The King of Kings

Cain: Oh okay then. That's cool.

Cain: I always put blood on the food. But you know since you want to make it difficult, we don't even have to talk we can eat and watch tv.

Cain: Girl that was not my generation. I was born nearly 80 years ago...that was a 90s reference...what???

Ava: Wait are you upset? I'm sorry.

Ava: Me being difficult is your favorite thing about me. Remember I'm your hell beast?

Ava: I mean......

Cain: Not upset just if you say I'm not your dad, your dad like figure, or anything. Then I'm not. That's cool.

“See, I was always the tomboy and my sister was the girly girl, so our parents claimed us pretty early on,” she joked.  It was true though.  Zoe had always had more fun running around with her dad than being the perfect daughter her mother wanted.  “Yeah, I was in college before cell phones were really a thing.”

“Wait you were? So…as old as I am, which in all reality I’m probably old enough to be your dad…how old are you? If you don’t mind me asking. It’s just rare for me to run into someone lately that doesn’t know what college without cellphones is like. I know what life without computers is like. I mean I was around when there was the super computer. But I didn’t truly pay attention. Should have figured out a way to steal that. Would have been rich, I tell ya.”

Ava: Are you now? Last I checked your sperm wasn't used to create me.

Ava: I mean are you going to put blood on the food? Because then I may eat. Otherwise there's no real point we might as well have a glass of wine or blood and talk about my day.

Ava: My bad. Sorry I wasn't born in the generation you were.

Cain: Oh okay then. That's cool.

Cain: I always put blood on the food. But you know since you want to make it difficult, we don't even have to talk we can eat and watch tv.

Ava: That is such a dad thing to say.

Ava: I mean we can skip dinner and just ask about my day.

Ava: Okay Miley. Chill.

Cain: I'm a dad?

Cain: So you don't want dinner? But you want me to ask about your day...you're weird.

“Do you not want to have sex with me in the woods?” She countered, letting out a little laugh as he continued on. “Take off your shirt and then I promise to call you all different kinds of sexy,” She teased, giving his hand a little squeeze as she let him lead her to the spot he had set up. 

“Noted,” She said, beaming up at him. She couldn’t remember the last time she had smiled that much in her life. Not even back before all of the crap had happened in her life. There was just something about him that made her light up like a christmas tree and being here, fingers intertwined in his, she couldn’t help but note that she was finally starting to feel herself again- finally starting to feel like that girl she had once known back before her brief college tragedy. “I hate you so much it makes me sick, it even makes me rhyme,” She mumbled, quoting 10 Things I Hate about you and not daring to lift her head up from where it was hidden against his chest knowing fairly well that her entire face must be bright red. She stood there listening to his every word, taking them all in, but not knowing what to say in return. Never in a million years had she ever expected Cainan King of all people to tell her that he was going to stick by her side no matter what. But, here he was telling her everything she had ever needed to hear. But, as she parted her lips to speak, she realized the one thing she wanted to tell him was the three words she was still just a bit too afraid to say. So, instead of completely putting her heart out on the table, she took a little step back, giving him the smallest hint of a smile. “But, mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you. Not even close. Not even a little bit. Not even at all.”

“I want to, yes, I think it’d be hot having sex in the woods,” he pointed out. “But that wasn’t exactly the purpose here. If you want to change the plans though…I can take my shirt off right now.”

Cain loved how her face lit up. He reminded himself in that moment that he did that. The man that didn’t believe he had a truly romantic or genuine bone in his body had done that for her. When she quoted 10 Things I Hate about you he smirked. It turned into a soft smile at her last words. His lips touched hers softly when she’d finished speaking. “You should know I’ve always known you didn’t hate me. You think we’re going to get to see any of this carnival, or are you satisfied right here, because I could do this all day,” he told her, nuzzling his nose against hers before placing another chaste kiss on her lips. Honestly he could kiss her for the rest of the day and hold her in his arms. He didn’t know hat come over him, just that one day, all of a sudden he was satisfied, content and happy with just this, just her. She was truly all he needed.”

“I don’t know if watching Criminal Minds can truly help you disguise being an Unsub. I’m not sure how that works.” She raised an eyebrow and snorted, “Well, I wouldn’t. I can tell you that maybe your nostrils flare when you lie, or your pupils dilate, but I could also be wrong.”

“Gives me tips on what not to do if I plan on being a criminal.” Though he was a criminal just not the kind that they had on that show. Cain chuckled. “I don’t have a tell. When I lie, I’ve gotta so good at it that I’m lacking in any way for someone to pick up that I am lying. Mainly I even believe my lies.”

“Not blatantly,” Zoe replied.  “But it’s always been pretty clear I’m his favorite kid.”  Though Owen might have beat her out as the favorite person in his life.  She wasn’t sure.  “He can be clever.  I’d just have to play around with it.  I’m sure I can crack the password though.”

“Lucky. I knew I wasn’t the favorite child. Of course I was the rebel middle child and my fucking brother was everything I wasn’t. He actually got married and had kids, the ass hole. My parents wanted that for me, but I literally left never to return except to check on my little sister. But if we had cellphones back then I know it would have been my brother’s birthday on it.” Yeah they didn’t have cellphone for a while or at least not ones that they had today.

Ava: Sigh we'll see. Although I don't think there's going to be anything interesting to tell.

Ava: Cain stop.

Ava: Can you stop already?

Cain: Your life is always interesting because it's yours

Cain: SO I always want to hear about it.

Cain: Should I make you dinner and ask you about your day too?

Ally sat in the passenger seat fidgeting in her seat. She hated not knowing things. She had never been a fan of surprises. The last time anyone had ever tried to do any kind of surprise for her birthday was during college and she ended up punching her boyfriend at the time, now ex, in the face. But, as she sat there, letting him drive her out of town, she couldn’t help but realize that she did in fact trust him. The amount of people Ally could say that about was less than what she could count on one hand and, yet, when she glanced over at him with a curious look in her eyes, she knew he was one of them now. “Please tell me ,you didn’t drive me all the way out here to have sex in the woods?” She teased, giving his hand a little squeeze. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” She said, shaking her head as she looked over at him before letting out a deep breath and giving in. Closing her eyes, she couldn’t help but squeeze his hand a little harder as she admitted quietly, “I trust you.”

“You mean I don’t just get you with a big bow on it? Drats,” She teased again, letting her eyes flutter open, but only when he said. Her eyes widened as she saw the little gifts laid out. “Wait- hold up. A carnival?” She asked in shock, glancing over at him to ask if he was serious. Ally had had her life of adventure. She had flown on private jets before and dined in luxury. She had never belonged there, but the con artist knew the right words to say to get what she wanted. But, she had never had someone care enough about the actual girl beneath the mask to do something like this. It was the nicest gift she had ever received and one of the most thoughtful and as she stood there gawking in shock, she realized that Cain might just be the only person she had ever dated who truly knew her- bad parts and all. “I hate you,” Ally mumbled, throwing her arms tightly around Cain and burying her face into his chest. She knew he could probably hear her heart beating rapidly against her chest which only made her face turn a deeper shade of red. “How am I ever supposed to compete with this?”

Cain rolled his eyes as she mentioned him driving her out to have sex in the woods. “Do you think I’d think so little of you that I’d want to have sex with you in the woods? I mean I want to have sex with you everywhere, but right now no that’s not what I’m doing,” he said then. He playfully rolled his eyes when she said he was cute. “I’m not cute. Have you seen me? I’m supposed to be rugged and hot. Handsome. Sexy even.” When she said that she trusted him, he lifted her hand and kissed the back of it.

He laughed then. “No, that’s what I want for my birthday, you with a bow on you,” he joked. “Yep, picturing it now…yes. That’s perfect.” Cain winked at her, grinning as they joked easily as they walked. “Yes, a carnival.” Every part of this had been worth it. Every single plan for this was all for this reaction. The way her heart raced, the way she blushed burying her face into his chest. “Yeah yeah. I’m sure you do hate me.” His arms wrapped around her, giving her a gentle squeeze. “You’re not supposed to compete. You’re supposed to let me, a man that has watched every frown, here far away and distant look when your mind goes to an unpleasant place, make you blush and smile.” Normally, he was awkward with emotion, but not today. He vowed to himself that he wouldn’t be today. “I just want to make you happy Ally.  For as long as you’ll let me,” he told her honestly, and more vulnerably than he’d actually intended to.

“But if I were an officer, I would then have that red flag moment and the afterthought to go ‘oh, let me just keep that man in the back of my head.’ Hopefully you aren’t actually a compulsive liar or this could get a little weird.” 

“You can red flag whatever you like, I’m a charmer at best and I have a knack for not exhibiting any signs of being the bad guy you’re looking for. I watch Criminal Minds I know how to not be an Unsub.” His shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. “But how would you know if I was a compulsive liar?”

“The walls are a very neutral color, a beige.” She spoke as if she was trying to remember. She hadn’t really spent much time in the living room, except to unpack and even then not really paying much attention to the walls. Margaret had been so distracted she over looked the colors and was now completely drawing a blank. 

“So you’ve got bland walls…” he didn’t even have to think hard about that. “Any color goes well with bland. What about your floors? Wood? Tiled? Carpet? Depends on the color of the carpet too if you have carpet.”

Zoe nodded when he spoke.  He was probably right.  She could get her dad’s phone easily and his passcode was probably her birthday.  Or her sister’s, but probably hers given she knew she was her dad’s favorite child.  “That’s a good point.  If it’s not mine then maybe my sister’s, or my son’s.  He dove love his grandson.”

“Depends, does he play favorites? Because while I have a system for mine, I’m generally a con man who knows not to make my passcode my favorite person’s birthday. If your dad doesn’t think that way, I doubt he’d think of a clever way to keep people out.”

“Hardly,” James said, tilting his head a little. “I thought the museum here might have some hidden gems, but…if they’re all like this, then there can’t be much more to appreciate.” He turned to the guy, curious. “You see anything to this that I don’t?”

Cain was the curator but he wasn’t the one that called the shots on the exhibits, he simply authenticated everything. His job was to make sure they had the best, but when a town generally went to hell and back, you get shitty last minute art. “I can honestly tell you that right now nothing in here is going to be worth a damn. They’re working on getting better art exhibits, but this is kind of the run of the mill crap you see because the town went to hell for a bit and the necessary powers that be weren’t able to get the goods. Really though tell me what you’re a fan of, and I’ll make it happen within the next couple of weeks or quicker.”

Ava: Why do you even want to talk about him?

Ava: I don't even like him like that.

Cain: Because I want to?

Cain: Im going to leave the conversation and come back in five minutes.

[Five minutes later]

Her eyebrows knitted together at his words before she comprehended what he was saying and dropped the wallet unceremoniously. “Are you really admitting to a petty theft attempt to a person you’ve never met before?” Gemma stepped back slightly and crossed her arms over her chest with a snort, “I could be a police officer or something.”

“Yeah…you could be, but no crime was truly committed. No money taken. The mark didn’t report a theft, press charges, and I could be a compulsive liar, or simply trying to strike up conversation with a nice looking stranger…”

“Well I hope for your sake, and theirs, that you’re right,” she commented with a shake of her head.  She closed the app on her phone, completely disgusted by the prospect at this point.  “It’s definitely not worth the awkwardness.  I’m half tempted to hack his phone and delete his profile.”

His lips upturned in a grin when she said that she was tempted to hack his phone and delete the profile. “Honestly, that would be my plan. It wouldn’t be hard to steal it if you’re already close. And that makes figuring out the passcode a little easier because people are predictable.” Hell it was probably something dumb and sentimental like her birthday. Which Cain couldn’t say much because his phone passcode was a combination of Ava, Ally and his sister’s birth years.