The Strange Case of Dr. Davenport and Mr. Moreau

"You shouldn't feel too bad, I made Centurion in my early teens and I'm still nothing apparently." He wasn't sure why the head Davenport's words had effected him so much. Maybe it was because he hadn't dug deep enough to fight back. He did it for Aspen. She deserved to have some peace. He knew the coming weeks were going to be hard for her. For both of them.

"I don't want Cohort Five to have power." Christian decided to say. "I want Cohort Five to be accepted. I don't want any Cohort to just be 'better' for whatever reason. We're all one legion." Christian's arms folded in thought. "In a world where I can't even figure out what I want, I know I want that."

"Don't let his opinion bother you. Making Centurion is a fairly big deal. You earned it, I'm sure." Aspen said as she put a hand on his shoulder. She meant what she said. Aspen when she was younger would have given anything to make centurion of the first cohort, but it was just never in the cards for her, and she's slowly been accepting it.

"Power goes to everyone's heads eventually. I don't think I've seen someone in a position of power who didn't abuse said power. I think that's human nature, so I understand why." The words Christian had said only let Aspen give him a small smile. She couldn't help but be reminded of Alexander in that moment. It was something he would have said too.

"Not the first time I've heard that, to be honest. I think there's quite a few people who want that, even people in other cohorts. I hope one day we can strive towards that. Maybe you'll leave the movement." Aspen said jokingly and laughed a little.

"I got it because Roz." Christian admitted. His head tilted down to his hand, and the gash he got from Carter. "Rosalind Miller, I don't know if you know her enough to call her by 'Roz.' But, she decided I resonated with them. Thought I could make a difference. I really hope she was right to do that."

"Yeah." Christian found himself smiling at her jest. "I don't think Carter's people would want to listen to me. I know for sure my people wouldn't want to listen to Carter's. I still ask some of my own people if they'll do me a favor over telling them it's an order, if I know that makes it better for them." He wasn't ashamed to admit that. He tamed some seriously stubborn kids while still having their friendship and respect.

"I'm leaving my partner to watch after our Cohort again tomorrow. For the third time since I've been back. She said she wasn't mad, but I wish I could take her with me. I know she won't admit it, but I'm letting her down."

"You shouldn't be ashamed of someone recommending you for the position. The best way to get anywhere in this world is by networking. The more people you know the better. I know you don't really want that, but that's how this world works. I believe you can make a difference though." Aspen said with a small smile.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe so, but I mean that's the worst that happens when you say anything. What do you choose? To stand there and say nothing and let the world pass you by or stand there and say something and possibly change something. Don't let the chance pass you by." The daughter of Bellona said.

When he brought up his co-centurion she nodded understanding what that was like. "There will possibly be time to make up for it later. You can't do much about what you have done, but you can do something about what you will do. You always have a choice."

"I know what it's like though. Don't take it personally, I know you've been through things worse. But when you're just a little kid, and you make it here after struggling just to stay alive. Exhausted, sleep deprived, dehydrated, feeling like you're going to die. You get here, and a room of older people look at you, no concern, they just look at that vanilla folder. Their voice gets real solemn and sad, like they're disappointed. Their whole demeanor changes, like this evaluation isn't serious anymore when they tell you that 'you're in Cohort Five.'" Christian recalled the day so long ago he made it to the Legion. "Everyone under me has had to go through that. It's damaging when you're just a kid. Then, you talk to others. They talk about how proud their family was when they made the first or second, even third. Everyone under me expects to be lesser. They've been told they will be. I will never stop fighting for them, so that they know they're just as strong, smart, cunning, and important as the rest of the Legion."

"I don't even know if it's fair to do things for myself after this. Ever since I got promoted, I haven't done anything for Christian. Because I've felt so strongly about being this. Like I wasn't a disappointment anymore. That's the choice I've made. I've spent every second either dealing with backlash or working for them. Out of the many hundreds of people here, only ten get to be Centurion. Is it fair for me to make a choice for myself?" Christian asked. It was weird to ask someone who hadn't been Centurion, but as Optio, she had true responsibilities too. In the moment, he put his faith in Aspen. "Is it fair to even have a single moment of comfort or happiness? One moment for my people is a moment for hundreds. One moment for myself is only for myself. I don't know if I even want to feel anything."

All the daughter of Bellona could do was listen to Christian as he spoke about what it was like to come in when you were little. Aspen really listened to it and by the end she couldn't help, but have a few tears well up in her eyes. One spilled over onto her cheek and she wiped it away. "I'm sorry they made you and the rest of your cohort feel that way. I really do. I wish I could emphasize with you more, and I wish I could walk a day in your shoes. I'm sorry if your life hasn't been the greatest so far, but it can and will get better, I promise. You just need to have hope." She said softly. A lot of times Aspen wondered why she'd give advice she didn't take. It wasn't like she didn't know that she could use it. It wasn't like she was neglecting the fact that she needed it. It's just hard to follow your own words at times.

"I think that's a very honorable trait. I mean I do think you could do more for yourself, but to have the control to put everyone else before you. It's incredible and I can't say I know a lot of Centurions who do it, if I'm being honest with you. You need to be able to make choices for yourself though. yeah it's nice to give everyone some happiness, but you need to be able to give it to yourself too. You deserve it."

"Your shoes are more hard." Christian sympathized with her. His hand made its way to Aspen's shoulder. "Hey, look at me." Christian gently asked of her. "I don't know what happened. All I can keep thinking about is that you've been under this horrible spell for so long. Nothing I say brings me to where you're at. I know it's not a game of who did what worse. But, I want things to get better for you. What can I do to make life better for you, Aspen Davenport?"

"I'll retire in less than a year." He said, with a shrug. "I just don't know. We give power out to people who will give everything to use it right. I don't even know what I want. I mean, I know I want something. Just, a moment where all of this goes away. A moment where I'm not an addict right now, where I'm not caught between a rock and a hard place, where I'm not stressed over everything. That's what I want. I don't know what reasonable choice I could make to achieve that."

Aspen put her hand on his shoulder to mirror his actions. She heard what he said and she just gave him a sympathetic look and shook her head. "I appreciate the gesture and the offer, but if my life is to truly get better and if I truly need something to help, I'll be able to get it myself. I can beat anything I put my mind to, I know this. But thank you for the offer."

"You're still young. Gods I'm still young. We have time to figure out what we want. Maybe you'll retire in a year or so, but either way there are more things to want in life beyond that, as I'm sure you know. You can almost always create a moment like that." The daughter of Bellona said. His words rang throughout her head. She felt that a lot of the times. To have one moment where you didn't have to be an addict, you didn't have to be stressed, your life didn't suck, just one moment that was truly yours. Maybe it was those thoughts circling her head or maybe it was alcohol that pumped through her body, but the next move that Aspen made was a shocking one. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt like she had in that hospital room. Instead of pushing him against a wall, this time she pulled him closer to her and without hesitation she kissed the Legacy of Mercury.

Christian listened to her speak. To talk of their futures was nice. At least, it implied they both had futures to make it to. It almost made the moment worth it all, Christian couldn't help but wonder what their futures might hold. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what she meant. How could anyone fix everything? Even for a moment. "Well, how do you do th-" Christian was cut off by a hand gripping his collar and pulling him in, for a hard kiss. He didn't resist.

He knew she was right. Nothing had to weigh on him in this moment, and nothing had to weigh on her. If this is what it took, Christian was ready for it. His hand that was on her shoulder moved to go behind her back, while the other hand reached for Aspen's side. He applied light force to her to suggest she lay back. His lips didn't stop after one kiss though. Christian needed this moment. Every part of him yearned for it.

Aspen, wasn't sure what she had just done, but she had been confident in the matter and didn't show any faltering. At first, she wasn't sure how he'd respond, but when he did, she liked it. The daughter of Bellona could feel his hands move to different parts of her body. She could feel the light pressure against her and she laid back on her bed. Luckily she still had a hold of the collar on his shirt and she pulled him with her as her lips never left his.

The demigod released her hand from the collar of his shirt and her hand reached to rest up on the side of his neck. Aspen didn't take mind to the fact that her father was home. That didn't matter in this moment, because the energy he was giving off, she needed it. Aspen needed to feel the want and desire from the legacy of Mercury.