All the Wrong Reasons

Everyone's Princess

Fingers snapped in front of his face causing him to jump back. He followed the hand up to glower at the face. "What is it now?" he asked Peirce with a sigh.

"I think the villagers like your wife."

That infuriating smile still adjourned his friend's lips. Colin turned his head in Cassie's direction, and clenched his teeth. Her eyes sparkled, and her hair flew about as she laughed at what the village men were telling her.

Didn't she understand that they were trying to catch her fancy? The naïve chit was about to get all the men around banished. What would they do then? On the bright side, he wouldn't have to worry about feeding them, which was a plus. His eyes narrowed at the hand she had just placed on a man's arm.

"Colin, the man looks to be eighty. Stop glaring!" Peirce exclaimed with amusement clear on his face.

"I don't care how old the man is. Her hand is on his shoulder."

"You're jealous. Very interesting," Peirce said with the same glint he had had in his eyes earlier.

Colin threw him a suspicious look. "What are you planning?"

Peirce's eyes widened in mock innocence. "Who me? Why, my dear friend, you are mistaken. I would never plot behind your back."

"Then spit it out."

With one eyebrow raised, Peirce rubbed his hands together with anticipation. "I, my friend, am going to make your wife fall in love with you."

Cassandra smiled at the old man as he told his joke. She did not want to be rude, but her hand was throbbing. She was sure that any minute now, someone would see the pain behind the smile. No one did though, as they welcomed her.

It was a bittersweet moment. On one hand, she was filled with happiness because of the acceptance on everyone's faces; on the other hand, well her other hand hurt. What she really wanted to do was find a quiet spot, rub salve onto her hand, and talk to the lad.

She laughed once more at the old man, and did what she had been dying to do since he began talking. Lifting her hand, she placed it on his shoulder and subtly brushed the leaf off. It wasn't her fault that certain things took her attention more than others. The man beamed at her as if she had made some grand gesture.

Cassandra didn't have the heart to remove her hand; therefore, she left it there until it was removed by another. She glanced sideways with an apology on her lips. It was most likely the man's wife. Cassandra needed to learn that even the smallest gesture could cause major repercussions.

What she didn't expect though, was Colin clenching her hand as he forced a smile. Her eyes watered as he put pressure on the already injured hand, but she kept the genuine smile in place. A little physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional turmoil she had endured.

The grip loosened. "Are you hurt?" Colin asked her with obvious worry in his voice.

She looked up with shock clear on her face. Had he really seen past the smile? He was paying attention to her. Not her looks, but her. A warm feeling coursed through her and she gave him a dazzling smile. He cared.

"It is just a little swelling. It shall go down," Cassandra said.

His eyebrows scrunched together, and he shook his head at her. "You don't look fine. Follow me."

With that, the man who she thought cared so much earlier, turned and left her standing there. What else could she do but follow? She took one step, and almost fell on her bottom. She had forgotten that the lad gripped her leg through the fabric of her dress. She smiled down at him as she pried his hands off. He gave her a sorrowful look, but when she put his tiny hand in hers, he flashed her an amazing smile. Her own smile grew larger. The lad was the cutest thing in the world. He could easily pass as her own with his blonde curly hair and bright blue eyes.

"What if he has a family?"

Cassandra jumped in fright, and pulled the lad closer. Laughter clued her in as to who the culprit of her scare was. She tried keeping the glare on her face, but her lips twitched as she watched Peirce laugh. How she wished she would have grown up with a brother just like him.

Then his question hit her. Her chest tightened in panic. What if the lad had a family? She couldn't just take him away. Family was important, no matter how impoverished they were.

She looked down at him. "Where is your mum?"

He gave her a confused look before shaking his head no. She beamed at Peirce. "See he has no mum, and if that man was his father, then we are justified in taking him away."

"Rightly so," Peirce mumbled with anger.

She gave him a nod and brought her attention back to the boy. "How old are you?"

The same expression greeted her, and she let out a frustrated breath. The lad didn't trust her enough to talk.

"He looks about two," Peirce remarked.

Glancing at the boy, she had to agree. He didn't look much older than two, and if he was, she would be surprised. She had one more question, and then she would leave the lad alone.

"What is your name?" she asked.

The lad hesitated before whispering, "James."

Horrific images flashed through her head as she took deep breaths to stop the panic. Not that name. She could handle any name but that one. Her heart calmed, and she flashed the two men a tight lipped smile.

"How about we pick a new name? You will be with a new family and have a new name."

Peirce gave her a suspicious look for her actions, and Cassandra knew that she wasn't fooling the man.  He knew that she was hiding something, and Cassandra had a feeling Peirce would stop at nothing to find out what exactly it was that she was hiding.  She darted her eyes away from Peirce and settled them on the boy who was nodding eagerly at the question she had asked moments before. She kept a smile on her face as the boy struggled to come up with a name.

"Copper," he said with a finality that startled them all.

She fought the laughter that crept up her throat. "How about Cooper? I like that name, and it starts with 'C' just like mine."

The boy looked at her for a minute, before nodding. Peirce threw an arm around her shoulders, and leaned in close to whisper something in her ear.

"Are you planning on giving your other children names that begin with a 'C'? You two would have an entire family with similar names."

She could hear the humor in his voice as her cheeks flamed red. The cad was jesting with her. When would he learn that some things were better left unsaid? She opened her mouth to retort, when something caught her eyes.

Colin was stomping towards the two with a glare on his face. That was when she realized how intimate the situation looked. Peirce's arm was wrapped around her shoulders, and her cheeks were flushed. To the outside eye, she could understand what it might look like.

Her eyes widened as she noticed the fierce anger. She cringed; not only did this situation look compromising, but she had already disobeyed him. Taking a deep breath, she pulled Cooper behind her and stood as tall as possible.

She was ready for anything her husband chose to throw at her. 

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***Chapter title by jessielou***

***Edited by Twilight_moon***

Thanks everyone for the names and thanks to Amelia_Young for throwing Cooper at me!