When You Were Mine (13/?)
Title: When You Were Mine (13/?)
Author: fortunata13
Pairing: Cara/Kahlan
Rating: R
Warnings: None
Word Count: 4433
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Most certainly, I do not own these characters.
Summary: This chapter involves topless consumption of pizza, IT nerdiness (not a real word, I don't think), a pretty dress, and a mysterious phone call.
A/N: Gratitude to statuepup as always.
With Kahlan still sound asleep, Cara had little to do other than stare out the window. She liked that Kahlan was sleeping in for a change rather than diving head first into the sea of notes and legal briefs that, once again, cluttered her desk. The thought of it made her smile; not because she approved of the mess -- she didn’t -- but because it was pure Kahlan. Even when they were children, Cara could never quite understand how her best friend got any of her schoolwork done. Every morning, she’d dutifully organized Kahlan’s book bag, and sorted all her assignments based on when they were due, yet by the end of the school day chaos, once again, reigned supreme. Cara would scratch her head wondering how such a thing was possible and then she’d busy herself restoring order.
There were so many memories that constantly came up, especially in this apartment --the place in which they’d made love for the first time. There was always a sense of urgency back then, a desperation of sorts brought about by Cara’s circumstance, and by their dogged determination to be together, no matter the consequences. Part of it was the intensity of first love, but it was also because all they had left was each other. Letting go had never been an option, not until Darken threatened Kahlan’s life. That was what finally broke Cara. She’d lived her entire life up until then for a single dream, and that dream was Kahlan. Nothing mattered after that, nothing at all.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Kahlan asked, pressing the front of her body to Cara’s back and resting her chin on her shoulder. Cara didn’t answer, she just leaned back and rested her weight on Kahlan’s body, still lost in those memories that for years she’d tried to bury. Without giving it a second thought, Kahlan encircled Cara’s waist and closed her eyes. It surprised her that for once Cara let her guard down, but rather than question it, she decided to enjoy it. Whatever was happening between them at that moment felt like peace -- and maybe even happiness.
Kahlan released a frustrated sigh the moment her phone rang, and she felt Cara pull away. The feeling, whatever it may have been, was short-lived. She picked up the phone and glanced at the caller ID. “I have to get this,” she said to Cara, “it’s Maxine; it could be important.”
Kahlan sat up as she took the call, listening intently to the latest news from the private investigator. “Okay,” she said, “please be careful.”
“What’s going on?” Cara asked.
“Maxine called to let me know she was meeting with a systems engineer -- Rahl’s former systems engineer.”
“That’s a good thing,” Cara said, “Unless she gets herself killed. If this IT guy worked for Darken, you can bet your bottom dollar that he’s a bad guy.”
“Never underestimate what a pretty teenage girl does to the brain of a nerd.”
“Good point,” Cara said, and walked into the bathroom.
“I’ll get breakfast started,” she called out to Cara.
***
In the meantime, Maxine found out that the IT guy’s idea of wooing was bragging about his tech skills, which included the nifty encryption algorithm he’d implemented for his former employer. “For your own safety, I’m not going to tell you the name of the guy I used to work for, but if I showed you a network diagram of his setup it would totally blow your mind.”
Maxine nodded and smiled. “I’m sure it would. The project I’m working on is going nowhere fast. I’m kind of stuck on finding a way to separate the voice and data network so that I can monitor the network traffic without compromising network security.”
He gave her a smug smile and leaned back on his chair. “Routing is key,” he said, “build separate tunnels, mask the IPs, and crisscross the traffic. Come up with a kick-ass encryption algorithm and you’re golden.”
Maxine rolled her eyes. “Easier said than done. I’m stuck on setting up the firewalls without slowing down the speed at which the data reaches the servers. And besides, I also have to contend with a surveillance system. Anyway, I should probably get going,” she said, and started to get up.
“Wait,” he said, and in a desperate attempt at keeping her there, he reached into his bag and pulled out an external drive, swiftly plugging it into his laptop. “I’ll show you the diagram for my old boss’s network.”
As soon as he pulled up the file, Maxine went into a coughing fit. “Are you okay?” he asked. “I’ll get you some water.”
By the time he got back with the water, she’d copied the entire contents of his drive. “Thunderbolt beats USB, dude,” she said under her breath with a sly smile on her face.
Within seconds, she sent Kahlan a message. DD bozz lady. Let’s hang 2morrow @10@AU.
***
“Cara,” Kahlan called out from the kitchen. “Maxine came through. I’m meeting her at Aydindril U tomorrow morning.”
Cara ran out of the bathroom dripping wet -- and completely naked. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
She furrowed her brow and gestured with her hands before finally saying something. “You, you’re, you’re naked.” She tried to look at anything that wasn’t Cara but her eyeballs weren’t having it.
Cara’s hands went to her hips. “You bellowed like a crazy person. I thought something happened.”
Kahlan sighed. “I didn’t bellow, I just called out to you.”
“No, you definitely bellowed.”
“I--did--not--bellow,” she said at length.
“Fine, whatever you say. Why did you ‘call out to me’?” she asked -- complete with air quotes.
Kahlan wrinkled her nose and thought for a moment. “I…I forget.”
“Seriously?” Cara tipped her head, put her hands on hips, and waited, all the while tapping her foot on the floor.
“Wait,” Kahlan said, “it’ll come to me. It’s hard to think when you’re standing there like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like that.” She waved her hands several times.
“Fine, is this better?” Cara asked as she plunked down on the sofa -- in a less than ladylike position.
Kahlan’s palm went to her forehead. “Why would that be any better?”
“I don’t know. You told me to sit down.”
“I did not.”
“Well, you told me not to stand so I sat down -- unless you expected me to levitate. Sorry but I haven’t gotten to that part of the Yoga Sutras yet.”
“Oh, for Spirits’ sake. Do I have to spell it out for you? Y-o-u a-r-e n-a-k-e-d.”
“I don’t usually shower with my clothes on.”
Kahlan lifted both her palms. “Cara, please, for the sake of my mental health, cover up.” Cara shrugged, got off the sofa, and sashayed into her bedroom with a big grin on her face. She’d always counted making Kahlan squirm as one of life’s greatest pleasures. Kahlan stared at Cara’s swaying, naked hips as she walked into the bedroom. She had no doubt that Cara would be the death of her. “That ass is a masterpiece,” she mumbled, shaking her head.
By the time Cara was dressed -- if panties and a t-shirt qualified as being dressed -- Kahlan recalled her conversation with Maxine and shared the news with Cara. “I’m meeting her at AU tomorrow at ten,” she said as she looked through some papers. “This could be the break we’ve been hoping for.”
An email from the clerk she was friendly with quickly changed the mood. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Kahlan said, throwing her arms up in frustration. Dennee Amnell had been added to the prosecution’s witness list, and what’s more, she’d filed a civil lawsuit against Cara for the wrongful death of her unborn son.
“She hates me,” Cara said with a shrug.
“If war is what my little sister wants, war is what she’ll get. This sick vendetta has to end -- for all our sakes.” Cara didn’t say a word. She’d seen that look on Kahlan’s face several times over the years. All she could do could was stay out of her way. By the end of the day, Kahlan had subpoenaed Dennee’s medical records, filed a countersuit for defamation, requested the police files associated with the accident, and scheduled an interview with the police officer on the scene. Kahlan meant business; there was no doubt about it.
Kahlan reasoned that cross-examining Dennee was either going to help her sister accept the truth of what happened, or sever their relationship permanently; she was willing to accept either outcome. This was about Cara’s life, not about her sister’s irrational hatred toward her. But for Kahlan it was also about something else. It was about the Masons, who took them in when their own father all but abandoned them; it was about Grace who looked after baby Dennee as if she were her own sister; and most of all it was about Abigail Amnell, who, on the day she was diagnosed with a terminal illness, turned to the Masons and asked them to look after her girls. “For as long as I’m breathing,” Mr. Mason said, “I’ll love and protect your girls as I do my own.” Mrs. Mason wrapped her arms around Abigail and held her there for a long time.
Kahlan was only five years old and she didn’t really understand what it all meant but she did know that her mommy had been very tired lately, and that she was thinner than usual, and that the light in her eyes was gone. Sometimes, when she thought Kahlan wasn’t looking, she’d quietly sob into her pillow. Dennee was too young to remember any of it, but Kahlan remembered all of it; she’d watched the life force slowly leave her mother’s body. On the day of her funeral, she and Cara held hands while Mrs. Mason walked behind them with baby Dennee on her hip. Mr. Mason, who served as a pallbearer, held his head high as a tidal wave of tears left his eyes. The Masons were family, as far as Kahlan was concerned; Dennee had chosen to turn her back on family.
“I’m going for a drive,” Kahlan said. “I need to clear my head. I might do a bit of shopping as well.”
“Pick up a gallon of Cherry Garcia.”
Kahlan turned around and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you,” she said, “that request is the only thing that’s made me smile today.”
“Props to Ben & Jerry,” Cara said with a shrug.
Kahlan came back a few hours later carrying at least a half dozen bags. “Retail therapy,” she said with a shrug when she noticed the look Cara was giving her. She reached into one of the bags and tossed Cara the ice cream. She then laid out the various items of clothing she’d purchased -- a couple of which were for Cara.
“Pajamas and a robe,” she said, holding the items up for Cara’s inspection. “I got them for you.”
Cara wrinkled her nose and scratched her head. “What, no granny panties?”
“There’s something to be said for modesty. I also got you another court outfit.”
“What’s in those three over there?” Cara asked, eyeing a big box with the initials CH on it, and two smaller ones.
“A dress in the big one, shoes in that one, and personal items in the small one.”
Cara pursed her lips and nodded. “So basically, you’ll be rocking a Carolina Herrera dress, $300 shoes, and sexy lingerie while I chill in flannel pajamas.”
“I have a function to attend in a few days[ This may turn into tomorrow.],” Kahlan said in what sounded every bit like an apology.
“A function,” Cara echoed, nodding her head. “Would this function happen to involve you partying in a room full of narcs -- one who happens to have your number on speed dial?” Kahlan narrowed her eyes and glared at her, but didn’t say anything. “Here,” Cara said, “why don’t we hang out on the sofa with one of your yellow legal pads and write a list of all the ways in which it sucks to be me.” She then lay back and covered her face with a cushion. “I’ll model my pajamas for you, if you’d like.”
Kahlan rolled her eyes, and disappeared behind the bathroom door. Having put together an outfit for her date with Sabrina was a relief, but it also filled her with dread and guilt and no small amount of confusion. She’d built this date up in her mind as some monumental event that was going to magically make her get over Cara, fall madly in love with Sabrina, and erase all the heartaches of the past. From her perspective, it would either be the best night of her life, or irrefutable proof that she was destined to spend the rest of her life alone. “When did I become such a drama queen?” she asked herself aloud, before dunking her head under the mess of bubbles in her tub.
Cara knocked on the door. “You’re going to turn into a gigantic raisin if you don’t get out of the tub. Besides, dinner is ready.”
“Good, I’m starving.”
***
Kahlan looked down at her plate then up at Cara. “That thing is dinner?”
“It complements my new flannel pajamas.” She got off her chair, and spun around a couple of times before sitting down again.
“What is it exactly?” Kahlan asked.
“Spam. Us flannel-types eat it all the time.”
Kahlan grimaced and sighed, then raised the fork to her nose. “Are you sure it’s meant for human consumption? I dated a girl with a dog once. I’m fairly certain that’s what its food looked like.”
Cara crossed her arms and waited for Kahlan to take a bite. After steeling her resolve for almost a minute, she brought the fork to her lips, and twice, she opened her mouth but could not bring herself to actually put it in her mouth. “Fine,” she said, putting down her fork, “be as naked as you’d like. Here, I’ll help you.” She walked around the table and unbuttoned Cara’s pajama top. “Flaunt your naked glory. Just don’t make me eat dog food.” With that, she picked up her phone and ordered pizza.
When the pizza arrived, they curled up on the sofa watching TV while they ate. “This is my first ever pornographic pizza experience -- and by the look on his face, the delivery guy’s, too,” she said to a topless Cara, who shrugged in response. Truth be told, she loved the feel of Cara’s bare skin pressed to hers; and the way Cara fit so perfectly in her arms made her want to stay like that forever. Just as she was losing herself in those thoughts, she abruptly got up. “I have to take care of something.”
She walked into her bedroom, closed the door, and reread her list of all the things she appreciated about Sabrina, but as hard as she tried, none of those things felt as good as holding Cara in her arms. “It’s okay,” she said to Ragadee who was on the bed, “I’ll just have to make a longer list tomorrow.”
“What did I miss?” she asked, as she curled back into Cara’s naked torso.
“Three commercials and a PSA.” Cara pressed her nose to Kahlan’s hair. “You smell good.” That earned her a smile and a series of kisses on her neck. Cara closed her eyes and enjoyed the attention. Kahlan sighed and rested her head on Cara’s lap. She was never going to get over Cara and maybe she didn’t even want to get over her, but she would definitely try again tomorrow.
***
“Hey, boss lady, how’s it going?” The young PI had arrived at 10:00AM sharp with a cup of coffee that she promptly handed to Kahlan.
“I don’t know, you tell me,” she said after taking a sip of the coffee. “Thank you.”
Maxine started to whip out her laptop and her external hard drive, but Kahlan’s raised palm stopped it. “Rules of evidence,” Kahlan said.
“Right,” Maxine said. “I’ve received a good amount of potential evidence from an anonymous source. Due to the quantity and state of said evidence, it will take time to sort it out in order to discern its usefulness and authenticity.”
“I see,” Kahlan said. “Very well put.”
“Also, the IT guy wants to be my boyfriend.”
“Is he cute?” Kahlan asked helpfully, as she sipped more of the coffee.
“A world of no,” she replied with a cringe. “Besides, I prefer creative-types.”
“Yeah, I totally empathize,” Kahlan said, punctuating the statement with a resigned sigh.
“Anyway, we are looking at about ten terabytes worth of files. A lot of it looks to be feeds from archived surveillance videos, the rest in random files. Most of them are encrypted but it should be fairly easy to crack them. I’ll be honest, it’ll take forever to sift through all of it.”
Kahlan thought for a moment. “Maybe it’s time for some teamwork.” She jotted down her address and handed it to Maxine. “Be at my place tomorrow morning. I’ll draft another volunteer.”
***
Having been tasked with the responsibly of preparing breakfast for the makeshift IT crew, Cara got up extra early and headed straight for the kitchen. She mixed, and whisked, and scrambled to her heart’s content. But before she could finish, the smell of pancakes and fresh coffee roused Kahlan from sound sleep.
“Morning, baby.” She released a gigantic yawn, stretched her arms over her head, and reached for the coffee. That’s when she noticed that Cara was wearing her new flannel pajamas -- sans the top. “Oh for pity’s sake.” She threw her arms up in frustration and shook her head. “Please put a shirt on.”
“I’ll change once I finish cooking.”
“What if you burn a nipple, or some other significant body part? Here, just wrap this around you.”
“A dish rag? That’s gross.”
“You know what, I’m going to go shower. You can do anything you want -- I’m sure Zedd will love your boobs.”
“Gross, gross, gross.” Cara made a series of faces and shuddered.
By the time Kahlan got out of the shower, Cara had breakfast on the table, and she had put on a t-shirt -- albeit not a bra. Seconds later the doorbell rang.
“Come in, please,” Kahlan said to Maxine.
“Nice to meet you, Kalinda.” That earned Cara an elbow to her ribcage courtesy of Kahlan.
“Pay no attention to her; she has no life so all she does is watch TV all day so she’s cast you in the roll of this Kalinda person.”
Maxine, however, didn’t register a single word of the exchange. She was too busy staring at Cara. Her lips were slightly parted and her eyes as wide as coins. “Give me a second,” she said, taking in a deep breath. “Sorry about that, I…it’s nothing. Good to meet you, too.” She stretched out her hand to shake Cara’s.
“You can plug in your laptop over here,” Kahlan said.
“Is she related to those women you had dinner with? Because Kalinda gave me the exact same look they did in the courthouse,” she said to Kahlan under her breath.
“No, of course not.”
Moments later the doorbell rang again. “I’ll get it,” Kahlan said, walking toward the door. “It must be Zedd.”
“Kahlan, child, good to see you.”
Kahlan and Cara glanced at each other for a moment. “What the hell are you wearing, old man?”
“Why, my robe, of course. Comfortable attire helps me be more productive. Besides, I’m not accustomed to these unusual hours.”
“Ten o’clock in the morning is an unusual hour?” Kahlan chimed in.
“Whatever, old man, but please tell me you’ve got your skivvies on. Otherwise you might traumatize the kid.”
Once Zedd caught a glimpse of the food table, all bets were off. For every time he clicked on the computer keyboard, he spent five minutes eating. Kahlan looked over at Cara and shrugged. He had been instrumental in removing the trigger in Cara’s head so all was forgiven. Zedd stuffed himself until he could barely move, while Maxine, Kahlan, and Cara transferred the data into various drives based on what type of files they were and sorted them by date.
“Okay, now that we’ve got the data sorted, the best way to work this is searching all the text files for specific keywords that could be relevant to the case. Stuff like ‘gun’, ‘kill’, etc.
“Kahlan, you’d be the most qualified to suggest relevant terms. List as many as you can manage. Once I get the files decrypted, we’ll run them through various sorting filters.”
Maxine decided to put on her headphones and listen to music while working on decrypting the files. She actually had what appeared to be an infinite amount of decryption software preloaded onto her laptop. “It’s just a question of finding the right one,” she told them.
After about five hours, she pumped her fist and said, “Bingo!”
Cara and Kahlan dropped what they were doing and rushed to her side. “Did you do it?” Kahlan asked, eyes dancing with excitement. Maxine nodded and plunked down on the sofa.
“High five, Kalinda,” Cara said raising her palm, which was quickly met by Maxine’s. “What’s next?”
“Well, I add Kahlan’s list of words into my computer and let it run. It’ll take a few hours since there’re so many files.”
Zedd, claiming he had an appointment with a lady friend, was the first to leave. “Well, I think we got a lot done,” Kahlan said, “even if Zedd did spend most of the day eating.”
Maxine, who had hardly taken her eyes off Cara the entire day, nodded in agreement. “We did,” she said. “And I have an idea as to how to go through the footage much faster.”
“What do you have in mind?” Kahlan asked.
“I’m working on a high speed facial recognition app with a professor at AU. It’s still in beta but I think it’ll help.”
“That sounds great,” Kahlan said, giving Maxine’s shoulder a squeeze. “Now, I want you to relax. You’re staying for dinner.” She then disappeared into the kitchen leaving Cara and Maxine sitting awkwardly on the sofa.
“So let’s get this out of the way,” Cara said, after several minutes without a word passing between them. “I’m not a crazed killer; you don’t have to watch me like a hawk.”
“Sorry, I’m just thinking,” she said. “Did you draw these?” she asked, picking up one of the sketches on the coffee table. Cara nodded in response -- fully aware of Maxine’s abrupt change of subject. “Wow, you’ve got mad skills. They’re amazing.”
“Cara’s life’s dream was to be an artist,” Kahlan said, as she ushered Cara and Maxine to the dinner table.
“I drew them to help with the memory loss. Funny, I hadn’t done anything remotely creative in years. I guess it stays with you forever.” Kahlan ran her hand down Cara’s arm and tucked a stray lock behind her ear. Maxine studied their interactions during dinner with interest.
“I should probably get going,” she said. “It was good to meet you. I really hope I can help you get out of this mess.”
“I hope so, too,” Cara said. “It was good to finally meet you.”
“I’ll walk you to your car,” Kahlan said to Maxine.
“So, you’re like totally in love with her,” Maxine said as soon as the elevator doors closed.
“Maxine!” Kahlan said, covering her face with her hands.
“What? Was I not supposed to say that? I mean it’s kind of sweet and, well, obvious.”
Kahlan shook her head with a sad smile on her face. “It’s complicated, and besides, I’m seeing someone else,” she said as Maxine got in her car. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Drive home safely.”
On the elevator ride back to the apartment, it occurred to Kahlan that everyone could probably tell that she was still hung up on Cara. But hearing Maxine just blurt it out like that felt as if there were flashing neon signs across the entire planet that said, Kahlan is still in love with Cara and she always will be. It annoyed her a little, but she saw no point in trying to deny it -- especially to herself. “Moving on,” she said, with as much resolve as she could muster -- which wasn’t very much at all.
“So what did you think of Maxine?” Kahlan asked Cara. They were in the kitchen doing the dishes in as domestic a scene as Kahlan had ever conceived of.
Cara pursed her lips and thought for a moment. “I can’t decide. I mean, she definitely seems to know what she’s doing but I can’t help but feel that something else is going on.”
“Say the word, and I’ll find someone else.”
Cara put away the last of the dishes and sat back on the sofa with her hands interlaced behind her head. “No, it’s not that I don’t trust her. This may sound weird but I feel like she cares, you know, a lot. But I don’t get why.”
“She lost her parents at a young age. And she did mention that had it not been for her grandmother, she could have ended up in a bad situation, too. Maybe it’s just empathy. She’s certainly very attuned to other people’s feelings.”
***
“Hey,” Maxine said to the person on the other end of the call. “I just left. It went well. I was a little freaked out when I first saw her, but I kept it together. Mm, what was she like…? To start with, she’s gorgeous, and she’s smart. You know, the type of person who notices things, who takes in details. There’s no way she suspected anything, though. The lawyer trusts me so it’s a nonissue. I know, I know. We just have to stick with the plan. But I’ll tell you one thing; she’s definitely not a murderer. Because I do this for a living, you dork, of course I’m sure. What else…she tries to hide it but at times she gets this sad look in her face, all melancholy like. It makes sense; she’s had a rough life but we can’t worry about that. Yeah, okay. Oh, oh and she’s crazy talented. I saw a couple of sketches she drew; I swear they pretty much belonged in a museum. Yep. Okay, I will. My battery’s dying. I’ll call you when I get home.”
Author: fortunata13
Pairing: Cara/Kahlan
Rating: R
Warnings: None
Word Count: 4433
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Most certainly, I do not own these characters.
Summary: This chapter involves topless consumption of pizza, IT nerdiness (not a real word, I don't think), a pretty dress, and a mysterious phone call.
A/N: Gratitude to statuepup as always.
With Kahlan still sound asleep, Cara had little to do other than stare out the window. She liked that Kahlan was sleeping in for a change rather than diving head first into the sea of notes and legal briefs that, once again, cluttered her desk. The thought of it made her smile; not because she approved of the mess -- she didn’t -- but because it was pure Kahlan. Even when they were children, Cara could never quite understand how her best friend got any of her schoolwork done. Every morning, she’d dutifully organized Kahlan’s book bag, and sorted all her assignments based on when they were due, yet by the end of the school day chaos, once again, reigned supreme. Cara would scratch her head wondering how such a thing was possible and then she’d busy herself restoring order.
There were so many memories that constantly came up, especially in this apartment --the place in which they’d made love for the first time. There was always a sense of urgency back then, a desperation of sorts brought about by Cara’s circumstance, and by their dogged determination to be together, no matter the consequences. Part of it was the intensity of first love, but it was also because all they had left was each other. Letting go had never been an option, not until Darken threatened Kahlan’s life. That was what finally broke Cara. She’d lived her entire life up until then for a single dream, and that dream was Kahlan. Nothing mattered after that, nothing at all.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Kahlan asked, pressing the front of her body to Cara’s back and resting her chin on her shoulder. Cara didn’t answer, she just leaned back and rested her weight on Kahlan’s body, still lost in those memories that for years she’d tried to bury. Without giving it a second thought, Kahlan encircled Cara’s waist and closed her eyes. It surprised her that for once Cara let her guard down, but rather than question it, she decided to enjoy it. Whatever was happening between them at that moment felt like peace -- and maybe even happiness.
Kahlan released a frustrated sigh the moment her phone rang, and she felt Cara pull away. The feeling, whatever it may have been, was short-lived. She picked up the phone and glanced at the caller ID. “I have to get this,” she said to Cara, “it’s Maxine; it could be important.”
Kahlan sat up as she took the call, listening intently to the latest news from the private investigator. “Okay,” she said, “please be careful.”
“What’s going on?” Cara asked.
“Maxine called to let me know she was meeting with a systems engineer -- Rahl’s former systems engineer.”
“That’s a good thing,” Cara said, “Unless she gets herself killed. If this IT guy worked for Darken, you can bet your bottom dollar that he’s a bad guy.”
“Never underestimate what a pretty teenage girl does to the brain of a nerd.”
“Good point,” Cara said, and walked into the bathroom.
“I’ll get breakfast started,” she called out to Cara.
***
In the meantime, Maxine found out that the IT guy’s idea of wooing was bragging about his tech skills, which included the nifty encryption algorithm he’d implemented for his former employer. “For your own safety, I’m not going to tell you the name of the guy I used to work for, but if I showed you a network diagram of his setup it would totally blow your mind.”
Maxine nodded and smiled. “I’m sure it would. The project I’m working on is going nowhere fast. I’m kind of stuck on finding a way to separate the voice and data network so that I can monitor the network traffic without compromising network security.”
He gave her a smug smile and leaned back on his chair. “Routing is key,” he said, “build separate tunnels, mask the IPs, and crisscross the traffic. Come up with a kick-ass encryption algorithm and you’re golden.”
Maxine rolled her eyes. “Easier said than done. I’m stuck on setting up the firewalls without slowing down the speed at which the data reaches the servers. And besides, I also have to contend with a surveillance system. Anyway, I should probably get going,” she said, and started to get up.
“Wait,” he said, and in a desperate attempt at keeping her there, he reached into his bag and pulled out an external drive, swiftly plugging it into his laptop. “I’ll show you the diagram for my old boss’s network.”
As soon as he pulled up the file, Maxine went into a coughing fit. “Are you okay?” he asked. “I’ll get you some water.”
By the time he got back with the water, she’d copied the entire contents of his drive. “Thunderbolt beats USB, dude,” she said under her breath with a sly smile on her face.
Within seconds, she sent Kahlan a message. DD bozz lady. Let’s hang 2morrow @10@AU.
***
“Cara,” Kahlan called out from the kitchen. “Maxine came through. I’m meeting her at Aydindril U tomorrow morning.”
Cara ran out of the bathroom dripping wet -- and completely naked. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
She furrowed her brow and gestured with her hands before finally saying something. “You, you’re, you’re naked.” She tried to look at anything that wasn’t Cara but her eyeballs weren’t having it.
Cara’s hands went to her hips. “You bellowed like a crazy person. I thought something happened.”
Kahlan sighed. “I didn’t bellow, I just called out to you.”
“No, you definitely bellowed.”
“I--did--not--bellow,” she said at length.
“Fine, whatever you say. Why did you ‘call out to me’?” she asked -- complete with air quotes.
Kahlan wrinkled her nose and thought for a moment. “I…I forget.”
“Seriously?” Cara tipped her head, put her hands on hips, and waited, all the while tapping her foot on the floor.
“Wait,” Kahlan said, “it’ll come to me. It’s hard to think when you’re standing there like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like that.” She waved her hands several times.
“Fine, is this better?” Cara asked as she plunked down on the sofa -- in a less than ladylike position.
Kahlan’s palm went to her forehead. “Why would that be any better?”
“I don’t know. You told me to sit down.”
“I did not.”
“Well, you told me not to stand so I sat down -- unless you expected me to levitate. Sorry but I haven’t gotten to that part of the Yoga Sutras yet.”
“Oh, for Spirits’ sake. Do I have to spell it out for you? Y-o-u a-r-e n-a-k-e-d.”
“I don’t usually shower with my clothes on.”
Kahlan lifted both her palms. “Cara, please, for the sake of my mental health, cover up.” Cara shrugged, got off the sofa, and sashayed into her bedroom with a big grin on her face. She’d always counted making Kahlan squirm as one of life’s greatest pleasures. Kahlan stared at Cara’s swaying, naked hips as she walked into the bedroom. She had no doubt that Cara would be the death of her. “That ass is a masterpiece,” she mumbled, shaking her head.
By the time Cara was dressed -- if panties and a t-shirt qualified as being dressed -- Kahlan recalled her conversation with Maxine and shared the news with Cara. “I’m meeting her at AU tomorrow at ten,” she said as she looked through some papers. “This could be the break we’ve been hoping for.”
An email from the clerk she was friendly with quickly changed the mood. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Kahlan said, throwing her arms up in frustration. Dennee Amnell had been added to the prosecution’s witness list, and what’s more, she’d filed a civil lawsuit against Cara for the wrongful death of her unborn son.
“She hates me,” Cara said with a shrug.
“If war is what my little sister wants, war is what she’ll get. This sick vendetta has to end -- for all our sakes.” Cara didn’t say a word. She’d seen that look on Kahlan’s face several times over the years. All she could do could was stay out of her way. By the end of the day, Kahlan had subpoenaed Dennee’s medical records, filed a countersuit for defamation, requested the police files associated with the accident, and scheduled an interview with the police officer on the scene. Kahlan meant business; there was no doubt about it.
Kahlan reasoned that cross-examining Dennee was either going to help her sister accept the truth of what happened, or sever their relationship permanently; she was willing to accept either outcome. This was about Cara’s life, not about her sister’s irrational hatred toward her. But for Kahlan it was also about something else. It was about the Masons, who took them in when their own father all but abandoned them; it was about Grace who looked after baby Dennee as if she were her own sister; and most of all it was about Abigail Amnell, who, on the day she was diagnosed with a terminal illness, turned to the Masons and asked them to look after her girls. “For as long as I’m breathing,” Mr. Mason said, “I’ll love and protect your girls as I do my own.” Mrs. Mason wrapped her arms around Abigail and held her there for a long time.
Kahlan was only five years old and she didn’t really understand what it all meant but she did know that her mommy had been very tired lately, and that she was thinner than usual, and that the light in her eyes was gone. Sometimes, when she thought Kahlan wasn’t looking, she’d quietly sob into her pillow. Dennee was too young to remember any of it, but Kahlan remembered all of it; she’d watched the life force slowly leave her mother’s body. On the day of her funeral, she and Cara held hands while Mrs. Mason walked behind them with baby Dennee on her hip. Mr. Mason, who served as a pallbearer, held his head high as a tidal wave of tears left his eyes. The Masons were family, as far as Kahlan was concerned; Dennee had chosen to turn her back on family.
“I’m going for a drive,” Kahlan said. “I need to clear my head. I might do a bit of shopping as well.”
“Pick up a gallon of Cherry Garcia.”
Kahlan turned around and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you,” she said, “that request is the only thing that’s made me smile today.”
“Props to Ben & Jerry,” Cara said with a shrug.
Kahlan came back a few hours later carrying at least a half dozen bags. “Retail therapy,” she said with a shrug when she noticed the look Cara was giving her. She reached into one of the bags and tossed Cara the ice cream. She then laid out the various items of clothing she’d purchased -- a couple of which were for Cara.
“Pajamas and a robe,” she said, holding the items up for Cara’s inspection. “I got them for you.”
Cara wrinkled her nose and scratched her head. “What, no granny panties?”
“There’s something to be said for modesty. I also got you another court outfit.”
“What’s in those three over there?” Cara asked, eyeing a big box with the initials CH on it, and two smaller ones.
“A dress in the big one, shoes in that one, and personal items in the small one.”
Cara pursed her lips and nodded. “So basically, you’ll be rocking a Carolina Herrera dress, $300 shoes, and sexy lingerie while I chill in flannel pajamas.”
“I have a function to attend in a few days[ This may turn into tomorrow.],” Kahlan said in what sounded every bit like an apology.
“A function,” Cara echoed, nodding her head. “Would this function happen to involve you partying in a room full of narcs -- one who happens to have your number on speed dial?” Kahlan narrowed her eyes and glared at her, but didn’t say anything. “Here,” Cara said, “why don’t we hang out on the sofa with one of your yellow legal pads and write a list of all the ways in which it sucks to be me.” She then lay back and covered her face with a cushion. “I’ll model my pajamas for you, if you’d like.”
Kahlan rolled her eyes, and disappeared behind the bathroom door. Having put together an outfit for her date with Sabrina was a relief, but it also filled her with dread and guilt and no small amount of confusion. She’d built this date up in her mind as some monumental event that was going to magically make her get over Cara, fall madly in love with Sabrina, and erase all the heartaches of the past. From her perspective, it would either be the best night of her life, or irrefutable proof that she was destined to spend the rest of her life alone. “When did I become such a drama queen?” she asked herself aloud, before dunking her head under the mess of bubbles in her tub.
Cara knocked on the door. “You’re going to turn into a gigantic raisin if you don’t get out of the tub. Besides, dinner is ready.”
“Good, I’m starving.”
***
Kahlan looked down at her plate then up at Cara. “That thing is dinner?”
“It complements my new flannel pajamas.” She got off her chair, and spun around a couple of times before sitting down again.
“What is it exactly?” Kahlan asked.
“Spam. Us flannel-types eat it all the time.”
Kahlan grimaced and sighed, then raised the fork to her nose. “Are you sure it’s meant for human consumption? I dated a girl with a dog once. I’m fairly certain that’s what its food looked like.”
Cara crossed her arms and waited for Kahlan to take a bite. After steeling her resolve for almost a minute, she brought the fork to her lips, and twice, she opened her mouth but could not bring herself to actually put it in her mouth. “Fine,” she said, putting down her fork, “be as naked as you’d like. Here, I’ll help you.” She walked around the table and unbuttoned Cara’s pajama top. “Flaunt your naked glory. Just don’t make me eat dog food.” With that, she picked up her phone and ordered pizza.
When the pizza arrived, they curled up on the sofa watching TV while they ate. “This is my first ever pornographic pizza experience -- and by the look on his face, the delivery guy’s, too,” she said to a topless Cara, who shrugged in response. Truth be told, she loved the feel of Cara’s bare skin pressed to hers; and the way Cara fit so perfectly in her arms made her want to stay like that forever. Just as she was losing herself in those thoughts, she abruptly got up. “I have to take care of something.”
She walked into her bedroom, closed the door, and reread her list of all the things she appreciated about Sabrina, but as hard as she tried, none of those things felt as good as holding Cara in her arms. “It’s okay,” she said to Ragadee who was on the bed, “I’ll just have to make a longer list tomorrow.”
“What did I miss?” she asked, as she curled back into Cara’s naked torso.
“Three commercials and a PSA.” Cara pressed her nose to Kahlan’s hair. “You smell good.” That earned her a smile and a series of kisses on her neck. Cara closed her eyes and enjoyed the attention. Kahlan sighed and rested her head on Cara’s lap. She was never going to get over Cara and maybe she didn’t even want to get over her, but she would definitely try again tomorrow.
***
“Hey, boss lady, how’s it going?” The young PI had arrived at 10:00AM sharp with a cup of coffee that she promptly handed to Kahlan.
“I don’t know, you tell me,” she said after taking a sip of the coffee. “Thank you.”
Maxine started to whip out her laptop and her external hard drive, but Kahlan’s raised palm stopped it. “Rules of evidence,” Kahlan said.
“Right,” Maxine said. “I’ve received a good amount of potential evidence from an anonymous source. Due to the quantity and state of said evidence, it will take time to sort it out in order to discern its usefulness and authenticity.”
“I see,” Kahlan said. “Very well put.”
“Also, the IT guy wants to be my boyfriend.”
“Is he cute?” Kahlan asked helpfully, as she sipped more of the coffee.
“A world of no,” she replied with a cringe. “Besides, I prefer creative-types.”
“Yeah, I totally empathize,” Kahlan said, punctuating the statement with a resigned sigh.
“Anyway, we are looking at about ten terabytes worth of files. A lot of it looks to be feeds from archived surveillance videos, the rest in random files. Most of them are encrypted but it should be fairly easy to crack them. I’ll be honest, it’ll take forever to sift through all of it.”
Kahlan thought for a moment. “Maybe it’s time for some teamwork.” She jotted down her address and handed it to Maxine. “Be at my place tomorrow morning. I’ll draft another volunteer.”
***
Having been tasked with the responsibly of preparing breakfast for the makeshift IT crew, Cara got up extra early and headed straight for the kitchen. She mixed, and whisked, and scrambled to her heart’s content. But before she could finish, the smell of pancakes and fresh coffee roused Kahlan from sound sleep.
“Morning, baby.” She released a gigantic yawn, stretched her arms over her head, and reached for the coffee. That’s when she noticed that Cara was wearing her new flannel pajamas -- sans the top. “Oh for pity’s sake.” She threw her arms up in frustration and shook her head. “Please put a shirt on.”
“I’ll change once I finish cooking.”
“What if you burn a nipple, or some other significant body part? Here, just wrap this around you.”
“A dish rag? That’s gross.”
“You know what, I’m going to go shower. You can do anything you want -- I’m sure Zedd will love your boobs.”
“Gross, gross, gross.” Cara made a series of faces and shuddered.
By the time Kahlan got out of the shower, Cara had breakfast on the table, and she had put on a t-shirt -- albeit not a bra. Seconds later the doorbell rang.
“Come in, please,” Kahlan said to Maxine.
“Nice to meet you, Kalinda.” That earned Cara an elbow to her ribcage courtesy of Kahlan.
“Pay no attention to her; she has no life so all she does is watch TV all day so she’s cast you in the roll of this Kalinda person.”
Maxine, however, didn’t register a single word of the exchange. She was too busy staring at Cara. Her lips were slightly parted and her eyes as wide as coins. “Give me a second,” she said, taking in a deep breath. “Sorry about that, I…it’s nothing. Good to meet you, too.” She stretched out her hand to shake Cara’s.
“You can plug in your laptop over here,” Kahlan said.
“Is she related to those women you had dinner with? Because Kalinda gave me the exact same look they did in the courthouse,” she said to Kahlan under her breath.
“No, of course not.”
Moments later the doorbell rang again. “I’ll get it,” Kahlan said, walking toward the door. “It must be Zedd.”
“Kahlan, child, good to see you.”
Kahlan and Cara glanced at each other for a moment. “What the hell are you wearing, old man?”
“Why, my robe, of course. Comfortable attire helps me be more productive. Besides, I’m not accustomed to these unusual hours.”
“Ten o’clock in the morning is an unusual hour?” Kahlan chimed in.
“Whatever, old man, but please tell me you’ve got your skivvies on. Otherwise you might traumatize the kid.”
Once Zedd caught a glimpse of the food table, all bets were off. For every time he clicked on the computer keyboard, he spent five minutes eating. Kahlan looked over at Cara and shrugged. He had been instrumental in removing the trigger in Cara’s head so all was forgiven. Zedd stuffed himself until he could barely move, while Maxine, Kahlan, and Cara transferred the data into various drives based on what type of files they were and sorted them by date.
“Okay, now that we’ve got the data sorted, the best way to work this is searching all the text files for specific keywords that could be relevant to the case. Stuff like ‘gun’, ‘kill’, etc.
“Kahlan, you’d be the most qualified to suggest relevant terms. List as many as you can manage. Once I get the files decrypted, we’ll run them through various sorting filters.”
Maxine decided to put on her headphones and listen to music while working on decrypting the files. She actually had what appeared to be an infinite amount of decryption software preloaded onto her laptop. “It’s just a question of finding the right one,” she told them.
After about five hours, she pumped her fist and said, “Bingo!”
Cara and Kahlan dropped what they were doing and rushed to her side. “Did you do it?” Kahlan asked, eyes dancing with excitement. Maxine nodded and plunked down on the sofa.
“High five, Kalinda,” Cara said raising her palm, which was quickly met by Maxine’s. “What’s next?”
“Well, I add Kahlan’s list of words into my computer and let it run. It’ll take a few hours since there’re so many files.”
Zedd, claiming he had an appointment with a lady friend, was the first to leave. “Well, I think we got a lot done,” Kahlan said, “even if Zedd did spend most of the day eating.”
Maxine, who had hardly taken her eyes off Cara the entire day, nodded in agreement. “We did,” she said. “And I have an idea as to how to go through the footage much faster.”
“What do you have in mind?” Kahlan asked.
“I’m working on a high speed facial recognition app with a professor at AU. It’s still in beta but I think it’ll help.”
“That sounds great,” Kahlan said, giving Maxine’s shoulder a squeeze. “Now, I want you to relax. You’re staying for dinner.” She then disappeared into the kitchen leaving Cara and Maxine sitting awkwardly on the sofa.
“So let’s get this out of the way,” Cara said, after several minutes without a word passing between them. “I’m not a crazed killer; you don’t have to watch me like a hawk.”
“Sorry, I’m just thinking,” she said. “Did you draw these?” she asked, picking up one of the sketches on the coffee table. Cara nodded in response -- fully aware of Maxine’s abrupt change of subject. “Wow, you’ve got mad skills. They’re amazing.”
“Cara’s life’s dream was to be an artist,” Kahlan said, as she ushered Cara and Maxine to the dinner table.
“I drew them to help with the memory loss. Funny, I hadn’t done anything remotely creative in years. I guess it stays with you forever.” Kahlan ran her hand down Cara’s arm and tucked a stray lock behind her ear. Maxine studied their interactions during dinner with interest.
“I should probably get going,” she said. “It was good to meet you. I really hope I can help you get out of this mess.”
“I hope so, too,” Cara said. “It was good to finally meet you.”
“I’ll walk you to your car,” Kahlan said to Maxine.
“So, you’re like totally in love with her,” Maxine said as soon as the elevator doors closed.
“Maxine!” Kahlan said, covering her face with her hands.
“What? Was I not supposed to say that? I mean it’s kind of sweet and, well, obvious.”
Kahlan shook her head with a sad smile on her face. “It’s complicated, and besides, I’m seeing someone else,” she said as Maxine got in her car. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Drive home safely.”
On the elevator ride back to the apartment, it occurred to Kahlan that everyone could probably tell that she was still hung up on Cara. But hearing Maxine just blurt it out like that felt as if there were flashing neon signs across the entire planet that said, Kahlan is still in love with Cara and she always will be. It annoyed her a little, but she saw no point in trying to deny it -- especially to herself. “Moving on,” she said, with as much resolve as she could muster -- which wasn’t very much at all.
“So what did you think of Maxine?” Kahlan asked Cara. They were in the kitchen doing the dishes in as domestic a scene as Kahlan had ever conceived of.
Cara pursed her lips and thought for a moment. “I can’t decide. I mean, she definitely seems to know what she’s doing but I can’t help but feel that something else is going on.”
“Say the word, and I’ll find someone else.”
Cara put away the last of the dishes and sat back on the sofa with her hands interlaced behind her head. “No, it’s not that I don’t trust her. This may sound weird but I feel like she cares, you know, a lot. But I don’t get why.”
“She lost her parents at a young age. And she did mention that had it not been for her grandmother, she could have ended up in a bad situation, too. Maybe it’s just empathy. She’s certainly very attuned to other people’s feelings.”
***
“Hey,” Maxine said to the person on the other end of the call. “I just left. It went well. I was a little freaked out when I first saw her, but I kept it together. Mm, what was she like…? To start with, she’s gorgeous, and she’s smart. You know, the type of person who notices things, who takes in details. There’s no way she suspected anything, though. The lawyer trusts me so it’s a nonissue. I know, I know. We just have to stick with the plan. But I’ll tell you one thing; she’s definitely not a murderer. Because I do this for a living, you dork, of course I’m sure. What else…she tries to hide it but at times she gets this sad look in her face, all melancholy like. It makes sense; she’s had a rough life but we can’t worry about that. Yeah, okay. Oh, oh and she’s crazy talented. I saw a couple of sketches she drew; I swear they pretty much belonged in a museum. Yep. Okay, I will. My battery’s dying. I’ll call you when I get home.”