Cassandra opened her eyes and was surprised to see it was morning. She jackknifed up. Or tried to. A streak of fire from her abdomen dropped her back on the bed. In her shock, she'd forgotten about her injuries. It was an unlikely thing to forget but her bafflement had thrown everything else out of the window.

She'd slept through the night. Without waking up even once. Something she'd never done before. Not since her grandmother passed away. And especially not with Kendall with her. Her body was more restless and alert to any sound when Kendall slept with her.

From the sunlight streaming through her tiny window and the noise outside, she knew the clinic was open. So why hadn't she woken up? The last she remembered was talking to Daniel. But he couldn't possibly be the reason.

One reason being he had put her in this position in the first place. Well, he might not be the main reason- she was still going to marry Bryan, with or without anyone's involvement- but he certainly didn't help the situation.

And the other reason was his general attitude with her. She still hadn't forgotten his utter dismissal when she'd come to him for help. His continued distrust. His main reason for approaching her in the first place.

Revenge.

She was only a means to an end for him. It was just unfortunate she'd bore his son or he would have never come to her again.

So, with both reasons combined, she could never see him as a safe port.

Right?

Why in the world would she? It's not like her subconscious had betrayed her, right? Even as the question popped into her mind, she knew it was true. Slamming her hands into the bed, she glared at the ceiling.

Why would her body and psyche betray her such? Could she no longer trust her own subconscious judgement? And how could she even change her subconscious? There's a reason why it was called her subconscious.

Exhausted with trying to wrestle her subconscious into line, and failing, she was slightly startled when the door opened to admit Jeremy in. He must be checking up on her, like he usually did most mornings.

But, her eyes narrowing, something was off.

Moving her bed to a sitting position, she warily watched him approach. An air of nervousness was practically palpable about him. And his eyes kept darting away from her and, or so it seems, to the door.

"Hey, Jeremy,"she said brightly even as her hand crept under her pillow. A wave of reassurance engulfing her as she grasped her gun.

"Morning, Ms Smith,"he greeted with obvious false cheer. She could see his file shaking slightly as he approached her. And he was paler than usual. Her hand tightened on her gun. "Let me just take your temperature-"

Suddenly, there was a shout from the corridor and the sound of running feet. Her eyes having been drawn to the door, movement at her peripheral, especially near her IV drip, made her turn back and push Jeremy away. And her eyes widened when she saw the syringe in his hand.

"W-what? Jeremy?"she gasped. His eyes moved from her to his hand and he crumbled in front of her. The syringe and file clattered to the ground as he collapsed. His face leached of color and his eyes dark with guilt and fear.

And Cass was not surprised. Bryan had that effect on everyone. Honestly, she was surprised Jeremy had lasted that long. There must have been some dark secret for him to succumb. And she felt sorry for him. Knowing he was an inherently good man, she knew he'd have to grapple with what he had been about to do. She didn't envy him that battle.

Hearing movement at the doorway, her attention shot to it, her gun providing backup. Only for her to place her gun back under her pillow as Kendall raced to her side and Daniel looking at her with an inscrutable expression.

--------@@@@--------

Entering his house, Daniel smiled when he heard Kendall's laughter from the living room. He was glad his son was settling in just fine in the month he'd moved Cassandra to his house. His smile widened when he heard his father's voice shouting in excitement as the two played a video game, the only thing that would engender that level of excitement in

Daniel was grateful that his parents were helping take care of Cassandra and Kendall while he was at work. It took a load off his mind as he didn't want to take a risk hiring a nanny and nurse. As it was, the estate was running on skeleton staff, only the select few he trusted remaining. The rest were given paid leave until such a date that Bryan was out of their lives.

And something in him knew it was soon.

Frustration replaced his contentment as his mind moved to Bryan. The bastard was hiding. No one had seen him. Not even Victoria. All he'd been able to get from her angry tirade was Bryan had left in a rush a few days before and had been uncontactable since.

Anger and frustration clawing at him, he forced them away as he came to Cassandra's room. Instead, tenderness and remorse filled him.

With her being under his roof, he'd been unable to avoid her. And every time they spoke, interacted, Daniel regretted all the words he'd thrown at her. She was extremely kind-hearted but stubborn. When, combined with his own innate bullheadedness, explained Kendall's own level of willfulness.

He had also been treated to more of her hold on their son. Kendall listened to every word she spoke. The fact that it was out of respect and not fear was not lost to him and his family. His parents adored her. She was always respectful with them and kept Kendall in line when he acted out.

But the fact that she didn't show any of bitterness scoured acid all over him. The one time he'd broached the subject, she'd just shaken her head. "What's done is done. And Kendall came out of it. How can I be angry about that?"she'd said softly. And the acid burrowed deeper.

Surprisingly, his attraction for her grew with each passing day. She was as wonderful as he'd remembered from when they'd first met. Witty, self-deprecating and absolutely charming. The seed that had been planted then, which had been forgotten for vengeance, was blooming and he didn't know what to do about it. Even so, he treasured the few minutes they had in the morning and when he returned from work. With everyone either asleep or occupied. While ignoring her any other time in between. Wrestling with his feelings when he saw her.

Sighing when he caught sight of her, he realised he should not be surprised. While she was kind-hearted, the aforementioned stubbornness reared its head often during the course of the week. Making her a bad patient. As evidenced by her slow, crawling pace from the bathroom to her bed.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"Daniel said drily by the doorway. Glaring at him, she continued, her movements slow and jerky. Evidence of the great pain she must be in and also a testament to her strength that she was able to move at all. Watching her closely, he let out the pent up breath once she was safely ensconced in bed.

"Can't a woman pee in peace?"she said breathily once in bed. Shaking her head, she transferred her glare to her loose hair covering her face. Placing his briefcase on the chair by her bed, Daniel got a spare hair tie and comb. "Thanks."

"How is it your hair escapes you every time you get out of bed?"he asked,amused, as he gathered her hair in one hand and tied them up.

"I don't know. It's like everything in me wants to let loose,"she said with a chuckle. "And it's not my fault. The hair tie just keeps slipping down and I always delude myself into thinking I have time to get to bed before everything goes haywire."

"Just be glad it was me and not Mom who caught you." Finished with her hair and unable to leave just yet, he took a seat on the other chair. Smiling when her pale cheeks flushed red. It was good to know he wasn't alone.

"And the only way she knew was because someone, cough, you, cough, tattled,"she growled playfully.

Affecting his most wounded expression, he asked, "Would I do that?" Knowing full well that he had ratted her out. The first time he'd caught her, he'd been furious. And scared for her health. So, to make sure she didn't take such risks again, he'd told Gwyneth.

Her outrage had been a balm to his anger until he realised what she was planning. She had taken it to the extreme. From not leaving the bedroom unless someone else was there to accompanying Cassandra to the bathroom to even staying in the bathroom while she did her business, in case she lost strength in her limbs. Cassandra bore it in silence but he could see how much exasperated she was. And he almost regretted it. But her safety and wellbeing were now a priority to him.

"In a heartbeat,"she snorted. Then, unable to keep it up any longer, they dissolved into a fit of laughter.

Daniel couldn't believe how light he was feeling. With Cassandra, he felt like with his first crush. Nervous, clammy and happy to spend time with her. He was almost able to forget his search for Bryan. Almost.

But that rat bastard was always at the back of his mind. Needling him like a stone in his shoe. Except, now, Daniel wanted to exterminate him so as to keep his family safe. Keep Cassandra safe.

That change of heart had something to do with what he'd encountered the weeks ago. When he'd managed to scare away the thug only to have been confronted by an even worse enemy. The one no one suspected. It hadn't mattered that Jeremy had been a blubbering mess when he'd been questioned. The die had been cast. Trust was now a much desired commodity that he did not dispense to just everyone.

And Cassandra was one of the few who owned that commodity.

AN: Hey guys. Apologies for the LOOOOONNNNGGG break. And I'd like to say that it won't happen again but let's not lie. To you or myself.

I'll post whenever I manage to finish a new chapter. Hopefully it won't take long. A week? 2? A month? Who knows. Just know I'm not abandoning my stories. :)