Four years later

"Daddy!" Jason sighed and turned to his other side, pretending to sleep and trying to hide his smile. "Dad, wake up, we'll be late!" he muttered something, continuing to tease his daughter who was already bouncing on his shoulders. "C'mon, Dad!" her enthusiastic voice echoed in the great bedroom.

"Daddy!" his daughter sat on his waist and pulled the covers hard. "Okay, okay" Jason rolled over on his back, hugged his daughter and started tickling her. "Come on dad, we're going to be late" she giggled and started rolling on the bed, trying to get away from her father's tickling attack. "I'm up, I'm up, here I am awake" he sat up in bed and stretched, yawning and looking at the clock.

"Casey, princess, it's 5:30 in the morning!" he looked at her sharply and she blinked, her eyes filled with tears and he immediately regretted his tone. "Sorry princess, come here" she climbed into his lap and he hugged her tightly. "You've become a real actress, you know?" he teased her and she smiled. His heart skipped a beat like it always did when Casey smiled, she showed so much to Cassidy.

"Can we have pancakes for breakfast?" Jason snapped out of his memories and smiled. "Of course, princess, we have enough time" he winked at her and got up from the bed without letting go of his daughter. "And maybe mom's favorites?" Jason stopped for a moment and brushed back his daughter's light brown hair, kissing her forehead. "Of course, princess" he replied, trying not to let Casey notice the pain in his voice.

"So" he placed his daughter on the kitchen counter and began to pull out the pancake ingredients as she kicked her feet in the air and hummed a nursery rhyme that Jason used to hum to her before falling asleep as a baby. "Daddy?" he turned slightly and grunted. "Do you think mom would like my new dress?" his hands froze in mid-motion and his whole body stiffened. "I'm sure she'd fall in love with her, princess" he murmured and turned away again, starting the pancake mix so his daughter wouldn't see the pain that always crossed his face at the mention of Cassidy.

"Daddy?" he grunted again, unable to trust his voice. "Will you help me down?" he turned and looked at her questioningly. "I want to start getting ready for the first day of school while you make breakfast" Casey explained and he smiled at her enthusiasm, helping her down and looking after her as she ran from the kitchen to her room.Jason began mixing the ingredients, trying to suppress the pain and the urge to break down and cry.

Casey Mallory was born on October 29, ten days after Cassidy was shot and fell into a coma. Jason refused to give up and stayed strong for his daughter. After Anthony survived, Jason made sure that he disappeared from the country and their lives, alive, despite everything he had done to them. It was his gift to his daughter's grandfather, as well as Jason's punishment for not taking action against his father before he got to Cassidy and his daughter.

Jason sold the apartment, he didn't want anything to remind him of the moment he lost the love of his life, nor did he want his daughter to live between walls, between which she was deprived of a mother's love, just because her grandfather never swallowed his jealousy. In the absence of Anthony's poisonous presence, Jason appointed a deputy general manager so that he could stay at home with his newborn daughter, although he did not fail to keep an eye on the company and all its dealings. Leyla sent him full reports of everything every day.

The next thing Jason did was to give up everything illegal. That was the hard part, but somehow he managed it, and even though he now had to be in a mansion, constantly surrounded by heavy security and his daughter moving around with bodyguards, he didn't regret it for a second. He was sure Cassidy would be proud of his decision. Casey deserved a peaceful life too, and his dark dealings weren't going to give her that.

So with the help of Maya and Peter, who are now married and have a two-year-old daughter, as well as Christina and Trevor, their son Damon had branded Casey as his future wife, something Jason was still swallowing, he was able to raise Casey and today was her first day at school. He wasn't sure exactly how he should feel about this, it was hard for him that Casey wouldn't be with him all day, but he was proud of her and her desire to follow in her mother's footsteps and study to be a designer.

Although only four years old, Casey showed an extremely good talent for drawing, and Jason was sure she inherited it from Cassidy, especially since he himself couldn't even draw a frog without it looking like an airplane. Casey had also inherited her mother's cheerful sunny disposition, as if the whole universe was trying to remind him that his wife was by his side and strengthen his love for her with each passing day. Not to mention the physical resemblance between mother and daughter.

"Princess, breakfast is ready" he called loudly and placed the plate of chocolate covered pancakes on the kitchen island, placing a fork and a glass of milk next to them. Kassidy's favorite breakfast. He stared at the pancakes. He missed Cassidy every day and every second. He missed her laugh, the sparkle in her eyes, her voice. He would turn the world, hell, and heaven upside down if it would bring her back to him, but it would hardly help. However, the pain didn't subside and refused to go away.

"Casey?" he furrowed his brows when he didn't hear his daughter's typical plodding run and walked towards her room. However, an open door caught his attention and he carefully opened it a little more, standing in the door frame. His eyes filled with tears at the sight, his throat tightened and his heart sank.

"I promise to be obedient and listen to the teachers" his daughter chattered, tugging at the end of her new dress, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "Daddy says you'll like my new dress" she stood up on the bed and spread her skirt slightly, twirling like she was at a fashion show, then sat back down and sighed. "Daddy is sad, he hides it, but at night I hear him walking around and sometimes crying" Jason couldn't move, Casey had never told him she could hear him.

"I think dad is hurting mom, he's really hurting and he thinks I don't notice, but I'm hurting too" Jason gritted his teeth to keep from sobbing as Casey came over and laid down next to her mom, snuggling onto her chest. "I want to hear your voice, I wonder if it sounds like mine?" Casey rested her chin on her mother's shoulder and gently touched her hair with her little hand. "Dad says I look like you, but I think you're prettier" Casey leaned down and kissed her mom on the cheek. "Wake up mom, dad and I love and miss you so much" she murmured and sniffled a little.

Jason wiped away his tears and moved closer to the bed, sitting on Cassidy's other side and gently smoothing her hair. "Are you telling mom about your new dress, princess?" he asked softly and Casey nodded, never taking her eyes off her mother's face. "Sometimes I think she can hear me" Jason smiled and nodded. "She hears you, princess, and is proud of you, as am I" he ruffled his daughter's hair lightly. "Come on, breakfast is ready" Casey nodded, kissed her mother again and ran out of the room.

Jacem stared at the door for a moment, then lay down next to Cassidy and propped himself up on his hand, lightly peck her lips. "I haven't given up,my love, I will never stop waiting for you, so don't make me wait any longer, you know I'm not one to be patient" he whispered and rested his forehead against hers, gently squeezing her fingers. "I love you,Cas,and I miss you so much. Every day is so painful,love,even breathing hurts without you" he let his tears stream down her face.

Doctors had told him there was no chance Cassidy would come out of the coma six months after she went into it. However, Jason refused to accept the diagnosis, and for the next year, he brought all kinds of doctors to the house, bought all kinds of equipment, adapted the room to Cassidy's needs, and hired two nurses to take over the medical side of her treatment. He took care of everything else was private and he spent every free minute with her, talking to her and urging her to wake up.

"I have to go now love, Casey needs me, but I'll be back when I make sure she's comfortable in class" he promised and pecked her lips softly again, getting up from the bed. Jason pulled out the blanket, leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, resting his own for a moment, then stood up and headed for the door.

"Jess..." he froze with his hand on the lock and very slowly turned around, his heart pounding and his breathing quickening. His eyes locked on Cassidy's face, but she showed no sign of moving a muscle. "I'm starting to go crazy.." he thought and turned to the door again. "Jason?" this time he clearly heard her voice and turned sharply, meeting the most beautiful blue eyes that captured his heart five years ago and refused to leave his dreams ever since.

"Cassidy, God, Cas!" he was at the bed in the blink of an eye and climbed up, picking her up and hugging her tightly. "I missed you so much, my love, so much, I knew you wouldn't leave us!" he rocked her back and forth, feeling her body try to tense up and move. "Jess...the baby?" he pulled back slightly and pressed his lips to hers. "She's fine Cass, and she's lovely, her name is Casey..." Cassidy blinked in confusion.

On September 17, after a four-year coma, Cassidy Mallory woke up. The doctors declared her awakening a miracle, but to Jason, it only meant that their love was strong enough to get through anything. Evidence of this was the fact that Cassidy admitted to hearing their voices from time to time, which was recorded as evidence that comatose patients can still hear the people they love.

Cassidy went through almost a year of rehab, her body needed to recover from the lack of movement and the bed rest, but with the support of Jason and their daughter, she was doing great and barely used any aids anymore. Casey couldn't be separated from her mother, after all her life she had craved a mother's caress, and Cassidy was ready to provide her with anything to make up for lost time.

Jason had it a little harder. Despite some missing memories, he had to prove his love to Cassidy again, and that he gave up his life of crime for her. She didn't accuse him of murdering her brother, nor of Rebecca, but she tortured him with accusations of lies and manipulation. It cost him a lot of patience and pleading until he convinced her to return to him and forgive him, swearing that he would never lie to her again.

Cassidy still reminded him of the past when she got mad at him and he didn't blame her. He had lied and manipulated her and almost lost her because of it, he had no right to be mad at her and bravely bore all the accusations over and over, apologizing a million times. But it was all worth it, just to hold her in his arms again and see the smile and love in her eyes.

"Push, love, we're almost at the finish line!" Cassidy hunched over and tensed, squeezing Jason's hand tightly. "You'll never touch me again, you jerk!" she growled and he smirked, knowing that at the first opportunity she would jump on top of him herself. That was how they had ended up here, and right now Cassidy was trying to push their son out. "One more time, Mrs. Mallory!" the doctor ordered and Cassidy tensed again.

A wave of relief coursed through her body and she leaned back breathing heavily. "You did it my love, do it!" Jason whispered against her forehead and stroked her hair, gently peck her lips. They both looked ahead as their son's loud cry filled the delivery room. A nurse wrapped the baby in a blue cloth and handed it to his mother. "He's beautiful" Cassidy gently stroked her son's fluffy black baby hair and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"At least he looks like me" proudly smiled Jason, raising his son's fisted hand with his finger and again bent down to kiss his wife. His son protested his father's attention to his mother and cried again, clutching his father's finger. "And he's jealous like you" Cassidy laughed wearily.

The nurse took the baby to clean him up so they could move Cassidy into a regular room before returning her son so she could nurse him for the first time. Jason waited while the nurses helped Cassidy move and then plopped down on the bed next to her, staring down at the squirming little one clinging to her breast.

"For the first time I'm not jealous of a man clinging to my wife's breasts" Cassidy burst out laughing and Jason leaned in to kiss her again. "I'm proud of you my love" he whispered against her lips and Cassidy smiled softly. "And I'm proud of all of us" she looked down at their sleeping son. "In the end, Jeremy Mallory, your father turned out to be my savior, not my destroyer" she smiled and looked lovingly at her husband, who couldn't help but kiss her again.

Half an hour later, Cassidy and Jeremy Mallory's room was filled with shouts and laughter. Casey couldn't wait to hug her little brother, sitting on her father's lap, who lovingly watched his wife happily talking to Maya and Christina, while Peter and Trevor stood to the sides with small smiles, holding their own children."This was definitely the best deal I've ever made" he thought and kissed his daughter on the head holding his son as Casey kissed the baby's soft cheeks.