Cody Jean

It was that difficult time of year, again, where life was both a celebration and a remembrance of loss. Hsu had gotten somewhat better, since he got Daniel back, but he still hid himself away much of the time, with his opium and his grief.

But mornings were usually better, and Cody made sure to fix a huge, festive breakfast on Daniel's tenth birthday. Ten years old! There were hot, fresh waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, or butter and syrup. She made crisp bacon, orange juice, coffee, tea and had the first group of presents all ready for the growing boy, when he would come bounding down the stairs. The men were drawn to the decorations and the smells from the kitchen, and Cody smacked Andy's hand, when he snuck a piece of bacon.

"Happy Birthday, Daniel!!!!"


******

James had snuck downstairs at the Ranch, and cooked up a feast for breakfast, with all of his big brother's favorite things. The teenager had become a fairly good cook, and omlettes were a specialty, with potatoes, veggies, ham, bacon...whatever people wanted, and he cooked them to order. He decorated the table, and was rather proud that he had beaten his mom to the punch. There were muffins and coffee, tea and jam, and he grinned at Cody and Hsu as they came in.

"Good morning, Father!" James grinned at his dad, and then yelled upstairs. "Ben! Daniel! Get down here!"

******

Roma had imperiously demanded that the chef leave the kitchen, so she could cook her father a special breakfast. In the midst of all the drama surrounding the wedding and such, she went over to Tabar to surprise Daniel with a personally cooked gourmet breakfast, just like the stories she had heard from her mother, and it was going to be great!

The smoke alarms brought in Maxil, Ash Oktar and that odious Hart sleaze. All three men just stared at the frazzled Princess, who had sticky bits of syrup down the front of her designer blouse, and flour all in her dark hair, on her cheek and on every surface in the kitchen. John Hart took out a communicator, and used the camera option to snap a shot, before she threw a spatula at him with remarkable force and accuracy. The chef was cursing in several languages, in the hallway, waiting for Daniel to make his way in. Hart had already woken Dan up, with a birthday blowout, so Dan had gone for a shower, not knowing of the fabulous treat that would be awaiting him...once they got the fire out.

The dust flew up around her, and for a moment, Cody was sorry she hadn't put her hair up. But since it was Hsu arriving in Australia, she had kept it down, to please him. The sleek jet landed on the remote airstrip, and taxied over near where she sat astride her pretty Pinto pony. Her gloved hand held onto the reins of a grey, strong but small, mount, saddled up for her mentor. Hsu had been flying for over thirty hours, give or take, and she knew him far too well to think that he wouldn't be restless. Besides, they had much to discuss before they arrived at the school.

The two ponies snorted at the noise and wind, but the plane engines shut down, and the door opened up. Three men came out, first, armed to the teeth. Cody, herself, was armed with pistols and sword. Along the airfield, private for the school, there was an army, some of which were older students being taught by mercenaries. Orestes stepped down, his eyes always scanning, moving, checking, before he flicked a finger and the attendant stepped back for Hsu to come down the stairs. As Cody had thought, he was dressed in jeans, and his glance over to her was unreadable, before she saw the slight nod and hint of approval. She knew him, so well, and he always seemed to like how she thought about things without being told. Orestes headed over to the SUV's, calling out orders to men and being introduced to the most senior of the students, a young man named Darrell, who was young and black, muscular and reminded Cody a bit of Marcus. Darrell had won his first challenge, and the trainer presented him to Orestes, who shook his hand and introduced him to Hsu. The young man's face was one of almost worship, and he lit up when Hsu spoke to him, before Orestes invited him to ride in the main car with him. This was a high honor, indeed, and Hsu walked across the grass to where she waited, his expression calm. This was what he had built, and they had intended, so she hoped he would be pleased and proud of the school that would train and indoctrinate his own personal army. It was a great school, with the best facilities.
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Cody snuck James into Hsu's room while he was in the shower. When his beloved "PaPa" came out, the seven month old was sitting alone on the bed, in his safety seat. Next to him was a new, sleek helmet, and a card.

James was waving a leather and gold keyring around, and when he opened the card, he might find some baby hand prints, and the words...

Hey, Big Daddy! Am I too little to ride with you? Better come see before Dan Dan takes it!

Outside the front door, there was a gorgeous machine...newly delivered...

http://blogs-images.forbes.com/joshmax/files/2011/07/03-Diavel-Carbon1.jpg

"What are all of you guys doing in here?" Cody Jean looked up from her computer, seeing that, in the last ten minutes, her office had filled with various different males from the staff at the palace. Cherry was looking at Lars, who had casually sauntered into the room, like he was supposed to be there for a meeting or something. "Hsu is over on Tabar, taking care of some trade business with Daniel."

"I know." Lars smiled, and Cody Jean rolled her eyes, because Lars was just messing around, as if she was still back in the day when she didn't know anything about men, sex, life or him. Besides, men were...well...men. They looked, a lot. "Andy is with him for the meeting. Thought we might talk about the reception for the Poosh delegation."

"They aren't coming for two weeks, Lars." Cody went through this, every year, and the guys could just come out and be honest, but nooooo, they had to play this game of wanting to be there without admitting it. Why not just admit it?

The last straw, for Cody Jean, was when Gordon Ramsey came in bearing a tray of tempting treats, insisting that he needed her opinion on some new menu items.
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Some may be familiar, some new, but all Cody:
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"You are being the most UNREASONABLE parent in history!" The staff at the Ranch turned, almost in unison, as the long haired young man shouted down the hallway. It wasn't new for there to be conflict in the house...not at all. What was new was that it was Cody Jean at the receiving end of it.

"You listen to me, mister, so long as you park your feet under the table that I set for you, you will do what I say!" Cody was gesturing wildly, typical of when she was really pissed off. Orestes had to smother a grin, as he walked back into the control room. Hsu and Daniel were about to walk in from the stables, after a ride, and they would walk right into a conflict that just might feel familiar.

"It's none of your business!" James came downstairs, dressed in jeans and a crisp, white shirt. "This is not something that I am going to ask my mother's permission for."

"Oh, don't you take that tone with me, young man. I am your mother. I own the air you breathe, kiddo." The usually reasonable Cody Jean was not so reasonable, not when it came to her baby boy. "Some little tramp wiggles her tiny hiney at you, and you are off like a dog after a bitch in heat. Well, I'm not having it. You're too young." That was a grumble, because Cody saw Hsu coming in, with Danny.

"Father says I am older than he was, and older than Daniel was, too." James always did know how to pull out the 'Papa says' card, whenever he and Cody butted heads over anything.

"Your father had his first time with his uncle's fourth...fifteenth...I don't know...wife. That was back in a day when men were lucky to make it to twenty, without being eaten by a dinosaur!" Orestes took position, eating an apple, in the doorway, to watch this one play out. "Daniel had a hooker on his fifteenth birthday."

"Why didn't I get that?" James crossed his arms, a mirror image of his much tinier mother.

"Because I wanted be...that's not the topic, right now. I said no, meant no, and that's that! And DON'T you two even open your yaps." Cody pointed at Hsu and Daniel, as they strode in, narrowing her eyes. "This is one topic that I intend to have the last say on. James is sixteen, the girl is eighteen, and I say no. That's it, that's all, that's final." She spun on her heel, heading towards the kitchen. "MAMA SAYS!"

"YOU CAN'T STOP ME FROM HAVING SEX, MOM!" James shouted after her.

"Wanna bet?" Cody held up his car keys from the door, shaking them. "I dare you to find a single bodyguard in this house willing to take you to Super Ho's place. Good luck with that, Mister Big Balls. I got your balls, right here, little boy." The girl was older, quite sexy, blonde and willing to tutor the young Hsu on the ways of women. She had also been cleared by security. "I'll snatch that bitch bald, she puts her ho-bait hands on my son...I tell you what..." Cody tucked the keys into her jeans pocket, and went back to cooking, grumbling about trampy sluts looking for innocent boys.

James looked at his father and brother, pleading with his eyes. "Father..."

Cody poked her head in and glared at the pair. "Don't even think about it." Then she went back in, confident that her word would stand.

After my Bug was busted up by a Quickening, we got it fixed and all. But it was never the same. So Hsu said I could pick any new car I wanted, because I had been doing really well in school.

OOC: BIG picture, under the cut.

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Alexa Havins has done some recent guest roles. Here are some new piccies, some with red hair.

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WHAT IF:
1. I died:
2. I kissed you:
3. I lived next door to you:
4. You found out I was married:
5. I stole something:
6. I was hospitalized:
7. I refused to leave my home:
8. I got into a fight while you were there:

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MY:
9. Personality:
10. Eyes:
11. Hair:
12. Family:

WOULD YOU:
13. Help me hide a body?
14. Keep a secret if I told you one?
15. Hold my hand?
16. Take a bullet for me?
17. Try to solve my problems?
18. Love me?
19. Date me?

HAVE YOU EVER:
20. Lied to make me feel better?
21. Wanted to kiss me?
22. Wanted to kill me?
23. Broke my heart?
24. Kept something important from me?
25. Thought I was unbearably annoying?

AND MORE:
26. Who are you?
27. Are we friends?
28. Describe me in three words?
29. What was your first impression?
30. Do you still think that way about me now?
31. What reminds you of me?
32. If you could give me anything, what would it be?
33. How well do you know me?
34. When's the last time you saw me?
35. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?

OOC: Setting this not long after Cody loses her virginity to Hsu, because I miss writing young Cody. Cross posted to erotic_city and her LJ.

A. Muse Questionaire

1. What sensory memory comes to mind when recalling your first time?

How when I threw my hand up, it hit the window of the jet, and it was so, so cold, while the rest of me was very, very warm.

2. How soon after your first time did you have a second? Was it with the same person?
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You Don't Wear the Pants in Your Relationship

Your sweetie has most of the power in your relationship, and you may like it that way. You feel like you can relax when someone else is calling the shots. There's nothing wrong with this arrangement, as long as your feelings are being taken into account. But if your partner is taking advantage of your kindness, you may need to reevaluate your relationship.

You Are an Alpha Female

Powerful, confident, and successful - you are definitely a dominant force. You control social and dating situations. It's clear that you're always in charge.

OOC: In response to muse_galaxy song lyric 1 and prompt 2. Hsu and bodyguards used with permission of their mun. This is after Hsu beds her, but before he leaves with the Rani.

"You will accompany me to a business dinner tomorrow night." Hsu took a sip of his coffee, without looking up from the newspaper. "Cocktail dress."

"I don't have any cocktail dresses." Cody muttered, while chewing her waffle bite.
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If you need to get hold of me, just leave a message here and I'll get back to you.

The stench of sulfur was inescapable. Cody couldn’t help but lift her hand over her nose, though it did no good, trudging across the decimated poppy field towards the large, heavily guarded ship. All over the planet, people were dying, and those not dying were fleeing the cities for the few protected outposts of protection, the enclaves of safety where the food, water and other resources had been centralized. The financial systems had collapsed months ago, though Hsu had been prepared, moving his vast wealth, and that of his allies, into outstation holdings on sympathetic planets.

In the rear of the ship, there were stalls built for the twenty or so horses that would leave with them on this last trip. Hsu and Daniel had been gone for a long time, scouring the galaxy for a new home. Cody had waited, here, preparing herself and organizing the shuttle flights that had gone before, carrying art, treasures, animals and other wealth. This was the last, as the new provisional Earth government had decreed that all flights leaving Earth airspace would be searched, and anyone attempting to take any Earth property out would be imprisoned and their assets seized. Hsu had foreseen this, he had foreseen it all, and his quiet, methodical acquisition of the planet Boukun had been the one thing they needed to not only survive, but to prosper.

The smoke did little to blot out the hot sun, nor did it take away from the stench so like rotten eggs, which came from the opened gas lines and decomposing bodies of the myriad of animals dying all over. Fortunately, there had been some progressive sorts, like Hsu, who had taken some of the hardier, more adaptable, species. Those animals would hopefully acclimate to their new planets, and survive. A few of the more delicate ones might remain in captivity, until they died out or flourished. But Earth would never be as it was. It was too late.

“Miss Lane? Commander Travers says it’s time to go.” The young man who came up behind her was like many of Hsu’s mortal guards. He was grateful for the chance to flee the destruction, and to start a new adventure. As Cody looked out over the smoldering ruins of a field, and over the horizons of hills, she wondered how many young men before him had done such adventures here, on this planet, where an ocean or a range of mountains was all that stood between them and a whole new world. Now it was a universe that they would cross, to rejoin her family, and to take control of a planet fresh with promise, but awash in revolution.

For the moment, Cody Jean ignored the young man behind her, and she hugged her arms around herself as she imagined Hsu riding with his Huns, trying to conquer the world. Now, like the Huns, this world was dying out. All of the years of paperwork, documents, buildings, discs, land and work seemed crazy, now that they were going. Oh, they had served a purpose, surely, but when she thought about the importance that had been placed on things that were now nothing, it made her wonder what it was all for.

“All of the music. The poetry and the art. The court cases. Newspapers. Trophies.” Her voice seemed to barely rise over the crackling and engine whirring. “All of the stuff that is just gone.”

The man, like so many in Hsu’s employ, wasn’t paid to think. He was paid, trained, to take orders. Philosophy wasn’t high on the list of attributes for foot soldiers. “It’s time…”

“Yes. It’s time.” In this ship, they had some of the greatest treasures of Earth, tucked away in vaults of steel for a safe journey from the planet where their creators lay in the soil. “It is time to start over.”

Cody turned, and walked on the steel ramp leading to the passenger section of the craft. Already strapped in their seats were two dozen young men and women, the best of the best, soldiers for a new planet, who would serve a man thousands of years old. Cody nodded to them, waving the one who had summoned her to his spot, the last empty seat in the section. Then she walked through the hall to the first class passenger area, and greeted the few guests they had brought. Most of Hsu’s allies, many Immortals, had already left on earlier flights. She took her seat as the engines whined, and the ship lifted from the Earth below it. In minutes, they were in flight, and she, along with the others, watched the monitors as the planet below them grew smaller and smaller. None of them said anything, each lost in their thoughts about what was, and what might be.

This is going to be Cody's primary writing journal. I'm changing the name, too.

“You see, Marcus. The ending is only the beginning.”

The Human Comedy (1943)

“What’s it like?” Marcus’ quiet question jolted her out of her peaceful reverie. They were sitting in front of the fire, at the ranch, and she was reading one of her textbooks on death and dying, which was required for her Psychology class. Caesar was lying there, Andy was working on his laptop, Lars was petting the dog and Csaba was sipping some of the cider Cody had made for them all. Outside, the wind was howling, the ferocious storm dumping snow in swirls of blinding white. Inside, the roaring fire, hot drink and peace was comforting, though they were all so very aware of the empty chair and the missing person they wished were with them. Of course, they had become more informal, in his absence, being able to do this in the evenings.

She lifted her brown eyes from the pages of the book, and looked into his darker ones. “What?”

“Dying.” The quiet word was simply stated, but it was loaded with the mystery that all mortals felt about that final act.

The four men in the room all looked at her closely as she set the open book down in her lap, and picked up her mug to take a sip of the sweet, spicy drink. “The first time was weird, you know? Quiet. It was dark and so quiet. I could feel like I wasn’t alone. I felt warm and safe. No pain. No fear. Just…calm.”

“What, was there a light?” Andy joked, but his eyes were serious, as she set down her cup.

“No. No light. No angels singing.” Cody grinned, fiddling with the edge of the book page. “I remember feeling as though I was safe, and loved. But then I was pulled back.”

The four men were hardened mercenaries, who had each killed more than his fair share. None of them were evil, all of them had many facets and sides to their personalities, and Cody loved each of them, for different reasons and in different ways. She truly had come to view them as her family. For every Immortal who is known to mortals for their true selves, there is that divide, that gap between the inevitable end they would face in time, and the possibility that the Immortal would never face it for more than a few minutes.

Marcus, especially, seemed fascinated by it all. “What do you think happens if someone isn’t pulled back?”

“I believe in God. I believe there is a heaven and a hell, and I think that hell isn’t fire and brimstone, but really just a separation from God. I think it’s a place where people who are really wicked and evil go to. But most people go to heaven.” Her youth and innocence mixed with her faith, and she smiled a smile of optimistic affection at them all. “You guys will all go there. I know it. But not for a long, long time, when you’re all really old.”

“After we get our hot nurses, right?” Lars winked, teasing.

“Of course.” They all laughed, and she looked back down at her book.

“You still don’t think it’s the end?” Marcus asked, shifting in his seat. “Even if someone isn’t Immortal?”

Cody smiled warmly at her friend, and bodyguard, shaking her head. “No way! There’s a better place over there, where you get to be with the people you love, and who love you, and you get to do all the things you love.” Cody put down her book, and got up to take her cup back in the kitchen, stopping to kiss the top of Marcus’ head as she passed. “You see, Marcus. The ending is only the beginning.”

“For you.” He laughed, and shook his head.

“For all of us. I believe that.”

TEN FAVORITES
01. Televison show: I don't watch a lot, but Satellite Five carries old Earth shows, and I admit I sometimes veg out on those.
02. Flower: Ylang Ylang, but there aren't any of those in Boukun.
03. Color: Black and yellow
04. Sport: In the last six years, I get really good at basketball with Vett.
05. Picture of yourself:

06. Music: Country and Boukunian folk, which sounds a lot like heavy metal.
07. Foods: Potatoes, lobster, apples, enchiladas
08. Season: Winter
09. Animal: Pandas. We saved some and breed them here.
10. Quote: The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. - Eleanor Roosevelt


TEN FACTS
01. Hometown: Flat Creek, Kentucky, Earth
02. Hair color: Blonde
03. Hair length: Long
04. Hair style: Usually worn up, these days
05. Eye color: Brown
06. Shoe size: 7
07. Mood: Tired
08. Orientation: Primarily het with exceptions for the exceptional.
09. Available?: Yes
10. Lefty/righty: Right

TEN THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE
01. Have you ever been in love: I thought I was...yes.
02. Do you believe in love: Sometimes
03. Why did your last relationship fail? Because he disappeared two years ago.
04. Have you ever been heartbroken?: Yes
05. Have you ever broken someone's heart: Yes
06. Have you ever fallen for your best friend: Not answering that.
07. Have you ever loved someone but never told them: Yes
08. Are you afraid of commitment: Not really
09. Do you have a secret admirer: It's not much of a secret.
10. Do you believe in love at first sight: Yes

TEN THINGS: THIS OR THAT
01. Love or money: Money is easier to handle.
02. Hard liquor or beer: I hate beer.
04. One night stands or relationships: Pass
05. Television or internet: Internet
06. Pepsi or coke: Coke, one of the official sponsors of Tabar.
07. Wild night out or romantic night in: Both
08. Colored or black and white pictures: Both
09. Phone or in person: In person.
10. AIM or myspace: Neither, those are ancient history.

TEN EMOTIONS
01. Are you missing someone right now: Yes
02. Are you happy: Not really
03. Are you talking to anyone right now: No
04. Are you bored: No.
05. Are you German: No.
06. Are you Irish: No.
07. Are you French: No.
08. Are you Italian: No.
09. Are your parents still married: Dead
10. Do you like someone right now: I like a number of people.

Blood is thicker than water, and twice as hard to get out in the wash…it was also a damned pain in the neck.

“This coat is brand new!” Cody pulled the garment off of her, sighing. For some reason that she had not been able to figure out in over three hundred years, Cody Jean couldn’t fight without getting drenched in the stuff. “I feel like Carrie.”

“Who?” Danny only had a few blotches of the stuff, but he was still stripping off the things he was wearing, just in case someone came to his room. They had managed to slip back inside, using the same emergency exit they slipped out with. He unbuttoned his striped shirt and pulled it off, his bare chest still damp with sweat from the battle.

“Carrie…from the movie?” She tugged her sweater over her head, grimacing at the wetness and the slightly metallic smell. “Before your time, I guess. Actually before mine, but the woman reminded me of my granny. Anyway, they dump a bucket of pig’s blood on her head when she’s crowned Prom Queen…” Cody turned around and saw Daniel standing there in just his jeans, after he had pulled off his boots and socks.

“So what did Carrie do?” He was watching her, as well, taking in the sight of her in her black silky bra, and her body. The sparks nearly crackled between them, and it was more than the double Quickening. He had wanted her for so long.

“Um, she had powers, you know? And she killed them all. The whole gym full of people.” Her voice sounded far away, and her thoughts were even farther away. They were in an elevator in Switzerland, and anyplace that she could put them. Anyplace but on his hard abdomen. Fuck…no NOT fuck. “I need a shower. And a drink.”

“Use mine.” He just grinned, that boyish grin that had kept him out of trouble with her since he was so little. “You can’t go back to your room with blood all over you. The guards will be on the commlink to Dad in two seconds. I’ll get you one of my shirts. Sleep here. Please?” He went over to the bar and poured them both a glass of something.

“I need more than this.” She was trembling, the aftereffects of the Quickening hitting her much harder than ever before. Cody could hardly hold the glass, splashing some on her chest as she tried to drink. “Now I definitely need a shower.”

Daniel was just watching her, his eyes dark and as intense as blue ones that she was trying not to think about.

Cody shook her head. “We can’t.”

“Why not?”

“He wouldn’t like it.” She took two steps back, towards the bathroom. If she could just take a cold shower, clear her head…

“He doesn’t ever have to know.” Danny took three steps, his eyes locked on hers, not releasing her. He was almost feline in his approach.

“You’ll throw it in his face.”

“I won’t.”

“Swear it.” Two more steps backwards.

“I swear.” Daniel made the motion of crossing his heart, and took three more steps. “You want me. It’s not our fault. It’s the Quickening.” Persuasion. Rational persuasion for absolute madness.

“I need a shower.” Cody spun and ran into the bathroom, locking the door. The shower didn’t help. The hot part. The cold part. Her skin still danced with electrical currents, and she still wanted him. Damn it.

She came out, wrapped in the bath sheet, and looked at him. He was standing over by the window, wearing only his robe. The only light on was a faint one, from the bar. Cody Jean closed her eyes, knowing that this was as inevitable as the consequences would be, when it was discovered. Her damp hair hung over her shoulders, cold tips against her far too warm flesh. “Danny.”

He turned away from the window, his expression blankly tinged with hurt that he wouldn’t show, because he was, after all, his father’s son. It changed as she dropped the towel, breaking into a smile of pleasure, and yes, triumph. She counted the steps it took for him to cross the space between them. Seven. She was too busy kissing him to count the steps to the bed. By then her legs were wrapped around his waist and her mind had better things to ponder.