Cadence sat through the rest of the memorial practically numb. She had no idea what she had witnessed, but she knew she needed to talk to Aaron sooner rather than later. She still wasn't sure where he had gone or if he was back. She made it through the rest of the service, Sydney's hand in hers, and took a deep sigh of relief when the final prayer was said, and Rev. Jones invited everyone to join them on the baseball diamond for the ashes ceremony.
As Cadence and her friends stood, there was another exchange of hugs. Some people who had not embraced Cadence before the memorial came over to do so now, telling her how wonderful her speech was. She thanked them the best she could, still a bit stunned, doing her best to shake the picture of Jack at the back of the cafeteria engraved in her mind out of her memory.
Jack's mom was having a really hard time, and it seemed quite clear it would be an extra few minutes before the ceremony at the baseball diamond would actually start. This was a welcome delay for Cadence. She wanted a few minutes to speak with her friends from LIGHTS and to gather her thoughts. By the time she had the chance to look around for them, she could see that they had all made their way out of the building and were congregated in the parking lot. She excused herself from her high school friends, with her assurance she would see them in just a minute, and shot off out the door, doing her best to maintain human speed.
As soon as she reached the rest of her team, Cadence instantly felt better. And this time, she was sure it didn't have anything to do with Hannah's powers. It was simply the comfort of feeling a part of something bigger than herself.
Jamie was the first to embrace her, followed by Christian and Eliza. Hannah patted her reassuringly on the arm and Aaron kept his hands in the pocket of his black coat, knowing that any sign of affection in front of Jack's friends and family could be potentially hurtful. Instead, he smiled sympathetically at her, and let the rest of the team offer her physical support.
"Where's Elliott?" she asked, surprised he hadn't rejoined them by now.
"He's around," Aaron replied. "Are you okay?" he asked, changing the subject.
"I am," Cadence said, hesitantly, not wanting to get into exactly what was bothering her just then. She understood why Aaron was being stand-offish, but it was still hard for her to accept. "I think I'll be better when this ceremony is over."
"Your speech was touching," Christian commented, standing across from her in the circle they had formed. Everyone agreed, assuring her that she had done a good job and that the message was poignant.
"Thanks," Cadence said, offering a small smile. "I'm just glad I got through it."
"Why don't we go ahead and make our way over to the baseball diamond," Hannah suggested, gesturing to everyone except for Cadence and Aaron.
"We'll see you over there," Jamie said, speaking for the group, as they all followed Hannah and the rest of the crowd making their way the short distance across the frozen ground toward the place where Jack had found his glory.
Cadence glanced over her shoulder and saw her other group of friends walking toward the door of the cafeteria. She knew she would need to be with them now, but she didn't want to leave Aaron. Clearly, he didn't want to leave her either or he would have gone off with the rest of the team. "Will you stay with me?" she asked quietly as Sydney, Taylor, Kash, and Jon made their way over.
"Of course," he replied in a hushed tone.
She smiled her thanks and turned back to her approaching friends.
Despite the sincerity of the atmosphere surrounding the purpose for their gathering, Sydney was blatantly staring at Aaron as she approached Cadence and her new friend. As she came to a stop a few feet away, the petite brunette muttered, "Holy, sweet baby Jesus."
Cadence glanced from Sydney to the rest of her friends and then back at Aaron before turning to her and saying, "Syd, you all right?"
"Mmm hmm," she replied, her eyes still locked on the handsome stranger.
"Okay," Cadence said, shaking her head in disbelief. She realized that her friends had never met Aaron, so she began to make introductions. "These are my friends, Jon Chancellor, Kash Donetello, Taylor Christianson, and Sydney Cox. Guys, this is my boss, Aaron."
Aaron offered his hand, starting with Jon and working his way down the line. "Aaron McReynolds, nice to meet you," he said. Everyone else said a quick pleasantry except for Sydney, who just smiled broadly and let out a little giggle, which Aaron found both a bit amusing and a little creepy.
Cadence had an inquisitive expression on her face, her friends oblivious to her confusion. "You have a last name?"
"Uh, yeah. I'm not Madonna," he replied sarcastically, the teasing expression in his tone transferring through even on the IAC.
Cadence felt a bit like an idiot. It had never occurred to her that Guardians would have last names. "I guess I thought you were like Michael and Gabriel."
"We're not exactly angels. You should know that by now."
Cadence was aware that her friends were talking to Aaron, asking questions about the business, etc., but she was having difficulty keeping track of both conversations. He, on the other hand, was excellent at multi-tasking, and her friends had no idea that he was actually talking to her at the same time as he was fielding their questions.
"So... everyone has a last name?" she asked. They had all started moving toward the baseball diamond, and Taylor locked her arm through Cadence's, saying something about the possibility of ice. Cadence was thankful for the support, and she offered her other arm to Sydney who took it, as soon as it seemed clear that Aaron wasn't going to offer his.
"I can't speak for every person in the whole world, but yes, all of our teammates do," he replied.
"Your boss is so hot!" Sydney whispered in her ear as they began to make their way over.
"I know," Cadence agreed.
"It must be very distracting," Sydney added.
"You don't even know," Cadence said, shaking her head. Then, back to Aaron, she said, "So, is Elliott's last name really Sanderson?"
"Yes," he replied, even as he was in the middle of an audible sentence.
"And Jamie?"
"Joplin."
"Eliza?"
"Wrath, believe it or not."
Cadence stifled a giggle. "Hannah?"
"Banana," he replied, turning back to look at her over his shoulder. "Nah, it's really Roberts."
She bit her tongue. It was all she could do keep from laughing. It was moments like that, when he seemed so sincere, and yet so ridiculous at the same time, that she found herself completely drawn to him.
Before she could ask anything else, he said, "Meagan Meyer, Christian Henry, Shane Talbertson. Did I miss anyone?"
Cadence thought for a second. "I don't think so. Thanks. I'm a dumbass."
They had almost reached the edge of the crowd at the baseball diamond and he stopped to wait for her, shaking his head in a way that only she would know what he was indicating. "Lots of information in a short amount of time. Not a big deal. Your friends ask a lot of questions."
