Had the idea for this little one-shot after listening to one of my favorite songs, plus rewatching one of the scenes in the show where the Librarians go out to a bar. Karaoke shouldn't that big of a stretch.
Enjoy.
She could do this, four words that Cassandra had to keep repeating to herself. She could totally do this, sure no problem. It couldn't be that hard, right?
Right?
Ugh…
When the announcer called for volunteers, Cassandra almost chickened out. It took everything she had to force herself to stand from their table in the back, four pairs of eyes following her.
As if sensing part of her intent, Ezekiel rose as well. Cassandra motioned him not to join her with a shake of her head. The same gesture was copied when Baird started to rise as well.
Cassandra's fellow librarians and their guardian each observed with curious eyes as the redhead made her way away from their table to the DJ at the speaker booth. This was something she needed to do, and do alone. Her nerves were already trying to get the best of her, to make her retreat.
No, not today. No more running, she was going to get this out, and get it out now.
Steeling herself, Cassandra stepped up onto the small stage.
It was an unspoken thing, an agreement between the librarians and Baird. At least once every two weeks they would go out together for a drink. Sometimes Flynn would join in when he was in town, but often it was just the four of them. They would sit there and just… drink and talk. Almost as if they were not the defenders of the world and in a profession with a high mortality rate. It was their way of helping add some normalcy to their existence.
It was far from the first time Cassandra had been on this stage, but it was the first she was on her own. Baird joined her every once in a while, sometimes Ezekiel. Jake would only do it if there were at least three of them, or he was more than a little drunk. Since their favorite haunt was so close to where they lived, they could always walk home whoever had a little much.
Taking the microphone into her hand, Cassandra steeled herself for her next action. It was far too late to back out now. "Hello, my name's Cassandra, and this is for someone very special to me."
That was when the music began.
All eyes were on her… Cassandra so hated when all attention was heaped upon her. She was so used to sitting back, beneath the notice of everyone. It was the way she preferred it. Just another nobody in the crowd, like her days as a hospital janitor.
Not today, no, today she had a purpose. Cassandra didn't want to be up here, she needed to be. Of all the scenarios she imagined, this was most certainly not on the list. Unlike how she usually acted, she hadn't planned this out for tonight.
Granted, Cassandra had been stewing over how to approach this for months, maybe more. But it had been a spur of the moment idea, an act of impulse, that brought her to this stage tonight.
Cassandra, math-girl, believer in planning and organizing everything out, was acting on impulse.
If there was an actual hell, it must be approaching absolute zero right about now.
The first of the lyrics appeared on the screen, making Cassandra shove her internal thoughts aside so she could focus. With her head as clear as it could be made, the redhead began to sing.
I used to be so happy
But without you here I feel so low
I watched you as you left but I can never seem to let you go
'Cause once upon a time you were my everything
It's clear to see that time hasn't changed a thing
It's buried deep inside me but I feel there's something you should know
Singing was not one of Cassandra's skills, but as with everything she put her mind to, she tried her best. With each word that passed her lips, she drew strength. Before long she was even able to take her eyes off some random light fixture situated on the far wall. The screen of lyrics was completely pointless anyway, she'd memorized every syllable of this song already. Even before she had the idea to sing it tonight.
Naturally, Cassandra's eyes drifted over to the table where her coworkers sat, to one in particular.
I will never forget you
You'll always be by my side
From the day that I met you
I knew that I would love you 'til the day I die
And I will never want much more
And in my heart I will always be sure
I will never forget you
And you will always be by my side 'til the day I die
'Til the day I die
'Til the day I die
Baird and the others each showed various forms of support. Their guardian was giving her a subtle thumbs-up with a not so subtle smile of encouragement. Ezekiel was all but cheering, his only reason not for doing so had to be so her singing would be uninterrupted.
Jake was… still. His face a mask of stone, showing no sign of either approval or disapproval. Cassandra knew him better however, expressing himself outwardly was Ezekiel's way, not his. But the redhead, knew when he was encouraging her. His silence, the way his eyes remained on her with tunnel vision, the relaxed posture in his chair. All these things held silent clues, things only Cassandra's eyes could understand.
Jake may be quiet, but he was cheering louder than a stadium crowd.
I will never forget you
And you'll always be by my side
From the day that I met you
I knew that I would love you 'til the day I die
And I will never want much more
And in my heart I will always be sure
I will never forget you
And you'll always be by my side 'til the day I die
It was not entirely intentional per se, but eventually Cassandra's eyes found themselves glued to one Jake Stone. She'd meant to glide over him quickly, for fear of what she would find within those orbs, but she hadn't been able to do it. The moment her eyes touched his for the barest millisecond, she was hooked, held in place by the intensity of that stare.
The longer their eyes remained locked, the more Cassandra's flush increased. Starting at her neck, to make a slow assault up her cheeks until her entire face was burning. There was no embarrassment to be had here though, no, this was something else.
Something Cassandra had been scared of for so long, but could deny no longer.
Feeling it, loving it
Everything that we do
And all along, I knew I had something special with you
But sometimes you just gotta know that these things fall through
But I'm still tired and I can't hide my connection with you
Something changed, Cassandra hadn't a clue when it did but in the blink of an eye the entire scene before her had shifted.
Cassandra was still singing, and Jake was still with her in the bar listening, but that was it. No Baird, no Ezekiel, no other patrons. Nothing, the room no longer had even empty tables. A light had seemed to appear form nowhere to shine directly on top of her, and a second on Jake. It was like they were literally alone in the world.
Perhaps this was magic of a different kind, brought about by her emotions, or even her…
A shiver crept up Cassandra's spine at the thought she might be having another episode. But as far as she was concerned, it didn't matter. She was going to push on no matter what happened, until she was done.
Cassandra had come up to this stage to say something, and dammit she was going to say it!
No brain grape was going to stop her!
I will never forget you
And you'll always be by my side
From the day that I met you
I knew that I would love you 'til the day I die
And I will never want much more
And in my heart I will always be sure
That I will never forget you
And you'll always be by my side 'til the day I die
'Til the day I die...
'Til the day I die...
'Til the day I die...
'Til the day I die...
'Til the day I die...
'Til the day I die...
I will never forget you...
'Til the day I die.
At the conclusion to her song, the entire establishment erupted into cheers and applause. All of them dwarfed by the loud cries and whistles of Ezekiel. For such a small stature, he sure concealed a massive pair of lungs.
Cassandra smiled shyly before making a hasty retreat off the stage. She moved as fast as she could without it looking like she was running away.
The sudden burst of sound had been exactly what she needed to break whatever it was that had tethered Cassandra to Jake. She refused to even look at her fellow librarian even when she returned to their table.
"Way to go red." Baird greeted Cassandra with a gentle shake of her shoulders upon the redhead's return.
"Yeah, I didn't know you sang that good." Ezekiel gave her a hive-five, wearing his trademark grin. "We oughta record that and sell it. We'd make a killing!"
Jake on the other hand, didn't say a word. Cassandra could have tried to read his expressions again, but she knew if she looked, there would be no turning away again. But she could feel his eyes on her still. Her blush already having evolved into a full-on inferno.
In her act of impulsiveness, Cassandra hadn't given a single thought to what would come after.
How could she have been so foolish?!
This was exactly why Cassandra never acted impulsively. It led to unpredictable, sometimes horrible, outcomes. Now she didn't even know what to do anymore.
How was she supposed to work with Jake when she couldn't even make herself look at him?
Good fortune had been on Cassandra's side the night before. The group had decided to call it a night almost immediately after she'd finished her song. There was no way she could have endured Jake's gaze for much longer.
It had been almost embarrassing how quickly she'd rushed home, just to get away from him. The worst part being she didn't really want to actually escape him. In a way, she wanted to give in completely and allow the storm that was Jacob Stone to completely consume her.
The dominant part of Cassandra's mind, the one that relied on logic and rationality, had retaken control. Now all she could do was avoid Jake until she could figure out what to do about him. He was no moron, he had to of figured things out by now.
Jake had to of figured out what she said during that song.
Now here Cassandra was, hidden away in the Library in one of her favorite nooks. Books filled with her equations and research lay stretched out before her, but she'd finally given up a few minutes ago. Her focus was too badly occupied to do anything, and no amount of attempts to redirect it was working.
Perhaps she could try…
"Cassie?"
One word, that was all it took to trigger a borderline panic attack.
No! He couldn't possibly be here, couldn't possibly have found her this soon!
She still needed to come up with a plan.
Of course he had found her… Cassandra had no hope of hiding from him for long. Just as Cassandra could read Jake, so too could he read her. Such was their invisible connection. The same one she had sung about the night before.
"There you are." Running had been an option, but it would have been pointless. Jake knew all Cassandra's spots in the Library, he would find her eventually. Then she would be even more mortified because she'd run away like a child.
"Morning Jake." Cassandra forced on a charade of her usual morning cheer, but she kept her eyes averted from her coworker. His call of her name a few moments before had given her ample time to pull out a random book and make it look like she'd been working. "Did you need something?"
"Nah, not really." The sound of a body sitting down greeted Cassandra's ears. "Just been looking for you."
Oh no… he was sitting with her. Jake wasn't going to leave!
"Oh? What for?" Stupid Cassandra! Of course you know why he's here!
"Do me a favor?"
"Sure, name it." Cassandra replied automatically.
"Tell me about these equations you're working on."
"Sure, no problem." Cassandra's lips turned up slightly in a small smile as she shifted her notebook so that Jake could see what she had written. She stood a chance of getting out of this with her dignity intact after all!
It was far from the first time they read each other's work. Jake almost never understood her mathematics, but he put a lot of effort into trying. Exactly like how Cassandra would read most of the papers he published, even if she barely understood a word of it either.
"Start with this one here, please?" Jake tapped the first one on the page. Cassandra had to force herself not to follow that finger to the rest of the body it was attached to.
"Okie dokie, this is…" Cassandra trailed off as she tried to read her own equations. Names, numbers, and variables came to mind, but she couldn't voice them. It was like her brain was short-circuiting, she couldn't even process the simplest equation on the page! "Um… it's a… by…"
At a time like this, Cassandra would often chalk it up to an episode of the brain grape. But there were no dizzy spells here, nor hallucinations. Her brain just simply refused to read the flowing script before her. Something was preventing her from doing so, and it was certainly cause for alarm.
"Something wrong Cassie?" Jake knew her all too well. Her issues would have been as obvious as a spotlight in a dark room.
"N… no. Not at all." Cassandra laughed away her own nerves, her stomach twisting into knots.
"Look at me."
There they were, the three words Cassandra had been dreading. She honestly didn't know if she could grant that request. Her body wouldn't allow her head to turn, or her eyes to look up form the page. Fear was too powerful a motivator.
"Cassie, please look at me." If fear was a powerful force, it didn't hold a candle to the way Jake pleaded. Something she didn't have the ability to physically resist.
Terror grew and grew within Cassandra as she was able to make her head turn, little by little, until at last her blue orbs once again met Jake's.
Cassandra thought she knew all of Jake's tells. Thought she could read him like any book, in a good way, but this was something altogether new. There was a look in his countenance that she'd never seen before. One that both scared and excited her.
The racing of Cassandra's heart skipped a beat when she felt Jake's calloused fingertips slide slowly across the bare skin of her jaw. The touch sending sparks of electricity through her already frayed nerves. His fingertips coming to rest on the redhead's chin, tilting her face up slightly.
"J… Jake, I lo…" Cassandra stuttered trying to force out the words from her heart, but was silenced by a thumb to her lips.
"Shh." Jake whispered. "You don't need to say a word darlin'." Ever so slowly, Jake leaned forward.
Her heart was going to stop, or it was going to burst straight from Cassandra's ribs. The pounding of her own pulse like an echo in the redhead's ears. Whatever brain she had left was slowly shutting down the closer Jake leaned in.
What few thought processes remained registered it when Jake stopped barely an inch from her face. Both of their respective eyes had drifted closed at some point, but Cassandra could feel Jake's hot breath on her lips. She could practically feel his proximity, the heat of his body as if he was already upon her.
Then for some reason he stopped.
That was when it hit her, this was for Cassandra. So many choices had been made for her in this life, so many paths cut off by others. But this one was hers and hers alone, Jake was giving her this one choice to press forward or to take the last chance and escape while he was distracted.
Jake was giving her free choice… the sentiment almost made Cassandra cry.
For one glorious instant, the maelstrom that was Cassandra's mind went still. It was replaced with a sense of serene calm, absolute clarity. She knew exactly what she wanted to do while this lasted.
Taking Jake's cheeks in her hands, Cassandra leaned forward and closed that final gap between them.
The kiss was embarrassingly short, nothing more than a mere peck on the lips. Cassandra did have some romantic experience, but this was Jake. Nothing from her past could ever compare.
"That it darlin'?" Jake reopened his eyes, lips raised in a teasing smirk.
"I didn't… I mean…" Cassandra blushed harder than the night before, and that was saying something. Her flurry of thoughts and nerves already making a comeback.
"You're adorable when you're flustered." Jake chuckled before leaning forward once again.
There was nothing shy about this kiss. It was like a river trying to wash Cassandra away in its currents. But Cassandra had no intentions of clinging for dear life. No, she was going to let go and allow it to take her.
Snaking an arm around Jake's shoulders, Cassandra gave in fully to the kiss. Matching the rampaging blaze of Jake's passion with her own. As their lips danced against one another, the redhead felt that overwhelming feeling of serenity returning.
Eventually, they had to separate for air or risk suffocation. Not too bad a fate in Cassandra's opinion…
Jake and Cassandra were both startled by the loud slam of a book on the nearby table. But nobody seemed to be close, the book must have fallen off one of the shelves nearby.
Tilting her head slightly to see the spine, Cassandra read the title out loud. "A Hundred and One Pancake Recipes?"
"Thanks for the tip Ray!" Jake laughed, yelling up at the ceiling. "So how about it Cassie? Breakfast?"
"Mr. Stone, are you asking me out on a date?" Cassandra bit down on her lip to contain her glee.
"I absolutely am, Miss Cillian." Jake grinned, taking her by the hand. "What do you say?"
"I say why are we wasting our time here?" Cassandra was on her feet before even giving Jake a chance to react.
As she led Jake from the Library, Cassandra knew she didn't have any idea what the future held, but she did know one thing for certain. Whatever followed next, she would face it with Jake by her side.
For the life of me I can't remember the name of the story, but the Library telling its librarians things using book titles I read somewhere. Just can't remember where it was exactly. It may have even been a Flynn/Eve story instead of Jake/Cassandra.
To those curious, the name of the song Cassandra sings is 'Never Forget You', by Zara Larsson. A personal favorite.
Next chapter I work on will be the follow-up to And the Nightmare Trap. The reception to that one has been off the charts! Leave a review and let me know how I'm doing please, each is priceless.