VIII-I Saw The Life Inside Your Eyes (INVITE)

[Maya Rodriguez]

Nothing never goes the way it should
No more sitting in this place
Hoping you might see it my way
Cause I don't think you ever understood

A whole heap of shit had come crashing down around her, starting with her capture. Truth be told, it wasn't exactly a capture but rather Maya handing herself into The Company custody. Why? you ask. Simple really. You see, Maya had gotten herself in too deep. Maya was not only a fully fledge member and leader of the infamous Rogue Society but had also gotten herself a spot within another dangerous group of specials, only within that group of specials her identity was unclear. With an ability like hers, it would have been stupid not to play the game.

Cassie Fox was nothing but a false face and a name, no one any of the wiser when it came to the blonde bombshell at play. No one suspected a damn thing, which in reality told her that the group already had a weakness...amongst the obvious surface flaws that lingered amongst it's other members. What a bunch they were, in her opinion much more of the odd ball bunch then she had found in her Rogues. Even so, both fell fast into the dirt and Maya ensured that whilst both groups buried themselves...she'd drift away and start over, as if she was never their to begin with.

The Company, that was her ticket to fall off of the grid and that's just what she did. Maya was quick to flee upon being released and wasted no time shifting physical state, a new face, a new name and a new life were all hers. Unfortunately, what happened next she had not expected. Her powers were gone, which made moving on that much harder when you were a wanted woman with a fair few enemies.

She had to stay low for a while, taking herself all the way to Europe where she took time to herself, to figure out her next movement. This was a chance to start over, escape her old life and relieve herself of her past demons and mistakes. Maya had a life waiting for her, back home, a family whom she'd abandoned and most of all, and surprisingly...a child. Maya had a daughter, Jazmine , whom of which lived with a close friend and relatives.

Maya never spoke of her daughter, never breathed a word of the young girl to anyone because she knew the moment word got out her enemies would be gunning for her only weakness. The Company had already tried that tactic by threatening her family, thankfully unaware of Jazmines existence and that was how the woman preferred it. Sure, she hadn't been around for her child much, but she was still damn protective.


It went without saying that their relationship would need restoring, as she had barely seen her girl grow up. Jazmine was told that her mother worked a hard job, one which entailed her to travel and even though she accepted it all, Maya knew she wasn't happy about it and didn't blame her. She was never there for Jazmine, not like a real mother should have been. Heck, she couldn't even call herself a mother. Jazmines father, he wasn't around either and was a subject heavily avoided by Maya, which no one dared challenge.

What she planned to do next, could either be the best or worst decision she ever made. Only time would tell. She hadn't expected anything really, but it was worth a shot, even if it resulted in a negative. She had to go home to her family and Jazmine.

So shine bright tonight, you and I
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky
Eye to eye, so alive

It took a hell of a lot of courage to come back here and face the 11 year old she barely knew, a family she had pretty much kept in the dark for some time. Strangely, the welcome she had expected was far from the one she received. Her father seemed relieved to see her and Jazmine, well, it didn't take long for her to come running. For once she actually felt something other then numbness, it frightened her more then anything but this was where she belonged right now. She had a chance to make better of herself, she'd do her best to make life better for herself and her child, regardless of what it took.

That wasn't to say she had turned a new leaf, she'd just be around more, more motherly you might say. Maya still had her own personal goals to triumph and wouldn't rest until they were successful, that could wait for now. In the meantime, she had some time to make up for, and that's what she intended to do.

To say the least, seeing Jazmine had been a hefty wake up call. Why had she lived her life the way she had and abandoned the precious little angel she had given birth to all those years ago. Sure, mostly because she never felt adequate enough, as if Jazzy deserved way better in her life. Maya was her mother, it wasn't about choosing what she thought was better off...how was abandoning your child the right thing? It wasn't and Maya was going to surely make up for it.

Maya had spent some time with her daughter, and had quickly learned that Jazmine wasn't like most children. She had an ability, which was both a surprise and not so much...the problem was, how did she cope with it? Maya wasn't sure..and so for that, she needed to enlist the help of someone else...someone who she could trust and there were very few people for the job.

Whilst Jazmine entertained herself with homework, Maya headed into the next room to make a call. She picked up the phone, closed the door slightly too and dialed. The dark haired female waited for someone to pick up on the receiving end. She swallowed hard, biting on her lower lip some. When they answered, she took a deep breath before speaking up "...It's me...I need your help..." she said, feeling as if she was a dog with it's tail between it's leg. This was going to be tough, how could she expect it not to be considering the person she was asking help from was the person she had most betrayed.

[Leon Zweig]

After everything that had happened in his life recently, Leon Zweig was not the type of guy to just stop everything at the drop of a hat and travel nearly 1,800 miles across the country. The young Company agent had been in the middle of an intense work out session. He'd been lifting weights in the gym while listening to his iPod. After his abrupt, painful and simply brutal breakup with Maya Rodriguez. The repercussions were tremendous. Not only were they terrible for his personal life due to the fact that Leon had lost someone he'd cared about for deeply, he'd also faced repercussions at work. Leon was quite literally sleeping with the enemy. Maya was one of the Company's biggest foes... Grace was less than pleased to be completely honest. The young man had to work hard to get his work life back on track and to prove himself once more to his boss.

It was that phone call though. That was what made Leon stop dead in his tracks. The young man nearly dropped the set of weights he'd had in his hands. Immediately, Leon had set them down. He stared at his phone for a moment as the name MayaRodriguez flashed across the screen. The young man eyed his phone for a moment in shock, a pit forming in the depths of his stomach. Without any more hesitation, Leon answered and placed the phone up against his ear. He hadn't heard from Maya in months. Since before they'd all lost their powers. It was right after their breakup. The young man pressed the phone up against his ear and breathed for a moment. "Hello?" Leon paused for a moment as that familiar voice spoke. "It's me... I need your help..." It was all Leon needed to here. "I'll be right there." After Maya told him where she was, Leon hung up and headed for the locker room.

Forty-five minutes later, Leon was on a plane to New Orleans. Leon was absolutely terrified of flying. The young man absolutely hated being in the air trapped in a metal box. The mere idea of it terrified the ever living hell of him. If he was going to fly for anyone though, it would've been Maya. The young man jittered impatiently and breathed deeply as the plane landed and approached the gate. Leon exited the plane and headed for the rental car that was waiting for him. The young man hadn't checked a bag. There hadn't been time. Leon Zweig smirked as his feet pressed upon the solid ground.

He stepped into the driver's seat and set off towards Maya's parent's home. The young man sped through the busy streets and weaved in and out of traffic with ease. Once he neared Maya's parent's home, the young man slowed down and ultimately parked his car. The sun was setting as he locked the car door and began to walk towards the front door of the home. For a moment, Leon breathed deeply and ran his fingers through his hair. Leon was beginning to fully realize what was happening. To be completely honest, what was happening had yet to really sink in completely. The young man stepped up to the door and knocked twice. Leon smiled slightly as the door opened and he was yet again face to face with Maya. "Hey you..."

[Maya Rodriguez]

So shine bright tonight, you and I
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky
Eye to eye, so alive

The sound of his voice sent chills up her spine. For a moment, she believed that once he heard who was on the other end that he would immediately hang up and with every good reason to do so. Maya had no right asking for favours, but she had no other options. She had been reunited after so long with her daughter, only to find out that she was special and in need of assistance.

To he surprise and relief, he agreed to come. Now, she wasn't certain if this was a genuine agreement or if he'd come with the cavalry to slap the chains on her wrists and drag her kicking and screaming. Again, he had every right to do so with all things considered. Maya had wronged the man, she had taken him for a fool and gotten him into a lot of trouble..she didn't deserve his help at all. It just went to show what kind of man Leon was and how she had been truly foolish to cross him the way she had.

Perhaps her life would have turned out differently had she taken things with him in a different route, but the past was the past and she tried not to dwell on it too much. Her life had changed a lot recently, all of her priorities had changed and she felt for the better. Prior to him arriving, she paced nervously up and down which didn't go unnoticed by Jaz. Thankfully, for now she chose not to ask her mother about her strange behaviour.

When the door knocked, her stomach tied in knots and the reluctant female approached it to open. Slowly, she opened the door, half hiding behind it for a brief second or two before fully opening it for him. Jaz looked up from her spot, watching suspiciously having pieced two and two together and clocked that her mother was acting strange because of their visitor. Still, regardless she didn't ask questions nor make it too obvious, time would soon tell all and the young girl would be patient and wait.

A sheepish smile crossed Maya's lips as she let her eyes fall upon Leon "I didn't think you'd show up, least of all this quickly. I appreciate it though.." She spoke gently, watching him for a brief few minutes before finally opening the door and gesturing for him to enter. Once the man was inside, she glanced around to check the area outside before finally feeling at ease enough to close the door behind them. He'd come alone, something again she appreciated.

"You look good. Better, since the last time I saw you.." She commented stopping in the hallway with him, chomping her lower lip and folding her arms over her chest. Yes, the last time she'd seen him he certainly wasn't looking so fresh and he had her to thank for that. She hoped that he wasn't here to grill her, that perhaps somewhere in his heart he'd forgiven her for all of her wrong doings..but then again she deserved to be confronted for her badness and forced to face consequences.

Oddly enough, despite everything she still felt the same every time she saw him. Things hadn't worked out for them before all the bullshit emerged and regardless of the brief pick up where they'd left off, Maya understood that they were pretty much from two different worlds..it'd have never worked. Still, it didn't hurt anyone for her to think about things now and again.