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[nightswhisper.livejournal.com]

Title: All That Glitters
Summary: When he finds her again, she's no where he expected; in a place he never wanted her to be.
Author: Nalana (nightswhisper)
Disclaimer: Not mine, never were, never will be.
Warnings: AU, mentions of underage prostitution.
Pairings: pre-early Cassie/Nick
Rating: R for sensitive subject matter
Wordcount: 1778
A/N: written for AU bingo, prostitutes being the prompt. I'm fairly certain I never posted this here, but if I'm mistaken feel free to delete.


The neon lights that glare warmly at those it bathed did nothing to him. The rush of people, the buzz of electricity and life, barely registered. The numbness that had over come him since he received the lawyer’s black and white papers, shoved in his face by his apathetic wife, continued to prevail. He was tired of it all, trying to be the perfect son, the perfect role model for people like him – the perfect husband.

Fuck it.

Fuck it all.

That was how he hand ended up on the streets this night. He was no stranger to the Hong Kong nightlife. He had lived here for a good portion of his adult life, after all, acting as a representative to his father’s company. But there was one district he had never ventured into. Here the lights wrapped around limbs more barren then slender. They shimmered off makeup too thick that concealed ugly blemishes of the unsatisfied. They turned the smoke into mist, and greedy glances into alluring seduction.

Every shadow-encased woman he passed sent him her best smiles. They flaunted their assets, attempting to lure him in. None of them stood out. They were all the same. Not because of their nationality, but their sad worn stories that were practically written across their skin. But as he turned off towards the next district someone caught his eye. Amongst the see of blacks and bleached auburn browns, a mop of blonde and rainbows waved in the vented air.

She was slumped against a wall, knee up. Her skirt barely covered the top of her thigh-high legging, casting enough shadow to leave any passing customer curious. Her eyes were hard, staring, unlike the other beggars. She didn’t have to. She knew she was a commodity in a place like this, and he knew she was probably hated. But when her eyes turned and caught hers his breath stuck in his throat.

Walking with haste he approached her before the other man who had been looking at her could. “Cassie?” He breathed, surprised when she didn’t back away.

“Was wondering when you’d show up.” She said casually.

“What are you doing here?”

“There weren’t any parties tonight with clients worth going after.” She shrugged. “Only Americans. They don’t want girls like me, I’m a dime a dozen to them. I get better money out here on these kind of nights.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” His words were cruel, and low. “My god, are you even eighteen yet?”

“…Nick, this is China. Like that matters.” She snorted at him, her leg sliding down. “But yea, I’m nineteen next month. Listen, this is all well and good but there’s a man with a wad of cash behind you. You want to continue this little chitchat, you’re gonna fork over 30, 40 if you want to go somewhere else. And no bitching about the price. I know you have it, and a gal like me runs higher.”

He didn’t say anything, just reached into his wallet, flashed her the money and she started walking through the maze of people and buildings. He watched her from behind, staring at the back of her head. What had happened to her? His heart sank, aching.

The last time he had seen her; she had been no more then fourteen. There had been an upheaval in China as the world had started to hear about people like them, those who had abilities beyond the normal, and the American influence that was seen. They had been in hiding together. She had saved his ass, really. Sure she had been snarky and chipper then. But of all the things, he never expected to see her in a place like this. She was smart, too smart. And after the riots she had reunited with her mother who had been caught in another part of the country.

He had never heard anything was wrong. And he knew for a fact that his father had collaborated with her mother a few times. He almost wondered once or twice if the two were closer then they let on. His dad had never remarried, after all. But there was nothing said. In fact, Cassie had never come up in conversation.

Biting his lip he grabbed her hand and took her in another direction. She protested, but stopped when he threw another wad of paper at her. After all the clients she could have, he would hope he’d trust her a little more. Instead of what ever back corner she would have found he found them a decent hotel. The manager didn’t blink at the sight of her. It wasn’t abnormal.

“Not bad…” Cassie looked around the room before shucking off her boots and casually flopping down on the bed. It wasn’t sultry or even an invitation. For a moment, he swore he could still see the little girl that he had met ages again. She hadn’t changed around him. He sat down at the end to the bed.

“So, you and Ms. Perfect ever get hitched?” She asked casually. He snorted.

“You know the answer to that, don’t you?” She grinned.

“Just want to hear you say it.” Her eyes twinkled.

“She left me two weeks ago. Found someone else, someone less ‘stifling’.” He tried not to let the words sting as much as they did. It was Cassie’s turn to snort.

“You know she was cheating on you, right?”

“Shit, Cassie. What are you, seer of Nick’s life or something?” He growled, she held her hands up.

“Oh like I REALLY want to see her screwing some other guy.” She rolled her eyes. “You know it doesn’t work like that. I only see what concerns me or the big picture. And for some reason, apparently that does. Maybe it’s because it led to this.” She shrugged.

“What about you?” He asked. “This isn’t you.”

“Yea, well, people figure you have to be scamming them after a certain point. You can only get tossed away so many times. Doesn’t matter. It’s good pay. And I can avoid customers that I know are going to get me in trouble. Up side to this gift.” She said plainly.

“But your mom?” He asked. “She’s got to know about this…why aren’t you with her?”

“She has her own business she has to attend to. Just because the governments have written us in as citizens doesn’t mean the war’s over, Nick.” She said plainly. “Sure she knows. But she also knows that I do what I do to get by. I’ll be fine. This is only temporary, after all.” She said that with less conviction then she would have liked, he was sure.

“But we didn’t come here to chit-chat did we?” She flipped her attitude instantly, drawing one leg up casually. “We going to get this show on the road?”

Nick stared down at her. He could see why she’d charge more. She had become gorgeous. And he’d be lying if he wasn’t tempted. It was what he had come to the district for, after all. But not her—not like this.

“No.” She sighed and crawled up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“But you paid.” She whispered into his ear, pressing herself against his back.

“I paid to talk to you.” He said, gripping the mattress to control the stab of warmth that trickled down him at her voice.

She swung around him, until she was straddling his lap, looking down at him through her mane of hair. He looked up at her, wounded, torn. How could she still have such a spirit? How could he have not known what she was putting herself through? And how the hell could he want someone so badly when he barely knew them, and she was so young.

“I’ve seen it, Nick.” She said plainly, lowering her mouth closer to his. “I’ve seen us.”

His breath hitched. She was lying. She had to be.

“I’d think of it when those bastards were on me.” Her volume had dropped. Her eyes evaded his. “You’re not like them. You wouldn’t be. You have a fucking heart.” She could be a great actress, but her grip on him was tightening.

“Dammit, Nick I’m sick of this.” She cursed. “I’m sick of the strangers and their filthy hands, and shit…” He saw them now, the tears that smeared the makeup on her face. As she shook he did the only thing he could think to do.

He pulled her close, and let her cry against him. The worse it got the tighter he held her. He whispered nonsense to her. He couldn’t stand it. His memories of her and this were so damn drastically different.

“You don’t have to. Not anymore. I’m here.” He promised.

“No. I do. It’s…” her tears stopped.

“It’s?”

“It’s the only way I can help you.” He voice lowered. “There’s going to be someone after you, Nick. They’ll kill you. But not if I get to them first. And I can. I have one chance. But I have to do this.” She was reluctant, knowing this wouldn’t go over well. “I’ve tried everything else, changed every little thing I could think of. But it all ends the same way.”

“…Cassie.” His voice broke. How could this happen? How could she put herself through so much pain for him? “I’m not—“

“DON’T. Don’t say it.” She lurched off of him, her bare feet hitting questionable carpeting. “You ARE important, you’re worth saving! You may feel like an idiot, but you have no CLUE how important you are! You’ll make everything okay for us...all of us. You’re…”

She looked down again. “You’re my happy ending. So if I have to do this, I’ll do it. I don’t care! It doesn’t matter. And it’s not your fault. I’d do anything,” she finally gathered the courage to look up at the older man. “Anything if it meant that no one else like us had to do this shit.”

It still doesn’t sound like her. But the tears are gone, and that’s a start. He doesn’t know what to say. The faith she has in her methods, in him, is astounding. For a moment, he feels like this is everything he had been missing. Honesty, hope instead of expectation, and support.

“Say something.” She begs him.

He stays silent.

Instead he reaches out, and pulls her back to him. She looks surprised, which is shocking enough in itself. He cups her face in a hand and presses his lips to her forehead. “We’ll make it okay.”

It’s a promise; one he seals with a real kiss.