chapter thirteen

let it be.season two, episode eight.

The previous year, she spent the entire day at her grave, along with Derek, Addison, and Mark. Even Derek's mother managed to stop by for a few hours.

They'd laid out some blankets and brought many different types of food, having a picnic in the cemetery while celebrating Bonnie's life. When she was alive, she told Cassie not to cry over her death, but to relish in the memories from when she was alive. Cassie took that to heart, as well as her three best friends. It was one of Cassie's favorite days, filled with love and appreciation.

This year, however, the day felt different; Derek had surgeries he couldn't postpone, Addison and her weren't speaking at the moment, and for some reason, Mark wasn't answering any of her calls.

Still, Cassie sat alone by the grave, eating some strawberries and flipping through an old photo book.

"I hope you saved some for me," a voice said from above her, causing her to choke harshly on the fruit.

"Jesus—" she coughed out, quickly looking behind her, before doing a double take at the person's face.

"While I often compared to god," the man smirked, "I think Dr. Sloan will do just fine—"

"!" Cassie shouted, clumsily standing up and throwing herself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck. "You're here!"

He grinned over her shoulder, catching her after nearly stumbling to the ground. Glancing at the grave behind her, he whispered, "Of course I'm here."

While her friendship with Mark was damaged slightly due to what he and Addison did to Derek, Cassie still spoke to him regularly. She figured that while he played a part, Addison was the one who ultimately chose to cheat on her husband. If Derek could try to forgive then Cassie was definitely allowed to forgive him.

Pulling away from the hug, Mark was finally able to take a good look at one of his best friends. She looked a lot happier than she did when she lived in New York, he realized, causing his smile to grow.

Breaking the silence, Cassie gestured to the picnic setup. "Care to join?"

"That depends," he shrugged, "Did you bring wine?"

"What do you take me for, a scoundrel?" she scoffed, clearly offended as she reached into her picnic basket. "Of course I brought wine."

Mark shook his head in amusement, making himself comfortable on the blanket beside her.

"So, how are things in Seattle?"

Cassie shrugged nonchalantly. "Busy."

"I mean—"

"Mark, I'm not talking to you about Addie or Derek."

Heaving a sigh, Mark rolled his eyes. "You're difficult." Cassie narrowed her eyes playfully, kicking at him with her foot and causing him to spill a bit of wine on his shirt. "Hey, this is one of my favorites!"

"Watch who you're calling difficult, mister ," she mocked. "You're one of the most high maintenance bitches out there."

"better watch who you're calling a bitch," he retorted, grinning despite himself. "I could always leave, you know. My condo's only a two hour drive away."

Cassie smiled back, her mood dampening a bit when she was reminded of the reason for his presence. After a beat of silence, she glanced up at sky. "I really do appreciate you coming today, you know."

"I'm more than happy to be here, Cass. Bonnie was a good woman."

"Yeah, she was."

The pair sat quietly for a while, sipping wine from the bottle and sharing snacks between them.

"She would be really proud of you."

Cassie's gaze landed on Mark, who was already looking at her.

"Really? You think so?"

"I know so," Mark nodded surely. "At least, I know I am. You're glowing, Cass. It looks good on you."

Sending him a grateful look, Cassie moved to rest her head on his shoulder, stealing the bottle from his hand and taking a long sip.

"I've really missed you, you know."

"I've missed you even more, angel."

☆

Since all good things come to an end,Cassie was back in Seattle less than a day after her encounter with Mark. It was easy for her to pretend she didn't miss him, but seeing him in person only made her realize how much she actually did.

After grabbing breakfast with George before work, Cassie was in a good mood. Well, she was, until a bird decided to poop directly onto her bagel.

"Ugh, gross," she groaned, tossing it in the nearest trash can. "I payed, like, six bucks for that."

"Ha, that sucks for you," George laughed, waving his bagel in the air teasingly and going to take a bite. Cassie cocked a brow in challenge, hitting it to the ground before it was able to reach his mouth.

"Not so funny now, is it?"

"Crap," he whined, watching the bird devour his ruined breakfast.

She smirked devilishly. "Sucks for you now, too."

"Let's just go," George rolled his eyes.