Disclaimer: Hex and its characters do not belong to me. They are the property of SkyOne and the BBC.

Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait on this chapter! First the holidays got in the way and then I got addicted to Skyrim! No worries though, I am back on track and have even begun writing the next chapter already. Also there are a few mentions of Cassie and Azazeal's night together so if you are offended by sexual themes and imagery you may want to stop reading this story. From here on out it will start to get much more mature in terms of sex. Hope you all enjoy!

Cassie sat at her desk going over her notes from the previous term's media assignments. Jo would probably test them on it once the spring term began and despite all the of the trouble going on right now she didn't want to deal with falling behind on top of it all. She sighed as she pored over the notes rubbing at her eyes in frustration. She looked up as Thelma came through the door holding yet another bag of junk food from the cafeteria vending machine. Cassie rolled her eyes exasperated affection, at least Thelma was still the same. She turned back to her notes but stopped as her eyes fell upon the edge of the desk, where an opened envelope lay. She blinked hard and frowned as she considered the letter.

"What are you frowning at?" Thelma said through a mouthful of chips.

"I got a letter from hospital today." Cassie held it out toward Thelma. "It's all set. There's no going back." Cassie bit her lip as she looked at Thelma with watery eyes.

"When?"

"In about three days." Cassie looked down at her lap as she said this.

Thelma's face softened in concern as she looked at her friend.

"What's wrong Cassie?" She held out a hand toward Cassie as though to stroke her hair, stopping a hair's breadth away from the contact that could never be realized now that she was no longer alive. Cassie sniffed, trying and failing to smile at her friend.

"I'm scared Thelma. I've never been to hospital before. And…." Cassie cut herself off as Thelma began to smile comfortingly. She didn't know if she should tell Thelma she was starting to have doubts about this. Was it right to deprive her child of the chance to live just because she confused and angry at it's father?

"Oh honey it'll be alright. Just think, a few more days and this will all be over; Just a bad memory that you can put behind you. And I'll be right there with you the entire time. I'll watch over you." Cassie gave a grateful look to her friend.

"Thank you. I don't want to be alone in there."

"You won't be. You know you couldn't get rid of me if you tried." Thelma winked impishly at Cassie, making her laugh. It was short lived though and soon Cassie's face took on a shadow of sadness again.

Thelma cocked her head to the side and stared at her. Cassie tried to look reassuring but she knew that Thelma could see through it. It was a quality she had always loved about her; she always knew when Cassie was troubled even when Cassie couldn't bring herself to admit it. Rather than encourage questions Cassie turned her gaze out the window, looking at the empty lawn through the lace curtains. Thelma came around and sat on the bed facing her. Cassie could feel her gaze but didn't want to turn and face the look she knew would be on her friend's face.

"Why don't you seem happier about this?" She could hear the worry in Thelma's voice and tried not to feel the wash of guilt that this brought on. She hated worrying her but it seemed impossible to avoid it with how things were. Pasting a smile on her face she turned back toward her friend.

"I am! I'm glad this is about to be over!" Even to her own ears the words sounded flat and unconvincing. She couldn't help it. As much as she tried to resist it she couldn't help but think about the child growing inside with an increasing degree of confusion. After the visit to Dr. Surtees and talking with Oz the other day she was starting to feel like she was punishing the child for its father's mistakes. Unconsciously she placed a hand over her abdomen as she thought about the life growing within her.

"You don't sound very sure about that Cassie." Thelma's voice broke through her daze and Cassie turned to look into the wide worry filled eyes of her friend. She sighed, wishing this whole thing weren't so painful and confusing.

"I don't know Thelma. I guess I'm having second thoughts, just a bit." Cassie tried to brace herself for Thelma's reaction. She didn't exactly think it was going to go over well. What she didn't expect was to see a look of understanding cross Thelma's features.

"Oh honey, that's normal I think. I'd be more worried about you if you weren't thinking about the baby and worrying a bit. But you are still going to go through with it right? Because you've got to really think before you decide to stop all this. What about Azazeal? If you have this baby what is he going to do? Is it really worth it to keep the baby?" Thelma pursed her lips in worried anticipation.

Cassie noted the expectant expression and felt a minor twinge of annoyance. This was exactly why she hadn't wanted to say anything about this. Couldn't Thelma just support her without trying to convince her to continue on with her first reactions to this situation? She would have been happier if Thelma had stopped after her first sentence just now. Now Cassie felt pressured and she didn't want to give in just because Thelma thought she should. She wanted to work this out for herself but she also wanted some support from her friend, not judgment on whether or not she was making the right decision. And why did she have to give her a definitive answer right this minute? Couldn't she be allowed to work it out on her own before having to make a complete decision? Cassie shook her head to clear her thoughts. Thelma was still looking at her expectantly.

Biting her lip she said, "I don't know Thelma. I just can't help thinking that maybe I'm being unfair. But I don't think I'm going to cancel the appointment. I've come this far and it's not like I have a lot of time to decide, especially with how fast this baby is growing." Cassie turned her head to look out the window again as she said this. It felt like if she didn't look at Thelma then she wouldn't have to commit to what she was saying. She wasn't exactly lying, she was still unsure enough to not want to cancel her appointment but she wasn't yet sure if she wanted to outright keep it either.

Behind Cassie Thelma nodded her head in agreement with the statement, plunging her hand into an open bag of crisps as she did so. Popping one in her mouth she said,

"Well that's true. And besides that how do you even know if this baby will be normal? Look at what it's got for a father! For all you know it could end being a demonic baby from hell or some such." Thelma paused, looking at Cassie for the reaction she wanted.

'She probably expects me to laugh at that.' Cassie thought. She couldn't bring herself to muster the reaction she knew Thelma was looking for so she gave a tiny smile and said, "Could be, maybe." She turned back towards the window, looking at the grounds as she let the unvoiced thought that maybe her child's parentage wouldn't matter. Who was to say that this child couldn't turn out to be a normal little boy, no matter who his parents were?

Cassie jumped at snapping fingers suddenly whipped in front of her face.

"Hello! Earth to Cassie! Did you even hear me?" Thelma looked a bit put out at Cassie's ignoring her.

"No, I'm sorry. I keep getting lost in my own head." Cassie shook the hair from her eyes and tried to be attentive.

"Ok. Now for the fourth time, don't you have to get Jo to sign that form for the hospital? There's no sense in putting it off." Thelma pointed at the envelope lying on the desk.

Cassie grimaced. The last thing she wanted to do right now was face Jo. The woman was just too kind sometimes and at the moment Jo's overt concern for her was grating. But she should probably do it now rather than later. There wasn't really a reason not to get it signed. If she decided against the procedure she could always just toss it out. It wasn't like it was a contract. Cassie glanced at the clock on the corner of her desk. It read 9:30 a.m. Jo was probably still in her room, what with it being the weekend.

"You're probably right. I'd better go now before I end up forgetting." Cassie grabbed the release form out of the envelope and headed out the door.

"You're welcome!" Thelma called after her.

Stuffing the form in her pocket Cassie rolled her eyes, smiling as she headed down the hallway. At least some things never changed.

Heading for the teacher's wing she let her thoughts turn back toward her child. Did she really want to go through with this? Deprive her baby of the chance to live like a normal child and watch him grow up? She had never thought anything like this would happen to her, though of course it probably wouldn't have if she had been involved with anyone but Azazeal. She'd always been careful. Troy hadn't been her first, no matter what Thelma might have thought, but her life before this hadn't been brimming with sexual experiences either. Even so she'd had her share of romances before but none of them had been able to make her feel like he had.

She would never admit it out loud but could at least admit to herself that Azazeal had made her feel in ways she hadn't known were possible. He'd made her blood sing and her heart race. It wasn't only that he seemed to know her inside and out (though he'd demonstrated that thoroughly enough during their nights together) but even when she was infuriated by him she felt somehow more alive. And yet it wasn't just the physical aspect when it came to him; it was if he had touched her soul when they were together. Turning him away the next day had been the hardest thing she'd ever done besides watching Thelma die. The experience had felt much the same. All of her senses seemed heightened when he was near and was just now figuring out how alluring that was. She wanted him with every part of her but she couldn't simply forgive him could she? The sense of betrayal she felt over how he'd used her couldn't be forgotten that easily. No matter how much she wanted him.

Cassie stopped just down the hall from Jo's door. Walking over to a window, she gazed out at the woodlands surrounding the back of the school's estate. There was still a little bit of the morning's fog wafting hazily around the branches of the trees. It was a serene view, a feeling she wished that she could share. The hazy green of the trees reminded her of him. They were almost the exact shade of pale green that his eyes were, she could almost imagine him standing out there and looking toward her. She smiled wistfully, remembering how those eyes had darkened with passion until it was like she was drowning in a sea of deep emeralds as he had gazed up at her from between her legs. She closed her eyes, almost able to feel the ghost of his lips on her skin, the heat of his tongue as he had teased and tormented her until she begged him for release. Her fingers came up to brush the side of her neck, one of his favorite spots because of the reaction it always caused in her. She gasped and shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the memories. It was difficult, the mere memory of that night causing her entire body to throb with desire.

Cassie bit her lip hard and tried to concentrate on the reasons why she shouldn't want him. Even if she could bring herself to forgive him for using her the way he had what was to stop him from doing it again? He would never understand how violated she felt by what he had done. The loss of self she had experienced, how would he ever understand that when he believed that he had freed her from all the restraints holding back her true self? He had intimated that who she had been under the possession was who she was deep inside but it was something she had a hard time believing. Perhaps that was the person she would have been if her life had been easier, with fewer reasons to grow up as quickly as she had. If her mother had been different; if her father had stuck around, maybe she would have become that girl. Looking back Cassie was grateful that her life experiences had molded her into who she was. The girl that she had been while possessed wouldn't have had Thelma, she would have been truly alone. And despite the freedom she had felt when under Azazeal's spell, Cassie wouldn't trade that existence for what she had now. The realization made her smile; she felt that perhaps now she could truly make it through this. She had been through tough times before and now as then it would only serve to make her stronger.

Looking out the vanishing fog she felt her spirits rising with it. She felt more like her old self than she had in months. She still wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to go through with the termination but Thelma was right. There was no sense in calling it off unless she was really sure and it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and be prepared if she decided that was the path she wanted to take. Nodding to herself she pulled the release form out of her pocket and headed for Jo's door.