Revolution (Collide, #4)(50)

I explained that knowing the truth was what I did.

When we decided to be done for the night, Marissa and Lana offered to cook since I'd been through an 'ordeal'. I told them cooking the food, the actual food that had nothing to do with rice and beans, was all I could think to make me happier at that point. So that's what I did. With the crates as my countertop, I got busy.

No one cared that we'd all just had fruit, everyone was just grateful for something real and scarfed down the supper. I smiled. I was feeling like the new Trudy again.

So, Marissa and I finished the dishes. She seemed quiet, but lied and told me nothing was wrong with her. I let her lie and didn't press, but I did press about the baby. She said the baby was fine. She said the baby was going to be a Muse like her, she just knew it, because her gift seemed to be amplified lately. And she sometimes got visions for herself, which never happened before. She could only guess it was because of the baby getting visions for her. She said it was a girl, she had no doubt, and that Jeff was completely over his shocked stage. He was in full-on Daddy mode and was the sweetest and happiest she'd ever seen him.

I'd seen that with my own eyes. He was bouncy and laughy. It was a good sight to see.

So, later on, the men were plotting Operation Rescue Cain when Marissa finally revealed why she had been upset earlier. Daniel was gone. He went after Cain himself. She said she saw in a vision that he was to go after him, so she talked to him about it earlier and he'd gone to do just that.

Lillian was upset to say the least. She stood and her face held more than shock as she looked at Marissa, it held betrayal as well. Marissa tried to explain it further to her, but she wouldn't listen. She walked away from the group to her little tent and I knew that she was being torn in two.

I'd seen her face when Daniel had shown up at the bunker that day, but she had still chosen Cain. There wasn't any contest, but it still hurt. Marissa understood and waved off Jeff's concern. "She has every right to be upset, Jeff. Poor thing. Daniel knew she wouldn't understand."

"It's weird, right? For him to go after Cain?" Jeff asked. "Is anyone else worried that Cain could be in trouble by this?"

"No," Marissa assured, "you're such a guy! Daniel's in love with her. So he went to find Cain so Lillian would be happy."

"What?" he asked in a high voice. "How in the worlds does that make sense?"

"Ugh," she groaned and laughed as she snuggled into his lap. "Just be glad I love you."

They laughed, but I turned to Merrick and told him I was going to go visit Lillian. "Just…don't be gone too long," he begged and kissed my temple.

I smiled and bit my lip as I agreed.

I found her on her pallet with Bones laying on her stomach, her head under the pillow and her covers thrown over her. I patted her arm and she must've known I'd be the one to follow her in because she said, "Sherry. Please make him be ok."

"Daniel's had centuries of training-"

She sat up. "I'm talking about Cain. And now I have to worry about Daniel, too." She sniffled. "Why would he…" She covered her mouth. "Oh, my gosh. That's why he…kissed me earlier. He was leaving and he knew it."

"He kissed you?" I asked.

She gave me a wry smile. "This is a little déjà vu, huh?"

"A little."

"He kissed me…and I thought he was letting me go, that he was going to stop trying to be with me, but he was saying goodbye." She looked at me, her lip quivering. "Why do I feel so guilty that I couldn't love him back? Cain was here first and I love him. I do, I love him so much. I wouldn't change anything about that. So why do I feel guilty?"

I lay down beside her and linked my arm with hers. "Oh, Lillian. Trying to make order of the chaos that is love is like trying to figure out why chocolate ice cream makes your toes curl."

She chuckled and lay down beside me. "Ok, point taken."

We lay in companionable silence for a while. I wondered if she'd fallen asleep. Then she said, "I know Marissa said that Daniel would find Cain…and he'll be ok. You believe her, don't you? Cain will be ok and he'll come home to me?"

"I know it's true. You can't lie to me. It's just a matter of when he'll be here."

"Ok." She let a breath go and paused as if thinking. "It's hard to just believe that and not worry. Not…think the worst." She started to choke up.

"Think of something else."

She sniffed. "You know…I really miss brownies."

I burst out laughing, Lillian eventually joining me reluctantly. Even the dog barked along with us as if he were just as happy.



I felt myself being lifted. My head hung over a very warm arm and the rest of me was pressed to a warm chest that shook with laughter when I lifted my hand to his face. "Hey," he whispered to me as he moved our sheet to the side. "Sorry. I couldn't let Lillian keep you all night."

He laid me down and then lay beside me. "That's ok. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"That's ok," he echoed. "You've had quite an ordeal," he joked. I'd been poking fun of people for saying that to me all day.

"Yes. Quite." I laughed.