There's only one hotel in Hemlock Grove. Well, technically it's a motel, but it's all the same. There's a rumor that they're planning on building a Holiday Inn by the White Tower for all the visiting businessmen. For now, the shabby motel is all that the town offered. It wasn't nearly as bad as others in the area. One town over was filled with pimps and addicts. Everyone knows the owner will turn a blind eye for the right price.
The last thing Olivia had said lingered in her mind. Finn knew so much about her already, who knows what else he knew. He himself had told her not to trust anyone.
Emma stakes him out from across the street. It takes a while, but eventually, he emerges from his room. She watches him double check the lock on his door and drive off in his Subaru. Waiting until he is fully out of sight, she cross the road.
She had seen Roman do this a million times at school. Any empty classroom was free game for them to ditch in, get high in, or fuck in. Without a second thought, she jams her credit card into the latch.
A gasp escapes her lips. In front of her is what can only be described as the inner thoughts of an insane. It looks straight out of a movie or TV show. It encompasses the entire wall. Photo's, notes, maps, all connected by red string. Her eyes are immediately drawn to a familiar photo. She approaches it slowly. It's a glossy print out of her and Roman from the gala back in the fall. Connected to that one by a red string is her student ID photo.
Emily Elaine Parker. Her name is followed by little handwritten bullet points about her. 19. Student at the University of Pennsylvania. Species: N/A. Mother Kathryn Parker. Father: Charles Parker.
Roman Godfrey. 19. CEO of Godfrey Industries. Species: Upir. Mother: Olivia Godfrey. Father: Norman Godfrey.
Emma steps back and sinks on to the bed. She's forgotten why she's here. It's too much information. Her eyes move like strobe lights trying to catch all of the information. She's so absorbed by it all, that by the time the lock is clicking open she doesn't even notice. She only looks up when sunlight streams through its opening.
"What is all of this?" She asks.
"It's like a visual connections board," Finn explains, coming into the light. "There's no sensitive information on it. Just basic stuff."
"How long did it take you to put this together?"
"I've been gathering information for almost two years now..." He sighs. "I had a couple drinks last night and thought that this might help. It's what they do in the movies anyway..."
"Did it work?"
"I don't know."
"Is Norman really Roman's dad?"
"Yes."
"How do you know that?"
"Mostly genetics. Olivia and J.R's first child was not born with a caul, neither was his sister. But Roman? Roman was. It takes a certain combination of genes for the desired outcome. Norman and Olivia are not particularly discreet either." Finn approaches the wall and studies it. She smiles at the understatement.
"What does that mean? Born with a caul?" She asks with the distant memory of Destiny's words in her mind.
"It means different things to different cultures... Some say it is the veil between this life and the afterlife. Other's say it means that the child will become a vampire after death. I have always been told that it meant the child only had four days to live."
"So Olivia would have been aware that... That Norman was what? A carrier of the gene?"
"She found out, yes."
"So so Norman's children would have also been..."
'It's highly likely," he replies casually.
"You know about Letha, don't you?"
"I know of her." He turns around to face her.
"You know how she died?" He nods. "Does it mean something to you? To this case?"
"Yes." Finn takes a seat next to her. "These murders are specifically aimed at children like that. I wasn't sure about it for a while. Your friend has done a very good job keeping that child private. A fake death record... A funeral... It's been there under their noses this whole time. Then I heard about your accident at school and I recognized your name. I thought that they had found out something before I did."
"They know about the baby?"
"No." He shakes his head. "I don't think so. Which is what makes this whole thing so fucking strange. When I realized they didn't know, I thought I made a mistake- that maybe you had just had an accident. It's too coincidental, though. It all is too suspicious."
"I need to tell Roman." She stands and walks to the door. Finn pushes it shut before she can leave.
"It's safer if you don't."
"How?"
"Because he needs to act normal. He needs to stop trying to find them. He has to stop drawing any attention to himself. Let me do my job."
"Why are you telling me? If it's safer to act normal then why are you having me help you?"
"Because I don't have a solution for you." His calm and prepared demeanor cracks. "You are already out in the open, there is no hiding you. If there are eyes on you, you are safe. At least until we figure out why you are a target."
"How much do you know about all of this genetic stuff?" She asks. "What causes who to be compatible?"
"A little. There isn't much information about it, for obvious reasons."
"Is it possible for someone to always have a child with a caul? Even if neither parent has one?"
"I wouldn't think so. Why?"
"Just curious about it," she replies casually. Finn steps aside from the door.
......
She almost misses it. The sight is so normal that shouldn't have drawn her attention. It's just a mother and her daughter at the park. She pushes her in the baby swing making excited noises to the child. One more glance to them has her stopping in her tracks.
Emma makes a sharp turn and stomps towards them. Miranda stops pushing the baby as soon as she notices. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Emma storms forward, feeling emboldened by her conversation with both Finn and Olivia. Anyone could see her, anyone could be watching her. "Why is she here?"
"She needed out of that stuffy house." Miranda smiles proudly.
"Does Roman know you're here? That you're out with her?"
"No, but it's fine." Miranda shrugs her anger off. "Like I said," she says with an undertone and irritation. "She needed out of that stuffy house."
"So you just took her?" Miranda nods. "You are unbelievable," she laughs. Reaching out to grab the baby from the swing, Miranda tries to stop her. Unfortunately, the only thing she manages to do is scratch her skin with one of her tacky rings. Emma wipes the blood off onto her jeans and glares at her. "Leave," Emma growls.
Miranda walks away obediently. Emma watches until she's interrupted by the wails of a baby. She looks down at the child who is screaming and covered in tears. "Oh, fuck." She hadn't thought this far ahead. What is she supposed to do with this baby? There's no way she could walk all the way to Roman's with it.
Emma carries the child back to her house. It doesn't stop crying, and it doesn't help that she's never held a baby before. She awkwardly holds it near her shoulder with her broken arm aching the whole way. At some point during the journey, the baby falls asleep but not before leaving a wet spot on her shirt.
Once safely inside, she puts her down on the sofa and grabs her phone. "Hello," a voice answers her call. "This is the office of Roman Godfrey. How can I help you-"
"Put Roman on the phone."
"Mr. Godfrey is busy right-"
"Tell Roman to answer the goddamn phone."
"Just one moment, please," the poor assistant says after a drawn-out silence. The phone plays annoying elevator music for what seems like hours.
"Do you know where your daughter is right now?" She asks as soon as the dial tone breaks.
"At home," Roman replies, clearly investing his attention elsewhere.
"No, but thanks to me she is at my home," Emma snaps. "Do you want to know where she was before?" Roman doesn't respond. "She was at the park."
"What?"
"Your little girlfriend took her to the park."
"She's not my-" Roman stops himself. "Where is Miranda now?"
"Fuck if I know." Emma looks at the baby on her couch, then peaks out the window. "I was walking by and there they were in broad daylight. Anyone could have seen them."
"It'll be okay," Roman says more to himself than her. "There's no chance someone would link it back to me. It's just a coincidence."
"Olivia would link it back to you." She sits on her couch where the baby stirs but doesn't wake. "She knows exactly who Miranda is, you know."
"Did she..."
"Come see me? Yes. Thanks for the heads up," Emma snickers.
"I-"
"Look, I've got her here locked inside with me. Just come get her."
"Thank you," he says. "I mean it."
"Yep. Yep." She bites her bottom lip and hangs up the phone.
Roman excuses himself for the rest of the day and leaves the building quickly. He drives faster than normal which is almost impossible. He takes a deep breath before exiting his car. There was no way to prepare for the storm headed towards him. He deserved it.
Emma's already waiting at the door and opens it before he even knocks. The baby giggles and smiles upon seeing her father enter the room. Roman doesn't seem to notice and if he does he doesn't show it. "Thank you."
"It shouldn't have happened," Emma says sternly.
"I know," he concedes.
"Do you understand how dangerous it was-"
"Considering Olivia raised me, I think I do."
"Olivia is the least of your concerns."
"What do you mean?" His face softens.
"If they find out about her, they'll kill her."
"Who?"
"The people- The mask people." Emma runs her fingers through her hair. She hadn't noticed how greasy and tangled it was until now.
"What do you mean?"
"They're looking for kids like her."
"How would they- they... Like her?" He asks despite already knowing the answer. He just needs to hear it out loud for it to be real.
"Born with the caul. Special." Roman opens his mouth then shuts it. "They don't know about her. Not yet, anyway," she assures him.
"How do you know all of this?" He asks.
"You're not the only person who's been digging around." She glances around the room to avoid looking at him.
"This could have helped me and Peter."
"No," she says quickly. "You can't go after them. You need to lay low. Keep her hidden. They're being taken care of-"
"By who?" He asks sharply.
"I don't think I can say."
"Tell me," he says and she feels compelled to do so.
"His name is Finn Stewart. He's a detective with the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response."
"And he told you all of this?" Emma nods. "Are you sure they don't know about her."
"We're pretty sure." He quirks his head at the use of we but shakes it off. "That's why you have to leave it alone. Just keep your child safe and in your house," she emphasizes then adds, "I probably won't be there the next time Miranda takes her for an afternoon stroll."
"I told her she had to stay in the house."
"How did that work out for you?" She chuckles bitterly.
"She doesn't understand the actual danger. She just doesn't know."
"What's your plan, Roman?" Emma asks and crosses her arms. "You can't hide it forever, not if she's living with you. Eventually, she's going to find out."
"I don't have a plan," he admits. "This isn't how I expected things to be."
"She's going to get older, you know. You're going to stay young but she's going to get older."
"I don't want to think about staying young," he says and looks at the ground.
"You need to if you're seriously thinking-"
"You're going to die one day," he interrupts her quietly. "You're going to get older and die. Peter's going to live longer but not as long as me. He'll die."
"You have to think about it sooner or later," Emma reminds him. Looking over, the baby has fallen back asleep. She turns back to Roman. "Do you have a car seat?" He doesn't answer. "You can't drive a baby around without a car seat."
"I'll drive really slow."
"Roman."
"What do you want me to do?" He asks helplessly.
"Just- just get her back without anyone seeing her."
"That's the plan." He flashes a falsely confident smile. "Look- I'm sorry for not telling you..."
"I really shouldn't have expected you to tell me."
"Em, I'm trying to apologize about it-"
"Why is it so hard for you to be honest with me, Roman?" She bites down hard onto her bottom lip.
"Because it's always things that I wish would go away before I had to."
"Is there anything else you're not telling me?" Roman's mind flashes the basement of the white tower. The bright room is filled with tanks and jars. He nods. "You won't tell me, will you?" He doesn't answer. He can feel her disappointed eyes on him before she turns to escape upstairs. He can show himself out while she hides away from further confrontation.
A gloved hand grabs onto her wrist stopping her from moving further. "I am completely fucking lost and alone," Roman admits. "I don't know what I'm doing. I didn't want this, any of it. I don't want to have a kid. I'm nineteen for fuck's sake," he laughs a bit manically. Emma turns her head slowly to look at him. He's a dark shade of red and his hair has quickly become distressed. "It just happened to me. I'm just figuring it out day by day... I don't want to be this thing... this parasite anymore."
"I know," she barely croaks out. "But no one made you do it alone, that was your choice."
"Can you blame me?" He asks. "I didn't want to have to talk about it. God, I wish I could forget it but I can't." Emma tries to retain a neutral reaction to what he is saying. "I think about it every day, you know? I'm the reason she's dead."
"You know that's not true-" Emma starts.
"It is, though. And here I am feeling sorry for myself when Letha's dead... I just wanted to ignore it and maybe it would go away. When I finally came to see you things felt so normal, even if it was only for a little while. That was how I wanted my life to be, how it was supposed to be-"
"But that's not how it is."
"I want to get better at accepting that." It had been so long since they'd be kind to each other. Civility was demanded, but kindness was a luxury. Neither is sure who initiates it, but a hug is formed in the midst of the tension. She likes the familiar feeling and familiar warmth. Then there's the familiar want.
Emma is a big enough woman to admit she initiates what comes next. It's just a soft, friendly peck at first. It only adds wood to the fire and awakens the buried body. Had she been horny and unaware or was this new? She keeps meaning to stop herself but never does. Miranda her mind screams at her. He lied to you about her. She doesn't care. Emma walks upstairs, not bothering to ask him to follow. He will. He always will.
Time is limited. The chances of the sleeping child awakening increases by the minute.
Laying back against the headboard, she bites her already dry lip and feels a little sting. The taste of blood is sweet between the two of them. Roman is so consumed by the moment that he fails to see that she's slipped off somewhere else.
Emma can see it clear as day. It's as if her own blood had dripped into a glass of water. It's red smoke.
She'd been here before, that much she's sure of. Opening her eyes, her instinct is confirmed. Her room is almost the same as it is now. The only thing different is her. She's in her prom dress and is unable to move. Her body is numb and heavy.
The sound of footsteps trailing up the stairs awakens some nerves in her and she involuntarily sits up. She has been here before. In a matter of seconds, Roman will enter the room and try and open a bottle of champagne. He'll mess it up and spill it all on her carpet.
Emma doesn't want to be here anymore. The sight of Roman looking significantly younger pulls at her heart. She hadn't realized how much he had aged. He follows her memory down to every detail. The spill, the coke, the cum. Everything is the same.
She desperately wants to reach out and speak to him, but her lips only release the words she's said before. It's just a memory.
The world becomes disorienting as if someone's tapping on a window.
"Are you okay?" He asks concerned. "You zoned out for a minute."
"Never better."
......
Roman waits in the kitchen for any sign of Miranda's return. It's late into the night before headlights shine into the windows. He doesn't look up from the counter as the keypad unlocks the door. A light cool breeze enters the room but the door clicks shut quickly, ending it.
She makes a straight path to go upstairs without even looking at Roman. He looks after her curiously before standing and following. He finds her sitting in the baby's room with one of her breasts free from her shirt. The baby is in her lap but not interested.
"Where did you go?" He asks.
"I left," Miranda answers without looking up.
"Yes, but where did you go."
"I left," she lets out a light laugh.
"Tell me where were you." He holds her face straight to his. The warm trickle of blood coming from his nose is familiar by now.
"I sat in my car."
"Why?"
"She told me to leave, so I did. When I came back I came here." She doesn't notice the baby crying in her arms. Roman's eyes threaten to bulge in confusion and concern but he stays calm. "I saw the strangest thing while I was gone. There was a little boy playing with toys in his room, then someone killed him."
"What?" Roman whispers.
"Someone in a masked killed him." Miranda laughs again.
Roman scratches at his head nervously. Something is so wrong. This wasn't like her at all. This wasn't like any human. This was wrong. Miranda seemed so hollow and lost. Something was terribly wrong.
Before he is able to make any moves Anna pushes her way into the room. She takes the wailing child from Miranda's arms and bounces her lightly. Roman can feel the older woman's glare darting between him and his guest. Miranda's face falls quickly and she looks exhausted. "I'm going to bed."
Roman leaves after she does. He's relieved to see her go into her own room instead of his. Once safely behind his locked door, he calls Peter to make a plan.
......
Peter's over in a dangerously quick time. Roman wants to lecture him on driving so fast, but he has no room to talk. Instead, he offers him some coffee and a seat at the kitchen bar. Roman vaguely explains was Miranda said to him but Peter looks confused.
"So you're telling me," Peter pauses to take a sip of his coffee. "She just came home talking all sorts of nonsense." Roman wants to comment on Peter's use of home but doesn't see a point. There are bigger fish to fry.
"Well, that's where it's complicated. I asked her where she went and she just kept saying 'she told me to leave, so I left.' I don't know what that means."
"And she just left?"
"She said she went to her car and left. Then said she saw those things."
"Like physically? Like actually saw them with her eyes?" Roman puts up his arms, not knowing the answer.
"I don't know. It didn't sound like she actually went anywhere."
"Maybe she fell asleep and dreamt it?"
"And that's leaving?" Roman asks.
"She left her mind," Peter replies.
"I don't get it. Why would- what would-" Roman struggles to convey his thoughts. "How did that interaction..."
"Well, after all the stuff at the house," Peter says slowly. "Destiny freaked out. Maybe Emma's teaching herself some psychokinesis. When she said leave Miranda literally left her own mind."
"That's not like her." Roman shakes his head. "She's never been interested in that stuff."
"Maybe it was on accident," he suggests.
"Is that possible?" Peter shrugs as an answer.
"We need to see if Miranda remembers anything else from her dream," he finally says. "If this is an actual dream connected to ours we can find them."
......
The two boys wait up until mid-morning when Miranda awake. She comes downstairs peppy as ever. It's as if nothing happened. "Hi, boys," she greets them on her way to the kitchen.
"Did you sleep well?" Roman asks carefully.
"I'm not tired, but I had the weirdest dream." Miranda opens the fridge and drinks orange juice straight from the bottle."
"What did you dream?" Peter asks once the bottle is returned.
"I dreamed about this little boy being followed by someone in a mask," she says. "I don't know what he wanted, but it freaked me out."
"What was the boy like?" Roman asks.
"Just a little boy," she quirks her head. "Maybe 7 or 8. He was wearing a shirt with the devil on it and kept yelling 'hot, hot, hot.' It really freaked me out. I have to stop snacking at night." Miranda walks away without a lingering thought on the dream.
"Yeah," Peter laughs awkwardly in an attempt to seem normal.
"Anyway, what are the two of you up to today?"
"Just some errands. Boy stuff," Roman quickly answers with a look to Peter.
......
Emma wakes up later and later every day she is home. She typically doesn't even get out of bed until 11:00. Today is no exception. She eats her late breakfast, catches up on her Instagram feed, then plops herself onto the couch. The day fades away only to be interrupted by the occasional sound of her phone buzzing.
Like answering the Bat Call, she always comes to Roman's when called. The three of them hide out in the back of the kitchen and speak in hushed voices. Miranda has been upstairs since that morning, claiming she had a headache, but secrecy was still a priority.
"I don't know what she's talking about," Emma shrugs. Roman had tried to convey just how weird the conversation last night had been. It's hard for her to imagine Miranda being weirder than she already way. "I literally just said 'leave.' Then, she left. Whatever she did after that is her own issue."
"Did you see where she went?" Roman asks.
"No," Emma quips with annoyance. "Sorry, I was a bit busy trying to make sure the baby was safe."
"I know," Roman assures her peacefully. "I'm just trying to figure it out."
"She probably went and smoked crack or something," Emma says. "Look, you should disregard whatever she's saying. Who knows what's going on in that mind of hers."
"Emma-" Peter's defense of Miranda is interrupted with a subtle head shake from Roman. "We have to take leads where we get them. This is the clearest description we've had yet. She actually saw the kid."
"She saw a kid. You don't know who it was." Emma turns to Roman. "I told you yesterday to let it go-"
"Oh, are you guys about to leave?" Miranda's voice echoes down the stairs.
"Yeah," Peter says to her. She goes to the fridge to grab a water and takes a long drink.
"I thought this was a boys-only thing." She eyes Emma.
"It is," Roman says quickly. "Emma has work to do and her wifi is down. Isn't that right?"
"Yeah," Emma says without a beat but with a heavy suspicion in her voice. "That's right..."
"When will you be back?" Miranda asks the two boys.
"We'll be back tonight." Peter looks at Roman for backup.
"Roman," Emma interrupts awkwardly. "A word please." Roman follows behind her to the pantry. Emma closes the door behind them then turns to face him. "You're not leaving me here!"
"Yes. Yes, I am," he replies in a hushed voice.
"No." She shakes her head wildly. "I told you to leave it alone. Don't you remember that?"
"I can't ignore it. This kid is going to get killed."
"If you don't leave it alone your kid is going to be killed." She pokes at his chest.
"No, she's not," Roman protests. "She's safe here."
"Clearly she isn't," Emma shoots.
"That's why you're here."
"To keep an eye on her?" Emma asks and he nods. "If you don't trust her," Emma hisses. "Make her leave."
"Em, she's dreaming things too. What if it's important?"
"What if she gets us all killed?" She asks with a break in her harsh tone. "I've been hurt already." She nods to her arm. "I'm not getting killed because you want to keep fucking her."
"I'm not going to let that happen," he insists. "These dreams, the baby, something's connecting it all. It's better to keep an eye on her than to let her leave."
"I want to go with you," Emma goes back to her original gripe.
"You can't protect yourself. You're not like me and Peter."
"Roman, this is America. Get me a gun and call it a day." Roman laughs gently and places a hand on her shoulder.
"I don't trust you to not shoot me with that gun."
"Good."
Emma watches from the window as they leave from the driveway. she tries to watch TV to pass the time but can't commit her attention to it. The only relief is that Miranda has retreated upstairs and away from her.
Even if they were left alone Emma's not sure what she would have to say to the girl. The only real issue she had causes her was the incident with the baby the day before. Even that didn't exactly pertain to Emma. It's not like Miranda herself had caused any of this, Emma's level headed enough to know that. She hadn't caused the rift between the two friends.
But, chaos seemed to surround her and would only continue to infect their lives.
......
Roman storms in first. Emma stands to greet him but her jaw drops at the sight of his face. There is a large patch of dried blood on his face with a twin stain on his shirt. His eyes are filled with anger. "What's going-" she tries to ask but is backed against the wall before she can finish. "What the fuck, Roman?"
"You were in on it the whole time, weren't you?" He accuses, putting both his hands to the wall and blocking her exit.
"Calm down," she tells him with a harsh push. "What are you talking about?"
"You've known about them this whole time!"
"Who? Who?" She pushes at him again.
"The mask, the people-" His voice grows louder only to be cut off but the sharp sound of a slap to face.
"Fuck you,"
Roman responds by grabbing her shoulders. "I saw you- the photo," he rambles with a cracking voice. "You lied to me. Did you tell them about the baby?" She feels sympathetic to the pain in his voice, but he's hurting her. "You're one of them!"
"Roman, stop!" He doesn't. She finally shimmies free of his hold and pushes him back again."I don't know what the fuck you're talking about. I didn't tell anyone anything." His words have her mind wandering to Finn and all that he knew. She had told him a lot, but he wouldn't lie about who he was. Why would he? She wiggles down to the floor hoping to free herself of his grasp but he follows her down. One hand slides, pressing against her throat hard enough to scare her.
"I know you did! She had a photo of you together," Roman accuses again. His anger is subsiding into desperation and sadness.
"Who is she?"
"The girl we found," Roman growls. He let's go with one hand to reach into his pocket. He pulls up a folded photo and hands it to her. She unfolds it and almost laughs at him. It's a photo from the semester before at a party. It's cropped to look like it's only Emma and Liza in the photo.
"That's Liza," she says letting out a pathetic laugh. "The one that walked with me that night." His hands loosen immediately but don't let go. "Remember?"
"You swear?"
"Why would I do that?" She asks. "Why would I put myself on the line like that?" Her voice raises. "They're after me too, you know! I'm a fucking incubation tank for kids like her! Remember that the next time you try to accuse me of that. This is my life on the line too."
Both she and Roman let those words sink in. He hadn't thought of it that way and she hadn't placed it together until now. "Fuck," he swears. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm just- I'm scared."
"Why don't you trust me?"
"I don't trust anyone anymore," he whispers. "Forget about it. This didn't happen," he says and she nods in return. "You're tired. You want to take a nap."
......
"What happened?" Emma asks rubbing her eyes in the darkness. A small, dull lamp illuminates part of Roman's room, but not much.
"You fell asleep before we got back so I moved you up here." He stands from the bed and turns to face her.
"Oh," she says. "How did it go?"
"The kid's fine," he says and she feels instant relief. "I'm worried about Peter."
"What about him?"
"He's turning a lot."
"Did he today?" Roman nods. "That's what happened to Christina."
"I couldn't stop him. They were attacking and he changed so quick..."
"Does this mean we have to have a werewolf intervention?" She says without hearing how ridiculous she sounds.
"I have to do something," Roman sighs. "We found out some useful stuff today." Emma perks up from her pillow. "Everything you said was right. The caul... They're killing the kids young before they become, y'know."
"Mr. Godfrey," a feeble yet panicked voice says. "I'm sorry to interrupt but the child has gone missing."
"Missing?" Roman asks.
"So has Ms. Cates. Neither are here."
Hey guys! Thank you all for reading! I know I say this every chapter but I really do mean it. So many of you stuck around after the first book and that means so so much to me.As always, please feel free to leave comments or criticism. I'm always worried I'm taking things too far.Much love!
PS: I'd like to apologize if anyone wanted smut. I can't bring myself to make everyone suffer through my terrible writing.
Chapter title is from Honest by the neighborhood. 10/10 song btw