Haunting Past (Closed to MyIsland)

He could sense that Cassandra was loosening up a little. Their conversations were a little easier, and, although she did not accept his invitation to come to his house, she did offer to have him to her house for dinner. This was a definite step in the right direction. Justin had no idea what he was expecting, but there certainly would be nothing wrong with developing a friendship with Cassandra. Hell, he wouldn't mind it going beyond friendship. Having someone this attractive around was nice. he wasn't accustomed to having someone around that he was actually interested in getting to know.

"Okay. I will come here for dinner, but you have to tell me what to bring. I want to make sure that what I bring complements the dinner that you are going to make. Also, I don't know if you drink or not. Should I also bring beer? wine? something stronger? something non-alcoholic?" Yes, he was throwing a lot at her, but he really knew nothing about her. All her really knew was that she was hiding or on the run, and she was extremely beautiful and sexy.

"You don't have to decide now. I am going to go home and shower and change. I will stop at the store on my way back. So, when you decide, just give me a call. You have my number, and it will be a much better time to call than the last time you used it." He smiled at her. "Although, I must say that I am really glad you did call. Things went much better than they could have." Justin headed to his truck and drove home to change. When he got there, he undressed and jumped in the shower. His thoughts while in the shower were strictly about Cassandra. Some of those thoughts were rather erotic. When he got out of the shower, he toweled off and put on a clean pair of jeans and a blue dress shirt. When he finished dressing he checked his phone to see if Cassandra had called while he was in the shower.

Cassandra processed all that he said and she smiled, "Alright, I'll figure out what we're having and let you know what to bring." Once he left she eyed her wolf. "Well this probably isn't a good idea." Then she set about searching for something to make. Finally she settled on lasagna, looking through she realised she was only missing something to drink. She sent Justin a text asking him to pick up whatever wine he liked.

She found a recipe online and began making dinner, knowing it would take a couple hours. Cass had to admit, the idea of cooking for someone else was nice. While dinner was in the oven she went for a walk before coming back to make green beans, it shouldn't be too long before Justin got there as it was already 4:30.

Justin took his time. He did not want to seem overanxious, because he thought that would make Cassandra put her defenses back up. After changing, he sat down and had a beer. He decided to stop by the office and see if anything was going on, however, he knew the answer to that. After all, this was Dutton, and very rarely did anything really happen. After talking with the Lieutenant on duty, Justin walked over to the liquor store and bought two bottles of red wine. Once again, this was Dutton and the selections when it came to wine were red and white.

Justin pulled into Cassandra's driveway at 5:00 pm. He took his time going up the driveway. He was checking out all of the cameras as he went. There was something about all of this that intrigued Justin. Cassandra must be very good with electronics. She had to do all of this on her own. If it had been done by anyone in a 100 mile radius of here, Justin would have known about it. The people around here talk. So, she was somewhat of an electronics expert. Justin reminded himself not to talk about electronics unless she brought it up. He did not want her to get defensive.

He walked to her door with the two bottles of wine. Once again, he knocked knowing that Cassandra already knew he was there. The dog came to the door, but was not as aggressive as he had been, but Justin still was not going to trust him. If the dog attacked, Justin had no defense. He left his gun in the console of his truck. He was hoping he did not need a gun with Cassandra. He chuckled to himself at the thought.

"I am sorry that I only brought wine. I didn't know what else to bring, and since you texted me and didn't call, I had limited information to go on. So, I brought two bottles of wine." Once again, he couldn't help but look over Cassandra's body. She wasn't in her pajamas this time, but she still looked amazing. He stepped in slowly as she opened the door for him; keeping an eye on the dog, but maintaining eye contact with Cassandra also. She was the reason he was here. He really wanted to get to know her better.

Cassandra had changed into nice jeans and a gold blouse, her blonde hair curled slightly and hanging loose. Answering the door she smiled "Wine is the only thing we need." She said stepping back to let him in. She pointed at her wolf "Be nice," She warned as she led Justin to the kitchen. "Dinner should be done shortly, I hope you like lasagna." She said, smiling and seeming to relax a bit as she stirred the green beans. "Should be ten minutes or so. If you want to pour some wine?" She asked, "The wine glasses are in the cabinet next to the sink." She pointed as she opened the oven to check the dinner in the oven.

"I love lasagna. Don't get it very often in these parts though. Mostly just meat and potatoes around here." Justin moved toward the cabinet that Cassandra pointed to and grabbed two wine glasses. He turned in time to see Cassandra bent over looking into the oven. Now, that was an incredible view. Instead of asking Cassandra for a corkscrew, he pulled one from the Swiss Army knife he had attached to his keys. He opened the bottle and poured the wine into the two glasses. He could not get the image of Cassandra bent over checking on dinner out of his head.

He walked over next to Cassandra and handed her one of the glasses. "We don't have to be in a hurry to eat. We could just sit and talk for a little while. I promise not to ask anything too personal. The Sheriff stayed home. It is Justin here this evening. There aren't a lot of opportunities to talk with people around here. It is just nice to have someone close to my age to interact with. I guess that is why I have been so pushy. Well, that, and the fact that you are incredibly attractive." He looked at Cassandra to gauge her reaction. He wasn't sure if she would take it well, or if she would kick him out of the house, or even send the wolf after him.

Pleased with how it was coming along, she shut the oven quickly, to prevent all the heat from getting out. She smiled, taking the glass, hearing his words, she was even more pleased that she had chosen this dish, seeing as he liked it and didn't have it often. She chuckled softly, not put off by his comment of her being attractive, it didn't bother her at all, in fact it might have bothered her if he hadn't noticed. "It's a nice evening, perhaps we can sit on the porch?" She offered.

Carrying her glass she led him out the back door, where she had a little porch with a couple of chairs, a nice view of the garden she tended, and a pretty little yard. It seemed to suit her, or it suited Cassandra Shaw, personally she didn't think it suited the person she use to be, but it suited the persona she was now, or pretending to be at least.

Justin followed Cassandra outside. "It smells incredible. Just the smell of the lasagna is making my mouth water." He almost said in addition to the beautiful woman that he was visiting, but he thought better of it. He did not want to press his luck. Things were going very well with Cassandra at the moment and he did not want to do anything to mess it up. He enjoyed following her out, because it gave him another chance to look over her body without her knowing he was checking her out.

He sat down on the porch with her. He extended his glass and clinked it against hers. "Here is to new friends." He knew she wasn't necessarily looking for friends, but he was pushing himself on her. He wanted to spend time with her and see where things could go. Yes, she still had a wall up, but he intended on breaking it down. "This is a nice set-up you have here Cassandra. It is quiet and it is beautiful, and look, you even have a green thumb and have your very own garden." He looked to her and chuckled a little to let her know he was teasing her about the garden comment.

"Cassandra, like I said earlier, this is not a police visit. The Sheriff isn't here. Justin is. I am hoping that you can relax around me and we can just have a nice night together. I won't ask questions. That way it won't seem like an interrogation." He wasn't sure whether Cassandra was comfortable around him yet, but he was hoping she was...or at least that she was getting there. He took a sip of wine and looked at her. It was time for him to shut up and see where things would go.

Cassandra sat down, touching her glass to his, before taking a sip. Chuckling, she eyed her garden, "It calms me. Sometimes I come out here at 2am when I can't sleep, and I'll weed, or water, or pick the ready veggies." She mused, trying to not think about the number of times she'd been out here in the middle of the night.

Tilting her head, she watched him as he assured that he left the Sheriff at home, that it was just Justin. "I highly doubt that, I think being a cop is in your blood. But I appreciate the sentiment." She smiled, "I also don't mind questions. If I don't want to answer, I'll say so. You seem bound and determined to be my friend, despite my efforts to stop that, so questions, are apart of friendship." She chuckled softly, sipping her wine as she watched the sunset. "I'm more relaxed around you than I have been with anyone in a very long time. So that's something. " She murmured, looking over at him.

Yes, Cassandra, questions are a part of friendship, but, so is respect. I know that I have invaded the wall that you put up trying to keep people out. I am not going to push into your privacy anymore. If you want me to know something, you will tell me when you think the time is right." He took another drink of his wine and slouched down in the chair a little; trying to show Cassandra that this was going to be a nice, relaxing evening between two new friends.

"I have pushed to be your friend Cassandra. Yes, I am bound and determined for that to happen. You are out here all alone. I work in the town, but outside of work, I am really alone. There is nothing wrong with two adults being friends and enjoying each other's company. Heck, maybe the wolf will even relax around me a little." Justin looked over and saw the wolf watching him. He stood up. "I left the bottle of wine inside. Do you need me to check on anything while I am inside Cassandra?" As he walked past her, he let his hand brush across her shoulder. It wasn't accidental, but if Cassandra objected, Justin could claim it was.

She frowned "I'll warn you now, I'm not good at the friendship thing, or at sharing things. I've been alone a long time. I'm not sure to sharing personal things about myself." She shook her head, "But I'm willing to give it a try," Then she eyes her wolf, "Oh I think he'll take a while. He's not use to anyone but me, since I got him from a junkyard, oh four years ago."

Then she shook her head, "Just turn the oven down to 250, it'll keep it warm for us, until we're ready to eat." She didn't object to the shoulder brush, but she was sure he could feel her muscles ripple at the touch, as if she was expecting an attack. But she remained still, and by the time he came back, she'd be relaxed again. She hated that she tensed at simple touches now, but it was hard, given things that had happened in her past. There was a reason that she always wore t-shirts or long sleeve shirts around people, except for last night, though she doubted Justin had been aware enough to notice the scars covering her back. She was careful to not give people any reason to ask questions.

Justin could sense Cassandra tense as he touched her shoulder. It made him sorry that he had done it. He wanted there to be something between them, but he did not want to do anything that would make her uncomfortable. When he went inside, he turned the oven down and grabbed the bottle of wine. Then, he thought for a second and grabbed the second bottle. It would save him another trip inside if they finished the first. When he got back outside, he made sure not to touch Cassandra. He sat down in his chair and reached over and filled her glass with more wine. After filling his glass, he sat back and relaxed.

"I know that you said that you are not much on sharing about yourself. I am not going to press the issue Cassandra. I am willing to take whatever you are willing to share...no questions asked. I just want your company. Even if it means just sitting quietly together." Justin slid back down in the chair and watched the remnants of the sunset. He knew that if they were going to be friends it would be on her terms. It also meant that if they were together it would be at her house. he was pretty sure she did not want to be seen at his house.

She smiled, "I'm just a little out of practice at the friendship thing." She chewed her lower lip, "Oh it'd probably been six or so years since I can honestly say I've had a friend, and even she didn't know much about me. She was kinda like you, she just kept showing up, pushing to be in my life, until I just gave up pushing her away. One of the best friends I ever had" Cass smiled, sipping her wine as she remember Jessika. She tilted her head, "Would you like to go for a walk? We still have about 20 minutes until sunset. There's a trail in the woods that only takes 10." SHe suggested with a smile.

Cassandra really did want to be friends with Justin, and she was frustrated with herself, for flinching from his accidental touch. Hell, it had been nine years, she could get over it, and try and be a well adjusted member of society, or as much as she was capable with.

He jumped up out of his chair, and then immediately realized that was a mistake. He looked over at the wolf. "Easy boy. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Justin looked at Cassandra. "I didn't mean to startle you either Cassandra. I just really liked the idea of going for a walk. I'm sorry. I will check my excitement in the future." He stood there and extended his hand to Cassandra to help her from her chair. After she was up, he followed her off the porch and allowed her to lead the way to the trail.

While they walked they made idle chat; not really talking about anything of significance. Justin tried to just follow Cassandra's lead in the conversation that way he was not talking about anything that she could feel was intrusive. He found it odd that Cassandra's previous friend was also someone who had forced her way into Cassandra's life. Justin wondered if she had said that to him as a way of telling him that she really didn't want his friendship, or if it was her way of sharing some of her past. Justin chose to go with the latter.

As the walked slowly along the trail, they bumped shoulders a couple of times. Justin was tempted to move farther away from Cassandra as they walked, but chose not to. Maybe if there was a little physical contact between them periodically Cassandra wouldn't react the way she had on the porch.....maybe she would be open to his touch. Justin even considered taking her hand as they walked, but thought that he might really be pressing his luck if he went there.

When Justin stood quickly, Romeo leaped to his feet with a snarl. Cass though, didn't jump. "Romeo! Enough." She ordered sharply. The wolf subsided, "It's alright, Justin." She smiled, taking his hand to help him stand. Together they walked down and to the trail, Cass didn't mind the shoulder bumps, she didn't flinch, and she didn't move away. Now that she was expecting touches from him, she wasn't likely to react so strongly. "This place has been good for me. I know it may not seem possible but I use to be even more uptight." She chuckled, tilting her head, as they walked.

"So, were you raised here in Dutton?" She asked curiously, wanting to know more about him, if they were gonna do this friendship thing, she mind as well, learn about him. And admittedly, she wanted to know more about him, she liked Justin and was curious about him.

"No, I have only been in Dutton for a few years. I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I went to school at North Dakota State. Don't ask me why, I couldn't tell you. It was culture shock to the nth degree. No big city. Well, there was Fargo. Winters where the temperature did not go above zero for weeks. With the weather so cold there was nothing to do but study. It probably helped me graduate, but there were no jobs to be had. I heard about a job here in Dutton in the Sheriff's Office. I got the job, and as they say, the rest is history." He didn't ask about her past. She would share that when she wanted to.

Justin went for broke. He took her hand in his as they walked. He didn't squeeze it hard. He didn't hold it possessively. Actually, they just had a couple of fingers locked together. He held her fingers in such a way that Cassandra could remove her hand from his with little effort. He didn't make a big deal out of it. he just kept talking. "The people liked the way I handled things here. I got promoted a couple of times, and when the previous Sheriff retired, the town council offered me the job. I almost didn't take it because a couple of the older guys were upset, but I decided to hell with them and I took it. Those guys came around." He paused for a minute. "It is really a nice place, but there aren't a lot of people our age that stay here. I guess the ones that leave are the smart ones. Doesn't say much for me."

Cassandra listened as they walked, she smiled softly when he took her hand. She didn't flinch, and didn't pull away. In fact she slid her hand further into his, so they were actually holding hands. "It doesn't surprise me, you have that presence about you. You're a good cop." She mused. Cass knew a good cop when she met one. Even on the first day, she knew he was. And that was what scared her, if she ever got the courage to tell her story. He would feel compelled to turn her in, and she didn't want to put him in a position to have to make that call.

"I had a pretty standard upbringing, usual childhood. Moved around a lot as an adult, most recently, I got tired of the big city, and decided to pick a small town. Can't really say I had any reason to pick Dutton, except that this cabin had everything I wanted." SHe said, keeping her history vague, but giving some information, sadly very little of it was true, it was Cassandra's story, but not hers personally. She'd begun thinking of herself as two separate people, as Cassandra Shaw was just her cover identity. The walk was nearly over, and Cass wished it could continue, but she was hungry, dinner would be ready when they got back.

Justin thoroughly enjoyed their walk. It was a beautiful evening. He was with a beautiful woman, and she was starting to relax around him That made him smile, because he wanted to spend more time with Cassandra. He listened to her tell him about herself. It struck him just how generic her story was. He knew she was hiding something or from something. Justin had a feeling that something had happened to Cassandra, and that she was hiding from whomever had done it to her. Of course, that was just speculation.

"Thank you for having me over for dinner Cassandra." He squeezed her hand lightly as they walked. "It is really nice out here, and the company is even better." He smiled at her and bumped hips with her playfully. Justin wasn't quite sure why, but it felt really comfortable to be around Cassandra. He wasn't sure that she necessarily felt the same way.

As they got back to her cabin, he released her hand and placed his hand on the small of her back as she went up the steps onto the porch. He followed Cassandra onto the porch and into the house. "Damn, it smells delicious in here Cassandra. If it tastes half as good as it smells, it will be absolutely amazing." He winked and smiled at her. "Tell me what I can do to help you. I am not sure where anything is, but if you point me in the right direction, I will set the table."

Cassandra smiles, "I wasn't sure about having you over, but I'm glad I did. I've been alone a very long time. So long, I forgot that I actually missed the company of another human." She chuckled, shaking her head, as they walked back. She felt herself relaxing more and more, but she reminded her self to still be a little careful, she really didn't know anything about this man. But she had a good feeling about him. She'd run into dirty cops before, her just bad men in general, so knew the warning signs, and she knew the feeling she got when around them. Justin wasn't one of them.

Getting home, she led the way inside. The house did indeed smell fantastic. "Ah, if you want to set the table, that would be great." She pointed out where everything was, before she set about getting dinner out of the oven, and finishing the green beans. Then she brought both over to the table, setting it in the middle. Smelling dinner made her realize that she'd skipped lunch, so she was definitely hungry. She'd missed cooking for someone else, besides just her. Cooking was a skill she'd acquired since she'd gone on the run, before that she'd been a horrible cook, but then she'd had all the time in the world so she'd taken the time to learn.

Justin followed Cassandra's directions and began to set the table. When he was finished, he looked around to see if there was anything else he could do, and had to step aside as Cassandra was bringing the food to the table. "Whoa, that almost was ugly. I don't think I would look good wearing lasagna."

He watched as she brought the green beans to the table. Justin retrieved their wine glasses and what was left of the second bottle of wine. He asked Cassandra which seat was hers and then he poured the wine. When she came back to sit at the table, he pulled her chair out for her, and he slid it in as she sat down.

After taking his seat at the table, Justin looked at Cassandra. "This looks even better than it smells, and it smells incredible. "I can't thank you enough for having me over for dinner. I am really glad that you did ask me over." He smiled at her as he looked into her captivating eyes. "I am just happy to have someone to talk to that I feel comfortable with. Everyone else around here, I feel like I am forcing the conversation when we talk. With you, it just feels right."

Cassandra sat down across from Justin, enjoying their conversations as they ate. It was really nice, Cass couldn't remember the last time she felt this comfortable with someone. Smiling she nodded, "I'm glad you came over. It's really nice to have some company." She ate slowly, enjoying the time they spent together. She found herself relaxing more and more. She was still a little guarded with her answers. But she tried to answer as truthfully as she possibly could. Unlike usually, where she readily lied to people about everything. No, she wanted to be as honest as she could be with Justin, without giving him too much of her real past or real story. She couldn't handle him digging around, not only would it put her in danger, but it would potentially put him in danger as well.

Justin enjoyed the meal. It wasn't just the food, which was delicious, that made the meal so enjoyable. It was a combination of the food, the conversation, and the beautiful company that Justin enjoyed so much. It had been a long time since he had such a nice time.

The conversation was simple and relaxed. It felt so right talking with Cassandra. She had a way about her that made him relax and willingly talk about anything. It wasn't that Justin had anything to hide. It was just that he was a very private person, and normally did not share much about himself. With Cassandra, he was an open book. He openly responded to anything that she asked about, and often went farther with his responses than necessary.

As delicious as the food was, Justin just picked at it. He was more interested in Cassandra. He looked at her directly throughout the dinner. He listened to her. He talked with her. This was really about getting to know her. There was something about her that had Justin captivated. He wanted to know everything about her.... and more.

Cassandra smiled, enjoying learning about Justin, and telling him as much about herself as she dared, though she found that she told him more about herself than she did anyone else. Of course she'd already lied and said her childhood was ordinary, so she couldn't tell the truth about that. But she told the truth about her recent years, how she moved a lot, how she found Romeo acting as a guard dog in a junkyard. She'd paid the awful man one hundred dollars for the scrawny, underweight wolf. How Romeo had turned into her constant companion, and her best protector.

Even after she finished eating, she found it easy to just sit there, relaxing as she talked with Justin, sipping her wine. She felt so natural with Justin, more natural than she ever had before with a man. If she dared say it, she felt safe. Which she knew was a dangerous feeling to have. Last time she'd felt safe, she'd gotten careless, and it had caused the death of her best friend. She wouldn't make that mistake again.

They sat for a while and talked after they were finished eating. Then, Justin got up and began to clear the plates from the table. He placed a hand on Cassandra's shoulder. "You sit and relax. I always go by the rule that "the cook doesn't clean" unless of course you are alone. In this case, we are not alone, so, since you cooked, I clean."

He put the dirty dishes in the sink, and finished clearing the table. While he washed the dishes, they chatted casually. It was, he had to admit, the nicest evening he had in a very long time. Justin asked Cassandra what he should put the leftover lasagna and green beans in. After finishing that task and washing the last of the dishes, pots and pans, Justin moved over to Cassandra, he put both hands on her shoulders at the base of her neck and began to rub lightly. "Do you want to stay here or do you want to go back outside Cassandra?"

Cassandra smiled, staying in her seat, admittedly enjoying the domestic feeling of sitting here, sipping her wine, watching Justin do the dishes. It all felt so utterly right. And that scared her a bit. She gave instructions on where the leftover containers were, and where to put them. She sighed softly when he moved over to her, beginning to rub her shoulders gently. She moaned softly, relaxing back into his touch, not the slightest bit nervous about him being behind her."Mmm, I'm pretty happy right here. She murmured, tilting her head back to smile at him, yes she was very content, right here for the moment.

Justin looked down at Cassandra and smiled. He continued to massage her neck and shoulder...his fingers pressing into the muscles in an attempt to relieve any remnants of tension that may exist. The wolf didn't move, which Justin took as a sign that there was some sort of trust being built.... for now anyway.

"I am more than happy to stay right here Cassandra." His hands moved slowly outward, toward the top of her arms. He caressed down over her biceps and triceps, and then slowly moved back inwardly to her neck again. He was happy that Cassandra had let him inside her wall. Just how far inside remained to be seen.