Emery sunk into a chair, her eyes closing briefly. The time that day seemed to drag on forever, until it was around 10:30 then it all passed in a blur. She watched quitely as Elias and Damien snuck out of the hospital. Again, she watched the man who broke her walk away. Pushing all those thoughts aside, Emery heading towards the front lobby again.
-time skip to getting off-

Emery reached her place, locking the doors behind her silently after checking around her house. She was always cautious-even before Elias. Huffing, her heading towards the kitchen to find something to eat before a shower and bed. Finding noodles, she began preparing a spaghetti, the arouma causing her stomach to rumble with hunger. *ding* her phone buzzed in her baco pocket, a small squeak emitting from her mouth. Em placed a shaky hand on her chest, the other fishing for her phone. *How was work* She smiled, her eyes rolling as she typed her reply and recieved another one shortly after. *ready for this weekend? My parents said they invited a family friend.*

Emery sighed, typing back again before going back to her cooking. Finally the meal was done, and plated. She headed towards the table on her patio, the lights casting enough light for the human eye to see. She ate quitely her mind on the weekend ahead. Was this going to be fun? Or a disaster? And who did his parents invite?

Brekker had left the hospital and been on his way back to Pennsylvania when he had received a call. A family pharmaceutical business with whom he was contracted with. The contract had been made at the beginning of his trip to New York, but Brekker had been in contact with the family for several years, making small to large orders until they finally established a long term agreement.

But, in celebration of this agreement, he was invited to their lakehouse to spend the weekend. Their son, his new girlfriend, and another woman would be present. Brekker had been about to politely decline when the man insisted. A token to their new prosperous contract. Unfortunately, Brekkker felt obligated. This relationship was different from the other ones he had. These people didn’t know he was one of the world's biggest mafia leaders.

So here Brekker was, with his gut bandaged and in one of his classiest suits, being driven up to their lakeside estate. It was impressive, given all he had lived in were upscale apartments. He had wanted to drive himself, but Damien had insisted. After all, the man was using a crutch to walk. He shouldn’t even be walking. But business was business and how were you supposed to explain a gunshot wound to your innocent partners?

They pulled up and Brekker got out, using his crutch to help support him as he hobbled up to the door, the sounds of tires on gravel filling the air as Damien pulled away, leaving Brekker with his small suitcase and battered body. The man sighed, ringing the doorbell, running his free hand through his hair. The man opened it, a grin dancing on his face as he met Brekker's dark eyes.

“Hello, Mr. Breaker! How goes it?” The man boomed, escorting him in. He took Brekker’s suitcase, much to his relief. Typically, he hated help, but it was so difficult to manage the bag and crutch.

Brekker shook his head with a fake, yet genuine sounding laugh. “Please sir, call me Elijah. No need for formalities.” He grinned, wide and charming. Brekker couldn’t use intimidation here. No, he needed to be charismatic and magnetic. That’s how things worked outside the criminal underworld. You were expected to be nice, even if it was fake.

The weekend came quickly, the whole incident at the hospital pushed back far in her mind. The drive there was long, a few hours she was sure; it wasnt until the cuty turned into forest did she know they were getting closer. John kept uo the small talk, his voice a distraction from everything going on in her mind. This Saturday was the day she had lost the baby- of course John didnt know that but..She did. And her thoughts were wrapped around the thoughts of "what if".

Pulling into the driveway of the home, they stopped at the gate- where a they were escorted then into the grounds of a large lakehhouse. She gasped as she stepped out, the change of scenery anough for blow her mind and of course..distraft her again. This was what she needed; taking in a deep breath Emery smiled a little. "Like it?" John mused, a smile tugging at his lips. Until...

"John!!" A woman came running out the house, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck with legs wrapped around his waist like a vine. Emery winced, her eyebrow shooting up as he laughed nervously and place the girl on the ground; off of him. "I missed you so much! Your mom invited me, said you were coming.." the woman gushed, her excitment was evident. Emery coeared her throat, walking towards them with a forced smile "Emery. And you are?" She asked, skipping the plesentries. The girl frowned then, taking note of Emery being there with John, "Im surprised John didn't mention me. " she giggled pettily "Im Victoria, his ex girlfriend." John quickly changed the subject, grabbing their bags from the car and ushering the two inside. Nothing else was said between the two, Victoria running off to find John's mother she was sure.

John stood besude Emery, placing a small hand on her back as he led her to the living room area where his mother and victoria sat on one couch and his father and...Elias- wait.. Emery froze upon spotting him her eyes flying open wide. She wuickly recovered though when John and his parents greeted each other. "Mom, Dad.. This is Emery, the new girlfriend i was talking about." He mentioned her, and soon she was wrapped into a hug from his mother and a hand shake from his father. "Well," his mom spoke, smiling "Ill have lunch served for us shortly." She smiled, "Until then, you can have a look around..unpack and get ready for a relaxed weekend getaway." She mused motioning victoria to follow her into the kitchen. David, His father sat in his chair again starting up another conversation with John introducing him to Elias. Leaving her to find her room and unpack her belongings. Yes, they were dating technically but they still hadnt slept in the same hed much less same room.

Emery wasnt ready for that. And she wasnt sure when she would be. She found her room, an empty one at least, on the thrid floor of the lakehouse. The room was big, the four walls stretching out, a balcony door sat in the middle of the room on the far side, a large bed in the middle and a bathroom built into her room. 'Rich much?' She thought with a shake of her head. She began to unpack, and soon her things were where they needed to be for the weekend.

Brekker’s eyes flashed, shocked and defensive, as he was introduced to Emery. He stiffened where he sat on the couch. “Nice to meet you, name’s Elijah Breaker.” He offered her with a grin that was most definitely fake, “I look forward to seeing more of you this weekend.” It was a statement that couldn’t be farther from the truth, as Brekker most definitely intended on spending as much time away from Emery as possible.

He was introduced to their son, John and he was soon informed that the other woman was John’s ex-girlfriend. Already, it was looking to be an awkward weekend, even if they weren’t aware that Brekker and Emery had, in fact, been very much in a relationship and one that had run much deeper than the one she currently shared with John. Not to mention the needle of jealousy poking at his heart when he spotted John’s hand on the small of her back. He had wanted to whack it away, but Emery wasn’t his anymore. Brekker had no right.

After making polite small talk with them for a minute, Brekker went up to find his room, hobbling up the stairs with his crutch, hauling his suitcase up with what was an evident struggle. John had offered to help, but he had politely declined, wanting to be left alone for a little while before he was forced to mingle again and hope to avoid Emery’s gaze or conversation. Brekker meandered down the hall, taking in the decor. It was a different perspective for him, an actual house instead of an apartment. He and Emery had briefly talked about buying one together…

He gritted his teeth as he limped down the hall, his crutch echoing until he discovered the room he had been given. Brekker stepped in, door left ajar as he fell back onto the bed with a wince and a groan, his wound giving a pulse of pain. He undid his suit jacket and opened his shirt to glance at the bandages. No blood, so that was good. They had been changed before the drive over there and Brekker was supposed to change them tonight, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to do that. He would be stuck with the same bandages all weekend.

Brekker had told the family that he was suffering from broken ribs. That couldn’t be farther from the truth, though he wasn’t sure if that was a bad thing. Broken ribs would take longer to heal than his gunshot wound, but his nice little hole hurt more than some broken bones. Not that it was the first time he had been shot. No, the man had been injured by guns more times than he could count.

Really late reply sorry o.e\

Emery finished unpacking, ignoring the noises coming from putsode her room which was more then likely Elais with his crutches. She had thought of going help him, but resisted the urge to care for the man like she used to.

There was only one time Emery could recall taking care of Brekker, hovering over him like she was a mother caring for her child. She didnt like seeing him in pain, that was one thing; even though they werent together anymore. Her love for Brekker would bever waver, bever fade over time. And she knew that all to well. A soft knock on her door drew her out of her thoughts, John poking his head through the door with a bright smile "Lunch is almost served. We should stsrt heading down." He told her simply, leaving her with a nod. She exited the room, same time John was asking Elias. She ignored the two, and headed down the stairs. John soon joined her in the living room, along with eveyone else. Victoria sat next to John and his mother, while she sat alone on a couch in the far corner of the room. Out of the way.

Soon, everyone was seated at the table, all enjoying the baked chicken and mashed potatoes with many sides. The conversation was simple, until Victoria spoke up with a jealous glint in her eyes. "So how did you and John meet, Em?" She asked, smirk playing behind her lips. Emery rolled her eyes, shrugging her shoulders. "Well it isn't romantic or anything.." she laughed lightly. "We met at a bar; Guss's Place. He came up to me with a goofy smile and that was that." She replied, though from the story she acted as if she was in love with John who placed a hand on hers.

"Oh? Isnt that the place we used to hang out all the time John?" Victoria asked pettily. John nearly choking on his dinner, coughed with a red face. "Uh..i suppose so." He uttered awkwardly. Emery raised a brow, looking over a John but not saying anything. He had never lied to her, until now. But she kept that in her head instrad of calling him out. There was no point, the girl was just jealous if Emery and that was it.

After dinner, everyone pilled into the living room where they sat on the couches and watched movies. "I think i wanna go for a walk." Emery whispered to John, who held her contently. "Okay.." He whispered back, to engrossed in the movie to even really care. She rolled her eyes, heading out the back patio door and towards the pier.

Lunch had been fine, despite the awkwardness created by John’s clearly petty and overbearing ex-girlfriend. Brekker had watched the exchange with cool eyes, secretly feeling bad for both Emery and John. The man didn’t seem like a bad person, just someone caught in a bad situation. As for Emery, he was sure the situation had been extremely stressful, given as Victoria seemed hellbent on establishing dominance and undermining Emery.

Brekker hoped that the jealous ex would keep to herself and that things would not blow up over the weekend. He was not looking to get involved in a fight or some sort of odd love triangle, nor was he looking for him and Emery’s past relationship to come to light. No, the two of them had to play as if they had never met or shared any feelings. It was bound to be difficult, but they had to endure it.

Brekker sighed, leaning on the railing that lined the pier, his crutches beside him as he took in a breath of the cool lake air. He had hobbled out there following lunch, not wanting to watch whatever movie they had on. They had all been huddled on the couch and that was much to close for Brekker’s comfort. Why should he have to get cozy with people he doesn’t know? He ran a hand through his hair, the silky strands flowing smoothly through his fingertips.

His side ached from the energy he had used to haul himself to the dock and he let out a groan as he massaged the area around his ribcage. God… He would have to haul himself up all those stairs to get to his room later. That was bound to be fun, three flights of stairs just to reach a room he didn’t want to be in, and a bed that was only somewhat comfortable.

It was then the man heard footsteps, familiar in gait and sound, coming up behind him. They were faint and signified she was still a decent distance from him, but it still unsettled him. Brekker squeezed his eyes shut for a moment as memories threatened to run rampant in his head. When they reopened, Brekker spoke. “I’ll leave in a minute.” He announced, although he really didn’t want to. It had been difficult coming out there on his crutches and getting back? Brekker wasn’t looking forward to it.

Emery jumped, his figure coming into view shortly after, the moonlight doing little to light up the sky. "I..- I didnt know you were out here. Sorry, wouldnt have came." She murmured, though stayed where she stood on the pier. The water was soothing, the soft crashes of the waves keeping her spell bound.

She didnt say anything, but she wondered if he knew what this weekend was? That it was going to be thier childs second birthday in heaven. She gulped, her eyes brinking with tears at the thought. Should she say something? No, she fought against her better judgement. What was there left to say to him? After all the fighting, and love this is where they ended up?

Brekker had no clue what day it was and what it meant to her. To him, the day was just another weekend and it was one he currently wasn’t enjoying. Her voice startled him, although he had known she was there. “You’re fine,” Brekker responded cooly, his voice rather monotonous and lacking emotion, when inside, the man was facing great conflict. He wanted her back. He hated the awkward words and acting as if they had never known each other. They had known each other and their relationship had once been more precious to Brekker than anything else in his life.

But in the end, the man had thrown it all away, making a decision that hurt her gravely. After meeting her again, he came to sincerely regret how he had handled things, but it was too late. She had moved on. “Your new boyfriend seems nice. I’m glad you’re happy with him.” Brekker’s words were not malicious, but not particularly friendly either. The man wasn’t trying to step on her toes. “It’s a shame about his catty ex though. Someone didn’t teach her table manners.” He commented, still not looking over at her, afraid of what he would see if he met her eyes.

Emery laughed, actually laughed at his joke? Or was he being serious. "Yea. Happy." She murmured, biting her lip. Was she that convincing? Maybe she was convicing enough to that even Brekker couldnt tell how sad and wrecked she really was. "Victoria? Im not worried about the girl. She clearly doesnt know who shes messing woth." She teased lightly, her thoughts oushed away briefly.

"Hows the bandages?" She asked, her brows raised. "And the pain?" She added sitting onto one of the many empty chairs. She bit her lip, patting the seat beside her "Sit?" She asked. She knew it was a dangerous game for the both of them hit at tue moment he was the only thing that was keeping her from exploding.

Brekker snickered as she gave a retort about Victoria, confident the petty woman would not mess with her. “You’re right, she doesn’t stand a chance.” He offered back, his lips twitching upwards in the beginnings of a smile, though one never came. What was he doing? Brekker had promised to remain indifferent, yet there he was, joking with her as if nothing had happened.

When she asked about his bandages, Brekker finally turned, his dark eyes somewhat widened as she showed some concern. “They’re fine for now. I’m hoping they’ll get me through the weekend because I can’t change them myself. It’s too hard.” He admitted, gaze falling to the floor for a moment before he met her gaze again, shocked once more as she invited him to sit. Brekker snatched his crutches, hopping over to Emery in a very ungraceful manner, sitting down where she had indicated with her hand, though he did not speak again, gaze trained on his lap.