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Ruby knocked impatiently at the Ishtar residents' door, and waited for someone to open it. In her opinion, it was way
too cold in this middle of nowhere place. She just wanted to get Garrett, and then get the hell out of there.
Only
a few seconds had passed, but Ruby was irritated nonetheless. She raised her hand to pound on the door this time, and was
barely able to stop herself from smacking Cassy square in the face.
"About time!" Ruby exclaimed, dropping her fist
to her side. "I'm freezin' my ass off out here! Is Garrett ready yet?"
"Um, he's not here right now," Cassy replied
nervously. Ruby noticed her glance at her fist.
"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Wait...you said he ain't here?" she said
in disbelief.
"Well, Nena took him toy shopping."
"Don'tcha mean toy stealin'?" Ruby said with a grin.
Cassy
sighed. "Yeah...that's it."
"Well, guess I'd better be goin' then," Ruby said, irked again that she had been standing
out in the cold for no reason whatsoever.
"Wait! You don't have to leave. They should be back soon. Why don't you
come inside and wait for him?" Cassy said, her hospitable instinct kicking in.
"I dunno," Ruby said slowly. "Kaisukes'
back at the house, and I like comin' home to a house fulla food."
"I'm baking cookies!" Cassy said with a pleading
expression.
That was all the flame warrior had to hear. "I'm in!" she said, bursting in past Cassy, who shut the door
behind them.
Ruby found the kitchen without any trouble, and sure enough, she saw the necessary ingredients to create
shortbread cookies. Cassy came in behind her, and started preparing the batter.
"So, uh, Cassy, what've you been up
to lately?" Ruby asked casually, taking a seat at the table, content with watching the attractive brunette bake.
"Oh,
nothing much," she replied, mixing flour and various other things in a bowl. "Malik has been working a lot lately, so it's
basically been just me and the kids. Not that I mind. I just wished I could pull Vivian away from that television more often.
What about you? How have you and Giacomo been getting along?"
"All right," Ruby said casually...too casually. Cassy
could tell it was a subject that the older woman didn't really want to talk about and yet she could not hold back.
"Ruby...has
he been hurting you?" she asked seriously, abandoning the cookies for a moment.
"No! Of course not! Why'd you say
such a thing?" Ruby asked, a note of panic in her voice.
"I saw the bruises Ruby," she continued, locking that dark
gaze onto the formidable woman. "I saw your black eyes!"
Ruby laughed, her voice a shade too high. "I'm a fighter
Cassy! Of course I'm gonna get bruises and bumps!"
"How can you sit there and lie to me Ruby?! Why are you protecting
him?!" she exploded, enraged at the pitiful attempt to cover up the obvious abuse.
Ruby snarled and stood up. "Just
drop it kid! Before you really piss me off!" she roared, attempting to scare Cassy. Little did she know that Cassy was not
a girl who was easily discouraged.
"I won't drop it! Ruby, you're my friend, and I don't like seeing you get hurt!"
she cried out, frustrated tears coming to her eyes. Immediately the fiery tempered mulatto felt bad.
"Look, I can
tell you're only tryin' to help, but trust me on this one. I got it covered," she said gently. Cassy looked at her again,
and Ruby couldn't help but think that she looked exactly like Lorilei did when she was vulnerable. "There's no point in cryin'
over somethin' that's not serious to begin with right?" she said with a slight grin.
"I wish you would tell me the
truth," Cassy murmured, hurt.
"I can't tell ya everythin' but tell ya what I will do," Ruby said with sudden inspiration.
"I promise that I won't get myself seriously hurt, kay? How's that sound, eh Cassy?" she asked softly, staring deep into those
soulful brown eyes that were still brimming with unshed tears.
"But- Ruby, what if something happens that you can't
stop?" Cassy asked with worry apparent in her voice. "What if you get-?"
"Sh!" Ruby silenced her. She wiped the tears
from her eyes. "I promise ya, I'll be all right. Don't worry, kay?"
"How do I know you'll keep your promise?" Cassy
asked, wounded. She was so concerned, that Ruby acted on pure impulse.
The red head grabbed Cassy by the shoulders
and pulled her into a passionate kiss. After a fierce battle of dominance, Ruby pulled away and stared directly into Cassy's
shocked expression. "I will keep my promise to you. Nothing will stop me, and nothing can change that."
In the next
instant Cassy was embracing Ruby, pulling herself close to the older woman. "I'm always here for you Ruby. Please remember
that, okay?"
The two then heard a loud chuckle from the kitchen doorway. Bakura smirked as the two women pulled away
from each other as though they had been burned. "Having a bit of fun?" he remarked callously.
Ruby merely sneered
at him. "I'll see you again, 'kay Cassy?" she said in a softer manner. Then she abruptly marched out of the room, taking care
to slam Bakura into the doorframe in the process.
"I guess this means Garrett isn't having a lesson today?" Bakura
said with a groan, picking himself up off the floor. "Well, I guess she educated someone. What did the dyke want with you?"
he asked with a rather fiendish look.
"Just shut up Bakura!" Cassy snapped. Then gracefully, she turned back to the
task at hand. The cookies. 'Please be careful' she pleaded in her mind.
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