Ok, so truthfully here: this chapter is definitely a filler. But don't worry! I've got much bigger and better, action packed episodes in the works, and chapter three should be up by the weekend, so stay tuned! I hope you guys like it!

It had been two weeks.

Two weeks since their kidnappings/near deaths.

Two weeks since they got unfortunately involved with the mob.

Two weeks since Jim had put a bullet in Oswald Cobbelpot.

And two weeks and a day since Cassie had felt normal.

It had felt like a constant rotation of shifts, training with Jim, warming up frozen dinners, and pushing herself harder than ever when it came to protecting herself. She'd applied for a new gun permit, wanting to be able to physically carry one with her and not just have a single one in the apartment. After telling her what he did to Cobbelpot, Jim had made her swear to never tell Barbara. Personally, Cassie thought that was a bit risky, but Barbara wasn't her fiancée, so she agreed.

Finally, on her first day off since the incident, she found herself unable to wait around the apartment anymore; she felt like she might be losing her mind.

So, she walked into the GCPD, eyes roving the area for a familiar buzzed head. Unfortunately, that meant she wasn't paying any particular attention to where she was walking, so she nearly fell back when her shoulder smacked into another person. She stumbled slightly, cursing in surprise under her breath before turning back around. "I'm sorry, sir-"

Her apology was cut short when she saw who she was speaking to; ironically enough, it was the same guy she'd ran into on the way out the door to Mooney's club.

"Oh wow, that's what, twice now?" She asked, snorting, "I'm so sorry, I'm just such a klutz."

"No, no!" The man stuttered out, shaking his head, "Uh, I was just wrapped up in work," he held up a manilla envelope, "It's I that should be apologizing to you."

Cas had to chuckle quietly at his demeanor; he was so shy, it was almost cute. Nodding, she stuck her hand out with a friendly smile. "Cassandra. You?"

He looked surprised by her introduction, and seemed to stare at her hand for a second in confusion, before scrambling to stick the folder under his arm and take her hand, shaking it. "Edward."

"So, Edward," the blonde started, "what do you do here?"

"Oh, I'm forensics." He stated with a proud smile, showing her his badge. Sure enough, stamped in large black letters, it read Edward Nygma, Forensic Specialist.

"Oh, that's pretty cool! Yeah, I think my brother may have mentioned you before; you like riddles, right?"

At the mention of the word brother, he looked confused. "Oh, you have a family member in the department?"

"Cassie." Speak of the devil; Jim walked up to his sister, looking confused. "What are you doing here? I thought it was your day off."

"It is." She nodded, biting her lip, "But I kind of needed to talk to you." Realizing Ed had seemed to start to shrink away, she spoke up again. "I was just meeting Edward; he tells me that he works here in forensics."

"Oh, right," Jim looked over, a half-forced smile on his face as he gestured between the two, "Ed, this is my baby sister, Cassandra. She an EMT."

Ed looked even more freaked out by the introduction but rushed forward to shake her hand again before practically yanking his hand back. "Right. Well, it's been a pleasure, Gordon's, but I'm afraid I must be going. Lots of paperwork to do." And then, he was gone, stumbling off towards the back of the building.

Once he was out of earshot, Jim turned back to his sister, looking less than pleased. "Cas, I thought I was being incredibly clear," he told her in a hushed tone, "you're not supposed to be out and about more often than necessary; it's hard to know how much Mooney and Falcone have on you."

"Well, seeing as I'm your sister and I was also strung up in that butcher's room," she stated in a sarcastic tone, "I'm guessing more than either of us would like."

"Cassie-"

"Jim, hey," Suddenly, Harvey was approaching them, and Cas felt herself tense. The older detective was under the impression that Jim had killed Cobbelpot and she was completely in the dark on the whole situation; apparently, both Falcone and Mooney had been incredibly specific on the fact that she wasn't told any details. The blonde had to guess they were reluctant to create any possible loose ends, not that she was complaining.

"Look, we're going to see if we can talk to Fish about the kids." Harvey started explaining, "I can't tell if she's still mad at us or not, but it can't hurt to try."

"Kids?" Both detective's looked over as the younger girl perked up slightly, "What about what kids?"

"It's nothing-"

"Well, it's this new thing-"

Both men started talking at once; Harvey to deny it, Jim to explain. The younger man glared at Harvey, and he backed away slightly, before Jim turned back to his sister.

"Look; we had a kid come in earlier today. Said a couple snatched up several of his friends and tried to abduct him with some kind of-"

"Pen?" She finished his sentence, her brain starting to piece things together. Both detective's paused and stared at her with wide eyes.

"Wait, how the hell did you know that?" Harvey asked, eyes narrowing. Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Relax, Harvey, a friend of mine I went to school with was the paramedic on that scene. The kid told him the same story." She shrugged, "Look, I can tell by the looks on your faces that you're having a hard time believing it, but the neck has lots of blood vessels, and almost all of them are pretty major. Slamming a needle through the skin that's laced with some kind of sedative is definitely an efficient way of dropping someone quickly and quietly."

Harvey paused for a second, then spoke up. "Alright. Well, you know what baby Gordon? I think we'll as Fish about this, see if she agrees. But it was nice talking to you-"

"I'm coming with you."

The pair had started to walk out but stopped upon hearing her declaration and turned around to see her following them. Harvey scowled, and Jim shook his head vehemently.

"No, Cas, out of the question. It was beyond irresponsible of me to take you last time, it's not happening again."

"Irresponsible?" Cassie repeated, feeling her chest start to bubble with annoyance and anger. "Look, Jim, I get that you're looking out for me, but I'm nineteen years old, ok? That means, even if you didn't let me come, I could just, I don't know," she shrugged, "go over there at midnight tonight and drink by myself at the bar while I seduce one of her employee's to get some info-"

"Ok, ok!" Her older brother cut her off, looking slightly panicked and a little disgusted, "Fine. We'll take you along as a consultant."

"We will?" Harvey looked shocked and more than little pissed, but Jim only nodded.

"Yes. That way, you'll technically be under our protection. And you're currently a working first responder, so we can always use that to back it up."

Harvey groaned as the trio now walked out to his car. "Great, as if one of you wasn't enough…"

Though the club was still beautiful, just being inside filled Cas with anxiety. Her hands, stuffed inside the pockets of a warm leather jacket, fiddled nervously as she trailed after Jim and Harvey, eyes going over the different employee's that were setting up for the night.

"Harvey, Jim," Fish greeted, her eyes falling to the younger girl, "and Cassandra. How marvelous."

"Are you still mad at us?" Harvey asked hesitantly, holding his hat between his hands. Cas couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, wondering what was going on or had previously gone on between the two. Fish paused, then shook her head, smirking.

"No, please," she and Harvey greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek, "I'm quite fond of you. And you," she turned to Jim, "Intrigue me. I also see you brought fiery little Cassandra with you today." The crime boss's smirk widened at the sight of the younger woman. "Of course, I always like seeing women step up to the plate when the men need assistance."

"Thanks." Cassie replied simply; she didn't want to get into a verbal spar with the woman, not at that moment. They had more important things to worry about. Fish only nodded, chuckling.

Fish watched her face for a beat before turning back to Jim and Harvey, "I knew I'd regret killing you as soon as I gave the word, but you know me." She shrugged a little, "I'm feisty."

"What do you know about a man and a woman abducting street kids on your turf?" Jim asked, voice firm. Of course, her big brother was all business when it came to criminals. Especially since he was on enemy territory; Cas could see the tension in his shoulders.

"No foreplay with you, hmmm?" Fish responded lightly, but she paused, eyes flickering to Cas. "Cassandra, be a dear; this part of the story isn't for you." She looked back to the men, "I'll talk to you, but she waits outside."

Cas opened her mouth to protest, but Jim turned back, lowering his head to speak in a whisper to her.

"Cassie, please. Just wait right outside the door, ok? Please."

She felt her jaw set, and she wanted to argue, badly. But if she took a wild guess, it would be that they were about to mention some stuff about Falcone and Penguin, and she technically wasn't supposed to know. Finally, she gave a defeated sigh and walked out, feeling their eyes burning into her back.

From what Jim and Harvey would tell her, (thought it wasn't much) there was flack to Macky's story. New buyer overseas, looking for young, healthy 'products'. Jim had told her they got a hit on the ATP, a drug found in Macky's system, and were going to check out one of the companies but had forbidden her from joining them. Apparently, Essen had thrown a fit over a civilian being put at risk of being caught in the crossfire.

But did that stop her?

No, it did not.

So that's why Cassandra found herself crouched at the back door of Quillan Pharma, her own gun strapped inside her jacket. She, of course, hadn't followed Jim and Harvey there. She was simply walking by the store's back entrance and 'happened' to hear something suspicious.

Or, at least she was hoping to hear something soon, as to justify why she was working on picking the lock.

Biting back a curse as her second bobby pin broke, she pulled another one from her pocket with a sigh. It had looked a lot easier in the book; she was hoping this was the time she'd succeed. She was running out of bobby pins, and who knew when something would go down.

As if someone above her heard the prayer, there was a soft click and the doorknob gave way, turning and allowing her to push the door in. As silently as she was capable, she slipped inside and quietly shut it behind her, pulling her gun out. She double-checked the corners, but couldn't see anybody, and could hear several voices coming from down the hall. As she walked closer, she realized with a start that two of the voices belonged to her brother and his partner; so they'd arrived around the same time. Good, she could use that in the future if Essen pulled her in to question her after this.

She paused at the end of the hallway; the blonde didn't particularly want any of the parties involved to know she was there yet, maybe she could find something while she was hiding. Her footsteps were soundless as she slid along the hall, checking over her shoulder occasionally. But there was no one there.

She was about to start on a locked door when loud gunshots sounded, making her jump. Shouting and cursing followed, and flashes lit up the dark hallway from under the door as the guns fired. Her heart leapt into her throat, and she silently begged that Jim was ok as she readied her own gun and ran towards the confrontation.

But a heavy, metal door stopped her. There was a large padlock on it, but as she grabbed it, she realized it hadn't been locked all the way. The thought made her realize that meant whoever was supposed to lock it might still be around, she had to act fast.

With as much strength she could muster, she shoved the door open, the gunfire drowning out the creaking. Stumbling through, she raised her gun-

-and stopped, lowering it.

A small group of teens, maybe about seven, all stood up in alarm. Their faces were smudged with dirt, and their stick thin frames were covered in layers of ratted clothing. It was like a cell; complete with some chains on the wall and a big, seemingly bottomless hole in the fucking ground, whatever that was about. She checked around the room quickly before holstering her gun, looking at the kids.

"You guys ok?"

Several of the teens nodded, and she returned it. "Ok, good." She paused, trying to come up with a plan to get them out. That gun fight wouldn't last forever, so maybe-

Since the universe seemed to hate her, the noise completely ceased right as the thought crossed her mind. Cussing loudly, she ran over and shut the door, looking around for some type of vent, maybe something big enough to send the kids out of one by one.

"Alright, kids, we need to get you out of here. My name is Cassandra, ok, and-"

But she didn't get to finish her sentence. The large door banged open, and she yanked her gun out as she whirled around, coming face to face with another barrel.

An old man dressed in a dirty janitor's uniform glared at her from behind the gun, finger already on the trigger.

"Drop the gun."

But she didn't, even though she could barely stop her hands from shaking. She stayed, rooted to her spot. The old man growled, pulling his hammer back.

"I said, drop the gun."

"You first." She shot back, her muscles coiled tight. But the janitor only sneered.

"Fine. I guess I'll just kill all of you then."

He started to press the trigger, right as Cas went to shoot him. But then a familiar blonde head rounded the corner, and her big brother, upon seeing her, yelled loudly.

"Hey!"

Hearing the new threat, the janitor turned and fired, but his aim was sloppy. The bullet whizzed by Jim's arm, and he pulled his own trigger right as Cassie jumped out of the way. The bullet hit him right in the chest, causing him to gasp and begin to choke, as he stumbled backwards and over the railing, his body tumbling down the hole.

Panting slightly, Cassie turned back around to her brother to find him glaring at her, gun lowered to his side. She nodded at him, raising her gun slightly.

"Hey."

To say Jim was pissed was probably an understatement. He'd been fuming, practically unable to speak when they called in some more cars to and an ambulance to pick up the kids. Of course, most of his anger could have come from the fact that Essen was even more livid that she had been at the crime scene, again. If it had been lawful, Cassie was pretty sure the commissioner would have had her gun taken away.

The next day, she sat on the couch, watching the press conference with a grim expression. When the mayor announced his plan to 'protect' the youth, she didn't even need to see Jim, Essen, and Harvey's faces to know they were thinking the same thing she was; it wasn't protection, it was a way to get homeless, parentless children off the street in a way that required no trial and very little contact with CPS and any other government organization that handled children's rights.

In short: it was disgusting.

When he'd finally calmed down, Jim had called her.

The conversation had gone about as well as she expected.

"Damn it, Cas, what did I tell you?"

The blonde sighed through her nose, leaning her had back as her older brother went off. She was still in her apartment, leaning up against her kitchen table, as he berated her.

"You can't keep doing this, Cassie, you're not a cop!"

"No, but like you said, I am a first responder, so why can't I help?" She shouted back, his authoritative tone starting to piss her off.

"Because you're too young, Cas-"

"Too young?! Shit, Jim, I'm not sure why everyone keeps forgetting this, but I'm not a child, for hell's sake! That means I can make my own decisions!"

"Yeah, legally you can, but that doesn't mean they're informed decisions, Cassandra, so next time you need to listen to me!"

"Why?" She demanded, feeling her rage starting to hit a boiling point. "Why do I have to listen to every damn order you throw at me, huh, Jim?!"

"Because I'm responsible for you, damn it!"

"Oh, you're responsible for me? Who the hell do you think you are, my father?"

She regretted the words the second they flew past her lips. She closed her eyes, sighing. A hand came up and raked through her hair as she took another deep breath, trying to calm down. "Look, Jim, you can't keep doing this. You can't keep treating me like I'm still thirteen years old; I'm a big girl, and I can look out for myself."

Silence followed her statement, and she actually thought he was about to hang up when his voice came back through, a little quieter.

"Ok, Cassie, listen: I understand you're an adult now. And I know the whole reason you're sticking around Gotham is because I refuse to leave, but," he paused, "please don't keep doing this. When mom died, she made me swear that I would make sure you were safe, and I can't keep doing that if you keep throwing yourself headfirst into these kinds of situations."

A part of her was still angry; furious, even. But at the mention of her mother, she couldn't find it in herself to yell anymore. Biting her lip, she nodded before speaking again.

"Ok. You have a point, and I'll give you that."

"Good." Jim's tone held a note of relief to it. "So, you won't keep randomly showing up at crime scenes?"

"How about this? I swear not to just show up unannounced anymore."

It was obvious he didn't like it, she heard his tired sigh loud and clear. But she also knew there wasn't much he could do about it, so he spoke again. "Fine. We can discuss details later, but first, I need a favor. Bruce's butler, Alfred, asked me to speak to Bruce tomorrow. Apparently, he's really struggling."

"J, his parents just died. I'd be way more concerned if he was acting completely normal."

"Well, that's my point, Cas. He seemed to do really well with you at the crime scene, and I'm worried he doesn't trust me anymore, not since Mario Pepper. Would you please come with me? Just to talk to him, get a sense of how he's doing."

A dry chuckle escaped her lips, and she shook her head, tousled curls bobbing. "You know, for someone who makes it his mission to look out for me, you seem to need my assistance a lot."

"Yeah, yeah, just be ready to go around four tomorrow."

Wayne Manor was huge.

She almost thought Jim was messing with her when they pulled up; no way did this one house only inhabit two permanent residents. But, sure enough, it did.

They were greeted at the door by Alfred Pennyworth, the butler. He was British, and a very strict man. By the way he held himself, Cassie could tell he had military training somewhere in his background; Special Forces, maybe. He held himself the same way her brother did.

Inviting them inside, he made them some very delicious tea and cookies, (sorry, biscuits) but Cas was a little impatient to hear about Bruce. He wasn't around, and that meant Alfred had probably asked them here on the basis of attempting to get help without Bruce knowing. Cas set her cup down, looking up at the butler, who was standing behind the couch across from them.

"Tell us about Bruce. What's going on?"

Alfred sighed, suddenly looking much more tired, and turned around to look at a family picture before speaking. "He's not been sleeping. And when he does, he has these…nightmares. Now he's hurting himself, burning himself." He whirled around, eyebrows drawn. "He's cutting himself."

Cassie and Jim shared a concerned look, and she licked her lips as Jim spoke.

"Is he getting professional help?"

"You mean a psychiatrist? Oh, no, he won't have them. No psychiatrists, that's a rule." The butler dismissed simply, and the siblings both raised their eyebrows.

"But, can't you bring them in anyway?" She asked as Jim stood, "You're his guardian."

"No," the butler denied again, walking closer, "Bruce's father gave me very firm orders were him and his missus to die. Now I will raise the boy the way his father told me to raise him."

"Which is how?" By now, Cassie had also risen, and Alfred paused, looking regretful before speaking.

"Trust him to choose his own course."

"Alfred," Cas spoke up softly, "he's only twelve."

"Well, he is also a Wayne." The older man told her, as if that explained everything, but she could hear the undertone of humor and maybe sarcasm in his voice. Jim shook his head.

"Sounds like a recipe for disaster."

It was clear that Alfred actually seemed to agree, to an extent, and the trio sat in silence for a beat before Jim spoke up again.

"What do you want me to do?"

"He wants you to talk some sense into me."

The new voice nearly made Cas jump five feet in the air, and she whipped around to see Bruce walking towards them, his right hand wrapped in gauze. Alfred turned to him and pointed a finger at him, looking furious.

"Haven't I told you to stop creeping up on people like that? It's bloody rude!"

Bruce walked closer to the siblings, and Cassie sat so she was closer to his eye line as Jim and Alfred continued to stand.

"Alright, Bruce." Jim spoke up, "Talk to me. To us."

"I'm perfectly fine." The young boy stated vehemently, "Alfred's a worrywart."

"Why don't you tell me what happened to your hand?" Cas interrupted in a gentle but firm voice, nodding to the gauze wrapped appendage. Bruce's eyes fell to the floor as he spoke.

"I burned it."

"On purpose?"

His silence was an obvious answer, and Jim stepped forward, closer to the two.

"Listen, Bruce. You've been through a terrible experience; talking to someone can be very helpful."

"You must have seen terrible things in the war." Bruce responded quickly. "Does it? Help to talk about it, I mean."

Jim stopped, and Cas nearly let her head hang. Jim had been back from his final deployment over six years now, and she still hadn't gotten him to talk to her about the things he'd seen, or the things he'd done. Every attempt was met with silence; not an excuse, not even a lie. Just pure silence.

"Yes."

But Bruce wasn't stupid, and he only shook his head. "You're a terrible liar."

"You're hurting yourself-"

"I'm testing myself!" The young boy cut him off, "It's different. But I appreciate your concern." He walked over to the tray, grabbing a cookie and biting off a piece as he sat down across from Cas. She didn't say anything, mostly wanting him to calm back down before she tried anything. Her eyes fell to his hand. Had that been cleaned and dressed properly? Had he seen a doctor? How bad was it?

"I've been following your adventures in the newspapers." He told Jim, then turned to Cassie. "And I know you're the unnamed source that helps him and his partner occasionally. I know you're trying to help." He paused. "I feel very sorry for those poor children."

Jim moved to sit next to her as she spoke, keeping her voice neutral with an encouraging undertone. "We do, too."

"I'll give you some money to give to them."

Jim shook his head. "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, Bruce." He denied, "They need someone who cares for them. Like you have." He nodded at Alfred. "Money won't buy that."

Bruce paused, forehead creasing as he thought. "What about clothes? They all looked awfully ragged."

The adults all looked around, meeting each other's gazes, and Jim nodded.

"Yeah, they did."

At this point, Cas decided to step in. "Bruce, can I take a look at your hand? I want to make sure it's healing alright, and not getting infected."

The dark-haired boy looked up towards Alfred, who nodded, and stood. The two walked down the hallway, where Bruce opened the door to a bathroom and pulled out a large first-aid kit. Instructing him to sit on the toilet, she crouched in front of him and began to unwind the gauze.

"How did you get into this profession?"

It always startled her to hear him talking like such a polite grown up; as a legal adult, she still didn't speak like that. Cassie shrugged as she started applying some cream to the healing burn.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. See, when my mother died, Jim took over custody of me since he was my only living relative. He had just gotten out of the military a couple years before, and I remember looking at him and thinking, 'Now that's brave. That's my big brother.' I spent my entire life looking at Jim, at how he acted. He was always there for me and our mom, even when we weren't making it easy." A memory came back, and she chuckled. "In fact, I remember this time in high school. I punched a kid so hard I dislocated his jaw, and instead of being angry, J took me out for a milkshake."

Bruce looked shocked, but also extremely curious and intrigued. "What did the boy do to you?"

Cas shrugged. "Oh, you know, the normal teen boy crap. He was constantly hitting on me and calling me mean names, but I was already in trouble for shoving a kid up against some lockers, so I tried to let it slide off my back. Then, one day, I wore this cute new dress to school, and this same boy ran up behind me and tried to lift the skirt in the middle of the hallway. So," she smirked proudly, "I turned around, punched him as hard as I could, and told him I'd go for his eyes next time he touched me."

Bruce's mouth actually dropped open, and she couldn't hold back the laugh that escape from her gut at his expression. They sat in comfortable silence for a few more moments as she finished up cleaning the burn and applying the cream. She was just about finished re-wrapping his hand when he spoke again, this time his voice was much more contemplative.

"Did it help, when you died? To have someone else there, someone who was also young?"

Cassie nodded, looking right into the young boy's doe eyes. "Don't ever underestimate the power of relationships with others, Bruce. I know loneliness feels safer, but being alone at the end of your road will never be true victory. Because, if at the end of your life you're alone on your death bed, all you're going to want are the people you pushed away."

Cassandra didn't know what was happening to her city.

It wasn't that Gotham had ever been good. Maybe once, before she was born, but the city was truly shocking her to her very core.

It had been a pretty long two weeks. She'd been working twenty-four hour shifts ever other day, meaning it was only work, sleep, and occasionally filing and paying bills. When she finally came out the other end with a secured week off, she found herself lying in bed at night and staring at the ceiling. Sleep was eluding her, despite her exhaustion.

She loved her job, truly, she did. But it was becoming increasingly exhausting, and she could feel herself reaching a burn out. It wasn't that she wanted to quit medicine, or EMS. What she desperately wanted was a break. With the city beginning to spiral downwards, blood, gore, and extreme trauma's were quickly becoming the norm. It was destroying her every single shift, and the blonde wasn't sure how much longer she could take it.

Jim had noticed the change; in fact, he was the one who had suggested a possible job change, temporarily, so she could take a break and rest up. But where else could she work?

She finally slipped off into a warm, dreamless sleep, hoping things would be better in the morning. Jim and Harvey had caught the 'Balloon Man', as he called himself. Jim had seemed to be limping around after the arrest, but neither would tell her what had happened afterwards.

She was preparing some green tea that morning when she got the call. Cas frowned at the unfamiliar number, but still flipped the phone open.

"Hello?"

"Yes, I'm looking for a Cassandra Gordon."

She knew the voice immediately; the British accent was pretty distinctive. "Um, this is she. Alfred, is that you?"

"It is, miss. I'm terribly sorry for such an early call."

"Oh, no, you're fine." She waved him off as she started to pour the hot water over the tea packet, "I've been up for a while, I'm used to being awake at this hour for work."

"Well, I'm glad. In fact, speaking of work, I have a question for you, miss."

Cassie paused, setting the kettle down quietly before speaking. "Oh?"

"Well, ever since your visit with Detective Gordon the other day, Bruce has been asking for something. Originally, I denied him, but now I think it might work in his favor."

"And what would that be?"

"Have you any experience being a nanny, Miss Cassandra?"

Her mug nearly slipped from her fingers in shock, and she winced as some hot tea spilled onto her hand. Fumbling, she set the hot cup down clumsily and switched on the cool water. "I'm afraid I don't, but- I'm sorry, Mr. Pennyworth, but what exactly are you asking?"

"I realize this is a stretch, miss, seeing as you already have a job. But I was wondering if you'd consider it, if only part time. The boy looks up to you and your brother, I want positive influences in his life. This is the first time he's been completely ok with someone outside of myself."

"Mr. Pennyworth, I appreciate the gesture, I do, but I think maybe a licensed therapist might be much more beneficial."

"You think I haven't thought of that?" She heard the bite in his tone, but a tired sigh soon followed. "I'm sorry, miss. It's just…suggesting it doesn't do anything. I'm afraid the harder I push, the further he'll pull away, and then he won't even turn to me. Then, he'll be truly alone."

Her own words came blazing to the forefront of her mind, and Cassie took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

You'll find yourself wanting all the people you pushed away.

It looks like someone was hearing her prayer last night.

"Look, how about we have a test day, or something? Something for him to see how he truly feels about having another caretaker in the home."

"I think that's a fine idea." The relief in Alfred's voice was almost painfully obvious, but she could tell he was attempting to mask it. "Why don't you stop by tomorrow, say, ten o'clock? You and the boy can chat, decide what you both want. Then, if you decide, I'll let you know your hours and pay."

She paused.

"Deal."

So, as you can see, we skipped episode three. It's never been a favorite, and I always found it pretty boring, so I hope everyone's ok with that. Anyway, we'll be picking up about halfway through episode four, and we may or may not get kind of a serious confrontation between Cassie and Oswald (those two are going to have a seriously rocky relationship, it's not going to be completely romantic, but it'll be complicated af, trust me). I hope you guys liked it, and I'll see ya next time!