Blacklight S2 (R)

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Rylee didn’t remove the names from the signs until later that night – after he’d made Emma buy him dinner and forced her to watch one of the corniest movies she’d ever had to endure. Thankfully Elijah had come home around eight (she didn’t spend the whole afternoon wondering where he was or what he was doing) and she’d happily handed the young man over. All without saying a single word to Elijah,

He’d tried to speak to her, and in the small space of time she’d given him, he hadn’t mentioned the sign. That was a good thing.
Right?
It was a small ‘hey’ that she’d answered with a muffled reply before retreating to her room, away from him and the pain in her chest she never failed to feel around him. Simply looking at Elijah made her ache for everything he didn’t want to give her.

And unfortunately, as she made her way down to the sub-level gym the next morning, the ache was still there, as fresh as ever.

The large gym had been cleared of everything but wrestling mats and a few climbing ropes - typical for the mass training session Landry loved to put on every few months; it wasn’t like the competition Jacob had enjoyed to put the agents through, thankfully.

By the time Emma walked through the gym doors, partners were already beginning to form and take to the mats. She sighed when Landry spotted her; already Emma could hear the conversation they were going to have. It was the same one they’d had every year since she’d joined the agency.
Then, as if on cue…
“I…erm…I noticed that Elijah has partnered off with Sol,” Landry started, clearing his throat. “Which means you’re without a partner yet again, Emma.”
She shrugged and tried not to look across the room at the couple in question. Fucking Sol! Emma was really starting to dislike that woman. “I’m used to it by now.” She grumbled.
“Ryan isn’t here yet. Why don’t you sit off to the side and wait for him?”

Before she could open her mouth to reply, Landry turned and left her standing there, looking as alone and pathetic as she felt.
What was it about her life, that whenever she felt as though she couldn’t get any lower, it proved that she could.

“Hey, Emma!”
She stopped, mid-turn, to cringe at the high pitched squeal. Not now, please, not now…
“What?”
“Hey, now, be nice,” Amanda grinned happily as she reached her side. “You should be thanking me, I’m the only one that’s crazy enough to be seen talking to you. I noticed that Elijah is, well, pinning another woman to the floor… kinda like he pinned me to the bathroom wall.”

Something beneath the ache and the pain abruptly snapped, like a switch being flicked. Her hands darted out, capturing the twiggy blonde by the collar and dragging her forward until the tips of their noses touched. “Being stuck to a bathroom wall is the best place for you. I know how much you enjoy my pain, but trust me, I enjoy yours so much more – and I’ll be more than happy to deliver it, too.” Her voice dropped to a whisper for the next sentence. “What happened with you and my Elijah will never happen again, got that? The next time I hear you talking about it, I will personally remove your voice box myself.” On the last word, Emma shoved her away.
“She’s a crazy bitch!” Someone called when Amanda stumbled back into Nigel’s waiting arms.

Damn, had she just referred to him as ‘my’ Elijah? It had just come out, without a thought as to what she was actually saying.
That was something she’d pay for sooner rather than later, Emma was sure.

“Em?”
Her eyes opened (when had they closed?) slowly to see none other than ‘her’ Elijah standing before her, his expression as solemn as she knew hers was too.
“What?”
“Train with me.”
“Elijah?!” Sol gaped at his back. “What about me?! You can’t just ditch –“
“Em?” He asked again, cutting Sol off.
“Okay.” Emma answered, with only a brief moment of hesitation. What kind of idiot would she be if she passed up the opportunity to knock Elijah on his ass?

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Elijah often had full-blown arguments with the voices in his head, today being no different. See, if he had listened to the rational part of his mind that had fervently repeated over and over in his thoughts that it was risky business to have Emma as his partner, he would have been in a more comfortable position with Sol, literally. He knew there was not a chance in hell he could ever muster up the will to physically cause pain to Emma, and by walking over to her mat, he had basically agreed to looking like a pussy in front of the entire agency.

Because as much as Elijah would love to think otherwise, his promises to fight her and win were complete and utter bullshit. He just couldn’t. And any semblance of a chance he had at quickly backing out was instantly tarnished by the loud whistle from one of the fitness coaches.

“Alright guys, keep it clean! No below the belt, not too much blood. I have the right to stop things if I feel the fight is getting too out of hand. Are we clear?”
Emma’s eyes locked on his, weeks of pent up frustration burning in her brown eyes. She simply nodded, and Elijah forced himself to do the same, bending over and spreading his legs apart into a fighting stance.

After waiting several seconds, he blew his whistle a second time, setting everything into action. Agents began hollering his name, shouting things like: “Knock her out!” or “You got this, Walker!” He only bit down onto his tongue until the coppery fluid tinged the inside of his mouth, moving in a clockwise motion.

She swung first, Elijah instantly ducking at her fist before jumping backwards. Small grumbles arose in the crowd, a few claps of approval sounding. Emma seemed to furrow her eyebrows in confusion, only whirling at him again, one managing to briefly hit his cheek before he was stopping the second one and pushing her off him.

“C’mon! I thought you’d be eager to swing at me, Walker!” She shouted, her tone cold.

Then, in one motion, Emma grabbed his cheeks, slamming her forehead into his. She hardly gave him time to react before pushing him onto the mat, Elijah’s legs giving out from under him. A small ‘umph’ escaped his throat, the crowd dead silent in surprise.

“What the hell are you doing, Walker?” Another agent shouted, breaking the tension that filled the room. “You should be grinding her ass into the floor!”

"Stop with all the extra nonsense or you're suspended!" The referee yelled back.

Elijah blinked up at her, Emma remaining perfectly still above him before her face was contorting into instant anger. She reached to grab the collar of his shirt, exclaiming, “What’s wrong with you?! Get up and give me a challenge!”
“I can’t.” The words barely left his lips -- the two words that had never, ever, graced the same sentence in his entire life and came from his lips.

The crowd howled with disappointment, some still frozen in astonishment. For the first time ever, Elijah Walker felt weak.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

What the hell was happening here? Why wasn’t he knocking ten shades out of her? He didn’t love her anymore –if he’d even loved her at all- and he sure as hell didn’t care, so why wouldn’t he fight back?
“You can’t?” Emma echoed, her eyes burning into his face. There was no release for her anger when he was just laying there.
"No," he breathed.
She lent toward him, “Why. Not?”
"Because I love you," he whispered.

The words bounced around the walls of her mind, refusing to stay still long enough to sink in. Emma stood over him, dumbfounded. He what, now? Loved her? Oh, how she wanted that to be true. But it wasn’t, it couldn’t be. Why would he continuously treat her like every other person in her life had, if he was truly in love with her?

Emma straightened, “Get up. Now.”
Then, without waiting around to see if he’d done what she’d told him to, Emma spun on her heels and stormed from the gym, nudging people aside as she went.
Fortunately, Elijah followed her without needing to be asked.

He followed her silently, until she reached one of the open equipment closets.
“In.” Emma snapped, pointing into the small, cramped space amongst the rolled up mats, punching bags and weights.
Elijah looked from her to the closest, his brows drawing together in confusion. For a second she thought he was going to argue; his mouth opened, then closed, opened, then closed. The internal struggle was as plain as day in his blue eyes, his irises alight with something Emma hadn’t seen in them before.

Elijah lost (or won) the fight and stepped into the closet. The look of surprise washed over his face when she stepped in behind him and shut the door. What did he think she was going to do – lock him inside?
“Emma –“
“Why did you say that?” She asked, cutting him off. “Do you tell me that you love me because you know it’s what I want to hear?”
"No, I said it because I meant it," he replied, with all the genuineness he could muster.
“No, you don’t!” Emma cried. “You let your mother treat me like an animal, stuck your tongue down some skinny bitches throat and you didn’t come after me, you didn’t even call me.”
"Because I don't want to hurt you anymore!" he exclaimed.
“What?” She frowned. “You think that coming after me, fighting for us would hurt me?”
"I'm a terrible person, Em. I'm fucking greedy, selfish, detached."
“You were attached to me, Elijah. You were apart of me, even if I was never apart of you…” She shook her head and forced down the lump in her throat. Hadn’t she told herself to stay away from him? This was why.

"You were--you are, it's just...things are complicated right now."
“Complicated…” She swallowed, hard. “As in, you’re not sure if I’m what you want anymore. Why can’t you just tell me that? I’d rather know the truth, than wonder what it was that I did wrong.”
"No! Shit--Emma, listen. I just feel like I'd destroy things between us eventually. Like my mom has. They loved each other, Em, and now they're getting a fucking divorce? What if that's us?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “You are not your mother, we are not your parents – we’re Emma and Elijah. You want us to end because of a feeling?” Was Emma hearing this right? He was predicting their future through his parent’s fate? “My mother was a drunken, drug addict whore, who beat me daily. What if that’s me? What if I turn out the same way? Before you, I asked myself those questions every single day. You changed me.”

Ryan’s earlier words suddenly filtered into her mind, filling her eyes with moisture.
“Ryan told me something about his wife, Sarah and how she changed him because he loved her so deeply…and…and he said that I was your Sarah, but I’m not. After hearing you say that, I know I’m not.” Emma reached back, her fingers pressing to the open to open the door. “Someone else is.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

All the emotions Elijah had fervently attempted to keep dormant rushed back at that very moment locked in a closet with his first love in near darkness. Why did she have to make things so difficult? Why couldn’t they just move on with their lives? It felt like they were in too deep to simply forget about the other, no matter how much effort they exerted.

And when he thought Emma couldn’t possibly make things any harder for him, she had. His chest constricted at the sight of the water accumulating in her eyes, trying to bite back the tears that wanted to fall with the hardness she had learned to preserve over the years.

“Emma,” he murmured helplessly, grabbing her hand.
“What?!” She suddenly cried. “There’s nothing you could say to me that would fix things! I know I’m not the one, so stop trying to fuck around with me!”
Elijah didn’t let go though, only dragging her close to his chest, their bodies pressed up against the door. “You’re the only woman on this planet I’ve given a damn for and that will never, ever change. When we kiss I don’t consider it a fucking spark, it feels like an explosion. There’s no face I’d rather wake up to each morning than yours. And when we’re apart? I don’t feel like myself. You are my first and only love, and that’s why---“ he bit down on his tongue “—that’s why it’s so hard to do this to you, to see you like this, but if we’re ever going to last, I have to work on myself first. I know this sounds like such a bullshit excuse but I swear to you Emma there’s no one else. No one else that makes me feel even close to the way you make me feel. And…Christ, I sound cheesy. But it’s true.”

Elijah felt like he was rambling but everything he had ever wanted to tell Emma poured out of his lips in the most unexpected of moments, locked in a damn closet.

Emma’s lips parted before closing several times, her lashes blinking back the tears as she stared up at him in astonishment. And then Elijah wasn’t quite sure what had impelled him to cup her jaw, lips nearing hers as he brushed it against the soft flesh there, goosebumps prickling his skin—

“I KNOW YOU TWO ARE IN THERE!” Rylee exclaimed. “E-Emma, please don’t kill him! Jesus! He’s the only cousin I truly have and I know he’s a major douchenozzle, but c’mon! And if you already have…well then this is awkward. Just open up!”

And then Rylee comes in to save the fucking day.

The darkness shrouded his intense eyeroll before Emma's body was breaking away from his, her breathing labored. She turned away from him, her emotions hidden as she fumbled for the door, swinging it open, and letting the light spill through, reality coming with it.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

When she opened the door to Rylee, Emma’s entire body was shaking, from both anger and fear. Her anger was burning away beneath her humiliation, and as for her fear… well, hell only knew where that was coming from. What did she have to be afraid of?
Better question – what didn’t she have to be afraid of?

“You’re both alive,” Rylee sighed, relieved. “That’s good.”
Emma glared at the young man. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“That’s a nice welcome,” He pouted, stepping aside to let her pass.
Elijah cleared his throat and stepped out of the closet behind her. “How did you get into the building, Ry?”
“Guy on the front door recognised me from yesterday.” He said simply.
“So much for security.”

Emma tiresomely ran her fingers through her hair, wishing she could somehow pull her mangled brain out of her head. His words spun in circles, repeating themselves again and again until there was nothing else she could think about. They made her heartbeat flutter and skip a beat, but at the same time, feel hollow and discontented.

“…and he told me he’d seen you go in this direction. I heard Emma’s voice through the door and wa-la, here I am.”
“Sounds like a magical story.”
Landry’s voice cut through the narrow hallway, nearly sending Rylee through the ceiling – unfortunately, it was Emma that got the force of his body, not the solid ceiling. He jumped into her, his arm locking around her shoulders and sending her stumbling into Elijah; who caught her easily, one arm locking around her waist as the other pushed Rylee off her.

“I didn’t surprise you, did I?” Landry asked, a hint of amusement in his tone. He nodded at Rylee, “I don’t believe we’ve met…”
“I…uh, I’m Rylee.”
“Elijah’s cousin, sir.” Emma cleared up, hesitatingly stepping out of Elijah’s hold. The moment his arm dropped away, a cold wave washed over her.
“Step-cousin.” He added quickly in a murmur.
“Really? Hmm. Well, nice to meet you Rylee. Anyway, I’m glad I caught you both together – not sure what the hell went on back there and I don’t care – I have a new assignment for you. The major is throwing a ball tonight, something to do with welcoming the Vice President to D-79, and he’s insisting on professional security, something that the police force can’t supply apparently. So, I hope you still have those wedding rings you used in your first mission together.”

Instinctively, Emma raised her hand to her neck; only to remember that she didn’t have her necklace anymore. She’d thrown it at Elijah in her anger, as well as the ring that had hung from it.
Her hand dropped uselessly to her side. “Why do we need them?”
“Because Mr and Mrs Walker are going to be making an appearance once more, for the ball, of course.”

Rylee beamed, “Emma Walker. Kind of has a ring to it, doesn’t it, Eli?”
Emma shot him a deep, menacing frown.
"It does," Elijah agreed, although his expressions were hard to read.

Ignore. Him.
“Indeed it does,” Landry nodded, rolling his eyes. “You should go tie the knot immediately. Returning to the subject at hand here... be a normal, lovey dovey couple at a party. It shouldn’t be too hard for you two, should it?”
“Sir,” Emma started, “I don’t think we-“
“It starts at six,” Landry said, cutting her off as he turned away from them. “Be there early.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Elijah had hardly been able to focus on one thing for long the entire day, images of their rendezvous in the closet continuously worming into his thoughts. What if Rylee hadn’t shown up? Then what? Would they have been able to settle whatever awkward tension welled between them? That little shit was always popping up at the most inconvenient of moments.

“You look nice for once!” Sol exclaimed teasingly as she cradled a bowl of popcorn to her chest, slender frame leaning against his bedroom door. “Who are you trying to impress?” He wasn’t sure if she was being facetious or dim.
Elijah rolled his eyes while adjusting the black bowtie properly on his neck. “All business, darling.”
She feigned a small pout. “And of course you’re upset. Isn’t this a fucked up parallel to when you two first met?”
Elijah regretted telling her the story of their first experience as a faux couple. Funny how they had come full circle the second time around. Although it wasn’t really funny at all – sad, really. Depressing, really. Maddening.

Now on top of the anger, a layer of awkwardness would reside after his flurried speech. He never truly got to figure out how she felt about it and he would never ask.

“She probably hates me,” Elijah mused, surprised with the lack of emotion that laced his tone. It sounded monotonous, even.
“Isn’t that what you wanted? For things to be easier?”
“I guess I hadn’t intended to completely fuck over our friendship, too. But it’s not like we could’ve acted all fine and dandy without either a) feeling unrelenting fury towards the other or b) wanting to smash our faces together. So yeah, maybe friendship was a piss in the dark.”

Sol dropped the popcorn bowl on the dresser before moving to his side and draping a comforting hand on her shoulder. Elijah was somewhat bewildered by the gesture.

“You’ll figure things out, alright? You’re Elijah Walker, after all. I thought nothing could bring you down, hm? What happened to that?”
“Nothing could bring me down until I fell in love with Emma Ward. Then, I found something that could actually fuck with my mind.”

Elijah hadn’t decided if that was a wildly wonderful thing or something he should fear. He decided it was a solid in-between.

Sol let out a tiny snicker. “Look at you, all bent out of shape over a girl.”
“She’s not any girl,” Elijah backed away from the mirror before grabbing a silver watch from the bed and connecting the clasp around his wrist. “She’s my girl, my Emma.”

Christ. His Emma. Even when they were broken up, he still put the two words together as if it was natural. What the hell was happening to him?

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

The ball was everything Emma expected it to be – a complete and utter waste of time. They’d arrived just over half an hour ago and had been shadowing the mayor ever since; sticking to the image of the happily married couple while doing that.
Elijah hadn’t let go of her hand once, his fingers tightly entwined through hers, keeping her locked to his side. They hadn’t spoken much, neither knowing just quite what to say – hell, what was there to say? Emma could barely look at him without hearing his words from yesterday, clawing at her heart.

’You are my first and only love.’

Again and again that particular sentence had repeated itself, haunting her throughout the night and making sure she didn’t think about anything else.
Her fingers automatically squeezed at his, earning herself a curious stare. “Sorry,” She mumbled, loosening her hold.
Elijah’s face contorted into a frown. “Sorry for what?”
Emma opened her mouth to explain, but paused. Whether Elijah knew he was doing it or not, she wasn’t sure, but the gentle and attentive way his thumb was stroking over the back of her hand left her tongue tied.
What he did next almost made her forget how to talk completely.

With his eyes burning into hers, Elijah raised her hand to his lips and pressed a tender kiss to her knuckles, then to her finger tips, lingering longer than necessary.
“Y-You shouldn’t do that,” Emma tried to make her voice sound a lot stronger than she felt.
They’d situated themselves in the corner of the ballroom, away from the crowds and the mayor and the vice president opposite of them, chatting up any woman who would listen. For two people who should be worried about the most important man in the country missing, they sure didn’t look it.
His eyebrow perked. "And why not? We're married, aren't we?"
“It’s an act, Elijah, you don’t have to take it so seriously.”
Feeling his lips against her skin again made her crave to have them elsewhere. "We might as well be convincing." He said simply.
Emma’s eyes locked with his. “No-one is even looking at us.”
What would he have to gain by it? Other than turning her into putty.

Jesus Christ, how could a simple kiss to the hand send her so far off the deep end? He’d done it countless times before now.
"There could always be someone creeping in the shadows, love. You should know that better than anyone."
Emma inwardly cringed, “Firstly, please don’t call me that. Secondly, why would anyone lurking in the shadows be interested in whether or not we’re acting like a real married couple?”
Elijah grinned; a full on, Elijah-style grin that stretched out across his handsome face. “I don’t want to take any chances.” Then, before she could utter a word in reply, he lent down and pressed a firm kiss to her forehead. “And why can’t I call you love?”
“It’s what you call everyone.” Emma stuttered. What a stupid thing to say. She didn’t like to be called ‘love’ because it was what he called every other woman he spoke to? Hell, he even used it on Sol.

Emma forced herself to step away from him, her attention moving to the laughing mayor. “Forget about it. Let’s just do what we’re here to do – and keep your lips to yourself.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah#|#picture:17}

There was a ridiculously large chance that Elijah was completely milking this couple thing, but at that point he was far past logic. That or his masochistic side reared its ugly head once more. Did he expect Emma to pretend things were perfectly okay between them? Hell, if he were in her shoes, he would have hard time forgiving himself. But what did he expect out of all this? The sweet talk, the hand-holding, the love talk?

Elijah had no idea in hell what he was doing. Yet, he couldn’t possibly care less.

“Except I only mean it for one person,” he murmured from her side as they watched the mayor, clad in a bright gray suit with a rich golden shawl clasp the hand of the vice president, shaking it fervently.
“Who's that?” She asked, “Sol?”
Elijah rolled his eyes playfully. “Don’t act like you don’t know. Unless you weren’t paying much attention to my speech yesterday?” In spite of his joking tone, he felt the familiar goose bumps break the surface of his skin, the words repeating over and over in his mind. Still, he regretted nothing.
“I was definitely paying attention," She murmured quickly. "I'm still trying to understand what it was you were actually telling me.”

Cameras surrounded the podium in which the two men stood, their lips moving with words he could hardly register at the moment, an entire line of police officers lining the front and back entrances. The crowd was thick with people fancily dressed who otherwise would have never shown up had it not been for the vice president.

“Exactly what I said,” Elijah responded simply. “I meant every word, although I have the slight impression you don’t want to believe it.”
Emma shook her head, "I want to."
He turned his head to the side to glance at her profile before murmuring, “What can I do to convince you?”

Why was he trying to persuade her into believing he wasn't a complete dick? His entire reasoning for omitting details of that night with Sadie was to make her believe he was an asshole that would never change his ways. But now? He was actually trying to get her to like him? His thoughts and actions were in a complete clusterfuck and he was tired of trying to control them.

“I don't know,” She answered honestly. "Turn back time?”

Elijah opened his to speak, but was soon interrupted by the mayor’s booming voice.

“Citizens of D-79! I would like to invite all couples to the floor for a smooth melody produced by the Altum Orchestra.”

Then, almost systematically, pairs of two suddenly surrounded them, joining their bodies together, posture perfect as they waited for the music to begin.

Elijah bit down on his lower lip before lightly touching the tips of his fingers to the small of her back, the others grasping her free hand. A breath seemed to catch in her throat once he dragged her body close to his chest, the symphony filling the circular room.

“If we could turn back time, we’d never learn from our mistakes, lo—Emma,” he mumbled in her ear.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Emma had never hoped for love, had never wished or prayed for it either. It wasn’t something she’d ever wanted. She’d watched as countless women over the years had fallen head over heels for hopeless men, abandoning their morals and senses all to be with that one person. Why? She’d asked herself. Why would they want to do that? Why would they need love more than they’d need everything else? Time and time again Emma had asked the same question inside her mind, the answer never quite in reach.

Until now.

Now, the answer shone through the bleak darkness of her mind like a beacon, pulsing with an array of bright, neon colours – just like the sign had in the city centre the night before.
Emma was now one of those foolish women she had always hated; for every ounce of her being loved Elijah, the sheer force of it so powerful she couldn’t think of much else. No matter what she did, he was always there in the back of her mind, no matter how small the thought, chipping away at the rock hard interior and making himself a home there.

She’d been right when she’d said he was apart of her, because that’s just what he was, and no matter what he said or what he did, Emma would never be the same person without him. She’d never be the better Emma.

Yet, right now, she was without him, all because he’d treated her like she was invisible and made out with his ex-fuck buddy at a romantic, secluded lake. Her fingers tightened on his shoulder as the image of their meeting floated into her brain.
“You have that look on your face again,” Elijah breathed, drawing her back into the here and now.
“What look?”
“What are you thinking about?” He asked, ignoring her question.
“About mistakes. Have you learned from yours?” Emma answered, looking up into his smouldering blue eyes,
“Only the ones that matter.”
“Like…?” She prompted.
All traces of humour quickly vanished from his face. “The ones involving you, mainly.”
“Like… first kissing me on the balcony, letting it get to the point that we were stupid enough to fall in love and taking me to your parents place?”
Elijah shook his head, “You know that’s not what I meant.”
“They were all mistakes, though.”

A deep, angry frown creased his expression. “Is that what you really think?”
She could have lied, hell, maybe she should have, but the look on his face made it impossible to even try. “No.”
“Good. I’ve made so many mistakes, Emma, but being with you and how I feel for you isn’t one of them.” He bowed his head toward hers, the tips of their noses less than a few centimetres apart. “You’re the one good thing in my life. That’s not going to change.”
“Won’t it?”
“No.”

Hazel met blue and suddenly the world around them ceased to exist; the dancers, the mayor, his security and the ridiculous ball they found themselves in, none of it mattered anymore,
Then, as if on cue, their faces slowly moved forward, closing the space between them and meeting half way. Emma didn’t care of the repercussions or how much it would hurt when he pulled away from her – right now she needed his kiss more than she needed air to breathe.

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

There were not a lot of moments in his life in which he felt absolutely breathless, like holding onto that kiss for as long as possible was more important than the air filling his lungs. He heard his heart beating harshly against his chest, his fingers pressed into her hair, holding her close she wouldn’t think to end this so quickly. Then, when their body protested, instincts kicking in, they pulled apart, albeit disappointedly.

Elijah and Emma remained like that for awhile, holding each other in astonishment, blue eyes blinking at brown, until the mayor was obnoxiously clinking his glass again. He was too far gone, lost in an ocean of his thoughts, to pay even a semblance of attention to the speech following. It wasn’t until Emma broke away from him, clearing her throat softly as she turned to face the stage. Elijah adjusted his bowtie.

Hoffman stood next to two gentleman behind a podium, one with bright red hair and the other, who was much older, with a faded copper tone. They were both dressed lavishly, the younger man stepping forward to give a ridiculously long (and incredibly dry) speech on the future of D-79 and how they would work to make this town a ‘power machine with strict discipline to prevent crime and high job efficiency.’

So he was contaminating the young, eh?

Elijah would have been somewhat pissed had it not been for the numbness that still overwhelmed each and every one of his limbs. Christ, were lips supposed to be that so—

“Walker!” A voice exclaimed, breaking him from his thoughts.
He lulled his head to the side, eyebrows perking up to spot the source of the sound. It was a police officer, dressed up in dark armor. “What?”
“We need you to help cover the Lowe’s men as they step down from the stage. Just standby, don’t make it too obvious.”

Elijah couldn’t help but roll his eyes, a snippy remark on the tip of his tongue before he was forcing it back just as Emma’s warm orbs met his again. They were cloudy, almost as if the emotions she felt were hidden deep inside. It seemed like Elijah had forgotten to walk until the officer was practically pushing him forward.

’Go,’ Emma mouthed, and although it wasn’t his first option, he obliged.

The crowd had only seemed to thicken as more people arrived, Elijah pushing through the mass of bodies before finally reaching the minituare staircase. At least forty men, lined on both sides, created a barrier between the two and the citizens, their heavy guns cocked. Elijah stayed close to the scene, sipping on champagne and pretending to listen to the mayor. And then, with all the mental discipline he could muster, he forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand.

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

Her lips continued to tingle long after he’d walked away from her, growing stronger with each passing second. The tip of her tongue burned away inside her mouth from where it had briefly met with his own, driving her senses crazy.
Why had she let that happen? One momentary slip of her guards around him and his lips were on hers faster than bees were on honey – or was that flowers? Honey came from flowers but, oh, who gives a shit? – and it had been one big, ol’ nasty mistake.
Now Emma’s body was going bat shit crazy for him, wanting more than was on offer.

She dusted herself off, making sure he hadn’t ruffled her white dress up – the same one she’d worn to the charity event run by the last mayor. A part of her had worn it again knowing that Elijah would like it, while the rest of her wore it because she didn’t have any other dresses to wear… Damn it all.

A low whistle blew out behind her. “My, my Em-maaa, don’t we look smoking hawt this evening?”
Oh, dear lord, no…
Emma didn’t need to turn around to see who it was; his voice was enough. She looked to the ceiling and frowned, “What are you doing here, Rylee?”
“Called the penthouse and some chick told me Eli was here with you – I just strolled in, no-one tried to stop me.”
“You’re turning into a stalker.”
“I’m lonely!” He protested, folding his arms tightly across his broad chest. “Plus, I like being around my cousin and his girl, even if they don’t feel the same.”
And just like that, Emma was in guilt central. “I’m not his girl.”
“That girl in the penthouse seems to think you are, because that’s what she called you. I quote, ‘Eli and his girl are pissing away time at the mayors party’. She sounded cranky.”
“I don’t care, don’t call me that again.” She snapped, annoyed that she had to constantly remind people. “I am never going to be his anything again, so drop the fucking subject.”

Moving to stand in front of her, Rylee’s normally smiling face was now solemn and serious, his eyes focused on her. “When I came in, I saw you kissing.”
“So?” Emma growled.
“So, that wasn’t a simple peck on the cheek. That was a full-on, let’s have a tongue fight, kiss. I don’t get it,” He sighed, “I don’t get why Elijah is doing this to you both. You obvious love him just as much as he loves you, but you’re both fighting it all because of one stupid lie.”
“You don’t understand, Rylee,” Emma murmured, her tone softer now. “It’s not as easy as – wait, what?” Mentally, she went over his last sentence once more, picking up the one crucial word. “Lie? Which one are you talking about?”
“Uh, a-about the… um…” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “About the kiss. With Sadie. I’m not supposed to say anything, Emma, he made me promise.”

Anxiously, she stepped toward him, her hands coming to land on his wide shoulders. “Tell me, Rylee. What lie?”
Her heart was pounding inside her chest, threatening to shatter her rip cage and break free. There was another secret about Elijah and Sadie and that god awful kiss – what could be worse than what had happened already? Emma shuddered to think.
“I really can’t-“
“Rylee!” She shook him, hard. “So help me, if you don’t say the words I’m going to –“
“He didn’t kiss her!” Rylee exclaimed, holding his hands up in defeat. “It wasn’t like it sounded at all. Sadie guilted him into going to the lake with her, when he was really looking for you, but you were with me getting the booze and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings so he went. That was when she jumped on him, not the other way around, and he pushed her straight off, no kiss action there at all! Not even a peck! She tried to blackmail him but he told you before she could and-“
Emma cut him off, “But he told me he did kiss her.”
“He didn’t, though! He thinks he’s being all noble and saving you from hurting more in the future. He’s convinced that he’s too fucked up to make you happy, to give you what you deserve. I told him that was shit but he didn’t listen.”

Bewildered, Emma dropped her hands from the young mans shoulders and searched the crowd from the one face she – ah, there.
Instantly, Elijah met her gaze and like the hopeless magnet she was, she drifted away from the rambling cousin and straight for him.

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah #|#picture:17}

Elijah winced at all the camera flashes and paparazzi; why the hell were the 'Lowe's Men' so significant? Sure, the father was known for being the mayor's aide, but Christ, people actually kissed his ass for kissing someone elses ass? He scowled slightly, swallowing the rest of his champagne, a mixture of cider and liquor, before placing it on the tray of a waiter that rushed past him. Obviously he was on a soap box tonight; well, within good reason.

"Did you know that Rylee was coming tonight? I didn't, but I'm glad he did. He just told me something really... interesting."

Elijah whirled around to the source of the sudden voice, shocked to see Emma, her brilliant hazel eyes blinking up at him, with something smoldering in them -- contained excitement? Joy? He hadn't expected the sudden change in behavior considering she had kindly insinuated he fuck off several minutes ago.

Furrowing his eyebrows together, he cleared his throat in attempts to hide his obvious surprise before responding with, "Interesting? How so?" Rylee said millions of stupid things on a daily basis, what was so spectacular about one of his ridiculous one-liners now? The kid was a consistent dumbass. Nothing special.

"Describe your kiss with Sadie to me," she shot out. "Was it like the one we just had - or perhaps better or worse? Tell me."
If he could have choked on champagne he would have, but instead he was left with that awkward sound you made when you exhaled air too sharply. There was an urgency in her words, like whatever he said would greatly impact her next action.

"That's...random," he replied. "But of course it was nothing like ours, Emma. When I kiss you it feels like bombs ripping the earth in half, but with her? Or with anyone else? Just pathetic fizzles that mean absolute shit to me other than to get off." It still frightened him, the thought that she was the only person on the planet that could either make or break him. Elijah hated giving people so much control over him, but he felt that in the case of Emma Ward, he had no choice. He had went from suave, detached, womanizer Elijah to infatuated, selfless and loyal all in the capacity of a few measly months.

'You're just scared, dude.'
'Some loves die. Others never existed from the start. And a rare few have it burning inside them, like a fiery inferno begging for release.'

As the words escaped his lips, he came to the realization that everything that had been said to him by Rylee and (Christ) his mother, held some semblance of truth. He was completely terrified of loving someone so much it hurt, but so was Emma. And she was willing to try, willing to put herself on the table, just for him to be a selfish prick and pull the rug from under her because he didn't have the confidence in their relationship that she had. Elijah thought he'd never see the day where he actually 'lacked' courageness, but of course it had to happen with her; the person who had managed to change him in so many ways.

Her mouth opened, then closed, his words leaving her dumbstruck for a long moment. "Rylee told me you're lying about it all. About Sadie and what actually happened that night."

Elijah pressed his lips into a line. Leave it to Rylee to have no idea how to keep a secret! Why had he trusted him in the first place? "L-lying? Well--" fuck this "--yeah. I just, I did it to protect you."

"To protect me?!" Emma snapped. "From what? Heart ache or pain? What the hell do you think I've been feeling for the last two weeks, Elijah?"

"I just...thought that in the end you'd feel more pain being with me than without me." He wanted to reach out and hug her and miraculously make everything better but he couldn't, and he didn't, and he just stood there with his feet planted, eyes only connecting with hers a few seconds at a time.

"I don't want to be without you, Elijah. Can't you see that?"

"I don't know," he responded lamely, several heavy seconds passing until he gazed at her, orbs examing every contour of her face before adding, "What now, Em?"

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

”What now?” Emma echoed. “I don’t know. You told me that you kissed your ex, when really you didn’t… I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to that. Is this your way of telling me that you don’t want to be with me like that? Help me understand this, Elijah.”
"What?" Elijah's mouth popped open in surprise. "That's not what I meant, Emma! I'm just not sure what you want right now."
What she wanted? Hadn’t she just told him that? She grounded her teeth together, her annoyance threatening to overflow. “No, I want to know what you want.”
The amount of mixed signals she was getting, Emma was beginning to forget which end was which. One minute he was looking her in the eye and professing his love, the next he was pretending to kiss skinny suburban girl just to push her away. Did he want her, didn’t he? She was losing her mind over this man; her morals and priorities out the nearest window.

"You," he murmured. "I want you."
“Then why push me away?” Emma breathed. “And don’t give me that crap, because that’s not you. You see what you want and you take it, you don’t give up and let it slip through your fingers.”
With each word, Emma had drawn in closer to him, her chest now touching his own, brushing together with each passing breath.
"I choked," Elijah murmured honestly. "I--I just didn't want to let my own issues fuck up what we had. And I thought I could simply back off and leave you be, but it's harder than I thought. And it was a stupid idea, Christ, I love you Em and I'm sorry for doubting our relationship. But we can do this."

She reached out and took his shirt between her hands, keeping him close to her. “I’m going to say this once and once only - Sadie is…” Fuck, it pained her to say the words. “…beautiful, sexy, fun and adventurous, everything I’m not, and though I don’t know what you were thinking that night, I do know that you pushed her away. Last year, you would have had her naked in less than a minute, disregarding me entirely. The issues you think you have are all in your mind, Elijah, that and in the past.”
His eyes fell to the floor before connecting with hers. "Can we start over?"

With her hands still fisted against his chest, Emma drew him down to her level, his forehead coming to rest against hers.
Starting over, hmm?
She took a deep, steady breath and murmured a faint, “Hi, I’m Emma.”
"And I'm Elijah, Elijah Walker, nice to meet you," he responded with a slight grin, the sight of it again making her stomach twist in knots.
“Are you busy tonight?” Emma asked, fighting off the urge to kiss him by biting down on her bottom lip.
"Nope," he responded, before adding, "Why?"
“Because I want you to come home with me,” Her lips brushed over his chin, the slight prickle of bristles telling her he hadn’t shaved in a few days. “I love you, Elijah,” Emma murmured then, loud enough only for him to hear. “You’ve fucked with my head so badly that you’re all I want and all I need to be happy. I’m not complete without you.”
"Is that a good or a bad thing?" he teased.
“For the last two weeks – bad, very bad, but something tells me it’s about to turn around for me.”

Elijah turned his head, seeking out her lips, when a cough made them pause, mouths less than a centimetre apart.
They turned in unison to see a young red-headed man, who looked to be in his early twenties, stood beside them, a pleasant, professional smile masking his face.
“Evening to you both,” By his accent, Emma instantly knew he was one of the high Upper Quarter snobs. “I was wondering if I could trouble you for a word. I realise I’m disturbing you, but it will only take a moment I assure you. My name is Ethan Lowe.”

[/blockquote][/font]

[Ange Keating]

{name:Elijah#|#picture:17}

Elijah felt oddly relieved. After all the shit he had put her through, it was a true miracle she was willing to forgive him for the third time. It always seemed she was doing everything in her power not to hurt him, and yet he had caused her pain so many damn times. Elijah swore to himself he wouldn't do it again, that they were in this together, through all the emotional obstacles. Emma was the only woman that truly meant something to him and he had come to the understanding that would never change.

Elijah groaned in disapproval when a voice interrupted their 'moment', Emma's lips stopping just short of his as they simultaneously locked in on Ethan Lowe. What the hell was he even doing talking to them? They were simply the security and he was a high-off-his-ass snob basking in his fifteen minutes of fame. Elijah felt like wrinkling his nose in disgust at the exaggerated sharpness of his words and the way his nose seemed to tilt upwards like he held monopoly over everyone and anything.

"Of course you're Ethan Lowe," Elijah muttered, before shrugging, "What do you want?"

"I suppose I wanted to point out that you shouldn't be guarding my father and I when there's hundreds of people trying to exit the building safely."

"Unfortunately, our orders outweigh your observations," Emma responded.

He shrugged, "Besides, don't you enjoy it when you're made out to look more important than you actually are?" Elijah wasn't the one to jump on Ethan Lowe's infamous asskissing brigade. The red-haired man seemed pretty useless to him other than hanging onto his father's coat tails.

He snickered. "The mayor is a prick. The government is falling apart. Can't say my ego is that huge of an issue at this point."

Emma's gaze narrowed. "Don't you and daddy dearest work for said mayor? You're technically helping him to screw over this city."

He raised his hands in defense. "I've never been apart of what happens between my father and the mayor. If I'm being honest, I hate politics. The only reward that comes out of it is the kickass parties and awesome paychecks."

"Thanks for sharing!" Elijah exclaimed sarcastically. "And as much as I'd love to hear you rattle on about things I honestly couldn't possibly care less about, I have a job to complete. Coming, Em?"

[/blockquote][/size]

[laura]

{name:Emma#|#picture:18}

When she turned to walk away from the young redhead, fully prepared to end the conversation there and then, he suddenly appeared in her pathway, stepping between her and Elijah, his green eyes bright.
“I know who you are, Emma Ward. I’ve heard all about you and your specialities. You help the little guy, not the big one.”
Even though he’d walked on ahead, Elijah was there as quickly as he’d left. “And you need to step the fuck back, now.”
“Don’t think I haven’t heard of you too –“ Ethan glanced over his shoulder to shoot him a smile. “Elijah Walker. You’re the man that took out the Blacklight Murderer aren’t you? Quite amazing work, if I do say so myself. You managed to take down a ghost.”
"Eh, wasn't too difficult," Elijah responded with a shrug. "But yeah."
Emma shot him a stern glare. Not too difficult? He’d nearly died! She remembered all too well the feeling of hopelessness she’d felt as he’d laid on that hospital bed, machine bleeping away beside him, signalling the slow beat of his heart.
“Your records aren’t half as squeaky clean as Emma’s are. A notorious womanizer, with the do-now-think-later kind of approach, right?”
"You're on your shit, damn," Elijah muttered, although a tiny grin tugged at his lips. "Any reason why you're analyzing my life all of a sudden?"
Emma folded her arms, pissed that he hadn’t corrected the ‘womanizer’ label.
“It was Emma that caught my attention, when she chased down two thugs for robbing a convenient store…” Ethan’s sharp eyes turned back to her. “Beat the tar out of one of them. You were with a man, weren’t you?”
“Ryan.” She answered.
“Yes, Ryan. He’s your…” He paused to grimace. “…lover, correct?”
"Sexy boyfriend, best friend, lover, all the same thing," Elijah responded with a shrug.
Emma rolled her eyes, “He was talking about Ryan.”
"Oh, that prick?" Elijah grimaced. "Ex-partner."
“So…” Ethan stepped aside so he could point from one to the other. “…you two are together? I thought it was just a simple partnership. You’ve been seen a lot with Ryan, lately, so we just assumed-“

“I’m sorry,” Emma raised a hand, cutting him off. Her patience level was now officially at rock bottom. “What does my love life have to do with you? And who is ‘us’? If I find out that you’ve been spying on us…”
“Me?” Ethan asked, his eyes wide with innocence. “Why would I need to spy you?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
He smiled, a slow and casual curl of his lips, before striding off into the crowd, leaving the couple alone once more.

Emma watched him until she could no longer see him, his bright red hair vanishing into the flurry of people.
“That was weird.” Elijah breathed, stepping up to her.
She turned her glare onto him. “Womanizer?” Emma growled. “You really seemed to like that word, didn’t you?”
Elijah reached out to grip her hand, "Relax. The past is the past."
“That wasn’t the past, Elijah. You gave him a nice cheeky grin when he said that.” She tried to pull her hand from his, but his grip was iron tight.
"Doesn't mean I'll go fucking everyone in town. Christ, Emma."
“Then why didn’t you deny it?!” She snapped.

“I…” Elijah trailed off, his and Emma’s attention briskly moved to the woman stood at their side, her bright red hair at least three shades darker than Emma’s.
She was looking from one of them to the other, a forced smile on her lips.
With her current mood, this wasn’t the best time for random female visitors. “Can I help you?”
She looked up at Elijah – and abruptly slapped him clear across the face, hard enough that his head turned at the force of it. Then, holding her throbbing hand, the woman turned to Emma and took in a deep, steady breath. “Don’t waste your time on this asshole. He’s a sicko. Hell, I bet you don’t even recognise me, do you?”
When Elijah stared at her blankly, his cheek a blooming red, she huffed in frustration. “I was the woman from the club, about two weeks before Christmas…” Still, no recognition crossed his face. “…we nearly had a threesome, but the other girl passed out, so we went back to yours… when you called me some other girls name during sex!”

Elijah gaped at her, while Emma stared, curiosity driving her to ask – “What name did he call you?”
The busty redhead had already turned to leave when she shot the name over her shoulder. “Emma. Whoever the fuck that is!”

Well, that sure as hell was the last thing she expected to hear – and before Christmas? Emma recalled that certain meeting all too well, after Elijah had rejected her the first time and he’d gone out and brought some nobody home. That was the first time in her life she’d felt real heartbreak.
And now she was discovering this; that he’d thought of her during sex with another woman.
Emma found herself at a loss for words.

[/blockquote][/font]