Cassie recovers from the trauma following Jerome and finds peace with friends.

Whack!

""I'm not gonna kill you, Cassie. No, no, never."

Whack! Whack, whack! Whack!

"As long as I'm out of here before morning, your brother won't figure it out until we're long gone."

Whack whack whack! Whack! Whack, whack!

"I'll need to cut this one short."

Whack! Whack!

"I'll be back."

With a shout, Cas cocked her foot back and spun, slamming it into the practice dummy. The force actually tipped the rubbery, limbless mannequin over onto its side, leaving her panting and trembling. Her arms and legs felt like jelly from how hard she'd been training; the clock on the wall told her she'd been at it for at least three hours.

"It's getting kind of late, Cassie."

She didn't express any indication of hearing her brother as Jim spoke up from the doorway. Still trying to control her breathing, she started for her bag, unwinding the white wrap on her hands before choosing to speak.

"Yeah, well, I haven't exactly been sleeping well."

Jim pushed himself off the doorframe into their makeshift gym/warehouse, watching his sister with careful eyes. He wasn't stupid, he could see the signs. There were dark circles under her eyes, her hands were trembling a lot more. She refused to sit with her back to anyone she didn't know, constantly training.

"Nightmares?"

Cas didn't answer.

"Cassie," the youngest Gordon felt her shoulders tense as Jim spoke, walking a little closer, "you know you can talk to me, right?"

"About what?" Cassie asked rhetorically, her movements growing rougher. "About being drugged by a guy who hacked his mother up into little pieces? That I woke up in a tiny space under his bed, locked there, doomed to slowly starve to death if you hadn't found me?"

At her last words, she threw her wraps into her bag and zipped it up with more force than necessary. Jim didn't say anything, letting her calm down. She took a shaky breath, reaching up to run her hands through her messy blonde curls before turning to face him.

"I'm sorry. I just-" She cut herself off, chewing the dead skin off of her lips. "I just keep seeing his face every time I close my eyes. I can still feel him on me, and I can't sleep. I can't eat. I keep hearing his voice, and I'm…" She trailed off. Jim took a few steps closer to her, his face drawn down in anger and sorrow as her voice trembled. Her gaze lowered sadly to the floor, then back up at him. The detective felt his chest clench when he saw tears in his baby sister's eyes.

"I'm scared, Jim. For the first time in so long, I am so scared. And I didn't want to tell you because you're never afraid, and I know you're angry at me for going back. I know it was stupid, and I'm so sorry…"

She began to cry lowly, and Jim surged forward, pulling her into a hug. She clung to her brother, desperate to feel the safety and security that came with being near him.

They stayed like that for several minutes. Jim didn't say a word or pull away first, allowing her to get it all out. It had been a few weeks since he and Harvey had stormed the circus, searching high and low until they finally found Cassie stuffed under Jerome's bunk in his trailer, trapped for hours as they desperately searched for her. Jerome had hinted with sadistic glee that he had her stashed somewhere, but could not be persuaded or threatened to say where. She'd been screaming for help for so long that her throat was raw, and when Jim finally pulled her out, she'd begged him not to leave her alone. He and Lee had spent the night back at the siblings' old apartment, taking shifts sitting with her as she fought her way through nightmares.

It had been a special brand of Hell.

When she was finally done crying, Cassie pulled back rather abruptly. Wiping her eyes, she sniffled and shook her head. "I, um," she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"Hey," Jim told his sister gently, but sternly, "don't ever apologize for needing help, Cas. I'm your brother. I'm here to look after you, and I promise you," he clutched her shoulders tightly. "As long as I'm alive, Jerome Valeska will never hurt you again."

It was an unspoken rule that life in Gotham didn't slow down. It didn't ease up, not for anyone. So, when Cassie heard about Alfred being stabbed, she had immediately grabbed her phone and started dialing him. She needed to know that he was ok.

But she stopped.

Would he even pick up? Would he want to speak to her? Bruce was furious with her, no doubt. And though she wouldn't say it out loud, she was scared to call them. She was afraid to face them. To speak to them.

Did they hate her?

Biting her lip, she re-routed and dialed the hospital's number. It took being put on hold a few times, but she was able to learn that Alfred was stable. Hurting and probably making the nurses lives hell, but stable. Hearing the word made her smile, and she was breathing a little easier when she finally hung up the phone.

But she was restless. Jim and Lee were both working, and she was aching for some normal human contact. She had just started to re-fold her basket of laundry when a knocking on the door stopped her.

The hairs on the back of her neck rose up, and she slipped towards the door as quietly as she could. As she approached it, her fingers reached under the table and pulled out the gun strapped there, clicking off the safety as her heart was pounding in her ears. Her breathing picked up, and she could feel her heart in her throat as she slowly, gently, looked out the peephole.

And immediately release the breath she was holding.

Ed Nygma was standing there, holding a brown grocery bag. Cas felt her limbs go slack in relief, and she started to open the door before she remembered the gun she was holding. Wincing, she quickly placed it back in its hiding spot.

Not sure Ed would appreciate being greeted by a 9mm, she thought wryly, and unlocked all three deadbolts to greet her friend.

"Ed?"

The spectacle-clad smiled brightly, and she couldn't tell if the pink tinge on his cheeks was from embarrassment or the cold. "Hello, Cassie. I, um," he held up the bag, "I brought us some lunch. If you're feeling up to it, that is."

A smile tugged at her lips; it was hard to keep down when he had such an innocent look on his face. "You didn't have to do this, Eddie."

"Well, I-I spoke to your brother. He said that you weren't feeling well ever since…" He trailed off, watching how Cassie's face changed when he was about to say a particular name. "He just said you weren't doing well."

There was a heavy pause, and Cas nodded at the brown sack. "What's in the bag?"

Ed smiled. "Some wine, and ingredients for eggplant parmesan. You mentioned you liked cooking, right?"

Cas had to hand it to Ed; he knew his way around a kitchen. The two were laughing and talking as they chopped up ingredients, the radio in the corner playing classics like The Beatles, Queen, and some classical music as well.

"So, I'm going to assume Detective Gordon doesn't normally cook?" Ed asked as they were shredding the cheese. Cassie snorted.

"Jim? No way, the last time that man tried to make macaroni and cheese, he set off the smoke alarm." She laughed, taking a sip of the white wine that Ed had brought with him. She didn't normally drink, but a glass or two occasionally never killed anyone. Especially when she was this stressed.

"Doesn't he live here? I found it odd that he hadn't come home yet."

Cas shrugged as she checked the ovens temperature. "I mean, his name is on the lease, and he crashes here occasionally. But mostly he spends nights with Lee at her place."

"Ah, yes. Miss Thompkins is very kind." Ed responded, "She even lets me help her with some of the harder cases; the old M.E. never did any of that."

"Oh, yeah. That creep that got arrested for harvesting limbs." Cas shivered as they finished dressing the eggplant parm and loaded it into the oven. "It's crazy how you think you know someone."

Her voice changed near the end, and she swallowed. Ed shifted awkwardly, unsure of what to do, but he didn't need to. Cassie shook her head and smiled, turning the dial on the timer by the oven. "There. Now, we just wait. Oh, and speaking of romances," she poured a little more wine into Ed's glass, "what's going on with Kristen?"

Ed's ears turned red, and Cas smirked around the edge of her glass. He stuttered a little bit, adjusting his collar and taking a large gulp of wine. "Well, s-she's still a little upset about the arrest of Detective Flass. I-I want to speak to her, but I'm very aware that when a person is in crisis, they may not be very receptive to romantic gestures."

"Well, what have you tried so far?"

"Oh, I've given her several gifts! Most of them involving riddles."

Cas barely managed to hold in her wince. She loved Ed, but he wasn't always on the same social plane as everyone around him.

"Ok," she said carefully, "how about you try something a little different? Something a little more classic?"

"Like what?"

"Uh," Cas chewed on her lower lip, then her face lit up, "flowers! Yeah, most women love flowers. Do you know what kind she likes?"

Ed shook his head, looking a bit lost, but Cassie shrugged. "That's fine. We could so something basic, like roses or lilies. Can't go wrong with either of those."

"Ok." Eddie nodded slowly, a smile spreading across his face. "Flowers. Yeah, that sounds wonderful! What else could I do?"

Cas took a sip of her wine, forehead creasing. "Well, there's the typical stuff. Chocolates, cute little gifts… oh!"

Ed jumped a little at his friend's exclamation, but she put her wine down and held up her hands as her face brightened, the epiphany dawning on her. "Dancing!"

Ed cocked his head at her in confusion. "Dancing?"

"Yeah!" She exclaimed, walking over to the radio and moving the dial. "Girls love dancing! It's the quickest way to sweep a woman off her feet; literally and figuratively." She winked, but Ed only looked even more nervous.

"Cassie, I-I don't normally dance. I find it doesn't add much benefit to life…" He began to speak, but Cas only rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of his chair and forcing him to set his wine glass down. She tugged him into the center of the kitchen, holding out her hands.

"Ok, so, you are going to place your right hand on my waist," she told him, guiding his hand onto the area just below her ribs, "and I'm going to put mine on your shoulder."

Ed was standing stiff as a board, looking more awkward than she had ever seen him. "Loosen up, Eddie."

He cleared his throat, his ears redder than they'd ever been. "Well, it's just that-that you and I are-are friends, and I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable with our proximity-"

"Eddie." Cas cut him off, smiling gently. "We're friends. We're supposed to help each other. And I trust you to be a good guy. Now, loosen up a little, and take my hand."

Ed was still stiff, but he obeyed, gripping her hand in his.

"Ok, so, we are going to go forward, together. Back, together. Forward, together. Back, together…"

They continued for the rest of the song, simply Cassie teaching Ed how to move to the music. The blonde was laughing, having a great time with her friend. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this close with someone, someone to speak to platonically. It was great.

But Ed wasn't really thinking the same thing. As he danced with Cassie Gordon, he was looking at her. And he was wondering why he hadn't noticed how blue her eyes were. He was wondering if Miss Kringle would feel like this when he danced with her; he wondered if she would smile at him in such a bright way.

The song ended right at the same moment the timer went off. Cassie jumped a little, then laughed breathlessly. "Oh, the eggplant parm. Come on, I'm starving."

The friends ate their food, still laughing and talking.

But for one of them, something had taken root. And that little something would grow, slowly, gaining traction and a firm foundation. It would take over their actions and influence some very important decisions in the future.

And only would the other friend realize in a short time that little something would make their life incredibly difficult.

Cassie raised her hand for the third time, about to knock on the solid oak door in front of her. But for the third time, she chickened out and lowered her fist, her nails digging into the palms of her hands. Wayne Manor loomed over her, dwarfing her in its shadow and drowning out the sun.

She'd been at the door for over five minutes now, trying to decide whether or not to actually follow through with what she wanted to do. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about Alfred or Bruce ever since she learned that Alfred was taken to the hospital. She kept up with his condition, (the most she could; she wasn't a family member and privacy laws kept a lot from her) and was happy to hear he'd been discharged not too long ago.

How long have I been standing here?

Finally, afraid that she'd chicken out if she waited a moment longer, she reached up and rapped the heavy knocker against the wood three times.

It only took about ten seconds for her to regret her decision, and she turned on her heel, beginning to start for her car. This was stupid, and a big mistake. She should leave before-

"Cassandra?"

The familiar voice with the British accent made her freeze, and she closed her eyes, pressing her lips together before turning around slowly to face Alfred.

He looked well enough, maybe a little pale. He was hunched over a bit, seeming to favor his left side. He looked startled, and Cas took a deep breath, nodding.

"Hey, Alfred." She shrugged. "I, um, the hospital told me you'd been discharged and I- I wanted to make sure that you were- um, that you were ok."

Alfred was quiet, not responding. Cassie took a deep breath and gestured to him.

"You, uh, you look ok. I probably shouldn't stress you out too bad, or you'll rip your stitches. So, I'll just, um, I'll go."

She turned on her heel and started for her car when his voice stopped her.

"You know he waited for you."

That singular sentence stopped her cold, unable to turn around and face him. He didn't care, though, and he walked forward slowly, still speaking.

"He kept asking when you'd be coming back. Kept saying how much he missed you. And I did the best I could, trying to keep him occupied, trying not to tell him what happened." His voice darkened, and Cas's shoulders tensed. "You have no idea how heartbroken he was when I finally told him the truth."

"Is that what you want?" Cas finally spoke, her tone sharp as she whipped around to face him. "You want an apology? Cause I'm not giving one to you."

"No, I don't want one." He told her, words soaked in vitriol. His eyes were narrowed, and his jaw was hard. "I don't need one. I can live with my own mistakes. But that little boy in there," he turned to side and pointed past the entry way. The rage on his face didn't escape Cassie's notice. "He deserved one. He needed it. But more than that, he deserved an explanation. And you refused to give him one because of your pride."

"Don't talk to me about pride, Alfred." Cassie snarled, taking one step closer. "You're the one who would have rather that child be left completely alone than admit your mistakes. You let another person walk out of his life and could have stopped it by just saying you were wrong. But you didn't. You want to talk about pride? Let's start with yours."

"Don't you dare turn this on me!" Alfred hissed, stepping forward and jabbing a finger at the blonde. "You have no idea what it did to him, to lose another person that he loved! But this time, this time a loved one walked out on him on purpose-!"

"Cassie?"

Both adults froze, their expressions dropping as they turned to the entry way behind Alfred. Bruce stood there, his face a mixture of shock and happiness as he stared the blonde-haired girl in the doorway.

"Hey, bud." She greeted the boy softly, and he grinned, running towards her. He nearly knocked her over, wrapping his arms around her waist in a hug, and Cassie's heart clenched.

When had he gotten so tall?

"What are you doing here?" Bruce asked, pulling back and staring at her with those big, doe eyes. "Are you coming back?"

Cas froze, mouth open as she floundered for something to say. Alfred only glared at her from behind Bruce, and she forced a smile onto her face. "No, Bruce, I'm not. I just had to come talk to Alfred about something."

The hopeful expression on the boy's face dropped, and he released her, stepping back. "Oh. I-I see."

"Master Bruce, why don't you go finish your preparations for the ball and I'll keep speaking to Ms. Gordon."

Bruce didn't look happy with the suggestion, but he obeyed and walked away. The two adults waited to hear the sound of the door shutting, and then they turned back to each other.

"Look," Cassie began, "I get that you hate me. You're not exactly my favorite person right now, either. But Bruce cares about the both of us, and if we keep fighting, it's only going to hurt him. So, please, can you at least be civil to a minor degree?"

He didn't say anything right away. Only continuing to glare at her. But it only lasted a few seconds. He sighed, shoulders slumping.

"Why don't you come inside?"

The two sat with cups of tea in their hands. Alfred was leaning against the counter, while Cassie was sitting on top of the island. They hadn't said anything the whole time, not since Alfred had poured her some tea. They only sat in thick, heavy silence. Cassie swirled her cup, watching the dark brown liquid lick the edges and raised it to her lips for a sip. It had cooled off, now only lukewarm. But she needed something to distract her.

"I'm sorry."

Alfred looked up, his body nearly jolting at the words coming from the young, vivacious woman in front of him. It was then he noticed how different she looked. Cassie Gordon was normally so bright, with a light, teasing smile and a flirtatious gleam in her eye. She was playful, happy, with a long life ahead of her and optimism for the future. But the young woman in front of him was very different. Her hair was pulled into a bun on top of her head, and if he looked closely, he could tell the curls hadn't been washed in a few days. There were dark circles under her blue eyes, which were noticeably dimmed. Her skin was paler, and she wasn't smiling like she normally was.

"I really let my temper take hold of me, the last time we talked." She stared, voice quiet, eyes still on her tea. "Jim is the last member of my family that's still alive and to hear someone insulting him; it was just instinct for me to defend him. And I've had people judging my life choices for so long. To hear it coming from someone I considered a close friend, it…" She trailed off, biting her lip. Alfred continued watch her, face dropping into one of regret.

"But I'm not blaming you." She finally said, causing his eyebrows to raise as his face went slack with shock. "You were just doing what you thought was best for Bruce. And while I still don't agree with you on your decisions, I'm willing to admit my mistakes."

Her words were met with silence, stretching so long that Cas began to fear her words hadn't had any affect. But then he spoke.

"I should be the one apologizing." She looked up in shock to see Alfred now the one avoiding eye contact. "I've been looking after that boy for so long, I don't think I was used to another person coming in and be so willing to fight for him." He looked up and met Cassie's gaze. "He loves you, Cassandra. And when you left, I blamed myself. He needed you, and I chased you out."

"No, Alfred-"

"If I'm going to apologize, I'd like to go uninterrupted." He cut her off, and Cas could barely stop the amused smile on her lips. She nodded.

"If you are still willing, then I know that Master Bruce would be thrilled to have you back."

Cassie's face split in a wide, disbelieving smile as she stared at the man across from her. He cleared his throat, shuffling uncomfortably. "And, I- I would enjoy having you nearby again; if you would like that, that is."

His sentence ended abruptly in surprise as Cas set her cup down and surged forward and wrapped her arms around her friend. He froze, going stiff as she squeezed his shoulders. But eventually, he set his own cup down and wrapped his arms around his friend.

"I missed you, Alfred." She whispered, and Alfred nodded.

"And I have missed you, Cassandra."

I just wanna say how much I love platonic friendships in TV shows and stuff; it never is romantic but it stays strong and it furthers the character. I'm on kind of a Gotham kick right now, so the next chapter may be out soon. And if you are a Marvel fan, go check out my Avengers story I just posted, Siren. See you guys next time!