A/N: I'm so terribly sorry for not getting a chapter out yesterday. You can read a little bit about it at DFMT's tumblr - there's also some posts that ask a few questions of you all. Please go check it out at dfmtinfo DOT tumblr DOT com. Also, I love hearing from you all. Your reviews are oftentimes the brightest part of my day. I'd appreciate it if you took the time to let me know how you're feeling about the story!


April 9, 2012

The last time she had been on a plane was in a situation not so very different from this. Struck by the uncanny similarity, Cassandra Moore sat up and blinked away the haze covering her eyes. Oh, yes, she was significantly more comfortable than she had been two months ago. It would have been hard to live up to that level of agony. The grafts, while not completely healed now, were well on their way.

The company, though, was shockingly similar. So was the scenery. The overhead light of the plain in the row in front of her indicated that Luke Windsor was awake as well. Throughout the rest of the first class area though it seemed that most everyone else was sleeping. Instead of using the brighter light attached to the ceiling of the cabin, Cassie had clipped a small book light.

It was bright enough to illuminate the words on the pages. Fine print, however, was uncomfortable enough to read in natural lighting. Laboring over the historical texts for hours had left her eyes feeling achy and dry. Flicking off the light, an immediate wash of darkness soothed her senses. In front of her, Luke's light was turned off as well.

Looking up in surprise as he stood and leaned over the seat, they both glanced at Tom in the same moment.

He, of course, seemed without a care in the world. The man's long legs were sprawled in front of his seat, his head lolling against the headrest. Even with first class accommodations his six foot two frame appeared awkwardly cramped. Perhaps it was a measure of how often he traveled that he managed to sleep so comfortably. Blinking at it, Cass turned her attention back to Luke.

He nodded slightly to the empty chair beside him.

It was a quiet invitation and it was one that Cassandra found herself reluctant to take. Looking at him consideringly she pressed her lips into a polite smile before rising stiffly from her own seat. Setting aside the textbook that she had lost herself in for the past two hours, Cass carefully navigated over the perils of Tom's outspread legs to gain the aisle. Nearly tripping in the last moment, Luke's warm hand curved under her elbow made certain that she stayed on her feet.

Flashing him a briefly grateful smile the woman straightened before she edged into the seat he had indicated. Traveling on a Monday was different. There were a slew of empty seats and it seemed that Luke had managed to have one of them beside his own.

After a moment of flat silence she looked over where he stood. "Hello," Cassie offered softly. It was a gesture that attempted to span the awkward chasm of quiet between them.

"Thanks for coming up," Luke replied with equal softness. "It was getting a little tedious up here. Can only work for so long."

She laughed politely, nodding in agreement. "There's only so much reading I can do at a time out of a dated book before my mind decides to demand something new. I can understand the sentiment. I hope there's nothing too pressing that you're having to deal with that's troubling you, though?"

It was polite conversation and Cassandra slipped into it effortlessly. Years of having it ingrained into her at her father's side had made it second nature. Regarding him through a carefully considering stare the woman found that the same expression had been reflected back on her. She merely smiled more politely in response to the look he gave her. In retrospect, Cass thought, it shouldn't have come as a surprise to her that Luke Windsor gave little credit to her capacity for the niceties.

After all, the last time they had met she had spent the bulk of the experience, sleeping. Cassie's teeth worried at her lower lip as she slipped further into introspection. The memory of that trip goaded her in many ways – but in others, it had been a blessing. Memories of pain and suffering would dim in time. Recalling the way that Tom had shouldered his way into her life unapologetically, though, was something that she would always be able to hold to her heart fondly.

Cassandra's bright eyes focused again on Luke's. The man simply maintained his considering gaze.

"I might have been holding onto the wrong impression of you," he admitted after a moment.

The expression of the sentiment startled the American although she strove not to let it show. A trickle of concern slipped down her spine. This, Cass thought, had the makings of A Serious Conversation – and one she would have liked to avoid completely. In such an effort, she smiled beguilingly, waving a hand in an airy gesture.

"That's unlikely," Cassandra replied with a light tone. "I'm really not that difficult to figure out. I'm afraid that I'm a fairly simple person, Luke. While I admit that I wasn't necessarily at my best the last we met, I'm not certain what idea of me you could have gathered from the experience."

Instead of being diverted by her attempts at ending the discussion the publicist only seemed more determined. The polite expression of sociability fell from his expression and in its wake a gimlet stare was fixed on her. She might have quailed in surprise at the look but Cass was made of stronger mettle than that. She had been tested in hotter fires she thought in a moment of inexplicable temper. This would not be the one to make her wither away in fear.

She stiffened in the seat, shoulders drawing back in a moderately defensive gesture. With her chin tilted up in the air and looking down her nose at him Luke thought she rather portrayed the idea of some elegant aristocrat sneering down at the general public. It was a well done effort, but not enough to stay him.

"You don't know what you signed on for."

It was not a hostile phrase. It wasn't even a reprimand.

The lack of something for her to argue against took the wind out of Cassandra's sails. While she did not necessarily wilt away, the proud posture eased slightly. There was no easy sally for that and her somewhat puzzled expression relayed that to him. Luke only sighed, folding his hands in his lap as he shifted to look squarely at her.

"You don't know what you're in for, Cassandra," he continued after a moment. His voice was lower, now. "The War Horse premiere went well. Astoundingly so. Honestly the truth of it is with the Prince and his Duchess attending, no one could have cared about any of the actors. You were spared much of the scrutiny because of it. This is big. You don't know how big."

The repeated insistence of the things she didn't know raised the woman's hackles. It was more than apparent that she was growing irked with the words he had to say. Nothing in the way that Cassandra sat betrayed it, however. Her arms fought the urge to cross petulantly over her chest. Instead, she simply pressed her lips firmly into a line as she inhaled slowly.

Only after she exhaled to both calm and steady herself did Cass even attempt to speak. "You say this like it should matter to me."

"Of course it does," Luke retorted cuttingly. The heat in the phrase scorched her as she recoiled slightly. "You're a fool if you think it wouldn't. You don't get into a relationship with an actor and not anticipate the repercussions. No one knows who you are – yet. But the fans? They'll rip you apart. The media will scrutinize you. Any possible story from your past will come out. The more sordid, the better. This movie, Cassandra, will propel him into a limelight of which the likes you can't comprehend. You can't possibly understand the repercussions of that."

Even at the beginning of what amounted to a lecture, Cassie realized where he was going with it. Instead of meeting his stare her own grey eyes turned out the window. No lights, other than those that blinked on the plane itself, could be seen. No stars. No clouds. Only dark silhouettes that indicated the promise of shape lingered within the parameters of her sight.

Closing her eyes, she sighed. Letting her fingers rest gently at the bottom of the window, Cass's head bowed slightly. It was not a dejected picture that she presented. Luke realized that the instant her shoulders drew back. She had receded into herself, drawing strength and conviction from the depths of her own thoughts.

The quiet between them was uncomfortable only for him once he came to that understanding. When she straightened though, and turned her eyes back to him, the dim lighting of the cabin couldn't accurately relay the strength of her expression. Her eyes were bright – with tears or determination, Luke didn't know.

"You say these things," Cassandra whispered hoarsely, her voice graveled with emotion. "You say these things as if I should run. As if I should be afraid.. The truth, Mr. Windsor? What is there for me to be afraid of? You don't know me. You don't know what I've lost, or where I've come from. How long it's taken to get here. The only truth you need to know is that he makes me a better person than I ever hoped to be. I've hated who I was for so long.. to know that I don't have to. It's staggering."

She paused, her breath ragged. The words were challenging. They were full of weight and a brutal honesty that ripped both Cassie's heart and soul to shreds. To strip herself so bare, though, naked to his regard, gave her strength.

"Help. When it comes to it, Luke, help. Don't try to scare me off with some vague prophecy of doom. Life is hard. The world is unkind. How can I go forward if I let those things keep me from the part of my world that brings me joy?"

It was a rhetorical question and one she wouldn't give him the opportunity to answer. Rising from the seat, Cassandra carefully edged her way around his legs to escape into the aisle.

Her heart pounded in her ears. Standing for a moment beside Tom's seat, just as she was making to edge her way over his legs to return to her own seat a hand reached up to curl gently around her wrist. Glancing down she found Tom's intent expression looking up at her. He tugged gently and Cass was pulled slowly into his lap.

Had she wished to she might have resisted. The loose way he held her wrist was indicative of that.

Perhaps the truth was, she wanted the comfort of his presence. Resting her cheek against his shoulder, she found that his arms came to rest quietly around her waist. His proximity eased the frantic racing of her heart. Her breathing slowed as well, leveling out to something that wasn't reminiscent of a post workout state.

Shutting her eyes Cassie let his presence envelop her. The smell that was distinctly Tom wrapped around her senses. The dim thrum from the engine lulled her even further into a state of relaxation. What cemented it though, was the steady heartbeat against her own shoulder as she leaned into his chest.

Cass sighed softly in contentment. She had not faltered when a line was drawn. When it might have been easier, once, to flinch away from that confrontation she had instead stepped forward to meet it. It was easier to fight for him.. for them. Perhaps that was how she knew it was the right thing to do.

"Serious conversation?" The low tone was unreadable as far as giving anything away. What he might have heard, Cassandra had no idea. Her own voice had been soft as had Luke's. The noise of the airplane should have muffled their conversation from the person sitting behind them.

Of course, if Tom had been awake all along she couldn't even hedge a guess as to what he had been made aware of. It was a distinctly unsettling feeling.

Cass laughed slightly. "Enlightening," she replied equally quietly. "It was interesting, I suppose.. but too much thinking for me, right now. Between classes and time zones, my mind's a cacophonous racket of disarray."

No one could deny her use of descriptions there. Chuckling in reply, he squeezed her waist lightly in a confining embrace. Her arms were caught at her sides the way she had been pulled down and where she wanted to loop her arms around his neck and return the hug she found she couldn't. Cassie did the next best thing.

Straightening up, she pressed her lips to his. While she might have initiated it, Tom was all too eager to abet her endeavor. Coaxing her lips apart with the tender ministrations of his own the kiss deepened more rapidly than either of them could have anticipated. The rattle of a flight attendant with a trash bag coming down the aisle jolted both of them to their senses.

Tom sat up in his seat and Cass pulled away. Through the dark first class cabin lighting he could see the sheepish, somewhat guilty expression she had adopted at their display. Releasing one of his arms from around her waist his hand came up to brush her cheek gently.

"There now," he soothed softly. "No harm's done." Tom leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to her cheek, far more chaste than the one they had partaken of moments before. "I'm sorry, Cass," he admitted earnestly. "I forgot myself. You make me forget myself."

Her lips pursed into a wry smile. "If that's all you're forgetting then you're doing better than me." The sardonic admittance evoked a bright peal of laughter from the man. His arms fell as he let her go, although his hand held hers as she stood, steadying her through the brief tremble of turbulence.

"A finer compliment I could not have hoped for."

Cassie rolled her eyes in response. Elegantly collapsing into her own seat, the woman tried to smother back the jaw cracking yawn that overtook her. Failing to do so, she found her entire body trembling with the gesture. Fatigue nearly made her bones ache from the sensation. Repressing the groan at the knowledge there were hours yet to go Cass only sighed, shutting her eyes.

Sleep would only make it all go by more quickly, she thought.

So numb with exhaustion as she was the woman barely startled at the sensation of a blanket being settled over her. All she could find it in her to do was muster a small smile and give it in the general direction she knew Tom was sitting. She felt his hand smooth hair back away from her face in reply.

After that, her memory dimmed as restless sleep overtook her.

Long minutes of silence lingered between the seats that the travel companions resided in. Looking over at Cassandra, Tom found himself pensive. She had been so unflinching, so very full of conviction. It was heartbreaking, in many ways.

In the very least, it was a tragedy. If she couldn't see what was to love in who she was, then he would simply have to do it for her. In time, if Cass couldn't believe it of herself then perhaps she would believe it when he did it in her stead.

To such an end he stood quietly. Leaning over the back of the seat before him Tom glanced down at Luke. His publicist was awake, face turned broodingly out the plane window. Having the actor appear in his line of vision apparently did not startle him in the least. Luke didn't even bother to speak. Tom's grim, set expression told him everything.

"You won't do that again," Tom murmured quietly. "You don't get to make those calls. Not even if you believe they're meant to be in my best interest." Heat laced his words.

What made Luke Windsor know that he was brutally earnest though, was his features. Generally composed and capable of presenting an affable appearance to the world, Tom had lost the leash on those things. His hands, resting on the back of the chair, were clenched and white knuckled. His jaw was tight and the lines around his eyes were stressed. To such an end, the publicist nodded.

"I understand," he replied quietly. "But now she does, too. You haven't told her anything, Tom, not really. Is it fair to her to throw her into all of this so unprepared?"

Tom threw Luke a heated glance as he sighed in frustration. Bowing his head, a hand came up to rub his upper lip in an absent gesture. It moved to trail over his face before threading through his hair, tugging slightly before resting back on the seat. He sighed after a moment, straightening.

"No." It was a grudging allowance and the only one he would make. "You made the wrong call tonight, Luke. Surprising her is wrong, but terrorizing her is any better? No – I'll take care of it. In the future, let me know if you have these concerns again."

The publicist nodded, expression still easygoing. Tom's temper was, admittedly, not a surprise. Neither was his response.

Without being given something to fight against the actor sat down again abruptly, mind reeling with the implications. The things that he would have to tell Cassandra.. his lips curled into a grim expression. How he would even start it, Tom couldn't even begin to fathom.

Looking at her, though, her features smoothed with sleep, he came to the same conclusion that she had. It was worth it. No matter what it was they were fighting for, whatever name one could call it… it was worth the effort.

But still, there was something more to it than that.

She was worth taking care of. Worth fighting to keep in his life. Worth whatever trials he would have to face, to make her comfortable and at ease with the world he lived in. Resolved, Tom was finally able to let the tension ebb from his figure. He knew what he would have to do.

Now if only he knew how to predict her response to it.


A/N: This chapter was one of the hardest I've had to write, to date. It's so transitional but there are so many important moments that I didn't know how to get the moods or the dialogue right.
Be advised that Luke Windsor is not meant to be portrayed of as "the bad guy". He's calling into question how Tom has approached the entire thing. Cassandra has virtually no idea exactly how "big" is "big"..although she'll find out soon enough.

I really hope you all liked how this turned out. It truly was a labor of love to write, and I'd appreciate any feedback or reviews you have for me. They mean the world to me, and they make writing this worthwhile.

Moreover I hope my readers didn't mind the interview interlude I posted last! It got significantly less response than my normal chapters. Let me know if you disliked it and don't want me to do it again. Or, let me know if you did like it! Either way.. Let me know?

Finally: Special thanks to Astra-the-Goddess, Le Hiddleslover, SapphireDreamer26 & runningonmusic. I appreciate those of you who take the time to review, follow or favorite this story! Thank you so very, very much!