Cassandra played with the straw in her milkshake as she sat in a diner booth waiting for the others. The thing most people don't know about adventures is that it isn't always running or discovering. No, Cassandra had learned there was a whole lot of waiting. Waiting for Jenkins to get the door open, waiting for ideas to form, waiting for things to happen, waiting for the rest of the team when they'd been separated. This time they were in a small town in Colorado where strange happenings seemed to be connected to a new art gallery opened by a mysterious sculptor. She'd been sent to do some research at City Hall while Eve had dragged a very reluctant Jake off with her. Cassandra smiled, twirling the straw around again, Jake had been not so much unhappy to go off with Eve as he'd been to leave her. Jake had been by her side even more than he usually was and the others noticed it. Jones had made a wise comment about it but Baird had frowned, her disappointed soldier one. Jake had muttered something to her about probably getting a lecture from their Guardian.

"Which hardly seems fair given Flynn," He had finished his muttering before unnecessarily telling her to be careful.

The City Hall records had turned up little of interest and she was back in the diner way before everyone else.

Given Flynn. She mused. They'd all kept quiet about it, but they'd all seen the Librarian and his Guardian kissing the last time he visited. Suddenly what he'd meant sunk in and she stared at the table to avoid anyone seeing her blush.

Now she knew what Jake had been trying to tell her beyond the fact that he now trusted her. She almost clapped her hands in glee. The fortune teller had been right!

Nearly two years ago, she'd been walking home from her job at the hospital when she'd been intrigued by a little shop she'd not seen before. She'd paid the funny copper haired lady ten dollars and had been led back to a table.

Cassandra was surprised when the woman put a heavy book on the table instead of grabbing her palm or pulling out tarot cards.

"Cassandra Cillian." The woman trailed her finger down the page and then looked up at her. "Oh I am sorry sweetheart."

Cassandra shrugged. "Is there anything in there about . . . .?"

"Not exactly but you should know you still have a full rich, wow exciting life ahead of you. Soon you'll be offered the opportunity of any one's lifetime. To make a difference. Huh," The woman stole a glance over the book at Cassandra and looked a bit puzzled. She shook her head. "Never mind."

"Never mind what?"

"It's dangerous to know too much about your future. But sweetie, I am going to give you one more thing. There will be a man. A quiet serious man who has been hurt so many times. Trapped in a life he didn't really chose, much like how your illness traps you. He doesn't trust easily, but well, he'll give you his heart and that will be for keeps. Keep it safe and he'll keep you safe."

"How will I know he's him?"

The woman smiled gently, "You just will. He's been waiting all his life for you, just like you've been waiting for him. It won't be easy, you'll hurt him, he'll hurt you. But you'll hang on. Don't worry, sweetheart, it'll be magic."

"Magic?" Cassandra had asked even as the woman was ushering her out the door.

"Just a little bit of magic, Cassandra, just a little bit."

Then the woman was gone, the door shut behind her. Cassandra had been too wrapped up in her thoughts to noticed the shop disappear that night. But she always looked on her way home, to find the store empty and dark.

The opportunity had come and she'd almost blown it by allowing herself to be manipulated by the Serpent Brotherhood. But she'd learned the right thing and had been given another chance.

Then there was Jake. She'd noticed immediately how drawn to her he'd been. Almost as if he had indeed been waiting for her. But it wasn't until after the Labyrinth when they'd talked about trust that she'd been sure he was the man the fortune teller had told her about. Trapped in a dual life, so hurt, so unable to trust. She'd broken his heart before he'd even given it to her.

Now it seemed he was ready to give it to her again. Had already. Overwhelming emotions spun through her and she grabbed on to the table.

"Cassie?" Jake's concerned voice washed through her haze, as it always did, the only voice she could hear sometimes. "Cassie, darlin', you okay? Do you need a memory?"

"No," She said softly, "No this was a memory. I'm okay, I'm very okay." She looked up at him and really hoped the others didn't see what she saw in his eyes. There would be no end of teasing from Ezekiel and worried expressions from Baird.

Then she looked around and noticed it was just him. "Where are the others?"

"They're in the truck, we found something. I said I'd get you. Are you sure you're okay?" He slid beside her in the booth. "They'd understand if you needed a minute."

"We have no time to talk do we?"

"No," He shook his head. "Aww Cassie, the timing always stinks."

"Can we buy three minutes?"

"Three?"

"2 and a half minutes for you to hold me and 30 seconds for me to pay the waitress?"

His breath caught, he hadn't misread the look on her face when she'd come out of the spell at all. "Yes, though you might need 45 seconds for the waitress."

He slid his arm around her and pulled her as tight as he could in a restaurant, luckily they were in a booth in the back and it wasn't busy. She rested her head against his chest, listening to his heart speed up and briefly skip. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "The minute we are done, we are getting the hell out of the Annex and we're gonna . . . . Damn it."

"What?" Her voice was muffled against his chest.

"Baird just walked in, she can't see us yet."

She groaned but pulled away from him.

"There you are." By the time Eve approached, Jake and Cassandra were sitting a respectable distance from each other, although their hands were joined under the table. "What is going on?"

"I had a spell." Cassandra said.

"Oh," Baird's face softened. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm going to go pay for my drink. I'll be right back." Jake squeezed her hand as she left.

Baird sighed. "Stone."

"Baird. Before you say anything, I should let you know that we all saw you and Flynn."

Baird swallowed. "Oh."

"So don't worry, if you and Flynn can work together, so can Cassandra and I."

"Good, just, look we're all protective of her, even Jones."

"I know. Believe me. We can keep it separate. I'm really good at that. I can teach her."

"Keep that in mind. I'm trying to keep you both safe but you need to be able to not be so wrapped up in each other . . ."

"Yeah, I get it. I'm sorry. It's umm new."

Baird smiled softly. "I figured. It'll be okay. Now, let's get back into it, okay?"

"Gotcha."

Cassandra came back to the table. "Well that took longer than 45 seconds."

Jake grinned, a mixture of amusement and besotted. At Baird's look, "Inside joke. Looks like we gotta go Cass."

"Adventure time." She bounced, impatient to get this worked out.

Lots of skill, much more running and a little bit of danger later, they were back in the Annex with the magic sculpting tool that had started the whole business.

The very second that they were free, Jake was pulling Cassandra out the door. Half way between their apartment building and the Annex was a scenic overlook and Jake broke the silent tension in his truck, by pulling off into it.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothin'. I just couldn't wait any more."

They looked at each other across the bench and then Cassandra let out an "Oh" just the next second before their lips met. Soft, sweet, loving and unlike his imagination not short out of fear of Jones finding them.

Cassandra giggled when they paused for breath. "I've never made out at a make out point before."

"We aren't stayin', I have no intention of gettin' arrested. I just need to .. ." He kissed her again. "Aww Cassie, I, well I..."

"I know Jake. I do too. "

A few moments later and a whispered, "Okay we should take this inside somewhere." Cassie was smoothing her hair and Jake was wiping away lipstick.

As Jake turned the engine back on, Cassandra murmured, "She was right, it is a little bit like magic."

His eyes flew toward hers. "What did you say?"

"Oh it's silly, there was this . . ."

"Fortune teller."

"You too? I just didn't think you . . .. "

"Oh that's a long story. " Jake grinned. "A little bit of magic indeed. But I believe in magic."

"I do too."

"And I believe in you. In us."

Danger and adventure, villains and friends and a tumor lay before them. But a little bit of magic was always on their side. And they both believed in magic.

The End

Really is the end this time, I hope you enjoyed it!