Title: The Face of Resignation
Author: OpheliacAngel
Pairing: Roberta/Cassandra
Genres: Romance/Hurt/Comfort
Rating: Teen
Summary: The blood and the mess of flesh war with Cassandra's scared face in her dreams.
A/N: Written for femslashficlets for prompt #032 hurt/comfort. Also written for h/c_bingo for the cross square extra combining two prompts: on the run and group support.
They're running from a dozen straggling Zs when it happens.
Roberta's preoccupied on her dehydration, pushing her screaming body forward to fight another day. To get Murphy to California or at least find someone who'll finish the trip when she's spent. She's hoping to catch back up with Mack and Addy, though so far there hasn't been luck and they can't afford any pit stops. She keeps as best an eye on Doc, 10k, Cassandra and Murphy as she can. Garnet's gone now, her mercy the last thing he had in this world, but it wasn't the end she wanted for him.
They cut through the town as quickly as they can, 10k catching sight of a field up ahead and waving them over. Roberta's the first to cross the wire fence, leaping over it carefully. 10k helps Doc maneuver his limbs and Murphy's fine on his own, despite Roberta's insistence to let her help. Cassandra would have been fine too, if a Z hadn't crawled out of nowhere and grabbed her leg while she was already halfway through the fence. The other Zs are gaining on them but Roberta pays them no mind, screaming at the others to help her as she shoves herself down to cut the Z's arm off. One chop does nicely, but it doesn't matter.
Cassandra's leg is blood-soaked and mangled from where the wire had cut into it, courtesy of the Z's determination and her resulting struggles. She hadn't even cried out, despite how horrible her leg looks. Roberta swallows down the bile rising in her throat. She lifts up Cass' leg to prevent against more damage as 10k and Doc lift her upper body up and move her forward, away from the fence.
"Look out!"
Roberta whips around at the sound of 10k's cry, barely moving out of the way before one of the many Zs still following them reaches for her. "Let's go." She helps the others lift Cassandra and they're running again.
They don't have time; if she looks back at Cass' face now she fears she'll break in two.
The blood and the mess of flesh war with Cassandra's scared face in her dreams. Every night after that.
The Zs shouldn't be able to slip past the fence, but they still wait until Murphy alerts them to a secure area, holding the door of a farmhouse open as the three of them help Cassandra inside. They lay her down on the kitchen table and Doc's the first one at her leg. They had made a tourniquet out of one of Doc's over-shirts as they ran; it's soaked through now and Roberta can't think about Cass losing her leg. As Doc pulls the shirt away, Roberta can see the damage again. 10k blanches but holds Cass steady as Doc inspects her leg. Roberta feels weaker than the both of them: faint, stumbling back.
"Aw hell. I'm gonna need some towels!"
10k's out of the room before Roberta can breathe again. Murphy hangs back, but Roberta still can't count on him to keep a lookout. She moves toward the window, yet a cry of pain coming from a once deathly silent Cass has her ditching that notion.
She steps forward, "Hey…." She lays two hands on either side of Cassandra's head, stroking back her hair.
Cass' eyes find hers and Roberta wills her quietly to hold on. They can't lose each other. Not now. "Your fingers are cold." Roberta pulls them away but Cass shakes her head barely. "No," she murmurs. "It feels good." Roberta replaces them, running the pads of her fingers over Cass' already overheated skin. 10k comes back with the towels, but Roberta pays the scene going on below them no mind. If she can keep Cass' mind occupied, it will be much easier on her. Hell, on the both of them. "Don't worry about me, Ro."
"I know," she does, a truth and a reassurance. "You're a lot tougher than you look."
She doesn't miss the look of resignation in Cassandra's eyes before she closes them. She holds a piece of Cassandra's heart, knows where her thoughts often stray. In Cassandra's dark, guilt-ridden mind she deserves this: dying for having taken part in what those twisted people forced her into, even though she hadn't known until later. Even though she was such a good person and just couldn't see it.
"You just rest easy, Cass. We'll be back on the road in no time."
FIN