Come Back, Be Here || Sofie & Cassius
TIMING: Midnight on Tuesday LOCATION: Sofie's apartment PARTIES: @sofiedupont and @singdreamchild SUMMARY: Cassius had fleed the city after learning of his sire's return. After a few days, the guilt eats him alive and he goes back to see Sofie.
'“I’ll be in touch,” Richard had said to Cassius before leaving him alone with his thoughts. It had spiraled him out of control enough to jump back into fight or flight. And knowing what Richard had become, all he could do was run. And running was something he had become rather good at over the years. He had called off work for the week, claiming a family emergency, and ran. He had driven as far as his car could take him, ending up in rural Kentucky. Nothing in Kentucky said he would go there, so it felt like a good place to stop.
After taking a day to drive there, Cassius had lasted all but four days before it truly began to set in how bad of an idea it was. He kept thinking about everyone he was leaving behind. He thought of the people he could put in danger from his sire looking for him. Most of all, he thought of Sofie. So he turned back, hoping that something terrible hadn’t happened to her to get his attention.
Cassius’s hands gripped the steering wheel of his car as he drove back into town. His teeth were clenched and grinding as he pulled up before Sofie’s apartment. She was going to kill him. All he said was, “He found me,” before disappearing without a trace for a week. He had been foolish and selfish; every other word ended in ish. It was the middle of the night by the time he finally made it back to Maine, and all he could think about was how he had ruined everything, how Richard had ruined everything. He had to take responsibility for his actions, so he called her phone. It felt like an eternity as he waited for her to pick up if she picked up. He couldn’t blame her if she decided not to pick up. She had called him endlessly, texted him nonstop, and left messages on his social media. He felt stupid and deserved whatever was about to come his way.
_______
Three words.
Three terrible little words.
Three words that had been followed by seven interminable days of silence. Seven days of no answering texts or calls to explain a horribly cryptic message. Seven days of walking through town, going to all the usual spots. Seven days of stopping by the school checking to see if he had turned up. Seven days of walking through a god damned cemetery praying she wouldn’t find some horrible sign that something had befallen him.
Seven days of jumping every time her phone rang, practically flying across the room only for her chest to ache when the face lighting up the screen wasn’t Cassius. Seven days of praying to a god who’s existence she questioned, and who even if they did exist, she entirely doubted would listen to the prayers of a vampire- praying that he was alright.
Seven days. One hundred sixty eight hours that had felt more like one hundred sixty eight centuries.
Needless to say, Sofie was beside herself.
Had she done something wrong? Did he think he couldn’t trust her?
When her phone lit up and his face appeared she thought she was dreaming. Maybe some new fun side effect of hysterics. Then the phone kept ringing. Her hand shot out and she snatched up her phone, clicking the green button to accept the call.
“Cassius?” She tried to keep the panic out of her voice. “Where are you?”
_______
As she picked up, she sounded bewildered, and he wasn’t surprised. “I’m uh. I’m outside,” he spoke inelegantly, almost mumbling into the phone instead of speaking. “I owe you an explanation of where I went and all that’s happening.” He began to explain, kicking at the pavement in front of him. He knew she needed to be informed because he didn’t know what his sire was planning if anything at all.
He waited for something to happen, as if Richard would pop out behind him or compel him to do something against his will. But if Cassius had meant anything to him, he knew he wouldn’t be so brazen. His hand flew to his pocket, the ring that had been thrown at his feet that night. He’d have to explain that, too. It really did feel easier to run away from his problems than face them head-on.
_______
He hadn’t even started his second sentence and she had dropped her phone. She went flying out the door, running as fast as her legs could carry her. She heard him distantly talking through the phone, but she wasn’t paying much attention.
Seeing him outside, Sofie was convinced this either truly was a dream, or she’d been out in the sun too long and this was some sort of pre ash dream state she had entered. If either was the case, at least she’d let it be a good dream. Her arms flew around him, locking firmly around his waist in a tight hug.
She didn’t say anything for what felt like a long time, content to breathe in the pine and lavender scent she’d come to associate with him. She didn’t realize she was crying until she felt tears sliding down her cheeks. “What happened?” Sofie mumbled against his chest, not willing to withdraw an inch.
_______
Cassius frowned as she stopped responding, a loud thud on her end, and then suddenly, there she was. Standing right in front of him. Then, she hugged him. He wasn’t sure what he had done to deserve that. He was more expecting a smack and a firm talking to. This wasn’t at all what he had expected, and he was rather glad to be proved wrong. Wrong about how she would react, and wrong that Sofie could possibly be anything other than understanding. He knew better now.
He paused for a long moment after she asked what had happened, his mind whirling at where to start, his life had been flipped upside down, and all it took was just to see him again. Grotesque and monstrous. Was that truly the future that awaited his kind? He hated it. He didn’t know much about elder vampires. He wasn’t sure what was due to the transformation and what was just due to time. But to think he could waltz back into his life as if forty years hadn’t passed? No. That wasn’t something he could accept.
“My sire, he… he just showed up.” He said quietly, afraid of speaking too long and Richard somehow hearing. Everything came back to thinking about him lurking, waiting. All he wanted was his help. He had to keep reminding himself of that. He wasn’t here to strip him of his freedom. He just wanted his help. He had to keep reminding himself of that. “Not only that, but he’s an elder vampire.” He added, brows furrowing. He finally let Sofie go. Whether she let go was up to her, however.
“Someone is hunting him, and it’s enough to scare him into needing my help.” He frowned, turning away. “What’s worse, he acted as if he had only left a week ago, not forty years ago.” He bit down on his lower lip, wanting to scream that nothing was fair, that none of it made any sense. “And he gave me this back.” He pulled out the gold wedding band, staring down at it as if it could burst into flames at any moment. “This meant something to me once. Now it just feels like deadweight.” He held it in the palm of his hand before slipping it back into his pocket. As dead of a weight as it felt, he couldn’t get himself to throw it away.
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Her fingers knotted into the fabric of his coat, as if if she held on tight enough, she could convince herself this wasn’t some dream. Sofie’s mind started to lurch back into motion like a creaky old machine as she pieced together pieces of information. At the words ‘elder vampire’, she pulled back her head just far enough to see his face, a flicker of fear crossing her tear streaked face.
The more he spoke, the more her face tightened into a tight lipped frown. There were thousands of questions she wanted to ask, but she wasn’t even remotely sure if where to start. She didn’t let him go entirely, but she did loosen her hold on him. Sofie’s eyes shifted to the ring. His words regarding it were somewhat comforting. They’d probably have been more comforting if her mind was behaving rationally, which it wasn’t. Instead it was a loop of worries that ran through her mind as she watched the gold band slip back into his pocket. They were wed. Still wed?
But that still didn’t explain so much. “Seven days- this was week ago.”
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Cassius nodded his head slowly, his gaze a thousand miles away. He knew that Richard would come for him again, and he seemed different from the last time they were together. He seemed off, as if time alone had changed him. The more he rethought the interaction, the more it got under his skin, playing with his sense of stability and threatening to let it topple over. He closed his eyes for a long moment, willing himself to calm down. It didn’t help anyone to let him get this wound up over just a few words.
Opening his eyes again, Cassius looked at Sofie, still a bit dazed and far away. “A week ago, I got scared, and I ran. I thought it would solve my problems.” He shook his head, wanting to pull himself away from her, feeling disgusting in his own skin. “Work thinks I had a family emergency. Which… I suppose isn’t entirely false.” He frowned. He felt bad leaving the kids he taught. Left with some substitute that didn’t know what to do with the notes he had left.
“I realize I can’t just run from these things anymore.” Cassius rubbed a hand over his face, letting out a groan. “If he can’t get me to help him, I know sooner or later, he’s going to go through you to get to me. And I can’t let that happen.” He picked at his nails, staring down at his hands. “I should have confided in you instead of running, and I’m sorry for doing so.” He looked back to Sofie, shaking his head. “I know you have questions. Go ahead. Ask them.”
_________
Sofie let out a long, slow breath. She supposed it shouldn’t surprise her that he’d run. The situation was already complicated- the now elder vampire had been the one to instill that very instinct into Cassius. And while it wasn’t a bad instincts for creatures like them to have, it didn’t make the sting of being one of those left behind things hurt any less. The more he spoke, the more Sofie understood why he had placed her in that category. Leverage. He didn’t want her to be used as leverage.
Her mind was still a jumble when Cassius offered to answer whatever questions she had. The harder she tried to form a coherent question, the more lost in her own mind she became. It took a mourning dove’s call down the street to pull her from her thoughts and remind her that they were still outside. “Come on,” she said softly, letting go of him to open the door to her apartment building back up. Once they were back in her second floor apartment, she sat down. Sofie tapped her foot, scowling in concentration at a spot in her carpet.
“You didn’t answer me.” She said quietly. Not a question. Her mind, in its hellish revolving door of thoughts she’d had the past week, stopped on that fear that had bothered her the most. “I didn’t know what had happened, and I walked around for a week trying to find you, I thought-“ her mind caught on three people who had simply vanished from her life, and the fear that a fourth had joined them. Even though he’d said she didn’t have to be alone anymore. Sofie straightened in her chair, forcing herself to stay objective. “Did he give you any specific instructions or information?”
___________
A nagging feeling clawed at the back of his mind as they walked up to the apartment. Something wasn’t right. Cassius frowned as she referred to the countless phone calls and messages. In truth, he hadn’t read them at all. He hadn’t brought his phone with him. What if he could be tracked through it? He knew the smartest thing to do was to leave it behind. “I didn’t bring my phone with me,” he confessed, looking down at his feet. The nagging feeling wouldn’t go away. It grew louder and louder, and he finally looked up to the corner of the apartment, where the light didn’t quite reach. He was terrified that if he looked hard enough, Richard would appear.
Why was he so afraid? He couldn’t help but wonder, chewing on his lower lip as he tried to reason with himself. “I keep thinking I’ll see him somewhere.” He shook his head. He couldn’t shake off his paranoia. “I’m sorry, Sofie. I…” he trailed off, a sense of defeat washing over him. “I should have told you, but I feared he’d use you. The less you knew, the better.” His voice was quiet, as if afraid to speak too loud. “Truth is, I don’t know why I’m so scared of him.” He admitted, rubbing at his arm. “He did nothing but keep me safe through the years and care about me when no one else knew I was there.” He frowned. The words out loud tasted sour. “But at the same time, I could have been part of a group. I could have… I could have been let go of. Allowed to pass away when it was my time to go.”
It was clear that Cassius was going through an identity crisis, unsure of what was true and what was distorted by his view of things. He pulled the ring out of his pocket, staring down at it with malice. “He’s been obsessed with me since the day we met all those years ago.” He finally concluded. “And I was too blind to see it until now.” He looked back up at Sofie, a confused and hurt expression on his face. “I hate what this thing represents.” He told her, treating the ring as if it burned him. “I want nothing more than to toss this into the water and be rid of it.”
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Sofie sat perfectly still as he spoke, not breathing, not blinking. Just frozen in time, letting her mind work through all the information. The longer she sat still, the more she realized she didn’t like that she was sat alone. As he talked, she wordlessly held out a hand to him, gesturing to the seat next to her. He’d been far for seven days, and that was seven days too long. The more she sat and listened, the more she realized that Cassius needed support in this, even though she doubted he’d ask for help. She looked up at him, silently pleading that he take her hand.
“It will be harder for him to use me if I know what he’s playing at.” Her voice was the smooth calm before the storm. Sofie had plenty still to piece together in her mind, but the one corner of the puzzle she’d been piecing together over all their conversations was the same realization that Cassius had come to. The now elder vampire may not have started with ill intentions, but his feelings for Cassius had twisted over time into something dark.
Her eyes fixed on the gold band, a promise of something that spanned more than just one human lifetime. “Then why haven’t you, kochanie?” The question was barely a whisper, as if she was scared the words would send him running. But she’d barely asked the question when she realized she might have already answered it. It had been so many years, just the two of them. Only the two of them. Over a century. He’d only been apart from him a relatively short time in the grand scheme of things. What was forty years after well over one hundred years of commitment. Sofie folded her hands in her lap, her fingers wringing. “You don’t have to erase all that time and who you were. And you won’t be a new person overnight. Things take time. Perhaps longer for us, since we live longer. “And if you still care for him,” her gaze flickered down to her hands. “Then I understand. But only if that is what you want. And no one else is making that decision for you.”
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Cassius thought for a long moment. He wasn’t sure what Richard was playing at. If it was just a hunter, surely that was something he could take care of, couldn’t he? Unless it was more than one. “He claims there’s a hunter after him, and he needs my help.” He shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t know any more than that. The conversation between the two of them hadn’t been particularly long enough to gauge the true motive at play if there was one. “If there’s something more he wants, then I’m not sure what it is.” He frowned, shaking his head. “He’s not the same man I knew.” He started, hand fidgeting with the ring as he thought back to the interaction. “Time alone has changed him. He’s more…” he waved his hands, trying to think of the word to use. “Cunning?” He decided on, unsure if it were the word he’d use. “It feels like he’s hiding something, is all.”
Finally, he snapped back to the present, Sofie’s words piercing through him like a tuning fork to his spine. Why hadn’t he? That was a good question. “Because he scares me now.” He finally spoke, looking over to Sofie. “I ran because he scares me. I hold onto this thing,” he waved the ring around, staring at it with malice. “Because I’m afraid of what will happen if he one day asks to know where it is and I don’t have it.” Cassius knew he was catastrophizing, but it was hard to stop his spiral once it began.
Taking a deep breath, he finally shook his head, shoving the piece of metal back into his pocket. “I’m sorry that I left you without a word. It was foolish of me, and I should have known better than to do that to you.” He spoke, walking toward her and taking her hands into his own. “I know better than to run. I know better than to leave behind something that means so much to me.” He frowned, unsure what he could say to possibly ease her mind after leaving her for so long. “For the first time in my life, I finally feel what it’s like to have friends again. To have someone that truly matters to me, not something that feels like… like I have to be with them.” Cassius thought back to Richard. Their whole relationship had been one of convenience after those hundreds of years. “I finally have someone who lights up my world like the sun I can no longer cherish.” He placed a hand under Sofie’s chin, staring intently at her. “I understand if you cannot forgive me. But I am sorry.”
__________
The very word hunter made her skin prickle. Being stalked, hunted down like an animal- that wasn’t a fate she’d wish on anyone. If the man had a slayer one step behind him, it was only a matter of time before they connected him to Cassius. If it was the truth, then that was a bigger issue than anything. If helping someone who scared Cassius so much that he had decided to run was the cost Sofie had to pay to make certain no slayers came near the people she cared about again… Well it was unfortunately something she had to consider.
After what felt like far too long, he took her hand. He tipped her chin up to look at her, and Sofie’s eyes softened. If she was the sun, then he was the stars she’d wished on every night- that intangible dream that she held so close until she’d manifested it into one life, and then once again in the form of him. She tipped her face dawn, pressing a kiss to his palm as he lifted her face.
“I could forgive you for anything.” Sofie finally said, relief tinged with exhaustion tumbling out of her along with her words. She stood, carefully folding herself back in his arms. “Please, please don’t disappear again… I know you may want to run, but I can help.”
__________
Cassius held Sofie tightly, pressing his cheek to the top of her head as he hugged her. “I promise you I won’t do that again.” He vowed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. A word lingered in his head that was too soon to utter but rang true all the same. A word he would shout for everyone to hear if she asked it, a word that people had gone to war over. He loved her, but now wasn’t the time to say it aloud. He wasn’t sure that he would ever find such a time. It was too sacred, too real. It didn’t make it any less true.
“I think it’s official that I can’t stay in that damn cemetery anymore,” he then spoke. He’d now had a very real reason for getting out of there. Someone else had moved in that he’d rather stay away from. “So I suppose my hunt starts, doesn’t it?” He grumbled to himself. The idea still felt sour on his tongue, but Cassius knew it would do him good in the long run.
Shaking off the thoughts of moving from his mind, he felt he could hold her for an eternity. He’d never felt so safe, loved, and seen in all his life, yet here she was. All those poets proclaiming their love from the rooftops finally started to make sense to him. “Zofia I…” he stopped, almost afraid to speak it aloud. He almost looked pained, afraid. But then his features softened as Cassius stared into her eyes. “I love you.”
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“Good.” She murmured. She fully intended on holding him to that promise. He held her tight, and Sofie couldn’t quite fight the pained wince as the embrace tugged at healing wounds from the previous night’s encounter. She’d been operating solely on the urgency to be with him, to find out what had happened, that she hadn’t paid attention when her body had started to protest. Damned slayer… That was another good reason for him to move out of that cemetery. “Yes, I suppose you do. I can help with looking into realtors, if you’d like.”
She looked up at the sound of her name. Relieved tears welled at the corners of her eyes. Sofie hadn’t been sure she’d ever hear him say that name again. Blinking the tears back, a curious smile tugged at her lips. It almost turned into a frown as she registered something akin to panic in his eyes, but the fear gave way to affection. And then he said three more words. Three words she knew she’d been thinking the whole damn time she’d been out trying to find him. Three words that she would have waited another three centuries for, so long as she heard them from him.
She reached up, brushing a hand against his cheek. Pushing herself onto her toes, she towed him down into a deep kiss, tangling her hands in his hair. She kissed him like she was trying to disappear into this one moment, and simply exist there till the end of time. “I love you, too.”
______
Cassius felt like he could stay there and kiss Sofie for hours. He composed a poem in his mind.
Her lips were a drink of water
in the desert heat.
Her voice was siren song that
brought sailors from their fleet.
He wanted to put into words how she made him feel. He wanted nothing more than for her to be put into his poetry the way artists painted their muses. He found his art-laden mind quickly interrupted by the realization that she had winced earlier. He pulled away from her, looking her over with a worried expression.
“You winced. What’s wrong?” He placed his hands on her shoulders, worry still showing clearly on his face. He had been so caught up in his own world that he had failed to notice that she was hurting. He mentally kicked himself for not realizing sooner. He had been so worried about everything that had happened and how she would react to him coming back that he hadn’t paid attention to her.
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Shit.
Sofie was old, and one of the benefits of that was accelerated healing. But getting stabbed did not miraculously heal overnight. The surface damage had healed, yes, but the damage underneath was still fixing itself. She really ought to drink something.
Sofie wanted to chase after his lips, and put the worrying to the side for a bit, but judging from the look on his face, he wasn’t about to let that happen.
She shook her head, hoping to downplay it. The damage was practically invisible now, anyway. The only outward evidence was an angry pink mark on her side, which was hidden beneath her clothes.
“I had a bit of an incident the other night, it’s nothing. I’m fine.” She was tempted to say it’s fine, but she knew better than that. Sofie didn’t know for sure that the slayer was dead. There was always a chance he turned up somewhere.
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“A bit of an accident that’s still affecting you?” He raised a brow, clearly not buying it. “Love, if something happened while I was gone I-” He cut himself off. I wouldn’t forgive myself, I won’t ever leave your side again, I was a fool… the thoughts wrestled with him endlessly as he thought of all of the horrible things that could have happened to her because he wasn’t there. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to center himself back to reality a bit. So much had happened in such a short amount of time, and he was still trying to get his head back on his shoulders properly.
“I see now that I can’t possibly leave you alone,” he mused aloud with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I should wrap you in bubble wrap and tuck you away.” He teased, poking at her cheek with a grin. It was easy to let things go with her. All he wanted was to see her smile. Still, if she was hurt and he could have been there…
“You would tell me if you were in danger, too, correct?” He raised a brow at her again, forcing himself to make at least sure that everything would be alright. He couldn’t help but think of the hunter who hunted down her family. Every time something happened to her, it made him wonder if she was as unlucky as he felt at that moment.
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A pang of guilt twinged in her chest. She didn’t want him to feel guilty. Truly, it was her own damn fault for letting her guard now. She should have grown out of that idea that she wouldn’t get hurt. Especially after her previous encounter. Especially after what had happened to her family.
A smile propped up in the corner of her mouth as he poked at her cheek. “I’m positively cursed, kochanie, you’d need to lock me in a display case for me to not get into trouble. And that wouldn’t be fun for anyone.”
She sighed, relenting at last and keeping her eyes down. “I got into a bit of a pattern looking for you… I was at Eluria last evening walking around, and I was followed.” She swallowed. “I had your knife with me, thankfully, but they were very determined to do their job. They got distracted, I stabbed them, and I ran.”
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Cassius knew that Sofie wasn’t telling him the whole truth. But if she decided she didn’t want to talk about it, he wouldn’t push it. After all, he was in no position to push anything at that moment. Clearly it was more than just her stabbing someone. And if she had been out at the cemetery looking for him, it made it even worse. Of course, hunters were lurking around there. “I shouldn’t have left you.” He sighed, pulling her into a hug again. He already felt guilty enough leaving her. But knowing he was the reason she got hurt? It crushed him. Now he didn’t want to let her out of his sight.
“This is the second slayer you’ve run into.” He noted, raising a brow at her. “Don’t tell me you’re going out at night seeking these people out for the thrill of the chase,” he jokingly accused. “I’m all for being with someone that’s a thrill seeker, but I need a warning.” he thought for a moment, then pulled away to look at her. “And maybe a leash. Keep you from running off and finding danger everywhere you go.” He playfully flicked her forehead, shaking his head.
_______
Sofie snuggled back into the hug, nestling her head up under his chin. “It isn’t your fault, Cassius.” She really had no one to blame for not paying attention but herself. “I’ll be right as rain in a day or so. You can hardly see the mark any longer. It’s just a bit sore.” She began to babble, trying to put him at ease.
She let out a groan of laughter. “Yes, I’m secretly so very fond of having people attempt to stab me to varying degrees of success.” Sofie raised an eyebrow, “Bubble wrap and a leash? You cannot possibly be serious. Maybe I will just go out and purchase one of those shirts that says something ridiculous like ‘definitely not a vampire.’”
_______
Cassius stared at her for a long moment, expression unreadable. “Meaning you were injured,” he accused with raised brows, pulling away from her completely, dropping his arms to his sides. “You got hurt looking for me, and now you’re trying to play it off to spare my feelings?” He rubbed his face in his hands, making a strained noise. “I truly was foolish to leave.” He groaned, taking her hands and staring at her intently.
“I promise not to do anything stupid if you don’t do anything stupid.” He said, having half a mind to run off and smack Richard in the face just to feel better. After all, none of this would have happened if that stupid, good-for-nothing piece of – Cassius stopped his thoughts from spiraling further. There was nothing he could do to change the past. He could only look forward to the future and how he acted in the present.
“Or a shirt that says ‘prone to accidents,’” he offered instead, wiggling his brows. “No matter, I’ll just have to do my level best to keep you as safe as possible. “He wrapped his arms around her, spinning her in a circle. “Starting by never letting you go!” He exclaimed before pressing a kiss to her temple.
________
She winced, this time at her own stumbling through the explanation. “Well…” she sighed, crossing her arms a moment. It’s a bit of a long story, one where I probably did more damage to myself by making the wrong calls.” Sofie grimaced at the memory of slayer’s blood, pressing a hand to her mouth. “And one of the wrong calls left a window open for him to.. well.”
She smoothed her clothing out instead of finishing the sentence. He didn’t need to know how close it had been. He didn’t need to know the stake had been in the slayer's hand, and he likely would have finished the job if a noise hadn’t pulled the hunter’s attention away. She wanted to spare him the pain that went with knowing if they’d only been present, maybe things would have gone differently.
“I do not do stupid things, I just have a magnetic connection with unfortunate situations, it would seem.” Sofie protested, a smile sneaking through. He swung her around in a circle, and she let out a peal of laughter. “Never?” she giggled, resting her forehead against his as her feet touched back down in the ground.
_________
Cassius decided to drop the slayer discussion, at least for the time being. Right now, all he wanted was to revel in the fact that Sofie was alright, and they were together, no matter what would come their way. “A magnetic connection, oh joy.” He rolled his eyes at her, pressing another kiss to the top of her head. “Just promise me that you’ll try to be more careful, yes?” He tilted his head to the side to see if she would try anything.
“Never!” He repeated in response, eyes wide with delight. “And you certainly can’t get rid of me now because you said you loved me too.” He nodded his head as if this solidified everything into law. He snuggled his head to hers, smiling to himself. She made him feel like everything in the world was as it should be. He’d never felt this way with anyone, and the fact that she made it so easy, it made him question if anything with Richard had ever been real. “If we ever need to run, we go together.” He decided aloud. “But for now, I think we’ve got enough people around us that we may be alright here. Enough weird shit happens around here. Saw some human get bit by the weirdest worm thing I’ve ever seen on the way out of town.” He shuddered at the memory, how it had almost gotten the better of him.
“So, step one. We find a house.” He smiled at her. “If you want to be included in this, that is.” He added. It was always nice to have one’s own space. And if this is where Sofie wanted to be, he wouldn’t take that away from her.
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“I promise to do my level best to not get into trouble.” Sofie said, crossing her finger in a little ‘x’ over her heart. She hoped she stopped getting into situations so she wouldn’t have to break the promise.
“I did.” She confirmed with a nod. “I do love you.” She repeated the magnificent little words for the second time as he leaned into her. She looped her arms over his neck, holding him close. Her eyebrows raised dramatically at the mention of his apparently very scenic trip out of town. “I-“ Sofie started before shaking her head. “I’m not even going to ask”
“Silly man,” she grinned at his offer. “As if I wouldn’t want to be included.” Sofie kissed him gently, pulling away with a grin. “I’d go anywhere with you. Happily.”
_______
Cassius rolled his eyes, but there was a loving expression behind it. If she could try her best, then that’s what he would take. He couldn’t ask for more than that. “I appreciate it,” he spoke in reply, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. “So I suppose that journey begins.” He made a face at her, waggling his brows.
The idea of going forward with her by his side, anything felt possible. He felt as if he were on top of the world, and it was all because she was there with him. Bringing Sofie back into a tight hug, he let out a breath he had held since he drove back into town. They would be alright because they had each other. That was all that he could have ever asked for.