It Takes a Village

So, technically you were supposed to be getting an update of Melt Your Heart next, but this story has started writing itself again. We're into the endgame now, not many more chapters left to go. Chapter 22 will have Lori in it, because I only just realised in the excitement of getting Sam & Cassie back together, that I'd forgotten all about her!

Hope you enjoy this chapter. If you're looking for something a little more adult, you should check out "Unleashed" by xfphile. I was lucky enough to beta read it, and it is truly amazing.

Chapter 21: When Your Heart's Involved

Grace's abilities were growing and changing with every passing day. They had been getting stronger ever since she hit puberty, and now she was approaching seventeen her perceptions were reaching their peak. Even without them, she would have noticed the change in her mother's behaviour. It had broken Grace's heart to see Cassie so sad and distracted lately. She knew that her Mom put on a brave face for everyone else's sake, but Grace could see through the mask.

Now though, there was something different about Cassie. Grace just prayed that she was correct and that her Mom and Sam had finally worked out their differences. It had been hard for her to accept her mother's relationship with another man, especially as Cassie had barely dated at all after Jake had died. Grace loved Sam too. If her Mom was going to move on and fall in love with another man, Grace was glad that she had chosen their neighbour. If it meant she ended up with Nick as a stepbrother somewhere down the line, that was a sacrifice she would be okay with. If she was honest, Grace had come to love Nick too. Brandon and Lori had been nearly grown up when she was born, so she was enjoying having an almost-sibling who was the same age as her.

"Did you have a good day?" Grace asked her Mom when they found themselves alone in the Grey House kitchen.

"Yes," Cassie was relieved that for once this was the truth. Day to day life had just been harder since she and Sam had stopped dating; stopped even talking to each other. "I did have a good day."

They talked for a bit and shared a hug before they both went up to their bedrooms. Grace smiled to herself as she changed into her pyjamas, her Mom hadn't exactly said as much but it looked like her and Sam were working things out. What was really making Grace smiled was that, after all of their well intention meddling, her Mom and Sam had worked things out all by themselves.

"Coffee, please." Were the first two words out of Abigail's mouth when she dumped her purse on the counter at the Bistro on Wednesday.

"Good morning," Stephanie replied, already measuring out beans for the coffee machine.

"Is it?" Abigail groaned.

Stephanie properly studied her friend, noticing dark circles on the pale skin under her eyes. Abigail always looked like she'd stepped off the runway or out of a high-end boutique, but today she looked tired and drawn.

"Are you…hungover?"

Abigail laughed bitterly. "If only." As tempted as she had been, she had remained stone cold sober.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Stephanie offered, though she had a feeling that Harry was at the bottom of whatever had happened to make Abigail looked so shattered. As hard as she was trying for things to be normal between them after their conversation in the flower shop, she wasn't sure she could handle hearing anymore about Abigail and Harry's relationship.

Abigail seemed to be feeling the same way. "I'm okay, but I appreciate the offer."

"Well, you know where I am if you need me."

Abigail reached for Stephanie's hand as she pushed the takeout latte towards her, giving her fingers the briefest of squeezes.

"I know, and I appreciate it."

Stephanie watched Abigail leave the Bistro, already sipping at her hot coffee and she wondered. She just wondered.

For the first time in a long time Sam enjoyed his morning run for what it was. It wasn't a chance to pound out his frustration at living under the same roof as Linda; his concerns about his son's recovery or to try and find some clarity in what was or wasn't happening with him and Cassie. Now that he and Cassie were working their way back to each other, he found that he felt lighter and he was on the final lap of his run before he even realised it.

He stopped on the driveway outside his house and did his warm down stretches. It was already getting warmer in the mornings and the sun was already peeking out behind the clouds. He turned around as he heard footsteps behind him. As he didn't have the Merriwick powers of observation, he assumed it was Linda and all of the muscles that just relaxed on his run tightened again.

"Good morning, neighbour."

Sam relaxed again, well mostly. Parts of him were even more pleased to see Cassie than others.

His face was already breaking into a grin as he turned around to face her.

"Good morning,"

Cassie looked as fresh as a daisy, dressed in a flowing white blouse and charcoal grey wide leg pants. He really wanted to lean in and give her a good morning kiss, but he was aware of how sweaty and flushed he was from his run.

"I was just bringing in the paper," She waved it vaguely at him, not quite sure where she should focus her gaze. She had seen him wearing considerably less than this yesterday afternoon, but they had been alone then not standing in full view of their neighbours; neighbours than included Sam's ex wife and both of their children. He looked hot, in more ways than one.

"Uh huh, I can see that." Although he still didn't really understand how Cassie knew what she knew, he had a feeling that she had waited for precisely this moment to leave Grey House. He also knew that she preferred to read the news on her tablet and to get the local news directly from the source.

"Sam, I…"

It was doing his ego good to see her kind of unsure. He enjoyed knowing that after all this time she still wanted him as badly as he wanted her; and that was pretty badly indeed.

"Cass, I've got to go and get ready for work but…can I see you later?"

The frown that had settled on Cassie's brow melted away.

"I'd love to see you later."

"I'll call you."

To hell with how sweaty he was, Sam stepped closer and pressed a kiss on her cheek.

"I haven't stopped thinking about yesterday."

Cassie's face flushed so it was the same colour as his healthy post-run glow.

"Me neither,"

Upstairs, Linda watched out of her bedroom window. She hadn't been wrong to suspect that things were heating back up between her ex-husband and the witch next door. She thought about Jared; about his visit; the flowers and his promise to come back to Middleton at the weekend. For once, Linda did not have a plan.

Stephanie thought that Nathan also looked tired when he arrived from breakfast at the Bistro. She had noticed over the weeks that Nathan had been in Middleton, that he was far from being a morning person. He was dressed smarter than usual, and Stephanie thought he looked more like a college professor than a novelist today.

"Just coffee this morning, please Stephanie," He handed her his own flask and she started the process.

"You're looking very sharp this morning."

"I'm on my way to Chicago to meet with my publisher."

"Oh, is that today? I thought you were going yesterday."

"It got delayed while they renegotiate the contract, but everything is back on track now."

"I'm glad to hear that Nathan, I hope it all goes well."

"Me too," He relied, his nervousness showing. "I had hoped to get some advice from Cassie when we went out for dinner, but we had to cut our evening short." He looked down at the display case of pastries, thinking that they looked delicious but his stomach had other ideas. "She said she wasn't feeling well, but she had been fine up that point."

Stephanie frowned. It didn't sound like something Cassie would do, but she had been acting differently recently. That was becoming a common theme in Middleton lately.

"I think she realised that it was actually supposed to be a date."

"Oh," She replied, surprised because Cassie was one of the most perceptive people she had ever met.

"I should've known better. A woman like her wouldn't be interested in a guy like me anyway."

Stephanie felt sorry for him, even though if he had asked she would have set him straight about Cassie and Sam.

"Cassie went through a rough break up recently, it's probably too soon."

"Oh, right. She was seeing the doctor, wasn't she?"

Stephanie nodded, not quite able to believe he had missed the significant detail. But then Stephanie herself could never have predicted that Abigail Pershing would kiss her. Or that she was kind of hoping it might happen again one of these days.

Nathan suddenly realised that whenever he and Cassie had talked, the focus of the conversation had always been on him or his writing or the best places to visit in Middleton, she had talked very little about herself. He should have seen it but he was too caught up in finally making headway with his novel, and enjoying the company of a fascinating woman.

"Thanks for this," He said when Stephanie handed him back his flask.

"Good luck today," Stephanie replied as she waved him off.

As she wiped down the counter, she smiled to herself. It seemed like everyone became an idiot when their heart was involved.

"No," Abigail said firmly into her iPhone, which was clamped between her ear and her shoulder. She had a million things to do in the shop today and she'd dearly love to finish them but Harry would not stop calling. When her iPhone had nearly vibrated clean off the counter, she had finally answered it. She was seriously regretting it as she and Harry were still rehashing the same conversation they had had the night before; the conversation that had left her feeling like an underfed zombie when she woke up. "No, I don't need you to come to Middleton."

She rolled her eyes at no one in particular as he continued to talk as if she hadn't spoken.

"Harry, please!" She said finally, her voice stopping him mid-flow. "It's over Harry, I'm sorry. You're not going to change my mind."

Now there was a silence at the end of the line, and Abigail wasn't sure if that wasn't worse than his never-ending pleading.

"Is it the distance?" He asked. "I know you don't want to leave Middleton, maybe I could get a job at the high school there."

The distance had made things more difficult for their relationship. It had been fun in the beginning, sneaking away to spend weekends together. Every moment they could grab seemed precious, but it had grown stale pretty fast. Abigail was independent and introverted, so having free time away from Harry during the week had suited her. She thought that was what she wanted from a relationship, but if that was true why did she want to spend her every waking, and sleeping, moment with someone else; someone who wasn't Harry?

"It isn't the distance, Harry. I'm just not in love with you, I'm sorry."

His sigh pierced her heart, even though she was determined that this has to be the end. She had started using him as a means of hiding from her feelings. She still felt guilty over the stunt she had pulled at getting Harry to drive up for Tara and Brandon's party at the very last moment. She could still picture the look of hurt on Stephanie's face.

"Is there anything I can do to change that?"

Abigail pinched the bridge of her nose, promising herself she wouldn't cry.

"No. I'm sorry."

"So I am, Abigail. I'll ask you one more question, and then I'll leave you in peace."

She waited, knowing what was coming.

"Is there someone else."

"Yes."

"Guess who paid a visit to Middleton yesterday?"

"Linda's ex-boyfriend?"

Sam groaned. "How do you do that?"

Cassie just smiled as licked at a drip of mint chocolate chip ice cream that was threatening to escape from the cone.

"Magic."

"I didn't find out any more, because as usual we got into a fight."

"What about?"

"You."

"Me!" Cassie gave Sam her full attention now, rather than splitting it between him and the delectable ice cream cone.

They were walking down a mostly deserted main street, eating their ice cream and enjoying the mild spring evening. They looked like a normal couple, and Sam hoped they were making their way to being a normal couple. He wasn't sure anything would ever be truly normal when Cassie was involved, she was too special for that.

"She's horribly jealous of you and of course worried that you will corrupt both me and Nick with your wicked ways."

Cassie laughed, almost choking on her ice cream.

"I'd say you did a fair amount of corrupting yourself yesterday afternoon, Doctor Radford."

He loved it when she called him that. He was about to tell her so when they both realised they weren't alone.

"Yoo hoo! Cassie! Sam!"

They groaned in unison, but fixed smiles onto their faces as they turned around to face the Mayor - so much for keeping their reunion quiet.