Disclaimer – See Chapter 1.
Ok so Cassie has been officially introduced and we've delved a bit into her background. I know you guys are probably wanting to see more of the other characters and wondering about the pairings. Well this story is mainly gonna be centred around Cassie and Keith and their relationship however there will be some Brucas, Naley and if I'm feeling really nice (depends how much you guys want it) I may even bring back Jake and throw in some Jeyton. Ha, who am I kidding of course I'll be bringing back Jake. Jeyton rules. Any suggestions on who I should pair Cassie with? I'm thinking possibly Marcus but I'm not sure.
Chapter 3 – The Brilliant Dance
"What are you thinking?" Brooke lifted her head up from her boyfriend's chest as they lay quietly on the sofa in his living room. She knew Lucas inside out and she could tell by the expression on his face that he was plotting something.
Her voice pulled him from his thoughts and he looked down at her smiling. "I was just thinking about Cassie. She's been back almost a week now and I just thought it'd be nice if we did something special for her you know. I mean yeah she hangs out with us a the River Court and Tric but we never really did anything to really welcome her home. We were always really close when we were younger and honestly I missed her like crazy when she left. She was the closest thing I had to a sister and I just really wanna let her know that I'm glad she's back."
Brooke, ever the event planner and always looking for an excuse to celebrate sat up suddenly, startling Lucas. "Ooh we should totally throw her a party."
Lucas laughed, "How did I know you would come up with that?"
"Maybe because you know I have the best ideas! Come on it's perfect. Your mom would definitely let us have Tric. She loves Cassie. I know she'll go for the idea. In fact let's stop by the café and run the idea by her. Cassie won't be there until around three for her shift right?"
The glint in Brooke's eye that always appeared when she had reason to party was back with a vengeance. They hadn't thrown a party since last summer and she was beginning to get withdrawal symptoms.
"Jeez you're keen. I mean I know you love parties but I don't think I've seen you this fired up in ages. It's kinda sexy." He grinned, raising one eyebrow seductively.
"Really?" Brooke smirked leaning in for a kiss "Mental note to self, plan more parties." She teased. Then turning serious for a moment she said, "Seriously Luke I've seen how happy you and Keith and your mom have been since Cassie arrived. After everything we've all been through this last month it's good to see you happy again. Plus I know how much Cassie means to you and what's important to you is important to me. I really wanna do this for her. For both of you."
In that moment Lucas fell a little bit more in love with his girlfriend. On the surface she often came across as self-centred and shallow. Lucas knew different. He saw the real Brooke Davis. "Have I told you lately how amazing you are?" He said, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face so he was able to look right into her eyes.
"Yes but I never tire of hearing it." She joked, placing a soft kiss on his lips before pulling him to his feet. "Come on we better get a move on. If I remember correctly Peyton mentioned that there wasn't anything on at Tric tonight so maybe if we work fast we can organise it as a surprise for tonight. We've got work to do."
In less time than it took Lucas to get showered and changed, Brooke had called Peyton, Haley and Nathan, and Mouth and asked them to meet her and Lucas at the café in ten minutes for some emergency planning. She smiled to herself excitedly. This was going to be truly awesome.
……………………..
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried unsuccessfully to suppress her laughter. "Oh my God. You look so ridiculous. I can't wait to show this to Karen and Luke. You're so never living this down."
Keith made a grab for the camera phone his daughter had used to slyly snap a picture of him covered in tomato ketchup. What had started as the simple task of having lunch with his daughter, had quickly turned into a disaster as the ketchup bottle had exploded in his hands, conveniently missing Cassie and everything else at the table but him.
Cassie snatched the phone away just in time, backing away so he couldn't reach her while she teased him mercilessly.
"Oh…ok smart ass so you think this is funny huh?"
When she saw her father reach for the ketchup bottle she knew exactly what was coming. She backed away even further, placing her cell phone on the kitchen counter as she prepared to make a run for it. "You wouldn't dare." She said, regretting the words as soon as they had left her mouth.
Keith raised an eyebrow at his daughter. "Really? You sure about that?"
He took a step towards her and it was then that Cassie noticed that he had cleverly placed himself between her and the door. She had no escape.
Without warning he dove toward her, but she managed to duck past him making a run for the door. Unfortunately he was quicker and he caught her around the waist with one arm, emptying the contents of the ketchup bottle over her head.
Realising her mistake too late, Cassie could only watch in mock fury as her father swiftly picked up his own cell phone and quickly snapped a shot of his own.
"Oh my God! I can not believe you actually just did that. It's in my hair and everything." She tried her best to act annoyed but the look on his face was enough to send her into a fit of giggles again.
"You asked for it. Tip for the future, never dare me honey. It's not a wise idea." He said through his own laughter.
A knock at the door quickly put an end to their laughter as both contemplated how the hell they were supposed to answer the door covered in ketchup.
Keith was the first to give in. "Go get cleaned up. I'll see who it is." He offered as he attempted to rid his hair of the sticky red substance using a dish cloth.
Satisfied that he looked as presentable as he possibly could without showering, he opened the door to a very impatient looking Brooke Davis accompanied by Peyton Sawyer, as usual. When he saw the girls' expressions change from slight impatience to utter confusion he knew he had failed in his attempt to remove all the ketchup.
"Get into a fight with a ketchup bottle lately?" Brooke quipped.
"Something like that. What can I do for you girls?" He replied, swiftly changing the subject. He was sure they find out the whole embarrassing story courtesy of his daughter later.
Brooke and Peyton entered the kitchen, taking a seat at the small table. "Is Cassie home?" Brooke spoke first.
"Yeah but she's in the shower."
"Great, uh we need to ask a favour. We need your help over at Tric, but we need to keep Cassie away so Peyton's gonna ask her to hang out until her shift at the café."
They had decided that Peyton was the best person to act as a decoy since Lucas was needed at Tric. As Brooke had predicted, Cassie and Peyton had pretty much hit it off straight away, both being into many of the same things such as music and art. Cassie couldn't draw to save her life but she still held an interest in art and had studied it in depth throughout high school. Cassie and Peyton had hung out a couple of times over the last week while the others were off doing couple things. They had become quite close despite the short amount of time they had known each other and they had shared tales from each others past, Peyton filling Cassie in on everything from the brief love triangle between her, Lucas and Brooke two years ago, which Cassie had only heard bits and pieces of in her emails from Lucas, to the situation with Jake. Cassie, although not normally a talker, had shared details of her own past, including her mother's death and her decision to spend the last five years at boarding school. So it wouldn't be anything unusual for Peyton to come over to hang out.
Keith eyed the girls in confusion. "Uh, ok, what's going on?"
Brooke quickly explained. "Well Lucas and I were talking this morning and he was saying that he felt bad that we hadn't really done anything to give Cassie a proper welcome home. So I suggested that we throw her a party. Karen's already agreed to let us have Tric tonight but we need to get set up without Cassie finding out about it. Karen's helping now but she needs to be back at the café in time for Cassie's shift cause she doesn't want to leave her alone just yet but we apparently need an adult there with there being alcohol lying around. Frankly I'm hurt that we can't be trusted but whatever, will you help us?"
Keith didn't know what to say. He knew how amazing Cassie was to him, but he was biased. Although he had expected her to get along just fine with everyone, he was surprised and thrilled at the extent of the welcome that the group was working to give her. Before he could reply however, Cassie appeared in the doorway, showered and dressed in record time.
"What's going on?" She asked in confusion when the discussion promptly ended at her entry.
Peyton spoke up. "Hey, oh I was just bored and wondered if you felt like a quick trip to the mall before your shift. There's a new Keane CD that I've been dying to get my hands on."
Cassie shrugged, "Sure sounds cool. Brooke, you coming?"
Brooke froze, "Uh…no…I uh have a…thing that I need Keith's help with, yeah." She stuttered, earning her a glare from Peyton.
Cassie looked from one girl to the other and then to her father, sensing that something wasn't quite right. When their faces gave nothing away, Cassie gave up and ran up to her room to get her purse.
"Nice going genius!" Peyton admonished, swatting her best friend lightly on the arm.
Before any of them could comment further, Cassie reappeared and she and Peyton left for the mall.
Once they were out of sight, Brooke dragged Keith out of the house and they headed over to Tric.
……………………………
"Down a bit on the left, no too far, up, up, down a bit…"
Lucas gave a defeated sigh, "Mom, seriously I'm in danger of losing the use of both my arms if I don't get this damn thing up soon.
The banner which Peyton and Haley had designed at the last minute when they had heard about the party was proving to be a nightmare to hang up, especially with his mom directing him as to where it should go.
"Oh suck it up boy this was your idea." She replied jokingly earning herself a mock scowl from her son.
"Technically the party was Brooke's idea. All I said was that we should do something to give Cass a real welcome home. So by your standards she should be up here trying to hang this thing."
"Excuse you. Brooke Davis does not climb ladders for anyone. This party is my brainchild and you, boyfriend, are just a worker bee." Brooke said, putting Lucas firmly in his place, much to the amusement of Keith, who had arrived with her.
Within less than two minutes of her arrival, the orders had been given and the 'worker bees' had been put to work.
…………………….
The mall was reasonably quiet considering it was the middle of summer vacation. Peyton and Cassie browsed leisurely through the CD displays, amazed at the similarities in their tastes.
"You actually got Jimmy Eat World and Fall Out Boy to play at Tric? Damn I totally should have come home last year. My timing always sucked."
Suddenly an idea dawned on Peyton. "Gimme a sec while a make a quick phonecall." She said, excusing herself.
Cassie nodded and continued to flick through the CD's, picking up the latest Nada Surf album. Peyton returned a few moments later, and Cassie could have sworn there was something different about her. She had an almost smug glint in her eye and it looked like she was trying her hardest not to crack a grin. Cassie chose not to question it, but thinking back to Brooke's strange behaviour only a couple of hours ago, she knew something was going on.
She was distracted from the thought by Peyton pointing out that they had to make a move so that Cassie could make it back in time for her shift at the café. Making their purchases, they quickly left the mall.
……………………….
Several hours later, Tric was almost prepared for Cassie's surprise welcome party. Almost.
"Nathan, we're not playing Wu Tang Clan, no way." Haley blew out a frustrated breath as her husband continuously picked out music that she couldn't even bear the thought of.
"You know, I'm starting to think you were right when you made that fuss about our CD collections after we got married. Maybe we are doomed to fail." He teased.
"Don't even joke about it Nathan, it wasn't funny." She huffed.
"Really? I thought it was pretty funny." He shot back.
Seeing her scowl, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, and gave in. "Tell you what. Why don't you pick out the music since you're the resident expert and all."
Knowing he was teasing but choosing to take his comment as a compliment, Haley was only too quick to agree, throwing out almost all the previous choices that Nathan had made.
He chuckled to himself as he let his wife get on with picking the music, content just to sit and watch her as she worked. He loved how her eyes seemed to light up whenever she was working with or around music. He promised himself that one day, when they had finished high school, he would make sure Haley had another chance to follow her dream, only this time with him right by her side.
"Ok," she said finally after spending at least another half hour on the music choice. "Ok yeah we're all done. Hey Brooke music's picked out and queued up to play."
Brooke's excitement was growing by the minute. It was almost time to start. The club was decorated, the food was ready, finger food of course considering they'd had very little time to make it and hadn't been able to make it at the café since Cassie was there, and now the music was ready. Karen had arrived, making her excuses and leaving Cassie to close up. The plan was that Keith would go pick Cassie up under the pretence of taking her to dinner but would actually bring her to Tric. Guests had started arriving, including the guys from the River Court, the cheerleading squad, including, much to Brooke's annoyance, one Rachel Gattina, the guys from the basketball team and of course Whitey. They were officially ready to roll.
………………….
For the tenth time in the last half hour, Cassie checked the clock. Ten after seven. Something weird was definitely going on. Karen had left over an hour ago and since then Cassie hadn't seen anyone. Not Lucas or Haley or even her father who for the last week had stopped by to pick her up every time she was working.
Less than a second after she checked the clock, the door opened and her father walked in.
"Hey sweetie, you ready to go? I was thinking we could maybe eat out for dinner tonight. I know this great place down near the beach. What d'ya say?"
"Sure" She smiled, collecting her bag from behind the counter and grabbing the keys to lock up.
The car ride back to Tric was quiet as Keith anticipated his daughter's reaction to the surprise that awaited her. He knew she would be thrilled.
Cassie looked up when she noticed the car had stopped outside of Tric. "Why are we stopping here?"
"I just need to go in and pick up Karen and Lucas, you wanna come in, they might not be ready just yet."
Thinking nothing of her father's comment, Cassie exited the car and made her way up the steps to the club. Keith hung back slightly as she approached the door.
Cassie opened the door to the club and noticed that all the lights were out. That was strange. She could have sworn her dad said…..
Suddenly the room was flooded with light and a chorus of 'Surprise' filled the room. Cassie stood rooted to the spot, not able to comprehend the sight before her. She was pretty sure it wasn't her birthday and she couldn't think of any other reason why there would be a surprise party going on seemingly in her honour.
Lucas and Brooke appeared in front of her and she found herself wrapped up in their arms as they each hugged her.
"What's uh, what's going on guys?" She asked, still totally confused.
"Well see," Lucas spoke up. "I was thinking that you've been home a week now and yet we haven't really given you a proper welcome back. Then Brooke came up with the idea that we should have a party to celebrate you being home and, well here we are."
Cassie was speechless, although she knew her family had missed her, she never for a moment thought that they would organise something as big as this to welcome her back. She'd been accepted into the group quicker than she had even expected and now they were throwing her a party.
A hush fell over the room as the guests waited for her reaction. "Wow, uh, I don't know what to say. I mean, I knew my family missed me but jeez what a way to tell a girl." The crowd laughed at this comment. "I had a feeling something strange was going on when people started acting weird earlier but I never expected this. Thank you everyone for coming, especially those of you who don't know me, though what does it matter, a party's a party right?" She joked. "Finally I like to thank Lucas and Brooke and the guys for organising this and also my Dad and Karen, who I know had something to do with it." She narrowed her eyes at her father who simply smiled proudly at his little girl. "Ok well I guess the only thing that's left to say is…."
She was cut off by Peyton who appeared on stage holding a microphone. "Actually Cass, there's a little more to the surprise. Ladies and Gentlemen please welcome back for the third time this year, Fall Out Boy!"
The curtains on stage opened and sure enough, Fall Out Boy began playing on stage right in front of Cassie's eyes.
"No freaking way!" Cassie said in total disbelief. Peyton had made her way over to Cassie and the guys and laughed at the expression on Cassie's face. "How the hell did you pull this off?" Cassie asked.
"Uh, well I'm kinda dating Pete and they played a gig in Charlotte last night. Tonight was their night off before heading out for their next gig, so I convinced them to come and join the party and maybe play a set. They were all for it."
"Wow! Well what the hell are we still standing around here for. I've been hearing for years how this place is famous for its parties, and this one is all for me. So let's party!"
Nobody needed telling twice and the small talk abruptly ended, allowing the party to really begin.
………………………
Almost three hours later the party was in full swing. Fall Out Boy had played their set and were now mingling in with the crowd enjoying the night. Keith watched his daughter as she went from crowd to crowd, chatting and laughing with the guests. Her expression, he noticed, was the picture of happiness. She looked like she didn't have a care in the world right then and that brought a smile to his face. The last week had gone by smoothly. Neither him nor Cassie had had anymore run-ins with Dan, which Keith was thankful for, though not willing to get his hopes up just yet. Maybe he had overreacted by worrying about Cassie being near his brother after all.
He thought about all the years he'd missed out on. Sure he saw her when he could but it was only ever a summer here and there. Having her home and knowing that it was for good felt amazing. He realised as he watched her that he wanted to be there for her senior year of high school. He wanted to see her go to the prom and be there for her graduation. And now he would be able to do it with Karen by his side and also see his daughter, and the boy who he had always considered a son, graduate together. Nothing could possibly make him happier at that moment.
He felt a hand on his arm and turned to see Karen at his side. She handed him a drink and he slipped his arm around her waist.
"She seems to be enjoying herself." Karen said, watching Cassie laugh and joke around with Peyton.
"Yeah she does," He smiled, his eyes never leaving his little girl. He noticed that two members of the band had approached and seemed to be asking the girls to dance. He tensed as he watched his daughter being led to the dance floor.
Karen laughed lightly, "Easy there Dad!" She joked. "They're just dancing. I'm sure it'll be ok. Let her have her fun."
Hesitantly, he turned his eyes away from Cassie as he tried his hardest to keep himself from walking over and cutting in. He knew she was seventeen now and would be meeting and dating boys but he couldn't help the protective streak in him.
Pretty soon however, the song had ended and Cassie made her way over to Karen and her Dad.
"This party rocks!" She said, throwing her arms around her father. "Thank you for this."
"Well actually it was all Brooke and Lucas's idea. Karen and I just helped get set up. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself though."
"I don't care who did what, you guys are all awesome. I never expected anything like this when I decided to come back."
"It's nothing less than you deserve honey. I know I've probably said this a hundred times already but it really is great to have you home." He said lovingly. Then over her shoulder he nodded to Haley who queued up the song he had requested earlier and then gave the thumbs up to Lucas, who tapped the microphone, getting the crowd's attention.
"Ok guys you're all aware that we're having this party to welcome Cassie back to town. She's been away for five years and those of you who know Keith, will know that he can get quite sappy at the best of times so it won't surprise you that he has requested a special father/daughter dance. So can you all please clear the floor so that we can get on with this cause I can see that Cass has already turned ten shades of red." He laughed winking at her.
The crowd moved off the dance floor and Keith turned to his daughter, "I made him do that so you couldn't refuse. I know what you're like when it comes to the attention being focused on you. Come on." He held out his hand and she took it, allowing him to lead her to the floor.
When the intro to the familiar song started to play, tears sprang to Cassie's eyes. It was the song he sent to her a few years back along with one of his letters when he wasn't able to fly out for the summer. She'd listened to it every night before going to sleep and it reminded her that although he hadn't been able to make it out to see her, she was still on his mind and he still missed her.
Well I want you to notice
To notice when I'm not around
And know that your eyes see straight through me
And speak to me without a sound.
She felt him hug her a little tighter as the chorus began to play.
I want to hold you
Protect you from all of the things I've already endured
I want to show you
Show you all the things that this life has in store for you.
And I'll always love you
The way that a father should love his daughter.
The tears that had threatened previously, now made their way slowly down her cheeks and she rested her head on her father's shoulder.
When I walked out this morning
I cried as I walked out the door
Cried about how long I'd be away for
Cried about leaving you all alone.
The words of the second verse were all too familiar to Keith. He thought back to the times he had visited her in Ohio, and how hard it had been for him to leave her when it was time to go home. He felt his heart flip as he realised he'd never have to do that again.
I want to hold you
Protect you from all of the things I've already endured
I want to show you
Show you all the things that this life has in store for you.
And I'll always love you
The way that a father should love his daughter.
Sweet Zoe Jane
Sweet Zoe Jane
"Cassie Mae fits into that chorus nicely don't you think?" Keith joked and Cassie laughed lightly against his shoulder.
"It fits perfectly." She replied as they swayed to the music.
So I wanted to say this
Cause I wouldn't know where to begin
To explain to you what I have been through
To explain where you're Daddy has been.
The words were sobering as Keith was reminded that he still had to explain to his daughter about the fire at the dealership and the fact that Dan believed his own brother had tried to kill him. She needed to know.
So I want to hold you
Protect you from all of the things I've already endured
And I want to show you
Show you all the things that this life has in store for you
And I'll always love you
The way that a father
Should love his daughter.
Sweet Zoe Jane
Sweet Zoe Jane
As the song ended, Keith hugged his daughter and whispered, "I do you know."
She looked up into his eyes, confused for a moment. "You do what?"
"I love you." He said seriously. "More than anything."
Smiling brightly she nodded and replied, "I know. I love you too Dad." And as father and daughter left the floor, Cassie couldn't imagine it being possible to be any happier than she was at that moment. Nothing could possibly bring her down.
