A/N - Thank you everyone for your support during this story. This was the first multi-chapter fic I ever attempted and I had a lot of fun writing it. Keep an eye out for the sequel soon!

It was late when the team (minus Ezekiel) stumbled back into the annex. Baird had waited to make sure Jake and Cassandra made it back safely, but she had allowed Jones to take off early simply because she couldn't stand to listen to his whining any longer. For someone who wasn't a fan of working, he sure seemed upset that he had been left out of the tougher aspects of their most recent mission.

"Oh good, the rest of you returned in one piece," Jenkins greeted them dryly from across the room. "I was worried I was going to be stuck working alone with the thief from now on."

"Nice to see you too, Jenkins," Baird said as she gathered some things from her desk. "I don't mean to save the world and run, but I just spent way too many hours keeping Jones from pickpocketing every guest at that party and I'm exhausted. I'll see you guys on Monday." The remaining three watched as the Guardian practically flew out of the room.

"Save the world and run?" Jake muttered and turned to Jenkins. "Cassandra and I did all the work!"

"You should have seen him, Jake was amazing!" Cassandra gushed.

"I was, wasn't I?" Jake grinned, turning his attention back to Jenkins. "But I was nothing compared to Cassandra. She kept her cool the entire time. Even after Dulaque kidnapped and threatened to kill her."

"You saw Dulaque?" Jenkins' curiosity was peaked. "The Serpent Brotherhood was behind this?" Both Jake and Cassandra nodded, Jake slowly and Cassandra quite eagerly.

"One of the Donahue sons is a member," Jake explained. "But I wouldn't worry. The unicorn scared them off." He chuckled, remembering how Dulaque looked running away from the mare.

"Oh no, Mr. Stone. Just the opposite. There is plenty to worry about," The older man warned. "I assume they were after the unicorn's horn, then?"

"That's what we think," Cassandra agreed.

"Then we must ask ourselves, what do they have planned that requires such an intense magical focus?" Jenkins asked the younger Librarians.

Jake and Cassandra exchanged worried looks.

"And since they weren't able to get their hands on the horn, what are they going to try to use instead?"

"An excellent thought, Miss Cillian," Jenkins nodded in agreement. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to bed. I want to be able to get up early enough tomorrow to try and figure out Dulaque's latest plan. Turn the lights off on your way out, and please don't stay too long."

"I should probably be getting home," Cassandra said once Jenkins had left. "It's pretty late."

"Cassandra, wait," Jake reached out and gently grabbed her shoulder to stop Cassie from leaving. "I, uh...I think we should uh...talk. You know, about how I've been actin' this week."

Cassandra looked confused. "I thought we already talked about that."

"No, darlin'. We talked around it," Jake started. "But I...I realized something tonight and I think it's something we need to talk about."

"Okay," Cassandra nodded. "What is it? You sound serious."

Jake took Cassandra's hand and lead her to the large staircase. He took a seat and she followed suit, sitting down next to him.

"You see, the things is…At least, I think, uh..." Jake hesitated, trying to find the right words. The truth was, he wasn't entirely sure what it was he was trying to say in the first place. "When you were going off with Sam, chattin' him up, uh dancin' with him...I know it was just for the case. I knew that, but I still couldn't help but feel…"

"Jake?" Cassandra encouraged, squeezing the hand that he hadn't yet let go of.

"Well, I think I was jealous," Jake finally admitted, eyes glued to his feet.

"Jealous? Of Sam?"

Nodding, Jake took a deep breath before continuing. "I know it's ridiculous. I have no right to feel this way. After all, I pushed you away when we first met and have been keeping you at arm's length ever since," he finally glanced up and looked Cassandra in the eye. "But dammit, Cas! You got under my skin and I just don't know what to do with myself anymore."

To his surprise, Cassandra nodded. "I actually know exactly how you feel. It's the same way I felt about you and Mabel."

"Wait, what?" Jake looked at her in shock. "You were jealous of Mabel!?"

His mind frantically tried to remember their time in Collins Falls, tried to remember how Cassandra had acted during that case. But as hard as he tried, the only memories he had were of the time he spent with Mabel, the most prominent of all being when he held her lifeless body in his arms…

"I guess I was kind of wrapped up in her, huh?" he admitted.

"You two had a lot in common," Cassandra nodded. "I understood that. But I couldn't help but feel a little jealous at just how easy you trusted her."

"See, that's just it, Cassie," Jake looked down again, focusing on their clasped hands. "Every time I try and share myself with someone, I get hurt. I know it's not intentional, but even now, it's still very hard for me to open up to someone."

"Jake, it's okay," Cassandra whispered.

"No, it's not," Jake paused for a moment and when he finally looked back at Cassandra she could see that he looked close to tears. "Cassie, I do trust you. I trust you with my life, and of everyone in this Library...hell, of everyone in my life, you're the one I trust the most."

She smiled at that, the sight of which sent shivers down Jake's spine. He wasn't sure how he was going to get through this conversation.

"But like I said before, Cass. I have my own issues to work out. Issues that don't have anything to do with you, despite how hard I tried to blame you for them when we first met…" he hesitated. "I'm just not sure how ready-"

Cassandra had placed a hand on his cheek, distracting him long enough that he had forgotten what he was trying to say. Before Jake knew what was happening, Cassandra was leaning in. He found himself automatically shifting forward to meet her halfway and suddenly their lips met in an all too brief kiss.

"It's okay, Jake. I'm not expecting anything here," Cassandra assured him after they pulled away.

"I want to, you know. I want to be able to open myself up to someone, and I want you to be that someone," he smiled just slightly. "I just don't think it's fair to ask you to wait for me."

"You don't have to ask, Jake," Cassandra whispered, and he felt his heart skip a beat. "I'm here, whenever you're ready. I'm not going anywhere."

"You and I both know that you can't guarantee that," Jake sighed. He felt awful bringing the subject up, but Cassie didn't seem bothered.

"And you and I both know how stubborn I can be, Jake. I have every intention of sticking around long enough for you to get things sorted out," she paused for a brief second. "And who knows. There's always magic."

Jake chuckled. He knew deep down that she didn't have any control over how much time she had left, but if anyone out there could defeat a brain grape using nothing but stubbornness, Cassandra could.

"Well, like I said, I can't ask you to wait for me to come to my senses," he lifted the hand he was still holding and gently kissed the top of it. "But I suppose I ain't gonna try and stop ya if you're going to insist."

Cassandra smiled proudly at that, and Jake had a feeling that she wouldn't have to wait long. He got up off the stairs and pulled the redhead to her feet, fully intending to hold her hand for as long as he could get away with it. Together they walked, hand in hand, out of the annex, pausing only briefly so that Jake could flick the lights off. The last thing they needed was another item on the list of things Jenkins could complain about.