Disclaimer: I don't own The Secret Circle.
Hey! I'm sorry about this long absence of mine from this site... School started in late August and I'm taking all advanced classes- which means loads of homework every night and unfortunately, a certain teacher stopped entering grades for my report card a week before the deadline- thus giving me my first "C" EVER and my parents were NOT pleased. Alas, my WiFi is crap because I'm currently mooching off of my neighbors signal because I got fed up with the bills with mine so here we are. Again, I'll update "At the Beginning" as soon as I can. BUT first, here's my little spin of The Secret Circle (WHICH IS AMAZING! Thursday is officially L.J. Smith night) episode "Balcoin". Now, I know most fans ship CassiexAdam but I've got to admit, CassiexJake is growing on me. I think they have smoking chemistry and really stray away from the initial canon. And besides, why does Adam get to have all the action with Diana and Cassie just sits there on the sidelines? It's time for her to take charge! But enough ranting, here's my fic! Enjoy!
"This was just your lame attempt to get me back to your room, wasn't it?" Cassie asked teasingly as she watched Jake search through his bags. "What are you doing?"
He stopped rummaging for a moment to look at her with serious eyes- the lighthearted mood dissolving quickly. "Cassie, do you trust me?"
She looked at him with unnerving eyes. "Yeah... What's wrong?" she watched as he said nothing, merely collapsing onto the floor beside the bed, his face in his hands. "Jake?"
"I can't do this... Not with how I feel about you."
Cassie dropped to her knees beside him. "What can't you do? Jake, tell me."
His clear colored eyes showed his anxiety and he gulped. "I care about you- a lot. And I need to know if you feel the same way."
She nodded hastily. "I do... I already told you this, remember?"
"Then show me." he rasped, his face two inches away from hers. His breath was minty and when it hit her face, she shivered lightly but surely. Spellbound, she felt herself close the gap between them, a warmth radiating through her core as she felt his soft lips mold with hers. After a few seconds she began to pull away but felt his hands grab her arms lightly.
"Wait..." he kissed again, this time deepening it even further. Mesmerized by how right it felt, Cassie eagerly returned it, placing her body flush against his own. As it got more heated the feeling of sparks only intensfied. "I need you." he whispered as he breathed heavily.
"...I'm here." she replied softly, fully aware of the serious undertone of her words. She wasn't a fool- she understood what he meant, what the consequences of this decision would mean.
No. her voice of reason argued. It's way too soon. You're not this girl.
He kissed her neck repeatedly.
But it feels... Right. she countered. And he cares about me too... But- oh! her thoughts were interrupted as she felt herself being lowered to the floor.
This is too much. Suddenly she pulled away gasping for air. "I can't. It's too soon. I'm so sorry." she rambled, lightly pushing her hands against Jake's chest.
"Cassie, please." he pleaded against the crook of her neck. "Please."
She shook her head meekly and kissed him again and again, trailing from his lips to his own neck. She was granted the satisfaction of feeling him shiver and somehow her hands managed to do away with his coat and tie, leaving him only in his white shirt and black pants. She pulled away and stood up, smiling a bit as he immediately followed suit. She undid his belt, loosening it and resuming to kiss his mouth. Suddenly she broke the kiss and hid her face in his chest. "I trust you... Please, don't make me regret saying it."
Jake responded by kissing her gently, his hand finding its way to the back of her dress. His left hand toyed with the zipper and she gave a small nod of approval. Slowly he pulled it halfway down before reality came crashing back down on the both of them. Three seconds went by before Jake made the first sound.
"Shit- I'm sorry. I got carried away." he distanced himself from her, running a hand through his hair. "Sorry," he repeated, trying not to stare as she zipped up her dress all the way. Her eyes looked down at the floor.
"We almost..." Cassie bit her lip. "Is this going to be awkward now?"
"I like you," he stated desperately. "A lot. But I'm not sure where this leaves us because we obviously just crossed a line I didn't even know we were close to."
She shook her head. "Did you feel anything?"
His eyes looked toward her for a split second. "Cassie, do you really trust me?"
She nodded. "Of course I do."
He gulped, glancing at the clock on the wall. There was just enough time before the Hunters came. "Runaway with me."
Her eyes widened. "What? Run away with you?" she covered her mouth. "I can't just leave my friends and my family, Jake. They'll be unprotected... Why do you want to suddenly just up and leave?"
"Your father." he said, reaching for something inside his bag. "You said you wanted to know more about him- well here it is." he handed her the old leather bound book.
"Is this your family's Book of Shadows?"
"Your father comes from a line of witches that originated from a man named Balcoin." he said, ignoring her question and turning the pages for her. "These pages warn about the destructive power of darkness and how it can turn even the purest of witches evil."
Cassie's hands were turning cold. "Why are you showing me all this?"
"Because you need to know where you come from."
"By telling me my ancestors were monsters? Is that what you think I am?" she stood up, harshly handing him the book. She couldn't believe what he was saying. It was all too much for her to handle in one night.
"No! That's why I'm telling you- why I'm trusting you with all this."
She whirled back around. "Trust? You knew... You knew when Simone attacked at the lake house, you knew the whole time!" tears stung in her eyes, beckoning to fall but she held onto the anger. "So this is why you pulled away from me before, wasn't it? What the hell were you doing- studying me?"
He shook his head vigorously. "I knew that you were special- not that the Blackwell family name used to be Balcoin."
Cassie scoffed. "What does that even matter? You lied!" she turned for the door and felt Jake grab a tight hold on her arm. She harshly pulled it away. "Don't touch me."
"It's not safe here for you. We have to leave." he said. "You have to trust me on this."
"Don't even go there." she growled, facing him. "I won't just leave my grandma and my friends."
His eyes looked down at her just as furious, not with her, but with her stubborness. No matter what he said, she just wouldn't agree. "Staying here puts them all in jeopardy."
"Staying together keeps us stronger." she sighed, her eyes softening all of a sudden. "I don't want to fight with you and definitely not about this... I trust you but if you really trust me like you said earlier then tell me what you're running from- why you want me to go with you."
He opened his mouth then closed it again. "I can't... I just need you to go away with me. Now."
Cassie backed away. "Everything you're telling me, it's all too vague. I need to know what the hell we're running from. If you can't even tell me... How am I suppose to completely trust you without doubts?"
"You'll just have to. Look, I'm sorry but we're running out of time. If you care about me you'll go. Please," he begged. They stood there in silence until the faint chime of Cassie's phone disrupted the atmosphere.
"Hold on." she looked at the screen and she could've sworn that the world stopped turning.
JAKE IS A WITCH HUNTER.
It took everything she had not to start shaking although she did stop breathing for a couple of seconds.
"What is it?" he asked, concerned at her sudden shift in posture. She looked at him cautiously.
"N-Nothing." she began to walk toward the window. "Just Diana checking in."
He nodded.
"Everything you're telling me is just a lot to take in."
He stepped closer to her. "I know. But you have to believe me."
"I do... I'll just run to my house and get my things."
"Okay but hurry, we have to leave soon."
"Yeah, I'll hurry." she grabbed her purse of the bed and reached for the doorknob, her heart fluttering endlessly.
"And Cassie?" he added, making her freeze right at the door. She turned halfway. "You really can trust me."
Her lips trembled. "I know."
After that, she just bolted out of his house, practically sprinting up her grandmother's patio and maniacally tearing the door open. She pushed it shut, expertly turning all the locks and pressing her head against the cool surface. A fresh shiver shook her body and she gasped, trying to recollect the intensity of what she'd just learned.
He was the bad guy. He couldn't be trusted.
Witch hunter. she echoed inside her head. He's a witch hunter. This whole time... He was pretending. Just pretending...
There was a pang inside her chest. Was everything he'd done since they met a game? Was meeting him all a part of it too?
She thought about all that as she reached her bedroom door. Once she walked in, would she be able to ever look at him the same again. Her body cringed away from it.
Don't be a coward. If he betrayed you then that's that. Be strong. You are strong.
Carefully, she walked into her bedroom. She could see him from her window, packing up the rest of his things and it made her so afraid. Would he harm her if she didn't go?
No, that's insane. If he hasn't hurt me already why should he hurt me now?
...Because everything's on the table. He just doesn't know that you know he's a hunter.
A dark shadow shifted out of the corner of her eye but she didn't care until it was too late. The only thing that captured her sight were those clear blue green eyes and the way they were puzzled at what she was doing. That's when everything went from bad, to worse. His eyes grew alarmed and a rough hand yanked her arm, a faint glint of silver catching her view. Instinct took over and she froze, her heartbeat increasing to much to the point where it could explode. She saw Jake fumble and she smelled a harsh toxin that submerged her into a hazy cloud. Cassie felt herself slip away both physically and mentally- so this was the end for her. And although she should've cared about her own well-being, the last thoughts she had were about Jake and the fact that his betrayal hurt more than any torture method ever would.
He was doing it for the girl he cared about. That's why he came to the conclusion that she would have to be taken away from Chance Harbor- not with the Hunters, but with him. He knew that betraying them would cause grave consequences but his thoughts were now clouded with his feelings for her. For that short, sassy blonde who stole his heart the moment she proved her strength.
No, he hadn't intended on falling for her. In fact, he'd wanted nothing more than to come back to town for Nick's wake and get rid of the circle. But two things stopped him from doing so. The moral ingenuity of killing those whom his bloodline was now bound to- no thanks to Nick- and the inconvenient fact that Cassie Blake possessed dark, strong magic. She couldn't be killed that way unfortunately.
Then came the way she spoke to him, like he wasn't a monster. It was those conversations that had him doubting if he could go through with it all anymore. Then at the lakehouse, when she'd kissed him. It was a silly game, yes, but the way it had felt, the way they'd connected so profoundly was enough to make any man regret his past mistakes.
There's something between us- I felt it.
Her voice rang inside his head and he instinctively looked in the direction of his window. Her small feminine figure looked frozen and ironically, she was staring straight at him. Turmoil bubbled from the pit of his stomach as he felt the incoming danger.
"Cassie?" he whispered even though he knew she couldn't hear him. Then Isaac came into his viewpoint and his eyes widened. So he'd known that he would take Cassie away from the Hunters. He knew all along. Earlier today and then outside the fundraiser early in the evening. His anger spiked when Isaac drugged her into unconsciousness, his adrenaline kicking in. "No!"
Making the fastest way out of his aunt's house, he'd made it in time to avoid Isaac taking her away but one of his minions knocked him unconscious and it wasn't until Adam harshly shook him that he resurfaced.
"Where is she?" Adam growled. Jake shoved him away.
"The docks. He's taken her to the docks."
Adam's eyes glowered. "Why should we trust you?"
"Because I care about her. Now we can either stand here and argue about why you don't trust me or we can save Cassie."
Faye pulled Adam away. "He's telling the truth."
"How do you know?" Adam asked angrily.
"Because he has that look in his eyes- the same look I've only seen once before. He cares about her."
"I do. A lot. Now come on."
Cassie regained consciousness just as Adam was cutting her free. She looked around dazed and rather confused.
"What's happening?"
Adam pulled her up. "I'll explain later, we have to get out of here now."
She nodded and grabbed his hand, letting him pull her in the right direction. It barely occurred to her that they were on a boat. Suddenly one of the lead Hunters grabbed a hold of Adam and there wasn't anything she could do about it.
"Let him go!"
"Or what?" he sneered. "Your magic won't work on this boat."
"Are you sure? Because last time I burnt up one of your hunters." she stated. A blond whisp of hair whizzed by and before anyone else knew it, Jake had the Hunter pinned against the wall of the boat.
"Go! Get out of here now!"
Adam yanked her away as much as she didn't want to abandon Jake. She saw Faye in the distance holding a knife.
"Concentrate on the dock. Picture it on your mind!"
"Fire burns back our path!" they repeated on instinct. Flames erupted behind them, stopping the chasers from getting any closer.
Cassie's chest heaved with the overwhelming emotion of heartbreak. "We can't just leave him there. We have to help!" she said.
Adam shook his head. "Jake's made his choice, Cassie. It's over."
She shook her head, tears stinging in her eyes. "No, it's not."
I feel something between the two of us too- I'm just not totally sure how to deal with it.
He'd meant that, she knew he did. But everything and everyone was in the way- the Hunters, the Circle, that stupid "Written in the stars" thing with Adam... Her dark lineage. If it were true, and dark magic overpowered all other kinds, then could she convert to the dark side? Would that be a reason why no matter how much she tried and how close they got, something always stood in the way?
Jake's heart pounded and every beat seemed to hurt him even more. The look of shock and disappointment on Cassie's face was enough to make him feel even more worthless than before.
Did running away help Nick? he looked down, eyes stinging. No, it hadn't done any good for his brother- but hell, he'd make this right with Cassie somehow. He'd been willing to runaway with her if that was what it took to fix his mistakes... But like everything else in his life, he ruined it. He managed to poison it and watch it die.
Cassie watched him get smaller and smaller in the distance with every second and she couldn't help but cry. Jake Armstrong had succeeded in hurting her in a way nobody else could. He'd officially stolen her heart from her without evening knowing it.
Hoped you liked it! Don't forget to review! Getting feedback makes me all warm inside :)
(There's a virtual Thanksgiving dinner in it if you review!)
-Fanatic4Fiction