Once Upon A Broken Heart

Cassie gasped at Karen's revelation. "He what?"

"Keith proposed to Jules, just before I got there." Karen said, tears pooling in her eyes.

"But that's not possible." Luke said.

"Yeah, he promised me he wouldn't. He's never broken a promise to me before." Cassie added.

"Well he did." Karen started sobbing uncontrollably as Lucas wrapped his arms around her, stabilizing her before she fell over. He led the 3 of them over to a couch and sat down.

Cassie rubbed her mother's back soothingly as Karen cried. She felt awful. She was the one who had convinced her mother to confess her feelings. She was the one who had thought she had talked Keith into waiting. She was the one who had got everyone's hopes up of the perfect life...a life with her mom and Keith being married and her and Lucas finally being able to call Keith dad.

"Mom, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." Cassie cried.

Karen turned to face her daughter with a bewildered expression. "How is this your fault, honey?" She asked.

"I was the one who told you to tell Keith about your feelings and then I was the one to tell Keith to hold off on his proposal to Jules. I got everyone's hopes up." Cassie explained.

Karen sighed and shook her head, pulling out of her son's arms. She then took her daughter's hands in her own. "Cass, this isn't your fault."

"But..."

Karen shook her head a little harder. "No, I will not let you blame yourself. It just wasn't meant to be I guess."

"I'm still sorry, Mom." Cassie said as she cried into her mother's arms.

"Look on the bright side, you guys will finally get the aunt you've always wanted." Karen said.

"An aunt we can't stand." Lucas reminded her. "There is no bright side to this."

"Yeah Mom, Jules is like the wicked Stepmother in Cinderella." Cassie said earning a laugh from Lucas.

"You guys..." Karen began but then had to stop to laugh a little at the analogy. "We have to be happy for Keith ok? He obviously loves Jules and if she makes him happy, then I think we need to push aside our own feelings about her."

"I guess." Lucas said.

"I'll try." Cassie said, crossing her fingers behind her back and glancing at her brother. She knew they were thinking the same thing. They had to put a stop to this before Keith got hurt. They both knew that Jules was working for Dan and that there was no way her feelings for Keith were as strong as Keith's were for her.

"Maybe you should go give Keith your congrats?" Karen suggested.

"Ok, do you want to come with us?" Lucas asked.

Karen shook her head. "I'm going to stay here and talk to Deb for awhile, maybe stop in and see Nathan."

Cassie and Lucas both nodded understandingly.

"Ok well I'll see you later at the cafe." Cassie said.

"Sounds good sweetie." Karen said and hugged Cassie. She could tell Cassie was still worried about her. "And you I guess I will see around sometime? Maybe a little more than I've seen you lately?" Karen asked hopefully. "Maybe you could move home?"

Lucas sighed and shook his head. "Mom, I wish I could, but I can't."

Karen nodded expectantly. That was the same excuse he had been giving her since he moved in with Dan. She knew Dan was holding something over him, she just didn't know what, but she was determined to find out what it was so she could get her son back.

"I understand." Karen said disappointedly. "I'll see you soon, ok kiddo?"

Lucas nodded. "Of course, I'll stop by the cafe tomorrow on the way to school."

"Ok, bye guys." She said walking towards Nathan's room.

"Luke, you were thinking the same thing I was right?" Cassie asked her brother who had a strange look on his face.

Lucas nodded. "We need to figure out what to do about Jules and fast."

"Should we go to Keith?" Cassie asked.

Lucas shook his head. "Not until we have some kind of solid evidence."

"Good point." Cassie agreed. "Well I still think we should go see him."

"Ok, we'll let him think we are ok with his engagement, that way we won't throw the plan off course."

"What's the plan?" Cassie asked curiously. "And how can I help?" Off Lucas' look, she added "I already told you, if you have any way of taking down Dan, I want in. I'm a lot tougher than you think I am."

Lucas laughed. "Ok fine, stubborn sister of mine. I'm going to use my living with Dan to my advantage. I will try and get as close as I can to him, figure out what he's up to and when I finally have all the information, then we attack."

Cassie grinned and nodded. "And what do you want me to do?"

"You distract Keith and anyone else. Get involved in wedding plans, don't let anyone think that anything's going on." Lucas said.

"That I can do." Cassie agreed quickly.

"First things first, let's go see Keith."

A little while later they arrived at Keith's apartment building and let themselves inside.

"Uncle Keith are you here?" Cassie asked.

"In here, Cass." Keith called from his living room.

"Lucas is here too." Cassie said.

"All the better, I have news." Keith said excitedly.

As soon as Cassie and Lucas walked into the room, Keith enveloped them both in a bear hug.

"I'm engaged." He said, a prominent grin on his face. He looked happier than they had seen him in a long time.

"We heard." Lucas said, trying to sound as happy as he could for his uncle.

"Yeah Mom told us." Cassie explained.

"Oh ok." Keith nodded. "How did she sound? She seemed kinda upset when she left here. Is it something I did?"

Cassie shook her head. "No, she was just shocked I think."

"We all were." Luke added. "It happened so fast."

Keith nodded in agreement. "I know, I just couldn't wait any longer. I mean Jules is the kind of woman that only comes around once or twice in a lifetime, kind of like your Mom." He explained. "Once you have a woman like that, you don't let go." He directed this comment more towards Lucas than Cassie but then added "that goes for men to, Cass."

"But Keith I thought you said you were going to wait, you promised me." Cassie said. "I just don't want you jumping into something and then regretting it later."

"I know I did, honey. But Jules came in and saw the ring and that was that." Keith said.

"But how well do you even know this woman?" Lucas asked.

Keith shrugged. "Pretty well and the things I know, I like and the more I get to know her, the more I like her. She had some problems in the past, but she's worked through them. She's amazing."

Yeah ok, we'll see. Cassie thought to herself.

"Aren't you guys happy for me?" Keith asked concerned by their strange responses to his news.

"Of course we are." Lucas said. "Couldn't be happier."

"Yeah don't worry, it's just going to take a bit for the shock to wear off." Cassie said.

"Ok." Keith smiled at them. "I have something I want to ask you, Lucas."

"Alright..." Lucas said unsurely.

"Would you be my best man? You can say no if you want to, it would just mean a lot to me if you would consider it." Keith said.

"Would the answer be anything but yes?" Lucas laughed.

Keith smiled. "Well I wasn't too sure for a minute there." He looked at Cassie. "And you young lady...Jules would like to ask you to be her maid of honor."

Cassie's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? I didn't even think she liked me."

"Course she likes you." Keith said. "She's just not used to dealing with kids...or teenagers. So will you do it? Jules doesn't really have a lot of close family, so I know it would mean a lot to her to have you fill in."

Cassie thought it over and realized that she should jump at this opportunity because it would allow her to keep Jules distracted with wedding plans and hopefully keep her away from Dan, and also to help Lucas get the information he needed. She could get to know Jules better and find out what kind of person she really is. "Sure, I'll do it." Cassie agreed with a smile. "I'd be more than happy to fill in."

"Thank you." Keith hugged her appreciatively. "Thank you both." He pulled away. "I want you both to know, this won't change anything between the 3 of us ok? I may be married to Jules, but you two are still the two most important people in my life and you always will be."

Cassie and Lucas both smiled at his and hugged him, with tears in their eyes. This was going to be even harder than they thought.