Interim Ep2 - Just Wanted to Say

[Jaunt]

Episode 2: Rainbow in the Dark: Epilogue

Devin and Cass

Every time he closed his eyes he could see it.  Hear it.  The roiling cloud the horrid sound the beast made as it seemed to 'inhale' before striking its prey, Captain Connor.  He didn't describe the look on the man's face as the tentacles palmed the man's head.  Devin and Cassandra saw a man in his last mortal moments understand the inevitability of death and in a fraction of a second realize he was done.  He wasn't going home to his family.  He wasn't going to holiday greets or parties or laughing with freinds and loved ones anymore.  He was just, gone.  No closure for those he left behind, just a lifetime of unanswered questions which Devin thoughtwas a blessing because how do you explain to someone their husband/son/father was devoured by an interdimensional flying octopus with a vagina for a face?

He sat up in his bed, planting his feet flatly on the floor.  He took a few deep breaths, running his hands through his hair until a noise from behind startled him.  A tapping sound at his window, then another.  Was someone seriously pebbles at his window at two A.M.?

Cass looked about the property, hoping she wasn't waking anyone else.  She recognized Marissa's  Mercedes in the drive and Devin's father's ranger truck not far from it.  A part of her wondered if he could arrest her for trespassing and the rolled her eyes in frustration as she remembered yes.  Yes he could, because he was still a real officer of the law in any capacity.  Hells, she didn't even know why she was here, and certainly this could have waited until tomorrow but... but something was just eating away at her and Devin left before she had a chance to talk to him.  He must be sleeping hard and she envied him for that because she felt like she wasn't going to sleep a wink after what they saw.  With an exhale she tossed one more pebble up to his window.

"What do you want, Allen?"  Cass about leapt out of her skin and tensed up, letting out a sound like her sucking her teeth at gale force panic.  "It's two A.M."

"Christ, Devin!"  She screamed in a whisper as she pun about on her heels to meet him behind her.  Reflexively she smacked him on his chest but her hand fell still when the loud slapping sound of skin on skin gave her pause.  Devin decided to sneak up behind her half naked, in only his sleeping pants.  She wasn't sure which made it more awkward, the fact she was groping the man-boob of a guy she despised who apparently worked out, a lot, and just had to be extremely cut (just her luck), or the fact that they were making eye contact and she hadn't stopped touching him yet.  She manged to awkwardly smile as she gave him a once over.  "Wow... you work out..."

"A lot."  He said, looking down at her hand which she quickly retracted with a slight bit of embarrassment.  "What do you want, or did you come all this way to feel me up?"

"Not on my list, but won't cast it off as a completely unpleasant experience," she snarked then sighed, defeated.  "Devin, I'm sorry... I'm all snarked out.  Can we just... I don't know, talk like normal people?"

He shrugged and nodded to her.  "Yeah, sure.  Honestly I'm kind of too messed up to be a jerk right now.  Too much on my mind, y'know?"

"Yeah," she nodded.  "Look, I uh...,"  Cass exhaled softly, trying to find her courage as well as the words.  "I never thought I'd say this to you of all people, but... thank you."

Devin looked at her confused, his expression puzzled.  He shook his head dismissively.  "Thank me?  For what?"

"Well, you sort of saved my life tonight," she stated nervously.

"What, no, I-"

"Devin, c'mon I appreciate the modesty, I do, but," she walked away from him and about faced a few steps away and began pacing to sort through her thoughts.  "I didn't realize it until you joked around earlier and flipped me off, but... you were right.  I didn't hesitate to step behind you and use you as a shield.  I was scared and I wasn't thinking... I'm not that kind of person, I'm not horrible, I swear."

"Cass," Devin approached her and smiled.  "I don't think you're horrible.  Me?  I'm horrible.  Marissa?  Super horrible.  Sure, you're a bit annoying, but not horrible.  Look, I'll be honest with you, I wasn't thinking either about where I was or what I was doing.  I did feel one thing though."

"What?"  Cass asked.

"I had to keep you safe.  It wasn't until after that I realized that's what I wanted to do more than anything.  That's not me, Cassandra.  I'm not the guy to make a sacrifice play.  Or am I?  The guy I am and the guy I was clashed tonight.  In all my time of picking on you guys and beating you up and shoving Sean into lockers... I never felt like I had done anything more important in my life, ever, that when I looked back saw you were okay.  I'm not the good guy, Cass.  It's just not who I am, but tonight I felt like I was had accomplished something good and if felt great.  The buzz was way more than anything I ever felt from being an asshole to you guys."

"So," she looked at him cautiously.  "Are you one of the good guys now?"

"Don't push your luck," he smiled at her.  "But all snark and wit aside, Allen.  I'm glad you're okay, and between you and me, I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

She narrowed her eyes and smiled back at him.  "You are going to be a complete dick to me tomorrow, aren't you?"  Raised one eyebrow and smiled that roguish smile of his while he nodded slowly.  "I can live with that."  She turned and walked away, brushing a strand of hair behind her ears and trying not to let him see her smile.  "Thank again.  I, uh... I need to go."

"See you around Allen," he didn't let his grin fade in case she turned around.  He stood there until she completely fell out of sight in the late night mists of the Montana summer.

He crawled back in through his window, having sneaked out when she bent over picking up a pebble earlier.  He paced his room for a few moments before turning to look at his work desk and all the drawings and art supplies scattered about it.  He sat down and picked up a pencil and frantically rummaged around for a blank sheet of paper.  Loose leaf, drawing, tracing, he didn't care.  Sleep wasn't happening tonight, that was for damn sure.  He pulled out his drawer and it's contents were several six packs of 5-Hour energy (berry flavor).

"Alright you son of a bitch.  You want a piece of us?  You got it."  The pencil hit the paper and for the first time in months Devin was inspired to create art.