Fractured

Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Dinner was quite nice.  And when I say that, obviously, I mean the food.  I filled up on all I could - I was starving - and it was awesome.  Even better though was how warm everything felt between everyone.  I mean, yes they were a family, that's how it should be.  But after all that's happened, I know it was a treat for the family to get together like this.  After all, they have been scattered these past few weeks.  Francis was staying in a hotel to just to be safe and cautious until he is fully out of the gang.  That meant Brooke was staying with Jan and Shannon here at the apartment. Add all this tension from worrying about Luke and I and I knew it was just a relief tonight.  Everyone was happy and safe.  I never thought about how people often take that for advantage until tonight.

However, it was getting late enough - for a school night anyway.  So when Francis decided to leave and head back to his hotel, he did it because Brooke also had school.  He kissed Brooke goodbye and thanked his mother and sister for the, 'could-be-better-but-good-enough dinner.'  Luke and I headed out at the same time to head back home - because it was late and because Luke wanted to talk with Francis privately as we walked out towards the parking lot.

When the three of us with me holding Jack to my side stepped outside of the apartment, a soft breeze brushed over my skin.  Over my skin and blew the stray hairs from my bun back slightly.  I was wearing my winter coat still but I could smell the brink of Spring in the night air.  It was the scent of freedom, of warm weather coming.  And freedom in the sense that Luke and I will be free by the time Spring is over.  Because when it gets warm enough, we will uncover Emily and make her free too for everything.  Unfortunately, we still had a while until then.  Snow was still covering the Earth and the ground would remain frozen for a long while.  It all depended on the weather and in Ohio, you can never be sure what could happen with the weather.

Walking beside Francis as Luke was on his other side, they got straight to the point.  The first step in the parking lot and on the cement was taken with Luke already asking a question.  "Any recent news?  Have you gone back?"

Looking up to Francis, he was looking straight ahead towards the mass of cars and the isle we started walking down of them.  He pursed his lips as he stared off into the distance as he answered, the lights above us in the lot lit up his blank expression.  "I went back once.  And all that was said that they were given the orders to back down of any further attacks on you two," he said, smiling softly when he looked down to me. 

I sighed in relief.  I was so afraid all this would backfire.... It was solid but there were chances.  Like Patrick speaking out somehow or the gang hearing about Francis's paying Pauly off and disagreeing with the idea....  Thank god everything was working out great.  "That's amazing," I said up to him. 

"That is a big relief," Luke said from his other side as we walked.  I noticed we were heading towards Luke's truck and had to guess Francis was just walking with us to talk and would go to his when done.  "Do you know when you would feel its safe to move back into your house?"  He asked in a nice low voice.

"I have no idea," Francis said, burying his hands in his coat pockets.  Sighing, I looked down to the ground as we walked, smiling to Jack who was getting aggravated and moved his paws to try to get out of my grasp.  "I would guess I would feel safe after another... two weeks maybe.  Just to be safe.  I want to do it much sooner because I miss Brooke but I don't want to risk it."

"Better to be safe," Luke said, and I could hear his tone change.  The double meaning in his voice....  Better to be safe he said in relation to Francis but also to what he said earlier to me.  That since Clare wants me out by my birthday, it would be safer if I left even if I didn't want to.  Tough shit though.  I suppose anything is up for a possibility.  As Luke said, we have time to think things through.