The next day worried Cassie. Working New Years Eve was difficult. The diner closed at one am, earlier than last call at the bars, but after some revellers had already left the parties they were attending. People could be sloppy drunk by then and that was a problem. She was working a ridiculously long shift, too, having picked up hours earlier in the day. As a result she was working from one until one. Cassie expected to be exhausted and was happy that she had the three days following off to recover before her next shift and the start of classes the next week. The only good things were the tips should be fantastic and that she was working closing with Luke.

Sal was finished in the kitchen at eight, so Cassie went through her tips and prepared his envelope. She was already exhausted but had another five hours of work to go. Luke tied on his apron, taking over the grill while watching the exchange.

"Hey, have a Happy New Year, Cassie," Sal said, giving her a hug.

"Thanks, you too, Sal, see you next year." Cassie gave him a kiss on the cheek, and the older man blushed.

"You save those for your young man, Hon, no use wasting them on me," Sal walked out the back door, counting his envelope.

Luke coloured, wishing it was him that was receiving Cassie's attentions. Maybe tonight he'd get the nerve to say something, do something? After all, there was the countdown at midnight. He could see she was tired, so he decided to prepare her something special to eat. There was usually a lull at around nine o'clock, the time Brenda, the other server tonight, was done for the day.

Brenda nodded bye to Luke, leaving him a few scant dollars on the table, then pulled on her coat and left. She had three kids at home and a babysitter to pay, so he was fine with it. About five minutes later Cassie finished refilling cups, served the last current order, and checked out and bussed four tables before coming into the kitchen to sit at the table. Luke placed a plate with a salmon steak and house salad before her, as well as a strawberry-banana smoothie.

"Thanks, Luke," she gave him a weary smile.

"Energy food," he mumbled and sat down across from her, with his own plate, his heart beating faster at the sight of her smile.

"I can certainly use it. Long shift today, but we should get lots of tips." Cassie paused for a moment while she took a bite of salmon. "Luke, this is fantastic."

He visibly coloured and Cassie noticed. "Thanks." Luke did not look up, instead focussed on his fork. He felt so foolish.

After a few big sips of her smoothie, Cassie went back out to the front, checking on her tables. Five minutes later, Luke was finished his food and started on a new order when Cassie came back to finish her dinner. She studied him when he cooked, his leanly muscled arms--veins prominent on his forearms, the way his jeans hugged his tight ass, in fact everything about him was tight. It was the way he carried himself, like he never relaxed. Cassie was sure this was because of things that happened when he was younger and she wished she could just hug him. Hugging Sal was easy, it didn't mean anything, but hugging Luke...that was an impossibility and would mean so much more.

..........................

The drunken frat boys came in at eleven thirty. The three of them must have been kicked out of wherever they had been before, but so far they weren't too much trouble. One had a backwards hat and curly brown hair, the second was a taller blond, and the third was a kind of muscular guy with dark hair, and all three were somewhat drunk, definitely buzzed, but not too sloppy. They ordered a pile of greasy food and shakes, made some ridiculously cheesy comments, but were relatively friendly although a little loud. At midnight, they insisted on doing a countdown, which was fine, but then they took it a bit too far and tried to grab Cassie to help celebrate.

"No! Thanks, but that's enough," Cassie said loudly. The tall blond held her order pad that he had nabbed from her apron and held it above his head, ransoming it for a kiss, while the muscular guy was holding her back, arms circling her waist. Backwards hat guy was sitting at the table capturing everything with his phone. A few of the other patrons looked on, calling for them to stop, while a few laughed at her predicament.

Luke heard the commotion and stepped out of the kitchen, rolling pin in hand. "Are we having trouble here boys?" he said evenly in a gruff voice with a menacing scowl. He could see the look on Cassie's face, she was truly upset and Luke was furious. "Give the lady back her things, then leave. Oh and pay your bill first, with a tip."

"Fine, freak, we don't want any trouble," the one holding Cassie spat out, releasing her with a bit of a push.

"Come on, Ty, let's go." The tall one tossed Cassie's pad at her and made towards the door.

"Not so fast," Luke said threateningly. "Pay. Your. Bill."

"This ought to cover it." The guy filming everything put his phone away, stood and tossed a crumpled fifty on the table, then strode to the door with his friends. They left jeering and cursing as they walked out.

Luke turned and calmly walked back into the kitchen, rage radiating off him in waves. He needed to punch something, instead he made biscuit batter for the following morning. It would save the breakfast cook some time and it would save Luke from getting arrested.

Once the excitement died down, the rest of the customers finished up pretty quickly, and because they felt sorry for Cassie, left good tips. As shaken as Cassie was, she just continued on with her job. There would be time to cry later. She cleared and cleaned the tables, filled the napkin dispensers, swept the floor and cleaned out the coffee pots. All without shaking, crying, or collapsing, even though she wanted to.

Counting her tips, she made up Luke's envelope. It was a good night money-wise, and Cassie slipped in a little extra to thank him for coming to her rescue. The rest she stuck in her pocket. Putting on her coat, hat and scarf, Cassie made a decision—this was the last time she was going to ask because she didn't like getting shot down, but tonight she thought something might be different.

"Luke, would you like a drive? It looks a little cold and there's probably lots of crazies out." She handed him his envelope and he put it in his pocket.

As much as Luke needed the walk to cool off, he really wanted the ride, really wanted to be near Cassie. Plus, if he turned her down, she might not ask again. "Sure."

Cassie was pleasantly surprised, "Great. Are you ready?"

"I'll just be a second." Luke wanted to double check the kitchen and had to get his jacket.

"Okay, I'll go warm up the car."

Cassie slipped out the front door and turned toward her car. Something about the way she moved caught Luke's eye. It seemed off. Almost like she was jerked away from the door. It took him a second or two to process everything, then fear sliced through him as he exploded out the door and ran to the parking lot.

............................

Voices were swirling around Cassie's head, "Hold her down."

"Let me get in the bitch's pants."

"Where's your freak to save you now?"

Cassie was pushed against the hood of her car, bent over. The muscular guy from earlier was holding her down, another was trying to tear off her pants, and the backwards hat guy was, again, capturing the moment on his phone.

"Let. her. go." Luke said evenly, pointedly, controlled, even though he was outnumbered.

"Fuck you, Freak." But they did let her go. Cassie clutched her coat around her. Her shirt was torn and bra exposed.

"Get in the car, Cassie. Lock the door. Drive away," Luke told her.

The three drunks circled Luke.

Cassie's sense of dread increased tenfold, Luke was in trouble, "No! Leave him alone."

"Get in the car Cassie," Luke's voice was calm and cold.

"Better listen to him Cassie, it's the last thing he's ever going to say to you. And then we'll still fuck you. All of us." The tall blond flipped out a knife.

Cassie's eyes widened in terror as she fumbled for her cell phone, dialling 9-1-1. Her fingers couldn't move fast enough and her heart was pounding. The noise of her phone drew the attention of the backwards hat guy and he turned to move towards her. Luke saw the movement towards Cassie and, forgetting about the other two guys or his own safety, moved towards hat guy to protect her. The two other guys took advantage of Luke's turned back and used that opportunity to jump him. The blond with the knife kicked out Luke's knees while the muscular guy started to pummel Luke in the head. Luke crumpled to the pavement from the kick to his knees and threw his arms up to prevent the blows to his head from reaching their mark.

"Get in the car, Cassie!" Luke managed to yell one last time as he started to fight back, fury ignited, fists flying. He head-butted one guy and swung wildly at another. He just wanted her safe. He could take this, he'd taken worse, but Cassie had to be okay—needed to be okay.

"Rick, fucking forget the bitch, help us," and just like that the wrath of all three focused on Luke.

"9-1-1, what is your emergency?" said a disembodied voice.

Cassie managed to get in the car and lock the door while screaming into the phone, "They're going to kill him. Please come. Please."

"Where are you, miss?"

"Starlight Diner, right by campus."

"On our way."

"There are three people attacking my friend. Please hurry." Cassie tried to keep a level head but the scene through her car window was terrifying. Although Luke held his own initially, the three together managed to overpower him and were taking turns kicking him. Luke was turtled on the ground, and Cassie wasn't sure where the knife was. "Where are you? He's going to be killed!"

"Cars should be right there." the voice says, just as Cassie saw the telltale cherry lights flashing, coming closer.

"I see them." So did the attackers. They ceased their assault, fleeing, leaving Luke lying prone and lifeless on the ground. Cassie sprang from the car and dove towards Luke. "He's still breathing, but he's not moving." She took his hand and held it, but felt completely helpless, terrified, and ill listening to his laboured breaths.

Two cop cars raced into the parking lot, stopping just short of Luke's injured body.

"An ambulance is on it's way. What happened?" one of the officers questioned.

Cassie's looked up, tears streaming down her face. "Three guys were drunk and they left the restaurant awhile ago. They jumped me in the parking lot and Luke saved me."

"Ah shit, Luke? Luke Cavanaugh?" The burly officer asked, squinting at the wounded man.

"I—I don't know. He's a cook and a student. He's my friend." Cassie was embarrassed. How could she not know something as simple as his last name?

"Social work?" he questioned.

"Yes."

The officer turned to his partner, face pale with dread, "He's one of Bryan's—like our son. He's a good kid, I promise."

"He is good, Officer, I swear it," Cassie cried, unsure of the exchange between the officers, but worried Luke was facing arrest—if he survived. "There was a knife, they had a knife. I don't know where it is."

Nausea overtook Cassie as the reality of everything set in; she stumbled to the frozen grass before throwing up. As she retched, the ambulance pulled in, and Cassie hoped they were fast enough. The burly officer moved closer to Cassie to ensure she was okay, and the simple act of holding her caused her resolve to collapse in its entirety.

"I'm Officer Charles, and they're going to do everything they can, I swear it." He carefully guided her shaking form back to the ambulance, tears clouding her vision.

Luke was quickly assessed and placed on a stretcher. Cassie also needed to be taken to the hospital just in case she was in shock, so she rode in the back of the ambulance with Officer Charles. The ambulance attendants quickly hooked up an IV and took Luke's vitals as they raced to the hospital.

"Is Luke going to be okay? He needs to be okay," Cassie kept repeating, her breathing shallow and head spinning.

"I don't know..." Officer Charles was trying to remember her name, if he even knew it.

"Cassie. Cassie Martin."

Officer Charles tried not to show surprise at the named he'd heard bandied about at his house only a week earlier. "Well, Cassie, I can tell you he's been through a lot, but he's a fighter. He's strong."