Chapter 60: Chapter 60

The conversation with Laura had been long, exhausting, and ultimately ended in a rather intense disagreement, which was no surprise to Aaron going in. Why would 15 years of silence change the fact that the two of them were unable to talk about much of anything without getting into an argument?

She had started off with sweet sentiment, thanking him for helping her escape the situation with Giovani and allowing Jamie to heal her. He had said it was no big deal, of course. He was just glad that she was okay. They had spent a few minutes exchanging pleasantries, discussing other team members, mutual friends, etc., before the conversation inevitably turned to the new plan for taking Jack in and destroying Giovani.

"Laney and I are fully capable of getting Giovani on our own, without your help, or the help of the rest of the LIGHTS team," Laura had insisted, her voice firm, despite the exhaustion she was feeling.

"If that were the case," Aaron replied as politely as he could, "you would have destroyed him a long time ago, and he wouldn't be involved with Jack now. There's no question at this point that LIGHTS is involved, and will stay involved, until Jack is brought in, and in the process, Giovani will meet his demise."

Laura had sighed, trying to hold back the years of frustration that were surfacing. "You have no idea what we've been up against all of these years. Don't presume that we haven't gotten rid of Giovani because we are not capable of doing so."

"Laura, look, you're not feeling well, and I don't want to argue with you. Not right now, anyway," Aaron said, dismissively. "Let's wait until you are back on your feet, and then we'll talk about it in a day or two."

"We aren't going to be sticking around that long," Laura replied tartly.

"What do you mean?" Aaron asked. "You can't expect to go off on your own again, not right now. After an injury like that, you may need another session or two with Jamie.”

"Well, that won't be happening. I'm fine," Laura said nonchalantly, as if she got shot every day of the week.

"Seriously, Laura?" Aaron asked, no longer able to completely fight back his frustration. "The two of you need to stick around for a while so we can figure this out. You're not the only one who is vested in this situation right now, you know?"

"Oh, you mean your new girlfriend?" Laura asked, rolling her eyes.

"She's not my girlfriend," Aaron said, sharply. "And, yes. Those of us who knew Jack before the conversion are all concerned about him. We all want to see him brought in and trained properly."

"Oh, please," Laura responded, the disgust obvious in her voice. "Everybody knows that, if it had been anyone else's ex, you would have destroyed both of those Vampires the second you had the opportunity to do so. We all know Jack has already killed at least two innocent people. Since when do you give second, second chances?"

"We're not going to discuss the nature of my relationship with Cadence right now," Aaron replied in his authoritative tone. "We are going to discuss the fact that you do not have permission to hunt Jack Cook in any way, shape, or form, without my consent. And that includes hunting down the Vampire he is currently affiliated with." He was up out of his chair and pacing at the foot of her bed now, pausing to look at her after each statement, making sure she understood the importance of what he was saying.

"That's bullshit!" Laura interrupted. "You can't order me not to track down Giovani!"

"Yes, I can because I'm the Guardian Leader. It's part of my job to decide what other Guardians and Hunters, such as yourself, can and cannot do. If you don't like it, then I suggest you call for a vote of no confidence. Oh, but that's right, you've already done that, several times, and had absolutely no luck replacing me, right, Laura?"

"Right, that's right, I have. And maybe I will. Especially now that there's another reason why you clearly aren't doing your job to the best of your ability," Laura threatened.

"What? What are you talking about?" he asked, grasping the footboard of the bed with both hands.

"She's obviously a distraction!" Laura replied, her voice as loud as she could make it under the strained circumstances.

"That's ridiculous," Aaron said, slamming his hands down on his hips.

"Is it? I heard about Henry," Laura argued.

"Did you? Did you hear about how she chased him down and destroyed him, basically all by herself?" he asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

Laura snickered. "Yes, and I heard how she disobeyed orders and left the rest of you standing around like a bunch of idiots, too. Funny, I thought people who disobeyed your orders got thrown off of the team, but I guess that only applies to people you're already screwing, not the ones you only wish you were!"

Aaron took a deep breath. He realized that arguing with Laura was pointless, yet she was so good at drawing him in. Nevertheless, he decided to exit the situation while he still could before he ended up saying things he’d regret later. "Laura," he said as calmly as he could muster, "why don't you get some rest, and we'll talk more in the morning? Or not. I'm perfectly fine if you'd like to go back to the silent treatment." It was too bad she’d given in and broken her vow of silence to begin with.

As he walked out the door, he could still hear her yelling after him, "Fine, just walk away, like you always do...."

Cadence was sitting next to Christian on the couch by the time Aaron reached the other room. Elliott sat in a chair nearby, and the three of them were clearly engrossed by whatever was playing on the television.

As soon as Aaron walked in the door, Eliza was there, blocking his way. "How did it go?" she asked, a look of concern on her face. He noted it looked forced.

"Wonderful," he said sarcastically. She was standing between him and everyone else, notably Cadence, and it seemed evident this was on purpose. While she appeared to want to ask him something else, he had no patience left and simply stepped around her.

"Hey!" Cadence said cheerfully, scooting toward Christian so that he could sit down if he wanted to.

Aaron sat on the armrest instead. "How long have you been here?" he asked, only a bit surprised to see her.

"Well, I got here during the episode with the high-speed chase, right, Elliott?" she asked, pretending to think.

"That's right," Elliott chimed in. Then, looking at Aaron, he said, "You know, the one where the cops are chasing the erratic drunk driver? And then he gets out and runs? With no shirt on, of course."

"Of course!" Cadence agreed. "And now, we're watching the one where the cops chase down the erratic drunk driver, who's speeding off away from them..."

"With no shirt on," Elliott concluded.

"So, it's been, what, maybe twenty, thirty minutes?"

"Or eleven days. Really, who can tell?" Elliott agreed nodding.

Christian didn't add to their little joke, but he did snicker along. He seemed quite content to watch whatever was on so long as Cadence was sitting so close to him.

Aaron knew they were attempting to lighten the mood, but nothing seemed very humorous after the conversation he had just had with Laura. Shaking his head, he asked Cadence, "Are you about ready to go home?"

She sighed. "I guess," she said in a deep exhale. "But if anything out of the ordinary happens...," she continued.

"Like a guy with his shirt on running from the cops?" Christian asked, finally joining their bit.

"Precisely," she agreed, slamming her hand down on his knee. "Please, find a way to record it for me, all right?"

"All right," Christian nodded. "I am the king of recording, so I'll get right on that."

Cadence wasn't quite sure if that meant something, or if he was just being sarcastic, but she didn't bother to ask for clarification. "Okay, great!" she exclaimed, patting his leg innocently. "Okay, I guess I'm out of here! See you tomorrow, Christian," she said as she bounced off of the couch.

"See you tomorrow," Christian said, watching her intently. He glanced at Aaron who was looking at him questioningly. Christian refocused his attention on the television.

Elliott stood and wrapped his burly arms around her. "Have a good night, kid," he said squeezing her tightly, but not tight enough to crush her, a thin line for him.

"Thanks for everything," she said quietly. Then releasing him, she turned to say goodbye to the other ladies in the room. "Bye Hannah! It was nice to meet you, Laney! See you tomorrow, Eliza," she said, putting her arms around the slight girl who was standing near the door again.

"Do you want me to drive her home?" Eliza asked, patting Cadence but not really returning the hug.

Again, Aaron had a questioning look on his face. "No," he said sounding a bit more like an inquiry than it needed to. "I'll do it."

Cadence glanced behind her, catching his eye, wondering why in the world Eliza would volunteer to take her home. He looked just as bewildered as she felt. "Thanks for asking though, Eliza," Cadence said, stepping over toward the door, grabbing her coat, and sliding into it.

Aaron was right behind her, keys in hand. When they were in the hallway, he said, "What was that all about?"

"I know, right? Weird!" Cadence said, shaking her head.

"I meant Christian," Aaron clarified. "I know why Eliza wanted to take you home. She didn't want me to."

As they made their way to the elevator, Cadence asked, "Christian? What do you mean? We were just watching a show together."

"You didn't see the way he was looking at you?" Aaron inquired. He pressed the button to take them down, and the doors came open. He was glad there was no one else in the elevator so they could continue their conversation in private.

"No," she replied. "What do you mean?"

Aaron shrugged. Maybe there was no point in pressing the issue. Maybe he was imagining things. "I don't know. He just seemed...odd. Even for Christian."

Cadence narrowed her eyes slightly in contemplation but then changed the subject. "How was your discussion with Laura?" she asked, feeling as if she already knew the answer.

The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out, making their way through the empty lobby toward the parking lot. "It was about what I expected," he admitted.

The cool air felt good against Cadence's flushed face. Whether it was the seriousness of the conversation or the man beside her making her feel overheated, she couldn’t say. Aaron took her hand, counteracting the coolness of the air a bit, and led her toward the Lamborghini, which was parked just a few spots away. "I'm sorry the conversation didn’t go better," she said quietly, watching her footing on the ice.

He pulled the car door open for her, saying nothing in response, and walked around to the driver's side, climbing in, and starting the engine. He shifted the car into gear and backed out of the spot, shifted into drive, and then took her hand, which she had waiting, palm up, on the console. Even though he didn’t want to talk about Laura, Cadence took it as a sign that he wasn’t shutting her out entirely.

Cadence was content to sit in silence the entire, short trip home. Both of them had experienced an incredibly difficult day, one full of arguments and disagreements. It seemed like the silence was safe. There was no chance of ruining everything by saying something stupid so long as she said nothing at all.