Let's Play!

Alyson smiled, having the hat placed upon her head now, looking herself over appraisingly, nodding slowly.



" It'll work."



Looking to Cael, she smiled and moved to kiss him.



" Thank you."



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2225/224 ... f462_o.jpg

Cael nodded and reached up, pulling the little veil straighter for her. Mason walked over, glancing between the two.



"I know we're in rich people land, but... is this really high profile?"

Alyson looked him over, nodding slowly.



" Hands to yourself at the funeral, or I'll remove them."



Thief or not, she knew good and well how to use a knife. He could contain himself one night.

Mason actually completely glared at her.



"I do have some ethics, rules." Cael winced. He had made this mistake once... Hopefully Mason would completely spaz...

Alyson nodded and let it go, ignoring his glare as she actually gave him a real kiss and nuzzled him a moment before moving away.



" Just wanted to be sure, sorry."

All of his anger melted away. Mason didn't smile, but he wasn't so upset. It looked like Alyson would be spared that meltdown. And Cael was forced to realize why he and Mason didn't get along as well. Neither of them were female.



"Shouldn't we be going?"

Alyson nodded and took both men's hands as she casually answered her phone for the millionth time, sighing as she answered all the annoying questions, declining interview after interview.

Cael was glad for that, truth be told. He wasn't really looking forward to the entire thing. He didn't like crowds. Mason just behaved nicely... for now.

As she finally got mad and hung up, she looked about, finding the nearest fountain and tossing her phone in, wondering off. with the two men, soon climbing into a waiting taxi. She had returned the rental, she wasn't really fit to drive anymore.

Mason left her phone in the fountain. However, in a moment of kindness, he fished the sim card out for her. Of course, he shoved it in his pocket to be presented to her at a later date. As they waited on the curb, Cael looked at Mason and spoke.



"I feel like I should be playing chess on you." Mason laughed.



"What can I say? King me."

" Only if Cael mounts me."



Alyson replied with a smirk as she moved out of the car as it came to a stop, covering her face as the cameras started to flash.

Mason and Cael might have a little bit of bouncer in their blood. The two of them cooperatively moved. It wasn't by accident that they hovered near Alyson, a little in front, blocking a lot of the camera flashes.

Between the police, the bodyguards on stand by, and cael and Mason, the small group of three eventually made it inside and behind closed doors, Alyson straightening her dress, eyes wondering over the two men to assure ehrself they were alright.

Neither Cael nor Mason wanted to say anything. After all, this was a funeral for someone that they didn't know. Instead, they chose to be patient and communicate only with nods and shakes of the head.

Smiling, free of the cameras, she spared each a kiss on the cheek prior to making her way inside. They'd expect her to give a speech about the departed soon. This would be difficult.

Cael was watching her very closely, not that he could really do anything. However, Mason was soon busy glaring at the back of a very annoying woman's head. Her 'tears' seemed fake and her 'laments' were far too loud. It was ridiculous.

Alyson made a small face and sighed as she brushed past everyone in question that had both fake, and sincere tears going on, soon setting back in the cozy little place set aside from everyone else, designated for herself and those of her choosing, eyes wondering the crowd from her hide away. She wasn't looking forward to this was she was soon asked to come speak.



Looking one more time at the group, that now had it's eyes locked upon her. Taking a small breath, she spoke gently into the microphone.



" What is there to say about these people? "



That's all she wanted to say, but she knew that would cause a riot at a funeral, so she continued on as the paparazzi's cameras flashed.



" They had it all, family, friends, prestige. They lived the life of luxury, without cares to the cost on the environment, or other people. Amanda was a happy woman, married with two children, only one surviving. "



She heard a faint gasp and saw all the looks, a faint rueful smile upon ehr face as she heard her brother's name mentioned. Had she forgot to tell Cael and Mason that her parents had told friends and relatives that she was dead due to overdose? when she'd come around in later years, she was merely introduced as a 'distant friend of the family.' ...





" Wesley, and Amanda had a son, named Adam, who lays here as well as we all morn, but there daughter still remains. She's happily tucked away from this world, as her parents deemed needed.



These people made many contributions to society, such things as charity over family, luxury over necessity. These people were only good people to the public. They will be much missed."





Without another word, least she start bashing her parents openly, she stepped away as she noted the journalists were frantic to call there networks and the paparazzi were flashing as many photos as their cameras would allow.



Sighing, she looked to Cael and Mason, without a word she reached for their hands, planning to leave now, while she was mentally still intact... or at least, enough as to hold her tongue.

Cael and Mason were really a single functioning unit today. You would think that they practiced this sort of thing and home or something. As the woman took their hands, they both lifted their arms and looped it around the other side of her, exchanging hands so that she was encased from either side.



"I'm sorry..."

Alyson smiled at Mason, then let her eyes wonder to over to Cael, nuzzling his shoulder lightly, snuggling into the two arms holding her, sauntering to the car very slowly.



Slowly she slid into the backseat of the waiting taxi and snuggled up close to the two men.

And cue Mason.



"I didn't know that three people could fit inside a Cali taxi on just one bench."

Alyson looked at Mason, and shook her head.



" I count as a negative person, so really, only one person is setting back here."



She replied with her simple mathematic solution.

Mason furrowed his brow.



"Why are you a negative person? That means... That means that Cael is like two people." Cael glared.

" Negative person. It implies expense, rather then value."



She explained simply, shaking her head.



" Cael is merely one, as you are."

Cael spoke this time.



"I don't know. Having Mason around requires that my wallet takes a pretty bad beating."

" Perhaps none are back here then, for he may as well be negative."

Mason glanced up front.



"So does that mean that we don't have to pay a fare? I mean, if no one is back here, then who is the driver going to charge?"

Mason amazed her, she merely shrugged, looking him over.



" I already paid in advance, so no, we don't owe anything."

Mason smiled.



"I knew I liked you." There was the end of it. And 'it' was the car ride. However, 'it' probably didn't end like they had hoped. CRASH! Everything was a rush of incomprehensible movement as the side of the car bent in and then the entire thing tipped over, rolling down the grassy incline.



Mason was too panicked to do anything, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest as he tried to understand what exactly had just happened and why they were surrounded by crunched metal and broken glass. One of the doors had been torn off, but car was so badly damaged that there was no way out.



He could hear a moaning from the driver up front, and his eyes went to the girl beside him.



"Alyson... Alyson, are you okay?" Cael was lying on the grass halfway down the hill, out cold as blood ran down his face.

Alyson's face was cut to shreds, little bits of glass embedded in her face and everything, forehead bleeding and seatbelt broken.



Alyson was definitely not alright as she laid unresponsive to conversation, a nasty bump upon her forehead, but the worst part was where her arm was stuck. Pinched between the crushed metal frame, her arm was captive, slowly dying due to the lack of circulation, not to mention the metal that was slowly cutting the arm from her body.

Mason blinked a few times, trying to clear his aching head. He moved slightly, gasping in a breath. His leg was pinned very painfully. Still, he leaned as best he could, swiping away the blood pouring from his nose. He could see the problem, but... See, Mason was good with sleight of hand, with locks and things like that. Massive sheets of broken car? Not so much. The man reached over, tilting Alyson's head back so that it was stable against the back of the seat. It wasn't easy to ignore the obviously broken finger.



"This is OnStar, we have indication that you have been in an accident. Don't worry, help is on the way." At least there was one benefit to taking a cab in Beverly Hills...



Cael did wake up after a minute or two. His entire ribcage was riddled with pain and his head was splitting, broken glass having torn through his right arm. Still, the man had an almost panic attack. He shimmered completely, actually and intentionally sliding into shadow. And then, though just barely and painfully, he returned to the car.



"Mason? Alyson?"

Alyson didn't respond at all as she eventually was cut out by firemen, and her arm instantly bound as she remained unaware, being loaded up first, then Cael and Mason followed in the second Ambulance, off to the hospital.

Mason was actually honestly crying as they bandaged up his leg.



Cael had no sooner gotten into the ambulance than he looked at the guy and spoke.



"I think I'm going to puke." And then he passed out. How becoming.



Mason was rushed immediately to surgery to fix the severed artery in his leg. The pressure of the seats in the car had formed a tourniquet, but still...



Cael had to go through a series of MRI's and whatnot, but he was by far the best off. Aside from the flesh scratches, all he had was a cracked rib, a concussion and split his head back open.



However, all three were admitted.

Bandaged, stitched, tested, prodded, IV in place, Alyson was rolled into her own suite, all by herself as the boys were placed in the room across the hall.



Finally coming to, late that night, she started to cry as the clear tape about her arm showed everything upon her arm, not to mention the metal above the bed showed how badly her face was cut up. She was alone, and looked like a monster. She wasn't positive before, but now she was negative.

Mason was out cold from the painkillers that he was on. He had no hope of consciousness until at least that morning. On the other hand, there was Cael. He had no hope of sleeping. His concussion was so bad that the nursing staff had to wake him up every three hours. Otherwise he might slip away and not come back. Or at least that was what they said. To Cael it was just annoying.

alyson simply cried, which burned, which caused more crying as she snuggled down into her bed, wincing at the pain as nurses were checking her ever two hours or so, being refused information about her fellow passangers.

Cael was being denied the same information. Well... he had been able to figure out the fate of Mason, but still...



The morning was marked by Cael's deep breathing as he was in a sleep cycle. And by Mason's groggy voice as he slowly came to.



"What is that beeping...? Turn it off..."

Being forced to start physical therapy instantly, which consisted of little weight lifting, and loads of walking, Alyson heard Cael's and mason's last names filter down the hall a few days later, managing to stumble into the room, only to be forcefully removed by the nurse.

Cael was released before either of the others. After all, he wasn't hurt nearly as bad. However, that only made his feel so much worse. Believe it or not, this sort of thing had happened to him before. His *ehm* specialness had saved him... and only him. The man didn't know where to go really. He stayed in a tiny little room in a mangy motel. But he brought flowers every day. Even to Mason.



"Could I see Miss {Marina's last name} today?" He implored of the orderly. By this point, he had decided that if she said no, he would sneak in during the night anyhow.



Mason, on the other hand, was not a happy man. He was on crutches, and would be as such for at least another week, they said. Hospital food sucked. And there was no fun in nicking the nurses' pens.

Alyson was crying at the scars that flecked over her face. They were faint, and very hard to see, but it stuck out easily on a woman who got her lively hood off how she looked. Not to mention her arm had three clear scars upon it. Or, it would, as she was still forced to work it regularly, a grimace upon her face as she moved it back and forth, hearing her visitor denied, again.

Cael, however, had made up his mind. It was dark in the room when his voice drifted through the air. He was nowhere to be seen, but obviously was to be heard.



"Alyson, are you awake?"