Cassie taps her feet furiously against Pendleton's floor, while biting the sides of her thumb.

She hates when people do that, the sound is annoying and distracting, making her lose the little patience she usually has.

But she was not in a good mood. She had a bad day. Or maybe a bad week. Who knows.

The buzz around her marriage was finally dying down and she moved back to her house two weeks ago, but when she went grocery shopping yesterday, she got recognized by a not very nice old lady who had a few words to say to her about what Cassie did.

This morning, she got a parking ticket.

Last night, she and Amy, one of her band mates, got in to a fight about the set list of their next show.

Two days ago, she had a disagreement with her mother, Marisol pointing out how unsafe her neighborhood was, how old her Subaru was getting, and that Cassie had to focus more about her future than getting a new keyboard or buying outfits for the shows.

But the fight she had with Luke's father three days ago definitely took the cake.

Since the first time she met Jacob Morrow, Cassie was sure she would have a problem with him. And without Luke to act as a buffer, it was a matter of how soon that would happen. Which it did.

They lasted four months without Luke so she was actually proud of how long she made it. Cassie sighs, impatiently, and sees Luke walking to her from the corner of her eyes.

He sits, frowning when he notices her behavior. "Hey, is everything okay?" he greets watching her fidgeting.

"Yeah, why wouldn't be?"

"You seem tense, I don't know"

"It's nothing" she dismisses "I'm just having a bad week. How are you?"

"Want to tell me about it?" he asks not answering her.

Cassie looks down, pondering in her head if that was a good choice. She needs to vent to someone, and that someone could be her husband. That's what husbands are for, right?

She lifts her eyes, taking a breath. "I got a parking ticket this morning"

He nods, giving her a condescending look. "Okay, that was not a nice way to start your day"

"Amy, from the band and I disagreed about our set list for the next show. And we have strong opinions about it, and strong personalities too". That was a nice way to put it, Cassie thought.

"I bet your choices were better"

"They were" she agrees and he chuckles "My mom and I had a long talk about how I should focus more on the future and be more responsible. She always treats me like I'm still a child, is like she's trying to push my nerves on purpose. And she thinks I should move to another place, says she doesn't like where I live, but it's a perfectly nice and safe neighborhood"

Luke curls his lips, pondering his words. "Now let's agree to disagree"

"And I had a fight with your dad" she says casually.

"Wait, what?" he gasps.

"Let's face it, Luke, it was bound to happen at any time" she rambles "And it will happen again in the future, if I'm being optimistic"

He shakes his head, rubbing his forehead. "I guess... You two are too much alike to get along well, but I was hoping this would happen after I had gotten out of here"

"Hey" she says offended "Your dad and I have nothing in common"

"Come on, Cass, you're both too hot headed and set in your ways to get along. I bet it was a shout match, I'm surprised I didn't hear it from here" he speaks wryly and she rolls her eyes. "Besides, we both know how much you love military men and fathers. It's like the worst combination for you"

"First, I don't have any problem with men, I just don't like the majority of them. Second, I'm married to a military guy so that kind of breaks your argument" she lifts her fingers to count. "Third, I'm not talking about my daddy issues with you through the phone. That demands a face to face conversation and a few bottles of tequila"

He chuckles, and the sound of his laugh irritates her. "What happened? Did you mess with one of his cars like I did when I was younger? That really pisses him off"

"No" she replies. "It was a really stupid little thing that turned in to a ridiculous discussion" she sighs, recalling that day. "I had a concert Sunday night, two cities over so I asked if Jake could take care of Peaches for me for one night. Monday morning I went to get her at your dad's shop and he was there with an old friend of his. Anyway, your dad introduced us and when the guy asked about you, your father didn't even hesitate about telling him about you being in jail"

"What did you expect, Cassie? It was the truth" he arguments tiredly but she disagrees.

"I don't know, just not that. He just spilled it out, like he was telling the guy you were on vacation at Hawaii" she says exasperated "But that was not it. I didn't like what he did but it was still true, so I kept quiet. And in some point, he started to brag about how reckless you were growing up and that he was glad that you were finally taking responsibility for your acts. But guess what, he said he was worried about how things were going to be after you got out, because he wasn't sure what kind of influence I would be for you since you were easy to manipulate because of your addiction, so his expectations were not that high"

"Oh boy"

"And he said that right in front of me, Luke" she yells. "The guy didn't even had the decency of doing it behind my back"

He cringes with the volume of her voice on the telephone. "And you just couldn't keep it to yourself, am I right? What did you tell him?"

"I swear I tried to keep quiet, Luke, but I just couldn't. The words started to flow from my mouth without even giving me the chance to filter them"

"What did you tell him, Cassie?" he asks tired.

"I had a few words about his need to learn to use his manners with people because we are not obligated to listen to that kind of shit and stay quiet just because he is older and is your dad. Then, a nice speech telling him he didn't know you, or else he would never say those things about you. And I finished with some lessons on how to be a good father to your kids, which I'm guessing it's something he had never heard of"

Luke exhales, closing his eyes to imagine his wife yelling at his dad. It was a fun picture in his head but he bet the real life situation was not that entertaining.

"Cass, he had his reasons to say those things" he starts condescending.

"Oh no, don't defend him" she protests. "Rule number one of parenting, never badmouth your kid in front of strangers, in front of anyone in fact"

"Cass –"

"Rule number two, at least try to see the good in your kid and always stand up for your child" she states. "I'm still thinking about number three but I'm pretty sure it was there somewhere in my speech"

He sighs, lowering his head. "Cass, we had very different childhoods" he begins. "While you had a loving mother and struggled to pay the bills, I had a cold father and never had to worry about money, because having a roof over our heads and food at the table was enough parenting for him. It used to leave me upset whenever I expected a warm attitude from him and got nothing in return but when I got older, I realized my dad never had a family that provided him a loving environment at home so he never knew how exactly to behave around me and Jake"

She shakes her head, not buying his words. "Still –"

"Cassie, I should've probably told you sooner, but when I had problems with drugs... I was not this nice guy. I was an addicted, desperate to get my hands on whatever money I could get so I could pay Johnno and fulfill my need" he pauses, gathering his words. "I did things I'm not proud of. I almost put my family in danger because of it. Heck, I almost put you and your mom in danger and I wasn't even on drugs anymore" he takes a moment, gripping the telephone "There are a lot of things you don't know, but the most crucial one is, you don't know how hard it is to live with an addicted. I put my family through so much shit, you would never even believe it"

His speech has so much heart in it that almost makes Cassie cry. She pictures a younger version of him, going through the same path she watched some friends of hers take. She closes her eyes for one second, thanking the heavens for allowing him to survive everything and be here with her today. She could've lost him without even knowing him.

She brings her hand closer to the glass, and he imitates her, feeling comfort with the proximity.

"I wasn't there to see what was it like back then, but Jake and I talk, Hailey too. And they told me a few stories about that time" she almost whispers, afraid to cut their bubble.

"So you know I was a jerk" he points it out.

"I know you were a sweet boy who helped raise your younger brother while your mother was sick at the hospital and your father was emotionally unavailable for his two sons" she tilts her head to watch him with a loving gaze, but he avoids her eyes. "I know that at some point, with the death of your mother, things got too much for you, and you didn't have anyone to turn to, afraid to go to your dad because you were sure he was not going to understand you, and your brother wasn't an option either because you didn't want to burden him. So you went to Johnno, who was more than happy to welcome you with open arms. Did I get that right?"

He doesn't respond and she gets her answer.

She leans forward, getting as closer as she can with the wall of glass between them. "I'm not saying the things you did were right, some of them were pretty bad according to Jake. But you were not yourself back then. Addiction is a disease and it shouldn't define you, just like diabetes doesn't define me. And from where I stand, you've been doing everything in your power to correct your mistakes. I can see that. Jake sees that, this is why he's here every week to visit you. You've changed, and the only one who can't see that is your father, treating you as if you still were that same boy from years ago... This is why I couldn't keep my mouth shut"

Luke doesn't move, not allowing her to see his face but she can hear him sniffing through the other side.

"Him calling you a bad influence didn't bother you but that did?" he asks skeptical, pretending her words didn't affect him.

She snorts. "Please, we both know I am a bad influence to you, even I can't argue with that"

He chuckles, discreetly drying his cheeks with the back of his hand. "Thanks for that"

"For what?" she questions softly.

"For having my back... believing in me... We didn't have the time to get to the dark stuff like that, and I don't like the fact we had this conversation on opposite sides, but I'm glad we did"

She shrugs. "This is what wives are for"

"I'm so glad I married you, then" he jests.

She sends him a warm smile, leaning back against the chair. "I'm aware that we still have a lot to talk and discover about ourselves, and we're already behind considering we're married, and it will take time, but I'm glad we talked too" she confesses "And from now on, you have to know you can lean on me, whenever you need"

"Cass –"

"I'm serious, Luke" she interrupts him "I've been doing some research for a while now, and I'm learning whatever I can about how addiction works, and I know these kind of things never go away completely, it's a daily struggle. I'm doing that for you, I want to be able to help you if you need me, which I hope you won't. But if you do, I'll be ready" she ends proud of herself.

Ever since Luke told her about Johnno, the need to know more about what he went through kept bugging her. So she listened to her head and did some research online. It was not pretty, and some of the stories of people coming clean about their addiction still terrifies her. She doesn't know by experience what was life with a addicted person, but she had an idea of it.

It wasn't easy, but it was not scary enough for her to let Luke go. Losing him was definitely scarier.

Luke shakes his head, staring at her in awe.

She frowns her brows. "What? Do I have something in my face?"

He laughs at her clueless self. "You're unbelievable, Cassie Salazar. You never fail to surprise me"

"I'm just full of surprises" she shrugs with a smug expression.

"Guess I got lucky in the marriage market" he says relaxing against his metallic chair.

"Yes, you did. Just never forget it" she winks at him.

"I won't" he promises "And I appreciate what you did for me. I bet you looked very hot screaming at my old man" he teases with a smile.

"I'm not really sure about that" she contemplates grinning.

He scoffs. "Doubt it"

"I don't regret what I did, your dad deserved every single word I said and more, but I should've waited until we were alone to do that" she looks embarrassed "I didn't realize Spencer was in the garage until it was too late and he saw the whole thing"

Luke cringes, picturing the scene. "That's not good"

Cassie shakes her head, agreeing. "No, it's not. He got really scared about the shouting... When I noticed his little face staring at us... it broke my heart"

"He's probably not used to used to that" he reasons "My dad loved my mom but their fights... they were epic. Jake and I grew up watching them yell at each other all the time. It makes sense that he would try to protect Spencer of those kind of scenes"

"I get it, but now I'm feeling like the bad guy here" she whines.

"Relax, kids have short term memories. Give him a nice toy next time you see him and he will be good" he suggests, trying to sooth her mind.

"I don't think he hates me or something. But I've probably traumatized the little guy" she ponders, groaning and Luke laughs. "I'm serious, Luke. I'm actually concerned about him"

"You know there's no need to, right?" he asks among laughs "Kids are not that fragile"

"I don't know, I've never had to deal with one before" she snaps. "After he saw the whole thing, he went behind Jake's back the next day and stole his phone to call me, asking if I was still coming to his birthday party this Saturday. Then, yesterday, Hailey called asking what time I would be home tomorrow and if I my diabetes allowed me to eat cookies, because Spencer thought it would be a good idea to bake some for me, in order to make me feel better"

"Own, look at that, the little guy likes you" he sings, making her huff "It may seem that I have competition"

"This is not funny. I made him feel insecure, and now he's afraid of me"

"He's not afraid of you" he states "It's like Hailey said, he's just trying to make you feel better, probably because the only side he knew of you was the cool one. He never had to deal with a screaming Cassie like I did"

"Nice, Luke" she compliments wryly.

"You know I'm right, we had a lot of shouting matches at the beginning, but we got better"

"Did we?" She asks skeptical, narrowing her eyes questioning his statement.

"Yes, we did. We have done so much improvement in our relationship. Look at us, you standing up for me, me giving you advices on how to deal with a six year old"

"Almost seven years old" she corrects him "He doesn't like when we say he is six anymore, saying he's nearly seven"

"Seven" he muses and she doesn't miss the sad tone in his voice.

From Jake's stories, Luke lost most of Spencer's childhood. When Spencer was a baby, his uncle was too involved with illicit substances and never sober enough to come closer. And when he got older, Jake didn't want him near his problematic brother, needing to protect his son from disappointment and even danger.

Luke's relationship with his nephew was recent and had just started to flower when he had to go to Iraq. And now, got interrupted again, with Luke's incarceration. While hers, was still blossoming. They started out shy, not sure how to act around each other, Cassie especially since she had never dealt with kids that young – all the kids she babysat were older than Spencer was. And she wasn't sure how much Jake would let her come closer after founding out about their fake marriage but he had surprised her, inviting her to barbecues on the weekend – she appreciated him not inviting Jacob in order to make her feel more at home – calling to check on her and offering to keep Peaches when she had to travel for her shows.

He had made himself present in her life, Hailey too, and that allowed her to spend more time with his kid. Now, she was auntie Cass to Spencer, the cool aunt who played football with him, drove him to eat ice creams on the beach with Peaches and played videogames when she was free on weekends.

They knew each other for less than a year, and the little guy had already won a space inside her heart. This is why she was worried she had scared him off when he heard her shouting with his grandpa, afraid of losing her friendship with him.

"He's growing up so fast" Luke says, trying to pretend casualty but she knew what he was thinking. I'm going to miss him growing up.

"Not that fast. He still doesn't know how to ride a bike because uncle Luke told him he would teach him when he got home again. He still adores you" she tries to sooth him by making him see how much his nephew missed him too.

When Spencer asked the first time where uncle Luke was, Jake had made the executive decision to not tell him the truth, deciding he was too little to deal with that kind of stuff. So for Spencer, Luke was away on a long and important trip, just like he had been months ago, and that was why he couldn't see or talk to his only nephew.

They all had their deals of lies from the past months and were ready to be done with, but for Spencer, they could all make a sacrifice. Jacob included.

"He's going to be waiting for awhile" Luke contemplates, remembering his promise to Spencer.

"Just two months, Luke. We're almost there" she reassurances him and he nods, taking a breath.

"So, after the fight with my dad, you're still going to Spencer's birthday party?" he asks, trying to move to lighter topics.

Cassie sighs, resigned. "Yes. I already bought his present. I think I can make a sacrifice for him, and I made Hailey promise me she wouldn't leave me alone with your father, or alone at all, so I don't do anything stupid"

"Good girl" he praises and she rolls her eyes.

"Save that for Peaches. And Spencer is lucky he's cute"

"I'm sure he'll be happy to have his auntie Cass with him on his special day"

"I hope, then my sacrifice will be worth it". They both turn their heads at the same time when they hear the sound of a door opening, revealing the same guard Cassie has learned to despise. "I swear that guy has a problem with me" she groans. "It's not possible it's time for you to leave already. I'm pretty sure our visits had been cut short by him. Does he do this kind of thing when Jake visits?"

"To be honest, I think you may have a point here" he mutters through the phone so the said man doesn't hear him. "But I think it has something to do with your dislike of cops. It's not like you're good at pretending to like them"

Cassie frowns. "Why do you always makes me sound like this unpleasant person who hates everyone?"

"I don't, I'm just stating the facts. You do hate cops, am I correct?"

"Again, I don't hate anyone. I just never had any good experiences with cops. Like I'm not having one right now with that guy"

"I get it, but maybe just try and put a nice face whenever you stop to visit? Or try not to voice your dislike of them here, you know, a place full of cops" he suggests and she curls her lips.

"Yeah, I don't think that will work" she dismisses "Good thing you only have two months left. And when you're out of here, I will gladly give him my middle finger as a goodbye present"

"Please don't" he pleads "You'll get arrested and one of us in jail is enough for me"

She hums, not willing to admit he was right. "I can't make any promises, I'm not really good at them"

"Yet you did one to me a few months ago"

Cassie frowns, pretending to be oblivious to what he was saying. "I don't know what you're talking about"

Luke leans forward, supporting himself of the metallic table. "Then let me remind you of it. In your first visit, you told me you loved me, and I replied saying I loved you back, then I asked you if you were still willing to wait for me. What did you say next?"

She bites her lips, barely succeeding on her mission to hold her smile. It was becoming a tradition for them, but more than that, a reassurance, for both of them, of what was waiting for them in less than two months from that day.

She takes a deep breath, staring at his face and getting lost inside his eyes. "You bet it, commando"