Turn of Events {AJ}

[Rachel Cohen R6]

[[Set in the winter holdidays]]

She was very excited. Rachel was heading home soon. She felt light as air as she hummed Remembering Sunday, a muggle song she had just learned from a few younger students. She felt invincible, unstoppable, on top of the world, almost heroic. Just like Noah, the guy who built the arc. After all her all she was packing her things two by two with each swish of her wand, hurray, hurray. She felt liked she deserved theme music. She put the clothes is her bag hurray, hurray, then went the shoes, hurray, hurray, she was Rachel and she was packing her bags and the snow went tumbling down, outside. Eh, well the song could use some work, so she wasn’t the greatest song writer, sue her. She sighed and wandered over to her window. The white looked so pretty, it always screamed your going home for the holidays. This made Rachel smile. She loved her mom; she was excited to see her and more excited to be home. Don’t get me wrong, Rachel loved Hogwarts, but unlike most students she sees it as temporary, but home is home. That’s where she grew up; nothing could cover up her memories. The good, as well as the bad. Everything happened there in her little neighborhood, she was ready to go. She looked back over at her bag. Completely packed now, Rachel was satisfied. On top lay a beautifully wrapped present that was her mother’s. Let’s be honest here, we all know Rachie couldn’t wrap a present if her life depended on it. But it was the thought that counted. And for what its worth she tried wrapping it herself before she had to use magic. But anyway, she toke one last look at the suitcase and zipped it up. She was ready. “Home here I come.” She whispered and trudged down stairs, and set out on her way to a journey to the train.

The snow is an evil thing. It just looks pretty form the outside. In reality it was cold and wet. Rachel was getting disgusted with it as she waited in a chaotic crowd to board. She was late as always, that meant she wasn’t going to get a seat, or would have to sit with someone she did not like. Not that she was a hateful person, it was just she had done this year after year and it was getting old. Take first year, she ended up sitting with some kid who drooled as he slept, he was a nice kid, but he grossed her out. Second year was no better, this kid wouldn’t leave her alone for a minute, and she talked, and talked, and talked. Rachel felt like pulling her hair out. Third year was better, she made some friends and they sat together in a cramped compartment. Fourth year, well she sat alone. And now this. All possible scenarios’s filled her head. Best case scenario she would find her friends and they would have another gossip hour like they did every night in there dorm, but knowing her luck she would end up somewhere else altogether. She would have to send an owl once she got home so they could meet up. Have lunch, go shopping, whatever. But she was really looking forward to putting up the tree with her mum, and drinking coco decked out in holiday gear, baking cookies, and opening presents. This was the season to celebrate and she was very excited, almost enough to realize she had finally boarded the train. Can’t have that happening. She needed to focus if she was going have to deal with train disaster number five.


As she expected the train was full. Every compartment was filled. Not enough room for her, or her kitten Baby. Then she saw it. The cabin in the corner there looked like there was only one person sitting in there. Disaster number five, she secretly nickname them as she walked towards it. But she was going to grin in bare it, she had to sit somewhere and Baby was getting impatient with his master. She made it to the door of the compartment and felt a funny feeling in her stomach as she looked to see who was inside. This was him, the infamous AJ Murphy. She had heard a lot about him, and his reputation. Especially his reputation. But she didn’t skip a beat, didn’t let on that she was surprised. Instead she smiled one of her special smiles, the smirk one. “May I join you?” She asked her voice sweet as ever. Where had that come from? Without realizing she closed the door behind her and walked in. She set Baby in a seat, he eyed the stranger warily. So did Rachel, but it was a whole different look. She was taking him in. After all, she remembered him when he was a young kid at one of her mother’s parties. He wasn’t some young kid anymore, and cuter than her friends had given him credit for.

[AJ Murphy G6]

AJ raised his wand with a smirk, sending random clothing flying everywhere. He watched with amusement as his things moved from one wrinkled pile on the floor by his bed to an even larger and messier pile in his trunk. His friend Jason was sitting on his bed across from AJ, watching with amusement. “You know, AJ, I think this is a new record for you.” He said with an arrogant smirk, much like AJ’s, only not as white and charming. AJ’s friends were pretty much all the same. They knew how to have fun, they were flirtatious, and they were extremely arrogant. AJ was the leader of them all though. In his opinion, AJ was by far the best looking, the most fun, and the most charming of them all. But then again, that was the opinion of most of his friends about themselves. They all seemed to think they were the best, but AJ couldn’t really say there was anything wrong with that. “What do you mean; I’ve set a new record? What did I do this time?” He said, as he sent a t-shirt flying into his trunk. “You’ve gone an entire month without a girlfriend. That has to be like a world record for you. Before now, I think the longest you’ve gone as a single man is three weeks.” Jason stated, watching AJ’s socks fly toward his trunk. “It’s scary how you know that.” AJ said in his usual casual mocking tone. “Well, it seems like all the girls are keeping track. The second they find out you’re single, they all jump. It’s scary how you have that kind of power over women.” Jason said, making AJ laugh heartily. “What can I say? I’m a ladies’ man.” He said with a small shrug. “But those ladies are going to have to wait. I like being single. I like being able to say and do whatever I want with whoever I want without having to wonder what my girlfriend will say about it.” He said as he tried to close his overstuffed trunk. “But don’t you do that anyway?” Jason asked in a questioning tone. AJ merely laughed and walked off, his trunk floating in midair just behind him.

AJ took his time getting to the train, for he knew there would be an entire compartment saved just for him no matter the circumstance. He yawned as he walked lazily towards Hogsmeade station, where what seemed like hundreds of small children were crowded around each door. The children still did not know how to levitate their trunks, and were hauling them by hand, as if they were muggles. AJ found it quite amusing to watch such small beings try to carry such large packages. One particular first year fell in an attempt to get his trunk onto the platform. AJ laughed as he passed the small student by. He was never really one to help. It really wasn’t any of his business what other people were doing, so why should he try to help them out? Besides, even if AJ had offered help, most would deny it. They’d try to tell him they could handle it, and that his help wasn’t needed. So he tended to stay away for the most part. Angel on the other hand, (AJ shuddered as he thought it) would help the kid up, carry his trunk for him, offer him a lollipop (AJ had no idea where she got all those lollipops from, it was like her pocket just produced them) and then find him a seat next to some other pathetic first years (whom she probably also helped recently). AJ rolled his eyes as he thought of his stepsister. She was simply too much of a good thing. AJ supposed she was good looking, but there wasn’t really anything interesting about her. She was boring, like most Ravenclaws were. Most Ravenclaws were completely free of personality. AJ had only met one third year Ravenclaw that didn’t bore AJ to pieces with her lectures. She was actually very good looking as well. But she was far too young for AJ’s taste. AJ sighed. He didn’t think he’d ever see a Ravenclaw that sparked any interest in him. He shrugged. “Ah, well.” He said to himself. He was perfectly fine being single.

AJ entered his compartment (this compartment in the far corner of the train had been reserved for AJ since his second year.) and closed the door behind him. He looked around, and when he saw no one, he sighed. He would have thought by now this compartment would be filled with gorgeous seventh year Gryffindor girls. He shrugged. They would arrive soon. He opened up his Sports Illustrated magazine and began to read. He was just getting to an article about hockey when he saw thin manicured fingers grasp the compartment door. The fingers slid the door open, and in came the most beautiful creature AJ had ever seen. (And that was saying something, since he saw many ‘beautiful creatures’ daily) He flashed the girl a large white smile and pushed his magazine aside and onto the floor. “Well hello, beautiful. Of course you may sit here. I’ve got a special seat saved just for you.” He said, moving aside and offering her a seat next to him. He noticed the Ravenclaw emblem on her robes and his spirits fell a bit. Great, another boring Ravenclaw. Just my luck. AJ thought to himself.

[Rachel Cohen R6]

“Well hello, beautiful. Of course you may sit here. I’ve got a special seat saved just for you.” He told her as he moved over making a spot available, of course he was smiling. It was a nice smile. Rachel rolled her eyes smiling as well. Beautiful, how many times had she heard that said before. Too many times to count. Guys always said things like that to her, she came to know it was a line, nothing special, a way to address somebody, any girl to make her feel special even though he might have used on thousand girls before her. Rachel had the experience in these things and never believed it, but never doubted it. They where just a greeting to her, such as ‘hello’ or ‘what’s up’. She knew better to fall for something like that, unlike her friends. They fell for the stupidest lines and the most clichéd as well. No matter how many times Rachel tried to talk them out of a crush that she knew would lead to a potential heartbreak they never listened. She was always right of course. They really should listen to her more often. After all she knew what she was talking about. She used to be stupid and naïve, just as they where but not anymore. She barely ever got butterflies in her stomach, nor did anybody hardly ever made her heart race. If anyone did they were keepers, the rest where merely people to flirt with. Many tried to gain her attention, most failed. But that was fine. She was fine with being single, it suited her. She was free and no one could take that freedom. “Well handsome, how about you help me with my bag first.” She told him. Her bag was heavy, all those clothes she had mysteriously collected over the term. She always went home with more clothes then she began with. Special talent of hers, her mother called it a curse. Then they both laughed and had a cup of tea. She refused his seat, though not by words. She just moved her kitten from his quiet resting play across the Gryffindor, to right next to him. Rachel toke her kitten’s spot. She preferred to be sitting across from this guy anyway. The whistle blew and the train began moving. It was getting hot in the compartment, despite how cold it was outside the window. She was still wearing her school cloak, but underneath were muggle clothes. Dark jeans, a dark green sweater, layered with a black cami, though not Ravenclaw colours, it went great with her eyes. She removed the cloak; she was fully in her muggle clothes now. She went back to the silence.

Sitting down she noticed he was reading a sports magazine making her think of her own reading material in her purse. It was in her bag. She forgot she had put it up in there. Rachel doubted she would be needing it though. He seemed interesting enough; she wanted to know why everyone found him so irresistible anyhow. She didn’t understand it yet. Sure he was cute enough, there was no denying that. He was also on the dangerous side; she knew how appealing that was for most girls. So fine, she understood why. She looked out of the window for a moment, caught up in her thoughts about the stranger in the seat directly in front of her. The trained moved steadily and all she saw was white. It sparkled in the sun looking like thousands of little diamonds had fallen from the sky instead of the solid form of rain. She preferred to think of it in this fashion anyway. It was much prettier as diamonds then mush. She slowly returned to reality and away from diamond mush. “You do you its proper etiquette to ask my name. Many would think you where rude.” She told him smirking, it wasn’t meant to sound annoying or bitchy; she was just mocking some of the people she knew. They would say that. But that was there style; hers was to be sarcastic, teasing, and warm. It was easy to see. Her eyes where smiling and so was she. Rachel looked back over at the magazine on the floor. “That’s interesting reading you’ve got there.” She said teasingly. Silently adding she was more interesting then whatever sports team he was reading about. She just wasn’t so great at small talk, playful banter was more her thing.

[AJ Murphy G6]

This Ravenclaw seemed unfazed by AJ’s usage of the word ‘beautiful.’ Normally, a girl’s eyes would get all starry and she would start twirling her hair when AJ called them beautiful. This girl did not. She merely kept her polite and sweet manner of speaking, as if AJ had said nothing of relevance to her. AJ hoped with all his might that this girl wasn’tjust like all the other Ravenclaws he had met. He noticed her roll her eyes. Lovely. She seems quite charming. AJ thought sarcastically to himself. The girl probably thought of AJ as a heartbreaker or a player. Even though the assumptions about AJ had truth in them, it was still wrong to assume like that. AJ smiled as the girl came up with a clever comeback to AJ’s comment. She asked him (or rather ordered him) to help her with her bags. He shrugged, sat up from his seat and took her large and heavy bag from her hand. In doing so, AJ’s hand ‘accidently’ brushed against her hand. He lifted the package with ease onto the shelf and sat back down when the deed was done. He smiled at her, even though she silently refused the seat AJ offered her. She sat down across from AJ, moving her small kitten next to AJ. Not only was he allergic to cats, but he just didn’t like them in general. They were lazy, and they always seemed bored. He ignored the small beast sitting next to him. And then he felt it. He felt a tickle in his throat, then in the bridge of his nose. He sneezed loudly, making sure to cover his mouth completely and sneeze away from the girl. After sneezing, he noticed her take off her Ravenclaw robes, revealing an attractive looking muggle outfit. “Good choice. I’ve always hated wearing robes.” He told her after she removed her robe. He hadn’t even bothered wearing his Gryffindor robes today. He did have a lot of Gryffindor pride, but he hated his school uniform. Muggle clothes were just so much better.

The girl gave AJ a small lecture on proper etiquette or something, and AJ tried hard to keep his attention on her words, and not on her appearance. She was just so stunningly beautiful. “You’re right.” He said with a teasing smile. “It was very rude of me, I’m terribly sorry. My name is AJ Murphy, what’s yours, mademoiselle?” He asked her politely in a fake French accent. He loved doing impressions. Some people often said AJ should become a comedian, but he knew what he wanted to do, and it didn’t involve comedy. No, his future career would be a very serious one. He would become a part of the armed forces. He wasn’t really sure where he would go, but he knew he wanted to fight for his country. The Navy sounded like an okay place to start his career in the armed forces, and AJ loved the water. But, he would probably become quite sick of seeing nothing but water sooner or later. Perhaps the army would be the best place to go? No, AJ didn’t want to be a part of something like that. AJ was going to be in the air force. It would be just like Quidditch, only better. Yes, that would be the job for him. But either way, his future had nothing to do with Hogwarts or magic. AJ wasn’t going to lie to himself. Magic was a necessity, and would probably come in handy whilst he was out at sea or in the air. But, he didn’t see why he needed seven years of magical training. Five years was good enough for him. AJ was almost positive he was going to fail his NEWTS anyway, so there was no point in even coming for his sixth year. But, through all the guilt trips his mother put him through (his mother was the only one who could ever successfully put a guilt trip on AJ, for he was known to have a very quiet conscience.) AJ had agreed to come back to Hogwarts this year. The girl commented on AJ’s reading, implying that she was more important than his magazine. She’s a very confident person, I see AJ thought to himself.

“Nah, I’ve read this issue a million times.” E stated quite truthfully. “I’m more interested in you, as you’ve obviously noticed already.” He said with a charming smile.

[Rachel Cohen R6]

The sounds around her were muffled as he toke her bag and brushed his hand casually against hers. Her small smile didn’t reveal how intensely her heart was beating in her chest. She heard the boom, boom in her ears, but with a few more breaths everything returned to normal, the noise returned to its regular volume, not that there was much noise, just their breathing and her cats teeny meows. Her heart rate returned to normal as well, no sign of acting improperly just a moment before. She watched him place her bag over head with what seemed like ease; she silently cursed him inside her mind, but thanked him anyway, she had to stay polite. “Thank you.” She heard herself say, her voice was soft and had a far away quality to it. Rachel personally hoped the bag was heavy; he must have done something to have herself acted so strange. She couldn’t remember that last time her heart had beaten like that. He was doing something to her, she had no idea what, and this was too confusing of a concept for her to wrap her mind around. After all she was a Ravenclaw, she wanted to know everything, knowledge was very important to her. By then they had sat down, across from each other. She watched him from the corner of her eye. She also watched her small cat. He eyed his neighbor with detest, Baby rarely like anyone, other than Rachel. She found herself smiling at the image of Baby’s eyes intensely on AJ, daring him to make a move. Then the Gryffindor sneezed, Rachel covered her smile giggling silently into her hand. It was obvious he was allergic to cats, Baby wasn’t helping much. She stopped laughing long enough to ask him if he was in fact allergic. “Oh, are you allergic to cats?” She asked smirking a little.

“Good choice. I’ve always hated wearing robes.” He said as she took of her robe. She smiled, and then noticed he wasn’t wearing his robes either. “I bet.” She countered still half smiling, half smirking. And that was the end of that attempt to start a conversation. They returned to the silence. Except she was smiling for no apparent reason. “It was very rude of me, I’m terribly sorry. My name is AJ Murphy, what’s yours, mademoiselle?” He asked in a fake French voice. It wasn’t a terrible one either. It made her smile. For two reasons though, one because of the voice, and the second because she already knew him, in fact they’ve even met before. “Rachel.” She said at last, smirking, letting the smile stay on her lips for mere seconds before she add. “Cohen, Rachel Cohen.” She returned to smiling. Her stomach was doing flip flops and it felt strange, was she … nervous? And if she was, why? She remembered when they had met, they were children. Her father had just died, it was maybe six months after his death and her mother was having one of her famous parties, this was the first celebration since the death. She had missed him terribly. But she was being strong about it. Just like her mother told her to be. Half way through her mother’s fancy adult party Rachel felt tired and went to seek out her mother, only to bump into a boy about her age. But after talking for a few minutes she had figured he was rude, intriguing but rude. She excused herself, like she was taught and went to find her mother. She found her in a corner drinking by her self staring out the window. She hugged her mother and whispered softly, “I miss him too mommy, but we have to be strong.” And a single tear slipped from Katherine’s eye and then she wiped her face and went back to playing hostess with her daughter by her side.

“Nah, I’ve read this issue a million times.” He said talking about the magazine. She smiled; she often did that, only with books. He continued talking though and she was intrigued. “I’m more interested in you, as you’ve obviously noticed already.” He told her giving her another one of those smiles. “Oh, do I?” She asked with a small laugh returning the smile with one of her own. “And what is it you find interesting?” She asked him interested in his answer. She couldn’t imagine what was interesting about her; so far she had been on the edge of rude.

[AJ Murphy G6]

“Thank you.” The girl said in a distant voice, as if her mind was in a completely different place. AJ smirked. It was all part of his charm. He didn’t really have a routine with how to handle women, but let’s just say he’s been around the block a few times. AJ has many different ways of reeling a girl, making sure she always left them wanting more. It was a bit of a skill of AJ’s, and he was proud to say he almost always knew what was going on inside a girl’s head. He found it very easy to read people, especially women. Girls, much like snowflakes were all different. AJ would never find one girl exactly the same. But, they were all snowflakes right? On the inside, girls all wanted the same thing. They wanted to feel loved, and they all wanted to feel important. So, AJ did simply that. AJ treated girls like they were goddesses, not ordinary girls. Making them feel special was the key to getting them hooked. Before long, everyone was fighting over AJ again. When AJ sneezed, she started laughing quietly, but tried to hide it with her hand. He looked at her with a confused stare.

“What’s so funny?” He asked her, feeling the need to sneeze again. As he felt the small sensation in the bridge of his nose, AJ prepared himself for another sneeze. He sneezed again. Then, with a smirk, she asked AJ if he was allergic to cats. “Yeah, I’m allergic. Not to mention I can’t stand the little fur balls. He leaned in close to the kittens face, repressing the urge to sneeze again. “No offense.” He said politely to the little kitten, and then he smiled to Rachel, who was smiling for no apparent reason now. Gotcha. AJ thought triumphantly to himself. After seeing her face, he knew now that he had succeeded in reeling her in. Now it was just a matter of keeping her interested. AJ almost laughed at his own thoughts. He was treating this like rocket science. It really wasn’t that hard. In fact, it was almost effortless for AJ. Girls were simply just attracted to him.

The girl introduced herself as Rachel. Rachel was a nice name. It seemed peaceful, almost angelic. AJ could change that. AJ Murphy was known for many things. One of them was that he could bring the wild side out of any human being. Angel Sheridan was a different story. She wasn’t human. She was some kind of mutant who didn’t have a wild side. AJ remembered his mother’s wedding last summer. Everyone (even the dorkiest of his cousins and family friends) were having a great time. Angel on the other hand, was sitting in a corner reading working on a Potions essay. AJ managed not to roll his eyes at the mere thought of that lifeless robot. He shook the thought out of his mind and looked at Rachel with interest. Her surname was Cohen. Perhaps she was related to Katherine Cohen. Kathy Cohen was a good friend of AJ’s mother’s since their first year at Hogwarts, and AJ’s mom and Kathy had done everything together. Kathy was always at AJ’s house, and she attended every wild party his mother threw. AJ remembered seeing Kathy and her daughter at his mother’s wedding last summer. In fact, Kathy’s daughter was named Rachel as well. But that was probably a coincidence. It couldn’t be the same Rachel. “Cohen….hmm. Any relation to Kathy Cohen? You look a lot like her.” AJ said truthfully. If only Rachel really was Kathy’s daughter.

“Oh, do I?” She asked with a small laugh. And now AJ had her giggling. Oh, he was good. She almost made this all too easy. But it was fun nonetheless. “And what is it you find interesting?” Rachel asked, her big brown eyes focusing on AJ. He focused his eyes right back at her. “Well for one thing, your beauty could probably attract the attention of any guy on this train, and yet you’re still so very modest. For another, you’ve got the same surname as a good friend of my mum’s, and I could have sworn I’ve seen you before. And I can go on forever, but let’s just stop now. I feel another sneeze coming on.” AJ said charmingly. And sure enough, seconds later, AJ sneezed again.

[Rachel Cohen R6]

“Nothing is funny, only amusing.” Rachel said still laughing a bit. Her smile was getting wider and less of a smirk. It was showing her pretty teeth. And she couldn’t stop laughing or smiling. How strange it was that allergic reactions where on the top of her ‘things that amuse me’ list. “Yeah, I’m allergic. Not to mention I can’t stand the little fur balls.” He told her and she felt bad for putting Baby right there. But it didn’t stop the guy from putting his face right there next to Baby’s and apologizing. “No offense.” Rachel picked Baby up gently and put him in her lap, for two reasons. One, so he wouldn’t continue to have his little weird reaction to the fur which made her laugh, and two so she could pick the kitty up and mockingly tell him. “Now Baby, you must apologize to the nice guy, after all he apologized for being, well, allergic.” She said. Baby looked back at her with that, you have to be kidding me look. Instead of doing anything, he signaled to her he wanted to be out down and settled in her lap, gently purring as she scratched behind his ear. “I’m sorry you know.” She told AJ. “If I’d have known you were allergic, Baby would have stayed in this seat with me.” She told him. She did feel really bad, and not just for putting the cat there, also for laughing.

The introductions where going on. She searched his reaction when she told him she was Rachel Cohen. She was practically saying, I’ve known you my whole life, our mother’s are best friends, and your mother was at my house everyday for two months after my father died. She did so much for us. But he didn’t recognize her. “Cohen….hmm. Any relation to Kathy Cohen? You look a lot like her.” He replied instead. And she laughed silently in her head. Didn’t her remember her. She had been at his mother’s wedding. Her dress was green, in matched her eyes. She was in the center talking to a lot of guys, some waiters, and had escaped before they cut the cake so she could attend a concert with her friend. It had been and happy, blissful day. One of those days’ people always went on and on about. It was scrapped booked in her mind so she could remember it all. She vaguely remembered seeing AJ there, he seemed like he always did. Mischievous, and up to something. “Not any Kathys’ I’m afraid.” Rachel told him, not correcting his mistake that her mother was Katherine indeed.

“Well for one thing, your beauty could probably attract the attention of any guy on this train, and yet you’re still so very modest. For another, you’ve got the same surname as a good friend of my mum’s, and I could have sworn I’ve seen you before. And I can go on forever, but let’s just stop now. I feel another sneeze coming on.” He replied and sneezed as to prove his point. She shook her head unbelieving. “Here’s something you should know about me.” She began. “Not that doubt I could attract any guy on this train, but I’m the type of girl who’s heard that so many times that words like beautiful, gorgeous, sexy, and hot have lost meaning to me.” She told him, or rather warned him. “So much for modesty huh?” She replied with a tiny laugh. “As for having the surname as a friend of your mom’s. Well I lied, well not technically. I don’t know any Kathys, but I am Katherine’s daughter.” She found herself saying, finding she couldn’t stop. “Oh, and yes, you’ve seen me before, many times actually.” She added.

How strange, the afternoon was taking an interesting turn in events. Her eyes where locked on his face waiting for a reaction, for something. After all, they hadn’t spoken in so long.

[AJ Murphy G6]

AJ merely smirked when Rachel apologized. Even though she was obviously trying to make her apology sound sincere, she was smiling from ear to ear. She picked up her small kitten and placed him on her lap. The little fur ball looked like he would like nothing more than to escape those lovely thin manicured nails of his master’s. Rachel spoke sweetly to her kitten, as if it could somehow understand what she was saying. It was a cat for god’s sake! And a baby cat at that. It couldn’t possibly be smart enough to understand Rachel’s sweet words. The cat stared up at Rachel with large beady eyes. “I’m sorry you know.” She told AJ. “If I’d have known you were allergic, Baby would have stayed in this seat with me.” She told him. She flashed AJ a charming white smile (which was much different from AJ’s own sparkling smile) and AJ couldn’t help but return the favor and smiling back. Only his smile was much more of a smirk, just like it always was.

“No problem. So his name’s Baby, eh? He’s not one of those little kittens who are spoiled so rotten they start to think they’re human, is he?” He said, glancing at the kitten with a raised eyebrow. Like he said before, he never really had much liking for cats. He remembered a girl he’d dated a while back. The girl was obsessed with cats, it drove AJ insane. She had a cat named Princess or something, and she brought that damned thing everywhere. It was always kept in one of her oversized handbags, and would always poke its ugly little head out at the wrong moments. That ugly little creature seemed to think he owned the world, even though AJ could very easily step on it if he wanted to. His extreme dislike of cats had increased considerably ever since he started dating that annoying little girl.

I knew it. AJ thought to himself in response to Rachel’s answer. I knew she couldn’t be Kathy’s Rachel. That Rachel was so weird and odd looking. Kathy’s Rachel reminded AJ a lot of Angel, which definitely couldn’t be a good thing. AJ couldn’t remember seeing Kathy’s Rachel in a very long time. AJ was told that she was present at his mother’s wedding, (in fact, he had been scolded for not talking to her the entire night) but he didn’t see her there. She was probably in that same little corner with Angel, helping her out with her stupid potions essay. AJ remembered the night of his mother’s wedding quite well. He had been the ring bearer, and Angel was one of the bride’s maids. Kathy Cohen was his mother’s maid of honor of course. Those two were inseparable. Kathy knew AJ almost as well as his own mother by now, seeing as she still spent hours at a time at the Murphy’s restaurant and of course at their home as well. AJ would walk in the house with some friends (AJ used to walk in with dates, but has learned not to after the many incidents where his family home videos were removed from their cupboard) and find Kathy and his mother already occupying the living room watching some sappy romance movie. AJ almost rolled his eyes thinking of the two.

“Here’s something you should know about me.” Rachel began in response to AJ’s comment about her beauty and modesty. Her smile had completely disappeared now. “Not that doubt I could attract any guy on this train, but I’m the type of girl who’s heard that so many times that words like beautiful, gorgeous, sexy, and hot have lost meaning to me.” She said in a warning tone. “So much for modesty huh?” She replied with a tiny laugh. AJ shrugged. “Hey, at least you’re honest. Any other girl I know would have just taken the compliment with a small giggle and a twirl of the hair. But don’t worry. I wouldn’t call you beautiful unless I truly meant it. I’m not one of those guys who uses the word lightly.” He said, somewhat truthfully. He definitely would not tell a girl she was beautiful if he didn’t truly think she was, but he did find himself saying words of the sort quite often. “As for having the surname as a friend of your mom’s. Well I lied, well not technically. I don’t know any Kathys, but I am Katherine’s daughter.” Rachel stated quite blatantly, as if it were the most casual thing in the world. “Oh, and yes, you’ve seen me before, many times actually.” She added in the same casual tone. There was a silence for a moment, and the silence could only be broken by the sounds of the corridors outside their compartment, the slow breathing of both AJ and Rachel, and the soft purring of Rachel’s cat. AJ finally regained his composure enough to speak.

“So wait…you’re Rachel Cohen.The Rachel Cohen?” AJ said, almost hoping he had heard her incorrectly. “Because you do not look like the Rachel Cohen I know.”He told Rachel in a disbelieving tone.

[Rachel Cohen R6]

He didn’t seem to believe her. But she really was sorry. She wouldn’t have intentionally set Baby on him like that. Either she looked like the type of person to do that, or he just thought she was a pretty, little, liar. His smirk pretty much convinced her of that. Well he didn’t have to believe her. It wasn’t like her trust in him was that established. No, she remembered him from her youth, and she knew of his reputation. But he surprised her. He seemed to that a lot. “No problem. So his name’s Baby, eh? He’s not one of those little kittens who are spoiled so rotten they start to think they’re human, is he?” he asked her, looking a Baby with an eyebrow raised. She smiled, it was rather funny. “No, he’s not spoiled, but he is a baby. I just got him not long ago. It was a survival present from my mom. My dad died when I was younger, the gift is just something that lets me know I’ve survived without him another year.” She said, only revealing a little too much then she intended to, leaving her vulnerable. “If that makes any sense to you …” She told him trailing off.

She didn’t know what took a hold of her, making her reveal that personal part of her life; she never even mentioned that little fact to her friends. It was a secret. It had always been locked inside her, trapped in a box labeled ‘daddy.’ She had grown up without him alright, but it sucked not knowing him better. When she had been with him life was perfect, all pieced together. She was his little girl, but he had died before she learned to ride a bike, or go on her first date. He wasn’t there to screen the guys. Maybe that’s why she dated some idiots. Many of them where. She barely knew anything about the man he was. She knew he liked books; he loved his wife and family. He came from a loving family, and worked a lot. But nothing more. One day she would have to ask her mother to go into details about him. But not yet. She was still to young, ten years passed and she still felt like it was yesterday. Standing at his funeral, it was strange how it rained all day; she didn’t think much of it then, but it seemed fit now.

She turned her attention back to the boy. It was strange they haven’t talked before. Her mother loved his mom. They where best friends. Emily was her mother’s pillar. They did so much together. And all the times Rachel had been over to their house, she knew it as well as hers. As she grew older they did the girl’s day out thing. Rachel would come along. The often went shopping, and what kind of girl didn’t like that? Of course when they started to talk she got out of the place, she didn’t care much for their gossip, it was mostly about people they knew, people she had never met. She wasn’t one to just sit there not being able to put her two cents in. It was much easier to escape. And so she did, to a friend’s house that was near.

Her honest from the heart comment was followed by one of his. . “Hey, at least you’re honest. Any other girl I know would have just taken the compliment with a small giggle and a twirl of the hair. But don’t worry. I wouldn’t call you beautiful unless I truly meant it. I’m not one of those guys who use the word lightly.” He told her, and she wanted to believe him. “I’m not like many girls though …” She said trailing off. Yes that was defiantly true, but it was something people noticed off the bat. It didn’t need to be stated. She smiled noticing to silver lining. “On the bright side, at least I can know you’re honest.” She said again, with another little laugh. The silence returned though when she told him she was in fact she was her mother’s daughter. Her heart beat in her chest. It was unnerving. He finally spoke. “So wait…you’re Rachel Cohen. The Rachel Cohen?” He asked her unbelieving. “The one and what’s with the whole ‘the Rachel Cohen bit? She asked. But she was answered soon enough. . “Because you do not look like the Rachel Cohen I know.” He told her. She almost got angry. Instead she rolled her green eyes. “Well I hope so, the last we spoke I was five. I’m not five anymore.” She told him, and laughed, how silly that all sounded.

[AJ Murphy G6]

“No, he’s not spoiled, but he is a baby. I just got him not long ago. It was a survival present from my mom. My dad died when I was younger, the gift is just something that lets me know I’ve survived without him another year.” AJ’s eyes widened. He hated when people talked about death. It was kind of a phobia of his. Life was for living, not dwelling upon such depressing things as death. AJ liked to live life to the fullest, and hopefully one day he’d die in his sleep, a very old man. All those who had died in the past were in a better place now. That was the only thing AJ liked to say or even think about the issue of death. He didn’t like to think about it. But that was okay, he didn’t have to.

AJ had only been to one funeral in his life, and he barely even remembered it. Some guy his mother knew died and AJ had been dragged along for the funeral. AJ was only about five at the time, so he didn’t really know what was going on. All he could remember were large bouquets of flowers and a lot of black. That funeral had been so long ago that AJ could not remember anything else about the event. He thought it odd how loosely Rachel discussed such a depressing topic as her father’s death. She said it so casually, as if it was a common thing for fathers to die. AJ’s father was rotting away in a rehab center, and you didn’t see him talking about it all the time to random people on the train. But, AJ eased up a bit at Rachel’s expression. He could tell she hadn’t meant to say that, and was now probably regretting her choice of words just a few seconds ago.

“I’m really sorry.” He said sincerely. “I had no idea…” He said, letting his sentence trail off. He looked at the small kitten with a little less disgust than he did before. After all, Rachel did seem like a happy person over all. If this cat was able to make her somewhat happy after something as big as the death of a father, then maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. AJ offered her a comforting smile that was not a smirk at all this time. It was a sincere, caring smile. Rachel seemed to be of in space though, but after awhile she returned from her daydream and turned her attention back at AJ.

“I’m not like many girls though …” She said trailing off. That was a bit of an understatement. Rachel was unlike any other girl AJ had ever met before. She was charming and was good at flirting, but yet she was deep and intelligent. She seemed like every other girl AJ had dated before, but yet she was so much different. Rachel shared similar feelings with many other girls her age, but aside from that, she was a completely different person. Her personality was so much different. “On the bright side, at least I can know you’re honest.” She said again, with another little laugh that made AJ want to smile. Her laugh was contagious. Almost like yawning. Every little giggle that came out of her mouth made AJ smile. Not to mention he was glad she trusted him. Most girls went by what they had heard about AJ. He was flirtatious, he was popular, and he was good looking. But it was like he walked around with a warning sign glued to his forehead, and it wouldn’t come off. AJ imagined what it would be like to have a giant sign taped to his forehead. WARNING! HEARTBREAKER! AJ repressed the urge to roll his eyes as he snapped out of his mental tangent. AJ stared in shock as Rachel mentioned who she was. She didn’t look at all like the Rachel Cohen he had seen pictures of and the one who was always out and about with his mother. AJ rolled her stunning green eyes, making AJ chuckle a bit. “Well I hope so, the last we spoke I was five. I’m not five anymore.” AJ shrugged. “Well that’s a surprise, that’s for sure.” He managed to say. “You’ve changed so much since then. Where you at my mum’s wedding this past summer?” He asked, trying to think back to the day of the wedding. He had spent most of the reception in a closet with his then-girlfriend Chelsea, so he probably didn’t see her there. What a shame. He would have liked to see Rachel in a dress.

((Well, this one seems like it's dying down a bit, and since Rachel and AJ have finally been reunited, I think we should end this one in the next post or two. Would you mind starting the next one?))

[Rachel Cohen R6]

Mentioning death was always such a conversation killer. Every time, it worked like clockwork. There were of course some who weren’t that anxious about it, they didn’t squirm or get nervous, the never made the ‘poor dear’ face. These people were a minority in society, those who often had death in their lives. People quite like Rachel. She was always thankful for the few she met in her life time, and was grateful her mother was one of them. She loved that she had someone to rely on, someone who knew what it felt like. Particularly getting the face. She hated the face. It was so vile, it disgusted her, it was made as if to say, we feel it too, your one of us, and Rachel knew better. She knew she was not like everyone else, because she felt the pain that was real. Not just a face that was put on to create the illusion of sadness. Over the years she had learned that conversations of death always ended awkwardly, never a good idea to mention it. She tended to say as little as possible about the manner, and left it at that. Only if she was asked about she would mention it. Questions like … “Oh and your father … where is he?” She would always smile shyly and reply … “Well he died and well …” She would often trail off. She who always had something to say found the subject embarrassing.

She looked at him from the corner of her eye. Yep, the death talk had made things come to an abrupt halt. She smiled, heat rushing to her pale cheeks. “Sorry about that …” She said waving her hands at nothing in particular as if pointing to her words that had left her mouth previously. But their words collided head on, so when she was apologizing, so was he, their sorrys said in unison, the rest of what she was saying was droned out by his “I had no idea…” She laughed. Moments like these showed the imperfections of the world, at the same time showing the perfection that was life; life that was human. He trailed off as so did she, awkward yet again. That conversation ended their right there. No more mentions of death, but she did look over at him to see him smile reassuringly at her. She even stopped blushing. What was he doing to her?

“You’ve changed so much since then. Where you at my mum’s wedding this past summer?” She shook her head in her agreement to both. She sure hoped she had changed. She remembered herself back then; she had been so shy, and unsure of herself, always cute, but not pretty. Then it changed for her, she developed self-esteem, and reached the pretty stage, and went further, beyond that. She smiled slowly; sadly, sometimes she missed that little girl. So sweet, and innocent. “Yeah …” She told him in agreement. Wondering what he was thinking about, what was inside his mind. Was he thinking about her? Whoa … where was that coming from? Did she really care? Was she caring? She straightened up remembering he had asked a question earlier. “Yes, I was at your mom’s wedding, but I left before the cake was cut, I went out with friends, it was a beautiful wedding.” She told him, failing to mention that she saw him walk off the girl, whoever she was, she never saw him after they left. Then the night faded slowly as she went to out with her friend.

There was more to say to him, and she knew it. She knew she could have said a lot more, maybe she would have. But she couldn’t, because the train was coming to a stop. Was it possible they where here already? Time flew very fast, she hadn’t even noticed. Then the train wasn’t moving anymore, and she heard people walking outside. It was time to leave, time to see the woman, her mother she loved very much. The one she was so eager to see earlier. She wasn’t as eager now. Don’t get me wrong she was very happy to see her mother but that meant she would have to leave … him. Not that she wanted to stay here with him, she was perfectly happy to leave him. At least she was telling herself that. She stood up and smiled at him. “Well, AJ, it was very nice to see you again. Maybe I’ll see you again.” She told him leaving, not knowing she would be seeing him sooner than she expected.

She excited the train and toke one last look at him, he was looking back. Good, she thought and walked over to where her mother was. Her mother wrapped her in a hug, and Rachel found herself crying silently. It was so good to be home. The tears were matched by squeals and laughter. “Mom, look at you look incredible.” She said pulling back from the hug and looking at the woman. “No sweet, you must be looking incredible, I saw the guy,” her mother said in that, I know all voice causing her to blush. “Uhm actually mom, you know him.” She was heard saying as she climbed into the car. The drove away towards their house, her mother listening attentively on everything her daughter was saying.


[[ Ah. I'm going to get our other post up tomorrow sometime. Had a late rehearsel today.]]