A/N: I can't get these two out of my head! This is trash but I hope you guys like it anyway. This may end up being a one-shot dump. I can see these idiots providing further inspiration. After all, we're only four episodes in.

She's pretty as a picture

She is like a golden ring

Settles me with love and laughter

And I can't feel a thing

~ (LA Song written by David Greenwalt & preformed by Christian Kane)

XxX

Cassandra had gotten used to the idea of dying. When she had first been diagnosed she had spent a long time being angry and depressed. Her parents had stopped looking at her like she was was a bright and brilliant angel full of potential and instead looked at her like she was a tragedy. The little sad smiles that went away when they thought she couldn't see, the delicate way they touched her, like she might break at any moment. Her parents' sorrow, while completely understandable, was unbearable. She loved them but she couldn't stand the pity. Eventually she took a janitorial job with long hours that kept her as busy as possible. What was the point of going to school if she was just going to die soon anyway? And how could she hope to be accepted in a job, where her skills would actually be of use, when she was always having seizures? Eventually she stopped being mad and sad and entered into a strange stage where she felt relieved to be dying. She found peace with her death sentence.

Until they found her. Until she saw the Library. Finding out that magic was real and that so many wonderful things existed was like waking up from a long nightmare. The world felt solid and bright and lovely and for the first time in a long time Cassandra wanted to live in it. After living without hope for so long, she didn't want to let go of it. Flynn, Jake, Ezekiel, and Eve were all wonderful and she felt horrible for betraying them, but they couldn't offer her what she fiercely desired. The will to live seized her and overpowered everything else. She was blinded by it.

Did she regret what she did? Of course she did. She felt like the lowest of the low. As someone who had grown up with parents that expected her to be perfect, she had learned to be very critical of herself. But she was trying to put it behind her. Cassandra had learned her lesson and she had learned it well. She would never betray any of her friends again.

The worst part wasn't her period of self-loathing, the worst part was Jake. Everyone else had forgiven her and moved on. But Jake was full of reproachful looks and ignored comments. And after their little heart to heart, she didn't blame him. She didn't know what happened in his past to make it hard for him to trust people, but she wanted to earn it back. Not to ease her own conscience, but for him. She wanted him to learn how to trust again.

She's making up for her mistake now. Even if, in her friends eyes, her crime was absolved the moment he chose to heal Flynn instead herself, Cassandra still felt like she needed to redeem herself. What better way to do that than to devote the rest of her time on this earth to protecting it?

Jake braces Cassandra as she stumbles backwards. Her seizures caused her to lose her balance often. Her hands dart above her head as she interacts with her hallucinations. Jake can only wish he could see what she saw. He's constantly amazed by the speed and power of her brain. He talks to her calmly, trying to guide her through. It wasn't important. They were just hanging around the Library but she can't control when a seizure hits so he helps her.

When it passes she smiles awkwardly, mumbles a 'thank you', and goes back to work.

He sighs inwardly. She's become more distant since they had that talk after the Labyrinth. He had said what he meant. He didn't trust her, not completely. He'd told her he liked her and then put walls up between them. A working relationship was all they really needed. But in their line of work, it was difficult not to form close bonds. They dealt with life and death situations, shared the knowledge that magic existed, and fought together in an ongoing battle against those who would use magic for evil. How could he not feel close to her?

Still his mind railed against him. If she could betray them once, she could do it again. He would not allow himself to be a fool again. He wouldn't let anyone hurt his new family. Because they were like his family now. Odd and perhaps a little dysfunctional with a partially absentee father figure, but still real. They could understand him better than any of his blood relatives. He still loved the people he had back home, but the Library was where he belonged now and Baird, Jones, Flynn, and even Cassie were his family now. So he was determined to protect them, even if it was from each other. If Cassandra showed any signs of betrayal, he would do whatever he needed to do to make sure her mistakes don't hurt anybody.

It was a conflict within him, a constant struggle between vigilance and the instinct to be closer to her. And it was hard. Dammit it was hard. Her smiles, the way her eyes lit up when they learned something new about magic, the way her copper curls bounced when she walked. He had to constantly remind himself that he was keeping her at a distance for a reason. He had to remember what the past had taught him.

He finds her in the stacks reading a first edition of Frankenstein. She doesn't notice his presence, and so he watches her for a moment. Her brow is knit together in concentration and her lips are mouthing the words. Her eyes go wide and she pulls the book closer to her face. He was going to ask her something, but he doesn't want to interrupt her when she seems to be at a good part. He begins to leave but he's stopped by voice.

"Stone?"

"Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." Jake smiles briefly before beginning to leave again.

"What is it? Is there a mission?" The book is closed in her lap now.

"No, uh it's nothing."

"Oh. . .okay." Her fingers fiddle with the hem of her skirt and she looks up at him expectantly.

"That's a great book." Jake points at the book and nods. This time he really leaves, feeling stupid. She makes him feel stupid always.

"Wait, wait, wait." Cassandra hurries and catches up with him as he descends the staircase. She's clutching the book to her chest.

"What?" He pauses to speak to her.

"Does it end well?" She pushes the book forward a little to show what she's talking about.

"Do want me to spoil it?" Jake laughs and starts walking again.

"No...I mean yes. I-uh I don't know." Cassandra brushes a curl behind her ear.

"I like the ending. I think it's fitting." Jake answers. He hopes this is vague enough to satisfy her. "Why Frankenstein?"

"I've never read much fiction. I thought it would be nice to start with the classics. What better way to start than with the first science fiction novel?" She smiles like a child treasuring their christmas presents.

"I hope you like it." He heads for the exit.

"You know you can ask me." Once again her voice stops him. "I know you wonder about it. You treat me like a person and not a dead woman walking, and I'm grateful for that. But you have to be curious. What I'm saying is it's ok to talk about my tumor."

He's frozen. He wants to ask her a million things. He wants to let her know that he will always help her if she needs it. He wants to say he'd do anything to make it go away. But he bites his tongue.

"Goodnight Cassie."