Blacklight - R [COMPLETED]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

It felt like Emma was just as complicated as he was! He had gotten a lot closer with her than he had ever gotten with Sadie, and that was purely because she was the first girl he ever had feelings for. Sadie was just a casualty – his first shot at sex that turned out being good enough to keep around. It was her fault for screwing up their friendship anyways with talks of emotions, and feelings, and fucking hell—love. It was nothing Elijah had been interested in at his young age, but now, he wanted to try for Emma, and if she hadn’t realized how much he liked her due to his actions alone, she was being naïve.

“In a good way,” he justified with a tiny smirk, only pressing their lips together once more. “I like how I feel around you Emma. Point blank.”
She stared at him thoughtfully, "Don't you feel that way around every girl you're with?"
“You’re not every girl. It’s hard to explain but---fuck, I don’t know. I can’t explain it right now. I just have feelings that I’ve…never felt before.” Elijah had never stumbled around with words as much as he did before Emma. He tried so hard to impress her and sometimes it was a pain in the ass.

"For me?" She asked, a slight smile curving at the corner of her mouth. "I may know what that feels like."
“Of course!" Elijah exclaimed with another grin, closing the gap between them once more. “I don’t know what in the hell I’ll do with you.” He enjoyed the fact Emma was different, and didn’t conform to the mold of what a woman should be. She was just…interesting, and he knew more than anything, she’d never stop being interesting.
“Well you could get me some place warm,” she suggested with a tiny shrug, legs wrapped around his torso.
He placed a supportive hand on his back, nodding in agreement. “I think that could be arranged.”

By the time they had agreed to get out of the water, it started raining, causing them to rush to the closest shoreline in fits of laughter as they were drenched to the bone. The boardwalk was several hundred yards away, and they had both decided not to chance trying to search for a way back onto the wooden platforms while the weather was getting worse.

There was an abandoned shack a few yards eastward, Elijah to bust open the lock with a rock and pry the door open. Two metallic tables lined the weathered room, the raw smell of sea salt heavy in the air. No lights were available, the moon light only faintly illuminating the room, drawing Elijah’s attention to the ropes and ship junk that shrouded the floor. It wasn’t luxurious by any means, but hell, it’d do.

But if anything, it did bring certain thoughts to mind...

“The weather’s shit. Looks like we’ll be in here for awhile,” he mused, a tiny smirk pulling at his lips as he pressed Emma lightly against the door, cupping her jaw.
“Mmm, that’s convenient,” She murmured. “We’ll have to find something to do to pass the time.”
“Well, I could think of one thing,” he whispered, lifting her up against the door and moving to one of the metal tables.
“Show me,” Emma barely murmured, eyes flitting closed as he pressed his lips to her chest, hands moving under her shirt to squeeze a lace-covered breast before tugging the fabric above her head.

Her fingers automatically reached for his belt buckle, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Emma let herself indulge in the idea that a little groping in an old fishing shack was hardly a bad thing; if anything she was excited at the prospect. It wasn’t like they’d never touched each other before and doing it somewhere other than the safety of their apartment was exhilarating.

Through her foggy mind, Emma watched as he unzipped his jeans pocket and slammed his wallet down onto the table top beside her hip, all the while his lips were busying themselves at the curves of her breasts, teasing her through the thin black lace she wore. She was half crazy when he blindly searched his wallet with his free hand and pulled out a square foil packet.

Alarm bells went off like fireworks in her head.

Before he could raise his hand from the table, Emma locked her fingers around his wrist, pinning it and the foil packet to the metallic surface.
“Elijah…what are you doing?” Emma murmured, trying to control her erratic breathing.
"Don't...you want this?" He asked, confusion etched in his eyes.
Interesting question. Did she?
Emma blinked up at him, dumbstruck. Yes, Elijah turned her on more than any other man in her life had before, and she most definitely desired him, but…was she ready for this? Emma had always associated sex with something bad. Her mother had died having sex, for Christ sake! Her mind had been twisted and corrupted with images of it since a young age, and then Elijah himself hadn’t made her views on it any better.
“Will it change things?” She asked in a whisper. “I’m not…experienced like the woman you’re used to.” Her heart sank at the thought of him never looking at her in that way again. She couldn’t be just a quick fuck in a shack, that wasn’t who she was.
Elijah's eyes softened and he gripped her jaw firmly. "This won't change anything, Emma. I don't care if you're experienced or not."
She shook her head, “I…I don’t know. I don’t think-“
He blew out a small breath, “Its okay, Em, we won’t do this if you don’t want to. There’s no pressure. We’ll wait.”

Emma could tell by the strained look on his face that it took all the strength he had to push up and move away from her – but he still did it. If any other woman had denied him, he would have told her where to go, left, and she would be sure that she’d never get another chance with him again. But with Emma? He’d nodded, accepted it and stayed.
Abandoning the small foil packet beside her, Elijah bent down and picked up her discarded shirt and his belt, before laying them out onto the second metal table. “Our clothes won’t take long to dry out on here. Mind if I do the same?”
And now he was talking to her, still in his chirpy tone.
Realisation dropped like a penny on to the floor. Elijah wasn’t lying or exaggerating when he told her that she was different to him, that she did things to him that he wasn’t used to, that he liked her in ways he’d never liked any other woman before her.
Sweet Christ, they were in this together, deeper than she thought possible. They were so far off from where they’d started.

When he stepped back from her, Emma reached out and caught his shirt in her hand, tugging him back towards her, back to the spot between her knees.
“Let me help.” She slowly lifted it over his head and tossed it away, uncaring of where it landed.
A long silver chain hung from around his neck, holding two sets of dog tags from, what Emma guessed, back in his military days, but that wasn’t what enticed her attention so much. No, it was what was hanging on the chain behind the tags that had Emma’s heart pounding.
It was her ring; the same one she’d worn on their first assignment together, the other half of the one she had hanging around her own neck. She ran her finger tips over the soft silver of both bands and looked up into his soft blue eyes. “Snap.”

His long fingers stroked gently at her cheek, unravelling Emma totally.
Dropping the rings, she hooked her fingers around the waistband of his jeans and unhooked the top button. “Please don’t hurt me.” Emma found herself whispering.
Elijah paused, eyes locked with hers. "I won't," he responded solemnly.
Rain pounded hard on the window of the shack, masking the sound of her heart beat; it was like a drum in her ears, thumping away for everyone to hear.
Her hands shook slightly when she moved to his zip. “Not now, and not afterwards. I don’t think I’m strong enough to take it, Elijah. Please.” Doing this, handing herself over to someone else completely was terrifying. It would make her more vulnerable than she liked to admit.

His jaw tightened briefly, several seconds passing before he nodded. "I promise, Emma."
With those three words, Emma pushed his jeans off his hips and clasped her fingers once more around his dog tags, dragging his head down towards her.

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

----

Elijah woke up….smiling. Truly smiling for the first time in years. He had never felt this exhilarated after sleeping with someone before, but the emotions that surged through his veins, in spite them being completely foreign, were entirely welcome.
They had made a makeshift blanket out of their clothes, the sun light peaking through the window panes as Emma curled into his chest, fingers still absentmindedly twisted around his dog tags. The last thing he wanted to do was wake her up, especially when she looked so radiant in her sleep, but he doubted they could chill out at the shack for long. Not with Landry riding their asses. After an incredible night, the last thing he wanted was a lecture.

Elijah slipped his hand around hers, holding it against his chest. “We have to go,” he murmured.
"Right now?" She murmured in protest.
“Mhm,” he responded, turning over as he grabbed his shirt and slid it on. With another groan, Emma did the same, scooping up her clothes and beginning to pull them on.

In five minutes they were full dressed, albeit still groggy, leaving the tiny shack that would no doubt hold memories.
If Elijah had it his way, he could have stayed there all morning rolling around a bit more with Emma, but there was only so long someone could avoid real life before it reared its ugly head again.

They eventually returned to the boardwalk, finding his bike in the same space it was parked, before driving back to The Underground. It was around nine AM by the time they re-entered the apartment, dozens of assignments that Landry had wired waiting for them on the computer. Elijah grabbed a bottle of water in the fridge before chugging half and starting towards the bathroom. He then paused midway, glancing over his shoulder at Emma as she typed at something briefly on the laptop that rested on the kitchen counter. He still wasn't quite ready to let the magic of that morning fade just yet.

“Can’t ignore work for a second, can you?” Elijah teased.
She rolled her eyes playfully. “At least one of us needs to get something done around here.”
He shrugged, although a sly grin pulled at his lips. “Well, I’m thinking a shower’s in order. But I’d hate to go in alone. It’s a big and scary place without someone in there with me.” Of course Elijah was fucking around, but it was worth a try!
Emma caught her bottom lip between her teeth. "I'd hate for you to get scared."

Elijah grinned again before extending his hand.

-----

“Agents!” The loud voice called, just as he had wrapped a towel around his waist, Emma stepping out of the shower behind him.
She jumped in surprise, rushing to grab a silk robe from the counter and sling it over her form. “What the hell was that?”
Elijah held up his towel, hurrying towards the door, but Emma stopped him. “We can’t come out at exactly the same time! I’ll go first.”
He nodded, using the time to dash towards his room and throw on a t-shirt and sweats before eventually wandering out into the foyer.

As expected, Landry’s face flashed on the screen, although his eyes didn’t droop with fatigue, his hair carrying a new sheen.
“What’s up?” Elijah questioned, raising his brows.
A wide grin spread across his lips. “Crack some champagne and thank your lucky stars because the killer has been captured and apprehended!”
"What?" She gasped. "Wait - who, when, how?"
“How do you know?” Elijah questioned skeptically.

“Our guards found him this morning, ran several extensive tests and the fingerprints on the corpses matched his.”
"That's...brilliant!" Emma exclaimed. "What a relief.”
“New cases will be assigned on Monday. Enjoy the rest of the weekend you two.”

He winked at the two one final time before the screen cut off, a load being lifted with it.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Emma expected to feel different somehow, but the only thing that had changed was what she felt for Elijah, nothing in herself.
Sleeping with him had been strange, but in a good way. There had been pain, as brief as it was, then undeniable pleasure, a heady mixture of the two had made for one surreal experience – but all in all, Emma had most definitely enjoyed herself. It had vanquished all the bad associations she had with sex in one swoop.

Now, as she looked over the file filled with names and faces of murdered agents, Emma couldn’t help but be curious. It had been a whole day since they’d captured the ‘ghost’ as he’d been named around the building, and yet, she or anyone else still hadn’t gotten a look at him.
Elijah seemed happy to accept how things were, but Emma wasn’t so easily comforted…

The front door of the apartment silently slid open, just before Elijah appeared, a tray of Starbucks coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other.
“Christ it’s great to be able to walk out of the front doors again.”
When he placed the tray down on the kitchen counter, Emma held out her hand to him, her fingers wiggling. Elijah grinned and handed her one of the hot coffees. It slid down her throat like silk – oh, man, did she love a good, strong coffee in the morning.

He stood at her side, brushing a kiss against her temple before nodding at the files. “You’re looking at them again – why?”
“I don’t know,” She shrugged. “Do you think Landry will let us see this guy soon, since it is our case?”
Elijah sipped at his coffee. “Do you want to see him?”
“Yea, I do. I want to know why he did what he did. Innocent people are dead because of him, and we don’t have answers. Maybe I should give Landry a call and-“
The Vphone suddenly light up, pinging with the sound of an incoming call.
“Hold that thought, sweetheart,” Elijah winked and strolled over to the wall to answer the call. “Hello…oh, it’s you.”

At the drop in Elijah’s tone, there could only be one of two people on the other end of the phone. Her silent question was answered when she peered around him to see Jacob’s handsome face looking back.
Her boss caught sight of her immediately, his attention moving from Elijah. “Morning, Emma. I trust you slept well after hearing the good news?”
She nodded, “Mhmm, the best,” It had nothing to do with the fact that Elijah had slept in her bed with her. Simply sleeping with him was something Emma was rapidly developing a love for. “Is there something you need?”
“I want to let you know personally that I’m planning my annual Match Session tomorrow. Memo’s were sent out yesterday, but you were the only one not to reply.”
“Oh…” Emma glanced over at the closed laptop. “Sorry, yesterday was a…um…distracting day.”
She tried to ignore Elijah’s full on grin beside her.
“I thought that now would be a good time as any for it, since everyone will be focused on work now that that ghost killer has been captured.” Jacob finally spared a glance in Elijah’s direction, who was still stood there, listening to the whole thing. “This will be his first one. You’ll fill him in?”
“Sure.”
“And you don’t mind being pinned up against one another?”
Elijah snickered, “Not at all. Sounds like it should be fun!”

Obviously, he had no idea what they were talking about.
Off video, Emma slid her hand into his. “We’ll do what we have to do, Jacob, don’t worry about us.
“Excellent,” He smiled. “Then I shall see you both tomorrow, in the sublevel gym, at 12 PM sharp. I’ll look forward to seeing you defend your title, Emma.” With that, he hung up.

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Elijah had chosen to move on with his life after the case had miraculously closed and worry on other files that needed his attention. They couldn’t just drop everything for one person who’s every intention might have been to distract the agency from other crimes going on in the city.

“Prick,” Elijah muttered, sipping at his coffee briefly before swiveling towards Emma.
She gripped his jaw, stern eyes locking with his. “You shouldn’t be talking that way about your boss, Elijah.”
“He’s technically not my boss – Landry is. And I doubt he’d do anything to remove me seeing as he scouted me out. Rode my ass for about 2 years to get me to come here.”
Emma shook her head. “Still. He’s not a terrible person; he’s just…very uptight.”
Elijah rolled his eyes although he pressed his forehead lightly against hers. “So tell me about this Match Session or whatever.” He assumed it involved fighting, that much was obvious.

“Basically we have this annual event where all above-satisfactory agents are chosen by Jacob to participate in a tournament where we are assigned an opponent, and the winner advances to the next match. It’s nothing violent – just organized fighting.”
He raised his brows, tilting back in his chair. “And I’m guessing you’ve won these things pretty often, eh?” Elijah would hate to take her title and all, but he was pretty (hell, extremely) competitive and if grinding her fine ass into the ground relinquished his title as rookie and made him an official threat to others, so be it.

“Every year, except my first,” she admitted.
“Well, hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your streak is being broken,” he responded confidently before standing up from his chair and trailing to the kitchen. Fuck, he was hungry.
Emma scoffed. “I’d love to see you win, baby, but as long as I’m still in the competition, that isn’t happening.”
He snickered. “You don’t trust my skill?”
“I trust it, but it doesn’t exceed mine.”
“Is that jealousy speaking?”

Emma joined him in the kitchen before opening the fridge and grabbing a jar of peanut butter. She pulled herself on the counter, snickering in return. “Only when hell freezes over, would I ever be jealous of you, Elijah Walker.”
He strode over to her, positioning his body between her legs. “Y’know when people lie they look up to their left. But rest assured, I’ll go easy on you.”
“Your asshole-ishness is particularly overbearing this morning. Need another shower?”
“That’s why you love me.”
She dipped her finger in the peanut butter, dotting his nose with the sticky condiment. “I don’t love you.”
Elijah nodded, sticking his thumb in the jar. “I’m sorry. That was a terrible understatement. You fucking love me, with all your heart.” He ran his thumb along her lips with another teasing smirk.
“I—“
“Let’s not get too mushy here, sweetheart. Just kiss me."

Elijah joined their lips together, the tiny thump of the peanut butter jar hitting the tile sounding soon afterwards.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

“Aiguo Wu,” Emma mused, flipping through the notes and security footage. “He’s done this at least four times before, yet somehow he continuously avoids arrest. He’s actually been called the shadow thief.” She looked up from the paper and cocked a brow at Elijah. “Shadow thief? What the hell is that all about?”
Elijah spared her a quick glance, only taking his eyes off the road for a brief second. “What is it with people in this city giving criminals nicknames? That’s fucked up.”
She shrugged, “No idea. But this guy has gotta be good – I mean, Christ, he ran a van, with thousands of dollars worth of technology, off the road, knocked the driver out before he could see his face, then stole everything. I’m talking phones, computers, TV’s, players, two speedway bikes…and hell, get this, chopsticks!”
“Chopsticks?” He asked, blinking.
“Yea, the driver had chopsticks on his passenger seat, saved from the take-out he’d had the night before…” She couldn’t help it, Emma covered her mouth with her fist and breathed out a laugh. “I have no idea what to make of that.”

Thirty seconds of silence passed before he spoke, and even the silence couldn’t have prepared her for what he had to say. “I don’t I’ll ever get used to that,” He murmured, taking his hand off the wheel and resting it on her thigh. “But damn is it the best sound ever.”
Emma smiled, despite not wanting too, and stroked at his arm tenderly. “Eyes on the road, Elijah, and hands on the wheel.”
A cocky grin shaped his lips. “Nah, I think I like where my hand is now, thanks.”
Shift! Arrogant Elijah once again took over, replacing the tender one. That was happening more and more as of late.

“So, where we headed?” He asked, his hand still firmly on her leg.
“Agency camera’s picked him up heading into a back alley on the border between lower and high quarter. That’s where we’re headed. If he’s there, then we’ll take the Shadow thief out.”

Less then ten minutes later, they pulled up along side an old bank, just before the border into lower quarter and walked the rest of the way on foot. They almost walked around for half an hour before they spotted anything worth while and even then it wasn’t a solid lead.
A tall, bald Chinese man crossed the street over from them, looking as suspicious as anyone could in lower quarter, and vanished into an old apartment block.

Emma nodded, “There.”
“Is that him?”
“No, Aiguo has long black hair, tied in a ponytail, not to mention tall and lean. Come on, he might lead us to him.”
Elijah rolled his eyes, but followed her away. “What makes you think that the only other Chinese guy around is going to lead us to Aiguo?”
She shrugged, “Lucky guess? If we’re wrong, what’s the worst that can happen?”
“We could, oh I don’t know, die? Or worse, get our asses kicked.”
“Yea, because that’s going to happen.”

They slipped into the building silently, Emma pulling on her sleek black leather gloves as they climbed the wide staircase leading up through the centre of the apartment block.
Their footsteps made nothing but a whisper of noise as they climbed the hard stone steps, the only sounds heard it seemed in the entire building. When they reached the first door, the old rotted plank of green painted wood was a jar.
Emma signalled for him to keep climbing upwards, then pointed at the door, telling him she’d go in.
Elijah hesitated, if only for a brief second, before nodding and continuing up the block of stairs.

Emma pushed the door open, sending an echoing squeak through the room. The very empty room. That’s all it was; a single room, empty of all furniture, wallpaper, carpet…anything. She peered in curiously, hoping to find something that might –
A sudden shriek rang through the air. “HIIIIYAAAAAH!”
It vibrated off the walls as Emma turned on her heels. A second later and a large, dark blur bounced down the stairs, landing with a painful ‘humph’.

Laying on his back, with a half stunned, half angry look etched into his face, Elijah’s eyes were locked onto the figure positioned at the top of the staircase, still in his karate stance.
Emma looked from one man to the other, before pausing on Elijah. An angry red line marred on side of his face. “Is that…a chopstick slap? Did he just attack you…with a chopstick?”
There was no hiding the humour in her voice, or the smirk tugging at her lips.
“Are you fucking laughing at me!?” He fumed, finally taking his eyes off the man.
“No…of course not. Did you just fall down the stairs as well?”
Red tinged his cheeks, momentarily hiding the slap mark. “You fucking are! He took me by surprise and kicked me here! I never had-!”
“YOU, strange girl!” The accented voice cut between them. “I kicked boyfriend’s ass with single chopstick. Leave or I do worse to you!”

With a shake of her head, Emma stepped over Elijah and slowly climbed the stairs. “Get up,” She smirked at him, before turning her attention on the karate master. “You must be Aiguo, yes?”
With a chopstick in each hand, the man’s stance grew tense. “Leave.”

Elijah groaned behind her as he shuffled to his feet. “Fuck, my ankle…”
With a flick of his wrist, Aiguo tossed a single stick around Emma, nailing poor Elijah directly across the eyes. He cursed, stumbled and…Emma winced as he fell blindly through the half opened door of the empty room, landing with a force that made her sure he’d fallen through the rotted floorboards.
He was going to feel that tomorrow.
“Bye, bye, arrogant Elijah.” She laughed to herself. “He’s funny, isn’t he?”
Aiguo blinked at her. “What are you talking about, strange girl? I could kill him,” He snapped his fingers, “like that.”
“Probably, but that guys like a cat; he’s got the whole nine lives thing going on. Anyway, allow me to introduce myself, I’m Emma and I’ll be arresting you this evening.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

“Fucking hell,” Elijah muttered, hands covering his face. He had never injured himself in his entire twenty eight years of existence, and he had most definitely never lost a fight before – all of which both happened tonight. He hardly called it a fair battle though, considering the old prick had got him by surprise, but of course Emma seemed to be enjoying every second of it. Real cute of her to think his ‘confidence’ level would be knocked down a few notches, but he was hardly the one to let a brief lapse of judgment determine his skill level, or the way he perceived himself.

After a few minutes of silence and an ice bag placed on his injured ankle, Emma plopped on the edge of his bed. “You can’t still be mad at me,” she scoffed in disbelief.
“I’m not…just do your job,” he murmured in response, eyes shut. Hurt like hell.
"Now, now, Mr.Grouchy," She murmured low under her breath, "Be nice to me or I won't be your own personal nurse for the next few days."
It was mostly the pain speaking, mixed in with the frustration of the entire situation. Of course Elijah was glad it had at least been him and not her, because who really could defend themselves in a dark house without electricity? So, if he had to take the sprained ankle instead, so be it.

Christ, he was getting mushy again.

“Guess you have a sure shot at winning tomorrow, then,” he mused, finally blinking up at the ceiling. “There’s no one that could offer you better competition.”
"You wouldn't have hurt me, anyway," Emma stated. "No matter what you say, I know it's true."
“So…you think I would have let you win?” An amused grin tinged at his lips, although it was gone in a flash. He was generally curious.
"Or am I wrong?" She asked curiously. "I know you don't like being called a rookie and how desperate you are to move up. Maybe I'm way off, and you would have knocked ten shades out of me to get it."

The conversation had taken on an unexpected tone, and Elijah raised his eyebrows briefly. “Christ, Emma. It’s not like street fighting. Even Jacob said it was organized. No one’s going to walk out there with a busted nose or a black eye.” Granted, he had never been to a ‘Match Session’ he strongly doubted it involved beating down each other to the point of immobilization. They still needed fully healthy agents – especially it if was the supposed cream of the crop. Plus Elijah had dodged her assumption, because he had a small notion it would spur on a fight he had no energy to come up with witty responses for.

"Aren't they? It's supposed to be organized, Elijah, but it never is. You've never been to one, so what do you know?" A light frown tugged at her brows. "And thanks, I think I have the answer I was looking for."
Elijah rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t beat you up, Emma. I could, and would have won regardless of if I took a cheap shot or not.” Were they… fighting? He honestly couldn’t tell.
She rolled her eyes. "You just keep thinking that, Chopstick boy. You're lucky you aren't joining in, because christ I would have beat the crap out of you and your smart mouth."
Elijah snickered, at the absurdness of her statement. She was good, but beating him? Nah. First of all, he’d ignore her nickname for the sake of a whole other tangent, two, he had the height advantage, and third…he just honestly believed he could whoop her ass. Fuck, scratch believed, he knew he would!

“How about this,” he prepositioned. “I don’t care about the Match Session, but you and I, we’ll have a little…tournament of our own. No worries though, sweetheart, I’ll go easy. Y’know, to protect your pride.” He would have added with or without clothing, her choice, but bit back that remark for future purposes.
"That's very kind of you - but prepare to have yours ripped to shreds. Your ass has just signed its own kicking warrant."
Elijah laughed again. “Whatever you want to believe. Just don’t get your hopes up too much. I’d hate to bring you back to reality. But when I do win, I think you’d have to provide me with a prize.” He hadn’t even thought of what he wanted, but proposed it for the sake of screwing around with her.

Emma leaned slightly toward him, "You're underestimating me, Walker.”
Elijah scoffed, placing a hand to his chest. “Never. I just know I’m better. That’s all.”

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

It would have been an understatement to say that Emma was pissed off at Elijah’s allegations. Did he truly think he could best her in the one thing she did well? Being the sure and sturdy agent figure was all Emma had and Elijah thought he could threaten that? Oh, hell no. No matter what ridiculous feelings she had for him, that did mean she was about to let him take away who she was.
Emma was competitive as hell and he’d succeeded in fanning her flames.

And then, he’d hardly denied how he wouldn’t step on her to get higher.
She’d always known that, from day one, so now…why did the idea alone make her chest feel hollow? Emma was allowing herself to get too close to heartbreak, to emotions, to wanting and needing, and to an emotion she couldn’t even begin to fathom.
Christ, she really needed to take a step back and control herself before it was too late. After all, Elijah was going to hurt her sooner or later, despite his promise to do otherwise, his hunger for more out of his life wouldn’t keep him with her forever.
Her eyes lingered on the floor for a moment, before Emma finally said, “Yea, better…I’m going to go to bed now I think. I have a bit of a head ache, so, yea. If you need anything, call me.”

"Wait, Emma," he murmured, hand flying to the back of his head momentarily. "Are you okay?"
She pushed up from the bed, “I’m fine. Did you want a glass of water or something before I go?”
"I want you to stay."
And like that, arrogant Elijah had left the room, leaving her with the half of him she had trouble saying no to; the half of him that made something in side her cry out for his attention, like a small unwanted child.
“You should sleep alone tonight, Elijah,” She said, trying not to look at him directly. “I’m a messy sleeper, and I don’t want to hurt you in the night.”
"Since when has that ever bothered me?" He arched an eyebrow in surprise.
“Since you fell down a flight of stairs and twisted your ankle? I could make it worse.”
His dark brows creased together. “I've dealt with worse."
Emma opened her mouth to protest, but he reached out to her and gently tugged at her fingertips, “Come on, Em, I can’t sleep well without you.”
By gods, did she want to be stronger against him, and if he’d been arrogant Elijah she would have been able to, but not like he was now. Never like that.

**********

Amanda tossed the small brunette out of the circle with ease, earning herself a shout of applause. A sound Emma had never heard directed at her.
Every year was the same, the forty-four (now forty-one thanks to the murders) top ranking agents would gather in the underground gym and one by one knock one another out of the large white circle surrounding them. It wasn’t always the case of an easy push here or there either, sometimes things got nasty.

Jacob got up from the bench at the side of the room, from where he was watching, and waved at her, “Emma. You’re in.”
Elijah was slumped watching as well, at the other end of the bench from Jacob, looking pale and in pain. She suddenly found herself wondering if he’d taken his pain killers before they’d left.

Tightening her shoe laces, she slipped her jacket off her shoulders and walked onto the cushiony mats within the circle. Amanda stood defiantly in her place, her hands fisted at her sides. “Ready for this, bitch?”
Emma gave her a slow smile, “Ready as always.”

Jacob blew the whistle and they moved in unison, Emma faster by a long shot. There was no space for time wasting, so she made Amanda’s round quick – she dodged a few punches, then caught the blondes leg when she raised it for a kick and swung her out of the circle.
No one applauded. They never did. Even Elijah didn’t make a sound.
But that was understandable, since they’d agreed to keep their relationship, and whatever else it was, to themselves. Showing any kind of emotion in front of them would spark rumours.
One after another Emma tossed men and woman out of the circle, only cracking a sweat when she finally hit the second to last person.

Nigel was dirtier than everyone else; he managed to get a hold of her ponytail at one point and tugged so hard Emma felt a lance of pain ring through her skull. Pure adrenaline had Emma kicking the bastard where it hurt, before slamming her elbow into his temple and knocking him just past the white line.
Jacob blew the whistle, “Okay – Hey!”
Emma turned slowly from Nigel’s cursing form to look to Jacob, only the sudden image of Jay, a hand, then bright colourful stars greeted her. The force of the backhand across her face split her lip easily, the coppery taste slid into her mouth the second she hit the mat.
A cheer rang out. “Take her out, Jay!”
“Now, while she’s down!”
“Knock the bitch off her pedestal!”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Everything happened so fast. From Emma knocking Nigel out of the ring, to Jay running in before Jacob blew the whistle for the next fight. What the fuck was he doing? Elijah sprang from his seat, eyebrows furrowing together in anger.

“What the hell is he doing?”

His question was drowned by the sound of the chants of Amanda and her posse crying for Jay to ‘take the bitch out’. Elijah liked to think he could manage his fuse, but alarm bells rang in his mind as soon as he hit her, immediately sending her body to the ground. Hoots and hollers shook the arena, and for a second he thought his vision had turned red with rage.

In two seconds no less, his ankle was completely irrelevant as he dashed from the seating area, in spite of someone attempting to grab him, before barreling into Jay and pressing him against the mat. The stadium went dead silent as he curled his fingers, pounding the other agent’s face with it as he attempted to push him off but failing.

Jay’s fingers flew to throttle Elijah’s throat, but with another swing that had no doubt broken his nose, the agent cried out in surrender, blood gushing down his lips and ruining the standard blue tank top with the company emblem everyone wore.
Once Jacob was prying Elijah off of Jay, he felt the pain sear his left ankle, causing him to grind his teeth together in pain. He hadn’t even glanced at Emma once the employment manager attempted to move him back towards the sidelines.

“Are you out of your fucking mind!” He shouted, thick veins pulsating his skin. “I can have you suspended for this!”
“That makes a lot of sense,” Elijah spat, “suspending me for protecting another agent from getting hurt. I thought you’d be giving me a pat on the ass; lord knows how much you’re in love with her.”
Jacob pressed his lips together until they were white, looking like he wanted to beat the crap out of the rookie before stopping himself.

Jay eventually caught up, blood smeared across his face. “What the hell, man! Why do you even care about that bitch? She’s rigid as hell, and deserved it.”
Elijah would have broken something else had it not been for his vision zoning in on Emma, whom he had ignored throughout the whole altercation. She was slow to get up, wiping the thin stream of blood that trickled from her right nostril with her back hand.

He jerked away from Jacob before joining her, practically hopping on his good leg before draping an arm around her shoulder once he was close enough and pulling her into his chest. “Em – are you alright?”
She nodded softly, her eyes widening at him. “I-I’m fine, Elijah. Just a little shaken up. You should—you should return to the sidelines though, before they think we’re together.”

Something in him changed once Elijah glanced back at the stunned crowd, all waiting for something to happen. Why the hell did they give a shit about what other people thought? They were clearly worlds better in the skills (and personality) department than every single one of them. So why did they have to hide?

“No,” Elijah muttered. “I’m ending this.”
In one motion, he moved his arm from her shoulder and slid his fingers through hers.

All 80 something eyes were completely locked on their intertwined hands as they looked up at the congregation.

“Are…we really doing this?” she murmured, still in disbelief with his actions.
Elijah nodded. “Might as well milk the hell out of it.”

He turned towards her, swiping the hair away from her face as he pressed a soft tender kiss to her lips, before several dozen astonished agents.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

There was a potent smell of blood, sweat, and pure (alluring) Elijah filling her nose as he kissed her. It made for one interesting combination. Only when his lips lifted from hers did Emma once again remember where they were – and what they were doing.
Holy hell. What was he doing?! They’d agreed that keeping things under wraps from everyone else was the best and wisest decision, otherwise…

“Fucking…heck!” Nigel, who had finally regained himself, breathed loudly from his spot outside the circle. Emma detested the sound of humour in his voice. “Fuck, mate, you are good, aren’t you?”
“It’s sick.” Amanda this time, and she certainly didn’t sound pleased. Which, naturally, pleased Emma in turn.
“That might explain why he just beat the crap out of me…” Jay growled. “He’s got it hot for the mental patient.”
“I’d shut your fucking mouth if I were you,” Elijah snapped, replacing his arm around her shoulders. “Because the next time I hit you-“
“Elijah,” She clutched at his arm anxiously. The eyes burning into her from all directions was starting to become unnerving. “Enough. Let’s go.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Amanda paced in the corner of her eye. “You? He wants…you? What the hell do you have that’s so special?!” She fumed. “What the hell do you have that I don’t?!”
Nigel turned a stunned glare onto her, “I’m sorry?”
“Oh, fuck you, Nige.” Amanda waved a dismissive hand in his face and looked to Elijah. “Why her?! She’s a robotic freak show, with no friends, no family and a likability factor of a toothpick!”
“Hold on,” Nigel gripped at her arm. “I think you’ll find you’re in fact my girlfriend!”
“We fuck, that’s all, now let go!”
“No! You’ll goddamn look at me when I talk to you!”
The couple instantly burst into an argument, forgetting all about Emma and Elijah. Thank god.

“Emma…” Jacob was suddenly at her side, his dark eyes wide. “What is this?”
She opened her mouth to answer him, when a string of other voices chimed in instead.
“What about the match?”
“Jay won!”
“But he didn’t knock her out of the circle!”
“Elijah got involved. She should be disqualified for that!”
Jacob growled something incoherently under his breath, before turning on his heel and addressing the argumentative agents. He held up his hands and shouted, “Jay is disqualified due to not following the rules. He attacked Emma before the appropriate time. This match is cancelled.”
Instantly the agents called out in protest, demanding a change of mind.

Taking her chance, Emma tucked her arm around Elijah’s waist and directed him out of the gym, holding as much of his weight as she possibly could. They shuffled from the loud room and into the elevator slowly, careful not to do anymore harm then he’d already done to himself.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” Emma sighed, with a shake of her head. There was the tiniest hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “The whole building is going to know about us by this evening.”
“I honestly don’t give a shit, Em,” He groaned, leaning back against the glass wall of the elevator as it rose up to their floor.
“So, you don’t care if it puts girls off you?” She asked then, curiously. “Knowing that you’ve been with me.”
Elijah cocked his head to one side, his blue eyes narrowing on her. “I’m not sure what you mean by that, but no, I don’t care. Why would I care if girls are put off me? I don’t want other girls.”
She grinned, unable to stop herself. Sure, she’d just been punched in the face by a man three times he size, but that wasn’t enough to stop her feeling, well, good right now.
Closing the gap between them, Emma did the unthinkable and wrapped her arms around his waist, pinning herself to his front, her head coming to rest under his chin as she hugged him tightly,

The first hug she’d given to another human being.

Images of him running full pelt across that mat, his face one of undiluted fury as he slammed into Jay - all because he’d hit her. He’d come to her defence without a second of pause and even now he didn’t look like he regretted his decision. It spread a wave of warmth through Emma’s whole body, melting the ice and lighting up all the dark spots.
“Thank you,” Emma breathed into his shirt.
One long arm wrapped around her back, while the other locked around her shoulders. Elijah was hugging her back!
Hugs are…nice. Two bodies pressed together, sharing similar emotions and showing their love.
“Always, Em. Always.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

---

“How far are we away?” An agent asked from the back of the dark van as a special group of ten profiled through the dark streets of D-79. Jacob had put together twenty agents, divided into two vans, to stop a possible terrorist mission from the district’s most elite rebels. Apparently there had been complaints of bomb activity from within one of D-79’s largest economic centers. The plan was to first check if there was, indeed, unusual activity coming from the building, and if there was, a crew of agents that specialized in bombs and other explosive weapons would go in and defuse it. The rest, which comprised of him and Emma, were the guards to make sure not only their own, but all the witnesses in the building were out of harm’s way.

Elijah was in the driver’s seat with Emma, casually glancing at the passing signs while following the van ahead of them. “10-4; how far are we from the location?”
A voice crackled back through his ear piece. “Ten minutes approximately.”
He nodded, before relaying the information back to the inquisitive agent. “After the murder case had been put to rest and everyone was in a peaceful state of mind once more, it was easier to get things done without anxiety – well, not like Elijah had it to begin with. But if it meant his colleagues would work more efficiently, he was all for it.

“Is it horrible to say I’m excited?” He finally questioned, bringing a hot cup of coffee to his lips with raised eyebrows. “First exciting mission in weeks, I swear.”
It had been approximately four weeks since the arena incident, and with March right around the corner, his ankle had healed rather quickly. It had only been a sprain, after all.
"Clearly you aren't getting enough excitement in other aspects of your life,” Emma murmured, just low enough so only he could hear, with a smirk.
Elijah returned the gesture, sneaking a small grazing of his hand over her thigh. “Well my personal life is a whole other story.”

Either the rest in the van hadn’t heard them, or they decided not to care. Regardless, Elijah was thankful of the fact. News of them being together had slipped through the building like quick fire, and any chances of them keeping their two lives separate were completely out the window at this point. Whether it was guys wondering ‘what the hell happened to him’ or girls telling Emma she wasn’t good enough (which couldn’t be further from the truth) for the likes of Elijah Walker, they had received numerous flack about their relationship.

Like he said then, and as he said now, he didn’t give a flying fuck what people thought. And it would stay that way. They were still better agents than every single one of them, and if that evoked jealousy, well tough for them.

Amanda hadn't taken it particularly well either, which in turn, put Elijah officially on Nigel's black list. Ah well. He could kick his ass with his eyes closed. And if he didn't want the same fate as Jay, he'd keep his ass in line around him.

“10-4; we’re within five minutes of the building,” the voice updated in his ear. Elijah nodded, maneuvering through the clogged streets.
“Got it.”

[/size][/blockquote]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

The last month had been a never ending stream of new experiences for Emma, one after another. Firstly, after the match, she’d had to quickly adjust to everyone else knowing about her and Elijah, sorting them into the category of boyfriend and girlfriend. As the weeks rolled on, it sounded less alien to them both.
Hell, Emma had even heard Elijah say the word at one point; not to her, no, he never said it to her. They’d been in a bar downtown, a week ago, when she’d first heard him. A waitress behind the bar had asked, rather suggestively, if he’d wanted a lemon in his drink, making sure to bend over as much as she possibly could to show off her cleavage.
She’d half expected him to flirt (like she’d always seen him do in situations like those), but much to her surprise, Elijah had shrugged, handed over cash and said, ”No thanks, it’s for my girlfriend and she’s not high on citrus fruits.” He’d barely even looked at her!

Then, there was the sleeping arrangements. No matter where the first one went to sleep, the other would follow; it was quickly becoming a natural thing to do, to sleep with each other. They hadn’t had a night apart in nearly two months.
For two people who’d grown up used to sleeping alone, it was strange how swiftly they’d become accustomed to it.
Thirdly, the intimacy was… the best experience of them all. Emma had gone through life, never knowing any kind of intimacy, or attention, and now with Elijah, it was suddenly there. Small touches here and there, cuddles at night and in the morning, kisses at random moments – Emma loved it all.

She took a quick peek in his direction and he must have sensed her stare, because he glanced at her in the same moment, a sexy smirk curving along his lips when he caught her gaze.
“You staring at me, sweetheart?” He whispered low to her, reaching over to brush at her thigh once more.
“Aren’t I allowed to stare?”
Elijah shook her head, “No, stare away. I’m used to it.”
Ugh. Arrogant Elijah; he was, if anything, a huge pain in the ass. It was the façade he’d put on for years for all his women friends; maybe that was why Emma didn’t like it when he turned it on her.
She rolled her eyes at him, earning herself a bigger grin. “Hey, I’m jealous,” He murmured, “I don’t get half as much time staring at you as I’d like.”

Emma smirked and risked a move to touch him.
“What the hell is that…?” An agent pointed between the gap between Emma and Elijah, forcing her hand away from him before it could touch him.
“What?” Emma growled.
“That thing…there…it did it again. It sparked.”
Frowning, Emma followed his gaze to the van in front. “I don’t see what-“
“It’s there again. Shit, what if-“

The world instantly turned to slow motion. Light erupted in front of them, a burst of orange and red, a millisecond before hell broke loose.

Elijah slammed on the breaks, sending every agent in the van lurching forward. Emma gripped at the dash board in front of her, keeping herself securely in place; but someone hit the back of her seat, hard, forcing her belt to tighten roughly around her.
They came to an uncomfortable stop, just in time to see the other van flip onto his back, flames licking from every window.
“Oh, fuck…” Someone breathed behind them, horror lacing their voice.
Elijah slammed his hand down, first on Emma’s belt clasp, then on his. “OUT!” He shouted, “NOW!”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

---
It had all happened ridiculously fast. From him and Emma teasing each other in the front, to the van ahead of them, which held their colleagues, exploding in the blink of an eye. He automatically slammed on the breaks so the fire and debris wouldn’t affect them, the street turning into a flurry of beeping horns, crying pedestrians, and basically a block-wide terror.
Elijah was instantly out of the van, rushing over to the fire-ridden vehicle directly in front of them. Judging by the severity of the flames and the lack of life that seemed to consume the car, he came to the somber conclusion that all ten agents had died. Died for a reason Elijah was still entirely confused by. Was it a faulty engine?

No. It couldn’t be. Not when the agency prided itself in safety vehicles, tested a plethora of times for anything that could put an agent in danger.

Then what? The truck couldn’t spontaneously combust with no provocation whatsoever.

However, Elijah’s thoughts were quickly interrupted by the smallest amount of pressure that touched his boot, a scrap of metal (about 12 inches) he assumed came from the vehicle. At first he hadn’t noticed what was so particularly different about this piece of debris, but as soon as his eyes caught the engraving that looked like it had been deeply scratched in with a knife, his heart beat quickened.

Amongst the continuing state of terror that consumed the streets, he managed to block out the world as soon as the metal scrap was in his hands, the words chilling him to the very core.

’You didn’t think I’d make it that easy, right? The past is back, Walker.’

Elijah felt his lips twitch, the blood pumping in his body automatically running cold. It felt like the entire event came in a clarity he felt only he, and the mystery killer, could understand. The explosion, it was so painfully similar. Nothing like that had happened since—

Emma’s hoarse voice automatically broke the frenzy that shrouded his thoughts. “H-How?” She cleared her throat, instantly covering the mild panic in her voice. “How did this happen?”
“Who knows,” he murmured, numbness in his tone. Elijah then turned to face her, eyes burning into hers sternly. “Go to the van and call the police.”
He had a notion Emma realized the distraught in his expression, a blend of pain and confusion that couldn’t possibly be pinned to just the death of ten agents. It ran deep, to crevices within himself he promised he’d never bring forth ever again. But instead of prodding in a moment that would have been highly inappropriate, she turned on her heel, heading towards the van.

Elijah could have stared at the piece of metal for hours on end, but forced himself to swallow his thoughts and make sense of the situation. The Ghost wasn’t dead – it had been a fluke to throw everybody off momentarily. But why? What could he or she possibly want and why hadn’t they taken it?

Elijah fondled the metal, before feeling the smooth scratches on the bottom, his fingers throbbing with anticipation.

And if by a stroke of fate, the message on the other side answered his question exactly:

’If you want to protect your girlfriend from being another corpse amongst many more to come, meet me in the boiler room tomorrow night for the grand finale.’

[/size][/blockquote]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Landry arrived at the scene no less than ten minutes after it had happened, screaming commands to the men he’d brought with him. The road was swiftly closed off, the destroyed van and the bodies within (or what was left of them) removed. Questions were being shouted, while answers were no where to be found, much to Landry’s growing frustration.
When answers finally came, tension only grew.

“What the fuck do you mean there was a fucking bomb under the van!? These vehicles are checked as they exit the damn building – how wasn’t something like this picked up!?” Landry raved at the woman in front of him. “Ten of my best agents are dead because of this. I want answers, not later, you got me? NOW!”

Jacob walked slowly through the chaos, surveying the situation closely as he moved off to the side, next to where Emma and Elijah were stood, along with the ten agents that were in their van; some of them were holding each other, crying for the lost ones. Emma and Elijah stood silently, watching, shoulder to shoulder (more like shoulder to arm, thanks to the height differences).

Ignoring Elijah’s presence completely, Jacob placed his arm over Emma’s shoulders and asked, “Are you hurt, Emma?”
“No.”
“What about him?” He nodded at Elijah.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
With a heavy sigh, Jacob directed his gaze past her. “What’s up with you, Walker? Looking a little pale there.”
Elijah glanced down at the head of department briefly, but gave him no mind.
“It’s great to see you comforting your girl like everyone else is – times like these, what better thing to do then think of yourself, eh?”
Emma frowned at the man, “Jacob… Christ, what the hell is wrong with you?”
Elijah’s jaw tightened, "Fuck off, Jacob."
“Arrogant little shit,” Poison laced his tone. “You saunter around the place like you’re gods fucking gift, when really your just one prick amongst many.”
“Shut up, Jacob,” She hissed low at him. “This is neither the time nor the place for this.”
“What the hell are you doing with him, Emma?” His brown eyes locked to hers. “You’ve gone years without a man, only to wait for this second class moron? He’s no good for you, none at all. He only wants one thing from you and then he’ll be running after the next piece of tail he can get.”
She shook her head. “Stop, Jacob, now. What’s with you?”

He laughed; a dark, evil sound that Emma never expected to hear from him. Stepping off the curb to stand in front of them, Jacob smirked in Elijah’s direction. “You wouldn’t have give two shits if she’d been in that van, would you? You’d probably be flirting with the female officers cleaning her guts up off the floor.”
The hostility seeping from her boss was like a thick fog, no one could see past it, not even Jacob.
Anger flashed in his eyes as he stepped off the curb, toe to toe with his boss before giving him a hard shove. "I will break your face if you don't shut the hell up. Our relationship isn't your concern."

As quickly as she could, Emma pushed herself between them, pressing her back up against Elijah’s solid chest to keep him behind her. “Enough!” She growled, glaring at Jacob. “What is wrong with you?! Why do you care so much about what Elijah thinks of me? You’re not my damn father and you’re certainly not my keeper, so stop with the act already.”
“He cares for no-one but himself, Emma,” Jacob murmured, “Can’t you see that?”
Reaching back, Emma grasped Elijah’s arm. “We’re leaving. Tell Landry to contact us if he needs us.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Elijah had no idea what angle Jacob was trying to get at, constantly insulting him for reasons he had no clue of. The prick had been the one to hire him in the first place, so why, all of a sudden, was he treating him like an animal? Sure, Elijah had a history, and yes, he wasn’t a kiss-ass, but did that merit him receiving the treatment he had been given? At this point, he was convinced Jacob was jealous of the fact a ‘pig’ had managed to swoop in and steal away the woman he supposedly cared about in less than six months, and he hadn’t been able to at least tap her in the six years or so they’d known each other.

Only more proof Elijah was a smooth-ass motherfucker.

And while the revelation was satisfying, that did little to assuage his frenzied thoughts. But at this point, he just felt numb. Death itself had never bothered him, but leaving Emma with so little information about himself…that troubled him. Of course, who was to say he wouldn’t come out on top (because who the hell got away with snubbing Elijah Walker)? Still, he hated relying on the unknown so if he managed to live or die, he’d be comforted by the fact he hadn’t hid a single thing from her; that he had truly worn his heart on his sleeve just once so she could see beyond his tough exterior. Elijah didn’t want to leave anything behind.

The ride back to the apartment had been silent for obvious reasons, Emma deciding it was better if she took the wheel. But once all the other agents had filed out of the van (which had been checked again my staff), leaving them in the passenger seat, he gripped her wrist slightly once she tried to push open the door.

“I want to talk, Emma,” he murmured uncertainly, blue eyes averted forward, “and hold nothing back.” Elijah had dived off the deep end, and there was no turning back.
"Okay,” her hand released the door handle before touching his knee, "I'd like that."

Elijah hadn’t realized how ridiculously hard it was to open up himself to others, especially with someone he had just met…someone who he used to despise. He didn’t want things to change between them, for her to view him differently, but there was a fifty-fifty chance that wouldn’t matter come tomorrow, anyways. If he was thinking sadistically.

“What if I killed someone?” he broke the silence, not sure how to start. Elijah felt an uncomfortable slosh in his stomach, his lids momentarily closing. The memory hurt; it was the part of the dream he never finished. The part he fervently ignored.
"We all have pasts, Elijah. I know that better than anyone." Emma paused briefly, then asked, "Have you killed someone?"
Elijah waited several seconds, a familiar, albeit horrible, feeling overwhelming him. “I might as well have. There was…a dispute in a town I was posted in overseas. We were assigned to two cars, one for the close ranger shooters, and the others for the snipers. I was supposed to be in the first van that—“

Elijah was completely and utterly surprised when his voice broke, jaw clenching as he glanced out of his window, in hopes of hiding his face from Emma.

“—I was supposed to be in the van that exploded. But I told Remiah h-he should take my place. H-He was going to be discharged the following w-w-week. He hated the army. All he wanted was to return to his...daughter, and w-wife, and--” A tear threatened to fall, but he wiped it with the back of his hand. “Fucking hell, Emma. You don’t how long that’s been on my conscious. I feel like a monster. The guy that took an amazing person away from his family. Remiah was one of the kindest, caring, hardworking and most selfless person I’ve ever met. T-There’s not one day that goes by that I wish I could have been in that van.”

Elijah was silent after that, controlling the irregular shudders of his chest as he stared out at the empty parking lot. It was symbolic of the way he felt inside.

[/blockquote][/size]