A/N: This fic came out of no where for me. I was going to write something happy and celebratory and then I remembered Jake covering up Lamia's body in the Annex before Flynn and Baird came back from the Loom. And this happened...

Happy reading!

angellwings

Deserved Better

By angellwings

The joy over the return of the Library didn't last long. The reality of the day came rushing back when they returned to the Annex and found Lamia's body waiting on them. They'd covered her with a flannel blanket but the sight of her limp form was still unsettling. Lamia was dead. Dulaque killed one of his own people. They all watched the lifeless figure in silence as one question hung in the air.

What do they do now?

There was no need for the question to actually be asked aloud. It filled the room without requiring an actual sentence.

"We should take her to a hospital," Baird said in a decisive tone.

"Why? What are they possibly going to do for her?" Ezekiel asked. His voice sounded hollow and confused and he was most definitely upset.

Jake turned a glare on the younger man. "Well, Jones, what do you suggest? Leave her on the side of the road like some unkno—"

"No! That's not what I meant! You know that. I'm a criminal. Not a heartless mon—"

"Stop," Flynn said sternly. "The hospital will call the police and they will attempt to identify her."

"We don't even know her last name," Cassandra said as she continued to stare at Lamia's body. She reached up wiped absently at her cheek. Tears had started to fall down her cheeks. "Or if Lamia was actually her first name."

"Do you think she has any I.D. on her?" Jake asked as he turned his gaze from Cassandra to Baird.

Eve shook her head. "Not likely. Based on her outfit I don't think she had anywhere to store one."

"She died with strangers. We didn't know her. Not really," Cassandra said as she blinked back more tears. "No one deserves that. No one."

"I'll set the door to the nearest hospital," Jenkins said in a tone that was both soft and gentle. It made the situation all the more grim because Jenkins was never soft or gentle. "Best not the let anyone see us, though. Right, Colonel?"

Baird nodded slowly. "Agreed. Stone, can you carry her?"

For a moment Jake froze. He blinked at Eve and then down at Lamia's body covered by the blanket. Cassandra suddenly reached over and touched his arm. His own watery gaze met hers and she gave him a concerned look.

"Jake?" she asked.

He cleared his throat and then nodded at Baird before attempting to give Cassandra a reassuring look. He wasn't sure he succeeded. He gently lifted Lamia off the floor. As he did so the blanket fell off. Cassandra stopped him to adjust the blanket. They watched as Cassandra sweetly tucked the blanket around Lamia like a mother tucking her child into bed. Jake swallowed thickly and resisted looking at Cassandra or Lamia's body as it rested in his arms. This was not right. None of this was right.

She'd been their adversary but no one had wanted her story to end like this.

Cassandra stepped back and Jenkins and Ezekiel opened the Back Door for Jake. Ezekiel gave Jake a look that clearly apologize for their earlier exchange as Eve stepped into Jake's line of sight. She put her hands on his shoulders and spoke in a clear and gentle voice. "Leave her as close as you can, Jacob, but do not let anyone see you."

"What if no one notices her?" Ezekiel asked as he glanced at Lamia's closed eyes and pale face for the first time.

"We'll call the hospital once Stone returns to the Annex," Flynn said in a solemn tone. "We'll make sure they find her, Jones. I promise."

Ezekiel said nothing but acknowledged Flynn with a nod. All eyes were on Jake as he stepped through the door. They waited in anxious agonizing quiet for Jake to come back through. Not a single person knew what to say or if there was anything that could be said. Fifteen minutes later Jake appeared in the door way with a frown set on his face.

"I hid and waited until a nurse finally found her. I couldn't just—I couldn't just leave her there," he said as his voice faltered and he took slow deliberate breaths.

Cassie didn't bother hiding her tears as she cautiously approached Jake. One sorrow filled look was exchanged between them before she wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. He tensed for a split second before he wrapped his arms around her in return and leaned into the comfort she was offering him. His arms tightened around her and he rested his chin on her shoulder. It was a simple gesture, but he needed it more than he realized. He was thankful Cassandra initiated it because he never would have. They separated and a heavy silence filled the room.

"Now what do we do?" Ezekiel asked. He sounded as broken as they all felt.

Eve came over and placed a hand and squeezed gently before she spoke. "Now," she said. "We drink."

Flynn nodded and immediately pulled out a bottle of Rye from the bottom drawer of the desk. Jenkins quickly left to fetch a few glasses for them to drink out of.

"It's been a hell of a day," Flynn said as he tiredly ran a hand over his face a few times and sat down in the chair behind the desk. "Hell of a day."

Baird pulled up a chair next to Flynn. Jake turned to watch Cassandra as she walked away from the group. She stopped in the far corner of the room and left her back to them. Ezekiel gave Jake a worried look and then tilted his head toward the red head, as if to tell him to go and get her. Jake shook his head and mouthed the words 'Let her be.' Maybe she just needed some time alone to process. Jake made sure to keep an eye on her though. Just in case.

"So," Ezekiel started as he leaned against the desk next to where Flynn had propped up his feet. "What happened? We were under attack and then suddenly you, Baird, and Jenkins were taking off through the Back Door. "

"How long were we gone?" Baird asked curiously.

Jake's brow furrowed and he tried to remember what happened after they left but there was nothing. Just…static.

"No idea," Ezekiel answered. "It's all a blur to me. Between you leaving and then you coming back all…stabbed is a big blurry mess."

Jenkins came back in with a tray of six glasses and set them down on the desk. Knocking Flynn's feet off in the process. Flynn jolted forward and Baird began to pour them each a glass. But Cassie still hadn't come back to the group. She stayed in her corner. He thought he'd heard sniffling but he couldn't be sure. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before he hesitantly joined her on the other side of the room. He cleared his throat to alert her to his presence but she still didn't turn around.

"Cassandra?" He asked. "You okay?"

"Okay is a very subjective term so it would depend on your—"

"Cassie," he repeated. "Are you okay?"

She let out a shaky sigh before she answered. "No."

Her voice was so small and quiet that he was almost afraid he'd imagined her response. Finally, she continued.

"I know we didn't exactly like her very much, but she deserved better than this. Her last moment was spent knowing someone she loved didn't care for her. She must have felt so alone. So alone. No one should feel alone when they're—when they're dying," she told him. She angled her face toward him just slightly but didn't turn around. "Not even your worst enemy."

He let her words settle between them and tried to think of a response. Nothing came to mind. Of all the times for him to be without words…

"Jake."

He looked up and found that Cassie was facing him. Her eyes were watery but she'd wiped away the evidence of her earlier tears. Her eyes were so…melancholy. That was the only word he could find to describe it. And he didn't like it. Her eyes were normally so bright.

"Can you promise me something?" she asked nervously.

Anything, was the first response that came to mind. If it got rid of the at dull look in her eyes he'd do anything, but he didn't dare say that. Part of him was afraid of what she was about to ask him. Sure, she faced her own mortality every day, but what they'd witnessed today was much different than the death she probably envisioned for herself. There was no telling what thoughts it had created in her head.

"Tell me what it is first," he said warily. "And then I'll let you know."

"If I—no—when I die—"

Oh, he already didn't like this. "Cassie, don't."

"No, please, let me finish."

"No, don't talk like that," he said adamantly. "You don't know that we can't find something to—"

"Jake, you know as well as I do that the chances are miniscule at bes—"

"Cassie," he said sternly as he met her eyes. "Don't talk about your death like it's already happened. You saw what happened today, didn't you? Baird was stabbed through the heart and magic saved her. Why can't it save you too?"

"A tumor is not a flesh wound, Jake," she told him with a resigned sigh. "I'd like to believe it's possible. I really would but I can't get my hopes up about it. I-I'm doing okay, so far, coping with letting go, but if I find a cure and it turns out it doesn't work…" she stopped and took a deep calming breath. He had a feeling she was trying not to cry. "It would break me. It would destroy me completely. So, don't tease that hope in front of me if you can't follow through. I can't think about that until I'm certain something will work. I need to make peace with the outcome that's most statistically probable."

How did she do it? How did she live with it everyday? His eyes watered and filled with unshed tears for her. He broke eye contact to rub a hand across his face and force back potential tears. She didn't need that from him right now, but his heart broke for her. It really did. "You do that," he told her. "And I'll just keep that hope alive for you then."

She smiled sadly at him and nodded. "I'd like that."

He met her eyes again and held her gaze for a long lingering moment. He felt his eyes watering again as he swallowed thickly and looked away. "So what is it?"

"What?" She asked as if she'd forgotten how this conversation started.

"The promise. What did you want me to promise?" He asked in a cautious tone.

"Just…just promise me that you'll make sure I'm surrounded by people that care about me. I don't want to be alone when I—when it happens," she said nervously. "Please tell me you'll do that for me." He could hear the fear in her tone. She was terrified of the idea that she might die with no one around who loved her. Once again, he felt a piece of his heart break.

He smiled softly at her and spoke in a voice that was hoarse with emotion. And thoughts he didn't dare say aloud. "That's what you're worried about? Trust me, Cassie, you've got all of us. We wouldn't let that happen. Ever."

"Us?" she asked tentatively. "So that includes you, then?"

He nodded and reached for her hand. He held it for a long moment before he gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "Yeah, that includes me. I care about you and I wouldn't let you be alone."

She smiled brightly for a moment and then squeezed his hand in return. "Thank you."

"Anytime," he said as he reluctantly let go of her hand.

He hoped beyond hope that he never had to keep that promise. She deserves better.