I never dreamed that I'd love somebody like you

On the back of the watch, there is an engraving carefully done in Luca’s handwriting. It reads ““love you kid, Dad”.

A small note rests on top of the small wooden box the watch has been set in:

Derek,

You don’t really strike me as the kind to care about sentimentality in some aspects, but I’m going down that whole sentimental lane anyway.

You haven’t said anything about it, but I’m sure by now you’ve realized Jackie’s ring is missing. I genuinely didn’t mean to go snooping, and I’m really sorry I’ve probably broken your trust in that sense. I didn’t realize you had sentimental stuff in that box, and after I’d grabbed the ring and realized what else the box housed, I immediately put everything back and locked it back again. I really, truly am sorry about that. I don’t know if you’re going to say anything to me, but hopefully I can beat you to the punch by telling you about it.

In any event, I noticed this watch in the box. I sincerely hope I’m not crossing any lines here, but I can guess how important it is to you, and I sort of thought that you might like this. It’s newer than the one in the box, but I’m sure I can find a replica of that watch if you’d prefer it. And as for the knife and daggers...honestly all I ask is you don’t use them on my cousins. Please.

Anyway, Merry Christmas Derek.

 CASSIE: Happy New Year, broody.

DEREK: That’s a stupid nickname

CASSIE: It might be stupid but it fits so well

DEREK: I am not broody

CASSIE: Actual video footage of you. Your broody.

CASSIE: 

CASSIE: Accept it.It’s okay though. What else would I call you if you weren’t Broody? Derek? Yeah no. You’re just Broody. You’re even in my phone that way.

DEREK: I regret buying you Christmas gifts.

CASSIE: Awww why? They were so beautiful. I still have yours, by the way. I just haven’t had a chance to get them to you yet.

DEREK: Does your father know?

CASSIE: Know what?

DEREK: That you bought me a romantic gift DEREK: Because you’re so in love with me you can’t function

CASSIE: What makes you think I bought you a romantic gift? CASSIE: Who’s to say I didn’t get you eyebrow wax?

DEREK: Because if it was eyebrow wax the whole broody thing you enjoy wouldn’t work DEREK: And you didn’t deny being in love with me

CASSIE: Somehow, even without the broody eyebrows, you’d still find a way to be broody. Angel didn’t need bushy brows to be broody af. CASSIE: So? [ DELETED ] CASSIE: What of it? [ DELETED ] CASSIE: I didn’t confirm it either. I ignored it. [ DELETED ] CASSIE: I’m not in love with you. Might be in love with your cock, though.

DEREK: I think you’d miss them. DEREK: Uh huh sure Everyone’s in love with my cock that’s not new

CASSIE: I won’t lie. I probably would. You’d look weird without the broody brows. CASSIE: If that’s what you need to tell yourself to stroke that ego of yours, big guy, you keep telling yourself that then. And that is because your cock is amazing. I’ve said it before, but there aren’t many people who can genuinely follow through on the ‘can’t walk the next day’ promise, and you/your cock can, and that’s one of the many reasons I love your cock. CASSIE: But I don’t know if I’d say it extends beyond that.

DEREK: My ego is well deserved thank you very much.

CASSIE: I never said it wasn’t. Your ego is very well deserved.

[ MANY HOURS LATER ]

DEREK: So if you’re not in love with me, then going through my personal belongings was just foreplay?

CASSIE: Fuck. I knew you’d figure it out eventually. Shit. Fuck me. [ DELETED ]  CASSIE: Not foreplay. Curiosity. I have this thing about locks. And admittedly my curiosity tends to get me in trouble. Often. I do apologize. That being said, I just want to maintain that nothing in that box vibrated so your ‘clue’ was misleading.

DEREK: I seriously doubt any apology you give would be sincere. I hope you enjoyed rummaging through some of my father’s things and the knife I’ll kill your uncle with. DEREK: True but I know you didn’t need a clue to find it. I was curious to see if violating my privacy was more important to you than getting Jackie St. James her ring back.

CASSIE: I don’t apologize if I don’t mean it. CASSIE: And I don’t expect you to understand why I wanted to help her get her ring back.

DEREK: Because you’d be devastated if stolen stole your ring from your MIA fiancé?

CASSIE: In my particular case, yes. It’s one of the few things I actually have left from him. CASSIE: But while we’re going down that lane, in case you’re trying to figure out some sort of payback, I’d be more hurt if someone stole the flag from his funeral and the dog tags I keep with it.

[ A BRIEF PAUSE ]

CASSIE: Actually. I do expect you to understand. CASSIE: Just because they’re rich doesn’t mean they aren’t entitled to family heirlooms that mean something to them. That money cant replace for once. To things that mean more than dollar signs. CASSIE: I don’t give a shit about the rest of the stuff that was stolen. I never asked for that back, and I don’t give a shit what was done with it. But I asked for the ring back. Maybe not directly, but you’re a smart man. You knew I was asking for the ring when I asked you if you might have had it. Or whatever the hell I said. I only ask once in matters like this. CASSIE: Jackie St. James is one of the few members of the UNS who isn’t a complete snob with a stick up their ass and their nose in the air. She doesn’t deserve the shit she was put through, and, despite the fact that I don’t think it was you that did it, I can’t say I have a high opinion of the person who took the ring right off her finger just for the sake of seeing ‘little rich girl’ cry. All for the sake of seeing a little chaos.

DEREK: I’m not gonna piss on a soldiers grave. Bad enough I hump his fiancé regularly. DEREK: You knew what we were about. They took it to sell it. DEREK: I confiscated in and locked it away. I knew you’d come looking for it or else I’d of sold it as well. And I knew if I locked it up you’d still find it. DEREK: I was curious to see though if there was any level of respect for my privacy. Which apparently, there isn’t.

CASSIE: It’s been nearly two years. I’ve accepted the fact that it’s very unlikely he’s coming home. CASSIE: But if you have such a problem with us fucking then it can stop.... [ CONTEMPLATES SENDING IT FOR ABOUT TWO OR THREE MINUTES, THEN DELETES IT ] CASSIE: I don’t give a shit that you guys steal. I’ve stolen things. There was a time I made a life out of it. But there’s a difference between stealing shit that can be replaced and stealing shit that has genuine, personal, sentimental value. Shit that is irreplaceable. CASSIE: I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. I’m sorry. You don’t have to worry, it won’t happen again.

DEREK: Am I seriously getting a lecture about sentimentality from the same person who dug through my incredibly private belongings because she “has a thing about locks”?

CASSIE: I didn’t know you had sentimental shit in there! CASSIE: And, for the record, I never would have gone through it if you guys hadn’t stolen the damn ring in the first place! It was only curiosity in the sense that I thought maybe you locked the ring up. I didn’t know your dads shit was in there. I put everything back the way I found it the second I realized what it was. CASSIE: Are you seriously unable to see why I have an issue with you stealing the ring in the first place?? Or at least not returning it when you learned it had sentimental value?

DEREK: First of all, I didn’t fucking steal it. DEREK: And rather than pawn it off, I held onto it. It was supposed to be a fun game but you had to be fucking nosy. DEREK: Secondly, I do see the issue. But guess what, Red? I don’t give a flying fuck. It wasn’t you I hurt but you’re taking it very personally. DEREK: Maybe psychotic personality runs in all the Anderson genes.

Cassie stepped into the garage that Darius worked at, holding a thick envelope under her arm. Collecting all of this information had taken almost a month and a half, but it was worth it. On the outside, as was the case with many wealthy North Side families, the Warrington family seemed perfect. The man worked as a synthetic pharmaceutical chemist for a large company in Greendale, and his wife worked as a third grade teacher at Riverdale Elementary. They had the perfect family environment for two ‘needy’ kids from the South Side to finally have a peaceful life away from the gang-warfare that seemed to be building up in the background. Sadly, reality was much different than the front they put on for everyone else.

It had taken a while for Cassie to find everything, but what she had found absolutely appalled her. While Andrew worked for a reputable pharmaceutical company in Greendale, his practices after hours were far less than reputable. When she found a door with not only a deadbolt and regular lock but a padlock as well, Cassie knew that whatever was on the other side of that door would be what Darius and Charlie needed to get the kids back. She had searched the house from top to bottom, and this door had been the most promising lead she had. She had easily picked all the locks, even more thankful that Darius had given her the time she needed to search the house. She had found an illegal pharma lab in the basement where Andrew was developing new drugs on his own, outside of his job. That wasn’t all that surprising though if she were being honest.

What had surprised her, though, was the small room in the back of the basement. It was a barren room - probably used a supply closet at one point - only big enough for a small twin bed with nothing on it. No fitted sheet, no blankets, no pillows. Nothing. There was a little walking space in the room, but not much, and a part of that space was filled with a large metal bucket. The realization of what was going on suddenly dawned on her. The mattress looked used despite not having anything on it; the bucket was also used. In that moment, Cassie had felt sick to her stomach. She had taken pictures of everything she needed - including the illegal lab - and left the house exactly as she had found it.

Clearing her throat as she saw Darius, she offered him a small smile before handing him the thick folder filled with photos and documentation on what the Warringtons were really doing.

“I’ve got everything you need here. This should be more than enough to get Caroline and Christopher back into your girlfriend’s arms,” she said with a nod as he took the folder from her. “I...the sooner you act the better, Darius. These people are just...what they’re doing to the kids is deplorable. From what I can tell, the bedroom that’s meant for them upstairs has barely been used. They’re keeping them in this small room that looks like it might have been a closet or some shit at some point.”

She opened up the folder and showed him the pictures that she had taken, unable to actually voice the conditions the children were being forced to stay in, before taking a small step backwards again. “They’re using them as guinea pigs for whatever drugs they’re making, Darius. And forcing them to sleep in...just fucking filth. I don’t...I don’t know how they kept this all from DCS, but I can only guess that they bribed people. The judge. The DCS worker. I don’t know how many. Upstairs the house looks perfect, but there were three locks on the basement door. Whoever did the welfare check for DCS had to have seen it.”

Cassie sighed a bit before shaking her head a little. “Bring this to the judge. This is grounds to have the kids pulled immediately, and given everything the two of you have do to make your lives more presentable it shouldn’t be hard to convince them to place the kids with you and Charlie until the guardianship hearing. You just have to make sure they don’t have a reason to take them again. If there’s anything else I can do, just ask.”