(A/N: I do not own MPHFPC. Warning: possible trigger for violence.)

Emma's POV

Darkness, complete darkness. I try to move but find that my hands and feet are bound together. I squirm, trying to free myself by singeing the ropes and realising, with a sinking feeling in my stomach, that the sheeting wrapped over my hands is asbestos. I scream, begging, pleading for someone to release me. Suddenly the room floods with light and I see a figure drawing closer to me but can't make out their facial features as my eyes struggle to adjust to the influx of light.

"Jacob, is that you?" I ask, trying to understand why he would do this.

"Jacob? And who would that be, you little slut?" The rough voice asks, so familiar that it makes my blood run cold.

"F-father?" I whimper. This can't be happening, I can't be back here. He should be dead.

"I asked you a question. Who. Is. Jacob?!" He growls, driving his foot hard into my side, knocking the air out of my lungs and causing me to gasp out in pain. "Tell me!"

"H-he's nobody" I stammer, trying to cover my mistakes "he's my imaginary friend"

"Oh, he's your imaginary friend. Are you really trying to tell me that not only are you a freak of nature but you're a lunatic too? I know what you've really been up to, flaunting yourself all over town like the hussey you are" he snarls, grabbing my hair and pulling my head back before slamming it down to the floor, my world being once again absorbed by darkness.

JEJEJEJEJEJE

"Emma. Emma, wake up!"

I shoot upright, my eyes scanning the room, my heart beating at twice its normal rate. I fight against the strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist but they refuse to relent.

"Emma, it's okay. It's me. It's Jacob" the voice comes again, soothingly. This one is also highly familiar but brings with it a feeling of calm rather than fear as that of my father's did. I look up into the eyes of my capturer and instead of meeting the hard, muddy brown eyes of my abusive father, I instead see the sky blue eyes of my boyfriend and immediately stop fighting, going limp in his arms and clinging tightly to the front of his t-shirt. "Are you okay? You were screaming"

I nod slightly, as he reaches up and gently wipes away the tears, cascading down my cheeks, with his thumb. "I saw my dad. H-he..." I take in a shuddering breath, unable to even put the nightmare into words.

"Shh, it's okay. He's dead, he can't get to you now. You're perfectly safe, I promise" he whispers, trying to calm me.

"It was just so real and he was saying such horrid things..." I say, not wishing to elaborate for fear of embarrassing both myself and Jacob, given that although we've come close, we haven't actually reached the step in our relationship that my subconscious' image of my father accused me of.

"Well it's all going to be alright now, you left him far behind in 1940" he says, smiling at me before brushing his lips against mine. I kiss him back passionately, deepening the kiss as I tangle my hands in his hair. Just as he's playing with the hem of my shirt, someone clears their throat at which we both jump and immediately spring apart, trying desperately (and failing miserably) to look innocent.

"Well, well, well. Jacob and Emma sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G" Olive sings, grinning at us both like the Cheshire Cat.

"Olive, what can we do for you?" Jacob asks, flashing her a weak smile.

"Miss P says it's your turn to buy dinner and she needs you to go now so Bronwyn can get it ready on time, it's her turn to cook tonight" she states as if it's the most obvious fact in the world.

"Er...right then, I'll get going. Emma, are you coming?" I nod again, climbing to my feet. Olive turns to leave but just as she reaches the door, Jacob catches her arm "promise you won't say anything to anyone about what you saw and I'll make sure to get an extra chocolate bar, just for you. Deal?" He offers his hand for her to shake. Olive surveys it for a moment before grabbing it, shaking it vigorously before turning on her heal and skipping out of the room.

JEJEJEJEJEJE

We pull into the 'parking lot', as Jacob calls it, of the nearest Smart Aid and find a space when Jacob suddenly exclaims "oh bird, not now. Please, please not now" I look at him questioningly before being quickly startled by a sharp rapping on his window. I peer out to see a man's face imbedded with studs and framed with lime green hair spiked out at strange angles. I look at Jacob, expecting to see the same look of fear written across his features as I'm sure now rests on mine but instead he just appears to be uncomfortable. He takes a deep breath and then slowly winds down his window. "Hey, Ricky"

"Special Ed, where you been? Your folks said you'd gone AWOL" Ricky asks, smirking at Jacob when he notices me in the passenger seat "oh, I get it. Special Ed's been getting some! You must be Special Edwina then, huh?" He guffaws at his own joke as I feel the heat steadily rise in my cheeks.

Jacob just rolls his eyes before deciding it's probably just easier to make the introductions "Ricky, this is Emma, my girlfriend. Emma, this is Ricky, my...friend" he says, rather pathetically as if he can no longer properly apply the term.

"A pleasure to meet you, I'm Emma Bloom" I say, reaching my hand across Jacob and offering it to Ricky. He smirks again, then grips it, pumping it once and then withdrawing his hand.

"Ricky Pickering. Well, Special Ed, looks like you kinda got your hands full here so I'm gonna jet. See you around, dude" he declares, looking meaningfully between Jacob and me before clapping Jacob on the shoulder, winking at me then saunters off.

I watch Jacob carefully as he seems to freeze then slowly lowers his head onto his steering wheel, tapping it lightly but repetitively on the outer rim. "That couldn't have been more awkward if I'd tried. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!"

I rub small circles on his back with one hand while taking his chin in the other, forcing him to look at me. "Hey, remember what you told me earlier? It's all going to be okay. After everything you've been through, of course it's going to be hard dealing with normals from your old life but you'll manage, you just need to work on it and I'll be there every step of the way to help you out when you need it"

He continues to stare at me for almost a minute and I can see the internal debate going on behind his eyes but finally he refocuses on my face and I can tell he's made his decision. "You're right, my friendship with Ricky is just going to take some time" he says, pressing his lips to mine. "I love you" I smile against them, briefly pulling back.

"I know"