Cassidy's P.O.V.
I can't even begin to explain how happy I was.
I didn't think he was gonna ever propose.
This all felt like a dream.
A fairytale even.
I genuinely thought of River as prince Charming because, come on, he's like the literal definition of perfection.
Here I was engaged to a French guy with the most gorgeous set of eyes, a killer smile, the biggest heart in the world, the most amazing personality even though he was an ass, a hilarious sense of humor, and a tough yet occasionally soft side.
NOT TO MENTION HE WAS A SOCCER STAR IN HIGH SCHOOL AND A BASEBALL STAR IN COLLEGE.
He was honestly way out of my league which was why I considered myself the luckiest girl in the world.
After the party we were on our way to the parking lot when my phone started to ring. I pulled it out and saw that it was my dad.
"Hey dad." I answered trying not to spill the news yet.
"Congratulations princess." He said.
"Wait you know?" I asked confused.
"Of course I do. River called me last night and asked for my permission."
I looked up at River as he smiled, our hands still entangled.
"He's so perfect dad." I stated, a little overwhelmed.
"Well I'm glad you're happy." Dad laughed. "Mom wants to talk to you."
He handed the phone to my mom and I got an earful of her joyous crying.
"Sweetie you're growing up so fast I cant believe this! Last night when your father told me that River was gonna propose I cried so much and it hadn't even happened yet! I'm extremely happy for you and you know I'm gonna help you with the wedding preparations and everything else! I even have a guy that-"
"Mom we're just engaged." I laughed. "Some people go years being engaged before they actually get married."
"Its never too early to start planning!"
It was so cute how happy she was.
"Okay mom then you go ahead and start planning. I'll call you guys tomorrow."
"Bye sweetie! I love you."
"Love you too mom."
I hung up and looked at River in annoyance.
"That woman is something else." I giggled.
We arrived at home close to midnight.
We walked inside as Maracel was coming down the stairs.
"Perfect timing." She said. "I just finally got the babies to go to sleep."
"Thank god. Their stupid crying annoys me." Elise stated as she began to walk upstairs. "You coming Jenna?"
"I'll be up there later. I'm going to the mancave with Rome and Gray."
"Suit yourself."
"Um its midnight... You, Rome and Grayson aren't going anywhere but to bed." River retorted.
"Oh come on. I'm 13. I should be able to stay up past midnight."
"Jenna I literally have to dash water in your face every morning to wake you up for school because you stay up all night. You really need to fix your sleep schedule."
"You act like its gonna kill me if I stay up late." She said as she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
River stared at her as he lowered down so that he was face to face with her.
I knew exactly what he was about to do.
"My first year as a surgeon, I had a patient with a heart condition that was in need of surgery. We had to monitor her for a week before we could start the surgery just to see exactly what we needed to do. But you see, the thing was, this particular patient was a 17 year old drama queen that was convinced that social media was more important than getting any rest. For the first 6 days she was there she only slept 3 nights. I tried to talk her into resting but she wouldn't. So on the 6th day, she started complaining about seeing people walking around her room and whispering. We eventually concluded that she was having hallucinations because of the sleep deprivation. Not sleeping was also worsening her heart condition so we had to keep her longer than we were originally supposed to. Throughout the next few days she began to lose her mind and swore up and down that the hallucinations were real. Yet she still chose to stay up all night instead of sleep. On day 12, I walked in to check on her but when I walked in she wasnt in the hospital bed. I called a nurse in and we looked and looked but couldn't find her. Something told me to check under the bathroom counter and so I did. When I opened it, she was in there. But she wasnt moving. I pulled her from under the counter and it was then that I realized she wasnt alive. She had literally scratched her eyes out and cut out her own tongue. She had a pair of scissors stuck in her arm right where a main artery was. And carved into her leg were words that I will never forget.... 'They were real.'"
Jenna was literally shaking at that point.
I wanted to laugh so much but I did my best to hide it.
She looked at him for a few seconds longer then took off running upstairs to her room.
"I'm just gonna go ahead and go to sleep for the night too." Grayson followed up as he ran upstairs next.
"Why are you still standing here?" River asked Rome.
"Because that was the most bullshit story I've ever heard." Rome replied.
River and I started laughing.
"You are one tough kid you know that right?" I said.
"I have my dad to thank for that." He evilly smiled then went to the mancave.
"Just imagine him 10 years from now." I stated.
"Now that's a scary thought." River responded. "I'll let him play in there for a bit. Meanwhile, how about you and I go sit out on the balcony."
Even though I was exhausted I wasn't gonna turn down my chance to talk to him again. It seemed like it'd been forever since he and I last talked.
We went out and sat on the sofa on the balcony.
He grabbed me and pulled me close as I laid my head on him.
"Why do you always do that?"
"Do what?"
"Every time we sit down you pull me over to you and hold me."
"Sorry, would you rather Max do it?"
I quickly looked at him. "That's not funny."
He laughed and kissed the top of my nose. "I'm just kidding."
"So why do you do it?"
"Because the first time I ever did it was the night we first kissed. And when I did it I felt you snuggle up even closer to me. You felt protected. You felt safe. And you knew I wasn't gonna let anything happen to you. Now, every time we sit down, or even when we lay down, I pull you towards me because I know that when I do you'll snuggle up closer. Then it reminds me that you really do trust me. You dont know it yet but you do."
"River I do trust you. Why do you think I said yes when you proposed?"
"You said yes because you're in love with me. Not because you trust me. Regardless though, you totally trust me. That's why you didn't ask me what happened at Jack's party."
"What happened at Jack's party?" I asked concerned now.
"What?" He asked pretending like he didn't know what I was talking about.
"See, doing things like that makes me not trust you idiot."
"You clearly trust me enough to tell me everything about you."
"I haven't told you everything about me." I replied.
"Cassidy, I know everything about you." He reiterated.
"Fine then what's my favorite color?"
"Orange."
"Favorite food?"
"Anything Asian."
"Drink?"
"Sunny-D."
"Movie?"
"Forest Gump. You make me watch it every other night with you."
"True." I giggled. "Favorite Actor?"
"Tom Hanks... Because he plays Forrest Gump."
"Actress?"
"Julia Roberts."
"Singer?"
"Matt Corby."
"Band?"
"X Ambassadors."
"Song?"
"Tiny Dancer by Elton John."
"Rapper?"
"You listen to rap?"
"No." I laughed. "Okay what about my favorite finger?"
"Index finger."
"How do you even know that?"
"Because I know you. And I pay attention."
"How do i like my burgers."
"Well done with nothing but beef, mayo, and tomatoes.... Weirdo."
"My favorite things about you?"
"My arrogance, eyes, smile, voice, height, and hair.... In that order."
Holy shit." I chuckled. "You're good."
"Told you. I know you better than you know yourself."
"BS." I stated.
"Fine then.... Tell me, what's your biggest flaw?"
"My hair. I hate it." I said with confidence.
"Wrong." He replied.
"What is it then?"
"Your insecurity."
"I'm not insecure."
"Oh really? Is that why every time you wake up in the morning you avoid every mirror in the house until your makeup is done? Or why whenever I call you beautiful you bite your bottom lip and shyly look away?"
"That doesn't prove anything."
"And you also think that you're not good enough for me. Which is why it took you so long to realize that I'm not manipulating you. And which is also why you dont like me going to parties because you're afraid that I'll find someone better."
"Fine. You win." I gave in.
"Thought so." He remarked with that stupid smirk.
"So why'd you wanna come out here anyway?"
"Just to talk."
"Couldn't we have just talked in bed?"
"No because for some reason you always get mad at me while we're talking in bed."
"Um.. Maybe because every time I talk to you while we're laying in bed you fall asleep in the middle of me talking..."
"You have no right to get mad at me for that. You literally punch me in the dick every time you're having a nightmare and every other night I wake up with your arm across my face. And occassionally your feet."
I laughed because he was right.
"Remember when I punched you down there so hard while you were sleeping that you fell out of bed?"
"Why is that funny?" He asked.
"Its not." I replied.... While laughing my ass off. "Okay but I do have a question now though... What was the point of you not talking to me for a week?"
"To be honest I just wanted to make you feel bad about assuming I was cheating."
"You're a jerk you know that right?"
"Everyone I know has made that very clear to me." He chuckled.
Suddenly we heard a loud thud come from inside the house. We looked at eachother in confusion then made our way back inside to see what it was.
We looked around but didn't see where the noise could have possibly came from.
We turned to go into the living-room and River immediately collided with someone else.
They both groaned in pain as their heads hit then he realized who it was.
"Stormy?" He said. "What are you doing here? How did you even get in here?"
"Doesn't matter. We need to go.... Now." Stormy stated with a panicked expression.
"What's wrong?"
"I was sent to come get you. The guys that-"
Suddenly the locks on the front door clicked simultaneously and the doorknob slowly turned.
"Its too late." Said Stormy as he ran off to the back of the house.
River and I stared at the doorknob until suddenly it shot open.
At least 8 men came running inside with guns and tactical gear on. They all lined up in front of the front door, pointing their guns directly at us.
My heart skipped a thousand beats I was so scared.
River just stared at them, trying to figure out who they were.
Then a tall man in a black shirt, black jeans, and black combat boots walked in, bringing with him someone else who had their hands tied behind their back.
He threw the person to the ground then laughed.
"Tommy..." River said.
Tommy adjusted himself so that he was up on his knees then looked River straight in the eyes.
"Dont try to fight them. Just give them your gun." He warned. "They have snipers."
One of the men pointed his gun at Tommy's head then threatened River.
"Give us your gun or I'll kill him."
River hesitated but eventually he reached into the inside of his jacket and threw his gun onto the ground.
"Cassidy, go upstairs." He said.
"What? No. I'm not leaving you."
"I wasn't asking." He replied as he looked at me.
I really didn't want to but I knew he was gonna carry me upstairs himself if he had to.
I went upstairs but hid just behind a wall so that I could see what was going on.
"Why are you here?" River asked Tommy.
"Mathias sent Stormy and I to come get you. He knew these assholes were on their way. We didn't know they were already here though."
"You look oddly familiar. I know you... don't I?" River asked the man I assumed was in charge.
"I'm just a man here for- business reasons.."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Oh you're feisty." The man stated. "All I can assure you is that I dont work for Mark. In fact I'm after Mark too."
"I dont care who you work for i just wanna know why you're in my house."
One of the men came up to River and forced him to the ground, next to Tommy.
"Next time you touch me I'm biting your fucking finger off." River threatened causing the man to laugh.
"No need to get aggressive. The only reason I'm here is because I want you to take me to Kratos."
"Cato? You want me to take you to Cato? No."
"I dont remember saying that you had a choice." He replied.
"I'll do it." Tommy stated. "I'll take you to him."
"Tommy are you out of your mind? You can't take them there. That's jeopardizing everything."
River explained.
"I'll take you to Cato." Tommy repeated to the man.
"Guess we're both taking you to Cato." River said, seeing that he wasn't gonna be able to talk Tommy out of his decision.
"No, I'll do it by myself." Tommy added.
"Tommy I'm not letting you do this alone. What if these guys just kill you when they dont need you anymore?"
"Well if you go too then they're just gonna kill us both when they dont need us." Tommy responded.
"You're not-"
"River.... I'll go by myself." Tommy stated again as he looked River in the eyes as if he was telling him something else.
River gave in.
"Fine."
"Great." The man said. "Now that thats settled why dont we head on out."
He grabbed Tommy and pulled him onto his feet, leading him out the door while his men followed.
"Oh and one more thing..." He began. "River, if you follow us we'll kill you."
As soon as the door closed and all of the men were out River got up and grabbed his keys off of the table.
"Where are you going?" I asked as I came back downstairs.
"Following them."
"Did you not just hear him threaten to kill you if you follow them?"
"I dont care what he threatens to do to me. He has Tommy."
"Can't you just call Cato and warn him that the men are on their way to wherever he is?"
"Thats the thing.... Tommy isn't taking them to Cato. He wouldn't risk that."
"Where's he taking them then?"
"To Mathias and the others, back at the safehouse." Said Stormy as he walked up to us
"Are you sure he's taking them there? Aren't the kids still there?"
"Yes. I know how Tommy thinks. And what he's thinking right now is that the safehouse is his best bet. He thinks that Mat and the others are gonna be able to take the men out."
"Call Mathias... Now." River said as a thought came to him. "Warn him."
"I just did. They're getting ready."
"Ready for what?" I asked.
"The security system at the safehouse is down right now. Blue just started working on it two days ago and there's no way he's gonna have it up by the time those men get there."
"But there's literally only 9 guys they have to take out. Not a whole army."
"Its not just 9 guys." River began. "I saw that man the day the safehouse got attacked. He came with armored trucks and tons of other men. Stormy said they attacked Blairwood too."
"Okay so what does this mean?" I asked not fully catching their drift.
"It means that Mathias, Blue, Caesar, and Stone aren't gonna be able to handle that much weaponry and manpower especially with the security system down. We're gonna lose this fight if we dont do something. Tommy would've done better just taking them to Cato." Explained Stormy.
"Where's Cato?" I asked.
"The Rift- somewhere where there's a shitload of men and weapons."
"We've gotta go." River said to Stormy as they began to head out the front door.
"I'm going too." I stated.
"No you're not." River replied.
"Yes, I am. And if you dont let me I'm just gonna follow you myself."
He and Stormy turned and looked at me.
"You dont know what you're getting yourself into." Stormy insisted.
"I dont care. I'm going."
"Fine." River said through gritted teeth.
"River no. Cato's not gonna like this." Stormy warned.
"She's gonna follow us anyway."
Stormy walked up to me and said in all seriousness:
"I'm telling you right now, you DONT wanna get caught up in this. People are gonna die tonight. You're not gonna wanna see that. Trust me. I've been doing this for almost 10 years and whats about to happen within the next three hours... maybe even longer... Is something you can't come back from."
"I..dont...care." I repeated. "If River's going then so am I."
He sighed in defeat.
"Fine... You're gonna need this then." He reached behind him and pulled out a gun then placed it in my hand.
Oh great.
We got into the car and almost the entire way there I had to listen to River lecture me.
"If someone points a gun at you, you pull your trigger before they do. Dont stop to think before you do it, just do it because if you dont they will. If anyone takes you or tries to, yell for me. Dont try to fight them."
"River I'll be fine." I assured him. "Stop worrying so much."
"I have to be worried. You've never done anything like this in your life. Hell the first time you shot a gun the bullet went through me."
"Once again, that was an accident."
"Doesn't matter." He replied. "Stormy call Cato."
"On it."
Stormy pulled out his phone, went to the dialer, and pressed 1.
The fact that he actually had Cato on speed dial was scary enough.
He put the phone on speaker as it rang 3 times then picked up.
"Hello." Cato answered.
"Cato, the men that attacked the safehouse are on their way back there."
"Why?"
"They got ahold of River and Tommy and said they wanted you."
"Me?"
"Yes. Tommy agreed to take them to you but he's not actually bringing them to the Rift. He's leading them to the safehouse. River and I are on our way there now."
"The safehouse has the walls to protect it. They'll be fine for now."
"No, it doesn't. The system is down. As soon as those men get there that house is gonna turn into a bloodbath."
"Damn it." Cato retorted. "I'm on my way. Its gonna take me at least an hour to get there though. I'll send Milo and Linus with reinforcements. And River..."
"Yes?"
"Peter. It's Peter."
Neither River nor Stormy knew how to react.
After hanging up Stormy made a comment.
"We'll get there before those men do. Tommy will take them the long way so that Mat has more time to prepare. I doubt he'll waste enough time for Milo and Linus to get there though. We're on our own for a while."
"Yep." Said River. "This can't get any worse."