Eternal Flame

Chapter 3

Emma sighed as she walked into the office. It was a big one room place with a few tables with computers and filing cabinets scattered around. The tables served as desks for everyone in their little company. She sighed moving to her table in the corner and sitting down. Files were stacked messily on her desk along with her coffee cup from the other day. She sighed knowing she should get to work but she wasn't that concerned with it. Instead she tenderly set the book aside and pulled it open. She thumbed through it looking at the pictures. A little girl with dark hair and a white hair ribbon, a woman lifting a lantern, a man drawing his sword. She continued flipping stopping when she came to a page with a dark haired woman and a blonde man holding a baby. She stared at it sliding her fingers along the face of the baby in the blanket that had four letters written on it. Emma.

She gasped her eyes widening what was that about? The book fell from numb fingers hitting the desk with a thud knocking a few of the files to the floor but Emma wasn't paying attention. She sat back thinking before forcing her hands to move. "It's just a coincidence." She muttered as she continued to flip. She stopped on the picture of the doors carved was the same tree from her dreams. She traced her fingers along the water colored tree. She closed her eyes remembering vividly how it looked in her dream. Its branches were long and spindly but they appeared to be heavy with some sort of fruit. They were full of some sort of fruit but it was hard to tell in the picture just what they were. The water colors of the picture made it difficult to tell what sort of fruit it was.

She flipped to the next page and there within the flames was the woman lying on some sort of table. She sighed as she studied it before flipping to the next page. It was a closer to her beyond the flames and despite the water colors she was able to tell that it was the same woman from her dreams. She stared at her for a long time so long in fact that she didn't notice Marcus come inside.

"Hey Ems you okay?" Marcus was a big guy. Your typical bounty hunter type really. Large bulging muscles, bald head, and the ability to take down anyone; most people were afraid of him but Marcus was a good guy and he was always kind to Emma. That went a long ways with her.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Sorry I didn't hear you come in." She blinked owlishly up at him.

"That's okay." Marcus' smile was kind. "I'm gonna make some coffee. You want a cup? Looks like you need one."

The little blonde frowned, "Are you saying I look like hell?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. You've been looking like that for weeks now. Is something going on?"

"Nah, everything's okay." Emma wasn't one to tell anyone her business having learned the hard way that it can be turned back on you rather quickly.

Marcus studied her for a moment before nodding, "Okay." That was the good thing about Marcus, Emma reflected, he never pried.

It took a few moments before the big man sat a cup of coffee down in front of her. "She's pretty." He pointed at the woman in the painting. "She some sorta goddess or something," he asked as he took a sip of the hot coffee. He made a face sticking out his tongue for a second as it burned his mouth.

"I don't know. I think she's just a character in a story." Emma gave him a smile lifting her coffee. She blew on it trying to cool it down before burning her mouth the way her burly co-worker had. "What do you have planned today?" She asked as a way of changing subjects.

"Tracking down that addict that jumped bail two weeks ago," Marcus sighed.

"You still haven't caught him? Seriously Marcus," Emma took a sip of her coffee.

"What can I say he's a slippery little fuck," The big man shrugged as he made his way across the office as the rest of their co-workers came into the messy little office.

Emma forced herself to set aside the book and move on to the work she had to do for the day. It proved to be rather hard though for she often found her eyes straying to the book.

Emma jerked awake blinking at the clock owlishly before she sat up. As was typical it read 4:34 AM. She fell back against the sheets sighing as she stared up at the white washed ceiling. The dream was back to its typical running down the hallways after the black haired woman. And again she was whispering her usual words find me, find me. It was frustrating even more so now given that she had dreamed something else that put her within the confines of that damn book she'd gotten at the antiques store. She sighed looking over. The book had followed her to bed for some reason she felt great comfort at having it close. She slid her fingers along the leather bound cover in the dark before making up her mind. She sat up, cutting the cheap little black lamp on that rested on the little end table. She pulled the book into her lap and opened it up beginning to read.

"Once upon a time in a land known as the Enchanted Forest…"

"Whoa you look like hell Ems, you sure you're okay?" Marcus asked when he got a look at her face for the first time the next morning.

"Wha…" Emma trailed off looking up at him. "Yeah yeah I'm fine."

"Man girl you don't look like it." Marcus shook his head taking a sip of his coffee.

Emma sighed, "I'm fine. I've just had a lot of stuff on my mind."

"Okay. Don't let Elliot see you looking so worn down or he won't give you any more cases."

"Yeah I know. I'll be careful."

Marcus nodded watching as Emma turned her nose back to her work and without another word he left her to it. Even when the petite blonde was dead tired she still pulled through in a pinch. She was good and everyone knew it. She held people at a distance but none of them were really that anxious to get that close so that worked to her advantage here.

He sighed settling down in his own chair and setting his coffee down and lifting up the newest file on his table/desk. Time to get to work catching the next scumbag.

Author's Notes: Sorry this one was so short guys. The next chapter is a bit longer. This was sorta a filler chapter before we start getting to the better stuff. I hope you guys are sticking with me throughout this thing. I'm on vacation at the moment so I figured I'd post this in between stuff my wife and I are doing. Hope everyone is well and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon! ~ Bella