Victim x Assassin (Closed to TertiusHuman)

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Make it stop. She really needed the beeping to stop, it was so annoying. And the throbbing in her head needed to stop. Groaning she opened her eyes slowly, her vision was blurry at first, but slowly it cleared, she was in a hospital room. Her throat was so dry. Swallowing thickly she looked around the room, trying to sit up, and groaning.

"Easy, Easy now, ma'am." Turning her head she saw a female nurse. The nurse got her a sip of water. and elevated her bed for her. "Can you speak?" She nodded her head and had a couple of failed attempts before she managed. "Yes. What happened?" The nurse smiled, pleased. "Good. You were hit by a car while crossing the street. Can you tell us your name?"

"Cassandra Shaw." They went over details of her life. She was 28 years old, she was raised in a foster group home in New York City, then she moved to Chicago. she knew she lived in a little cabin outside of the city. She knew she was a security guard at a hospital that was between two particularly nasty gangs.

But the last two years of her life was gone. She had no memory of anything in the last two years.

The doctor assured her that this was not unusual, and it should fade with time.

She had gotten very lucky, her injuries were fairly minor. She had a serious concussion, she had a dislocated shoulder though they'd put it back in place by now, she had three broken ribs, and many lacerations and bruises.

She'd been in a coma for four days. Now that she was awake, it was a good sign, but no one had come looking for her yet. She didn't know if she had any close friends or a boyfriend, so she'd likely have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days at least, until they felt comfortable releasing her into her own care.

Finally she was left alone, she laid her head back as she tried to remember anything in the last couple of years, but it was all just blank, as if those years had never happened.

Andrew Cross sat opposite Michael, just Michael. Of course Andrew knew that the seemingly tough guy leader of the Outlawz was actually just Michael Stephens, the son of a middle-class family and who grew up in a nice, stable environment, but he kept the fact that he knew that to himself.

"So you see this bitch, she saw us icing that motherfucker. We were looking for her and one of the boys spotted her going to the Police. Some stupid fucker wasn't looking and he hit her with his car and drove off. Pigs didn't even give chase. Bitch looked dead, but they managed to save her."

Andrew raised an eyebrow, "So?"

"So we can't get near her, but some birdy told me that she remembers nothing. She only knows her name and her work. I want you to make certain that it is all she can remember and then whack her."

Andrew rubbed his thumb and forefinger over his jaw and shrugged, "Normal fee?"

"Yeah. Maybe something extra."

"Half now, half later?"

"As usual man."

Andrew rose to his feet, picking up the picture and looking at it, flipping it over to check the name and other details on the back. Dropping it back on the desk when he's done.

"I'll let you know when it's done."

No other words were needed as Andrew turned from the table and the faux-tough guy. He exited the double story house and get into his car. He sits a moment and decide to get a back story straight and the easiest way for him to get close to this woman will be to start looking for her where she could be found by a person who would know her.

He starts the car and drive off, under the details was the place she worked and he drove to the hospital. There he started asking around for Cassandra Shaw, the people knew her or knew about her and they directed him towards the hospital where she would be found.

He drove to the hospital and after a few inquiries he ended up at the nursing station on the floor where Cassandra Shaw lay in a hospital bed.

"Sir, I can't give you a room number until I know your relation to the person."

Well there was only one way to go with and he would just have to roll the dice and hope it lands good for him.

"The people at her work told me that she's here. I'm her boyfriend."

The nurse frowned and looked down at the forms on her desk. "It doesn't say here that she has a boyfriend and she's been here for almost five days sir."

"Yes I know, we have only started dating three weeks ago and we are keeping it quiet for now. I only heard that she's missing today, when I came back from a business trip."

"You didn't stay in touch?"

"No reception. I had a client out in the desert."

And he had the slight sun burn to show for it. He just didn't have a client, he did a job for a client. The nurse inspects him and he tries his best to look a bit skittish.

"I just want to know if she's OK. I heard that she took quite a nasty hit from a car and I am worried."

"I can tell you that she is stable sir."

Just then another nurse joins the first one and gives Andrew a look, "What's going on?"

The nurse turned to her partner, "This gentleman claims to be the boyfriend of a patient, but I can't find him on her papers."

"Which patient?"

"Five zero one"

The second nurse looked at Andrew then at the other nurse. "We've been waiting for somebody to come asking specifically for her. How long have you known her sir?"

"We've been dating for three weeks, I met her at a supermarket two months ago."

After a quick discussion, the two nurses took Andrew's details and then showed him to Cassandra's room. He paused at the door, making sure that the woman represented the one in the picture, but of course she looked a bit different from the the hard hits.

"Sandy?"

Cass looked over curiously when she heard someone at her door, calling her Sandy. She frowned, eyeing the man, he didn't look familiar at all. But that wasn't all that surprising given she had no real memory. Of the last several years. "Ah, I think you may have the wrong person." She said with a slight smile. "I'm Cass." Cass or Cassandra, or sometimes Shaw, was the only thing people called her, She disliked the nicknames Sandra and Sandy, she didn't even really like Cassie, though she tolerated it by certain people.

She tilted her head a she watched him, the look on his face said that she was suppose to know him, but she couldn't seem to remember anything about him. She sat up more fully in bed, only using one arm, since the other arm was still in the sling. It had been five days and she desperately wanted to go home and start figuring out her life. But until the doctor was content with her progress or she had someone to go home with they weren't willing to release her yet. Though Cass was proving to be more than capable of taking care of herself on her own.

Her bright eyes, continuing to watch him, she asked, "I'm sorry I have some pretty severe memory loss, am I suppose to know you?" She asked, not wanting to offend or upset him, if she was suppose to know him, but she just couldn't remember this man at all. he chewed her lower lip, a bad habit she had when she was fairly nervous or unsure, though she hadn't done it in a long time. Probably because it had been a long time sine she was still unsure or feeling this vulnerable.

OK so that one didn't go quite as well, he shrugged inwardly and with a concerned expression he moved to her bed side.

"You weren't quite this defensive when you almost ran me over in the supermarket."

He gave her a slight smile, "My name is Andrew Cross, we're dating. Or at least that is the impression I've had for the past three weeks before I went on my business trip. And I am pretty sure I have the right person, you did introduce yourself as Cass, but didn't argue too much about me calling you Sandy."

He smiled, "And I called you Sandy ever since you took that spill on the beach, you had sand everywhere and had to take two showers to get clean."

He made a move to take her hand, but paused and let his hand fall to his side. "You can't remember anything?"

Cass tilted her head as she listened to him as he introduced herself, explaining the nickname. It sounded oddly cute when he explained it. She shook her head. “Sorry. I’m feeling vulnerable and that leads me to being a little defensive.” She said with a faint smile, biting her lip. Tilting her head “So we met at a supermarket and we’re dating.” She nodded. She had no reason no to believe him, so she didn’t question him.

She shook her head. “I remember my childhood, I remember moving here, my house, my job, but the last couple years are blank. I guess I got hit by a car. Doc says my memory will probably come back as I heal but it might not.” She said as she watched Andrew. “Maybe you can help me fill in some of the blanks on my life, at least the last three weeks.”

He nodded and pulled up a chair, sitting next to her bed. "I can only tell you about what we did together. I know that you worked security at a hospital, you mentioned a ex once. You said that for now you thought it best that we kept our going out quiet. I never pressed why, I know that is the fastest way to anger you."

He leaned back in the chair, "You were hit by a car, even though there were a lot of people in front of the Police station, nobody even made an effort to look at the car or even find out anything about it. At your work they told me that you almost didn't make it. I am glad that you did. Even if you don't remember me."

She frowns as he talks, she’d hoped some of it would spark a memory but it sounded like he was talking about a stranger. She nodded “Yes, they told me it was tough and go for a while, particularly the head injury worried them. They wouldn’t release me into my own care, probably still won’t.” She mused. A couple of her coworkers from the hospital had visited her but they couldn’t really tell her much about her, her partner could tell her the most but even that wasn’t a great deal beyond her daily habits. “Maybe now that you’re here, they’ll let me out of here.” She mused.

He smiled slightly.

"So does that mean that you finally decided to have me come over to your place?"

He made a light joke and then nodded, "I could ask them if they can release you under my care. As long as you will not be a difficult patient I think I can help you get back on your feet. I did look after my father and though he didn't get better, I did get some practice there."

He got to his feet, "Let me find out and is there anything you'd like? I can get it for you if they want to keep you for observation and I can stay a while, give you a person to talk to?"

She chuckles, "Yeah I guess this means I'll be inviting you over." She could see the appeal in the man, why she'd been interested in him. "Ah, no I don't need anything, but yeah if they won't let me go, I'd love for you to stay. I feel a little lost, ya know? Kinda nice being around someone who knows me, even if you don't know me all that well." She said as she reached over with her good arm to grab her glass of water and takes a sip. She relaxed back into the uncomfortable bed.

The doctor would agree to release Cassandra as long as Andrew agreed to stay with her and monitor her, since she had a severe concussion, along with her other injuries.

It took some needling, phoning, talking and coercing, but when he finally returned to Cassandrak4 room, he had a folder with documents under his arm and a slight smile.

"Well the doctors released you into my care. I will just have to stay on you like a burr on a cat's tail for a few days and make sure you take your medication and act sane-like most of the time."

He looked at his watch, "With the nurse on her way to get you changed, I think we can stop at a grocer. I can make your favorite tonight to celebrate."

Cassandra smiled when Andrew returned, she nodded, "I promise to be a good patient." She chuckles in amusement. She tilted her head when he mentioned her favorite, she couldnt' seem to remember that, a lot of her personal likes and dislikes, she couldn't seem to remember. "What is my favorite?" She asked curiously.

The nurse appeared not long after and helped Cass into the bathroom to change. Then she was ready to go. "Thank you," She murmured with a smile, she made her way out to Andrew, seemingly able to keep her balance pretty well, though she looked a little shaky on her feet.

Andrew offered his arm for her to hook into, to help steady her. "You used to talk with praise about this dish. I looked it up and basically it is chicken baked with a mild curry on a bed of rice."

They picked up her medication, "If you don't mind, I'd like to grab a few things at my place. I will need a shower, I still am in my travel clothes."

He smiled at her as they walked out of the building, "I have signed so many papers about you today, I feel like I got married without knowing it."

She laughed, gratefully using him to catch her balance. "Yeah sure, I'm in no rush." She said with a smile. They were able to leave the hospital and Cass let Andrew lead the way, since she couldn't remember what he drove. She knew she should know, afterall they were dating, she should know a fair bit about him, but she knew nothing, it bothered her immensely, but she figured with some patience and spending some time with him that some of the memories would come back. at least she hoped so.

He led her to his car, "Now if you are going to make fun of my Beemer and that it is a diesel, I will return you to your bed and let them poke and prod you."

The alarm disarmed and he opened the door for her, the car immaculately clean inside. He fussed slightly, making sure she was comfortable before he got in. A quick stop at his building, he grabbed an overnight bag, packed with the essentials and soon enough they pulled up at her place, groceries and bag resting on the back seat.

He looked at her and grinned, "What fun it would be to carry you into your own place, but I do prefer my nose unbroken." The twinkle in his eyes lending strength to his teasing

Cass stayed in the car when they stopped at his house and at the store, her body just wasn't up for a lot of walking yet. Arriving at home, she frowned, not recognizing it. She eyeballed him and smirked. "And a broken nose you would have if you picked me up." She teased. Climbing sorely out of the car she walked up to the door, frowning as she didn't recognize anything. She used the keys she'd had on her from her accident. Walking inside, the house was very normal looking. it had a rustic, log cabin feel, a fire place in the living room, a long couch and a love seat. The kitchen was small and nothing special. Stairs led both up and down. Cassandra chewed her lower lip as she walked around, wishing she could remember anything about this house or her life.

Andrew followed her inside, his hands filled with groceries and his bag. He ran a critical eye over the interior and noticed a few pictures, he also noticed that the place appeared clean and well-kept. Even though she could have cleaned up before she went out, the place had a just-cleaned feel to it.

Maybe she had a cleaning service which came in? He filed the thought away and followed her unsure exploring moves. He felt kind of sorry for her, not being able to remember anything. Well at least it made his job easier. He spotted the kitchen and entered it, placing the bags down on the counter.

"From what I have seen so far, you have a nice place."

She swallowed hard and nodded, "Yeah, it is a nice place, wish I could say why this place is how it is, but I can't. It doesn't feel like home, a stranger could live here for all I know." She mused. Taking off her shoes she continued to wander. In the basement she found a fully finished basement with workout equipment and a bathroom. Upstairs she found an office, a guest bedroom and what she assumed was her bedroom, all sparsely but neatly furnished, attached to her bedroom was that master bathroom. She stroked a hand over the neatly made bed, "I guess I'm a neat freak." She chuckled to herself, it appeared that not an item was out of place. She made her way back to the living room, and she heard a soft 'mew' then again, suddenly a little black kitten toddled out from under the couch, looking all sleepy. "Well hi sweetheart," Cass stooped down to pick up the kitten. the little furball purred and curled into it's human. It had no collar, so she had no clue what it's name was. Cass stoked the kitten as she wandered to find Andrew, likely in the kitchen.

Andrew had made a quick raconteur of the office, he didn't dig, just observed, by the time Catherine made her way up from the basement, he was back in the kitchen, busy preparing dinner. He had gone through all the closets and found what he needed.

When she showed up in the doorway cradling a kitten, he had set out a tall glass with a few ice cubes and the soda he had found in the fridge. He gave her a smile and went on with the preparation, "Seems like you have found the owner of the two bowls over there."

Drying his hands he moved closer and started a nice neck and back scratch, eliciting a fresh round of purring. Grinning he returned, washed his hands and finished the chicken, before popping it into the oven.

"You might want to finish the soda, it's about to go flat and may I suggest you get a nice white wine, natural sweet. Should go perfectly with the chicken."

Cassandra smiled, cuddling the kitten, "I guess, I don't know her name though," She said, the kitten looked young, probably only 9 or so weeks. She watched Andrew cooked, "Okay, yeah I'll look for wine," She said, tucking the kitten into one hand and going to begin rummaging around, she didn't know where anything was.

It took several minutes before she made a sound of success. "Found it," She carried the bottle to the table and set it down. Then she plopped the kitten down on the floor next to his food bowl, "Where do you suppose your food is kept?" SHe asked before going to the cabinets and began looking for canned food.

Eventually she found it and fed the cat. "It's going to be a never ending adventure in order for me to find anything," She laughed.

Andrew raised an eyebrow, "You clearly are a woman with various secrets. I didn't expect you to have wine in your house."

He collected the wine and placed it in the freezer, finishing with the food preperations, he picked up his glass and sipped at it as he watched her feed the kitten.

"I am sure that the people you regularly come in contact with will fill in a lot of cracks and holes. I for one knew at least what you claim to enjoy to eat. I know I don't look it, but I am kind of partial to a good pizza and a cold beer."

He actually was, it wasn't a made-up fact like he should have been giving her, in fact, as he thought back, she knew more about him by now than most of his "business associates". He sipped his drink and placed it on the counter.