizing she didn't hear her sister upstairs or down.
"She's at a birthday party," Eli replied. "She didn't want to go because she wanted to see you, but it was something she had been looking forward to for several weeks, so we thought she should probably stick with the plan."
Cadence nodded. "I'm glad she went. It's really hard to talk to her and not tell her about. . . everything." Cassidy didn't know her sister was a Vampire Hunter and knew nothing at all about LIGHTS. She would find out eventually. She'd have to decide if she wanted to Transform or not. But, for now, her parents had decided not to tell her.
"I thought I heard you out here," Cadence's mother, Liz, said, coming in from the kitchen. "How are you, darling?" she asked, giving her oldest daughter a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"I'm fine," Cadence confirmed. "I was just coming in to see if I could help."
"Oh, no, honey, I'm fine. It's just about done. Why don't you have a seat?" Liz gestured toward the couch and Cadence sat down next to Elliott, her mother perching on the armrest. "Did they tell you about the memorial service?" she asked in a hushed tone.
Considering the phrasing of the questions, Cadence decided to answer, "No, they didn't mention it." It wasn't a lie. Though Christian had said something about it, her dad and Elliott hadn't said a thing.
"Well, it's going to be tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 in the auditorium at the high school," Liz explained.
"The high school?" Cadence asked, a bit surprised. There were some nicer venues in town; certainly some of the churches would have seemed a bit more appropriate.
Liz nodded her head. "Yes. His parents want to do a short memorial service and then take his ashes out to the baseball diamond and sprinkle some of them on the pitchers mound. Isn't that sweet?"
Cadence pondered the notion for a moment. Jack had certainly loved baseball. Though it seemed a bit odd, it did make sense. "Yes, I guess so," she replied. "Do you mean the cafeteria or the gym?" she asked. The high school didn't actually have an auditorium per se.
"The cafeteria, I guess. That larger room with the stage, where you had the plays and such," her mother attempted to explain.
"Right, that's the cafeteria," Cadence confirmed. That would be the exact same location where Jack had asked her on their first date. It would also be the location where the homecoming dance had been held, where Jack had first kissed her. Now, it sort of seemed fitting that it would be the location where she told him goodbye.
"His parents had a request, honey," Cadence's dad said, softly.
The sound of her father's voice brought her back to the living room. "What's that?" she asked, giving him her attention.
Eli glanced at his wife, hoping she would be the one to tell their daughter what the Cooks had asked. Liz shook her head no, indicating that she did not want to do it, but Eli remained speechless. Cadence looked at her mother, then back at her father, checked with Elliott, who was looking down at his lap, trying to stay out of the conversation, before finally returning to her mother and asking, "What? Somebody just tell me."
Finally, Liz hesitantly said, "Well, honey, they wanted to know if you would say a few words at the memorial. Just share a few memories, you know, the things you will miss about Jack."
Cadence's eyes widened in horror. "Oh, no," she began. "I can't do that. There's no way that I could ever. . . in front of all of those people. I just. . . I don't think so."
Her parents exchanged glances again. It was her father's turn. Leaning forward to the edge of his chair, he said, "Cadence, we all know it won't be easy for you. But, when Steve called and asked us about it, well, he said it would mean so much to Alice. After all, you knew Jack better than anyone else. It doesn't have to be a long speech, just a few words. You can read it."
"You knew about this already didn't you?" Cadence asked Elliott, who seemed to be stifling a snicker, despite the seriousness of the situation.
"No?" he said in a questioning tone, obviously lying. "Look, kid, just tell them yes, and I'll help you. It'll be fine. You can do it. I'll be the voice in your ear--or in your eye, rather."
"Are you sure?" she asked, still thinking there was no way she could possibly do what they were asking.
"Would I steer you wrong?" he asked sarcastically, knowing, of course, that she had some very recent evidence to prove that he would.
"Ha! Yes!" she replied, emphatically, thinking of Barbarosa.
"Are you discussing this?" Eli asked, finally realizing that his daughter's pause was more than thoughtfulness.
"Yes," Cadence admitted. "Okay, fine, I'll do it." She knew this would be a huge challenge for her, but if it meant that much to Alice and Steve, then she would try. It meant a lot to her that Elliott was willing to help as well.
"Oh good, dear. Thank you! I'll let Alice know," Liz said, a reassuring smile on her face as she patted her daughter's shoulder and stood. "I'll have to use the telephone, however. I don't have one of those eye thingamajigs," she muttered as she walked back toward the kitchen.
Cadence couldn't help but laugh at her mother, God love her. "I can't believe I just agreed to that," she said aloud, looking from Elliott to her father.
"It was the right thing to do," her father remarked, thoughtfully. "And since they already printed up the pamphlets while you were asleep, I don't think you had much of a choice."
Cadence just nodded her head, slowly. "Awesome," she said quietly. She caught Elliott's eye and he shrugged at her, as if to say he agreed with her assessment that it was all a bit of ridiculousness.
"I'm going to go check on Mom," Cadence said, standing. As an afterthought, she picked up one of the throw pillows on the edge of the couch and threw it at Elliott, hitting him in the head.
"What did I do?" he asked, shocked.
She said nothing, just walked into the kitchen, a smile on her face. She had always wanted a brother.
Liz was just hanging up the house phone, still attached to the wall by an actual cord, as Cadence entered the kitchen. "Steve said that Alice was so thankful. It really means a lot to them, Cadence."
"That's good," Cadence replied, approaching the stove and sampling the mashed potatoes with her finger. "You sure you don't need anything?"
Liz seemed to consider for a second. "No, I'm good, honey. The meatloaf just needs a few more minutes. How are you feeling?"
Cadence pondered the question for a moment, wondering what her mother would expect to hear. "I'm okay," she finally answered. "It's definitely hard. But, at least I have good friends to help me through."
"Mmm hmmm," her mother said, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.
Cocking her head to the side, Cadence asked, "What's that grin about, Mom?"
Attempting to look innocent, Liz replied, "Huh? Oh, nothing, honey."
"Bologna, Mom," Cadence disagreed. "Don't you think I know when you're thinking something that you don't want to say?"
"Oh, honey," Liz began. "It's nothing. I know now is not the best time to be talking about dating and the such. You probably don't want to discuss it, what with poor Jack being your only guy for so long. I'm just. . . happy you seemed to have found a nice, young man."
Cadence was genuinely confused. She leaned back against the counter next to the stove, her arms crossed. Her mother opened the oven to check the meatloaf and then closed it again before Cadence finally asked, "Mom, what are you talking about?"
"Cadence, I know you, darling. I can see it. You clearly have a little crush on someone. It's fine, honey. He's a g
ood guy." She turned to grab a spoon to give the potatoes one more whip.
"Who are you talking about?" Cadence asked, trying to figure out who she had even been around in front of her mother recently. The only answer she could think of didn't even make any sense.
"Why, Elliott, of course," Liz replied, finally looking her daughter in the eye.
While the answer of, "ooh gross," was what immediately popped into Cadence's head, she knew her mother might take that the wrong way. It was gross because she thought of him like a brother now, not because he was an icky guy. Although, he certainly wasn't the kind of guy that she would date. "Mom!" she finally said. "I do not have a crush on Elliott!"
Liz looked puzzled. "You don't?" Now, she looked disappointed. "But he's such a nice guy and such a teddy bear. And you seemed to get along with him so well."
"We do," Cadence admitted. "But I don't like him like that. Mom, he's totally not my type."
Liz considered that remark and knew it to be true. "Well, then, who is it that's got you all sulky and then happy and back and forth? There's got to be something going on."
Cadence shook her head. Her mother astounded her sometimes. "Oh, I don't know, Mom. Of all of the guys from LIGHTS that you have met, who do you think could possibly be a complete distraction? Who would literally make a girl's heart throb? Hmmm. . . let's think about this shall we? You've known some of these guys a lot longer than I have. You're a woman, Mom. Who do you think?"
"All right, honey," Liz stated. "No need to get snippy. Give me a second to think."
"You're unbelievable, Mom," Cadence said, shaking her head, grabbing a glass out of the cabinet, and crossing to the refrigerator to get a drink.
"Oh!" her mother exclaimed behind her. "Honey, isn't he . . . gay?"
Cadence almost dropped her glass. "What?" she asked, spinning around. "Isn't who gay?"
"Well, Aaron," she said shyly. "I mean, he's definitely the best looking man I've met at LIGHTS, or possibly at all for that matter," she added under her breath, "but, I'm almost certain he's, you know, batting for the other team."