Quartermaine Soup

Another grueling day of physical therapy had Emily dead on her feet (well, wheels) as she made her way slowly back to her room at the clinic. At least she had become rather proficient with her new wheelchair and could get around on her own, even venturing outside if she felt like it. Now all she wanted to do was climb into bed and go to sleep. Each day that passed became harder as she and Zander drifted farther apart. She wished so much that everything could go back to the way it was before AJ's earthshattering phone call. She instinctively reached for the locket around her neck that Zander had given her for emotional support, but it wasn't there.

"Ohhhh, I'm so stupid!" she screamed. She pounded her fists on the bed and sat there, head down for a minute, before pulling herself up and onto the mattress. She knew she needed rest, but couldn't sleep for fear of dreaming. Zander would be there... loving her, missing her, wanting her. But she would wake up alone, remembering that she had once again lost faith in love and screwed up the most perfect thing in her life. So, she laid back, grabbed the remote and flipped on the tv. After a few moments of channel surfing, she settled on the Comedy Classics network.

"Oh, goodie! A Marx Brothers marathon! Lucky and I used to watch these movies all the time. Just what I need, something to take my mind off of everything right now, at least for a little while." Soon she found herself laughing out loud over the insane antics on the screen. After about an hour she felt herself getting sleepy, and as she drifted off, she smiled to herself thinking how much fun it would be to get back at her family for all the grief they had caused her and Zander...

The sun shone through the windows of the Quartermaine living room as Emily came running in, much to the amazement of the family. They all let out a collective gasp and it echoed throughout the entire house.

"Emily, you're walking! Well, running, actually..." Ned announced dramatically.

"Why yes I am, cousin," Emily replied. "No thanks to you. I mean, you promised me that you would look out for Zander, but you didn't. Did you Ned?"

Ned looked shocked. "Well I... what I mean to say is that..."

"Silence!" Emily ordered. She waved her hand at him and a steel plate appeared over his mouth! Ned grabbed at it desperately, but it wouldn't budge.

"Emily, what are you doing, my dear?" Edward stepped forward, gesturing at Ned. "Now how is he supposed to keep the peace if he can't even speak?"

"Grandfather, you kept Zander and I apart and nearly destroyed our relationship. I think I would like to see that happen to you." With that said, Lila entered and wheeled up to Edward carrying a divorce decree. Reginald followed closely behind her.

"It's over, Edward. I'm leaving you for Reggie!" She turned her face away and Reginald took the papers and threw them at Edward's feet. Then they left the room, while the family looked on in shock. Edward sank slowly to the couch and began to cry large tears that sprung from his eyes like the sprinkler system on the back lawn.

"You didn't deserve her anyway." Emily gloated.

"How can you be so, callous, Emily? This is not like you at all," Alan stated, as he pulled Monica along with him. The two of them stared blankly at Emily.

"Hel-loooo!" You two have never even listened to a word I've said about Zander. You may as well be deaf!" Suddenly, Big Alice came running in dressed as Harpo Marx, and proceeded to crash two giant cymbals up against Alan and Monica's heads, banging them together. The sound reverberated as their heads vibrated and they walked around the room and out the door like a couple of drunken penguins.

The only one left was AJ. Emily walked up to him and put her hands on his shoulders. "AJ, AJ, AJ. I was so sure that you were on my side, that you wanted to help me and Zander be together, but I was so wrong."

AJ gulped loudly and smiled his weasley little smile. "Now listen, Em. I was only trying to help you. You needed to know what that guy was really like. If he cared about you, he would've never helped Sonny steal my son..."

"But you lied to me, didn't you, AJ? Zander never held you down, did he? He never poured Vodka down your throat, did he? He never even touched you, did he??? Well, he will now!" With that, Zander came marching in, dressed like Richard Gere in the movie "An Officer And A Gentleman". He marched right up to AJ and slammed his fist into his face just once, sending AJ reeling backwards. "Oh, my nose!" he whined, as he clutched his hands up to himself.

The chorus of "Love Lift Us Up Where We Belong" began to play, as Zander strode confidently over to Emily, swooped her up into his arms and marched out of the house and out of the Quartermaine's lives forever...

Emily smiled and giggled to herself in her sleep. As she came slowly awake, she thought how silly her dream had been. "I would never do that!" she thought to herself. "I guess that's what happens when you do something strange before bed, like dreaming about kissing somebody if you forget to brush your teeth. Huh? Where did that come from? Whatever." She stretched out lazily and let her eyes become adjusted to the sunlight. She gasped. "Am I still dreaming?"

"No, Baby, you're not dreaming." Zander sat in a chair beside her bed.

Emily was in shock. "Wh-what are you doing here?" She prayed silently that he was here to beg her to take him back, all the while knowing it would be her begging for his forgiveness.

"I couldn't let you go, without trying to save us. Breaking up with me in a letter isn't gonna cut it, Emily. I won't believe it unless you look me in the eyes and tell me you don't love me anymore." Zander waited for her to say the words, steeling himself for a possible blow to the heart, but it didn't come.

Emily pushed herself up into a sitting position, looked him in the eyes and smiled sadly. "I can't do that, Zander. I made a huge mistake and I only hope that you can forgive me for it. I sent that letter right after I got AJ's phone call. It was a moment of confusion and anger that I couldn't take back, no matter how much I wanted to. Call it stupid pride or maybe just stupidity." Emily took a deep breath, feeling her confidence soar at Zander's hopeful expression. "I don't want to be here without you in my life. I love you so much and I'm so sorry for what I said to you."

Zander was speechless. He made an attempt to say something, but finally gave up after stuttering a couple of times. He decided that actions spoke louder than words, so he pulled out the locket from his pocket and placed it back around her neck, where it belonged. Then he climbed onto the bed with her and pulled her into his embrace. "I'm never gonna let anybody come between us, Baby. Just promise me that you will think before you act next time?"

Emily laughed. "I promise!" Then she pulled his face closer and let her actions speak loudly with a very much anticipated kiss.

The End.

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