Home » The Archives » Chapter 14 » New Beginnings
| Re: New Beginnings [message #2237 is a reply to message #2236] |
Sun, 29 July 2012 22:22   |
Lillehafrue
Messages: 478
Registered: July 2012
Location: Northeastern USA
Karma:
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TB Pilot
Evil Genius |
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The quiet of the apartment was getting to her, so Cassie stepped out onto her balcony. The light was fading as she looked out over the scene before her. It had been an exhausting day, what with the TB8 test run and her other responsibilities. She had been looking forward to coming back to her apartment, showering, and just relaxing the rest of the evening. The first two had worked fine. The relaxing bit just didn't seem to be coming.
Turning away from the balcony, her eyes fell on Luke's dark apartment. I really miss having him around, but at least his recovery is going well, Cassie thought.
Without really thinking about where she was going, she started walking. Before long she found herself outside Dom's apartment. Seeing lights within, she knocked. After a short pause, Dominic opened the door and grinned at her.
"Hey, Cass!" he said. "What's up?"
In the background she could hear the distinctive sounds of a children's program on the televiewer and Joshua's giggling.
"I was out for a walk and decided to drop by," she said.
"Well, come on in!" Dominic said as he stepped aside. "I'll stick the kettle on."
Cassie smiled and walked into the apartment. The first thing Dom offered was always a cup of tea. She slipped down onto the couch and leaned back into the thick cushions. Dominic padded over to the kitchenette.
"How are you today?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder.
Dom flicked the kettle on.
"I'm doin' grand, thanks," he said. "I'm workin' a lot more in the infirmary cuz Nikki's gone."
The shadow that passed over Dominic face could not be missed, and Cassie frowned.
"You miss her, don't you?" she asked.
Dominic leaned his weight on the counter and sighed.
"Aye. She was one of m' best friends here. We joined together right at the start. God, that was nearly a year ago. I'm gonna miss her."
"She'll come back when she's finished," Cassie said.
Dominic nodded, but then the brightness came back to his face, and Cassie knew that meant that he was done talking about it.
"Aye, and when she does I'll be at the bottom of the peckin' order!"
Cassie chuckled and shook her head. The kettle clicked off and Dominic set about making the tea. Joshua was drawn away from the televiewer by the sound of her laughter and he beamed at her.
"Auntie Cass!" Joshua said. He bounded over and launched himself onto the couch to envelop her in a hug. Cassie hugged the little boy back. The melancholy mood she was in when she had headed over here had quickly disappeared.
"Tea is ready."
With Joshua in her arms, Cassie got to her feet. She crossed over to the table and sat down, as Dom placed a cup of tea in front of her. Josh settled in her lap as Dom handed his son a cup of juice and then sat down himself.
The two of them continued to chat over their cups of tea; Josh added childish interjections here and there. After finishing his juice though, he got bored with the adult conversation and returned to the televiewer.
After chatting about island life for awhile, Cassie changed the conversation to things a little further away. "Have you heard from your father recently?" Cassie inquired.
Dominic nodded and drained his cup. He stood and walked to the kitchen sink.
"Yes, I got an email from him yesterday. The divorce is proceeding swiftly. Elizabeth isn't getting half as much as she wanted."
"That's your stepmother, right?" Cassie asked.
"I'd never call her as much, but technically yes." Dom rinsed out his tea cup and walked to the sofa. He sat down, crossing his legs. "It's causing huge problems for the whole family. Tom -- that's my youngest half-brother, the journalist -- isn't speaking to my father or myself any more. Neither are Paisley and Victoria -- though they never spoke to me. Very much so mummy's girls -- when Elizabeth decided she didn't like me, they did too. Arthur never treated me badly, though. Art's a great guy. He's the oldest of Dad and Elizabeth's kids. He always went out of his way to welcome me -- even when I was getting on like an arse."
Cassie couldn't help but chuckle at the comment.
"How's your dad's health?"
"It's improving, thankfully," Dominic said.
The little tell on his face told Cassie that the Irishman was surprised at the words coming out of his mouth. Their relationship really is on the mend, she thought. Dominic continued.
"He's lost a whopping sixty pounds and he's quit smoking. Knocked the drink on the head, too, for the most part. He says that he has too much to live for now." Dominic gulped. "Wants to see his grandson graduate from college. He's already started up a trust fund for Joshua's education." Dom shook his head and couldn't help but smile as Joshua squealed at the TV. "But anyway, enough of me blabbering on. How are you?"
"All things considered, pretty well," Cassie said, her words not sounding as convincing to herself as she would have liked. A glance at Dom told her that he wasn't convinced either. She sighed. "I really should be grateful. My grandmother is doing well. Mom and Dad are talking about finding their own place near my grandparents. My brothers are doing well and actually getting along better amongst themselves. I've got a roof over my head, a good job, and some great new friends. I should be happy, right?"
The sounds of the televiewer were momentarily the only ones in the apartment. Dom hesitated saying anything, waiting to see if his friend would continue. "But," he prompted when she didn't after a few moments.
Cassie got to her feet. She walked slowly over to the sofa. She had never actually talked to Dom much about her ex-husband but she really did need to talk to someone about her current situation with him. She pondered if she should bring the situation up or let it go, as she sat down on the opposite end of the couch from him. "Feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but were you and Josh's mother ever married?"
"For about six months. We got married for the wrong reasons and when she realized that, she split. I think I cared more about her than she ever did for me though," Dom replied. He thought he had an idea of where Cassie was going with the conversation. "This have anything to do with your ex-husband?"
He saw her nod slightly as she stared at the televiewer. Dom had the distinct impression that she wasn't really seeing what was on the screen though.
"I've been talking to Alex via email for awhile now. He says he's been going to therapy and that he's changed. I got an email from him on New Year's Eve asking me to give 'us' another try."
"An email? I think at least a phone call would have been more appropriate for that."
"Yeah, well, I never actually gave him my new number," Cassie admitted with a sheepish smile. Dom gave a barely audible 'ah' from his spot on the sofa. "I haven't even responded to the email yet because I can't figure out what to say. I thought that getting away from the problems we had and putting all of that behind me would be easy. I'm finding out that thirteen years isn't so easy to walk away from."
Dom let out a low whistle. That was a long relationship. "I can only imagine how hard it would be to walk away from that. The question I think you really need to answer for yourself, is if you can be happy with him again."
Cassie nodded and looked toward him. "I think I could be, if I knew he had really changed. If he was really willing to let me live my life and not try controlling me. As much as I loved my son, I'm not the type of person who could be stay-at-home mom. He never quite understood that. He claims he won't bother me about not working if I come back. I just wish I knew how I could be sure."
"He's assuming you'll come back to New York City then?"
Cassie nodded.
"Well, there's your answer then," Dom said, receiving him a perplexed look from his guest. "If he really cares about you and wants the two of you to be together again, then he'd be willing to move for you. Tell him your position with Tracy Industries means a lot to you and ask if he would be willing to consider moving to 'Wichita' with you instead. If he says yes, then you go from there; if he says no, then he's not really backing up his claims that he's changed."
Cassie pondered Dom's suggestion. He might be onto something there. Why should it be assumed that I should move back to the city if we get back together?
"Look, I'm no expert on relationships," Dom said, shrugging his shoulders. "Mags... -- oh, that's my ex-wife -- well, she only agreed to marry me because she was terrified of her parents' reactions to her having a baby out of wedlock. We rushed into the marriage and it all fell apart. Other than that, I've never actually had a 'relationship', so don't take my words a gospel. But," he said, placing his hands on his knees, "I figure that if the guy really cares, he'll drop everything to make things work and to stay with you."
A pained look crossed his face. A lightbulb clicked on in Cassie's head.
"Like you did with Josh's mom."
Dom nodded slowly.
"Yeah. But, if he's not willing to do that and expects you to bend to his will, then he hasn't changed. And then you'll definitely know where you stand."
"Yeah... "
The two sat in contemplative silence for a few moments, before the quiet was destroyed by a certain small blond-haired terror launching himself onto the couch between them with a giggle.
Cassie visits Dom: ArtisticRainey and starrynebula
98% pure evil...and loving every minute of it.
 
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