I own nothing. I am a pervert for wanting Cassie and Nick to be together...but that's okay.
_
Cassie Holmes stood against the slimy brick wall, bag full of liquior and beer in front of her, a large whiskey bottle in her hands.
She took a huge gulp of the whiskey, relishing the feeling of the burning sensation in her throat.
Cassie swigged down the rest of the contents, dropping the bottle, causing it to crack into tiny unrecognizable pieces. She squinted at the pieces, wondering why they'd looked so familiar...
They looked exactly like her heart.
She pulled out bottle after bottle, staring straight ahead and forgetting to think.
As Cassie sank to the ground after her fourth bottle, she wondered if this was even about the visions anymore.
It's not like it mattered, anyway. Nick hated her. She loved him. Kira had him. She wasn't going back.
*Flashback*
Cassie sat on the couch, alone in the empty apartment. That was fine with her, either way. She smiled lopsidedly to herself, unlocking the cabinet to her secret stash of alcohol.
She swigged down the liquoir, in perfect bliss. No Nick to lecture her about underage drinking; No Nick to make her smile and laugh; No Nick to make her feel protected and safe, even when she wasn't.
And, thank God, no Kira to bitch at her and suck on Nick's face while trying to get laid.
The bliss didn't last for very long.
Cassie was on her fourth whiskey when she heard the apartment door open, far too late to hide the alcohol.
Why the hell hadn't she seen this coming? Why wasn't the alcohol working?
Didn't alcohol help?
Cassie couldn't see through her heavy, hooded eyes. Whenever she tried to, all she would see was blurs of colors and sounds. She didn't look up at the sound of heavy, booted feet coming to a stop in front of her. Didn't lift her gaze from her barefeet, refusing to meet his angry and disappointed gaze.
She didn't have to look up to know that Kira was smirking, delighted she'd gotten caught, or to see that Nick was about to explode.
"Cassie." Nick's voice was low and kind of tone he saved for the Division thugs.
She didn't look up. She just no longer had the energy to move, to blink.
Her breaths were coming in faster and shallower, and she wondered what would happen if she held her breath, just to save the time. Breathing was just so...tiring.
She felt a cool finger slip under her chin, tilting back her head till she was forced to see the Nick triplets, to see the room spinning and spinning.
Dizzy and intoxicated, Cassie leaned over and threw up, her head hanging. Her neck felt heavy.
Nick exhaled angrily, his warm breath stroking her hair and bare neck.
"Cassie," he said in his Your-Ass-Is-Dead voice. "What did I say about drinking?'
Her mouth fell open, random jibberish slurred together onher tongue, unintelligible for the human's ear.
"Usdndnkn," she mumbled, before hurling up on his shoes yet again.
She could hear Kira next to him, could hear her evil brain clicking away in thought, thinking of ways for Cassie to be humiliated and destroyed in front of Nick.
"Where did you get it from?" Nick asked, sighing.
"Dntudrtlhm," she mumbled to Kira.
Kira sighed, moving closer to Nick so that her thigh was pressed up against his hip. She put a slender, soft hand on his shoulder, her eyes full of fake sympathy and pity.
"Her boyfriend," she said gently to her boyfriend. "She's been sleeping with that boy to get the drinks..."
Cassie could feel the change in the atmosphere shift as Nick stiffened, his anger and shock rolling off of his body like shortwaves of a station, keeping her tuned in with his feelings.
She looked up at him; to apologize, to hug him, to do anything to change, and hopefully change his mood.
There was the slap.
There was the sting.
There was the sneer.
The snarl.
The smirk.
The shouting.
The hurt.
And then the betrayal.
Cassie touched a trembling hand to her flushed cheek, looking up dizzily at the man she'd fallen helplessly in love with when she'd met him.
"Yoouu hiitt mee," she slurred, unable to put her emotions through her drunk words.
Nick was standing in front of her, his hand still up, and the murderous look in his blue eyes let her know he was about to hit her again.
"Nniicckkk," she said, slurring his name in a soft voice.
He blinked, realizing what stance he was in.
Cassie was feeling feverish, sweat sticking her multicolored hair to her neck, forehead and temples, her breathing shallower and shallower.
She'd begun to tremble violently, her teeth clicking together.
"Go, Cassie," Nick said finally, turning away from her, clutching the hand he'd hit her with in his hand. "Just...go."
Cassie stood up, swaying back and forth as the floor shook back and forth, up and down, slowly and crookedly making her way to the door.
She caught a last glimpse of Kira's smug face before turning her back on them shakily, slamming the door behind her.
*End of Flashback*
Cassie closed her eyes, thumping her head back into the wall, trying to clear the lingering fogginess in her brain.
No success.
She'd drunken all the bottles, and not one vision had come to her.
Cassie sighed and opened her eyes, seeing nothing but broken glass and broken tears.
She struggled to stand up, her legs giving out each attempt.
Cassie choked on a sob, giving up. She crumpled into a boneless heap against the wall, for the second time in her life letting the tears fall.
As she cried, she felt something slam into her chest. A vision took over her momentary comprehension, before she let out a scream and tried to claw her way into standing position, using the wall as support.
But even as she tried, struggled, and failed, she knew that it was too late. She was too late.
She heard his footsteps making their way down the alley, heading towards the scrawny, drunk, blond clawing helplessly at the brick wall like a lost kitten.
Cassie looked over her shoulder and saw him. The man from her vision. The man who was going to rape her.
His grimy fingers grabbed the scruff of her neck, hauling her up so that she was eye height with him.
She looked at his beady black eyes, chanting hopelessly in her head, Nick! Nick! Nick! HELP ME!
Cassie felt his unwelcome hand slide up her shirt, felt his muddy nails scratch up her torso.
Cassie let out a inhuman scream, tearing away and clawing at his face, screaming at the top of her lungs, "NICK! Nick, HELP me!"
"Stupid bitch," he growled in her ear.
She felt something hard hit her in the back of the head. It felt like a brick. Cassie slipped unconciously into darkness.
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Cassie opened her eyes.
She was in the apartment, much to her shock. Cassie smiled and leaned back against teh bed pillows. It'd all been a-
"OhmyfuckingGOD," she shouted, slapping a pillow over her eyes, blocking the light from her.
It was the worst hangover she'd ever had. Which meant that..."It wasn't a dream," Cassie muttered to herself.
She felt bile rise up her throat, and she flew out of bed and lurched for the toilet. No, it most certaintly was not a dream.
After heaving up all that disgusting crap, Cassie crumpled against the edge of the tub, closing her eyes for blissful moment, saking in the darkness, the coolness of the marble tub-
"Well, look who's up, Sleeping Beauty."
Bliss ends.
The bathroom door swung open, the lights flickered on, and she groaned and covered her face with both hands.
"You ass," Cassie mumbled through her fingers, ignoring the smirk Nick gave her.
"I may be an ass, but at least I have clothes to cover it," he said in his annoyingly superior voice.
Cassie's hands dropped from her face, and her mouth dropped as she stared at herself. She wasn't wearing anything except for her skimpy underclothes.
Cassie was pretty sure her face was flaming up, and slapped Nick when he laughed at her expression.
He chuckled, and stunned Cassie by reaching down, scooping her up and carrying her to the bed, where he laid her down ever so gently. Cassie frowned. Nick was never gentle.
Cassie stared at him as he bent down to reach for something under the bed, reappearing with her super short mini shorts, and tight tee.
She smiled tiredly at him.
He guessed her mood. "Motrin?"
Cassie nodded, relieved she didn't have to say anything that might make her sound weak.
"Be right back."
He disappeared into the bathroom, making her feel a little lonely, even though Kira wasn't there at the moment and he was in a good mood.
When he came back out, handing her the pills, Cassie surprised them both by leaning over and giving him a quick, but bold, peck on the cheek.
He handed her his favorite pair of sunglasses, stroking back her sweaty hair from her face. "Are you okay?" he asked in a soft voice.
Cassie nodded. "Sure," she said airily. "It's only a hangover; nothing I haven't had before-"
"No." he cut her off. "I mean, are you okay?"
She smiled then, finally getting his point. "Oh, yeah," she said. "You got there right in time. That creep was going to-"
Cassie stopped, shivering. She felt a lump form in her throat, her eyes getting moist, remembering the vision about the serial raper.
To her horror, a sob escaped from her trembling lips.
She felt a warm arm slip around her shoulders, holding her close to his ribcage.
"Shh," Nick murmured, stroking her hair and pulling her face into his chest, whispering comforting, reassuring words in her ear. He hated it when Cassie cried.
She pulled away, wiping her eyes with her knuckles, looking so young and lost, and for the first time ever, sweet and innocent.
Cassie looked up at him through puffy eyes, her lips so red and full. Nick unself-conciously licked his lips, leaning over to kiss her forehead.
His lips were gentle and soft on her smooth forehead. But Cassie didn't want gentle.
She reached her fingers up into his heair, pulling his lips down to meet her expectant lips, the kiss rough and forbidden.
Nick sighed at the feeling of her small hands in his hair, and wrapped his arms protectively around her. No harm would ever come near her again.
He'd never let her go.