ACOTAR - Alternate ending short stories

Uncontrollable Power

Prompt: What if Nesta hurt Cassian with her cauldron power?

- Cassian - 

Back to the usual routine, it seemed. He found Nesta in a dark alley, kissing some other bloke. Of course, she was with someone else. Besides, who would choose commonfolk like him over powerful lords? Mor had. But she isn't Mor, he reminded himself. It's Nesta. Nesta. "Nesta." He didn't realise he'd said her name aloud until the other male backed away in fright at the sight of the Illyrian warrior. Not even a drunk fool like him would make the mistake of ignoring Cassian. Not tonight.

- At Nesta's apartment - 

"You ruined everything!" Her enraged, icy voice cut through the sullen silence of the darkened room. "Everything! I liked him! He was fine! But you had to go barging into my life!" He looked into her eyes as she raged around the room, and gave her a large grin. "Aww, sweetie, maybe we can find you another half-drunk fool to play with, huh?" She glared at him with a gaze sharp enough to slice a steel blade clean in half. 

"I hate you! You ruin everything I do! As if anyone could love you!" His grin faltered for a second, but it was enough to let Nesta know she'd hit a weak spot. "Why do you bother? Nobody cares about you anymore!" He kept his grin plastered to his face and willed his eyes to look slightly bemused. "Everyone loves Cassian, Nesta." He replied, and her eyes could have sliced through obsidian this time. "Don't talk about yourself in the third person," Nesta muttered while kicking off her shoes towards the direction of the door.

"Why Nesta?  Cassian thinks it builds character." Her face twisted into something remotely like frustration. "Shut up." She replied. "Why? Cassian never shuts up." She was angry. No doubt about that. "I SAID, SHUT THE HELL UP!" But this time... Something deep in her eyes glowed. She breathed heavily, and started to shake. "Nesta-" He was cut off, as Nesta's power burst free, and slammed into him. Then the world went black.

- Weeks later - 

- Nesta - 

Cassian was in a coma. And it was her fault. She daren't go around the townhouse, or out of her apartment in fact, for fear of people staring at her with distaste. But it was her fault. She deserved it. Every night he didn't come and check on her, every second she spent alone, in silence. Then a knock. Just once. She rushed to the door hoping it might be, could be-

It was the shadowsinger. She was disappointed majorly but rallied her strength and asked what it was. He replied with elegant, sharp, clipped words. Much unlike Cassian's taunts and teases. "We've all been called to the townhouse. Cassian's getting worse. We have to try and help him recover." 

- The townhouse - 

- Cassian - 

He was... Stuck. When he came to, he couldn't move, speak, open his eyes, anything. But he heard everything. Luckily Madja knew he could hear them. It was just a matter of whether he could move or not. But no matter how much strength he rallied, how much force he put into it, he couldn't move. Then he heard them outside. Gods, this would be embarrassing. If only Nesta was here.

He heard someone come into the room. Rhys. "Cassian I swear you get yourself into every situation." Rhys paused as if listening to someone else. "If you don't get out of that coma I swear Nesta's going to kill herself. She can't cope, Cassian." What? What did he know about Nesta? More importantly, how did he know? Rhys had left the room by then.

Feyre. Next, it was Feyre. But- had she been crying? Her voice was hoarse, and she barely whispered the words. "Cassian, nothing is the same without you. Please come back." She then hurried out of the room. He felt so bad. Not just bad, terrible. Guilty. He wanted to come back to say sorry.

Was it Azriel? Yes. Az kind of awkwardly shuffled into the room. "Uhm, I hope you feel good Cassian..." If he could have laughed, he would have. He was in a freakin coma! And feeling depressed and guilty while he was at it! But there you go, Az had no idea for once. Az left the room, still at a loss for words to fill the echoing, awkward silence.

- Nesta - 

It was her turn. She walked into the room. There was Cassian. She could sense the tension between them both. "I'm sorry, Cassian." He showed no reaction. He was in a coma. Her fault. The twisted cauldron thief. All of this flashed through her mind as she started to... Cry? Oh, gods, she hadn't cried in years. This was so embarrassing. She turned to leave, but Madja burst in.

She took a look at Nesta's tear-stained face and paused. "Nesta, he was showing signs of waking up. Keep crying." She thought about everything bad that had happened. Everything in her life she had ignored she turned to now. She started to weep again. She cried for Cassian, for her father, for everyone she had seen die. Then she felt arms around her. Not Madja. Or Feyre, or the shadowsinger, or anyone else for that matter... Unless it was... She turned around, to look into Cassian's hazel eyes. "Cassian-" He gave her a grin. "Uhm, I'm sorry, I overreacted." His grin widened. "It's going to take more than that to get rid of me, Nesta Archeron." 

- After Cassian is reunited with the rest of the circle -

Cassian flew her back to her apartment. He apologised to her, she apologized to him, and they both said thank you. He turned to leave then, but Nesta had an idea. "Cassian?" He turned, and she took his face in her hands, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him. Right on the mouth. He was surprised at first, but then he slid his tongue over the seam of her lips. She opened for him, allowing it. His surprise at this made her doubt herself. Had she been wrong all along? 

Maybe Cassian wasn't so bad. That was her only thought as they kissed in her apartment while the sun set.