Cassie looked at the calendar. Only a month before her and Kade leave for Rome. Apparently there is a section under the coliseum that the vampires gather, and apparently it is massive. Kade has given Cassie full reign. She hasn't mastered her powers yet, there will need to be many more years of practice before she gets close. Her and Kade have gotten fairly close and her dreams about Aiden and Kris are far and few as she forced herself to move on. She faced the fact that the past cannot be changed, and her current present was stuck.

Cassie walked out of the house and walked 10 minutes through the woods until she popped out on a private beach that Kade also owns. Cassie pulled off her shorts so she was just standing in her bikini and looked around before she peeled the bikini off and ran into the water. Learning her powers made her feel free. Cassie made a bubble of air around her head as she dove down into the ocean. She watched all the animals pass around her and swam freely. She finally came up after 10 minutes and swam back to shore and pulled her clothing back on before trudging through the forest. She pulled out the leather bound journal that Kade gave her a long time ago and flipped one third of the way to a blank page. She sat with her back against a tree and wrote how much more peaceful she felt. After awhile of writing she heard a stick crack. She put up a force field and waited as Michael emerged. She sighed and put her book away into her drawstring backpack and stood up.

"Can I help you?" Michael shook his head. Cassie started to walk past him. He reached out to grab her but just was repelled by the power she surrounded herself with. She continued to walk.

"You are such a prude, you know that?" She turned and looked at him.

"Why? Because I refuse to get chomped on by you? No thanks." She continued to walk off and he easily kept pace.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a moment to figure out what you and Kade were planning." Cassie shook her head.

"None of your business. Kade can tell you if it is. Now why don't you go ahead and I will meet you at the house."

"I thought we were going to be more civil towards each other." Michael stepped in front of her, but she kept walking, making him get thrown out of her way.

"I said perhaps, kind sir." Cassie kept walking, leaving him to just watch after her. She felt his eye bore into her behind and she picked up a rock and flung it at him with her power. He saw it before it hit him but it made him stop looking for a little bit.

Cassie walked into the house and pulled off her shoes right at the front door before walking in.

"We got company!" Cassie yelled right before Michael walked into the house. Cassie walkedoffto her room as Kade came down and saw his brother. Cassie heard them exchange pleasantries before she shut the door to her room and climbed into the shower. After a few minutes, Cassie climbed out of the shower and put on a t-shirt and shorts before heading upstairs. She thought fleetingly abouthow cold Minnesota would still be in April before opening the door to the study.

"You look very different compared to the last time I saw you, Cassandra." Cassie smiled at Michael before sitting on the couch next to him. She didn't even bother to ask if she could join the conversation. She frequently invited herself into the study to listen to Kade talk to other vampires, mostly those older than him. They usually got offended when she invites herself in, but by the end they were charmed by her and what she would do to help.

"Thank you, Michael. What are you up to in South Carolina?" Cassie knew that Michael preferred South America and Michael laughed.

"I came to see when you guys were going to make your way to the wonderful land of Rome!" Cassie looked at Kade.

"In a month we were planning to leave. I still need to have final meetings with the Council members to etch laws into stone. Also we have an official task force on the way collaborating with the current company that I need to meet with. Cassandra would like to tour Rome a little and then after the meeting, we will be heading back to South Carolina for a few days of rest and then more training." Cassie smiled.

"Well, if you don't mind, I would love to accompany Miss Cassandra on her many adventures throughout Rome!" Kade looked a little worried.

"She needs to attend some of these meetings herself, but she would need someone to keep her safe and-."

"I apologize, Michael, but I must decline your invitation. I would sincerely be hurt if Kade didn't give me the proper tour of the city he has been telling me so much about!" Cassie smiled at him and Michael pouted.

"Well that is a shame. I can be a good time." He winked at Cassie.

"Too bad I'm not interested in a good time." She winked back at him and stood up. "Your chatter is starting to bore me. I feel the need to run or something! So have a good evening, gentlemen." Cassie walked out of the room and downstairs. She stopped and talked to the girls that were in the kitchen. After a bit, Cassie walked outside and lifted her face to the sun. She felt her power all alongher skin and smiled. Cassie looked down the driveway and went white. Meredith was walking towards her. Cassie stared at her for a minute before walking back into the house and leaving the door open. She walked upstairs and opened the door to the study. Both men stared at her and she stepped to the side as she heard Meredith coming up the stairs. Cassie walked passed Meredith and continued downstairs. She heard the door shut and she went into her room and laid on her bed. That was the first time she had seen Meredith since Aiden's death. The worst part about learning about who Meredith was, was figuring out that it was her job to become her friend and then to see how coldly she killed Aiden when she didn't think she was anything like that.

Cassie got up and changed into pajamas, turned off the light and left her bedside lamp on. She crawled under the comforter and fell asleep.

Cassie dreamt she watched Aiden and Kris die again. She watched as Kris crumpled to the ground and as Meredith removed her hand from Aiden's stomach. Suddenly she was in the streets of Minnesota again. She was running away, but she didn't know why. Her heels clicked on the cement and she put up barriers behind her as she ran. She ran into someone and he grabbed her upper shoulders. She looked up and it was Kade, looking behind her and smiling. She screamed at him not to do anything. He looked down at her and she felt darkness fill her mind and she couldn't fight it.

Cassandra woke herself up screaming. She sat up and realized she was sweating profusely. There was a knock on the door and Cassie got up and opened the door.

"Is everything alright?" Eva stood there, a worried expression on her face. She was in her pajamas. Cassie ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm sorry for waking you, Eva. I'm fine, thank you so much." Eva nodded her head and walked back to her bedroom upstairs. Cassie closed the door and grabbed her robe. She tied it on and then opened the deck door and walked out onto the deck that stretched all along the back of the house that also connected to the living room. Cassie rested her arms on the railing and looked off into the nighttime woods. She could feel the ocean breeze hit her face. Someone touched her arm and she threw up her shield but the hand was still there. She turned around a Kade was there. She dropped her power and stared at him.

"Are you alright? I heard you scream." She offered a small smile.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just a bad dream is all." Kade nodded and stared off in the woods behind her.

"I better go find something to eat. It's been a busy day." Cassie watched Kade as he started to walk of.

"Kade. I could help you with your hunger." He stared at her. After a moment of hesitation, she held out her arm, wrist side up. He stepped towards her and took her arm.

"Are you sure?" She smiled at him again.

"Yeah. It's not that big of a deal. If the girls can continue working afterwards, I think I'll be fine to go to bed." Kris held her wrist loosely and looked at her again, waiting to see if she would pull away.

He bent slowly and gently kissed the spot before biting into her wrist. Cassie felt a wave of ecstasy race through her body. Her heart pumped harder at the adrenaline and Cassie moaned, unable to control the chemicals running throughout her body. She felt her legs start to go weak and she grabbed the railing with her other hand. Kade pulled his lips off and watched as the punctures closed, leaving a small scar. He wrapped an arm around her waist and walked her back inside and sat her down on the bed. She laid back and he sat next to her.

"Why does it feel like that?" Kade looked at her as she laughed softly.

"It's part of the reaction my saliva. Travels through your nerves to act like morphine, but more pleasurable rather than numbing so then they keep coming back for more. As long as you have enough control to pull back." Cassie looked at him as he gazed off.

"Why is it so hard to gain that control?" He smiled while still looking off.

"Imagine it like a bag of chips. They are too good to just take a few, you want the whole thing all at once."

"Oh." Cassie went silent and watched him as he was stuck in his own world. Cassie reached up and touched his arm. He looked down at her. "Hey, you okay?"

"Just was thinking about way back when I was in that position." Cassie sat up and watched him. He stared back at her and then reached out and cupped the side of her face. She blushed and widened her eyes as he rubbed his thumb across her cheek. She looked off to the side and he dropped his hand. He stood up and she looked back up at him.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not ready for trying to find someone to feel for." He looked down at her and she swallowed.

"It doesn't have to be like that." She laughed nervously.

"You mean a friends with benefits type thing?" Cassie watched him as he smiled.

"Well, if you put it that way." He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. "Sleep well, Cassandra. I will see you tomorrow." He walked out of her room and closed the door. Cassie got up and closed and locked the deck door before crawling back into bed. Her heart squeezed with indifference. She wished Kris were there.

P