Shout-outs: Tacodestroyeravenger, Chymom, Beth-TauriChick, KitKat1995, RayofDawn and maxiefae

Rated: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Chapter 4

"I'm sure I never saw you before when I wasn't like however it is that I am. So, what are you doing here in a small town that isn't even on the map?" Cassandra asked.

"I needed to get away," Jake answered without offering her any of the details to what had happened.

"Oh," was all Cassandra said, she looked curious but she didn't press him for any more information even though he knew she was tempted to. There was a pause and then she looked at him with serious eyes. "Well, if you ever want to tell me what happened, I will be more than happy to listen to you talk."

Jake smiled a little bit inspite of himself. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Cassandra replied, settling down on the couch and folding her hands on her lap. "So, now what?"

"I dunno know," Jake said, shrugging slightly. "I guess I'll do some readin' or somethin' like that. Maybe I'll go and make a beer run, since you don't have anything to drink in the apartment like that."

"Drinking is always better when it's done socially," Cassandra told him primly.

"Now why on earth would you think that?" Jake asked, looking slightly dumbfounded. "You know what, never mind! I don't even want to know how you came to that conclusion."

She smiled at him. "You shouldn't drink because you're feeling bad, alcohol doesn't solve anything, you know."

"What are you? A freakin' public service message?" Jake asked. "I'll tell you somethin', one of the reasons I came to this town that isn't even on a map was to escape constantly talkin' about how I'm feelin'! Talkin' about it doesn't help that much either!"

"I know," Cassandra whispered so quietly, he didn't even hear her.

Jake sighed. "I can't even believe I'm talkin' to you about that. I don't know you; you're in a coma for cryin' out loud."

Cassandra's frown was quickly replaced with a smile. "Maybe that's exactly why you're talking to me. I don't know anything about you or your life story or even your circumstances. I'm not constantly going to ask how you're doing and one day, if I wake up, I might not even remember we talked or knew each other. But you need to talk to somebody. I find whenever you're going through a difficult time; it's good to have friends."

"And have you ever gone through a difficult time?" Jake asked.

She shrugged. "Hasn't everybody gone through something difficult at some point in their lives?" was all she offered.

Jake thought about Mabel, about her family, about people he knew in Oklahoma and the people they had lost, or trials they had faced and realized that she was right.

"Yes," he said.

"I bet you were there for the people in your life when they needed someone," Cassandra said. "Why won't you let them return the favor? I am sure they wanted to."

Jake had no good answer for her. He had never thought about anybody else when he had packed up and left his life behind for a while. His promise to Mabel before she had died was tucked away in his mind. He wasn't meeting new people, he wasn't showing them parts of himself that he'd only let her see, and he definitely wasn't going places like Paris.

He shook his head.

"Are you sure?" Cassandra asked.

Jake realized that she thought his shaking his head was in response to her question, not trying to clear his head of his thoughts. "I didn't really think about it before leaving," he admitted.

"Oh."

"All I thought about was myself," Jake told her.

"You don't have to tell me anything!" Cassandra rushed to tell him. "It really isn't any of my business. I shouldn't have said anything about it in the first place. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be!" Jake interjected. "You didn't say anything to offend me, honestly Cassie."

Cassandra still looked uncertain, but didn't press the issue any further, she felt like she had already done that enough for the day. She sighed. "Okay, if you're sure then."

Jake nodded and grasped at straws to change the subject because it was now officially uncomfortable for the both of them. "What did you do before the coma?"

Cassandra's frown deepened. "Now that I think about it, I can't quite remember. It had to be something more than hanging out with Eve and listening to Taylor Swift though. Right?"

"Probably," Jake answered, not pointing out that she probably didn't just listen to Taylor Swift if the Sharon Isbin and Porgy & Bess albums mixed in with the rest of her music that was distinctly not Taylor Swift.

"I mean, that would be a boring kind of life to lead. . ." Cassandra trailed off and looked around her apartment, suddenly desperate for some answers.

"I saw some complicated math books in your guest room," Jake said. "Maybe you were a brilliant mathematician or the youngest professor at some Ivy League college."

"Maybe," Cassandra answered, still looking troubled and doubtful.

"I'll find out what you did with yourself when I talk to Eve about what happened to you," Jake promised.

Cassandra looked a little relieved. "Thank you," she said.

"Of course," Jake answered. "It isn't like I have anything better to do with my time than chase down the story of ghosts."

"Hey!" Cassandra said looking slightly offended.

"I mean chasin' down. . ." Jake trailed off. "Oh never mind!"

Suddenly, Cassandra was all smiles again. "Okay!"

"I think I'll just put some music on now," Jake said, going over to her stacks and stacks of albums, looking for something that would shut them both up for a while. He found a copy of Rusallka, an opera he had secretly loved in high school and put it in the CD player.

He turned around and saw Cassandra smiling, her eyes closed as the familiar music filled the room. "You like Rusallka?" She asked.

"Yes," Jake answered, realizing his pulse had sped up slightly as he answered her. This was one of the things Mable had asked him to do, share the parts of himself she had found beautiful with other people. He cleared his throat. "Do you have a favorite part?"

"For your love, for that beauty of yours, for your inconstant human passion, for everything by which my fate is cursed, human soul, God have mercy on you! You're lost completely!" Cassandra recited.

"The closing lines," Jake said. "Where Rusallka thanks the prince for showing her human love and commends his soul to God before returning to her place in the lake as a demon of death."

"Yes," Cassandra answered. "What about you?"

"I'm partial to the beginning, where she first falls in love with the prince and tells her father that she wants to become human," Jake replied. "There is hardly anything better than being in the throes of new love."

"I guess you're right," Cassandra conceded.

Jake sat down next to her. "Shhh. Just listen," he said.

And they did.

TBC. . .

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Author's Note:

This chapter almost didn't get written because we had a death in the family and my mind has been all over the place. When it finally started to get written, I barely had enough words to post it. So, I added stuff about the opera. I am of the impression that Jake would be a closeted opera fan. I hope you enjoyed it despite my little sprinkling of pretentiousness. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts! More next Saturday, I promise.

Love,

Holly, 1/31/2015_