Forever Here

by Harold Wall

  Using all the selfcontrol she had in the world times a thousand she broke away.

  "Storm!" she exclaimed, putting a hand on his chest. They both gazed at each other, both breathing heavily. Storm waiting for Emerald to speak. Emerald ignoring the

  overwhelming urge to just forget it, lean down, and kiss him again. "You… you have a girlfriend." she reminded him as much as she didn't want to. "I have a boyfriend." She shook

  her head and let her hands fall to her side. "This is wrong."

  "Well… that'sthat's good, right?" Carter asked, looking warily at Emerald, gauging her expression. "You told him to stop." Emerald looked at her friend, biting her lip, with a very,

  very guilty, embarrassed expression on her face. Carter took a slow breath in. "Did you… did you… kiss him again?"

  Storm reached out and pulled Emerald forward, before she could step away and out of reach. His striking electric blue eyes peered up at her, beneath long, thick lashes making

  Emerald's heart stop.

  "If this is wrong," he whispered, his breath blowing into Emerald's face, stunning her, "then I don't want to be right." Having said that Storm pulled her down for another kiss, a kiss

  that Emerald couldn't resist this time. Before she knew it, Storm was lying down in the hospital bed, Emerald lying on top of him, their kiss never breaking.

  That is until, of course, Storm needed to breathe. Emerald pulled away, hovering over Storm. Both of their chests heaved.

  When Storm had caught his breath and Emerald, caught hers she started to get off of him and the bed, but Storm spoke, "Don't go." The tone of his voice made Emerald pause.

  "I'm not going anywhere." she whispered before starting to get off again only to freeze again when Storm reached up to run his fingers up Emerald's arm that was currently resting

  next to Storm's head—the arm that's also helping holding Emerald up—before taking her hand into his.

  "Lay with me." he insisted, his voice just as low as Emerald's. His eyes are almost pleading as they stare at Emerald.

  "Is that all?" Carter asked once Emerald finished.

  "What do you mean, 'Is that all'?" Emerald asked her friend incredulously.

  Carter smiled, sighed, and rolled her eyes before becoming serious again. "So… does Valerie know? About the… kiss?"

  "No!" Emerald choked. "God, no! That would have been a disaster! She slapped me twice for just sleeping—in the literal sense—with him. If she found out that we kissed, she'd me."

  "Not that you'd let her." Carter laughed and nudged Emerald with her elbow. They had a moment of laughter before Emerald sighed, remembering that this wasn't really supposed

  to be a laughable moment. "So… you never figured out what Storm meant, when he was apologizing to you? Or… who was after you?"

  "No." Emerald sighed again. "I wish I knew, though." She bit her lip as that same pain she'd been feeling ever since Storm broke up with her welled up in her chest. "I wish I knew…

  a lot of things." Her voice became ragged as she said this sentence and Carter put her arm comfortingly around Emerald's shoulder.

  They sat in silence for a moment like then before Emerald pulled back and rubbed her misty eyes.

  "Are you going to tell Lucas?" Carter asked quietly.

  "Yes, I can't keep this from him." Emerald sighed. "It's not going to be pretty, though, I'm sure." she muttered rubbing her forehead like she had a horrible headache.

  Carter pulled Emerald into a comforting hug again, sighing. She just wished her friend would be happy for a longer period a time for once, with no pain or heartache.

  Emerald walked into work warily. She had tried to call Lucas as soon as her and Carter had finished talking and Sky came to pick her up but he didn't pick up and when she went

  over to his small apartment he didn't answer the door. She wanted to desperately tell him herself. She was afraid that if he ran into with Storm or Valerie they'd bring it up and

  then distort the facts, give him false information and then Lucas would hate her forever, which she really didn't want or need right now. But as night fell ending one of the worst

  days of Emerald's life she started to fear the worst. So, on Monday when she went into work you could say she was feeling pretty anxious.

  When she saw his familiar brown hair of the back of his head heading into the kitchen she relaxed just a tad bit, because one of the reasons she was fearing was that he was hurt or

  kidnapped by one her enemies, the other was, well, that he'd run into Valerie or Storm and—you know the rest.

  Throughout the night he continued to avoid her which made her anxiety levels rise consistently, never seeming to peak. Every time she tried to talk to him, he'd ignore her and walk

  away before she could even say something. He made sure to stay away from her the whole night and if they hadn't been working she would've confronted him. Finally, though, work

  ended and Emerald quickly finished up and donned her jacket just in time to catch Lucas leaving.

  She grabbed his arm firmly and stopped him.

  "Can we talk?" she asked.

  Lucas turned around, jerking his arm out of her grasp, and crossed his arms, glaring down at her.

  "What? What did I do?" she exclaimed. "Why are you so mad at me?"

  He threw his arms up in exasperation. "Well I don't know! Maybe it's the fact that you slept with your exboyfriend and didn't even think about telling me!"

  "I was going to—!" Emerald started.

  "Going to." Lucas scoffed, rolling his eyes disdainfully.

  "I was! Why don't you believe me?" Tears formed in Emerald's eyes as the reality that Lucas was slowly starting to slip away from her sunk in. She was losing him.

  "Because your ex's girlfriend came and tell me that she found you with Storm. How do you think that makes me feel? That I had to hear from someone else that you… cheated on me." Lucas's voice quieted a little as he continued the hurt seeping into his voice as well as his features.

  "Lucas, you have to listen to me! I was going to tell you. I was. But every time I tried to get a hold of you, you were never there." Emerald's tears spilled over.

  "Why didn't you just tell me before work? I was waiting for you to come tell me yourself and you never did."

  "I didn't want things to amount to a fight. You and I both know that having this relationship isn't exactly… appropriate. I didn't want either of us to get in trouble and lose our jobs. We promised to keep our work and our personal lives as separate as possible."

  Lucas shook his head, disgust clearly showing on his face, not believing her excuse. He would have been able to at least control his emotions through work, as long as

  told him, not Valerie, or anyone else for that matter.

  "Lucas—" Emerald started, reaching up and putting a hand on his arm only to have him jerk away and take a step back.

  "Don't touch me." he spat before taking a deep breath and trying to calm down, seeing the look on Emerald's face. "II just need some time alone to think about all this." Lucas ran

  his fingers through his hair. There was a moment of silence before, without a word, Lucas turned and quickly walked down the street, home, probably out of Emerald's life.

  She watched him weave through the crowd before slowly turning around and walking to the Marriott. She should've never gone back into that hospital room. The only reason

  everyone always left her was because of her. It was always her fault. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she seem to figure this out?

  Not watching where she was going, Emerald bumped into someone, but didn't look up as she muttered her "sorry" and continued walking. But she didn't make it two steps before

  the person she had bumped into spoke.

  "The Vigilante, is it?" he asked, making Emerald freeze in her tracks. "Or would you rather I called you Emerald?" He continued when Emerald hadn't moved an inch.

  "How do you know my name?" she asked, slowly turned aro
und to face the man. He was probably in his early twenties with short goldenbrown hair and piercing icy blue eyes. He

  was very formal with a fancy suit on and very cleancut. And he was definitely a vampire.

  "I'm guessing that was your… new boyfriend?" the man continued, not answering her question, inclining his head in the direction Lucas had headed. Emerald's eyes flickered in that

  direction too and realized there were at least three men in suits identical to the brunette in front of her shoving Lucas into a black car with tinted windows and no license plates.

  Emerald took a step forward but the brunette swooped in, taking her arm at the elbow and sharply spun her around before sliding his hand into hers and holding it close to him, to make sure she wouldn't run off.

  "Walk with me; talk with me." he said as he did this. Emerald reluctantly followed, looking over her shoulder as the door closed and the car drove off, worry filling every pore in

  her body.

  "Youyou won't hurt him, will you? I'll do anything." she told the man, looking over at him and continuing along with him down the sidewalk.

  The man smiled and chuckled. "He's just going for a drive." He patted the hand that he was holding with his free hand.

  "Who are you?" she asked after a moment of slow walking.

  "I'm a friend of your parents. My name is insignificant."

  "Not to me." Emerald looked at him.

  The man stared back his lips pressed together. "Hale." he finally said, turning to look forward.

  "A friend of my parents, huh? And what'd they say about me?"

  "Turned out just the way they wanted." he told her.

  Emerald gave him a look. That was the oddest statement she'd ever heard. She had turned out just the way they wanted? A killer? A killer with more mental scars than you could

  count? Then again, knowing how her parents were that seemed plausible.

  "A shame you killed your mother." Hale spoke, breaking Emerald out of her musings.

  "She left me no choice." Emerald spoke quietly, but the words came out through gritted teeth and she tensed at the mention of that day. "What do you want from me?"

  Hale stopped walking and looked over at Emerald, still holding her hand.

  "I was asked to deliver a message. From Jonathan." Then he turned toward her slightly, leaned in really close to Emerald and whispered the message into her ear just as the same

  black car pulled up to the curb near Emerald and Hale.

  Hale pulled away and finally let go of Emerald's hand when he was done, and walked around her to the car. The door opened and Lucas was thrown out, only he was halfconscious, maybe not even that, and stumbled, tripped and fell. Emerald darted forward to catch him, glaring up at Hale.

  He simply smiled and climbed into the car. As soon as the door closed it pulled away and drove off.

  Emerald turned her attention toward Lucas. It looked like they'd roughed him up quite a lot. Bruises and cuts covered his face and his shirt was torn and stained with blood. His

  jeans were ripped and smudged with a combination of dirt and blood. Emerald frantically fumbled around with her pockets looking for her cell to call 911.

  This was exactly what she didn't want happening.

  All her fault. It was all her fault.

  It was always her fault.

  An ambulance showed up a few minutes later, EMTs quickly getting to work, passerbys swarming as the EMTs loaded Lucas onto a gurney and into the back of the ambulance.

  Emerald was allowed into the back and on the way there she thought about what Hale had told her. Sure sometimes thinking time wasn't usually good for Emerald because who

  knew where it would lead, but right now her mind was reeling and she needed to sort out all her thoughts.

  Now that he'd mentioned it, Emerald could feel it: The tension, the pressure, the foreboding of something coming, like the end of the world; her fate being sealed (as dramatic as

  that sounded).

  They got to the hospital and Lucas was rushed in, Emerald following slowly to sit down in the waiting room.

  Great, more time to think.

  The doctor came in after however long—because Emerald hadn't been keeping time and she had zoned out. Emerald stood and walked up to him.

  "How is he?" she asked in a hoarse voice. She cleared her throat as the doctor spoke.

  "He'll be just fine. No broken bones or too serious of injuries. Some bad cuts that did need stitches, though."

  "Can he go home or do you need to keep him overnight?" she asked.

  "No, he can go home tonight. But I would suggest someone to stay with him tonight, just in case anything should happen."

  That was going to be an awkward conversation.

  "Thank you, Doctor."

  With that they both exited, the doctor leading Emerald to where Lucas was before heading off to take care of another patient.

  Emerald hesitantly walked in, Lucas was sitting upright, legs over the side of the bed, slipping his coat on. He looked up as she entered and didn't look away as he straightened out

  his coat.

  "Doc says I should have someone with me tonight." His tone wasn't cold but it wasn't exactly friendly either. He stood up. "What do you think?"

  "It's really up to you." Emerald answered quietly, carefully. "I can't force you to do anything you don't want to do."

  Lucas chuckled without humor. "What a cookiecutter answer." He then walked past Emerald, not failing to bump her shoulder, and not lightly either, on his way out.

  Emerald turned and yelled down the hall, "Well what did you want me to say? I think I should stay with you tonight, only to have you hurt me when you say no, I don't want you

  with me?"

  Lucas walked up to her, looking around agitated that Emerald would make such a scene in the hospital.

  "Don't act all innocent," he hissed quietly. "You're guilty for hurting me, too, you know."

  "I'm not saying I'm not guilty. I'm saying that I know how you wanted me to answer and I wasn't going to do that just so you could have the satisfaction of blowing me off." Emerald

  answered in a just as quiet voice, glaring up at him, but her eyes softened quickly as her anger faded. "Let's not do this here. Just… just for tonight, let me stay with you. We can

  talk and then… you can decide and I'll just have to live with it."

  There was a pause on his end.

  "Fine." Lucas turned then and started down the hall, Emerald hurrying to keep up.

  He didn't say anything on the way out of the hospital or in the cab to the Marriott (where he got a questioning look from Emerald when he told the cab driver that's where they were

  going) or on the way up to Emerald's suit.

  She closed the door and turned almost crashing into Lucas who was standing right behind her, arms crossed.

  "Okay, let's talk." he said.

  Emerald slipped past him and to the small living room and sat down on the loveseat. Lucas sat across from her in one of the chairs.

  "I was… out late last night." Emerald started. "I found Storm who had been attacked by three guys with a knife. He was bleeding profusely and was covered in wounds. So, I took

  him to the hospital." Emerald paused and thought about how she was going to tell him the rest of this. "II'm not sure why I stayed. But I did. The whole night. And, yes, I did sleep

  with him, but not at all in that way. We actually slept, I swear, we just slept."

  "Anything else?" Lucas asked his face a perfect mask, not letting any emotion in or out.

  Under those penetrating bluegreen eyes?

  "We kissed." Emerald said her voice almost a whisper.

  "And I suppose you're going to tell me that it meant nothing, right?"

  Emerald shook her head unable to speak anymore.

  "Hm." He paused, that his only editorial comment, then, "I'm tired. I'm going to turn in." He stood and headed into the bedroom without another word.

&nb
sp; Emerald went out to the balcony, after she heard the door to the bedroom close, closing her eyes and breathing in the cool night air as it blew around her, ruffling her hair, gliding

  across her skin.

  She didn't think she'd be able to take it. Watching another person walk out of her life. Then again, maybe she deserved it. It was her fault after all. But it didn't seem fair, if she

  wanted so badly some sort of companion by her side for as long as she lived, why did she always ruin it? What was so wrong with her? Did she subconsciously want to be alone and

  so she unknowingly acted out on that feeling? Was she just not trying hard enough? Maybe it was because of her past. Because of all the ghosts of her past. It showed tonight. Lucas

  was severely injured because of her past, her skeletons.

  The sky started to change color from the morning light and that's when Emerald went back inside. Another hour and she went up to the closed door to the bedroom but she was

  unable to open the door.

  She still wasn't ready.

  She knew that he was going to leave. They were going to break up. And she was to blame. She'd hurt Lucas. He'd given her his heart and she stepped on it. But that didn't mean

  she meant to do it. That didn't mean that she didn't care about him or love him.

  That didn't mean that this was going to be any less painful.

  Just as she got up the nerve to open the door the door opened before she could, revealing Lucas who looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep last night either.

  He stepped out and closed the door, Emerald taking a few steps back to give him space.

  "I've thought about this all night, Emerald." He began his voice soft and quiet. "And I just… don't think… that this is going to… work out anymore."

  Unwanted tears filled Emerald eyes but she didn't move to wipe them away or try to control them either.

  Lucas stepped up to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

  "I love you, Emerald. But that thing… with Storm—" He broke off and shook his head, his hands sliding off her shoulders.

  "I love you, too, Lucas. I do—" Emerald started, tears falling down her face as she blinked.