Authors note: Happy Halloween friends, I hope you all had a great day filled with lots of tricks and treats of fun!
~Gemma's POV:~
"Gemma are you listening to me?" my eyes went to my father as we sat in his compound, he had invited me here for breakfast which cut into my training with Nicholas, who stood in the doorway with Graham, both of them watching us intently.
Green eyes sliding from where I was focusing on the wall, the spoon I was flipping in my fingers like the knives Nick had been teaching me had halted as I looked at the man I thought I knew my whole life. "Sorry, what did you say?" I said softly. Around my father I still had to act like the girl I was before.
"Gemma Nyx-Selene Saunders, what on earth has gotten into you—and stop flipping that spoon as if it were a weapon, you are not a soldier" he glared at my hand that once more flipped the spoon.
Placing my hand flat on the table above the spoon, he looked at Nicholas who stood there emotionless. "How was your honeymoon" I wanted his attention off Nicholas, he didn't need to focus on Nick.
His eyes looked back at me. "It was pleasant, warm." He sipped his coffee, "I heard you been enjoying yourself while I was away" he knew nothing of what's been happening.
My mind wandered to Kane, and as I glanced at Nicholas he gave a sly shake of his head telling me to not revert down the path we had been working on together. Shoving the image of the blood deep within, I smiled at my father one more. "I had a decent enough time. So, what did you want to talk about?" he invited me to this lunch which meant he had something to say.
My heart was ready for him to say he was expecting another child, but chilled when the words never were spoken. "I think you should consider coming home soon, the media is becoming restless when they see your light hasn't been on, Leanna is starting to get a bad look in the press because of it" he spoke once more sipping at the coffee he had.
Gulping, I leaned back in my chair as much as I could without being considered improper to him. "Ugh, I need time to think about it, I mean I am happy where I am right now" it was an effort to not look to Nick to see his reaction, "I am not saying no but right now I am not saying yes either. . ."
Father sighed, "you need to make a compromise then, one night a week you need to visit your apartment even if it were for just one night, that isn't me asking you my little Gem, this is me telling you. Leanna can't afford a bad look right now" the way he supported her made the food in my stomach feel like led.
"Of course, I can visit once a week" the thought of it made me feel even more sick.
We finished our lunch, before saying our goodbyes. As I passed Graham, he leaned in so I could hear him. "I look forward to seeing you around, princess" his eyes lingered on me before I pushed past him.
Nicholas following behind me a few steps as he was told to by Noah. We headed to my old apartment, opening the door felt like I was opening a coffin as I stepped inside opening the curtain to let some light in. I could make out journalists on the streets below, some pointing in the direction as they saw me in the window. "I hate this place" I said making my way to my bathroom to take out my earrings, "it feels like it isn't even home anymore" braiding my hair, I went into my room before changing into the athletic clothing, ready for when we got back.
Helen would be training with me today as Nick trained as well.
"Once a week, you can manage it. We can all take turns camping out in your living room and then as soon as the sun rises we can leave" Nick said from the kitchen as I entered.
"I think I'd prefer if it were just you, you already know this place and I am familiar sharing a sleeping area with you" looking down at my hands I fought the blush that threatened to pool into my cheeks.
He seemed shocked by the statement. "Then I will stay with you" he drummed his fingers on the counter, "are we ready to leave?" he asked, I only nodded and followed him out.
When back at the compound, Helen and I wasted no time warming up with one another, Nick stood off to the side as he was slamming his fists into a punching bag as his warmup. "So, you have a good lunch?" Helen asked as she stretched her back.
"As good as to expect I suppose, he wants me to spend one night a week at my old apartment, it doesn't even feel like home anymore—oddly enough, here does" she smiled as if she knew something, "what is it?" she chuckled.
Glancing at Nick, she leaned in towards me. "I mean, you feel a home with a certain Ruffilo" Helen said only loud enough for us to hear.
"Helen!" I gasped, Nicholas halted his movements looking our way trying to sense if there was something he needed to be worried about or not. "I can't believe you just said that to me" I said in a whisper making sure Nick couldn't even see my lips moving—my luck he'd be an expert at lip reading.
Helen and I had grown closer while living together and being the only females to occupy the space. "Oh, come on, I seen how you look at most men and it's nowhere near the way you look at Nicholas, it's quite cute actually" she beamed.
"Well it's never going to happen, my father murdered his family" I reminded her of the dark past that lingered between us still. "And I am nothing more than a job before a friend" again, reminding her.
She blew out some air she had puffed in her cheeks. "Yeah that can put a damper on the relationship."
Rolling my eyes we both got into our stance before going at one another, we weren't easy on one another and in a way, she taught me different techniques that Nicholas didn't even know about—fair to say they worked when I would go up against him.
~Nicholas's POV: ~
I watched Helen and Gemma from the side of the matt, both panting and going at one another—almost a match for one another as they struck.
They didn't stop, not as Noah came and saw them working together, not as Folio came and hollered comments at them and making jokes that would have earned a glare from them, and not as the rain crashed into them soaking into their clothing. Gemma wore leggings like she had been any other day, but the sports bra had my heart beating as I couldn't help but steal glances at her.
"C'mon Gemma, you can do it—I know you can take me down" Helen wasn't going easy on her and it showed.
Her chest heaved as she stood back, wiping hair from in front of her face as the rain dripped from her. "I wouldn't want to break a nail, you know, bringing you down" both girls laughed at one another, and it was like as if their jokes never happened before they struck one another.
I watched her, as she moved—it was fluid, She was like fog they creeped its way in from the shadows, moving across the water. She even looked like a wraith, her movements so fluid from learning so quickly, her moves as if she were never touching the ground. She could be the deadliest assassin if she never stopped training, part of me knew she wouldn't want that.
Helen dove for Gemma who swiftly moved out of the way before slamming her weight into Helen causing them both to go down. Rolling off of Helen, Gemma laid on the ground as the rain crashed into them. Her chest rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath. "Good work Saunders" Helen smiled patting Gemma on the shoulder before sitting herself up. "She's going to be ready in no time for that range" she said jutting her chin out to the shooting range.
My stomach clenched at that, as much as I wanted to show Gemma how to fire all sorts of weapons, part of me truly didn't know if she was ready for it, or if she ever would be since Kane. Helen stood herself up saying it was time for her to get to work before congratulating Gemma once more and heading out.
Gemma laid on the ground, her chest still rising and falling as she closed her eyes, not caring about being drenched by the rain. "You are learning quickly, I am impressed" I admitted standing above her, the rain cascading over myself.
"It was something my mother said as well, I learnt quickly—it's how I graduated early enough, but also no breaks meant not really any summers or holidays" she said looking up at me, her eyes scanned me over which I didn't miss. "It helps I have a good teacher" she said.
Holding my hand out to her, she nodded her head before accepting it. Pulling Gemma to her feet, her chest went flush against mine as we looked at one another. Glancing down at her lips, I looked away stepping back—I needed to stop this.
We headed inside, only once we stood in the hall we could hear the moans of Noah as him and Helen were together, Gemma's eyes widened as she tried to hold in a laugh, her face was red hearing the acts happening. "Should we go to my apartment, have that one night there?" she suggested, sounding desperate to get away from the sounds.
"Sounds like a great idea" I said before we headed to my car.
~Gemma's POV: ~
We didn't even change as we climbed into his car, driving in the autumns rain to my apartment.
Once inside, I turned the heating on to make sure none of us caught a cold before heading to my room. Digging around, I knew I had some men's clothing in here from when I tried gifting clothes to my media romance per-say.
Bringing out the dark jeans and a sweatshirt, Nick seemed relieved to see it wasn't anything super fancy. "I'll be right back, I am going to shower and change really quickly—help yourself to stuff" I gestured to the coffee pot and the fridge that was bound to have some stuff in it, my father had people clean my apartment once a week and even restock my food from time to time.
The shower was hot, stepping into the warmth I couldn't help the moan that escaped my lips as the water soothed my aching muscles from training.
Helen seemed to be having fun with Noah, that was for sure.
Thinking about my talk with her, I hated that she was right—it wasn't just the compound that felt like home it was Nicholas, and my heart ached knowing he was someone I considered a safe space when only a few weeks ago we hated one another, and I was desperate to get rid of him.
But my mothers voice from the dream still swirled, begging me to stay with them.
Turning the water off once I was cleaned. I stepped out drying myself off cursing at the fact I forgot my change of clothes in the bedroom.
Opening my bathroom door, I peaked my head out to see if Nick was close by, wrapping the towel around myself before heading into my room. Yelping as I turned into my room, I collided with a chest as I looked up seeing Nicholas standing there, his eyes widened at the sight of me before his cheeks burned. "Sorry, I was looking around" he scratched his neck before looking down at the towel I held tightly around myself, scared at any second it would come off. He smirked, a smirk that made my stomach twirl at the sight of, I was still yet to see him smile but the smirk still got me every time, "suppose this is karma for when you walked in on me in a towel?" he drawled as he slid past me.
Closing the door behind himself, I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding.
Changing into a matching set of underwear, it was weird feeling since Nick had grabbed me what ever before, nothing matched. Sliding myself into a long shirt that acted as a dress. When stepping out, Nick's eyes looked at my thighs before sitting back on the sofa, he had my fireplace on and the TV was playing music he had selected.
"So, I'm almost ready for a gun?" I asked making myself a cup of coffee from the fresh pot.
Nick seemed hesitant to say anything. "Yeah, I'd say you are but if you feel you're not then we won't touch it yet—you are great at hand to hand, and using weapons is getting smoother for you so it's almost time for range weapons" he sipped his own coffee he held in his hand, his knuckles were white from holding the mug so tightly. Why was he holding it so tightly?
Sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, I ran my finger over the rim of my own mug. "I mean, we can try" his jaw tightened making me furrow my brows a bit. "If you think I am ready of course" maybe he thought I wasn't ready.
His eyes lingered on me before turning back to the TV. "We'll see what the next few days bring" he said softly.
Why couldn't he look at me?