It's been over an hour and it seems we've finally come to a decision. Lucas can refuse to let me take action in 'missions' without his father punishing either of us for disregarding an order. I can refuse to listen to Lucas and take action when I want to.
A couple of the rules attached to this are that we can't always refuse. All the other parties involved get a chance to state why I should or shouldn't take action in the mission. We need to take the others their reasons in consideration and maybe take the refusal back.
If it's a team mission Lucas and I will always be a team except in special occasions. If I'm sick I don't have to come when summoned. Lucas will also always be present if I'm summoned. I don't have to torture, kill or watch when either happens.
There are other rules as well but those are the most important ones. Of course, I've got to get the tattoo as well and apparently, they are going to place it immediately. Damon's father who's apparently a tattooist is doing it.
"Where do you want it?" He asks me to which I lift my hair and point to the back of my neck. It will be visible if my hair's up but otherwise it won't so I think it's a good place. "Very well, could you pull up your hair and lay down on your stomach?" He instructs.
I do as told and Lucas takes my hand in his as I start to feel the needle pushing in my skin. Damn that stings like a bitch! I bite my lip when I feel the lines being drawn because it feels as if someone's cutting me on the back of my neck.
Luckily it's a small tattoo and it's relatively fast over. Damon's father whose name's Erik places a band aid over it and hands me a tube to put on the tattoo. After that we join the others who are all in the training room.
"So, now the reason why I summoned you all." Steven starts as we decide to sit on the ground. "There's been an incident with the scorpions. They are selling drugs at Jake's races and he has banned them but they keep showing up so we need to send them a message." Steven continues as I interrupt him.
"Jake's races as in the ones where we take part in?" I know it's probably disrespectful to interrupt your gang leader but that's another exception the girls and I have. Apparently girls are more curious than guys so we probably can't stop ourselves from asking questions. So, we can just ask when we don't know something.
"Yes, the same ones. I want all our new guy members to send the message that if the scorpions don't listen they're going to pay for it one way or another. I want you to make an example out of Gomez. Damon and Bennett will join you in this and will explain what needs to happen." Steven concludes.
"I'm going too." I state which resolves in everyone looking at me. "First off, I need to know who these scorpions are. Secondly if it's the same Gomez that I think it is, I'll give him a personal message as well. And lastly I'm not letting my brother, boyfriend or guys I consider as brothers go into a situation I don't know anything about." I argue.
"You're not going. He wasn't even asked you to go. Besides you're just out of the hospital. You still need to heal." Lucas argues back.
"You're forgetting our promise again we're together in everything we do. And you didn't deny it was that bastard Gomez that bothered me. Besides about the healing part you know exactly how well I've recovered already." I subtly remind him of earlier.
"I'm not forgetting our promise I just don't want you to get hurt again. I just got you back and I can't lose you again." Lucas explains and I feel the pain in his words but I'm determined to go with them.
"I know but I'll be okay. I know how to defend myself besides you and the others are there so I'll be fine. And I can be the bait because I'm pretty sure Gomez wants revenge for the way I humiliated him and the others at the tracks." I reassure him.
Lucas knows he lost this argument and agrees to let me come. He just sets a couple of rules to make sure we understand each other on this matter.
1. If I get uncomfortable in any way I back down immediately.
2. If something bad happens and Lucas tells me to run then I have to run.
3. I have to be careful.
4. I need to stick to the plan.
5. I don't do stupid things that could put me in danger.
It's a lot of stupid rules and I don't know if I won't break them but I agree to them nevertheless to reassure Lucas a bit. I think deep down he knows I might not follow them but it's the only thing he can try.
After discussing the plan for tomorrow night we all go back home. Or better said we all go to my parents' house. To keep from stressing to much about tomorrow I'm going Christmas shopping. Today it's Tuesday and Friday it's Christmas so I'm a bit behind on schedule but I'll get there.
I leave home alone to buy my presents and some nice dresses for Christmas and my birthday. Only one week and three days and I'm officially 18! I do a happy dance in my head because seriously I wouldn't be a responsible adult if I did that while driving.
I'm quick to buy my presents and store them away in my car out of side because I have the feeling I'm being followed. I take out a couple of nice dresses and head to the changing room. The first dress is a medium long green dress made of lace.
I try it on step out of the fitting room to look in the big mirror and just as I suspected there he is in the corner watching as he's tries to stay hidden.
"I know you're there." I tell him my focus still on the mirror. "Just come here and tell me how this dress looks."
"You look as beautiful as always, princess." Lucas says stepping out from his hideout.
"You're sweet, well the beautiful part is. The stalking is just kind of creepy and you better not have looked at your gift." I accuse him before looking back at the dress. "I don't know I'm not sure if it's formal enough."
"Why does it have to be formal?" Lucas asks not knowing about our Christmas tradition.
"Every year at Christmas mom and dad would make us wear formal clothes not that I mind actually so they could take us to the Christmas ball. Although my parents are rarely home at Christmas any more Aiden, the guys and I keep going." I explain.
I walk back into the changing room to pull on my second dress. It's a long dress with the top a bustier with green sparkles and the skirt a dark green colour. I step outside and twirl lifting up the dress for a moment.
"What do you think?" I ask Lucas opinion again looking in the mirror at the dress and how it flows to the ground.
You look beautiful in both. I think you should choose the one you like the most." Lucas replies as he stands behind me his hands wrapped around my waist. He isn't wearing a tux or anything but I can already see our picture at the Christmas ball looking like this.
"I know! I'll take this dress for the ball and the other for the dinner." I exclaim ecstatic with my brilliant idea. I smile as Lucas rolls his eyes at my decision. What? If you had the money wouldn't you buy both?
After I paid for the dresses I go to 'princess for a day'. It's another tradition of mine. When I was a child, I always wanted to be a princess so my mom brought me to this store to make a dress for my birthday. We've been doing this since I was little so every year on my birthday I get my dress here.
"Emma! I've been expecting you. You're late this year." Amanda greets me as Lucas and I walk in.
"Hey, Mandie. I know I'm sorry but I was... sick." I explain because I can't really say 'hey, I couldn't come sooner because I was kidnapped and laying in the hospital.' "But I saved you some work by already making a sketch of what I want." I pull out the sketch.
"Actually, there's just one change I want to make. Change the top into a bustier without sleeves." I tell her as she walks along with me to the fabrics. Mandie always just lets me wander around until I see the fabric I like.
"Okay, no problem! I'm glad you're still coming here for every birthday and that you're old enough to choose the fabrics you like yourself because it was horrific presenting those things to you." Mandie laughs.
"Horrific?" Lucas asks curiously and I see Mandie looking at him as if she now only sees him.
"Yeah, Emma always had a certain image of the dress in her head so she would try to tell me what fabrics she wanted but her mother always said other things as well which Emma refused making me bring lots of fabrics to them." Mandie explains looking nostalgic.
"So, at some point both mom and Mandie gave up and just told me to look around till I saw the right fabrics." I chuckle remembering the exact moment both of them gave up and told me to just search for myself.
I wander around as Mandie, Lucas and I talk but I'm not finding the fabric I want. It's crazy normally I already found multiple fabrics I want but now I don't find any. It's so frustrating so I let out a deep sigh.
"What's wrong, honey?" Mandie questions looking me in the eye.
"It's just that it has never taken me this long-" I immediately stop talking when my eye catches sight of a deep dark blue fabric with a silver glitter fabric next to it. I immediately walk over to it and smile as I hold them together.
"You were saying?" Mandie chuckles as she takes out my sketch and holds it next to the fabric. "I get the picture you want and you'll look beautiful in it." I smile and discuss the last details with her before Lucas and I tell her goodbye.
"Did you get everything you needed?" Lucas asks as we walk back to my car.
"Yep, I'm done for the day." I'm happy I finally got to do everything that I normally do around these days of the year.
"Good because we're going to get you one last thing." He states before walking to the driver's side. I toss him the key and get in when he opens my car.
"What are we going to get me?" I question curiously.
"You'll see later." He answers. That's when I realise something.
"Where's your bike?" Lucas gives me a confused look to which I roll my eyes. "Your bike, where is it? Or did you get here another way while stalking me?"
"Oh, yeah about that your brother drove me." He confesses.
"You've got to be kidding me! This is the time you two are starting to get along?" I state frustrated. The moment I want to have some peace and quiet these two decide to team up to stalk me?
"I thought you would be happy that Aiden and I are kinda getting along." Lucas tries to calm me.
"I would have been happy if that happened when you were teaching him how to cook or when Tasha and he got together and the two of you would finally realise that you care about the same people but not now!" I respond annoyed.
I might be overreacting a bit but c'mon they've never really got along and now they are smothering me because I get kidnapped once? I know being kidnapped is a big deal but I'm handling it by immediately getting over the fear but they're holding me back.
"Why not now?" Lucas questions pulling the car aside so he can look at me.
"Because- because I can't handle the two of you freaking out about me when I need to get my grip back on life. You're not the only ones afraid! I just need to go out by myself without anything happening so I can move on." I confess shakily.
"I'm sorry princess. We didn't think of it that way and you're right we are scared but that doesn't mean we get to suffocate you by following your every move." Lucas says before leaning his head against mine.
I'm looking down at my hands because as soon as the words left my mouth I realised just how true they were. I'm afraid. No, I'm terrified for someone to take me and to try ra- to touch me. I feel a tear escape my eye and before I can wipe it away Lucas does.
He unbuckles my seatbelt and pulls me on his lap holding me as I cry into his chest. He strokes my back the whole time as I let it all out. Last night it was just about the nightmare but now it's everything. The party, Drew, dying, seeing Lucas and Aiden break down. I cry for being scared although I shouldn't have to be.
"Have you listened to the rain? Lately it's just not the same cause when you're gone it doesn't feel right..." Lucas starts to sing a song I've never heard before. (Song attached above by Colin Healy)
My sobs quiet down as I listen to him sing as it soothes me. I feel every lyric that he sings in my heart. Because I know the entire time I was held by Drew when Lucas wasn't there with me it didn't feel right. Every time I stay in my parents' house I have the same feeling that it's not right when he isn't lying next to me in bed.
"I remembered that you asked me to sing for you on your funeral-" he stops talking for a moment closing his eyes taking a deep breath. Before he reopens them and continuing. "I'm glad we didn't have to hold a funeral but I wrote that song when you moved back in with Aiden. I promised you I'd make you a song and so I did. The lyrics came easy because it truly felt wrong not having you with me."
"I love you Lucas and I'm glad I get to hear that song before I die. Well, die again but I promise that won't be for at least fifty years." I smile at him before kissing him. "I love you, Lucas Frey. I love you so much."
"I love you too, princess, so so much." He repeats my words with a little twist of his own. I stay seated in Lucas lap as I turn on the radio. The most perfect song for the two of us starts to play as soon as I do. It's 'All of me' by John Legend.
Lucas and I are both just staring at each other as the songs plays and we both know how much love there is between us. Lucas and I stay like that for another ten minutes before I finally move to my own seat and Lucas restarts the car.
"I'm glad we talked about things and I'm glad I could be there for you when you needed me." Lucas tells me taking my hand in his own.
"I'll always need you, no matter what." I confess to him hiding my face by looking through the window.
"And I'll always be there." He promises me. The rest of the ride is silent and I still have no clue what we're getting me as we drive up to a large house. Lucas gets out of my car and walks to my side to open my door.
"Baby, what are we doing here?" I question uneasy looking at our surroundings.
"I told you we're getting you something." He says as we start to walk towards the door of the large house. It isn't as big as my parents' house but it isn't an average house either.
"What are we getting me?" I question again as he rings the doorbell. I can hear shuffling from the other side of the door as Lucas turns towards me looking me in the eye as he takes my hand in his.
"Something to protect you." I roll my eyes at him and motion for him to continue. "We're getting you a gun."