A/N: This idea came out of nowhere but once I started writing, it just took on a life of its own. At the time I started writing this, I had not seen past 3x10. Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.

Cassie tried not to let the disappointment swallow her up when she saw Beau and Jenny smiling at one another, teasing each other over a case gone awry. Despite the kinks that appeared when both of them thought the other had the suspect in custody, it had ended well enough. They got their man — Jenny always got her man.

That line of thought had Cassie sipping her drink and glancing around The Boot Heel Bar. There was a decent sized crowd for a typical Thursday night, and she watched as a young woman made a selection on the jukebox. When Carrie Underwood's voice predictably filled the space, Cassie smirked before moving her gaze towards the bar. She watched as the bartender filled orders, chatting all the while to a couple that had 'tourists' written all over them. At the pool table in the far corner, there were a few guys who had a game going, and one of the players locked eyes with her, sending her a smile. She quickly returned it and her gaze continued to travel over the area, knowing that if she let her attention linger on him for even a moment it would most likely be taken as an invitation — one she wasn't looking to extend. Seeing the game though had her remembering the times she had been in the establishment in the last two years. It hadn't been that long since the first night Beau had spent with her and Jenny here, toasting his welcome to Montana. Only a few months had passed but sometimes it still felt like only yesterday that Beau had called out to her, not knowing who she was, and asked if she knew anything about cars.

Cassie hadn't been impressed by his sexist remarks at first and a part of her had wondered if he purposely waited for her arrival. Though how he could have known that she would choose to return to the support group that very day she had no way of explaining; she hadn't known herself. He had bid for her attention after one of the grief counselors mentioned her name and when she introduced herself to Beau, he already knew who she was. But after a conversation, while she attempted to get Pedro rolling again minus that leak, it became very clear that Beau Arlen, while being smarter and more observant than people gave him credit for, had not planned the run-in just to size her up or get dirt on Jenny.

Said blonde suddenly getting to her feet broke Cassie from her thoughts. "I'm going to head to the ladies' room."

Beau shrugged. "Don't rush back on my account."

Jenny smiled and gave Beau that look. "Oh, I know you'll miss me. Try not to be too heartbroken about it while I'm gone."

Taking a pull of his beer, Beau scoffed, "Please."

She snickered, gave Cassie a discreet wink, and headed over to the restrooms.

"So, what's on your mind?"

Cassie glanced up to find Beau looking straight at her, concern adorning his handsome features but his smile warm and encouraging.

She shrugged a shoulder. "Nothing more than the usual."

He nodded slowly, processing that answer. "And the usual?"

"You know, Kai, work, the ranch — the usual."

He didn't seem convinced. "Uh huh. You sure that's all it is?"

She hated how easily he could read her like this. And yet, at the same time, it was one of the things she appreciated most about him and their friendship. He always knew when something wasn't right or she got too caught up in her head.

Just the other day, he had been at the office, returning yet another empty casserole dish to Denise, when Cassie came across something that had been in storage since the wrapping up of the Ronald Pergman case. She was immediately thrust into a sea of memories of her father and it practically took her breath away.

"I'm so sorry, Cassie. I thought I had put those things in a different box," Denise apologized. Both she and Beau had been in the room when Cassie opened it, looking for a file she knew to be around somewhere.

Cassie struggled not to let the tears fall, not to even let them build, and she cleared the quickly forming lump in her throat as she snatched the folder she had been looking for and placed the lid back on the box. "It's fine," she forced out. "I figured that file would have been in this box and I was right."

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Denise look worriedly over at Beau, whose green gaze stayed focused on Cassie. He stepped towards her and lifted the box in his arms. "Denise, where do you keep your files for storage?"

Denise directed him to a back room where all of the records for their old cases were kept. After one quick glance in Cassie's direction, Beau did as instructed, letting Denise lead the way. Cassie took the opportunity to open the folder and scan the contents. A few moments later, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey," Beau murmured.

She met his eyes and she could see the worry there clear as day. Cassie forced a smile which came out as more of a grimace. "I'm okay," she reassured him, trying her best not to let that lump in her throat come back from earlier.

He studied her for a moment and then pulled her into his arms. "C'mere," he whispered. He wrapped her up into a hug, and she heartily returned it. That was one of the other things she liked about him: he gave the best hugs. She felt like she could bury herself into his tall and lean stature and squeeze him as tightly as she could and it wouldn't even make a dent. He could take it and he would return the embrace just as firmly. Whatever she needed. And right then, she needed to feel like something was holding her together, not allowing her to break apart, even if it was only Lewis & Clark County's newest sheriff holding her in one piece in his arms.

That day hadn't been easy by any means but she had gotten through it. And truth be told, it had been Beau who had been the one to actually get her through it. He had insisted on a movie night right then and there, and with Denise's encouragement, Cassie left work early for once and allowed Beau to take her mind off of the thoughts swirling in her head with his charm, humor, and their normal bantering back and forth. He had even grilled steaks for them that night and though he insisted she pick the movie, he had done so when she asked him to do it instead. He had even sat with her while watching said movie and kept his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him and keeping her warm since the blanket covering her only did so much against the cold Montana night air despite the layers she had on. He hadn't even minded when she laid her head on his shoulder and promptly fell asleep in the first thirty minutes of the film.

Not surprisingly, hugs had now become part of their routine. The first time he wanted to give her one, he had asked for permission. She had mercilessly teased him about being such a Southern gentleman, but she had accepted it all the same, and she even deep down had appreciated that he asked instead of just assumed. Now, whenever he was struck by the notion, he did it and Cassie always welcomed the affection.

They had grown close over time. Now Beau Arlen was one of her favorite people on the planet and he was someone she one hundred percent trusted. He had come crashing into their lives in a big and conspicuous manner, but Cassie wouldn't have it any other way. She liked that he would shoot her text messages to check in and that he would call her to keep her updated when they had plans for later that night and his day was running long; she liked that he not only trusted her enough to let her in and talk about what happened back in Houston, but also how he consistently mentioned his daughter and Cassie could hear just how proud he was of her and how much he loved her; she liked that he was "chatty" as Jenny would call it, his stories were interesting and she loved discussing anything from cars to cases to classic horror films with him. Overall, Beau was a genuinely likable guy once you got to know him, and Cassie felt lucky to be able to call him her friend. Even if said friend was currently the cause of the encroaching disappointment she was feeling.

"Yeah," Cassie lied in response to Beau's question, not wanting to tell him what was really bothering her. "It's just one of those days, you know?"

He tilted his head, still studying her. "Yeah, I know how those can be," he replied after a minute. "So, here's what I'm thinking. Tomorrow, you and me, movie night." Before Cassie could speak, Beau added, "At your place."

That made Cassie tilt her head back at him. "My place? Really? Just like that?"

He gave her that grin she loved to see him wear, especially when paired with that familiar light of mischief in his eyes he got when their typical banter and light-hearted teasing commenced. "You're the one with the bigger place now. Besides, you don't care for my lack of glassware, remember?"

She shook her head, chuckling. "I don't mind it. I just don't get why after all of this time living here, you haven't bought any glasses yet. Most people would buy at least one by now. And plates, bowls, spoons…"

"Less dishes for me to do," he insisted. "I don't have a big fancy dishwasher to throw everything into at the end of the day like some folks."

"Knives, cups," she continued.

"Yeah, yeah, alright. Just keep making fun of my lack of dishes and silverware, too, why don't you."

"I'm just saying you could do with at least one fork. Maybe a few actually so you have some extra for Emily or anyone that might pop over for dinner."

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," he surprised her with his agreement. "Dinner, I mean. We could do that tomorrow, too."

Cassie arched an inquisitive brow over at him. "Because I have forks?"

He gave her that big charming grin of his which meant she was on the right track.

"Uh huh. And let me guess, I'll be the one doing the cooking, too? Since I'm the one who has a bigger kitchen, right?"

"No, of course not." One look at Beau's current smirk confirmed that it was exactly what he was proposing. "I'd help."

She snorted and sipped her drink. "I just moved in. I don't want to set the place on fire just yet, thanks."

"Hey! I can cook just fine." Laughter tumbled from her lips at his feigning being offended. "I've made dinner for you before and nothing caught fire."

"Yeah, it's kind of hard to start a fire when you're heating up the takeout food you picked up on your way home…in the microwave."

"That's just mean. I don't even…" Beau dramatically held a hand to his heart. "That was one time and you know it but you still won't let it go. I cook. All the time actually. I will have you know I can grill six ways to Sunday."

"Grilling is not technically cooking," she pointed out. Technically, it was, but she loved to get a rise out of him. She knew how seriously he took his ability to master the grill; he never let her near the damn thing.

His jaw dropped. "Oh, you did not just say that. Not within hearing distance of this barbecue lovin' man from Texas."

Cassie couldn't help but let out a loud laugh, making Beau's grin grow.

They continued like this, teasing and making the other laugh, until Beau brought the conversation back to his original proposal.

"Alright, so I'll get takeout from that restaurant we both like and I'll make the popcorn." At her arched brow, he added with an eye roll, "From scratch."

She gave an approving nod. "Yeah, that's better."

He ignored that and continued. "If you host. Deal?"

She was feeling lighter than she had been earlier and in that case, much more open to the idea. "Deal."

He gave her a triumphant smirk and tipped his glass to hers, chuckling.

Cassie rolled her eyes but eagerly took a sip. "What movie were you thinking? Or did you want to wait to see what's available first?"

Beau shrugged a shoulder. "I was thinking maybe a horror film or a rom-com, you know something somewhere in the middle."

She shook her head, smirking back at him. "You and your love of romantic comedies."

"What, you're gonna start in on me with that now? We've moved from household items to movies? What's next, my car?"

Cassie held a hand to her heart, frowning. "I could never do that to Pedro. He and I go way back."

"He and I go back even further than that, darlin'."

Cassie scrunched up her nose in disgust. "You did not just call me that, again."

Beau laughed. "Come on, it's a term of endearment. You know I meant no harm."

Surprising herself, Cassie stuck her tongue out at him and made him bark out another laugh. She would never admit it, not under pain of torture or if someone held a gun to her head, but she secretly liked it when he used nicknames for her, almost as much as she liked it when he called her Cass. It felt special, almost as if it was just something for her. Beau had made sure to explain that everyone in Texas had nicknames and even Jenny had told her about how she shut down the same 'darlin' when they first met. But when Beau had called her 'sweetheart' once, it shocked Cassie to her core when she realized she liked it.

"What do you think that says about us?" Cassie contemplated. At Beau's narrowing of his eyes, she clarified, "That I love horror films and you love romantic comedies? That I like dark and scary things while you like the light-hearted, funny, and romantic side of life?" She kept her gaze trained on her glass, her fingertip slowly gliding over the rim. "It feels like there's a joke in there somewhere…"

"I don't think there is." Cassie's eyes lifted to meet his and she found that his incredibly captivating gaze was centered on her once more. Not for the first time, she felt as if he could see right down to her soul, right down to what was actually bothering her in that moment, and there was nowhere left for her to hide anything. "I think it just says that we both have great taste."

He finished speaking with such a warm smile that Cassie couldn't help but start to smile herself in response. "Yeah," she softly agreed.

The bartender interrupted just then to deliver another round of drinks that Cassie supposed Beau had ordered while she had been lost in her thoughts. She also noticed a full glass of water was placed in front of her in addition to her refill and the same was done for Jenny, making her grin and shake her head at Beau being Beau.

Once the bartender left, Beau cleared his throat. "So, how about another Korean horror film? You seemed to like the last one."

She shrugged, wrapping her fingers around the new glass. "I don't know, I think I could do a romantic comedy." Seeing Beau's delighted surprise morph into an overly eager expression, Cassie held a hand up. "Okay, wait. I said I think I could do one. Just one."

"Are you sure? Because I've got a whole list. I even have the app on my phone and we could scroll through a few titles right now. I've got everything sorted. We're talking 80's, John Cusack, Sandra Bullock—hey, don't give me that look. She is the queen of romantic comedies. Don't let anyone tell you any different."

Cassie couldn't stop snickering. "Oh my God, I've opened the can of romantic comedy worms. Beau Arlen, good ol' boy from Houston, has a list of romantic comedies to watch, who knew?"

She could see a faint twinge of pink appear in his cheeks but he laughed it off. "Sure, make fun of my list. Go ahead, I'm not ashamed. And I would just like to remind you that I also have another list as well."

"Mmm, your punch list. Right."

"See? I keep it all balanced." His grin was as wide as his spread out arms.

"Oh my God," Cassie chuckled and took a sip of water.

At that moment, Jenny reappeared, taking her seat and picking up her own glass, and jumped right into the conversation. "Oh, you are quite the picture of stability there, Sheriff."

Cassie's gaze immediately darted towards Beau at the words, seeing a slight tic of his jaw before it smoothed over into a tight smile. "Yeah," he chuckled but Cassie could hear the lack of amusement in the sound. He took a long pull of his beer, turning to look over at the group of increasingly rowdy guys playing pool in the far corner. It was evident that the good mood he had been in moments before was no longer present, and something was clearly on his mind.

Jenny glanced at Cassie, her brows furrowed in confusion, most likely wondering what she had said wrong. Cassie knew it wasn't Jenny's fault; the blonde had no idea what had transpired back in Houston because Beau hadn't told her and Jenny wouldn't ask. Both of them were beyond stubborn most times, but when it came to each other, it was like trying to push a Mack truck down a freeway with nothing but your hands: it was never going to work. She knew Jenny only meant what she said as light teasing, not realizing the double-edged sword to her words. And she knew how hard that one particular word hit home for Beau, after everything he had been through in the past couple of years. She couldn't enlighten Jenny and she couldn't do or say anything to comfort Beau without arousing Jenny's curiosity so she kept her mouth shut, gave her best friend a small smile, and shrugged. Cassie felt bad but it was Beau's story to tell, not hers.

"So, uh," Jenny started after a few more moments of Beau's silence, sounding unsure. "What were you guys talking about while I was in there? I thought I heard something about a list?"

Beau swung his gaze back to their table, still not making eye contact with either of them as he took another swig of his beer. "Movie list," he answered.

"Oh. Are you guys planning another movie night?" Jenny looked back and forth between them hopefully.

Cassie went to reply when Beau spoke up instead. "We're thinking about it." He pulled out his phone to read a text message that had just been sent to him.

She watched as Jenny stared sadly at Beau before downing her drink. Watching the way she angrily threw the liquid back, Cassie knew that Jenny had suddenly decided that she said nothing wrong and that their friend was being a jerk for no reason. Cassie knew she had to intervene and fast or Jenny was bound to say something that would definitely piss Beau off and the former would end up regretting it later.

And she was about to when Beau's expression lightened as he texted a reply back to whoever had sent him a message, making her pull up short. Jenny froze, too, watching him intently. Beau snickered and slipped his phone back into his pocket, giving both women a grin. "Em just texted me to let me know she's excited to come see me this weekend as long as I agree to let her bring some groceries and do the cooking."

Cassie smirked. "She wants to be the one to cook, huh?"

Beau held up a finger, still smiling. "No, no. This isn't that. She wants to cook."

She nodded. "Right, right."

His smile grew and that teasing gleam was back in his eyes. Crisis averted. "She does. And she said it's because, and I quote, she's tired of going hungry and wants me to say my goodbyes to the George Foreman grill because she's pretty sure it's been lost to Narnia. Now, I don't know exactly what that means but I told her I refused to let that culinary masterpiece go to waste and that I would toss the trailer to find it, come hell or high water."

"Em's right. Let it go. Just let it go," she urged.

"Never."

Cassie shook her head before drinking some more. "You're hopeless." And then her eyes snapped to him, realizing what she had just said and worried that she might have hurt him and killed the wary resurgence of his good mood. But all she saw staring back at her was his charming smile and the frequent light and warmth in his eyes that she had grown accustomed to these past few months, no anger or hurt or bitterness residing there.

"More like determined."

"Oh, I'm sure that's what it is and not at all you refusing to admit defeat," she teased.

"That word is not in my vocabulary."

"Exactly."

"I'll find it and bring it over," he promised. "You watch."

"That thing is not allowed in my kitchen."

Beau let out a loud gasp, making Cassie smirk. "How dare you. Just what have you got against Big George? Do you not realize what he had to go through to share his cooking genius with the rest of the world?"

"Pretty sure he only slapped his name on it, but okay."

"That's it." He quickly glanced over at Jenny. "Hoyt, I'm coming in late tomorrow. You're going to need to hold down the fort. I have a genius piece of cookware to find." He then looked back at Cassie. "You're going to eat your words, literally. Just you wait."

"At this point, you'd have better luck just buying a new one," Cassie quipped.

"Oh, I am about to— You know what?" He turned in his seat and signaled to the bartender for the check, making Cassie burst out into laughter. "I'll go home and find it right now. And you can be amazed when I show up with it tomorrow."

She turned a grin on Jenny who was silently watching, her eyes narrowed in a squint as she studied the two of them. Cassie's smile began to fade, seeing the hurt in Jenny's expression. A part of her didn't understand why she was always made to feel guilty for hers and Beau's friendship. She understood that Jenny wanted something similar with the sheriff, she really did, but Cassie herself couldn't make that happen. She had tried to urge Jenny to talk to Beau more, to ask him what she really wanted to know about the man's divorce that she had been beating around the bush about when asking Cassie, but the blonde refused to give way. He had included Jenny in their movie nights and they now hung out as a group most times, but whenever he had mentioned their friend in passing to Cassie when they were alone, it had always been from either a professional angle or the perspective of a concerned friend who still kept her at arm's length. And though she had warned her friend that Beau might not be presently interested in the dating pool and that things were still complicated with the divorce and his ex, she had a sneaking suspicion that even if Beau let his walls down around Jenny and let her in, that the woman wouldn't be happy until they were as close as she wanted to be. Cassie knew Jenny like the back of her hand; she knew when her friend was in hunting mode, and it was more than obvious who she had set her sights on. And while that tugged at Cassie's stomach in an unpleasant way that she refused to look at too closely, she hated how she was always made to feel bad for every joke between them, every smile exchanged, and every time they basically interacted with one another. And the reason she always felt bad is because every single time she would glance at Jenny after one of these moments, the latter would always have the same look in her eyes: as if Cassie was betraying her, again.

"You're going to be begging me to use it." Beau's voice pulled her out of her reverie and while the cocky smirk directed at her normally would have made her feel lighter, this time it just made her feel as if a heavy stone was sitting on her chest and another had just been added to it. "And then you're going to want to borrow it. I know it."

She gave him a small smile and picked up her drink, finishing it in one large gulp, and got to her feet. "Oh, I'm sure. I'm going to head to the restroom. I'll be right back."

Beau's smirk slowly faded and his brows began to furrow as she passed him. She glanced back to find Jenny giving her a grateful smile before it turned into a flirtatious grin that she then directed at Beau. Cassie swiveled her head back to the path she was making to the restrooms, ignoring one of the guys at the pool table attempting to call out to her when she walked by. That unpleasant feeling in her stomach was back but she was determined to pretend it was only due to the mixture of water and alcohol she had consumed in a short span of time and that is what made a trip to the bathroom necessary before she left for the night. And she convinced herself that it had absolutely nothing to do with her one best friend across the bar currently leaning in like a predator about to pounce on her prey and that said prey was her other best friend who she may or may not have the tiniest bit of feelings for. Cassie smiled at the woman who had just walked out of the bathrooms and hurried inside, locking the door behind her and staring into the dirty mirror while she focused on breathing in and out until the sick feeling passed.

Once it had, she gave herself a nod and unlocked the door, intent on returning to the table and determined to withdraw from her friends' company so she could go to the bar and order herself one more round to help take the edge off.

She gave the attractive guy from before a smile as she passed, knowing full well that he was going to approach her once she was alone. When he did, she would accept the drink he would offer to buy for her and it had absolutely nothing to do with the chaos currently attempting to take residence inside her mind.

And when she grabbed her things and made her excuses, not making eye contact with either of her two friends and ignoring Beau's protests and concern about how she would get home, it still had nothing to do with the fact that she just knew that Jenny would very likely make the most out of this opportunity Cassie had given her.

"Call me tomorrow, Cassie," she could hear Jenny call from behind her but she refused to turn around and acknowledge the request. Instead, she beat a hasty retreat to the bar to order a beer and a shot.

Nope, nothing to do with the tight feeling sitting inside her chest that involved a certain six foot tall lawman from Houston at all.