Betrayal (35 page)

“No,” Alex agreed, “it isn’t.”

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a lively voice. “I got Batman, the Joker and Spiderman, see?”

“My favorites,” Alex said.

“Yep.” He turned to the older woman in the chair when a voice called to him.

“Dylan?”

“Coming Mom! I’ll be right back.” He sprinted off again as the two women in the room laughed. In what seemed like an instant he was back.

“Geez, I guess Speed was the right name,” Alex mused.

“Yep. I’m fast and cool.” Alex and Helen tried to contain their laughter as the small boy turned to the older woman. “Ummm….Mom said…do you want some cocoa too?”

“I would love some cocoa, Dylan.”

“Okay. Mom!” He started to turn and stopped abruptly looking briefly to Alex and then back to the older woman in the chair.

Helen pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I guess we need to figure out what you should call me.” Alex’s eyes grew wide as Dylan leaned back into her legs. Cassidy reached the doorway ready to ask where the fire was at with all of Dylan’s yelling and stopped as Helen began to speak. “What would you like to call me, Dylan?” He shrugged, afraid to answer.

“You are Alex’s mom.”

“Yes, I am,” she smiled.

“Alex is,” he stopped again.

Alex pulled him a little closer. “I’m your Alfred.” He looked to Alex and his small face became serious. “What is it, Dylan?” Alex asked, beginning to grow concerned.

The small boy shook his head. “Mom said…”

“What?” Alex asked again. Dylan leaned in and whispered in Alex’s ear. “That’s true, Speed. You are.”

He turned and looked back at the woman in the chair. “Alex is my mom too,” he said. “I just call her Alex.”

Helen fought her amusement at his innocence, seeing the pride that he had in his declaration. She glanced at her daughter and leaned forward to regard the boy more closely. “Well then, that would make you my grandson, wouldn’t it?” He looked at her a bit sheepishly. Alex held her breath, amazed at her mother’s response. “But, only if you want to be.” He nodded. “Then, that is settled,” she said.

“I can call you Grandma?”

“Well, Cat does sometimes, but usually he calls me YaYa.”

“How come?” Dylan asked.

“It’s Greek, Dylan,” Alex explained, “for Grandma. It’s what I called my mother’s parents.”

“Okay. Then I would have a Nana, a Grandma and a YaYa.”

Cassidy felt Barb’s hand come to rest on her shoulder. “You have no idea how huge that is,” Barb whispered. “Not just for Alex, either.” Cassidy nodded. She did have an idea. She had heard it in Helen Toles’ voice the day before on the phone. She was a mother. Alex was hers. Cassidy could not imagine the pain of separation from a child. She smiled and led her friend back toward the kitchen.

“I guess it’s cocoa all around then, Speed,” Alex said.

“MOM!” he yelled again as he sprinted off. “Alex and YaYa both want cocoa!”

Alex looked at her mother. “Thanks, you didn’t…”

Helen Toles looked directly into her daughter’s eyes. “Alexis, when Cassidy called me yesterday, well, I stopped breathing. I don’t know how to explain to you what that felt like; that call. It was like that day…”

“I know.”

“But,” her mother continued, “One thing was different.” Alex was confused. “It wasn’t a stranger on the line. It was Cassidy.” Alex smiled. “She is really quite…”

“Easy to love?” Alex chuckled.

“Yes, Alexis, she is.”

“Tell me,” the agent smiled.

“Something tells me I don’t have to.”

Nick walked through the garage entrance way, carrying three large pizza boxes to find Barb, Cassidy and Helen at the table talking. Barb looked over and smiled at her husband. “Hope you guys are hungry,” he said.

“I’ll go get Alex and Dylan,” Cassidy offered. She made her way quietly into the living room, zooms and crashes filling the air from the second Batman movie of the afternoon. She stopped just shy of the couch and smiled at the sleeping pair. Two, half full mugs of cocoa sat on the coffee table with
the remote between them. Alex had moved slightly to her side to accommodate the small boy lying against her. His head was tucked under her chin and he was partly on top of her. Cassidy couldn’t imagine how the agent was handling that with her broken ribs, but the pair seemed completely content as they were. She took a deep breath and walked toward them, bending over and kissing each gently on the head. Neither seemed to stir the slightest bit and she chuckled. Just as she was about to make her way out of the room, she felt a hand grab onto hers.

“Where are you going?” the agent asked sleepily.

Cassidy moved closer and kissed the agent’s forehead again. “Nick just got back.”

“Mm,” Alex mumbled.

The teacher giggled. Alex was exhausted and so was Dylan. “Just sleep. There is enough food here to feed the entire Army.” Cassidy started to pull away again and Alex pulled her closer. “What is it?”

“Stay here.”

Cassidy closed her eyes and felt Alex’s words wash over her. “Alex, everyone is…”

“Cass,” Alex pleaded.

“Alex, I think the couch is full,” she smiled. Alex gently pulled the boy to rest on top of her. “Alex, your ribs.” The agent opened her eyes slightly and tipped her head. Cassidy sighed as Alex scooted closer to the back of the couch. The teacher finagled her way beside the agent and her son. “Your friend the Major would not approve of this, you know?” Alex felt Cassidy’s head come to rest next to Dylan’s as her leg wrapped around the agent’s. “Nick and…”

“They know how to eat pizza,” Alex assured her lover.

“They are going to come…”

“Let them,” Alex said plainly. Cassidy closed her eyes and breathed in the agent. “Wish I could hold you,” Alex whispered. Her bad arm was resting atop her hip and her free arm was supporting Dylan who remained partly on his side.

“You are,” the teacher answered.

“I love you, Cass.” Cassidy reached her arm around the pair beside her, both to steady her balance and her emotion.

Rose peeked into the room and smiled. Helen walked up beside her and mimicked the response, noting that Cassidy’s mother was beginning to cry. Alex’s mother wrapped a comforting arm around the woman beside her. “Been tough for all of them.”

Rose took a deep breath and nodded. That was true. She could see it on Cassidy’s face. For all of her pretenses, the teacher remained rattled. But, there was something more. “I have never seen Cassie so happy,” Rose said. “I can’t imagine if we lost her…”

Helen closed her eyes. It was apparent to Alex’s mother that her daughter loved these people in a way Helen had never seen and that they loved her just as much. Rose loved the agent as much as she loved her own daughter and looking at the three bodies sprawled across one another Helen understood. They just fit. It was evident in every interaction. Alex and Cassidy were a family. She smiled and patted the shoulder beside her. “What do you say to some pizza?”

Rose smiled and nodded her agreement. “I think we’d better find where Cassidy keeps the ibuprofen while we are at it.”

“Are you not feeling well?” Helen asked with concern.

“Oh no, I am fine,” Rose chuckled as they headed for the kitchen. “But, I don’t think it will just be Alex in need of pain relief when they wake up.” Helen laughed at Rose’s assessment.

“I wish I could tell you that someday she’ll realize she’s not invincible,” Helen said.

“If anyone can teach her that…”

Helen laughed in agreement. “It will be Cassidy.”

he day had been exhausting for both Alex and Cassidy, but each had made the silent admission that the love of their family was both needed and welcome. It was surprising that after a short rest, the living room conversation with their family had easily spiraled into late evening. When they had gone to check on the two young boys, they found each sprawled in his own beanbag chair sound asleep. Nick had moved in to wake the pair when his sister stopped him. In spite of protests, Alex and Cassidy insisted that they allow the boys to just
be
. Normalcy was something everyone needed now. Dylan had been shaken by Alex’s injury and his contentment in the moment was enough to convince both women that this was exactly what he needed. Helen and Rose both raised eyebrows at their daughters’ insistence, but realized an argument was futile. Though neither wanted to admit it, Cassidy and Alex were secretly glad when Rose decided to spend one more night in the guest room.

Alex woke up unexpectedly and was surprised to find an empty space where Cassidy would normally be. She slowly moved and stopped to catch her breath. Her injuries were far more painful and debilitating than she intended to let on, and she grimaced as she struggled to find her feet. It was unlike Cassidy to be up in the middle of the night unless a nightmare plagued one of them or Dylan made his way into their room after a dream of his own. The agent sighed and gently stretched, feeling the soreness that seemed to rack every inch
of her body. Slowly, she made her way out of the room, ready to head downstairs. She thought perhaps Cassidy had gone to check on the boys. A faint light from Dylan’s room stopped her and she changed direction.

Cassidy was standing in front of Dylan’s bookcase. Alex couldn’t tell what she was looking at, but it seemed that the teacher was focused on something. “Hey.” Cassidy did not respond, merely shutting her eyes tightly and fighting to draw in a full breath. “Cass?” The agent bridged the distance between them and put her hand on her lover’s shoulder. “Cass?”

Cassidy turned very slowly on her heels. Once she managed to force her eyes to meet the agent’s, Alex immediately noticed the swollen redness. “Alex, I can’t do this.”

The agent’s heart stopped. This was her greatest fear come true, losing Cassidy to her own stupidity. She kept telling herself that she did what she had to do. That is why she ran into the situation with Brackett and O’Brien. She was keeping Cassidy and Dylan safe. These last two days Alex had grown unsure of everything; everything except Cassidy. If keeping Cassidy in her life meant quitting her job, she would do it. She would find a way to protect them somehow. She remembered everything now about France and about the shooting. “Cassidy, I’m sorry. I know this has been hard. I need to tell you…”