Cassandra Cillian sighed, looking around her hotel room. Funny how they all looked the same, every hotel room in every city where she had gone to see yet another specialist, the same functional furniture, the same generic color scheme. The same prints of watercolors on the walls. The only difference was the view and half of the time all she could see was a parking lot, so that didn't change much either.

Here she was on New Year's Eve in Dallas. She'd been here for a few days, seeking a consultation with yet another highly recommended specialist. And just like the hotel room, it was exactly the same as every other time she'd been to see one. Poked and prodded, treated more like the tumor than a person. This time she'd actually overheard part of a discussion in the hallway, phrases like 'don't understand how she's lived this long' and 'inoperable' came floating in.

Just what a young woman who once had so much promise wanted to hear from a doctor. This time she'd come alone, leaving her parents behind in New York City. She hadn't had much hope from this visit and her parents were busy people. Besides she was over 21, she wasn't a child, she could take care of herself. So despite her mother's fussing, here she was alone in a strange city.

It was New Year's Eve. A new year, another year closer to death. Cassandra frowned, she was starting to sound like her mother. She looked down at the black dress she was wearing, she even dressed like she was dead already. Maybe she was looking at all of this all wrong, maybe a new year was another year she had left to live.

On that thought, she stood up straighter. She was here alone without her mother and her constant worry. How often would she get the chance to be somewhere that no one knew her? On New Year's Eve? She'd seen signs about a big party going on just a block or so from her hotel.

Black was elegant right? She could get away with it for a party. Yes it would probably be loud and she'd have a headache. But it was already 10pm, so she'd go down for a couple of hours and then come back and take her meds. She could do this.

With a smile, she tucked some money, her id and her room key into the hidden pocket in her dress (she did really love that hidden pocket even if the dress was drab) and started out into the night.

Jacob Stone was in Texas working. Always working. The only time he ever got to see anywhere beyond Tulsa was working. Working with people who never really saw him. Never the real him. Practicing languages in the dark, writing papers in the middle of the night, trapped. He'd thought taking these jobs would afford him some freedom, more than he did back home under his daddy's thumb.

But no, that was not the case. He was as trapped here as everywhere else. His own damn fault really, he'd doomed himself to this life. But he really didn't see a way out of it. So even though he longed to go into Dallas and check out the art museum, he'd stayed right where he was, in the trailer that he was living in for this job. Just like anywhere else he worked. They were all the same. Every day was the same, every night was the same.

And it was New Year's Eve. No reason to celebrate for Jacob Stone. It was just another year, another year that would be the same for him. Another year closer to becoming his father.

He leaned his head on his arm at the bar, he hadn't placed his order yet, but those thoughts should have made him run out of the bar. Instead they had him contemplating ordering an entire bottle of whiskey.

"Hey Stone!" Ernie, one of the few guys he genuinely liked from work, came strolling in. "There you are."

"You were lookin' for me?" Jacob didn't know why he was surprised, but he was. No one noticed him.

"We're gonna go into the city, find some action. C'mon!"

"Oh, I dunno Ernie."

Ernie rolled his eyes. "Whatcha gonna do huh? Sit around your trailer? Get drunk here? It's New Year's Eve! We're gonna go into the city, find some girls, you ain't gonna find any in this dump. At least none you ain't already seen a thousand times before."

Stone nodded, he couldn't really argue with Ernie's logic. Though finding a girl wasn't really on the top of his priority list. Oh he played the game alright, certainly chased enough skirts to pass muster. But all he'd ever really wanted out of a woman was someone who knew the real him and liked him anyway. And that was never gonna happen.

Still though, the idea of getting drunk in this well, dump, wasn't appealing. The city would at least be something new in a life where nothing ever changed.

He grabbed his hat, "alright, I'm in. Let's go!"

The music was loud, though oddly enough Cassandra didn't have a headache. She was too excited for that. Besides, it was a street party so there was enough openness for the music not to be deafening. People were dancing and singing and laughing and drinking all around her. Two girls who were well past drunk had festooned her with glow necklaces a little while ago, giggling about how pretty her hair was before their dates had dragged them away.

Cassandra giggled, spinning in a circle, happy with her freedom. She hadn't had anything to drink, the specialist had given her a new drug and she wasn't certain about the side effects. But there was so much here to see and experience that she felt drunk.

She'd met a few people other than the drunk girls who'd given her the necklaces. Everyone was in such a good mood that they were happy to stop and chat briefly or just dance with a stranger. She'd even had a slow dance with a young man in a Cowboys jersey who'd dipped her like in a movie and then laughed saying he'd always wanted to do that.

Stone had somehow gotten separated from Ernie and the others. He figured he'd find them eventually or at least hoped so given they were his ride. Though he was starting to have his doubts that any of them were gonna be sober enough to get them home tonight.

It was a good time, he had to admit, despite the music being largely not his style. There were a variety of bands on the stage in between the dance music and one of them had been a pretty decent red dirt country band. He'd enjoyed that and a pretty blonde girl dressed a little too scantily for outside in December. But she'd gone off with her friends when the band had ended. And Stone wasn't even sure if he even got her name, certainly didn't get her number.

Not that he would have called her. Because she was the kinda girl everyone expected him to chase and not the kind of girl he really wanted. Except for a distraction from his life for a while. Which is why his love life was pretty much non-existent except for those distractions that maybe lasted a month or two if he was lucky.

It was rapidly approaching midnight, Cassandra was standing near a light post staring up at the sky. Someone had told her that it was a good spot to catch the fireworks that would be going on as soon as it was midnight. Here looking up she felt like she was all alone even though a crush of people were surrounding her. She didn't notice the cowboy who'd suddenly stopped dead in front of her.

God that redhead was the prettiest thing, was the thought Stone had when he'd spotted her. The way her head was angled upwards at the sky, something about the lights around made her look like an angel. And he knew he was staring at her but he really couldn't help himself.

This girl was different. She was something interesting.

Cassandra giggled at the view and then lowered her head, looking right into the blue eyes of the cowboy standing in front of her. Beautiful blue eyes under a black cowboy hat. They stared at each other for a moment and then the man tipped his hat at her, "ma'am."

She giggled anew. "I don't think I've ever been called that before. Another new experience."

He grinned. "First time here? Me too. Got dragged here by friends who kinda disappeared on me."

She laughed. "I'm here on . . .uh business. Figured I'd check this out since I was here and nothing to do tonight."

They stared at each other anew and then Jake remembered his manners. "Uh, I'm Jake."

There was a rush of people past them and some noise and all Stone got was a C in her name. Cassie? Casey? Carrie?

"So I have to ask, why the light post?"

"Oh, someone told me it was a good spot to see the fireworks. It's almost midnight."

"Right it is."

They made some small talk for the next few minutes, or tried to anyway, the crowd was getting heavier and the swell of noise was growing from the anticipation.

They mostly kept looking at each other, emboldened by the fact that they were strangers who would never see each other again. Cassandra stepped closer to him as the minutes to midnight ticked by and he found himself putting his hands around her waist just as the crowd yelled out "10!"

She giggled and leaned in, allowing him to tighten the embrace. Both of them quietly counting down the remaining seconds with the rest of the crowd.

And then as people around them yelled "Happy New Year!" they kissed. It was short and sweet but they both thought it was an excellent way to start a new year.

She parted away from him, laughing. "Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year to you."

The fireworks started and he reluctantly loosened his grip on her waist so she could turn and look. He watched the lights flick across her upturned joyful face for a moment and wondered if he'd found the angel he'd always wanted.

But then there was another crowd surge and suddenly the redhead wasn't next to him anymore. And just as suddenly Ernie was at his elbow, tugging him away.

"C'mon man!"

Stone looked back but he couldn't find her in the crush. He never even really got her name.

He sighed and let his friend take him away. And let the red headed angel he'd kissed on a New Year's Eve in Dallas fade into memory.

She'd gotten so caught up in the fireworks that she'd not realized that the cowboy was gone. When they ended she looked around and realized she wasn't by the light post anymore and the man she'd be with was nowhere to be seen.

She sighed. It was a moment, only a moment. But there had been a connection there, however brief. But this new experience, it left her wanting to do something with this new year. Even if it was as small as a wardrobe change. No more black.

And with a resolution in her mind, Cassandra made her way back to her hotel. And she let the cowboy she'd kissed on a New Year's Eve in Dallas fade into a memory.

8 years later

Flynn and Baird were celebrating the New Year by time zone jumping all around the world. They'd invited the others to join them, but they'd all declined. None of them really wanted to intrude on the lovebirds, especially since as Ezekiel once observed, it was like watching your parents make out. Cassandra and Jacob wouldn't admit to those exact feelings out loud but neither wanted to be a third wheel so they'd both declined.

Ezekiel decided to take advantage of the back door and went off on his own time zone hop. He said he was going clubbing but Cassandra had her suspicions.

Jenkins had muttered something about having seen many a new year come in and had gone off to his lab.

That left Cassandra and Stone alone in the Library. Both had spent much of the day doing their own thing in the Library, studying the books that gave them joy.

But it was getting late and for some reason Stone was antsy. Even though he was spending the New Year in the place that made him the happiest, it just didn't seem right to not mark the occasion. Last year he'd spent it back home in Oklahoma, still lying to his friends and family despite having helped literally save Christmas and Santa Claus the week before.

He found Cassandra bent over the Library diagram, still working on her plans for a lab of her own.

"Hey," he said moving into her personal space easily as usual. "What do you say we go out for a bit? Ring in the New Year?"

"I think the back door is in use."

Jacob shrugged. "I'm pretty sure we can find something to do here in Portland. Hell, let's just go down to McDuffy's. Just get out for a while. It's already 11."

Cassandra smiled and nodded, stopping to get her coat, her colorful skirt swishing as she did so.

McDuffy's was packed, but they were able to find a table to squeeze into in the corner anyway. Despite how simple their plans were and the crowded bar, Cassandra's eyes were shining.

"This is exciting," she said to him as he handed her a beer. "I haven't been out for New Year's Eve in years. The last time was . . ." And she trailed off doing math in her head. "Eight years ago in Dallas." She smiled remembering the fun she'd had that one night she'd decided to do what she wanted. She looked over at Jacob and saw a strange expression cross his face.

"You've been to Dallas? You were in Dallas eight years ago?"

Cassandra nodded. "I was seeing a specialist," she rolled her eyes and flapped her hands. "Useless of course, but was in Dallas on New Year's Eve and I was alone. My hotel was near the big street party so I went." She giggled. "I had so much fun! These girls gave me glow in the dark necklaces and I danced with a guy who dipped me like in the movies. And at midnight, oh at midnight I kissed this cowboy . . . ."

Cassandra trailed off, realizing that just maybe Jacob didn't want to hear this. Except Jacob was staring at her dumbstruck, his eyes so very blue. Eyes so very blue that had stared at her on a New Year's Eve beneath the brim of a cowboy hat.

No, it couldn't possibly be.

Jacob blinked and let out a long slow breath. "Eight years ago I was workin' outside of Dallas. My buddies talked me into going into the city for New Year's Eve. I was at the big street party downtown. And at midnight I kissed a redhead under a streetlight."

"Jake . . . ." And Cassandra's eyes widened as bits of memories came back. "He said his name was Jake."

Jacob shook his head. "I missed her name. It started with a C. She was dressed in all black though, I think I would have remembered if it was you, Cassandra. Your style is hard to forget."

She shook her head. "I was going through . . . I dressed all in black then. I was wearing black that night." She stared at him. "You were my cowboy."

He reached his hand across the table, softly caressing her cheek and then tracing her lips with his fingertips. "And you were my angel. I really regretted not getting your number. We got distracted watching the fireworks and next thing I knew my friends were back."

"I went home two days later, it wouldn't have mattered."

"I'll be damned," Jacob marveled, his hand still on Cassandra's cheek. "You always lingered in my mind, the tiniest details about the one time I met someone . . . . It might have been different, if things had been different. Maybe that's why . . . ."

"Why we're always been drawn to each other?"

"Why I couldn't stop liking you even when things weren't so great between us. And now, well you know that's all over."

Jacob looked like he wanted to say more but the loud crowded pub wasn't really the place for it. Instead he suggested they finish their beers and find some place more quiet to talk.

Two minutes to midnight and they were strolling in the park that neighbored the Annex. They'd come there to talk but neither had. Though the silence between them was comfortable instead of awkward.

"I don't . . . ." Cassandra finally spoke, sucking in a breath, letting it out and then deciding to just tell him. "I never made a habit out of kissing strangers. I was young and I was still desperate and there was a death sentence in my head. And up until that point, I'd never made a decision for myself ever. Going to that party? That was the first time I'd ever tried to take control of my life. Kissing you was a decision. But after that night, except for changing my wardrobe? I let my parents or my tumor or circumstances make my decisions for me. But this year? I no longer fear my death. I have come to terms with it. I am taking control of my life. And . . ." Cassandra laughed. "At midnight, I'm going to kiss you even . . . ." And then she blushed feeling like maybe she'd been way too bold.

But Jacob pulled her into his arms. "Eight years ago, I was miserable. I was trapped by my own choices and I had nothing, nothing to look forward to. Just another year where nothing ever changed. Except for this one little bright spot at midnight where a girl who was different kissed me. This year? I realized that I no longer have to be afraid to be me. I don't care who knows the truth and I'm done lying. And at midnight, I'm gonna kiss the girl who always knew who I was and liked me anyway."

Cassandra grinned. "That girl also has a clock in her head. It's midnight."

Somewhere in the city, people were partying and fireworks were going off. But in the quiet park, all Cassandra and Jacob were aware of was each other. The kiss started off sweet, before lips parted and tongues started exploring. She'd started off with both of her arms around his neck, now one hand crept up into his hair. He kept one hand on her cheek but the arm he'd wrapped around her waist pulled her in tighter. Soft smacks and little moans would have been the only noises someone coming upon them would have heard.

Finally needing to break for air, they pulled apart their foreheads meeting.

"Happy New Year, Cassandra."

"Happy New Year, Jacob."

And as he pulled her in for another kiss, both agreed this was the best New Year they'd ever had. Followed only by a kiss with a stranger on a long ago New Year's Eve.