A/N: Happy New Year! What better way to celebrate the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 than with a brand new fic in a brand new fandom! Welcome, one and all, to my FIRST Librarians story! I hope everyone enjoys this little glimpse into what might've happened after escaping the Frost Giants.
Disclaimer: My eyes caught fire. Not literally. It just felt like they did.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Jacob Stone was just walking through the Back Door when his phone began trilling. His brow drew together at the name and picture on his phone screen. "Cassie?" he answered. "You okay?"
"Stone," said the strained voice of Cassandra Cillian. "Could you do something for me?"
"Yeah, o' course. Whatcha need?" As he spoke, Jake scrambled for his car keys, ready to jump into his Challenger in a second.
"I need some more prune juice. I'm out, but I'm definitely not up to going to the store."
Jake's feet halted on the way to the Annex door. "You drank four bottles of juice in two days?"
"Yes, I did. I know it wasn't smart, but I was hoping it would get the stone moving more quickly. I don't know how well it worked on the crystal, but it's been successful on everything else."
Shaking his head at that particularly unwelcome mental image, Jake resumed his trek to the car. "Okay, I can getcha some more juice," he assured her. "For right now, just drink some water. You've been losin' a lotta fluids, so you need to replenish those."
"Okay, just hurry, please."
"I'll be there as fast as I can, Cass. Just hold on."
"Okay. I gotta go now." The call ended, and Jake really didn't want to contemplate why. So he rushed out the door to his car and to the nearest store for the fastest grocery run in history.
Ten minutes later, Jake was back in his car and on the way to Cassandra's. On the drive over, he thought about the idea he'd had the night before and was grateful for the foresight. "I just hope Cassie won't be too mad at me for it."
"Cassie?" Jake knocked on the door a few minutes later, grocery bags in hand. "Cass, ya there?"
"It's open," a weak voice answered. Trying the knob, Jake found the door to be unlocked and swung it open.
"Hey, how ya feelin', Cassie?" Jake set the plastic bags on the coffee table and sat down next to his friend, who lay prone on the couch, curled onto her side. His fingers carded themselves through her sweat-dampened curls.
"I've been better," groaned Cassandra. Her hand clutched at her middle as another cramp twisted her stomach in knots. "Oh gosh, this hurts!"
"Hey, you're doin' good," Jake soothed. "Just breathe through it."
"That one hurt," gasped Cassandra once her intestines had unknotted themselves.
"I can imagine. Have you been drinkin' water like I told ya?"
"Yeah, got a glass right there." Cassandra pointed a trembling finger at the half-full water glass on the coffee table.
"Okay, good. I got your juice, plus some gatorade. With all these fluids you're losin', you'll need to get some more electrolytes in your system. So once you finish that water, we'll switch over to the gatorade. Sound good?"
"Sounds good. Ugh!" With a grimace, Cassandra rolled off the couch and stumbled to the bathroom.
While Cassandra was out of the room, Jake took a minute to clean up some around the apartment. He knew Cassandra would be in no shape to do anything for a few days, so he gathered the cups he saw on the counter and in the sink and put them in the dishwasher for her. "I'll turn it on once all this is over," he decided.
Some minutes later, the toilet flushed and Cassandra came back, looking just as pale as when she went in. "I feel awful," she whimpered, and Jake thought he'd never seen her so weak.
"Yeah, I'll bet, sweetheart." Once she was settled back on the couch, Jake rejoined Cassandra and began absently stroking her hair. "I know you just got settled, but I had an idea I wanted to run by you."
"What is it?"
"I went back home last night, to Oklahoma. My old house hasn't had anybody livin' in it, the family's just been keepin' it as a guest house."
"You didn't sell it when you moved to Portland?"
"Honey, southerners don't sell their houses if someone in the family can still use it. Anyway, I thought you might like to get out of your apartment and away from the neighbors until that crystal's finally outta ya. So this mornin', I went and cleaned up a bit, stocked the fridge and cabinets with some food, put clean sheets on the beds. If ya want, we can go stay at my house a few days. It's quiet, no nosy neighbors near enough for us to bother or to bother us."
Cassandra stared at Jake as he spoke and continued to do so for a long minute after he'd finished. It was almost unnerving. "Cass, could'ya say somethin'? If you wanna stay here, I completely understand. I just thought it might be easier on ya if you were in a more... isolated place."
"What about your family?" Cassandra finally asked. "Won't they say something if they find out you're home?"
"I'll just tell'em a friend o' mine is havin' a hard time right now and needs to get away for a few days. I promise, Cass, I won't give anyone any details."
"Thanks," Cassandra breathed a sigh. "Because this is really embarrassing and I would feel so awkward if anybody else knew about it. It's bad enough that you know about it."
"Hey, there's no need to be embarrassed in front'a me," Jake assured her, voice softened to nearly a whisper. "This ain't your fault."
"Yes it is. If I'd just listened to you and not used magic to open the ice block, the crystal wouldn't have flown into my chest in the first place." Tears began to well in Cassandra's eyes, and it was almost Jake's undoing.
"No, don't cry," he begged. "You had no way of knowin' this would happen."
"But you kept telling me, warning me, that using magic has consequences, and I didn't listen. I wouldn't listen, even though I knew you were right. I just..." Sniffle. "I just don't want to let go of magic. I was taught all my life that magic wasn't real, and then I come to the library and find out that magic's not only real, but I can actually use it myself!"
"I understand that, Cassie. Believe me, I do. But I also know how dangerous it can be. From the moment the Serpent Brotherhood attacked the Library, how they used and manipulated you," Cassandra looked away at the reminder, her fingers tangling up in themselves. Jake lifted her chin to meet her eyes. "I never wanna see you hurt like that again, Cassandra. Especially if it can be prevented. I don't want you to let go of magic either, but I do want you to be careful about what kinds of magic you steer clear of and the kinds you embrace. That's all."
"I understand, and believe me, I learned my lesson." Another groan followed, and Cassandra was in the bathroom once more.
Hurt and worried for his friend, Jake felt the strong urge to do something he hadn't done in a while. So, still on Cassandra's couch, Jake leaned his elbows on his knees and bowed his head.
"God, I know I haven't talked to you in too long, and I'm sorry about that. But please, give Cassie some relief. Let this crystal pass through her so this can all be over with. And God, please let me know how to help her, cuz I don't want her to have to deal with this alone."
Hearing the bathroom door open, Jake ended his prayer and looked up to see Cassandra leaning against the doorway, a colorful pouch clutched in her hand. "So, when can we go to your house?"
"Soon's you can get some clothes packed." Jake stood to help Cassandra back to the couch. "You want me to do that for ya?"
"Would you? Just grab some comfortable clothes, I don't care what they are. Pajamas are in the second drawer of my dresser."
"Yeah, I can do that for ya. You got a bag I can pack it in?"
"There's a green and blue tote bag in my closet. That'll be fine for a few changes of clothes. And my shower stuff, please."
"You got it. I'll be right back, and then we'll head to the Annex, okay?"
Cassandra nodded as her eyes drifted closed, and Jake got up to find her bedroom. It was every bit as quirky as Cassandra herself, and he couldn't stop the smile twitching at his lips. In the closet, Jake found the large tote bag Cassandra requested and crossed the room toward the dresser. A thought occurred to him, and he could just feel his face heating up.
Even though she hadn't specifically requested it, Jake had grown up with sisters, and he knew Cassandra would want - no, need - to pack underwear as well. He'd washed his sister's laundry his whole life, and he honestly wasn't sure how many girls he'd hooked with, so this wasn't even close to his first encounter with women's underwear. But no matter how many times he told himself he was just helping a friend and not being a creep, Jake couldn't help feeling like one as he slowly drew open the top drawer of Cassandra's dresser. His eyes instantly snapped shut. "Yep, found it."
With a deep breath, Jake steeled himself. "You can do this, man. It's for Cassandra. Just do it!" Like a snake striking its prey, Jake's hand shot out, snatched a handful of material, and threw it into the bottom of the bag. He didn't open his eyes until he'd slammed the drawer shut and pulled open the next one, and a sigh burst from him like a gust of wind when he saw tank tops and pajama shorts.
Now that he was in safer territory, Jake took a little more care in selecting clothes, though he still couldn't suppress the occasional residual shudder here and there. "Maybe it'll stop once I've finished packin'," he hoped. Once shampoo, conditioner, and body wash had been grabbed from the shower, Jake returned to the living room. "I couldn't find your toothbrush in the bathroom," he announced as he entered the room.
"I packed it already. It's in the bag with my medicine." Cassandra indicated the flowery zip pouch in her lap. "You got everything else?"
"Right here," he held up the bag in his hand. "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
Once Jake had helped Cassandra off the couch, the pair gathered the drinks Jake had bought earlier and slowly walked out to Jake's car. "Should we call Jenkins and ask him to get the Back Door ready for us, or do you want to just do it ourselves when we get there?" asked Cassandra.
"It's already dialed up and ready to go, s'long as nobody's used it in the last half hour. I had just gotten back from the house when you called me," Jake explained when he saw Cassandra's raised eyebrow.
"Thanks, Stone. I really appreciate it."
"Anytime, darlin'." Jake gave Cassandra a soft smile, which she returned. After that, the Librarians lapsed into silence. Occasionally, Jake's eyes would stray toward his passenger, concern shining in his blue eyes. If he were perfectly honest, Jake was a bit scared; he hadn't a clue how this would affect Cassandra in the long run, or if it would affect her at all. Only time will tell, he thought, though his fingers tightened around the steering wheel of their own volition.
When they finally reached the Annex, Cassandra was nearly doubled over in her seat, both hands clutching at her stomach. "Just a few more minutes, Cassie, and we'll be home." Jake jumped out of the car, barely snatching his keys out of the ignition, and ran around to the passenger side.
"Can't get there soon enough," she moaned, despite being alone. A split second later, though, Jake had wrenched the door open and had Cassandra in his arms. Her own arms looped weakly around Jake's neck, and he carried her as quickly as he could through the Annex.
"Thank you, God!" Jake gasped when he saw the globe still dialed to his address in Oklahoma. "Alright, Cassie, we'll be there in just a second." And they stepped through the door.
*~*Librarians*~*
The second they were through the front door to Jake's house, Cassandra was scrambling for the bathroom. "First door on your left!" Jake hollered to her retreating back, hoping she'd find it.
With his arms now free of Cassandra, Jake went back out to the Back Door to retrieve the juice and gatorade he'd left in his car at the Annex. As he passed back through, a thought occurred to Jake. Scratching out a very brief and very vague note, the young Librarian taped the note to the globe and stepped back into his backyard.
"Cassie?" called Jake once he was in the house. He didn't see Cassandra on the couch, so he left the drinks on the kitchen counter and went searching. A groan came from the direction of Jake's old bedroom, and he found his ailing friend curled up in his bed, hands clutching her stomach. "Cass?" Stepping into the room, Jake saw beads of sweat shimmering on Cassandra's forehead and in her hair, and her skin was flushed. "Is it gettin' worse?"
"I think the crystal might be moving," gasped Cassandra, her face scrunched in pain. A shiver wracked Cassandra's body before Jake could answer, and he jumped to pull the comforter from under Cassandra to drape it over her. "Thanks, Stone."
"After all this, I think you can call me Jake," he offered with a smile.
Cassandra weakly returned the smile. "I think you might be ri-oh!"" A groan cut her off and she scrunched up impossibly small around her twisting midsection. "Yeah, it's definitely moving."
As they roved over his friend, Jake's eyes saw a swelling in Cassandra's lower abdomen that had never been there before. "Yeah, I'd say so."
"You don't have to stay here with me, Jake," Cassandra offered, voice strained and soft. "I know this is really awkward and embarrassing."
The offer caught Jake off guard, and yet when he thought about it, it was such a Cassandra thing to do. For as long as he'd known her, Cassandra had been self-sufficient, reluctant to ask for help with anything bigger than grabbing a book off a shelf. He couldn't count the number of times he'd stepped in when she needed assistance but wouldn't ask for it. He'd know that Cassandra always felt a need to prove herself, even now after she'd already done it a hundred times over.
Another thought occurred to Jake that made him want to hit something. "Cass," he rasped, eyes hard and hurt, "are you tellin' me I can go because you're used to sufferin' alone?"
Cassandra didn't speak, but her pretzeled fingers and shifting eyes that wouldn't meet his told him more than words ever could. Clenching his eyes, Jake prayed for patience and calm as he addressed what Cassandra had all but confessed.
"Cassandra, look at me. Look at me, darlin'." Finally, the redhead wrenched her eyes over, forcing herself to face her friend. The raw vulnerability Jake saw reflected in Cassandra's eyes broke his heart and compelled him to reach for her hand before he even realized he'd moved. "You never deserved to be left alone. Do you hear me? You never deserve to be left alone. You deserve to have someone by your side, no matter what. Your parents were wrong to leave you after your diagnosis, and I will not leave you to deal with this by yourself. Okay? You are not alone anymore."
Tears had filled Cassandra's eyes by the time Jake had finished his speech, and Jake wasn't entirely sure how much of that was caused by his words or the pain she was currently experiencing. Prob'ly both, Jake thought, barely holding in a snort.
"Thank you, Jacob," sniffed Cassandra before she was cut off. "Ugh, gosh!"
"Whaddya need, Cass?" asked Jake, instantly on alert the second he saw the change in Cassandra's expression.
"Help me to the bathroom." Jumping up, Jake sat Cassandra up and slowly helped her to her feet. With an arm around her waist, the pair hobbled across the hall. "You can leave now," said Cassandra once they'd reached the door. "You really don't want to be in here right now."
"Alright, but you holler if you need me. Got it?"
"Got it." Then the door was closed in his face.
Going back to his room, Jake caught sight of his old robe hanging by the door. That might be handy, he thought as he snatched it off the hook. After giving it a quick wash in the kitchen sink, Jake flung it into the dryer with the load of towels he'd washed last night, then returned to the kitchen. Some homemade chicken noodle soup was in order!
*~*Librarians*~*
Jake had just set some chicken thighs to boil when he heard the bathroom door open. Setting a timer, Jake went back down the hall to find Cassandra back in bed. "How ya doin'?" he asked softly.
"If this is what childbirth feels like, then I'm glad I can't have kids."
Jake stopped short at the confession, but didn't know how to address it. So he didn't. "Well, I don't have any experience with childbirth one way or another, but I can't say I blame you. It sounds pretty horrifyin', just goin' by what my sisters have said."
"Yeah, I don't ever want to do anything like this again," Cassandra croaked.
"You want some drink? I can bring you some gatorade." At Cassandra's weak nod, Jake retrieve a bottle of gatorade from the kitchen. "I've also started some soup to cook, should be ready in a little while. You think you might want some later?"
"I don't know right now," said Cassandra between sips. "Ask me later when it's done."
"Alright. Anything else I can do for ya?"
"Not unless you know how to surgically extract a Norse crystal that magically implanted itself into my body."
"Yeah, I didn't get quite that far in med school, so I can't help you there." The dry joke earned Jake a weak giggle, which drew a smile from him. "Okay, I'm gonna go back to workin' on the soup. Call if you need anything. Oh, before I forget," Jake remembered just before he was out the door, "I washed my old robe and it's in the dryer in case you want it later."
"You might not want it back after I'm done with it."
"That's fine. I've got a new one and hadn't even thought about this one since I moved to Portland. You can burn it for all I care. I just wanted you to know it was available."
"Thanks," mumbled Cassandra. Her eyes were barely staying open.
"Go on to sleep. It can only do you good." Before Jake had even finished talking, Cassandra's eyes had closed and her breathing had evened out, a soft snore escaping with each exhale.
A soft smile warmed Jake's features, and after drawing the blanket up to Cassandra's shoulders, he went back to the living room to wait.
*~*Librarians*~*
"Jake!" The call of his name had Jake shooting up from the couch where he'd dozed off, if the groggy feeling was any indication. "Jacob!"
"Cassie?" Jumping to his feet, Jake pelted down the hall to his bedroom, practically skidding to a halt by the bed. "Cassie, what's wrong?"
"I don't know but it hurts!" A guttural cry tore itself from Cassandra's throat as she curled impossibly tighter around her midsection.
Eyes darting about, Jake's gaze caught sight of blue terry cloth. "Here," he snatched up the robe he'd brought in while Cassandra was still asleep, "put this on, and I'll help you to the bathroom. Can you stand?"
"Maybe." With Jake's help, Cassandra was able to roll out of the bed and to her feet, though she was still bent almost double. "Take me to the bathroom first."
"You got it, darlin'." Together, the Librarians hobbled to the bathroom, and Jake awkwardly closed his eyes while Cassandra changed out of her pajamas and into Jake's robe.
"Oh gosh, this hurts, Jake," whimpered Cassandra. Risking a glance, Jake peeked one eye open to see Cassandra seated on the toilet, thankfully fully covered.
"Do you want me to stay?" he asked.
"It's fine, you can go. I'm sure you don't want to be here."
Despite her bold words, Jake could hear the tears in her voice so, making the decision for her, he took the two steps to cross the room and knelt before his friend. "That's not what I asked, Cassie. Do you want me to stay?"
It took a few moments of waiting, not-so-patiently Jake had to admit, before Cassandra would meet his eyes. "Yes," she whispered finally. "Please stay with me. Don't leave me alone."
"I won't, hon." Jake leaned forward and set his arms in their familiar spot around Cassandra's waist. His eyes closed as Cassandra's own arms latched themselves onto his neck. "I'm right here with ya."
Jake couldn't say how long the pair of them stayed in that position, or how long it took for his legs to go completely numb. He wasn't aware of what he was saying, or even what language he was speaking, as a litany of syllables and sounds streamed from his lips. All Jake could concentrate on was the woman sobbing in his arms, her overheated skin causing his own to sweat where her forehead connected with the crook of his neck, and soothing her the best he could as his hands roved gently across her back. When Cassandra's sobs increased in intensity and her body stiffened against Jake's, he just held her more tightly and kept his voice calm.
Finally, a dull thunk sounded, and Cassandra's full weight slumped into Jake, nearly knocking him onto the floor. The pair sat frozen for several long moments, their shoulders heaving with each breath and Cassandra shuddering intermittently.
"How you doin', Cass?" asked Jake, his voice barely loud enough to be heard even in the silent room.
"Tired," Cassandra muttered just as softly.
"I can imagine. You think you can stand?"
"Maybe." A second later, Cassandra pulled away, and Jake rocked back onto his heels and inched his way to full height, though his knees threatened to give out at any second. "You think you can stand?" Cassandra returned when she noticed the man's buckling legs.
Staring wide-eyed at each other, both Librarians felt their lips twitch before their shoulders started shaking and they were wracked with full-body laughter. "We're a right pair, ain't we?" Jake barely managed between guffaws.
"This could only ever happen to a Librarian," agreed Cassandra. "Help me up?"
Grasping her elbows with tender hands, Jake gently lifted Cassandra to her feet, the borrowed robe falling as she rose. Once assured she was steady, the two glanced down at the toilet. There, almost cradled in the bowl, was the Angrboda crystal that had started all this madness in the first place. Shining just as brightly as the moment it came out of the ice block in Sweden, one would never guess that it had just been through a young woman's digestive tract.
But still, it was in a toilet.
"I am not picking that up without gloves," Cassandra declared with a definitive shake of the head.
Jake shook his head as well. "I'm not pickin' it up at all."
"Do you have any gloves?"
"Not sure, but if I don't, I've got some tongs in the kitchen."
"Those'll work, too." The pair still didn't move, thoughts of the past few days swirling around in both their minds. Cassandra ran her fingers through her hair. "Do you care if I get a shower?"
The question broke Jake out of his stare, and he glanced over to see Cassandra fiddling with a curl, a grimace twisting her features. "Yeah, o' course. I'll go get your bag from the livin' room."
"Thanks." Exchanging one more bewildered glance, the Librarians burst into action.
After leaving Cassandra's bag in the bathroom for her, Jake decided to change his own clothes before going back to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on their soup. Just as he was turning off the stove, the knob on the back door started rattling. Instantly on alert, Jake grabbed the just-washed butcher knife he'd used on the chicken earlier, raising it like his favorite sword at the Library just in time to see the door open.
"Whoa!" a small woman with gleaming red hair cried, taking a startled step back upon seeing the brandished knife.
Which was promptly retracted once Jake recognized the source of the voice. "Mama?" he gasped. Oh please let Cassie still be in the shower!
"Jake, what're you doin' here? And comin' at me with a butcher knife of all things. Ain't you supposed to be workin' in Portland?"
"I am still workin' in Portland." Jake set the knife on the counter with a clank. "I just needed to come back home for a few days."
"Why didn't you let us know you was comin'? We'd have had supper cooked for ya and cleaned up the house ahead'a time."
"It's fine, Mama. I just... needed some time to myself, and I knew I wouldn't get that if y'all all knew I was home. And it's not like I'll be stayin' for long."
"Well, any visit is better than none at all." At that second, the back door opened again, this time admitting a brunette. "Cam, look who came home and didn't bother to tell us!"
"Jake! What're you doin' here?"
"I can come stay in my own house, Cameron Celeste."
"That's not what I meant and you know it, smart tail. I meant, why are you here?"
Before Jake could answer, the kitchen door swung open. "Jake, do you-" the newcomer abruptly cut herself off.
Jake felt his whole body cringe when he heard Cassandra's voice through the door. His eyes clenched tightly as he felt his mom and sister's wide-eyed stares.
"'Just needed some time to yourself?'" the older woman repeated, voice dripping with disbelief.
When Jake dared to open his eyes, he found a delighted smile on his mom's face, Cassandra looking mortified with a hand over her mouth, and Cameron glancing between him and Cassandra smiling her biggest gossip grin. I'm in so much trouble.
"You gonna introduce us, Jake?" asked Cameron.
The Librarian released a sigh and sent an apologetic glance to his friend. "Mom, Cam, this is my friend Cassandra."
"Friend, huh?"
"Cass," he ignored his sister, "this is my mom, Rebekah, and my youngest sister, Cameron."
"It's so nice to meet you," Cassandra greeted in a small voice. "Jake's told me a lot about you."
"I would love to say the same, but Jake here barely tells us about what he does lately."
Jake couldn't contain an eye roll at his mother's bluntness, and he could feel Cassandra shift next to him.
"But it's such a pleasant surprise," Rebekah continued. "How long are y'all gonna be stayin'?"
"Not sure," Jake confessed. "Cass has had a rough couple days, so we figured we'd play it by ear." Glancing to his right, Jake saw Cassandra nodding along with his words. "But I'll let you know when we do."
"You better!" Cameron jumped in before Rebekah could even open her mouth. "You have to let us drive you to the airport and see you off. We won't take no for an answer."
"Okay," surrendered Jake, throwing his hands in the air. It wasn't worth the fight he knew would erupt should he argue. Besides, it wasn't as though the change in location would be an inconvenience, what with the magic door they had at their disposal. I'll just ask Jenkins to move the door.
"Well, we'll let you get back to your weekend, though you better come over for dinner tomorrow night," warned Rebekah, wagging finger and all. "We never get to see you, so you best bet I'm cookin' for ya tomorrow."
"We'll see, Mama. I'll have to talk it over with Cassie first, but I'll let you know."
"Alright," conceded Rebekah with a sigh. "S'long as you let me know. And we're still drivin' you to the airport. How long you stayin' anyway?"
Jake glanced over to Cassandra, who just shrugged. Her eyes flashed down toward her stomach, which Jake easily interpreted.
"We're not too sure," he finally answered. "Cassie's been a little sick the last couple days, but we'll head back once she's feelin' better."
A glance that Jake did not want to interpret passed between his mom and his sister. "Okay, then. Just let us know. We'll get out of your hair. It was wonderful to meet you, Cassandra."
"Likewise, Mrs. Stone."
"Oh, just call me Rebekah. We're not that formal around these parts."
"Okay, Rebekah." Cassandra returned the smile Rebekah had beamed at her.
"If y'all are gonna get outta here, then go ahead and get outta here," Jake piped in. "Otherwise I'll have to ask you to stay and eat with us, and I can't guarantee that I made enough soup for four."
"Now, I know that's a lie," snapped Cameron, a wry grin pulling at her lips. "You know good'n well every southern cook literally worth their salt always makes at least eight helpin's per dish."
"Fine, I really just wantcha to leave! But you can take some soup with ya if ya want. Like ya said, I made plenty."
"Ooh, don't mind if we do!" Cameron scurried across the kitchen to find a large container, which she promptly filled with soup. "Mm," she hummed after sampling a bit of broth. "You're almost as good a cook as Mama."
"I think that might be the nicest thing yo've ever said to me. Now get out. I got a friend to take care of here." Ignoring his sister's mumbled, "I'll bet you do," Jake ushered his family out the door, leaning his forehead against it once it was closed.
"Well that wasn't embarrassing at all," Cassandra muttered behind him. Turning, Jake found the redhead leaning against the wall, her hands covering her eyes. "You know what they thought we were doing here, right?"
"Oh, I know. Cam didn't exactly hide what she was thinkin', and I don't think our clothes helped much either." Jake's eyes followed Cassandra's as they took in here baby blue tanktop and matching shorts and his own navy tshirt and basketball shorts.
"That's just great." Cassandra groaned into her hands.
"Don't worry about it. They're not gonna say anything about it. I think Mama's just too happy that I brought home a girl to care about anything else. What were you gonna ask when you came in?"
"What? Oh right, I'd forgotten. I was going to ask if you had a hairbrush. We both forgot about grabbing mine."
"Yeah, go look on the dresser in my bedroom. If it's not in the bathroom, then that's prob'ly where it'd be."
"Right. I'll just go look for it."
"And I'll ladle up the soup." Neither knew what else to say, and Cassandra wouldn't meet Jake's eyes as she ducked out of the room. Breathing a heavy sigh, Jake turned to the cabinet to retrieve a couple bowls.
When Cassandra came back in a few minutes later, Jake was relieved to see that the awkwardness between them was gone, leaving only the familiar and comfortable friendship that they'd worked toward for so long. And sitting down together at the table, the pair shared a smile that, Jake had observed, they only shared with each other. It was a good feeling, and they tucked into their soup with gusto.
*~*Librarians*~*
"Are you sure you got everything?" Rebekah asked for what felt like the four hundredth time that morning.
Jake and Cassandra stood at the entrance to the airport they had chosen to return to the Library, trying to escape from Rebekah and Cameron's mother-henning and get back home. "Yes, Mama, we have everything. We double checked twice."
"Wouldn't that be quadruple check?" asked Cameron.
"Yes, technically, it would," said Cassandra in her math voice. "And we actually double checked twice, so we really octuple checked."
"Point is," Jake cut in, "we are absolutely positive that we have everything. And if you find somethin' we forgot, you can just mail it to me. You got my address."
"Now you call as soon as you get home," ordered Cameron. "We wanna know that you got there safely. How long does it take to fly from here to Portland?"
"Somewhere around three hours, give or take. At least that's what we could find online." Online, of course, referring to Cassandra's quick mind and quicker math. But Jake couldn't exactly tell his family that.
"If we don't hear from you in four hours, we're callin' you. And it won't be pleasant for you. So you better call."
"We will, Cam. Now let us go or we'll miss our flight." A grunt escaped as Jake found himself slammed against the slim form of his sister. "Love you, too, Cam. Okay, you gotta let me go, or we'll never leave."
"That's the point, you moron," Cameron sniffed, her arms only squeezing more tightly.
Jake sighed and tightened his own hug. "I'll call and visit more often," he promised. "If it'll help, I'll even video call you tonight when we get home."
"You barely know how to text," Cam muttered into his chest.
"A guy we work with can hook me up. Whatever'll make you feel better, I'll do it."
"You have to come home for Christmas," demanded Cameron, finally letting Jake go, only to punch him in the shoulder. "You ain't been home for Christmas since you moved to Portland. You want me to let you go back, you gotta promise you'll come home for Christmas."
"Alright, I'll do my best to come home for Christmas. I can't give a definite promise," Jake quickly explained when he saw his sister's icy glare. "Our job is really unpredictable. But I can promise that I'll do my absolute best to be at home for Christmas. Will that be good enough?"
"Yeah, I reckon I can accept that." Cameron rolled her eyes. "But if you don't, I'll knock you into next year."
Jake chuckled. "Yeah, I wouldn't expect any less."
"We really need to get going, Jake," Cassandra reminded gently. "Don't want to miss our flight."
"Yes, y'all get goin'," Rebekah urged, sniffling and clearing her throat before tugging her son into one last embrace. "I love you, Jake."
"Love you, too, Mama." Jake felt his eyes closing and couldn't resist nuzzling into his mom's shoulder. Whatever disagreements he may have with his family, Jake could not deny that he missed his mama's hugs.
"Alright," Rebekah finally let go of her son, "y'all get goin', and be safe."
"We will, Mama. You ready, Cass?"
"Ready when you are." Picking up the bags at their feet, the Librarians walked into the airport, sending once last wave to the women behind them.
Once safely inside, Jake pulled out his phone. "Hey, Jenkins, do you think you could move the Back Door for me? Yeah, I'll explain when I get to the Annex. Thanks, man." After giving the old caretaker their location, the Librarians meandered through the airport, searching for the distinctive blue glow that indicated the Back Door. Fortunately, they didn't have to search long before they found it at the first maintenance closet they passed, and seconds later, they were stumbling into the Annex.
"Ah, there you are. And Miss Cillian, I wasn't expecting you to be with Mr. Stone."
"Yeah, it was an unplanned trip." The eyebrow Jenkins had raised betrayed his skepticism at a four-day trip being "unplanned", but Cassandra ignored that in favor of pulling a glowing gallon-sized ziploc out of her tote bag. "We brought the Angrboda Crystal back."
"And you put it in a plastic bag?!" Jenkins managed to snatch the bag from the redhead more gently than Jake had thought could be possible.
"We didn't wanna boil it," was Jake's answer.
"Ah. In that case, I commend your foresight. And if you will excuse me, I'll just go put this in the Dangerous Artifacts wing." With that, Jenkins disappeared into the vast halls of the Library, leaving the younger pair in silence.
"So," Jake broke it a few moments later as he dropped into a chair at the table, "not your typical long weekend, huh?"
"Well, it's not like we're known for doing 'typical', right?" chuckled Cassandra as she joined her friend.
"No, we are not. You still feelin' okay though?" Jake asked once the laughter had died down. "No weird side effects or anything?"
"Not that I can tell," answered Cassandra, though it sounded a bit more like a question than a statement. "I mean, I've had a bit of a mild headache the last few days, but that's nothing new. I get much worse headaches than this on a regular basis."
"You make sure to tell one of us if anything too weird starts happenin' to ya. We don't want any nasty surprises."
"Of course," Cassandra agreed readily, though Jake couldn't control the twitch of his eyebrow. But, deciding to trust the younger woman, he let it go. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get home."
"Technically, I've been home the whole weekend." A snicker escaped as Cassandra's hand made contact with his shoulder in a resounding smack. "But I get what you're sayin', and yes, I'm ready to go back home."
In one uniform movement, the pair rose to their feet and trekked to the door. "I'm not looking forward to cleaning my apartment after being away for four days."
"If it helps, I loaded your dishwasher before we left."
"It does, actually. But more than anything, I'm just glad that's all over and the crystal is OUT OF ME!"
"It's like the pastor at my church back home liked to say: the Bible always says 'it came to pass', not 'it came to stay'."
The End
A/N: If yall don't mind, please leave a comment letting me know what you thought about the story. Thank you to everyone who read, and I pray you all have a blessed and Happy New Year!