Nick, Isabella and A.J. ran down the beach in the pouring rain.
"You guys," Nick said. "Oh God, the boat's gone."
"Oh no-"
"Hey, what's that?" A.J. asked. The three of them squinted in the rain and they all gasped at the same time when they realized that it was the boat, and it was overturned.
"What do I do?" Nick asked Isabella, hysterically.
"Calm down, shh," Isabella said. "You can only help her swim and make it to shore. There's not much else you can do."
Nick quickly nodded and took off down the dock and dove into the ocean.
"Oh no," Isabella said. "A.J. go with him."
"Why?"
"Because Jason went with Cass. Nick can't handle this on his own."
A.J. nodded and took off down the dock and dove into the ocean, following Nick.
Cassandra's eyes opened and adjusted to the darkness. She realized that she was in the ocean. She felt like she had just been on the Titanic. She turned to her left and saw the overturned boat. Quickly swimming over to it, she grabbed a slight hold of it and brushed her hair back. There was a loud crash of thunder and she could feel the vibration on the boat. The waves beat heavily upon her and her grip on the boat, slipped. She fell under the water and swallowed a mouthful of bitter seawater. Coughing as she emerged to the surface, her teeth chattered and her limbs became numb from treading in such cold water. Her thoughts began to merge together until they violently haulted. "Jason." She tossed about in the water, searching for him until a huge wave hit her, sending her back under the water as the thunder boomed and the rain continued to pour. Suddenly, Cassandra shot up from the water, finding a new strength within her. "Jason-"
He'll be fine, she heard inside her head.
Trusting the instinct, she began to swim for the shore. Reaching the shallow part of the water, Cassandra crawled on her knees through the water and dragged herself up the beach. She rolled over onto her back and coughed up the seawater as the rain persisted to fall on her. She opened her eyes a little and smiled. "Nick," she said. "You saved me."
"Cassie," Nick said. "You can see me?"
"Of course, baby. Why-" She stopped, her eyes rolled back and she passed out on the beach.
When Cassandra woke up with the sun in her eyes, she rolled over and saw Jason. They were both on the beach. Looking down at her watch she noticed it saying seven o'clock in the morning. Pulling herself to her feet she shivered and sneezed. Her clothes were soaked with water and covered in sand. She stumbled over to Jason and gently kicked him with her foot.
He rolled over and looked up at her. "Hi," he said.
"Good morning," she said bitterly.
"Guys," Nick yelled. "She's awake! She's okay!"
"Good," Isabella said, "but she doesn't look too happy."
"Good, now she'll never want to see him again."
"Come on Nick," A.J. said. "Get over it!"
Nick turned to A.J. and glared angrily at him. "Get over what?" Nick growled. "Being jealous that my wife is with another man? How would you feel A.J.? Huh?"
"First of all," A.J. started, "she's not with another man! Second of all, she's not your wife, she's your widow!"
"Fuck you, A.J. She is so my wife!"
"Oh yeah? Where are her wedding rings then?"
Nick walked over to where Cassandra and Jason were brushing the sand off of their clothes and looked down at Cassandra's left hand. "What the-"
"Come on," Cassandra said to Jason. "Let's go."
"But what about-"
"Let's go."
"Cassie-" Nick started.
Cassandra stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Nick?" she called.
"You can hear me?" Nick asked looking at Isabella.
"I can hear you! Say something else."
"I love you." Nick waited for a response.
"I love you, too! Something else."
"You'll always be my queen.
"I'll always want to be your queen."
"Oh Cassie, are you still my wife? Are you?"
"That's a stupid question," Cassandra said.
"Told ya," A.J. said to Nick, smirking.
"I'll always be your wife," Cassandra said. "I'll always be your wife, your lover, and your best friend."
Both of them silenced. They were equally confused.
Cassandra turned back to Jason. "Let's go."
"Yes, my wife," said Nick, looking at A.J., "please don't get sick."
Cassandra made a face. "I'll try not to."
"Cassandra," Jason said, "who are you talking to?"
"Huh? Oh, just myself."
Isabella, A.J., and Nick followed Jason and Cassandra and climbed in the backseat of her two door car. Nick sat behind Cassandra, A.J. sat behind Jason with Isabella in the middle. Isabella glanced over at Nick and saw him glaring at Jason. She threw her arms around Nick and A.J. to try to disrupt his thoughts. "My boys-"
"He could have killed her," Nick growled.
Isabella withdrew her arms. "Nick, it's no one's fault-"
"It's his fault. I blame him."
Cassandra pulled up into her driveway, parked the car and slowly got out. She violently coughed and when she stopped, she was shaking.
"Are you okay?" Jason asked, feeling somewhat responsible.
She didn't answer him. She only glared at him for a second. Nick, Isabella and A.J. climbed out of the car.
"Look at this," Nick said pointing to Cassandra. "She's coming down with a cold. My baby's gonna get sick." He put his arm around her knowing that she couldn't feel him.
"Thank you, Nick," Cassandra mumbled. "I knew you'd save me."
Nick grinned triumphantly as they all started towards the house.
"Cassandra! Jason!" Brian yelled. "What the hell happened?"
"We got caught in the storm," Cassandra said in a low voice.
"I guess so! Are you-"
Cassandra held up her hands. "I'm sure that Jason can explain. I'm going to go take a long, hot bath and I'm going to bed." With that, she ran upstairs.
"And I'm going with her," Nick said.
Cassandra ran upstairs to her room not knowing that Nick was right behind her. She stopped and sneezed then walked over to her jewellry box. "I'm glad that I didn't wear my rings," Cassandra said out loud. "I would have lost them! Nick, I hope you aren't mad." Cassandra paused. "What are you talking about, Cass? He can't hear you. He's not here." Shaking her head, she grabbed some clothes and headed towards the bathroom.
"Oh Cassie," Nick said. "If you only knew. If you only believed."
"I'm starting to believe," Cassandra whispered quietly.
Nick walked downstairs and tracked down Isabella and A.J. "What aren't you telling me?" Nick demanded to Isabella.
"What are you talking about?" A.J. asked.
"I didn't ask you. I asked Isabella. Now Isabella, what aren't you telling me? Was she really hearing me?"
Isabella took a deep breath. "Yes."
"How?"
"You saved her."
"So?"
Isabella sighed. "Your souls reunited and a connection formed. But it's very weak. You're going to have to strengthen it."
"How?" Nick asked.
"Isabella," A.J. said.
"A.J., shut up!" Isabella and Nick yelled in unison. Isabella turned back to Nick. "Nick, you'll have to work on it. But I'm warning you, it may not work. It may go away. But then again..."
"What?"
"It may not."
Later on that night, Kimberly was in a frantic search for Isabella. "Hey Isabella!"
Isabella stopped and turned around. "Kimberly?"
"Yeah, oh God, Isabella," Kimberly said out of breath. "I just b-barely got away."
"What? What happened?"
"Y-Your husband. A.J. God, h-he-" Kimberly started crying.
"What? What did he do?"
"He tried to rape me!" Kimberly screamed and cried louder.
"What? That's not possible!"
"Yes! He did! He said that you were being really cold to him lately and that he needed some."
"Oh I don't believe this."
"Please! Believe me! I'm so scared!"
"You'll be okay. I'm going to have to have a little talk with him!" Isabella said and stormed off.
Kimberly stopped crying and started laughing. "One down, one to go. Now, I've got to get to A.J. before she does." Grinning to herself, she started in pursuit of A.J. Before long, she found him.
When Cassandra was settled in her bed and ready to go to sleep, she heard a knock at the door. "Go away," she said.
"Can I come in?" she heard Brian ask.
"Oh, sure, yeah."
Brian quietly walked into her room and sat down next to her. He handed her a cup of hot chocolate.
She sneezed and he handed her a tissue. "Oh, thank you, Brian." She smiled.
He smiled back. "We were all really worried about you, you know."
"I seriously thought that I was going to die." She took a sip of her hot chocolate. "But it wouldn't have been so bad. I could be with Nick."
"It's not worth it," Brian said definitely.
"Excuse me?"
"Cassandra, Nick's gone. You have to move on. He's not coming back."
She sat up. "But I saw him, I heard him! He saved me!"
"Well then don't you think that if he saved you, he wanted you to stay alive?"
Cassandra thought about that. She hadn't thought of it that way. "No," she said.
"Well I do."
Brian grabbed her comforter and bunched it up closer to her. He gently wrapped his arms around her but Cassandra didn't tense up. He wrapped them tighter until they could get no closer.
"Mercedes," Cassandra whispered.
"I know but I can't help thinking-" He brushed his fingers over her lips as she swallowed hard. "I can't help thinking what it would be like to kiss you."
"A.J.!" Kimberly yelled out.
"Yeah? Kimberly?" A.J. asked.
"Yeah, oh man am I glad that I caught you!"
"What?"
"I saw Isabella making advances towards Nick."
"What are you talking about?"
"Okay, she said to Nick that you were being really stupid lately and that she was really sorry that she never married him."
"That can't possibly be true."
"It is! God, here I am trying to tell you things that I shouldn't be and you're being a total jerk! Fine-"
"No, Kimberly, I'm sorry. But excuse me, I must go find Isabella," A.J. said and stormed off in search of Isabella.
Kimberly grinned to herself once again and let out a sigh. "And now to go watch the punches fly and get Nick." Kimberly leisurely walked away.
Brian and Cassandra paused and looked deeper into each other's eyes.
"I can't be falling for you," Cassandra said. "You're married, and so am I."
"Nick-"
"Shh-" she said and put her fingers to his lips. "Don't speak."
They could feel each other's breath on their faces. Brian put his hand under her chin so she couldn't pull away. Their faces drew in closer until their lips met.
"Hey Nick," Kimberly said walking up to him. "What's going on?"
"Isabella and A.J. are fighting," Nick replied.
"Oh, what about?"
"Listen," Nick said.
"Why the hell did you try to rape someone?" Isabella yelled. "Oh, so now I'm not good enough for you? We're together and Nick and Cassie aren't, you don't see him cheating on her, do you?"
"Rape someone?" A.J. yelled back. "Nick wouldn't cheat on Cassie even though you were trying to get in his pants!"
"I was not!" Isabella yelled. "I know that he's completely faithful to Cassie!"
"Um, guys," Nick interrupted.
"What?" A.J. and Isabella yelled at him at the same time.
"Cassie and I don't fit into this discussion."
A.J. turned back to Isabella, ignoring Nick. "Well then why would Kimberly tell me that you were trying to get to Nick and that you were sorry that you didn't marry him?"
"Kimberly?" Isabella said. "She's the one that you tried to rape!"
"I didn't not! The very first time that I've seen her was when she came to tell me that you were trying to cheat on me!"
Isabella and A.J. looked at each other and then rested their eyes on Kimberly.
Uh oh, Kimberly thought. I figured that this would happen. Okay Nick, don't let me down now.
"Kimberly," Isabella said, "did you make up that stuff about A.J.?"
"Of course not! Why would I?"
"You did to!" A.J. accused. "I bet that you made up that stuff about Isabella, too!"
"I did not!" Kimberly yelled again, trying hard not to laugh and waiting for Nick to jump into this.
"You little bitch!" A.J. yelled.
"A.J., there is no need to call her that," Nick said. "I'm sure that this is a big misunderstanding."
"Yeah, right," Isabella said. "A misunderstanding named Kimberly!"
"Isabella, that's enough," Nick said, trying to stay calm.
"It was probably the best idea when you were killed," A.J. said. "Hallelujah to Cassandra, but you're back and still the biggest bitch ever!"
"Nick!" Kimberly cried as tears came down her face. "Why are they being so mean to me?"
Nick wrapped his arms around Kimberly. "Let's get out of here, Kimmy."
"Yeah, you get out of here!" Isabella yelled.
Nick escorted Kimberly out of the house and they began to walk down the street; his arms still around her.
Perfect, Kimberly thought. He's still the same as he ever was.