Cataclysm (Tsukino Akume, Drama/Friendship)
I's somewhat on a roll! -Pokes at CassieMuse- I have no idea where to go from this point, but for the moment, there's more!
Title/: Cataclysm
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Relationship/: Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, mentions of Cassie/Phantom
Rating/: K+
Warnings/: emotional trauma, mentally disturbed people, depression
Disclaimer/: If I owned the Power Rangers, this universe would exist. We would have known who the Phantom Ranger was - and it *would* have been a girl because I'm weird like that - and team snuggles would be mandatory every episode. As none of that is cannon, it's safe to assume that I don't.
Summary/: When Astronema was defeated, the Astro Rangers gave up more than their Powers. Reporters, fans, and long-lost relatives are coming out of the woodwork as the team struggles to adjust to it all. Bright Skies Universe.
Theme/: #10."Who knew?"
Author's Notes/: At some point, the plot to this will actually surface again, I swear. -Eyes Cassie- In the meantime, I give you lots of CassieAngst.
More love to rosabelle for beta! ♥
It was morning, but she didn't care. She was warm, tired, and generally wrung out, and she decided she wasn't moving. Moving meant getting up. Moving meant facing the world, and dealing with everything that had happened last night.
She wasn't moving for anything less than a Ranger emergency. And it better be dire or someone was going to be in a lot of pain.
A hand touched her head, gently brushing her hair back from her face. "I know you're awake."
The voice, combined with the touch and familiar words, made her eyes sting. "M'not," she mumbled into her pillow.
"Are," the voice teased back, and she felt a pair of lips press against her forehead. "Time to get up, Angel Face."
She wrinkled her nose at the old nickname, at last cracking open an eye. "I hate that name," she informed her mother irritably.
"But it always gets you up," Amy mocked with a grin.
She rolled over with a groan, burying her face in the pillow. "I don't wanna get up. I'm tired."
Hands ghosted over her sides, tugging lightly on her blankets. "I'm not asking if you want to. I'm telling you it's time to get moving."
She closed her eyes, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat.
The hands paused. "Cassandra? Talk to me, Angel."
"I don't want this to be a dream," she whispered into the pillow, her voice choked. "But I don't want it to be real, either."
There was a soft sigh as the bed shifted, and she felt a body press against her side. One arm wrapped around her back, while the other reached up to stroke her hair again. "We can't fix it if you don't talk to me." Amy paused. "Is this like with Mitch?" she asked carefully, and the arm around her tightened slightly.
Her head shot up in indignation, and she glared tearfully at her mother. "No! Of course not! I love Sammy, but I do *not* want another one of Dad's abstinence lectures!"
Amy didn't say anything, but Cassie could see some of the tension fading from her shoulders. "Then what is it?" she pressed. "What was so bad you couldn't even talk to us about it?"
Cassie stiffened, looking away. "I ... Do we have to do this now?" she managed finally.
Do we have to do this *ever*?
Amy studied her for a moment, at last letting out a sigh and nodding slowly. "You don't have to tell me right now," she said finally. "But I need you to at least be honest with me. Was it us? If you want another family - "
"*No*!" Cassie cut in, horrified. She threw her arms around her mom, clinging tightly. "Don't - don't send me back, Mom, *please* - "
"Cassandra," Amy soothed, rubbing her back. "Calm down."
"I'm sorry," she choked. "I'm so, so sorry. Please don't. I'll - I can - " She floundered, trying desperately to think of something she could do to keep her parents from putting her back into the system.
"Cassandra, stop," Amy interrupted firmly. She pulled away, grabbing Cassie's chin and forcing her to look up. "Angel, I love you. You know that. But if you're not happy I need to know."
"That wasn't why!" Cassie burst out. She blinked harshly. "This is all so messed up," she muttered finally, reaching up to rub a hand over her face.
Amy's hand came up to rub her back. "So it wasn't because you weren't happy with us?"
Cassie shook her head. "I love you," she whispered, tears pricking her eyes. "I love you all so much, and ... I missed you."
The hand moved up to her shoulders, pulling her into a one-armed hug as her mother kissed her temple. "We missed you too, Angel," Amy murmured. She turned, tilting Cassie's face up, and brushing the tears in her eyes away with her thumbs. "You're my precious Angel Face, and I love you so much."
"Mom ... " she groaned, half-laughing, half sobbing. She leaned forward, letting their foreheads rest against each other. Her eyes closed, and she took a moment to breathe in the flowery scent of her mother's shampoo.
A soft knock on the door broke the quiet, and Cassie's head snapped up as she tensed instinctively. "Come in," she called warily.
Ashley poked her head in. "Morning," she offered tentatively. "Breakfast is ready, if you want to join us."
"Sure," Cassie answered automatically, moving to stand and stretch. "Are the others coming?"
Ashley seemed startled, but she nodded slowly. "I can invite them. I wasn't sure ... "
Cassie stepped forward to take her hands, frowning. "Ash, my mom being here doesn't change anything. You know that, right?"
Ashley looked at her blankly. "I'd better go call the guys," she said eventually, pulling away and closing the door behind her.
Cassie stared after her, stung.
****
Breakfast was painfully awkward. Melanie had made a large meal for them all, and she had Kevin had joined them, but Devon, Tabitha, and Nikki had gone 'out' for the morning she was told. Melanie and Amy made strained conversation while the Rangers passed around plates in silence. Cassie picked at her food, unable to meet anyone's eyes.
This is all so wrong, she thought dully. It was never supposed to be like this.
A hand poked her side, startling her into looking up. She met Zhane's eyes as he frowned at her. "You need to eat more."
The familiar words made her smile weakly. Had it only been a few days ago when he last said that? T.J. and Zhane were always picking at her for not eating as much as she should. "Sorry," she said softly, unable to think of anything else to say.
"We'll make it okay."
She looked up again, blinking, and Zhane gave her a winning smile. "I'm still willing to do assassinations."
She started to giggle; she couldn't help it. She leaned her head against his, wrapping an arm around his neck. "You're the best, Zhane," she murmured.
He gave her a hug before tilting his head a little so she could see his brown eyes peering into hers. "So ... does that mean you'll tell us what's going on? 'Cause I don't get it."
She sighed, and his arm tightened. "It's ... hard to explain," she told him quietly, speaking just loudly enough for the rest of the table to hear. "I'm not sure where to start."
"Why you lied to us would be nice," T.J. spoke up, and while his eyes were narrowed, his voice was calm.
She frowned, sitting up. "I didn't lie," she said sharply. "I *do* have relatives in Stone Canyon, and that's where I was going until ... well, everything."
"Stone ... ?" Amy paused, realization dawning. She frowned slightly. “You were going to Christian and Kelly?”
Cassie shrugged. “I didn’t know where I was going at first,” she admitted. “When I left, I wasn’t thinking straight. I don’t even remember why I called Chris now. I think it was because I was supposed to call him days ago, and I hadn’t yet. But when I did, he made me tell him where I was and ... “ She sighed, reaching up to brush her hair out of her face. “He told me to come to them. Bought me the bus ticket and everything.” She glanced at T.J. “When I called and told him I couldn’t make it, he wanted to know where I was now, and I just told him I really liked Angel Grove. So he and Kelly paid for an apartment, and got me into school - “
“I can’t believe I didn’t guess that,” Amy muttered, looking annoyed with herself. “If anyone would have had the connections, it would have been Christian.”
“ ... Who’s Christian?” Ashley asked hesitantly.
Cassie smiled a little, feeling sad. “Christian and Kelly used to be in a home with me when I was little. We were living with this really strict family. When Chris and Kelly started liking each other as more than brother and sister, the family flipped and threw us all out. It wasn’t their fault, but Chris always blamed himself for me losing a home.” She glanced at her mom. “He didn’t believe it was the best thing that could have happened to me.”
“ ... Home?” Karone repeated slowly, puzzled.
“Foster care home,” Cassie told her, fists clenching under the table. “The foster care system puts kids without families into new homes for them to grow up in. Sometimes they work out ... “ She shrugged. “Sometimes they don’t.”
Andros looked troubled. “You’re an orphan?”
She shrugged again. “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I’ve been in foster care for as long as I can remember.”
“So you don’t know who your parents are?” Zhane asked with a frown.
She shook her head. “I’ve never wanted to know. I don’t need them. I already have a family.”
“If you already had a family, why did you leave them?” Carlos asked sharply, glaring at her.
“That’s - “
“It’s okay, Mom,” she cut in gently. The look stung, but she knew that for Carlos, *nothing* was more important than family. She sighed, looking down at her lap. “I thought I had to leave,” she said quietly. “And I thought it was better that I left on my own than ... “ She blinked, eyes burning briefly, and forced herself to look up again. “So I went to my relatives in Stone Canyon, and then I stayed here because ... I have family here now, too.”
She could see Ashley and Zhane softening at the admission. Karone looked confused, but then she hadn’t been with them for long enough yet. Andros was probably confused too, but more because like Carlos, family was the most important thing in the world to him, and he couldn’t imagine leaving them voluntarily. T.J. seemed unhappy, but not as angry now.
Carlos was still staring at her. “Who knew?” he asked finally.
She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “Christian and Kelly knew I was leaving, but not why. I’ve never told anyone in Angel Grove anything. Even Dimitria never knew.”
That seemed to placate him a little. “So it wasn’t just us?”
“If I was going to tell anyone, it would have been the team,” she told him honestly. She sighed, shrugging a little. “I just wasn’t ready to tell anyone. Even after I started to regret leaving, I couldn’t go back. It wasn’t safe.”
That got a grim nod, and Ashley glanced at her parents, biting her lip. They all knew what happened when there was someone for the enemy to use against you.
“Not ... safe?” Amy asked slowly.
Everyone at the table turned to stare at her. “You *did* know Cassie’s a Power Ranger ... right?” Ashley asked warily.
Amy’s eyes widened. “Are you - you mean it’s *true*? I thought that was - ” She looked at Cassie, eyes sweeping over her. “You ... “
Cassie gave her a weak, uncertain smile and flicked her wrist, summoning her morpher. “I’ve been a Ranger since the beginning of October last year. I was the Pink Turbo Ranger, now we’re the Astro Rangers.”
Please don’t hate me, she begged silently. Please, *please* don’t hate me.
The next thing she knew, she was being squished into her mother’s shoulder. “I’m going to murder you,” Amy muttered in her ear. “And then I’m going to let your father murder you. And then I’m feeding you to your brothers.”
Cassie blinked. “You’re ... not mad?” she asked tentatively.
“Mad? I’m furious!” Amy pulled back enough to glare at her. “My daughter’s been putting her life on the line for a *year* and I didn’t even know! I’ve seen the news reports. You could have - “ Her breath caught suddenly, and Cassie was yanked close again. “You’re grounded. You’re grounded until you’re fifty. And then you’re on probation for another forty.”
Cassie blinked slowly. A reluctant smile began to spread across her face. “Can I get out early for good behavior?”
“No.”
There was a pause, and for a moment she was sure she heard Ashley giggling. Then her mother pulled back again, giving her an odd look. “Did she just call you Cassie?”
Cassie bit her lip. “Yeah ... I’ve been going by Cassie Chan.”
Amy stared at her. “You *hate* Cassie. The last time your brother called you that, you stuffed tuna down his pants and locked him in the pantry.”
She ducked her head, trying to hide her grin. She could still remember how high Tony’s voice had gotten. “I got used to it?” she offered.
“So ... your name *isn’t* Cassie Chan?” Zhane asked, sounding confused.
She shook her head. “It’s actually Cassandra Reynolds. I never let anyone call me Cassie before T.J.”
“Should I feel honored?” T.J. wondered, giving her a wry look.
“Considering you’re still breathing, yes,” Amy Amy told him, but she smiled when she said it. “The worst fights Cassandra and Tony ever got into were over him trying to call her Cassie. There was usually blood by the time they were separated.”
“Who’s Tony?” Ashley asked curiously.
“One of my brothers,” Cassie answered. “I have two older brothers, a younger sister, and a nephew.” She paused, and groaned softly. “Tony’s never going to speak to me again.”
“Possibly,” Amy agreed, reaching out to run a hand over her hair. “Sammy, on the other hand, you may have to pry off with a crowbar. He’s missed you like crazy.”
She smiled sadly. “How big is he now?”
“Small enough to carry, but not for much longer,” Amy told her with a understanding look, dropping the hand to squeeze her shoulder. “You can barely see his eyes anymore under all that hair, but Mitch won’t let me cut it.”
The thought made her smile widen. She’d always loved her brother with long hair. She wouldn’t have wanted him to cut Sammy’s, either.
“You can use our phone if you’d like,” Melanie offered. She smiled gently when Cassie looked up in surprise.
Cassie bit her lip again anxiously. She glanced at her mom. “I’m not sure I’m ready,” she admitted softly.
Of all people, it was Andros who brought the phone to her. His expression was solemn when she looked up at him. “You never know how long you have,” he said quietly. “Don’t do something you’ll regret.” His eyes flickered to Karone.
Cassie swallowed hard. After a moment, she dialed the number she still remembered with trembling fingers. By the time she raised the receiver to her ear, she was shaking. She felt Zhane’s hand on her shoulder, and she reached up to grip it tightly.
“Reynolds Residence,” a familiar voice answered.
Tears welled in her eyes. “ ... Dad?”
Title/: Cataclysm
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Relationship/: Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, mentions of Cassie/Phantom
Rating/: K+
Warnings/: emotional trauma, mentally disturbed people, depression
Disclaimer/: If I owned the Power Rangers, this universe would exist. We would have known who the Phantom Ranger was - and it *would* have been a girl because I'm weird like that - and team snuggles would be mandatory every episode. As none of that is cannon, it's safe to assume that I don't.
Summary/: When Astronema was defeated, the Astro Rangers gave up more than their Powers. Reporters, fans, and long-lost relatives are coming out of the woodwork as the team struggles to adjust to it all. Bright Skies Universe.
Theme/: #10."Who knew?"
Author's Notes/: At some point, the plot to this will actually surface again, I swear. -Eyes Cassie- In the meantime, I give you lots of CassieAngst.
More love to rosabelle for beta! ♥
It was morning, but she didn't care. She was warm, tired, and generally wrung out, and she decided she wasn't moving. Moving meant getting up. Moving meant facing the world, and dealing with everything that had happened last night.
She wasn't moving for anything less than a Ranger emergency. And it better be dire or someone was going to be in a lot of pain.
A hand touched her head, gently brushing her hair back from her face. "I know you're awake."
The voice, combined with the touch and familiar words, made her eyes sting. "M'not," she mumbled into her pillow.
"Are," the voice teased back, and she felt a pair of lips press against her forehead. "Time to get up, Angel Face."
She wrinkled her nose at the old nickname, at last cracking open an eye. "I hate that name," she informed her mother irritably.
"But it always gets you up," Amy mocked with a grin.
She rolled over with a groan, burying her face in the pillow. "I don't wanna get up. I'm tired."
Hands ghosted over her sides, tugging lightly on her blankets. "I'm not asking if you want to. I'm telling you it's time to get moving."
She closed her eyes, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat.
The hands paused. "Cassandra? Talk to me, Angel."
"I don't want this to be a dream," she whispered into the pillow, her voice choked. "But I don't want it to be real, either."
There was a soft sigh as the bed shifted, and she felt a body press against her side. One arm wrapped around her back, while the other reached up to stroke her hair again. "We can't fix it if you don't talk to me." Amy paused. "Is this like with Mitch?" she asked carefully, and the arm around her tightened slightly.
Her head shot up in indignation, and she glared tearfully at her mother. "No! Of course not! I love Sammy, but I do *not* want another one of Dad's abstinence lectures!"
Amy didn't say anything, but Cassie could see some of the tension fading from her shoulders. "Then what is it?" she pressed. "What was so bad you couldn't even talk to us about it?"
Cassie stiffened, looking away. "I ... Do we have to do this now?" she managed finally.
Do we have to do this *ever*?
Amy studied her for a moment, at last letting out a sigh and nodding slowly. "You don't have to tell me right now," she said finally. "But I need you to at least be honest with me. Was it us? If you want another family - "
"*No*!" Cassie cut in, horrified. She threw her arms around her mom, clinging tightly. "Don't - don't send me back, Mom, *please* - "
"Cassandra," Amy soothed, rubbing her back. "Calm down."
"I'm sorry," she choked. "I'm so, so sorry. Please don't. I'll - I can - " She floundered, trying desperately to think of something she could do to keep her parents from putting her back into the system.
"Cassandra, stop," Amy interrupted firmly. She pulled away, grabbing Cassie's chin and forcing her to look up. "Angel, I love you. You know that. But if you're not happy I need to know."
"That wasn't why!" Cassie burst out. She blinked harshly. "This is all so messed up," she muttered finally, reaching up to rub a hand over her face.
Amy's hand came up to rub her back. "So it wasn't because you weren't happy with us?"
Cassie shook her head. "I love you," she whispered, tears pricking her eyes. "I love you all so much, and ... I missed you."
The hand moved up to her shoulders, pulling her into a one-armed hug as her mother kissed her temple. "We missed you too, Angel," Amy murmured. She turned, tilting Cassie's face up, and brushing the tears in her eyes away with her thumbs. "You're my precious Angel Face, and I love you so much."
"Mom ... " she groaned, half-laughing, half sobbing. She leaned forward, letting their foreheads rest against each other. Her eyes closed, and she took a moment to breathe in the flowery scent of her mother's shampoo.
A soft knock on the door broke the quiet, and Cassie's head snapped up as she tensed instinctively. "Come in," she called warily.
Ashley poked her head in. "Morning," she offered tentatively. "Breakfast is ready, if you want to join us."
"Sure," Cassie answered automatically, moving to stand and stretch. "Are the others coming?"
Ashley seemed startled, but she nodded slowly. "I can invite them. I wasn't sure ... "
Cassie stepped forward to take her hands, frowning. "Ash, my mom being here doesn't change anything. You know that, right?"
Ashley looked at her blankly. "I'd better go call the guys," she said eventually, pulling away and closing the door behind her.
Cassie stared after her, stung.
****
Breakfast was painfully awkward. Melanie had made a large meal for them all, and she had Kevin had joined them, but Devon, Tabitha, and Nikki had gone 'out' for the morning she was told. Melanie and Amy made strained conversation while the Rangers passed around plates in silence. Cassie picked at her food, unable to meet anyone's eyes.
This is all so wrong, she thought dully. It was never supposed to be like this.
A hand poked her side, startling her into looking up. She met Zhane's eyes as he frowned at her. "You need to eat more."
The familiar words made her smile weakly. Had it only been a few days ago when he last said that? T.J. and Zhane were always picking at her for not eating as much as she should. "Sorry," she said softly, unable to think of anything else to say.
"We'll make it okay."
She looked up again, blinking, and Zhane gave her a winning smile. "I'm still willing to do assassinations."
She started to giggle; she couldn't help it. She leaned her head against his, wrapping an arm around his neck. "You're the best, Zhane," she murmured.
He gave her a hug before tilting his head a little so she could see his brown eyes peering into hers. "So ... does that mean you'll tell us what's going on? 'Cause I don't get it."
She sighed, and his arm tightened. "It's ... hard to explain," she told him quietly, speaking just loudly enough for the rest of the table to hear. "I'm not sure where to start."
"Why you lied to us would be nice," T.J. spoke up, and while his eyes were narrowed, his voice was calm.
She frowned, sitting up. "I didn't lie," she said sharply. "I *do* have relatives in Stone Canyon, and that's where I was going until ... well, everything."
"Stone ... ?" Amy paused, realization dawning. She frowned slightly. “You were going to Christian and Kelly?”
Cassie shrugged. “I didn’t know where I was going at first,” she admitted. “When I left, I wasn’t thinking straight. I don’t even remember why I called Chris now. I think it was because I was supposed to call him days ago, and I hadn’t yet. But when I did, he made me tell him where I was and ... “ She sighed, reaching up to brush her hair out of her face. “He told me to come to them. Bought me the bus ticket and everything.” She glanced at T.J. “When I called and told him I couldn’t make it, he wanted to know where I was now, and I just told him I really liked Angel Grove. So he and Kelly paid for an apartment, and got me into school - “
“I can’t believe I didn’t guess that,” Amy muttered, looking annoyed with herself. “If anyone would have had the connections, it would have been Christian.”
“ ... Who’s Christian?” Ashley asked hesitantly.
Cassie smiled a little, feeling sad. “Christian and Kelly used to be in a home with me when I was little. We were living with this really strict family. When Chris and Kelly started liking each other as more than brother and sister, the family flipped and threw us all out. It wasn’t their fault, but Chris always blamed himself for me losing a home.” She glanced at her mom. “He didn’t believe it was the best thing that could have happened to me.”
“ ... Home?” Karone repeated slowly, puzzled.
“Foster care home,” Cassie told her, fists clenching under the table. “The foster care system puts kids without families into new homes for them to grow up in. Sometimes they work out ... “ She shrugged. “Sometimes they don’t.”
Andros looked troubled. “You’re an orphan?”
She shrugged again. “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I’ve been in foster care for as long as I can remember.”
“So you don’t know who your parents are?” Zhane asked with a frown.
She shook her head. “I’ve never wanted to know. I don’t need them. I already have a family.”
“If you already had a family, why did you leave them?” Carlos asked sharply, glaring at her.
“That’s - “
“It’s okay, Mom,” she cut in gently. The look stung, but she knew that for Carlos, *nothing* was more important than family. She sighed, looking down at her lap. “I thought I had to leave,” she said quietly. “And I thought it was better that I left on my own than ... “ She blinked, eyes burning briefly, and forced herself to look up again. “So I went to my relatives in Stone Canyon, and then I stayed here because ... I have family here now, too.”
She could see Ashley and Zhane softening at the admission. Karone looked confused, but then she hadn’t been with them for long enough yet. Andros was probably confused too, but more because like Carlos, family was the most important thing in the world to him, and he couldn’t imagine leaving them voluntarily. T.J. seemed unhappy, but not as angry now.
Carlos was still staring at her. “Who knew?” he asked finally.
She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “Christian and Kelly knew I was leaving, but not why. I’ve never told anyone in Angel Grove anything. Even Dimitria never knew.”
That seemed to placate him a little. “So it wasn’t just us?”
“If I was going to tell anyone, it would have been the team,” she told him honestly. She sighed, shrugging a little. “I just wasn’t ready to tell anyone. Even after I started to regret leaving, I couldn’t go back. It wasn’t safe.”
That got a grim nod, and Ashley glanced at her parents, biting her lip. They all knew what happened when there was someone for the enemy to use against you.
“Not ... safe?” Amy asked slowly.
Everyone at the table turned to stare at her. “You *did* know Cassie’s a Power Ranger ... right?” Ashley asked warily.
Amy’s eyes widened. “Are you - you mean it’s *true*? I thought that was - ” She looked at Cassie, eyes sweeping over her. “You ... “
Cassie gave her a weak, uncertain smile and flicked her wrist, summoning her morpher. “I’ve been a Ranger since the beginning of October last year. I was the Pink Turbo Ranger, now we’re the Astro Rangers.”
Please don’t hate me, she begged silently. Please, *please* don’t hate me.
The next thing she knew, she was being squished into her mother’s shoulder. “I’m going to murder you,” Amy muttered in her ear. “And then I’m going to let your father murder you. And then I’m feeding you to your brothers.”
Cassie blinked. “You’re ... not mad?” she asked tentatively.
“Mad? I’m furious!” Amy pulled back enough to glare at her. “My daughter’s been putting her life on the line for a *year* and I didn’t even know! I’ve seen the news reports. You could have - “ Her breath caught suddenly, and Cassie was yanked close again. “You’re grounded. You’re grounded until you’re fifty. And then you’re on probation for another forty.”
Cassie blinked slowly. A reluctant smile began to spread across her face. “Can I get out early for good behavior?”
“No.”
There was a pause, and for a moment she was sure she heard Ashley giggling. Then her mother pulled back again, giving her an odd look. “Did she just call you Cassie?”
Cassie bit her lip. “Yeah ... I’ve been going by Cassie Chan.”
Amy stared at her. “You *hate* Cassie. The last time your brother called you that, you stuffed tuna down his pants and locked him in the pantry.”
She ducked her head, trying to hide her grin. She could still remember how high Tony’s voice had gotten. “I got used to it?” she offered.
“So ... your name *isn’t* Cassie Chan?” Zhane asked, sounding confused.
She shook her head. “It’s actually Cassandra Reynolds. I never let anyone call me Cassie before T.J.”
“Should I feel honored?” T.J. wondered, giving her a wry look.
“Considering you’re still breathing, yes,” Amy Amy told him, but she smiled when she said it. “The worst fights Cassandra and Tony ever got into were over him trying to call her Cassie. There was usually blood by the time they were separated.”
“Who’s Tony?” Ashley asked curiously.
“One of my brothers,” Cassie answered. “I have two older brothers, a younger sister, and a nephew.” She paused, and groaned softly. “Tony’s never going to speak to me again.”
“Possibly,” Amy agreed, reaching out to run a hand over her hair. “Sammy, on the other hand, you may have to pry off with a crowbar. He’s missed you like crazy.”
She smiled sadly. “How big is he now?”
“Small enough to carry, but not for much longer,” Amy told her with a understanding look, dropping the hand to squeeze her shoulder. “You can barely see his eyes anymore under all that hair, but Mitch won’t let me cut it.”
The thought made her smile widen. She’d always loved her brother with long hair. She wouldn’t have wanted him to cut Sammy’s, either.
“You can use our phone if you’d like,” Melanie offered. She smiled gently when Cassie looked up in surprise.
Cassie bit her lip again anxiously. She glanced at her mom. “I’m not sure I’m ready,” she admitted softly.
Of all people, it was Andros who brought the phone to her. His expression was solemn when she looked up at him. “You never know how long you have,” he said quietly. “Don’t do something you’ll regret.” His eyes flickered to Karone.
Cassie swallowed hard. After a moment, she dialed the number she still remembered with trembling fingers. By the time she raised the receiver to her ear, she was shaking. She felt Zhane’s hand on her shoulder, and she reached up to grip it tightly.
“Reynolds Residence,” a familiar voice answered.
Tears welled in her eyes. “ ... Dad?”