Just Like Magic

Chapter 26 What Was That?

Randalyn's POV

I keep intently watching him, noticing every single time he takes a breath in and making sure he is letting it out.. Even though he is having a hard time right now, just knowing he is still alive gives me hope.

His breathing starts getting louder as if he is fighting. It's getting erratic for some unknown reason, as he is now mumbling, but I can't tell what he is saying. "Shhh.. it's ok, Cass." I say, combing my hand through his hair, trying to help calm him. But this doesn't calm him down like before. So I do the only thing I can think of and start to sing to him.

It's not too loud because I don't want to grab any outside attention, I just want to help calm him down. So I sing the only song I can think of in this moment. It's from a movie I watched the other day a couple of times because of loving it so much. My father says I'm stupid for not knowing the original song, but I don't care what he thinks because I loved this variation of this song, and I haven't stopped thinking about it. I don't know most of the words because I have only watched the movie a couple of times, but I know some of it, and hopefully, that will be good enough.

I continue to comb my fingers through his hair as I softly sing into his ear. "I think I love you, so what am I so afraid of, I'm afraid that I'm not sure of, a love there is no cure for. I think I love you, isn't that what life is made of.. it worries me to say I have never felt this way." I stare down at him singing this song as I rock him on me. He snuggles into my chest more than I thought he could.. only mumbling slightly since his breathing is finally getting under control.

I can tell this is working, so I continue on. "I don't know what I'm up against, I don't know what it's all about. I've got so much to think about, hey.. I think I love you, so what am I so afraid of... a love, there is no cure for... believe me, I only want to make you happy.. even if you tell me to go away, I will.. let me ask you to your face, do you think you love me." I sing this as best as I can, not remembering all the words, but I hope it's good enough to finally get him calm. I hear him let out a deep breath as his body feels limp, with him finally relaxing in my arms as I just continue to hum and rock him.

My eyes seem to be glued to him, just worried something might happen to him if I even look away from him for a second.. What if that wasn't medicine but a poison? What if it's hurting him and not helping? What if I'm making things worse, over better.. I just want to help... but I can't seem to help the running rampant thoughts of feeling like he is better off not knowing me at all.

So much has happened in the past couple of days, which makes me feel awful ever running into him.. I shouldn't have accepted his help. I should have just left the moment I had the chance to before meeting his family before any of this happened, and maybe he would be ok right now.

I feel the tears rimming my eyes as I stare down at him, knowing I really don't regret one second with him no matter how much I want to tell myself I do. I care way more than I ever expected to for him, and I think that's why this hurts so much worse than I ever anticipated. To say it's overwhelming is a complete understatement.

I hold him tight in my arms, pressing him into me as if he could get any closer, but with no space between us, that's not possible. I see a tear drop onto his cheek, then slowly dripping down as another one joins.

I quickly but gently wipe them away as I lean in and kiss his temple. It's so hard to get through my head how close and yet so far away he is to me in this moment. I keep using the tips of my fingers to run through his soft hair, pushing it out of his face as I move my hand around, lightly caressing them gently over his jawline. He hums as he adjusts only slightly in my hold.

I keep touching him gently, not being able to take my eyes or hands from him. I wish I knew what was running through his head.. I wish I wasn't dead weight in this world that I know nothing about.. I'm the limp leg, holding him back and causing more damage than I ever wanted. I just want him to be ok and I want to be the one to help him like he has helped me but everytime I try anything, I feel as if I'm making things worse and not any better.

I suck in a sharp breath, not knowing what else to do but wait and hope things can get better for him. I lean my head back as I close my eyes, trying not to freak out. I let out a deep breath as I feel him snuggling into me more, which is slightly comforting, and I'll take what I can get.

Cassius' POV

There is only darkness that surrounds me. It's not like the forest from before.. I can't see anything around me at all... At least before I could see the trees, bushes, and creatures around, but here it looks like something I have never seen before.. It's like a painting covered in the color black.. no substance or life to be seen here.. It's scary.

This makes me wonder where I apparated us to and where Randy is. I felt us rolling as I held her to me, just hoping she didn't get hurt, and then I felt nothing. But I held her in my arms and I felt her there but I can't feel that anymore.

That thought alone scares the living hell out of me. I want to help her and protect her, but that's practically impossible when she is not with me. I keep searching as I look around the area. I run in what feels like circles until I come to some more trees, but still no creatures, people, nothing around.

I'm running through the darkness, calling out for her. I need to make sure she is ok.

"Randy?" I say as I hear nothing, so I yell louder. "Randy?!" That's when I hear it. It's muffled, but I can still hear it. "I'm here, Cass.. it's ok." I shake my head spinning around, but still not seeing her. "Where? I don't know where you are.. Are you ok? I need you here.. how am I supposed to protect you if I can see you?" I say, and there is no response. "Randy, please." I beg, but nothing happens.

I keep searching, feeling overwhelmed and frantically running back and forth, feeling as if I'm running around in circles again. I don't know where to go to get to her, but all I know is that I need to be with her. Something keeps knocking at my brain, in the back of my mind, egging at my thoughts. It's making me feel insane. I can seem to calm down until I hear it.. I don't know from where but it's singing. It's beautiful and lulling. It's somehow calming me down.

I slow down my running as I listen to it.. it sounds as if the words are surrounding me, engulfing me into it like a spell I have never felt before. "I... think I love you... isn't that... what life is made of... I only want... to make you happy... do you think you love me?" I'm confused but oddly calmed. I keep searching but feeling as if she is with me.. I feel warm and safe.. I don't know how to describe it other than that. I have never heard this song, but it hit my heart in a way I wouldn't have expected. Is that her singing, or is it hitting me like this because she is the one I'm aching for, just wishing she was with me?

The beautifully sung music stops just as quickly as it started, but I don't feel as freaked out. She is not here, but I feel like she is here.. what's wrong with me? I feel a strong blanket of calming feelings taking over, making my eyes want to close, but I try to fight it and keep them open, but it's not working. I can lightly hear some of the song maybe being hummed as I sit down on the ground. I lean up against these trees as the exhaustion hits me tenfold.

I can't fight it anymore as my eyes close instantly, still listening to the song... and no matter how hard I try, I can't open them. I don't know how long I laid here for, but it's long enough feeling like an eternity. Am I dreaming? Am I dying? I don't understand what's happening. I use every last bit of strength I have to try to open my eyes. I can feel it working, so I keep prying them open as I finally see something.. But what? I don't know.

I blink a couple of times, letting them focus as I see bushes. It looks like I might be inside a bush.. but I went to sleep on a tree after rolling down a hill and running around. How the hell did I end up here? I look up and see even more dark little branches and leaves. That is until I feel something on me. I glance down to see Randy's jacket on me.. Why am I using her jacket? That should be a good sign since I couldn't find her, and now I have something of hers... right?

I feel a feathering over my ear, so I slowly look up and see a sleeping Randy, I'm laying on her chest as she is in a deep slumber. I can hear and feel her heart beating underneath me with her arms wrapped over her jacket on me... so I guess that's a good sign.. I finally found her, but not the way I expected.

Was she taking care of me? I notice that I am laying on her as if she is my bed. What in the wild world of magic happened? I have no strength to get up, but I feel better.. I feel like I am not in pain like I was before.. I just feel exhausted as if my body has been working overtime on getting better, so there is no energy left to help me get up.

I try to move, but my limbs feel like they have weights attached to them. I can slightly move my legs and arms, but not as much as I would like to or need to just be able to leave this place. All this moving is making me feel as if I have been running in a marathon.

My eyes can't stay open no matter how much I try to keep them that way. I keep fighting the urge to close them, but it's just like before it's too much to take. I close them as I lay back into her, taking in her sweet, musky smell that somehow soothes my heart. It's something about her skin that smells so good.. It's just a natural scent but soothing all the same.

I lay back listening to her heartbeat as a shiver runs through my body, shaking me with the chill of the breeze as if I'm a leaf in the tree. In that same moment, I can feel her moving under me. "Shit.. I'm so sorry, Cass. I was trying to do my best to take care of you.. but I'm such and i***t and I fell asleep.. I was hoping I could keep you warm myself.. but you're still cold.. dammit, ok.. I can do this." She says to herself, but I can seem to respond at the moment. I want to tell her I'm fine and everything will be ok for her consciousness, but I can't.

I feel her gently moving out from under my body as she puts me down to the ground with something soft under my head. It's comfortable, but I don't feel remotely soothed or warm with her presence not here anymore, which I don't like at all. I feel better and stronger in every sense of the word when she is near. But at least knowing she is there helps.

I hear shuffling around as she continues to talk to herself.. This is cute how she seems to be processing stress when she is under pressure and probably doesn't think anyone can hear her. I like seeing this side of her in action... Also, I was not trying to sound mean, but I didn't know and wouldn't have thought that she would do all this for me.. I can't believe she would be taking care of me like this. I am caught off guard but pleasantly surprised.

We were always told that muggles were horrible beings that were completely selfish and never did anything for anyone else but themselves.. Easily sacrificing what they don't know or trust to the threats around. But no matter how much I have tried to keep my walls up, she keeps breaking them down without hesitation, not wanting to hurt me but to help me and my family every chance she gets... and I'm not regretting one second of this with her even though I keep being told I should.. I have been hurt and almost killed, and yet all I want us to be with her.. It sounds insane but it's how I feel.

"Ok.. I saw him do this so easily before... I could figure this out, right?" She says as I try to pry my eyes open. It's getting slightly easier but still taking a lot of energy to do anything. My eyes peak open as I see her intently staring at my wand. She is turning it around in her hold as she stares, then touching it gently. I roll over to my side, not able to get up yet, just trying to get a better look.

She stands up, quickly pointing the wand at the pile of sticks she has set up, as if it was an enemy she is determined to take out.. It looks like all of her concentration is on this one pile, making the determination in her eyes more noticeable than anything else as she stares down at it. Her lips move as if she is saying something to herself, but I can't hear what it was.

I watch as she flicks the wand in her grasp, that's still pointed at the pile of sticks as they instantly burst into a flame that is taller than her. The fire is so tall and wide that it's looking like a doorway or portal to walk through. She yells out in shock as she flicks the wand, trying to get it to calm down before she sets the whole forest on fire. She keeps flicking the wand, chanting multiple times, "Go away, go away, go away." as the fire completely disappears on its own.

She turns around, holding her mouth as she keeps looking over at the pile of wood before bending over, panting while holding her chest. "Holy crap that was scary.. so much for just doing the swish and flick from Harry Potter." She states as I get curious, wishing I knew what she was talking about.. I think she said that was the books about magic.

"I can't do this. He is better off not knowing me. im just making things worse." She says sadly to herself as tears pour from her eyes. She shakes her head as she wipes away some of the tears. but I can't let her lose her confidence when she is doing good for her first time with a wand.

"Most magic comes from within you... you feel it deep inside of you, and it helps direct what you want and where you want it to go." I instruct her as she looks over at me with her eyes widening. "Cass... You're ok?!" She gasps as she runs to my side, kneeling down beside me without hesitation before holding my face in her hands as she quickly kisses my lips.

I enjoy this moment of her soft lips persistently crashing into mine. Until she peels her lips away, making the light lips smaking sound. "Cass, I was so worried about you... I didn't know if you were going to wake up... It worked. I can't believe it actually worked." She says to herself with excitement into my lips before kissing them again. When she pulls away from me I start to process what she actually said.

"Wait... you didn't know if I would wake up? what do you mean that it worked? what happened?" I ask her as she shakes her head before biting her lip. She obviously doesn't know what to say as she stands up and starts pacing in front of me. She keeps looking down to me as if she is trying to figure out how to explain this.