"How many of your friends should we be expecting to fill the other half of the room?  There'll be extra room on mine to say the least."


"I am going to have a lot..."


"Well then make them pretend to be my friends."


"Okay I can do that."  He laughed.


She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder as there was a knock on the door.


"Come in!"  Garrett called, kissing his fiancée softly.


James pushed open the door, Cal beside him.  "Sorry to interrupt..."

Cal almost passed out in shock.  No.  Cass wasn't kissing Garrett Spencer

Garrett looked up.  "Why did you bring her here?"  He asked.

"She wanted to come.  And I brought her here to ask you for further orders.  Hello, ma'am," he greeted Cass.

"Hi," Cass said, still sitting close to Garrett, who had an arm around her.

"Have a seat, Ms. Johnson.  And do close your mouth.  Gaping isn't very becoming."

Cal glared and sat down.  "Hey Cass..."

"Hi Cal."  Cass smiled at her friend, glad to see her, yet curious at the same time.

"I see you're confused Johnson.  Maybe Cassidy can best explain?"

"We're getting married," Cassidy began, and then wondered how exactly she was going to explain this one.

"Why?  He's the bad guy...and you hate him..."

"I don't.  I love him."

"No.  You don't."

"Because he makes me feel alive... special... like I'm worth something.  I do love him, Cal."

"And you're up and marrying him?!"

"Yes, I am.  I hope you'll come." Cass kissed Garrett's cheek softly.

"No.  What... what about... No."

Cass looked disappointed.  "Well obviously it's your decision."

"Girls like you and I...we're not marrying types...I don’t get it."

"No, I know I'm not a nice girl.  But he asked me, and I love him.  I'm happy."

"You don’t fall in love..."

"I did."

"I'm just a little overwhelmed is all."

She nodded.  "It's got to be hard to grasp all at once.  But I honestly love Garrett."

"Love...everyone with all of this love talk.  You, James...I don't know what to do."

"You've got some time to ponder, I'd say.  I do want you to come... I don't want to be standing up there all by myself."

"I'll be there.  I just...Aidan's not going to just sit on his ass.  He's going to try and find us."

"He won't.  You all didn't have a lead up until the night you accidentally met up with me at La Boheme."

"Yes he will.  He knows I talked to James, he knows James said he loved me and that I clicked off my communicator...and since I "belong" to him..."

"He'll look.  He won't find."

Cal stood up.  "So do I get a room or something?  Or do I get locked up?"  She turned to James.  "And *don't* shoot me again."

Cass turned to Garrett.

"Give her a room upstairs."

James nodded.  He led the way out of the room, staying close next to her, and up the stairs.  "You're close to your friend.  Who is very shortly going to be the Boss's wife."

"And where do you sleep?"


"So that was easier than I thought."  Garrett said.


"Sometimes things work out," Cass replied.


"Also upstairs when I'm here."


"Can I see your room?"


"I guess so.  Do you think James really has feelings for her?"


"Yeah.  It's pretty bland."


Cass nodded.  "He wouldn't have made the leap to ask her here if he didn't."


"Well maybe you can hang out in mine...."  She offered, laughing a little.


"I don't think he does."


"No?"  Cass asked.


"I'd be delighted."  He smiled.


"I'm sure you would.  Look James I just...this whole I love you thing...I don't know how I feel about that."


"No."


"That's okay," James said.


"Why not?" Cass asked, sitting on his lap.


"And yeah...so while I *really* like screwing you...I'm not ready to hop into this yet okay?"


"Because I know James."


"That's fair," James agreed.


She kissed him.  "Good."


"You'd know him better than me... most ways."


He smiled and held her close.  "You're too pretty to pass up."


"He's using it to make her happy."


"Oh am I?"


"Yes," James said.


"Is that what you're doing with me?"  Cass asked.


"No."


"Well yay me."


"Yay you," James agreed.


"It's not impossible that someone you don't expect to fall in love does just exactly that," Cassidy told him.  "Like us."


She kissed him again.


James kissed back and pushed open the door behind them.


"Whatever will they think of me..."  Cal laughed, pulling him onto the bed.


"We're different."


"I don't care what they say about me," James said.


"We are," Cass agreed.  "My dress came in."


"Fuck me?"  She said, kissing him deeply.  She'd dreamt about him almost nightly since she'd been back.

"I thought you'd never ask."


"Can I see it?"


Cass smiled.  "Not yet."


Cal smiled and they did their thing...loudly.


"Damn."  Garrett laughed and kissed her but then pulled back, looking upwards.  "What the hell?"  He said.  "Do you hear that?"


"I'm pretending I don't," she replied.  "Because I imagine we've been worse at... certain times."


"I know we have."


"I'm wondering if that's an announcement or a challenge."


"Either."


"Well, I think we should go take a bath... and I'll rub the stress out of your shoulders again... and then we can curl up on the sofa in front of the fire for a little while, and then do other things."

"That sounds wonderful."


"Then let's do that."  She smiled.


He led her upstairs to his room, laughing as they passed Cal's door.


"What's funny?"  She asked.


"Them."


"It's cute."


"I didn't much think so, but you can look for yourself.  Think we should close their door?"


"Yes."


"You do it."


She rolled her eyes, fumbled for the doorknob while facing away from the door, and pulled the door closed.  "Big baby, think you'd never seen somebody naked before."


"I have.  I like seeing people naked...well you at least.  Not James.  I don't like having his hairy butt glaring at me."


Cass made a face.  "Come on... our room.  Now."


"Did they turn you on?"  Garrett laughed.


"No, I want to keep walking far past this door."


Garrett laughed.


She took his hand and led him to his room - their room, since she spent most of her time there lately anyway.


"Bath time?"


"Bath time.  Do you need a rubber duck?"


"Just you."


"Good."  Rubber ducks and other things... "Garrett... do you want a baby?"

"A what?"


"A baby. Do you want us to have a baby?"

"I...yeah..."

"Are you sure? You sound... sort of... hesitant."

"Yeah I do."

Cass smiled. "I didn't think I'd ever actually want a baby."

"I did. With you...the day you left..." He shook his head.

She put a hand on his face. "I'm back."

"I was going to propose to you that night..."

"It might have worked out... I don't know what I would have said. I was still a little girl."

"I know. But now...now you're here...and we're going to have a family."

Cassidy kissed him softly. "Can we try now?"

"Of course."

~*~

 

To The Next Part