a glimmer of hope

BONUS: extra oneshots

cass gets a call from president keane:
i fed avra a spoonful of rice cereal.
i couldn't believe she was already five months old. i couldn't believe i was four months pregnant.
i reached across the table and picked up my ringing phone.
"hello?"
"this is the presidents office, we're going to transfer you to another line"
"okay"
beep.
"hello, is this cassandra?"
"this is she"
"it's madam president keane on the line"
"hello, madam"
"i'm going to fly you out to DC tomorrow morning"
"what for?"
"the sentencing of the man who murdered your husband"
"okay"
"it would be my hope for you to make it"
"is this mandatory?"
"i'd assume you want justice served"
"that's correct"
"a driver will pick you up at 8:00"

cass visits dar in prison:
"thank you" i smiled as the guard let open the door for me.
he nodded his head.
i walked toward the figure of dar adal, who was sitting in the courtyard of the prison he was in.
"cassandra" he acknowledged
"you're expecting" he added, surprised.
his eyes wandered from my face down to my 6 month pregnant stomach.
"i am" i nodded
"it's peters"
he looked down at his lap.
"i'm sorry"
i nodded my head, he shook his.
"i tried to warn carrie about the operation"
"i didn't know peter would be involved though"
i shook my head
"it's all apart of the job, i suppose"
"and somehow peter could never get away from it"
"it was in his blood"
"that's how i taught him to be"
i nodded my head
"how're you doing?" he asked
"it's been six months"
"i'm doing better than before"
"it's hard" i nodded
"i went without seeing peter for two years"
"but he came back"
"you still think he's coming back?" dar asked
i nodded my head
"you know, peter would always talk about you"
"really?"
"you were the only stability in his life"
"that's why he always came back to me?"
"you were the only thing that felt real, that felt right"
"at the end of everyday i could tell he didn't like what he did"
"he did it for the mission"
"because he had to"
"but you were the only one who could understand what he did"
"the only one he could trust"
"i took advantage of him"
"everytime he wanted to quit it was my voice inside his head telling him no"
"i'm sorry for that"

during the early moments of season 7, i imagined that cassandra developed some angriness toward carrie. i had a one-shot for the first episode of the season, carrie calls cass after she loses her job with the president.. telling cass she fucked up. cass gets angry at her and ,etc. toward the end of the season, carrie realizes her wrongdoings (after dante dies) and apologizes to cass. i didn't include these os' because i wasn't that happy with them.. but, i just wanted to let you know about how i planned cass go further develop.

cassandra's second daughters birth:
i got up out from my bed. i looked in the bathroom mirror and gripped the counter. another contraction.
they had been constant since the other day. my water had broken nearly twenty minutes ago. my sister was watching after avra today since i had to get a few things straight with the house.
i let out a groan, moving my way down the stairs.
these past nine months had been chaotic. this house showed that. my appearance did too. i wore a black tank top with black and grey striped pyjama bottoms. my hair was tangled and in a bun, yet my eyelashes were freshly put on.
i slipped on a pair of fluffy slippers and locked the front door behind me.
never once in my life did i think i'd be driving myself to the hospital while in labour with my second child. everything this past year had felt so unreal.
i started the car, driving up the street.
——
i parked the car and walked up the parking garage. my water had broken for the second time. i was just barely 38 weeks. baby's due date was the very end of september. it was a week and a half into the month. although, i expected that since only 10 months ago, i was having my first baby.
"jesus" i whispered, reaching for the elevator. the sharp yet dull pain of a contraction spread throughout my hips and lower back.
i reached the hospital, going up a set of stairs to the ob floor. it felt miles away.
i exchanged a few dirty looks from patients. i didn't care though.
"can i help you?" the receptionist asked as i reached the ob floor.
"yeah, i'm in labour" i smiled
"can i have a name?"
"cassandra ariti quinn" i nodded
she raised an eyebrow "cassandra ariti"
"follow me" she added
"you're a returning patient, huh?"
"i was here last november"
"that's right"
"you can head in here"
"nurse, amanda, we have a delivery" she said down the hallway"
the nurse came into the room, smiling
"hey, mom" she said, putting on a pair of gloves.
"i'll see how far along we are before i ask you to put on this gown, okay?"
"it's gotta be atleast six centimetres"
"not your first time, huh?"
i took off my pyjama pants then she checked my cervix.
"i have a daughter"
"i'm a nurse too" i panted
"l&d?"
"er" i smiled
"well, you're nearly eight centimetres" she wowed
"i'll get the doctor in here"