I know that after the cliffhanger I gave you at the end of the last chapter (which, by the way, I have no remorse over whatsoever), you're probably expecting something BIG.

I hope this chapter delivers.

DISCLAIMER: This chapter contains slight and subtle spoilers for the Push movie, so if you haven't seen it yet, this might ruin some of it for you. A very small part, but a part nonetheless.

It was almost a minute before anyone dared speak.

Cassie was the one who broke the silence. "Nick?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah?"

Cassie swallowed hard, trying to at least somewhat wetten her now suddenly-dry throat. "Who wrote to you?"

"Oh no," Pinky interjected, "your reaction was way more intense than Nick's. You first."

"We'll both say it at the same time, okay?" Nick said.

"O-okay..." replied Cassie.

Both of them took deep breaths, then as one, they spoke.

"Kira."

"My mom."

Nick was about to say something, when the reality of what Cassie had just said sunk in. He blinked. "Did I just hear you right? Did you really just say... your mom?"

"Yeah," Cassie said, her response slow in coming. She hadn't yet gotten over the shock of this yet, either. "And you say Kira wrote you?"

Nick was amazed at how fast Cassie attempted to change the subject. "Yeah, but right now, I think your little revelation takes precedence."

Pinky's face betrayed his confusion. "So? Your mom wrote you a letter. Is that significant?"

"Yes," Nick responded. Cassie threw a grateful glance his way; right then, she wasn't sure she could get her mind to work- not to mention her voice box.

"Why exactly is that significant?" Pinky asked, starting to sense that he knew much less about the situation than he'd first thought.

Nick sighed, and launched into an abbreviated version of her mom's past. With every word, Pinky's suspicion was confirmed.

"Damn..." Pinky muttered, after Nick had finished talking. "I'd heard rumors about a Watcher that was way more powerful than the rest, but... I didn't know those rumors were true." He looked over at Cassie. "Much less, that she was your mom."

"Guess it runs in the family, eh?" Cassie said softly, traces of tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes.

"And what about you, Nick?" Pinky asked, fixing his gaze on him. "Any idea why Kira would want to contact you?"

"None," was all that Nick could say. At that time, he wasn't thinking much about Kira; Cassie's situation was at the forefront of his mind.

"Read it," Pinky said. "I'm curious now..."

"Do you want me to?" Nick asked.

In response, Cassie wordlessly passed the letter to Nick. No words were needed; her eyes told the whole story.

"Are you sure you want me to do this?" Nick asked, as he took the single sheet of paper from Cassie's outstretched hand.

As he did so, their fingertips brushed up against each other. Nick was surprised how cold Cassie was to the touch, though he suspected he may have been the same way. Nevertheless, in that brief moment, Cassie looked up at him, and smiled almost peacefully.

"Yes," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Nick smiled back, and pulled the paper closer to him so he could see it. Tentatively, he began to read.

To my dear Cassie,

I don't know if this will ever reach you, but I pray to the heavens that it does.

You see... I've missed you so much, Cassie. Ever since they took me away from you, it feels... like I'm not living to my fullest.. When we were still together, I enjoyed every minute we spent together. I enjoyed waiting for you to get out of school, and how you would always run up to me and wrap me up in a big, warm hug.

And, more than anything else... I enjoyed simply being your mother. I tried to teach you well, in the hopes that you would turn out to be not only a good Watcher, but also just a good, decent human being.

Something tells me, though, that you would have turned out that way on your own, even without my guidance.

I hope you don't mind, Cassie, but I've tried using my own Watcher powers to keep tabs on you. In case you were wondering, that's how I knew you were there in Hong Kong.

I've seen quite a lot of your boyfriend, as well. I hope he is safe and well, too. He needs you, just as much as, if not more than, you need him. So, don't let him down.

Small talk aside, here's the real reason why I decided to write you now. I don't know whether you'll believe what I'm about to tell you, but I know you've wanted this since I was taken from you. I have, as well, and now it's finally happened.

Cassie... I escaped from the Division building where I was being held.

You probably want to know how, but I can't risk putting it down in this letter, in case Division gets a hold of it before it reaches you. I will say this, though: I had a hand in helping your boyfriend's acquaintance escape, and she inadvertently returned the favor, in much the same way that I had helped her.

Well, in any case, I have decided that it would be best for both of us if I stay away from Hong Kong- for now, at least. I'm bound to have Division coming after me, and well... I can't risk them finding you, as well.

So stay safe, my daughter. Maybe someday we can be reunited for good.

Until then...

With all my love, Mom

Nick looked over at Cassie, and saw tears streaming down her face. He could tell somehow that she'd been trying to keep them in, for her own reasons, but at some point, she just couldn't take it anymore.

"How long has it been since your mom tried to contact you?" Nick asked.

"Four years," Cassie replied through her tears. "She wrote me a short letter when I was nine, but... nothing since then."

Nick silently walked over to her and laid his hands on her shoulders, and Cassie reached her arms up, covering his hands with her own.

"Someday, you'll see her again," Nick said with a smile. "I may not be a Watcher, but that I'm sure of, somehow."

Cassie leaned her head back, so it was resting lightly against his stomach. She smiled up at him and, brushing tears out of her eyes, said simply, "Thank you."

Nick smiled back, then levitated Kira's letter in the air, bringing it over to him.

"Are you going to read that one, too?" Pinky asked.

"Yeah," replied Nick.

Kira's letter turned out to be much shorter than the other. It simply read:

Dear Nick,

I'm coming to Hong Kong on the 26th. I want to meet you, so we can talk.

I'll be at the tower waiting. Come around 5:00.

Love, Kira

A silence enveloped the room, thick, almost uncuttable.

"Are you going to go?" Pinky asked.

"Not sure," Nick replied, "I might. If Kira really does need to talk, I want to be there for her."

The silence returned, before Cassie broke it: "If you do go, can I come with you?"

Nick hadn't considered this. "Why do you want to come?"

"I want to protect you, if something happened. Besides, Kira was my friend, too, and I'd like to talk to her again?"

"I'll think about it," Nick replied. "Cassie, question: Are you going to write your mother back?"

Casie paused for a moment to think about that, then, her voice still cracking slightly, replied, "Not yet. If what she said was true, Division may already know that she sent that letter. They'll be looking for a letter back from me for the next week or so, 'cause they know I probably miss her a lot...

"But if they don't find a letter soon, they might just think that her mail got lost in transit or something."

Nick had to admit, she had a point.

As Cassie and Nick were talking, Pinky's mind wandered to other parts. Suddenly, he spoke up: "This is probably the last thing on your minds right now, but... are you two still planning on going on your little date?"

Cassie and Nick looked at each other in surprise; since getting the mail, they'd forgotten completely about that.

"I really don't have a problem with it," Nick said, "but I'm not sure if Cassie is really up to it right now... Are you?"

Her response came slowly: "I guess so... It might let me take my mind off of all this, at least. Besides, I have been looking forward to it."

Nick turned to Pinky. "I guess we are still on, then. I need a favor, though."

"Name it."

"Division may still be after us. Think you can shadow us?"

Pinky thought for a moment, then replied, "Sure, what the hell? I don't have anything else to do."

"Great, how much do we owe you for the night?"

Pinky looked a bit shocked. "Honestly, I wasn't going to ask you to pay me. That ten grand I got for Shadowing Kira will last me at least for a little while, before my mercenary life comes calling again. Besides, personally, I happen to think you and Cassie make a cute couple, albeit one with the Age Difference From Hell..."

Nick glared at Pinky, and Cassie laughed softly.

"Thanks," Nick said. "At least let me buy your dinner."

Pinky grinned. "I never pass up a free meal."

Nick and Cassie smiled, and looked up at each other. In spite of the day's events, the anticipation in their eyes was more than evident.

"It's on, then," Nick said, still smiling at Cassie. "And this time, I'll make sure we don't sleep through it."

Yeah, I know, another semi-cliffhanger. But, I hope you're satisfied up to this point. Next chapter is coming soon!!!