#zassie

When it came to Zander, Cassie had always thought of him as Anton’s best friend. It had felt as though she had practically grown up with the bird around, but it had only been in the past few years that she had actually met Zander and sort of gotten to know him. At first he was just that random kid around the castle that was learning bass from the Queen’s cook, Thackery. His title had slowly changed to be her twin brother’s best friend, but in Underland, that’s all he ever was. Of course on occasion, Cassie would end up hanging out with him, but that was when Zander had nothing else to do while waiting for Anton.

Cassie never saw beyond the friendship. That was until Anton left for Upland with Zander. This feeling she had, this aching feeling she felt, she figured was just her missing her twin. Of course her dad didn’t let her go to Upland with them. She had spent days in bed or just lounging, but she wasn’t herself. Yes, she had other siblings that she had fun with, but it wasn’t like the connection she had with Anton. Slowly she started to realize that part of what she had been feeling was longing for the brief hang outs she had with Zander.

The day her father allowed her to go to Upland was probably the happiest she had felt since Anton and Zander left. She made the others promise not to send word to anyone since she wanted it to be a surprise. It was scary leaving the home she had known her whole life, but that was part of the excitement. With a mix of happy and sad tears in her eyes, Cassie hugged her family and stepped through the portal. The only person on the other side to help her was Nivens which she was thankful for.

Nivens lead her to Anton and Zander’s place and once he made sure she was alright, he was on his way. Unfortunately, neither her brother nor Zander where home, but she could almost smell when the bird was close so she hid. The moment she heard Zander come inside and settle in, Cassie jumped out, almost shouting her greeting. “Yo! I heard bird is the word!” Which was followed by her own chuckle and a look of shock and surprise from Zander.

Of course she wasn’t surprised when she was wrapped up in a hug and it wasn’t until that moment that she started to realize just how at home she felt in the boy’s arms. It almost scared her how much she realized she cared for Zander. Thankfully she was able to keep her cool and shake it off as just excitement to see the bird after so long. It was easy to get distracted when he took her to a place called he called ‘the parks’.

It was extremely huge and there were so many people. There were more people then she had even experienced during one of the White Queen’s balls. Cassie almost couldn’t process all of it, but she slowly started to enjoy herself once she got the lay of the land. By the end of the day Cassie was stuffed full of treats she had never had before and completely exhausted. So exhausted that she was practically hanging off Zander, using him as support as she tried to keep herself up while they walked home.

The moment she sat on the couch with Zander next to her, Cassie laid her head on his lap and fell asleep instantly. She didn’t even know what had happened, but when she woke up it seemed to be morning and she could smell something very good coming from the kitchen. It seemed as though there were a lot of mornings she woke up and she found Zander or Anton already making breakfast. Sometimes there were other people there, especially people that Anton brought home, but Cassie always liked it better when Zander made her breakfast.

Cassie even found herself finally admitting to herself that she had strong feelings for Zander and even though she had her suspicions that Zander returned her feelings. It wasn’t until she had practically thrown herself at another guy that Zander finally admitted to feeling the same way. She could feel the butterflies erupting in her stomach and they had the best spontaneous first date she could have asked for. Granted, she didn’t get this whole mini golf thing at first, but it was fun regardless since she was with Zander.

Of course she was worried how Anton would react to his best friend and sister dating, but after she realized he was alright with it, Cassie and Zander fell into what she considered a very comfortable relationship. After years of pining after Zander without even realizing it, Cassie was finally in a relationship with someone she considered a very good friend. It also took a lot of work as Zander’s band became famous.

Over the years they were able to keep their relationship strong through all of UTR’s tours and the like. Anton, Lydi, and CJ helped Cassie keep busy what with Piper, Circe, Lark, and Gigi trying to get their own band up and running as well. After years together, Zander proposed to Cassie. She knew she had wanted to spend her life with him, but Cassie was still shocked and instantly said yes.

Cassie was stressed over the details, but when the day finally came, she couldn’t help but enjoy herself. Their bridal party wasn’t all that big what with Tansy, Piper, Gigi, and Circe as her bridesmaids and Anton, CJ, Charlie, and Lark as Zander’s groomsmen, but the wedding with everything Cassie could have asked for and more. While her new husband was on tour, Cassie started to feel nauseous. It almost scared her since she had never felt this way before.