#buddy cop

“You tell me. It’s your friend who hasn’t been returning my calls.” Looking around Cassian tried to see if there was anything else out of place. Everything looked the same. The only thing out of place as the missing owner. There wasn’t even the lingering scent of Rosemary, lavender and smoke that clung to her after a long day in the shop.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Gwyn shut the door behind him, turning the old brass lock into place, she fumbled with her words. Not landing on anything that would give him a clue to why Nesta had gone radio silent after their last case. “Its…Nesta will explain it better.”

“Where is our favorite witch?” Cassian didn’t like the silent treatment game. He couldn’t fix whatever he did if someone didn’t tell him why they were upset. Especially in this case. Everything was good two weeks ago. They had caught a murder, saved a kidnapped child, and had found an amazing new Hot Pot restaurant. Then he had started getting one word text-if he got a text at all- and unanswered voicemails.

Gwyn let out a long-tired sigh. For the first time Cassian noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Something had been going on in The House of Wind.

“Bryaxis will show you the way.”

As if he had merely walked through the shadows the familiar was sitting at their feet. Silent for the first time since Cassian had met him. Being assessed by the cat was an odd experience. The monstrous mix of hatred and fur always seemed to find him lacking somehow. Cassian hated the cat right back, but it still stung to be dismissed by a creature that ate off the floor.

This time there was no dismissal. Bryaxis still stared him down but this time when the cat turned to walk away it turned its head as if checking that he was following it. Cassain had seen him do the same to Nesta several times.

He hadn’t taken more than two steps before a small pale hand landed on her arm., “Cassian. Please follow her instructions.”  With that cryptic message Gwyn let go and headed towards the ground level kitchen.

Through magic or careful design the house that Nesta lived and worked in was larger than it appeared to be. Stairs took you either down to a single level below the ground floor or up to one of the two upper floors. As he fallowed Bryaxis down to the more professional level of the shop Cassian learned that there was another set of stairs. Hidden behind a long black tapestry that displayed the silhouette of a misshaped woman and antlers. The words “As above So Below” were framing the woman. The second part of the eerie phrase was written upside down. On closer inspection Cassian realized she was not misshaped at all. The lower half was an inverted copy of the top.

An annoyed hiss pulled him from his inspection. Behind the tapestry was a long horribly lite staircase that ended at a single door. Cassian had been in serial killer hide outs that creep him out less. No part of this even felt like he was still in the House of Wind. But Bryaxis was sitting at the top of the stairs tail swishing back and forth in irritation. The familiar had been leading him to Nesta and Cassian was eighty percent sure the plan wasn’t to sacrifice him to some ancient lost god. The other twenty was only because Nesta had threatened to do just that four months ago.

Taking the stairs one at a time Cassian tried to remember if he had told anyone he was going to Nesta’s tonight. Emerie would be no help. Unless that help was given to Nesta in disposing of his body. All Gwyn would have to do is bat her eyes and Azriel would create the greatest cover up Velaris would never see. He needed more loyal friends.

The higher he climbed the scent of Nesta filled the small space. Herbs, vanilla soap and smoke. Cassian hesitated for just a second before rapping on the wooded door in front of him. “Knock, knock” Without waiting from a response he turned the old brass knob.

The room was lit with candles and nothing else. It was empty of any furniture expect a small, rounded table with only two chairs, Nesta sat in the chair facing him.

She looked almost sick. Pale and exhausted, thinner then she should have been after only two weeks. It could be the grey dress she had on, lighter than anything in her normal palette, but the way it hung off of her shoulders told him it wasn’t just that. On the table in front of her sat a brass bowl with smoke curling out of it. it didn’t rise in the raise but crawled along the table pooling off its edges into the darkness. Small animal bones tied with colored thread and carvings rested beside one of her hands. The other reached up slowly as if the motion was of great effort to indicate the empty chair in front of her.

“Cassian. Have a seat.” It was not Nesta who spoke. Or not only Nesta. There was a hollowness to her voice that Cassian had only heard once. When her magic had started to consume her during that first case they worked together.

 Caution locked up his muscles, some long buried human instinct calling him to flee the woman in front of him.  “I love the creepy vibe you have going on here Nes. Do I get to plead my case before you curse me.” Throughout his life Cassian had used humor to ease himself and others.

Nesta blinked hard, that burning silver flickering in her eyes until they were mostly the blue grey he had grown so fond of. “Idiot.” Humor won again. “Do you remember what I said my power was rooted in?” this time the burning in those eyes was all Nesta. Cassian couldn’t look away.

“Death.” Whatever the hell that meant.

“Yes. Now take my hand.”  She turned her hand until the palm was facing up. Inviting him to rest his hand in her soft one. But too quickly for him to react Nesta reached out further and wrapped her fingers around as much of his wrist as she could. Her nails practically digging into his skin, “Whatever you do, no matter what you see of hear, do not let go of my hand. I mean it.”  Her wrist was so thin that his fingers touched when he mimicked her grasp on his wrist.

“Okay.”

The room fell away into complete darkness. It was distorting to say the least. There was no shift between sitting in the lowly lit room to standing in what appeared to be moving darkness. The only thing Cassian was still sure of was that he was grasping Nesta’s wrist- tighter than he had been a moment before- and that she was utterly unconcerned with their change of scenery.

“Where are we?”

Neta had her eyes squeezed shut as if she was concentrating,“The Veil”

Cassian had never been more confused in his life, “The what?”

“The Veil between the living and the dead.” The eyebrows above her left eyes twitched and he felt her fingers flex against his wrist.

“You aren’t planning on leaving me here are you sweetheart. I’ll admit it’s a clever way to get away from murder.” Cassian took a step closer to her.

Her words were practically growled out, “Stop talking I need to focus.”

“Good luck with that. He has always been a talker.”  A familiar voice chimed from behind him. Cassian turned, remembering at the last second to keep a hold of Nesta’s hand.

His memory had always been blurry but there standing in vibrant radiant reality, glowing in the darkness, was his mother.

“Hello, Fruit Bat.” It was the nickname- a reference to the year he was five and refused to eat anything but mangos and avocados- had hot tears rushing down his face.

Cassian could barely chock out a strangled, “Mom” around the tightening of his throat.

----

Later when they were sharing an overly decadent chocolate cake and Nesta and Gwyn weren’t commenting on the tears that were still leaking down his face Cassian realized that he was in love with Nesta Archeron. And from the way she leaned her exhausted body against his while moaning around a fork he was hoping she was in love with him too.

(( I know every says that Cassian's love language is acts of service and I agree with that -along with gift giving- but I think while words of affirmation is how best to show love TO Nesta I believe that subtle actions is how Nesta shows her love. I will not get on my soap box about all of the actions she does in canon that shows she had cared for people all along.))

@nessianweek