Jenkins wasn't exaggerating when he called the situation a matter of life and death. They all came close to death in this one, a very close call. Cassandra hadn't had a chance to even think about looking at her phone for three days and she spent almost the entirety of the fourth day sleeping. After a long hot shower, she checked her phone.

There were several messages and texts from Jacob. He sounded very worried. Then she remembered she told him she had a family emergency. That would explain the worry. She'd call him and tell him all was well now.

When she called she was sent straight to voicemail and she left a message. An hour went by and she tried texting him. There was no response. She went right to voicemail again when she tried to call him.

This went on for another day, calls straight to voicemail, texts never returned.

She was back in the Library, looking at her phone when Ezekiel came by.

"What are you doing?" he asked suddenly.

She jumped, then sheepishly put down the phone. "It's just Jacob. He left me a bunch of worried voice mails because I told him I had a family emergency. But now he's not responding to texts and every time I call it goes straight to voicemail."

"Uh-huh, does it only ring once?"

"Yeah, I thought his phone was off the first time."

"Sounds like he blocked your number."

"But why would he do that? Things were going really well. At least until the world almost ended."

"I'm just saying. Maybe things weren't going so well after all. You have a terrible track record, you know."

Cassandra flashed an angry glare his way and he raised his hands. "I'm sorry!"

She put her head in her hands. "I need to go there and talk to him. I made a decision about what I want to do about the future. I need to talk to him face to face. I just can't believe he blocked me. Maybe he just is upset because it took so long to call."

"Alright, where is this? Middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma?"

"Ezekiel . . . ."

"Yeah, yeah, hang on, I got it."

"Thanks!"

Ezekiel's dialing wasn't as good as Jenkins and she found herself coming out of a tool shed in a house right outside of downtown.

It was a longish walk but it gave her time to compose what she was going to say to Jacob in her head. She did smile as she pushed open the familiar doors and entered in the store. There was a woman she didn't recognize behind the counter, looking through a manual. She must be the replacement for Mabel. Well that was good that he was able to get someone so soon.

Jacob came out of the back room, talking to someone inside the office. "Thanks Sam, I'll just get that and you can be on your way. Cindy, I need you to . . . ." He trailed off as he looked at Cassandra. His eyes weren't soft and warm like they'd been since they met. No, these were cold and hard, heartbreak behind them.

She froze in place staring at him.

What the hell was she doing back here? He'd actually been able to come in this morning and not look for her waiting by the front door for him. He'd told himself over and over that he'd been an idiot and he was lucky they never went beyond a couple of kisses. Told himself that what he'd felt had been just loneliness and misguided attraction not love. If he'd told himself that often enough, maybe he'd believe it. And he thought he might just have, this morning.

And now she was back again. Reminding him that he could lie to himself all he wanted but the truth was he loved her. Not in the past tense. No, his love for her was very much a present tense thing.

And it made it hurt all the more.

Why was she here? Did she know he knew she lied to him?

"Cindy, could you give Mr. Denning that blue binder behind ya?"

"Sure, no problem, Mr. Stone."

"New hire?" Cassandra asked as the girl left, trying to lighten up the tense mood.

"Why the hell are you here?" he asked her.

"I'm sorry?" she was confused by his anger.

"I asked a simple question, Ms. Cillian, if that's even your real name."

"Why wouldn't it be?" she asked as she followed him as he stomped over to the counter.

"Well, Ms. Cillian, inside my office is a certain Mr. Sam Denning from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. So happens, they didn't send anyone out before him. Oh and also, he ain't ever heard of you."

"Oh . . . ." Cassandra winced.

"Yeah, oh. So who are you? Actually don't answer that. Just do me a favor and leave."

"Jacob, I mean, yes, you have the right to be upset about . . .and I can explain. You thought I was the bookkeeper and I didn't have the heart to say I wasn't. I didn't mean any harm, I just wanted to help."

"Fine," he seethed. "I reckon thinkin' about it that I never let you have a word edgewise. But you took off on me without a single word. And never returned my calls."

"I . . . you blocked me."

"Yeah, after I found out you were a fraud! You know what, just . . . ."

Jacob's rant at her was momentarily curtailed by Denning coming out of the office and giving him some paperwork to sign before he left. And before Jacob could get away and throw Cassandra out, his daughters came trooping in.

"Cassandra!" Abby yelled. "You came back!"

"Course I did," Cassandra said. "I promised I would."

There were hugs all around, but Jacob was glaring at her whenever Denning wasn't looking. When the man was gone, Jacob turned to his daughters.

"Grace, take your sisters into my office. I need to talk to Cassandra."

Grace inhaled sharply and took the other two into the office.

"How dare you?" he asked in a low threatening voice and Cassandra backed up a step.

But she tried to hold her ground. "I beg your pardon?"

"How dare you say that you kept a promise to my daughters? When you ran out on us?"

"I didn't! I had reasons. I . . . ."

"She ran out on us and I promised I would never ever put them through . . . .Just go, I can't do this right now."

"Jacob, please. I didn't run out on you. I mean I know I made so many mistakes. And I wasn't really straight with you. I want to tell you the truth right now, I planned on it." She was pleading but it couldn't be helped. She'd screwed up and it was obvious he hadn't gotten her note. And even if he had, the man had been left by his wife with a Dear John letter. How could she be so stupid? She should have sent a text or even called him before she left. Jacob was staring at her now and it was obvious that he was more hurt and disappointed than angry. But that didn't matter really.

"Not now," was all he said.

"I am so sorry. I have a reason for everything. I do. Jacob, if you believe nothing else, believe that I love you and I never meant to hurt you."

"Cass . . ."his voice broke and she could tell now how close to tears he was. "Cassandra. I just . . .please. Please just go. Let me go."

He closed his eyes, rested his elbows on the counter and let his face fall into his hands. He needed to keep it together, his mother-in-law was in the store, so were his employees. He couldn't break down, he just needed her to go.

He could hear Cassandra sniffling, holding back a sob, but he didn't open his eyes until he heard the door close.

Meanwhile in the office, Grace made sure Kaitlyn and Abby were busy coloring. She went over to her dad's desk to get a pen when she noticed a drawer open. She went to close it when it stuck on something. Puzzled, she leaned over and pulled the piece of paper out. It had her father's name written on it and when she read it, her eyes widened.

She ran out into the store, "Daddy! Where's Cassandra?"

"She's of no concern of ours anymore, Gracie."

"No, Daddy, Daddy, she left a note! It must have fallen. You have to read it. She loves you, Daddy. Please, you have to read it and stop her!"

"What?" But he took the note from Grace's hand and his heart stopped. Oh, God, poor Cassandra, something at home and he'd treated her like dirt.

"Your granny upstairs?"

Grace nodded.

"Okay, go up and let her know I'm going out and stay with your sisters."

Jacob ran out the door, looking around the parking lot. He didn't see any unfamiliar cars and he went out into the sidewalk in front. In the distance he could make out a bright floral skirt and red hair, as a woman walked briskly down the street.

Where was she going?

"Cassie! Cassie!" he yelled after her but she had a long head start and she was walking quickly. It was windy, she might not have even heard him.

She went into a backyard of a house. That was weird enough, but then she opened the door to the tool shed behind the house.

"What on earth?" he sped up and ran through the door before it could swing shut behind her.

He felt like he'd tripped over a boulder. He landed on . . .a tile floor?

"Jacob?" Cassandra's voice broke over the fog from his hard landing.

"What the hell? Where am I?"

Cassandra looked up at the ceiling. "You let him in? I guess you're trying to help." She gave Jacob a hand up and when he got to his feet, she waved her hands around. "Welcome to the Library."

"You went into a tool shed and now we're in a library?"

"Yeah, pretty much. This is the truth, Jacob Stone. This is the Library and I'm the Librarian."

"The first day . . ."Jacob mused, still looking around. "You told me you were the Librarian. I thought . . . ."

"Yeah, it's a tiny bit of magic we use."

"Magic?"

"Magic is real, Jacob. I was in your store looking for the cigar store Indian. Inside, someone had hid a charm-stone, a magical item that I was collecting for the Library. The magic spell creates a logical cover story. In your case, apparently you wanted me to be the bookkeeper. Normally I would have left when you left me alone with that Indian. But I didn't. I stayed."

"I'm so confused," Jacob looked around, "I don't understand what you're saying. But I . . .can I sit down?"

"Yeah, go ahead, it's a lot to process." She pushed a chair out from behind a desk and he gratefully sat. "The Library let you in though, so it knows what I know. You're special, Jacob."

He looked around a little more, his confusion fading to awe. "I feel a little like . . .I feel at home here. Is that strange?"

Cassandra shook her head. "I felt as home here the minute I was brought here. It's the same feeling I got in your home too."

"I'm so so sorry, Cassie. Gracie found your note. I didn't get it, I thought you'd left without saying goodbye. And I sent all those texts that you didn't answer and then Denning showed up. But if I'd seen the note . . .I would have understood. I should have listened today."

"Oh, Jacob," Cassandra knelt down next to his chair. "I'm sorry too. I should have called you when I got the call from Jenkins. Mabel told me about how your wife left you with just a note. A note was a bad idea."

"Well, you had an emergency," he bit his lip, enlightenment starting to dawn. "But I'm starting to reckon it wasn't really family."

"No, not family, at least not in that sense," she said softly. "It was an emergency but it was literally life and death, fate of the world stuff." She shivered. "I came very close to dying."

"Oh Cassie," he put his arms around her and pulled her tight. "You went through all that and I was an ass to you."

"Stop please, it's alright. I lied to you. And that's worse than the miscommunication with the note."

"It doesn't matter," he said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I think I get why. And sweetheart, I love you too, you know."

"I know, or you wouldn't have been so mad. Or actually believe me right now."

"Well I kinda fell through a tool shed door into a library. That's a pretty convincing argument. And . . .it's like I've always known this place. Does that make sense? Like I've had dreams about it."

She nodded. "I felt the same way. Which is why I know I've made the right decision."

"Decision?"

At that moment, a young man came running into the room. "Ha!" he yelled loudly and tapped a case. Suddenly a sword floated up, making a humming noise. "I found you! You're it, Cal!"

He turned and ran and the sword zoomed behind him.

"Is that a flying sword?" Jake marveled. "You've got a flying sword?"

Cassandra laughed. "That's Excalibur."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, he's a bit of a pet. And that was Ezekiel. He's my assistant right now but I . . ." she grinned as she saw an envelope suddenly appear on Ezekiel's end of the table, his name written across it. "I think he's going to be promoted to co-Librarian very soon. He claimed to be happy to be out of the line of fire, but I am pretty sure he's been itching to get a bit of the glory." She broke off at Jacob's slightly confused look and realized she was rambling a bit. She took a breath, "anyway, my predecessor Flynn gave me some advice recently. I thought I'd have to give this up to have a life with you."

Jacob's confusion faded and he shook his head. "Cassie, I can't ask you to do that."

"I know and that's why I love you. But he told me I didn't have to. But now there will be two Librarians and I'm thinking the Library has an assistant in mind. That door," she pointed at the door they fell through, "that door can take me anywhere in the world that has a door. Including your house. I can be in your life and still be the Librarian. That is, if you want me."

He pulled her up so she was sitting on his lap. "This is the part where I think you're crazy," Cassandra looked startled but he quickly added, "if you think I don't want you. I love you, Cassandra. And now that I know the truth, I want you to have both lives. Just tell me, is everything life and death?"

She shook her head. "No, there's often a lot of running. But most of the time it's in and out. Stuff like retrieving the stone that lead me to you. It helps to have more than one brain working. Which is why I was hired as an assistant and then we added Ezekiel. And while I know you have your day job, I think your brain would be a great asset here too. Even as a consultant. Ooh, I like that. So what do you think?"

"I think I just wanna kiss you."

Cassandra giggled. "I love you, Jacob."

He kissed her long and sweet and deep. Then he touched their foreheads together. "Show me around before I go back to the kids and give them the good news about us?"

"I'd be happy to. Welcome home, Jacob Stone."

This is the last chapter, it'll be followed by an epilogue which will be posted on Wednesday! Thanks for reading and for the reviews!