𝗦𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN!

〔 Season two, episode three 〕

𝑪𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑹𝑨 𝑻𝑼𝑹𝑵𝑬𝑫 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑻𝑨𝑷 𝑶𝑭𝑭, stepping out of the hot shower, feeling a sense of relaxation for only a moment before Images of the day flashed in her mind. She couldn't get it out of her head. Of poor little willia.

She sighed putting on Nicks white shirt to use as sleep wear, they really needed to find some new clothes, stepping out of the bathroom. She saw Nick sprawled out on the bed a blank look on his face, she knew he had gotten close to those kids just like her

"Are you okay?" Cassandra asked with a soft voice as she leant against the door frame

"Hm" Nick hummed turning his head as he looked up at her, noticing the haunted look on her face "are you?"

Cassandra thought for a moment, not answering. She knew that things like that were going to be a regular occurrence now but she didn't think she would ever get use to it, it was upsetting to see people die, to see all the blood and gore. To see family's ripped apart. She wouldn't be able to bare it if anything happened to Nick or Madison or Alicia. To her family.

Nick watched the sadness and fear take over her face, she was to good for this world and he wanted nothing more then to shield her from it

"Come here" he whispered reaching his hand out and taking ahold of her wrist, pulling her next to him on the bed, wrapping his arms around her tightly as she buried her head into his shoulder, seeking the comfort that he always seemed to give her - maybe it was because she always felt safe with him, because she knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her

"This isn't how people are supposed to live. Traumatic events everyday. Worrying for the people who you love everyday. This isn't...Nick you didn't see it, I can't get it out of my head" Cassandra whispered, feeling a lump growing in her throat, and Nick could hear it pulling away from her, he rolled onto his side running his thumb over her cheek as he looked at her before twirling a long Strand of her black hair between his fingers, listening to every word she said

Unshed tears gathered in her eyes as she continued to spill her worries
"What it takes to survive in this world, the strength. The actions. The killing. I can't do it Nick...that's not me. I've always fixed everything, I've always tried to be perfect. I've had to be...everything I worked for everything i destroyed myself for none of it matters anymore. Nothing. I'm not..strong enough to live through this but I don't want to die" she sobbed, and Nick Watched feeling helpless as the girl he loved, the girl who was always his light fell apart in his arms and all he could do was hold her

"Shh baby don't cry" he sighed placing a kiss on her forehead "Cass you are so strong, stronger then what you let Yourself believe. You'll be okay and hey, you are perfect. I love every part of you. Even the parts that you or others don't think are perfect. I think your little snort when you are having a real laugh is perfect, I think the way you snore Is perfect-"

"I do not snore!" Cassandra argued which made Nick look at her with a 'really' look

"-let me finish before you argue with me" he tickled her side playfully before continuing "everything about you is perfect. And you saying your not strong is bullshit. Its absolutely bullshit. You have stood by me when I have put you through hell and yet your loyalty nor your love ever faltered. You took care of my mom and my sister. When you were taking your exams early so you could do law school early. That's strength. And doing all that worried about me and trying to please your father"

Cassandra listened to every word he said. She thought about it but she didn't know what to say. He was right she did do all of that but she did it because she loved them, she did it because it she didn't she would be alone or let them down. It was a choice between doing all that or losing everything

But now it didn't matter anyways. Everything her father wanted her to work for meant nothing. The only reason she was still alive was because she thought so hard for Nick. Someone her father hated.

Silence filled the room, Nick didn't know how to make her see what he saw in her. So he just held her tighter never
"You do snore by the way" he mumbled, making her roll her eyes cuddling back into his shoulder

"Shut up" she mumbled making him laugh
Cassandra let out a small smile as she laid in Nicks arms, feeling his lips place little kisses on her forehead, feeling safe and comforted, the way she only felt with Nick
Even when he was the reason she was upset, he was the only one who could make her feel better

The brunette felt her eyes get heavy as she drifted off to sleep trying to rid herself of all the images in her head - while Nick stayed awake, holding her tight and keeping his eyes on her sleeping frame.
He smiled down at her sleeping face, he had spent far to many nights away from her which is why since the world ended he hadn't let her go to sleep without him by her side because as much as he didn't want to think about it neither of them knew how much time they would have together and he already wasted so much time being away from her. So he would spend every second showing her how much he loved and valued her but Nick knew one thing he wouldn't let her die before him. He would die before he lost her.

- but Cassandra knew she didn't want to live without Nick, she believed she wouldn't make it without him. If he died, she would follow him.

So both of them had the same goal, keep the other alive as long as they could. No matter the cost. Even losing themselves.

♱

"I know your not running on my deck" Strand said sarcastically as Alicia came running onto the front deck. We're Cassandra and Nick were having a conversation with Madison about the boat being stuck, that their is something wrong with the engine or something

"Jeez, seriously" Alicia replied back, before looking down at Cassandra "is he serious?"

"He always is" Cassandra looked up at Strand with fake smile, yet she couldn't forget what they had talked about, how he knew her mother

"You need to get them girls under control Nick" Strand told the Clark boy who looked up at him with 'do you want to try' look before looking at Cassandra and his sister sighing, why must they always bicker with Strand

"What's wrong?" Madison asked "what Is it?"

"Look over there." Alicia handed Madison the binoculars

As Nick picked up the bait on the table dangling it in Cass face making Chris laugh as she pulled a face, she didn't like fishing at all

"Haha" she faked laughed pushing Nick off the back of the sofa, which sent Chris into hysterics as Nick sat on the floor rubbing his head

"Now that was mean" Nick mumbled, as he pulled himself up sitting back beside her and slinging his arm around her shoulder

"Suitcases. A lot of luggage"

"Holy shit. Where'd that wash up from?"

The young couple switched their attention to Madison and Alicia's conversation, Nick leaning over and snatching the binoculars from his mother's grip, taking a look at what they had just seen

"We need supplies." Alicia announced

"Alicia, no." Madison shut the idea down, in fear for her family

"I've been watching. There's no one there. No infected" Alicia argued as Cassandra watched from her seat beside Chris before glancing at Nick as he searched the island himself with the binoculars, his brown shaggy hair getting messy from the wind

"All that stuff is just lying there."

"There's infected in the water" the blonde added

"We're not gonna swim"

"It's a yard sale. I'll go" Nick spoke up for the first time, putting himself in the middle of the discussion

"If you, I'm going" Cassandra stood up from her spot, Nick dropped his binoculars turning to look at her

"No you-" Nick tried to argue worried for her safety

"You go. I go. And I know you want off this boat" Cassandra told him, facing away from him which to him meant end of conversation unless he wanted to have a full blown argument with her. Which he did not want. So he just sighed in frustration as Cass looked at Madison

Yes Cass was worried. She hadn't really killed any of the undead. And when she was close to them back in that hospital, she nearly died multiple times. But she wasn't going to let Nick go alone. She couldn't sit on that boat all day worried about him. She wouldn't be any help to anyone like that

"I'm with you guys" Chris spoke up once he could get a word in

"Wait" Madison tried to stop them all, but none of the teenagers were letting her get a word in, Cassandra shot her a apologetic look. Knowing she just wanted to keep them safe, but they all had to learn to survive in this new world at some point

"If they're going I'm going" Alicia said, making Cassandra stiffle a laugh, all of this out of context really sounded like a sibling argument. Like the mom trying to keep the peace but she can't get a word in, the older brother who dose whatever he wants and the younger siblings that want to be like him
And with Alicia's words it really sounded like, if there doing it I wanna do it

"No listen to me, all of you" Madison finally snapped, yelling at all four of the teenagers. Making Strand stop what he was doing and stare. Alicia and Cassandra turned to listen to Madison while Nick and Chris went back to playing with the fishing rods

"Look, if anything were to happen to you---"

"Anything did happen. We're all in it. We've seen and done---" Alicia cut her off

"I know." Madison mumbled

"We all have to learn. Even if we don't want to. You want us to live right. Let us live, let us learn. Because protecting us will get us killed in the end." The Parker girl continued Alicia's point, she knew what she was saying was true but she didn't want it to be, she didn't want to learn, she wanted to hide but she didn't want them to know how scared she was, how she believed she wasn't going to make it

"So stop putting us at the kids table" Alicia told her mother

"I'll watch her" Chris told Madison being fed up with the argument

"You're gonna get slapped" Alicia replied without missing a beat, which made Cassandra snort loudly, making those unfamiliar with her stare at her weirdly

"Sorry!" She held her hands up in a mock surrender as she turned around quickly hiding herself in Nicks side filled with embarrassment as he smiled down at her running his hand up and down her arm, not being able to knock the grin off his face

"Mom, we need more clothes. We need more meds. We need more everything" Nick's gravely voice annocuned, making some good points as he kept his arms wrapped around Cassandra. He still wasn't really kean on letting her go with them but he did always want her to get more comfortable with the world so if anything did happen to him, she could survive it.

"Valid" Strand defended there plans

"Thank you Strand" Cassandra thanked him, she knew they still needed to talk about everything. She needed to know more about her mother.

"So we go while Travis fixes the engine. Get what we can. We come straight back" Nick tells his mother, ending the conversation as he walks off, because they all knew Nick was going with or without permission, with permission and other people would be safer. So Madison had to give in

♱

Cassandra helped pass things onto the speed boat, supplies their little day group will need. She didn't really know what to call them. She listened to the list that Travis gave them of things they needed most

"Hey, if you see anything that's not completely awful" Ofelia said to Alicia and Cassandra, hoping to get some decent clothes

"I got you" Nick snatched the list out of Ofelias hand, making Cassandra roll her eyes as she watched him jump into the boat

"Alicia, I can't do geriatric chic"

Alicia laughed as she took the supplies from Cassandra's hand

"What's wrong with geriatric chic?" Nick asked

"Relax. We got you Ofelia" Cassandra smiled at Ofelia who smiled gratefully

"You know you are so lucky, you got the face and the body to pull anything off, even in the apocalypse" Ofelia sighed looking at Cass who was still wearing Nick's white shirt, but tied Into a nott paired with blue jeans, she had left her jean jacket since it was warm

Cassandra blushed a bright red, She wasn't really use to getting compliments from people other then Nick since she was alway consider a bit boyish in the way she dressed. Other Girls never really complemented her but she knew she was pretty to an extent especially with the way Nick would remind her all of the time

"I'll say I'm the lucky one on that front" Nick smiled as he held out his hand playfully "m'lady" offering to help Cassandra into the boat, she rolled her eyes but accepted the help onto the boat

Everyone sat down on the boat, Cassandra kept a tight grip on the rope praying she didn't fall overboard - Nick looked down at her whitened knuckles, leaning down to her ear

"Don't worry" he smiled as whispered in her ear wrapping his arm over her chest "I won't let you go overboard"

When they finally reached the island, Cass looked around noticing the whole place was pretty much sand and that they had to walk all the way to the top of one of the sand hills to get to the luggage,

Alicia side eyed Nick and Cassandra and before anyone could even blink she had pushed Nick and grabbed Cassandra's hand

"Race you" she yelled as she dragged Cassandra forward untill the brunette registered what had happened and let go of Alicia's hand running by herself up the hill, the two of them laughed as they reached the top breathing heavily as they watched a sand covered Nick run after them

"Hurry up Nick!"

"Yeah bro. Your to slow" Alicia joined in on the teasing, both girls in hysterics while Daniel shook his head at the three of them, scouting the area. Immature, He thought.
And Chris watched them with a mix of envy and jealousy, he wondered how it would have been if he had grown up with them or even put in a bit more effort

"You two...are....evil" Nick panted out, trying to catch his breath as he reached the top, bending over trying to catch his breath

"Me...evil. I'm a Saint, thank you very much" Cassandra joked, cursing herself at the religious words that slipped out of her mouth before looking down at Nick and noticing the growing smirk on his face yet before she could react, he had jumped up looping his arm around her waist and spinning her

"You're not a Saint in bed baby" he whispered with a deep voice, making her bite her lip, playfully hitting his arm

"Alright children. Remember we are here to find supplies. And I am responsible" Daniel said as he walked past them, Chris hot on his trail

"Yes sir" Cassandra slauted, making Alicia giggle before hiding it with a cough, and Nick laugh in her shoulder. Cassandra had got her sarcasm from always being around the Clarks, but she did not know the right moments or people to use It on or she just did not care - that was something no one really figured out, she was to smart not to know what she was doing

Daniel ignored her walking away mumbling something in Spanish making Cassandra look at Alicia as she leant into Nick who was still laughing in her shoulder

"I think I pissed him off...I thought I could only do that to Strand"

The Clark siblings both laughed at Cassandra's words, all of them believing today was going to be a bit more peaceful then what they have had recently but Cassandra had this gut reaching feeling that something bad was going to happen, like it was just the calm before the storm.