DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything aside from the idea. The Secret Circle belongs to its rightful owners and so do the characters.
AN/ Thanks for the great reviews, it's nice to know that people like the story, please feel free to let me know if there is anything that you really want to see in the story and I will see if it fits in.
Cassie just decided to walk, keep going and keep walking. Ever since she left the house after the incident she spent hours countlessly wondering around the town. She took in the loudness of the community, the drunken teenagers enjoying a night out, the boatmen bringing in their boats and the parents taking their children out for ice cream. Her cold hands remained in her pockets as she found herself once again of the boat harbour walking up the deck. It had been hours and she knew that her Grandmother would be worried and looking for her but she couldn't find the strength to dial her and let her know that she was ok. She need reflection time, time to herself to think about what she had done. Her conversation with Jake came into her mind.
'Are you saying my ancestors are evil?'
'They did horrible things.'
He told her about her dark magic and she didn't want to believe it. Two months ago she was just a normal girl who wanted nothing more than to fit in, now she was not only a witch but one with dark magic running through her veins.
She thought about her mother and what she was dealing with at her age, then she thought about her father. Was he an evil man? Did he try to fight his bloodline and his dark magic? Did he want to be good for the sake of his lover and daughter? Or did the darkness run through him with him in full control?
Would things have been different if her father survived? Would she have been raised evil? Would she have been raised by both parents with her father trying to be good for his wife and child? Would Faye have been different with both parents? Would Jake have turned out the way he had with parents? Would Nick still be alive giving him and Melissa a fair chance of being together?
'If only I could live in a world where our parents were alive and there for us.' She wished looking up. Their parents being around would benefit them all. They could have been taught how to control their magic. Or maybe the parents would have stripped them of their powers to prevent them from harm and a life similar to the one they had currently.
These questions were taking over. Would she find out the answers to these questions ever? Will it all ever make sense?
The darkness had set fully and the street lights on the harbour were faint. Cassie walked down to the bottom and stared out by the sea, taking in the light waves.
'Stop doing this to yourself Cassie. You can fight this dark magic, even if it means not using magic at all you can do it. I am not an evil person. I just want to have a normal life and go to college and have a great job with great friends.' She thought.
'Maybe I can have a normal life, I could run away, start fresh somewhere. It could work. It did for me and Mom for years so I can do it.' She continued with the thoughts.
It felt like hours that she was there. Her phone was off so she had no disruptions. It was just her and her thoughts. She pulled her sleeve up to look at her watch, 12:20.
'I really need to get home.' She mumbled to herself.
'You should, its dangerous being out here by yourself.' A deep voice that she recognized replied to her previous line, a voice that she didn't think that she would hear for a long time.
She wasn't ready for this physically or emotionally yet, not to deal with him.
'What are you doing here?' she asked turning round. Her surprised tone shone through her voice. She took in the sight of him. Tall, blonde, leather jacket. Trademark Jake Armstrong.
He stared back at the young blonde in front of him, feelings threatening to take over his body. His heart was telling him to take her in his arms and apologize, let her know why he joined the witch hunters, he wanted to kiss her and tell her that all he wants is to protect her. His head was telling him to man up and do what he came to do.
'You're in danger.' His head won out.
That wasn't the response that Cassie wanted to hear, 'The only danger here to me is you.' Cassie spoke firmly.
Jake almost flinched. Did she really consider him a threat to her? Did she think that he would or actually could hurt her?
'Cassie, witch hunters are coming after you. They want you-' he was cut off by Cassie.
'You are a witch hunter.' She shouted. 'You came here and used your brother's death as a way of trying to kill us. You are the threat.' She regretted mentioning Nick the second it came out of her mouth but she wouldn't take it back or apologize. She was too angry for that.
Jake stood there, his face hard, not showing any emotion. Her words were cutting through him but he couldn't show that to her. He would not let his emotions get the better of him like he did last time.
'You have every right to not trust me, but I need you to believe just how real this threat is.' He explained getting closer towards Cassie.
Cassie moved backwards keeping the space between them. She didn't want him closer.
'I don't trust you. I never did in the first place.' She lied not allowing him to get the satisfaction of knowing that he was able to gain her trust.
'I know that you don't trust me now but you did once before and I promise you that you can trust me now. I don't want to hurt you.' His voice softened. He tried so hard not to let his emotions get to him but she always brought out the softer him.
'The last time you told me to trust you I was kidnapped and almost sailed away on a boat, I think I'll take my chances and not buy into the crap you are try to tell me.' Her defence stayed up.
She walked off past him and without thinking he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer towards him.
'What do you think you're doing? Get off. Unless you want to see just how I burnt up your witch hunter friend.' She warned. He stared into her eyes not believing the threat. He didn't want to hurt her so he let go.
'Cassie, the witch hunters want you.'
'They want me? Tell them to go kill some other witch and leave me the hell alone. I haven't done anything to them.'
'They don't want to kill you Cassie, they want to use you.' He revealed.
This caught her attention making her stay rooted to the spot she was on.
'Use me how?' The confusion in her voice was evident and she found herself willing to hear Jake out.
'They want to use you as a weapon. The witch hunter's council are more than interesting in you. Using a witch to kill witches especially one as powerful as you would be a benefit to them.'
'The way they did with you.' She understood.
He nodded. It wasn't something that he wanted to see happen. Of course she would be by his side but it would not benefit her. The hunters were full of hate. They would kill anyone who got in their way. That is not what he wanted Cassie to become, she was sweet, humane.
'They won't stop until they have you Cassie. You're extremely valuable and they want you. You should be prepared.'
'What are you getting out of this?' Cassie asked suspiciously of Jake's motives.
'I am not gaining anything Cassie.' Jake once again stepped closer so that his chest was almost touching hers.
'Cassie, these people are filled with hate, they have no remorse. They will turn you into something that you are not. I will not let them screw you up like they did with me.' His eyes poured into hers. For a moment she felt the way she had when they were dancing at the fundraiser. She felt as though he cared.
'You almost sound sincere when you say that.' She breathed.
'Cassie, I am sorry.' There he finally said it. It felt right. He felt that he needed to say it. He needed her to hear it.
'Was any of it real?' she asked him wanting an answer as she had spent days asking herself and wanting an answer, even if he said no she had to know in order to move on.
Jake swallowed the lump in his throat. He thought about the first time he saw her, the first time he met her, him saving her from Simone, her comforting words after Adam started a fight with him, her convincing him to stay in Chance Harbour, him finding her in his room at Halloween, telling her that he didn't mind earning her trust. Kissing her at the lake house, the ride on the way back from there, her asking him to the fundraiser, turning up at her door to take her, them dancing, them in his room and them staring at each other as he sailed off.
'Yes.' It was the most honest he had ever been to her or anyone, the word yes had never meant more to him than it did in that moment with her.
She closed her eyes for a tiny second and breathed in. Opening her eyes she placed a hand on his cheek and rubbed it slowly as though she was seeing if this was real. He took in the feel of her hand and moved closer to her so that their lips were almost touching.
Cassie pulled back and moved her hand putting it back into her pocket and keeping her eyes on his own.
'Thank you for the warning, but you need to leave now before the rest of the circle know that you are here. I can't see you again, Jake, ok.' She took one final look at him, taking in his features, before turning round and walking away with him standing there.
