Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except the drama and tension I'm going to cause. Enjoy.

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Chapter Twelve

"I'm one of a kind"

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I could hear the faint mumblings of the TV in the distance, but really, I hadn't been paying attention to their words for at least the last half hour. Instead, I'd been captivated by her. She'd been chewing gently on her finger, a trait she herself found most unattractive, but to me, it helped make her the most beautiful woman alive. A woman I knew I'd never want out of my life again.

The only thing was, she only ever chewed on that finger when something was bugging her… really bugging her, and in the past, she'd always blurted out the problem within fifteen minutes of the first time she sucked gently on it. Now, call me crazy, but I was actually beginning to worry myself, because by now, we should have sorted out whatever issue was at hand… at least, that's what we'd used to be able to do.

Maybe, it was all different now?

The clock ticked slowly on the wall, as she adjusted herself on my lap, her eyes unfocused, looking into space, far, far away from the living room we were lying in. And I couldn't take it any more.

"Okay. Spill." I said, as Cassie's eyes snapped from their spot on the wall to look upward at me.

"Huh?" She asked, pushing herself up a little and shaking herself from the daze she'd been in. "Spill what?"

"Whatever it is that's got you so distracted." I replied, rolling my eyes at her. "You've been chewing that finger for the last half hour," I said, as she hastily pulled it out of the corner of her mouth and hid it behind her back, looking sheepishly up at me. "It's obviously something huge," I said, as she nodded distractedly, breaking my gaze, "So," I continued, my hand reaching, gently tilting her head to look at me, "would you please tell me, so we can talk about it, and you can feel better?" I asked softly, and she smiled a little, before shaking her head.

"Its… nothing." She said finally, pushing herself up from my lap as she turned to face me. "Just something silly." She said, playing down its importance.

"Come on." I replied, "Give me some credit. We may not have been together for a while, but I still know you." I continued, taking her hand. "I know that when that finger goes in your mouth, something is seriously wrong. And I'd like to think I know you well enough to believe that you might actually want to let me in?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her, as she sighed heavily. "Unless?" I said, pushing a little in the hopes that she would open up to me.

She sighed again, and shifted her body a little closer to mine. Interlocking our fingers, she gently rubbed my palm, as if she were trying to calm herself more than me.

"I do Ric, I really do want to let you in…" She began, before trailing off.

"But?" I prompted eventually.

"But, its just, this thing, it needs to be kept between me and the person who told me." She muttered quickly.

"Well, are you sure this mystery person wouldn't mind you sharing with the one person they know you trust most in the world?" I said, persisting with the matter, knowing it was in her best interests if she told me, otherwise she'd stress beyond stressing about it.

"But, the person I trust most is the person that told me." Cassie replied, before hastily clamping her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with the shock of what she'd said. "Oh Ric." Her muted voice came from behind her hands "I didn't mean… it wasn't supposed to…" She stuttered, as I pulled my hand out of her grasp and stood up quickly from the couch.

"Ric" She called out, her voice strained, as she tried to maintain composure.

I stopped, but didn't turn around. Because, if I did, then I'd see the heartbreak on her face, playing with her delicate features, and I'd cave… but, I couldn't do that yet, because it hurt… more than she could ever know.

"It's not like that." She cried out, her voice losing all control. "I didn't mean it to come out as if I didn't trust you." She said, her words becoming clearer, as I realised she was walking towards me. "Because, I do…" She said, but with no real conviction. "It's just, we've been apart for so long." She said finally, her voice so close it had fallen to a whisper. "We've changed Ric, and well, it'll take some time until we're back to where we were." She said, as her hand reached out and touched my own clenched one. "You have to know that." She said, sniffing a little, and I felt my heart break for her.

"This is about Parker, right?" I said gruffly, over my shoulder, and even though I couldn't see her, I knew she'd be shaking her head. "Parker, she's part of something else. But this trust thing, between you and I, it runs so much deeper than her. It's always been there, for me, but not because of you…" She said, beginning to ramble, as I turned to face her slowly. "You know? Its always been because guys in my life have stuffed me around, or… like my Uncle. I've never been able to fully trust anyone, until you. And then I did, but that was broken too…" She said, her eyes looking towards the ground, glistening with tears.

"But Mattie, she's the one person who, apart from that one summer," She said, gulping down some air "She's the one person I'd trust beyond anyone else. We became so close last year Ric, because we had one another, and that was it. We're just in this sync, and I couldn't betray her, not to anyone." She said finally, looking up at me. "She was all I had. And now I'm all she's got."

I didn't reply. Instead, I pulled her to me tightly, wrapping my arms around her, soothing her as she sobbed into my shoulder. I couldn't do it any more, because in the end, she was the one who needed to let me in.

Later that night, when I believed Cass to be asleep on my lap, she finally spoke to me.

"She doesn't feel at home here any more." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. "She misses Sydney more than anything. Misses Uni, the courses, the people, the complete mess that was our life. And I'm so afraid of losing my best friend, because she's lost her way home, just when it feels like I've found mine. Am I a bad friend? For not wanting to get lost with her, and hold her hand as we stumble through the darkness together?" She cried softly. "Because that's what we did Ric, for a year, we lived in darkness. And then, you found me. But he, he hasn't found her." She said, and after I while, I realised she wasn't going to continue.

"You mean, Matilda is waiting for Luke to find her?" I asked gently, and felt Cassie shake her head.

"No… yes." She said, obviously confused. "Maybe she's not waiting for Luke. Maybe she is. All I know is, she's scared and alone, and because Sara is here, she's lost Luke's friendship too…"

"But Sara doesn't stop them being friends." I said, quick to defend the woman who had made my best mate happy.

"No, but that doesn't stop Mattie feeling as if she can't be there with them, for fear of making Sara doubt Luke's love." Cassie said gently, as she smiled a little, and I knew she'd be thinking that, above everything, Mattie always worried about everyone ahead of herself.

"Luke should know." I said, my hand running down her hair soothingly. "Luke needs to know."

"But he can't." Cass replied, sternly.

"But he deserves to know the truth, that Mattie is too afraid of losing him as a friend, that Mattie needs to be reassured that he'll always be there for her. He deserves to know what Mattie is feeling…" I said, but Cass sat up, and looked directly at me.

"That's for Mattie to tell him." She said, her voice strong. "It's not our place to tell. We can't interfere Ric," She said pleadingly, moving closer to me. "No matter what you think. If they are going to find their way back to one another, that's for them to decide." She said, and I couldn't fight her there.

"You two, you both like Sara though?" I asked, afraid of the response.

"Of course we do." She said firmly. "We couldn't hate someone that Luke fell for. But Mattie and I, we both feel all sorts of uncomfortable around her. It's just how we are. But I'm sure as time goes by, we'll feel more natural."

"As his best friend, I think he needs to know." I said, and Cassie looked at me, eyes wide with fear. "But, as your boyfriend, you should know, that anything said in confidence, will stay that way. The last thing I'll ever do is betray you Cassie, I've only just got you back, and I'm never letting you go again."

She smiled a little at me, and moved herself into my open arms, snuggling down against my chest, and I held her close, breathing in her scent, knowing that it was moments like this I should savour.

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AN: Thanks to Jade for proofing this baby, what could possibly be my favourite Ric/Cassie centric chapter from all three stories. I hope you all enjoyed it, and remember, reviews are love!