"I gotta go into someone else's dreams," Nick said to Isabella and A.J. that night. "Someone other than Cassandra's."
"Nick," Isabella said. "Aren't you tired? You can't do this every night!"
"I'm extremely tired but I need to talk to someone about Cassandra."
"I hope you realize," A.J. said, "that no one else is going to believe that it's really you. They'll just think that it's a dream. I mean, even Cassandra thinks they're all dreams."
"She'll believe. I'll make her believe. If I have to go into her dreams every single night, if I have to hold her every second of the day and every second of the night until she feels that she's not alone, I will. I will make her believe."
"Well good luck," said A.J. and walked out of the room.
"Sheesh," Nick said. "What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know," Isabella said. "Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Go into Nicole's dreams tonight and try to convince her. Then in the morning, I'll try to get rid of A.J. and I will help you make Cassandra, and maybe the others, believe."
"But how?"
"We're going to play a little game of coincidences with her."
"I don't understand."
"You don't now, but you will."
Nick gave her a look.
"Just go," Isabella said. "I think Nicole's getting ready to go to sleep.
Nick nodded his head and headed for the stairs but stopped and turned around. "Isabella," he said. "Thank you. Thank you for backing me up."
"Any time," she said as he ran upstairs to Nicole's room.
"Nick?" Nicole said.
"Hey Nicole," he said and smiled.
"But how-"
"Nicole, just listen. It's me. I'm in your dreams, but it's really me. In reality, Nick."
"Weird," she said and smiled.
"Now just listen to me, okay?"
"Okay."
"Good. For starters, I am always around. If you ever need me, just call on me. For anything, anytime, just call me. Another thing, I want you to keep an eye on this Jason kid. I don't like him. I think he's up to no good. Just keep him away from Cassandra. Tell her that all of the dreams that she has had so far, with me in them, have been me. Not just a dream. Got all of that?"
"I think so," Nicole said and sighed. "It's good to see you again, Nick. We've missed you. All of us, especially your wife."
"I know. I know. But I have Isabella to keep me in line, and I am always with Cassandra. Ask her if she's felt that she hasn't been alone lately. Please, ask her and see what she says."
"Okay."
"If she still doesn't believe, tell her to call on me anytime because I would do anything for my queen and that it's okay for her to sleep in my room because I know she likes my bed better." He grinned.
"Um, okay."
"I have to go soon. Any questions you want to ask me?"
"Yeah. How come you and Cassandra aren't together?"
"Nicole, I can't answer that. I ask myself that every single day."
As soon as Nicole woke up the next morning, she ran into Cassandra's room. "Cassandra, wake up!" Nicole said shaking her.
"Nicole? Nicole, what?"
"Nick came to my dreams last night."
"W-What are you talking about?" Cassandra sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes.
"Okay, he told me that he is always around and that all we have to do is call on him and he'll be there. And that all of the dreams that you've had with him, have been him. Not just a dream, they were really him. He is really coming to you in your dreams. His soul is."
"Nicole, what are you talking about? You aren't making any sense."
"He told me that you might react like this. He told me to ask you if you have been feeling like you aren't alone lately."
"Why?"
"Have you?"
"Well yeah, I guess-"
"It's him. You're not going crazy, they aren't just empty feelings. It really is him."
Cassandra laughed and stood up.
Unbeknownst to them, Nick stood in the room and listened. "It's working," he whispered to himself. "Nicole actually believes it. Come on Nicole, convince Cassandra." He had to try something. He walked up to Cassandra as she stood in front of her mirror. He took his emotion and whispered into her ear. "Cassia-"
Cassandra jumped.
"What is it?" Nicole asked.
Cassandra raised her hand and touched her ear.
"You felt something, didn't you?" Nicole asked.
Cassandra didn't answer.
"Didn't you?"
Cassandra slowly nodded.
"Now do you believe me?"
Nick watched and hoped. "Come on, Cassandra," he begged.
"Cassie," Nicole said. "What more do you need?"
Cassandra just stared at the floor.
"Nick!" Nicole called. "Do something!"
"Nicole, shut up!" Cassandra hissed. "You're nuts!"
Nick leaned over and whispered to Cassandra again, this time closer to her ear and with more emotion. "I love you, baby."
Cassandra jumped again.
"Do you believe?" Nicole said.
Cassandra walked into her walk-in closet and shut the door behind her and leaned against the door.
"Come on, Cassandra!" Nicole said. "Do you believe?"
Cassandra didn't reply.
"Fine then, just listen," Nicole said. "He said to tell you that it's okay to sleep in his room because he knows you like his bed better and also something about that you can call on him anytime because he would do anything for his queen."
Cassandra gasped. "How did she know-" Cassandra heard a very slight noise. She turned around and saw one of her dresses on the floor. "My black one-" she whispered to herself. "This wasn't on the floor before..." She picked it up and looked at it. "Nick's favorite-" She gasped and walked out of her closet still holding the dress. "How did you know all of that stuff?"
"I told you," Nicole said. "Nick came to me in my dreams." Nicole stared at her. "Do you believe?" she asked her again.
"Yes," Cassandra said softly.
"What?"
"Yes!" she said louder. "I believe!"
"Yes!" Nick shouted. "Finally."
The next morning, Isabella met Nick in Cassandra's room. A.J. had gone off somewhere and Isabella didn't really think much of it. "All right, Nick," Isabella said. "I'm not going to do this for you but I will help you and tell you what to do."
Nick nodded.
"First of all, you have to wake her up and tell her to turn on her radio."
Nick nodded again and stood over Cassandra. He gazed tensely down at her and gave her thoughts.
Cassandra stretched and yawned and sat up. She reached over and turned on her clock radio. Her eyes opened wider as she heard her and Nick's song playing. She quickly turned off the radio and got dressed.
"It's not working!" Nick whined.
"Chill out," Isabella said. "It is. Okay, now, Cassandra is going to be going out soon. This is what you have to do." She started divulging her plan.
Cassandra walked downstairs in jeans and a tight black t-shirt and grabbed her purse and keys. She was heading towards the door but Coreene stopped her.
"Where are you going?" Coreene questioned.
"Um, I'm going to the mall," Cassandra replied.
"Why?"
"Because I want to."
"Can I come?"
"Uh, sure."
Coreene followed Cassandra out the door and was confused as they got into Nick's dark green car. "Why are we taking Nick's car?" Coreene finally asked when they were at the end of the street.
Cassandra just sat there for a second. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. Cassandra turned on the radio and gripped the steering wheel harder as she heard the beginning of her and Nick's song, again. She quickly glanced in the rear view mirror at the back seat of the car and had a feeling that she and Coreene weren't alone.
"Did you see that?" Nick said to Isabella as they sat in the backseat of his car. "She looked at us."
"Technically she didn't," Isabella replied as she looked out of the car window.
"Don't get technical on me, Missy!" Nick joked. "It's the last thing that I need right now."
"I know," Isabella replied and grinned to herself.
When Cassandra and Coreene arrived at the mall, they slowly walked around the bottom floor. As they were walking by one store, Cassandra glanced in one of the display windows and saw a carbon copy of her black dress that was Nick's favorite. She didn't really think anything of it and they kept on walking. They walked down into the music store and immediately Cassandra walked to a section that she felt drawn to. "I must be going crazy," she mumbled as she looked down at a set of Bryan White CD's. She picked up the one that had their song on it. "I can't believe that I never bought this before." She brought it up to the register.
"Good afternoon, Miss," the cashier said and took the CD. "Will this be all?"
"Yes, please," Cassandra replied and looked up at his name tag that read: Nick.
"This is a good CD," he said.
"I know."
He handed her the bag and her change.
"Thank you," Cassandra said and grabbed her sister.
Isabella giggled. "This is awesome."
"I guess so," Nick replied. "She's getting the picture. I know what she's thinking. But is she believing?"
"She may be, but she's very stubborn."
"She is not!" Nick defended.
"Oh yes she is!"
"Okay," Nick mumbled. "Maybe she is, a little."
"Whatever you say, Cutie."
When Cassandra and Coreene walked into the house, they decided to make lunch so they went into the kitchen and started making a couple of sandwiches. A couple minutes later, Brian and Kevin walked into the kitchen. "Hey guys," Brian said. "Whatcha doing?"
"Making lunch," Coreene said, giving Brian a look.
"How about you make us lunch, too," Kevin suggested.
"How about we don't," Cassandra said.
"Please," Kevin and Brian said together, giving them the puppy look.
"Fine," they agreed. Brian and Kevin smiled and sat down at the counter and Cassandra and Coreene started making more. A couple more minutes later Jonathan and Nicole walked into the kitchen and saw a plate of sandwiches piling up.
"Hey we'll have some, too," Jonathan said as he and Nicole sat down at the kitchen table.
Cassandra looked over at them and rolled her eyes. "I'm not even going to argue with them." When Cassandra and Coreene thought that they were done, Emalia and Mercedes holding Charity, sauntered through the door and walked into the kitchen.
"Hey guys-" Mercedes started.
"Fine," Coreene said. "We'll make you lunch, too!"
"Um, okay," Emalia said as she sat down next to Kevin and Mercedes sat down next to Brian.
"Let's take this outside," Brian suggested. "It's such a nice day out."
"Yes!" said Kevin in a high pitched voice. "And why don't we go pick some daisies, too!" Everyone laughed at the face that Brian gave Kevin as they took their lunches outside.
Kevin leaned over and whispered something to Jonathan. They both grinned and looked over at Brian; both feeling that this get-together needed some more pizzazz. They both stood up and walked over behind Brian. Kevin looked over at Jonathan and silently counted to three. On three they both put an arm around Brian and lifted him up.
"Hey!" Brian protested. "Put me down!"
"Okay," Kevin said and him and Jonathan dropped him in the pool. Mercedes thought that it was the funniest thing in the world and continued to laugh with everyone else when Brian surfaced and gave them all an angry face.
Nick was in Cassandra's room and waiting for her, when somebody walked through the door. "Hello, Nickolas," they said.
Nick couldn't really tell who it was. He knew that they were female. It obviously wasn't Cassandra but they sounded familiar.
"It's me, Nicky. I came back to see my best friend."
Nick gasped. "Kimmy?"
"The one and only." She smiled as Nick got up and hugged her tightly.
"How are you?" Nick said as they sat down on Cassandra's bed.
"I'm pretty fine. I see that you are, too. You still hang around this place? Why?"
"I gotta be where my wife is."
"Oh, right," she sneered. "Cassandra."
"What about her?" Nick defended.
"Must I remind you, dear Nicky, that your little wifey had me killed."
"No, she didn't. Your boyfriend killed you."
"But he wouldn't have known where to find me if she hadn't told him."
"Look," Nick said sternly, "I don't want to talk about this now-"
Cassandra walked into her room, and went into her closet for a different pair of shoes.
"She still looks the same. Hasn't changed. Probably hasn't grieved over you. I hope you haven't been grieving over her too much."
"Listen, I pray everyday that we can be together. If she ever forgot me, I would die, again. It is so hard being around her every single day, every single second, and not be able to tell her how much I love her or not be able to even touch her. I reach for her, and she's not there. I had never been with someone like her. I'd never dreamed that someone could love me without question. That someone like her could love me unconditionally."
"Oh how sickly sweet."
"What is wrong with you, Kim?" he asked bitterly.
"I just think that you should move on, that's all. I think that she should move on, too. What about Brian? She's had her eye on him lately. I can hear her sick thoughts about him-"
"Drop it, Kim," Nick said and followed Cassandra out of her room.
Kimberly grinned to herself. Yes Nicky, you should move on with me. And that's just what you're going to do.