"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you? I don't have to go into work today..."Lucus frowned as he filled Emma's mug with coffee. The night before, they had come home and fallen asleep fairly quickly, Emma taking the bed and Lucus the couch once more. In the morning, the two had eaten a quick breakfast of toasted bagels and scrambled eggs before Emma got ready to leave."I'm sure. It's just a lot of going around, and I don't want to drag you all over the city.""I don't mind...""Lucus, I'll be fine on my own. You haven't had a weekend to yourself in a while either. Just enjoy the afternoon, and I'll be back to help prepare for dinner. Okay?""Fine..."Emma chuckled a bit at Lucus pout, shaking her head as she waved before she left the apartment.The real reason she didn't want Lucus to come with her was because she wasn't ready to have the conversation that would come with the errands yet.Emma had thought about their current arrangement of switching off between city and to
"Lucus.""Hmm?""Do you believe in fate?"Lucus gave a small huff of laughter. "What?""Just... remember how I used to hate the idea of fate? I thought it was ridiculous that everything was laid out in front of us. I didn't like that my decisions would mean nothing if fate had already decided it all.""Yeah. You were very passionate about it.""I was," Emma chuckled. "But these days, I've been reconsidering."Lucus gasped mockingly. "You mean to tell me you believe in fate now?""Shut up and just hear me out.""Okay okay. I'm listening.""I don't believe in fate. But I am starting to think that maybe life works out the way it does because it's meant to. Although it's ultimately our decision, I feel like it nudges us in a certain direction.""Are you talking about something specifically?""Well, I'm talking about us."Lucus stayed quiet, silently encouraging Emma to continue."I know that we've thought a lot about the what-ifs if we hadn't chosen what we had seven years ago. But maybe
As lovers, it was interesting to explore their new dynamic as a reunited couple. They didn't have the honeymoon stage of new lovers, but there was still a sense of giddiness that surrounded them. They were remembering certain things they had forgotten about each other as well as discovering things that had changed. There were fewer moments of awkwardness and more moments of comfort.After Emma had gone back to town that day, she spent a few hours talking to Lucus before finally falling asleep at close to two in the morning. What had started as a call to tell Lucus about some of the things Clary had shared about her field trip became a conversation that ranged from debating the best place to buy fried chicken to internet safety for children. At one point, they went back to their past."I missed you. So much."It was a little past one, and the world outside Emma's window was calm. Lucus quiet confession was whispered through the phone, and Emma felt her heart clench a little."I missed
Zia met them at the entrance to Palace, camera hanging around her neck and a grin on her face."Zia, what are you doing here?" Emma asked, giving him a quick hug."I'm your photographer for the day! I was waiting for the confirmation from Lucus that he got you to agree to the family hanboks.""Did you plan this?" Emma turned to ask Lucus."Uhh, not really a plan... it was just a potential idea we discussed," Lucus mumbled sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck."I'm excited. Thank you. I know this will be a memorable day for Clary. And for me too."Lucus ducked his head, shy at the heartfelt way Emma expressed her thanks. He quickly scooped up Clary and walked towards the entrance. "Come on, princess, let's go take some photos."Emma looped her arm around Zia and nuzzled a little bit into her neck. "Thank you. You're the best.""I know."They spent the whole day walking around the palace exhibits and taking pictures in the spots that Zia pointed out. Luckily, there weren't too ma
"You're touched that he still kept your old passcode all these years, huh?"Zia winked as Allen shook her head with a small laugh. "No, I think he's an idiot for not changing the security code for almost a decade. You should change these things once in a while.""Sure, Emma. Whatever you say."After their more eventful Saturday, they decided to make Sunday a chill day. After breakfast, Lucus had taken Clary out to the cafe to bake with her, while Emma and Zia had spent the morning grabbing brunch and then going to a museum. Zia shared some of the photos she had gotten around to editing, sending them to Emma's phone.There was one in particular where Clary was sitting on Lucus shoulders and Emma was poking at one of Clary's feet. It was not one of the posed shots; it must have been a candid shot that Zia had taken while they were setting up. All three of them were laughing, the look of joy on Emma's face making it almost unrecognizable. It was a drastic difference from the first family
Damon turned and walked over to the couch, taking a seat and relaxing before looking at Emma."I'll offer you the same thing I did last time. Child support in any form that you need for your daughter and yourself A house, tuition for school, and lessons for whatever else she wants to learn will all be provided for her. I'll even extend it past when she reaches adulthood and make sure she's provided for until she can stand on her own two feet. All you have to do is hide away again."He shrugged as he continued, "I won't even specify where you have to go. If you want to go abroad and start afresh, I'll make that happen. If you want to stay in Korea, fine. Just disappear from my son's sight and don't contact him again.""I will not do that.""Really? Even when the consequences this time are much worse?"The alpha leaned forward and fixed Emma with a cold look."If you refuse my offer, I will make sure that every success Lucus has achieved in the last seven years disappears."Prepared to
When Lucus cried himself to sleep, Alex helped him get to bed while Allen heated up some of the food and put the rest in the fridge. When Alex came back out, he put a plate of food on the table and told him to come eat."Are you staying here?""I think it's best that we do, right?""Yes, eat something. I think we'll need to keep our energy up in the days to come."Alex reached out and grabbed Allen's wrist as he moved away from the table.He said softly, "You need to eat too," and pointed to the food on the table.Allen was happy. "I'll do it, but first I want to make sure he's sleeping well."After giving Alex another encouraging smile, she went into Lucus room and sat on the edge of the bed, watching his sleeping shoulder move up and down in a steady rhythm.She couldn't help but think about the first time she saw Alex, just over a month after Emma had gone missing. Zia finally got in touch with her, told her what was going on, and asked her to check on Lucus. When she got to the ap
When she got home, the dishes for breakfast were already done, and Zia was sitting on the couch with two bottles of beer and a few cans of beer on the coffee table.Emma asked, "Were you going to drink during the day?""No, but just in case you needed it."Emma laughed and shook her head as she sat down next to her and curled up against her. With a small hum, Zia put out an arm and pulled Emma close to her.Emma mumbled after a few seconds, "He was the reason I failed every interview.""What?""He said he made sure no one would take me in if they still wanted sponsorships and chances to perform.""...Chairman Madden? Was it him?""Yes.""What. What the fuck?"Yep.""So that's why you left: because Lucus father was standing in the way of your dreams?""What? No, that's silly.""Then..?""He said that if I didn't leave Lucus, he would shut down all of his stores and kill him.""Emma, she can't really mean that.""That's what he said, and if he could stop me from going to an interview an