AN: Apologies real life happened two Sundays ago. Hopefully the tiring aspect of it is over and this story will distract me from the remaining annoying aspects of it. :-P
Thanks for the reviews. I will do my best for less sap, until you know the next major life threatening thing comes up with them. :-D
The characters seem weird in this, I'm aware. I've had it sitting almost done since Sunday. I have to cave and post it. If anyone can figure out what's wrong with it, I'll revise. :-P
Daniel Grayson no longer liked mornings.
Mornings had once been the best part of his day.
Waking up with Emily alongside him. Anything had seemed possible. He always knew that getting out of bed was a risk, but there had always been the reassurance that at least she would be there when he climbed back in.
Mornings had still been his favorite part of the day when he realized they were falling apart. Mornings held the hope that he would wake before her. When she was still and quiet and by his side. The closest he knew he'd get to her. The day ahead of him only held the promise of a wall between them and the fear or hope that she wouldn't be in bed with him when he climbed back in.
He hadn't thought mornings could get worse than that until she was gone from it. When he awoke to a face he didn't recognize in the mirror, when he didn't even pretend to try to attempt to be something better. When everything in his day was lined up to be a fight. His mother, his father, his finances. Waiting to go to jail, waiting to be found out. Exhausting without end.
He hadn't realized what the feeling had been for a few days after the shooting. He had chalked it up to a near death experience. He woke up still unsure about the day, but eventually he started to realize he had begun to recognize himself again. That letter that had been in his pocket as he had acted on instinct. He understood then he was done hiding. He no longer dreaded waking up. Days became easier to face despite knowing they would be harder than days in the past.
"Daniel," her sharp tone let him knew the day would not be good. Kevin had told him to expect to sleep more than normal, what he hadn't realized at the time was that would once more destroy the best part of his day.
"What?" He answered, his voice full of antagonism as his eyes remained firmly closed because it was one thing to face her irritated voice, but another to actually face her. The vision of a future that had never been anything more than a cruel dream.
"We have guests coming in an hour. They're your friends. Get up."
"We have help." His eyes were still firmly shut.
"I gave them the weekend off because Anne has spent the last 3 days waiting for us to go all War of the Roses on each other and it's getting exhausting."
His eyes opened to narrow slits as if that would stop him from seeing her as she was, as she had been. "So no truce?" He'd known it seemed too good last night. Known that a few laughs and a goodnight that didn't end with her ordering him out of the house was too good to last.
"You know my opinion, I know yours."
"And you think your will is stronger than mine?" His eyebrows raised.
Hers raised back, "Well we do have history to back us up."
"Dear sweet Amanda," he said pushing himself up. "We have how Daniel dealt with Emily. You and I? That's still to be determined."
Her head tilted disbelievingly to the side.
"If we aren't going to have a truce. How about just for today you're only mad at me for the things I've actually done and not the one thing I won't do?" He stood. Clad only in a pair of gray boxer briefs, one side of his body still covered in bruises that were starting to fade from purple to yellow.
Her eyes didn't stray from his face because if they would they would betray her. "That's a pretty long list."
"Should keep you busy then," he smirked at her. "Just don't forget. I'm not going anywhere."
-o-o-o-
"So what am I doing?" Daniel asked once he reached the kitchen as Emily was organizing glassware onto a tray.
"There's fruit in the fridge, put it on a platter."
He opened the fridge door, "You mean the already cut up fruit on a platter."
"That would be it."
"Once more the fruit that is already on a platter you want me to move it onto a different platter."
"Yes Daniel."
"Why?"
"Because that's what people do." Emily refused to engage.
"By people like my mother, entertaining a business client, or throwing an actual party?"
"Or people that live in a mansion in Southampton."
"I really don't think either of us are the type of people that think that fruit-"
"Just put the damn fruit on the platter." Emily paused with napkins in her hand as she turned to him, "Oh I'm sorry. Did that violate your can't angry with things you won't do rule of the day?"
-o-o-o-
"I'm so glad you two are okay," Becca, Mark's wife announced as they walked in.
"Labor Day to remember," Emily gave a look, "thank you so much for that arrangement. Do you want me to take that?"
Becca waved off Emily's offer to take the pasta salad in her hands. "I wish we'd known you two were in the hospital before we went back to the city."
"Can you tell her it's weird to send a bouquet of fruit to people?" Mark said as he began to follow Emily towards the kitchen.
"We weren't here to bring them food," Becca gave him a look.
"I personally really liked the fruit on a stick," Daniel added.
"You can take the fruit off the stick and eat it with a fork," Becca commented.
"You change the fruit from the platter it comes on too, don't you?" Daniel questioned.
"Ignore him," Emily informed the other woman as they reached the kitchen.
"They make more work and then they complain," Mark gave Daniel a knowing look.
Daniel smiled as Emily glared at him.
Mark coughed and changed the subject, "So who was it the other night? A drunk driver, a teenager?"
"An ex girlfriend?" Emily added with a blatantly fake smile.
Daniel froze.
"Oh I'm sorry. Were we not telling people that?" The innocent act wasn't convincing, as Mark and Becca's eyes were wide.
"An ex girlfriend?" Becca softly questioned.
"Actually Daniel's ex mistress would probably be the better term since we were married the last time they were together." Emily continued to smile.
"So drinks?" Daniel turned to his friends with a smile.
"Champagne and orange juice are in the fridge," Emily said taking the pasta salad from Becca.
"I think I need something stronger."
"It's 10 am," she pointed out.
"You're right," Daniel nodded, "I should have started at 9. I'll make sure it's a double," he headed towards the door. "Mark?"
"You're driving," the blonde nodded at his wife before following Daniel out of the room.
"Do you want to cancel?" Becca asked as Emily put the salad in the fridge.
"Oh please," Emily said handing the bottle of orange juice to the still stunned Becca, "it's the end of summer." Emily shrugged and then shook her head, "I'm sorry. Dragging other people into our drama is what resulted in the ex-mistress that tried to kill us the other day."
"Well," Becca's smile was disarming, "plus side. Divorce now doesn't look amazing."
Emily laughed as she took the foil off the champagne, "Only because you didn't witness our marriage."
-o-o-o-
"What are you guys making?" Emily asked as she walked back inside the kitchen after taking the fruit out with Becca, leaving the other woman outside applying sunblock.
"Old fashions," Daniel smiled over, "they have fruit and are therefore a breakfast drink."
"Danny! Ems! This doesn't sound like a party!" Louise's voice called out.
"Fuck it." Emily gave up. "Make me one."
Daniel bit back a laugh and handed Emily his drink.
She took a swallow and slid an arm around his waist just before Louise and Nolan walked through the door.
"Glad to see you two made up," Louise smiled.
"Yay," Nolan added with obvious disdain.
"Louise, Nolan. Meet Daniel's friend, Mark," she took another sip.
"How is it?" Daniel asked as Mark and Louise discussed how they knew Daniel.
"It's good, did you want to-" Emily said turning.
He caught her with a quick kiss, "You can taste the sugar."
Nolan looked annoyingly on.
"Sugar. We should have French 75's," Emily adjusted the mimosa plans.
"I'll get the gin," Nolan happily turned and headed out of the room.
-o-o-o-
"Sure you're okay man?" Mark asked as Daniel stripped out of his shirt as they settled outside after several other of his Easthampton and Brooklyn friends joined the party.
"Be gentle with me," Daniel laughed knowing his left side was a frightening sight.
"Em have you been gentle with him?" Mark called out.
Emily looked over from where she was assembling the French 75's with Becca.
"So gentle, it's like she's not even touching me," Daniel's eyebrows lifted.
"Ouch," Mark winced. "That sucks," he said tearing into one of the boxes of pool inflatables that he brought. "You guys looked like you were in a pretty good place on Monday."
"Yea," Daniel shrugged his shoulders. "So what did you do? Buy out the store?"
"They were 50% off."
Daniel gave him a look and went to open a plastic bag with an inner tube.
"Can you actually do that?" Mark gave a look at Daniel's side.
"I think so." He paused, "I'll sit in case I pass out," Daniel smirked.
-o-o-o-
"So serious question," Louise draped herself on the lounge across from Daniel and Mark. "How many days did you smell like seafood?"
Daniel almost snorted and the beach ball he had been blowing up shot out of his mouth.
"Do I want to know?" Mark pondered.
"Danny and Emily do not have the most refined table manners," Louise smiled. "So?"
"Emily tried to get it out with a washcloth at the hospital," he shook his head, "butter is challenging."
"So until last night?" Louise grinned.
He laughed, "No I had a few very dignified days. Emily pretty much had to bathe me."
"That doesn't-"
Daniel stopped his friend, "Not fun when all of you hurts and you can barely move."
"Could have been worse," Louise drawled..
"It could have been Nolan," Emily smiled as she walked over.
"You're not going to let me keep any secrets today, are you?" Daniel smirked up.
"Probably not," Emily sat on the lounge next to him.
"It concerns me that torturing me makes you happy," he whispered in her ear.
She smiled and ate a strawberry off her plate.
He laughed and tossed a grape in his mouth.
-o-o-o-
"What are you doing?" Emily questioned as Daniel's arm slid around her waist, tapping on her side and he started to move to the music.
"Trying to have fun," Daniel moved in front of her, "remember that thing I think we might have been doing on Monday?"
"I'm not dancing with you," Emily said as she resisted the motion of Daniel's hands still on her waist trying to get her to move.
"Want to bet," he slid up close against her, Daniel's sheer size left her with no choice to move with her as he physically moved her, unless she wanted to make a noticeable scene.
"It isn't even noon."
"Yea, but life is short," Daniel continued his quest.
"Yours gets shorter by the minute."
He laughed down into her ear. "You know I think we both missed crucial steps in our development."
"Daniel."
"You have no idea how to just have fun do you?"
"Not a pro at it like you," she looked at him.
"I went from someone who was pretty much policed by his parents, to what a month trying to be on my own, to a super villain."
"Super is being pretty generous," her lips twitched up in a smile.
"I think that summer we were both just starting to realize there was more to life than how we'd been living it."
Emily continued to look at him.
"And then we let it go."
"If this is about us-" Emily began.
"It's about turning off your brain and just be here."
"With you?"
"With yourself."
She stopped, her head tilted and he prepared himself for a fight.
The song had changed seconds earlier, but they hadn't noticed until Becca was soon near, "Oh my god. I love this song." She was soon kicking up her heels near them to the peppy beat and melancholy lyrics.
"Are you drinking out of the bottle?" Daniel smiled over.
"The song came on while I was making a drink," Becca smiled and passed over the champagne bottle to Emily.
Emily laughed at Becca's enthusiastic dancing and took a few swigs before handing the bottle off to Daniel. Lasting only a few moments before joining Becca in dancing.
-o-o-o-
Daniel was walking over with Emily after Jack arrived with Ben and Carl. They could hear the introduction Jack made to one of Mark's friends that hadn't been over the last time Jack and Ben had stopped by. "Jack," he smiled, "my son Carl and my partner Ben."
"He's so cute, you guys are so lucky," the brunette in the tiny neon orange bikini said squatting next to Carl's stroller.
The laughter that burst out of Daniel was completely undignified and Emily paused to roll her eyes.
"Work." Jack amended his previous statement as the young woman looked at Daniel in confusion. "We're Southampton PD."
"Sorry?" Heather shrugged it off, "He is still insanely cute," she turned her attention back to Carl.
"My life," Daniel said throwing his arm around Emily's neck, "would have been so much easier if that was true."
"Just ignore him today," Emily once more rolled her eyes and gave a gentle shake of her head and his arm slipped off her back as she bent to Carl.
-o-o-o-
"Giving up on the fruit," Nolan noted as he approached Daniel, a few hours into the party, pouring the whiskey over ice.
"Wasting space in the glass."
"Hmm," was Nolan's entire response as he was pouring himself a glass of champagne as they both faced Jack and Emily who was holding Carl.
"What's going on with you and Louise?"
"She's fun."
"That she is," Daniel's head tilted, "until the crazy comes out."
"Not like I don't have experience with crazy."
Daniel gave a slight snort as he took another sip, still watching Emily and Jack.
"I like the new people. We certainly needed some fresh blood in this place."
"Haven't been enjoying the carousel ride of Southampton?"
"Oh it's been positively riveting," Nolan rolled his eyes and took a sip.
The burst of Emily's laughter focused them both on the trio ahead of them as Jack sprayed more of Emily than Carl with the sunblock.
"They're gonna be a happy family one day," Daniel commented as he took another long sip from his glass before walking away from Nolan. "Who's up for a game of cornhole?" Daniel called out as he headed towards the setup.
-o-o-o-
Emily was back in the water with Carl as a discussion about marriage, children and the family pressure was brought up around the pool by Elise and Peter, the other couple at the party. Becca laughed, "It makes no sense, Mark's mom two years ago thought we were too young get married and now she hasn't stopped asking about grandkids since Christmas."
"It's her friends," Mark shook his head, obviously exhausted by his mother.
"How is it her friends?" Emily asked as she was floating back with Carl in front of her enjoying the water.
Mark responded, "One gets a grandkid and then they all feel left out. Like a grandkid's a pair of Jordan's. I asked her if all of her friends jumped off a bridge would she? She told me she would if her grandchild was in the water."
The group laughed.
"Have you guys seriously not gotten this?" Becca questioned. "Does a divorce buy you time?" Becca was intrigued by the thought.
"I can't have kids," Emily smiled, "marriage didn't last, but that was the one wedding gift I couldn't return. Don't worry though. Victoria gets her grandchild because Daniel's ex girlfriend is due in 6 months?" Emily turned to Daniel.
"Just about," he was unable to disguise the tenseness in his body and jaw as he was frozen with his glass in hand.
"We need music," Louise chimed in and turned the iPod back on and everyone diverted their eyes as Emily continued to play with Carl in the water.
Nolan watched Daniel though. Waited to see the glass go flying or be downed in one swift gulp. It took several seconds for Daniel to do anything. Then he did the unexpected, he put the glass down. Nolan watched the facade that Emily had long been so good at come over Daniel. Watched the stress leave his body as he walked towards his friends with a smile and a laugh.
-o-o-o-
Daniel's eyebrows lifted as he reclined on the double lounger almost a half hour after Emily's revelation as she finally approached him with a bottle of water in her hand.
"Thank you," he said as she extended it to him.
"If you end up in the hospital from dehydration it might start looking suspicious."
He laughed before taking a sip.
She stretched out next to him.
"Calm before the next storm?" He put the bottle down.
"Ben looked like he was going to start asking questions," Emily rolled onto her side to curl into him.
"I dislike him more than Jack," he said placing a kiss on the top of her head.
She laughed into his chest.
His hand stroked the smooth skin of her waist, his thumb flicking along the unmarred skin, so unlike the opposite side. "I'm sorry," his whispered. "If I could take it back, if I could-"
"I know," she whispered back as she closed her eyes and sees him in that moment. There was horror in the second that followed her feeling the bullet and beginning to fall back. Horror and shock and somehow he got closer as she fell further. His reaction had made no sense compared to the person she had woken up to. She sometimes wondered if she had imagined it. Seeing his reaction to Sara, she knew she hadn't. He was right, it was horrible to know you were capable of pushing someone that loved you to that.
Daniel went quiet and simply held her to him.
-o-o-o-
"So," Louise said as Ben was pouring them new drinks, "I know that they were the ones in the car accident, but they're starting to give me whiplash."
Ben gave a quick glance over at them. Emily had rolled to her other side and was talking with Becca as her head rested on Daniel's arm. "They are something."
"I'm not quite sure how she behaves like this and gets the guy three times and I get locked up in various psychiatric institutions across the country."
Ben choked on the mojito he'd just poured.
"Whatever happened with Emily and Jack, rumor has it something went down to stop Daniel and Emily's first engagement. We all know what happened with the marriage."
"I don't know. He's never mentioned it. You know Emily doesn't really strike me as the type of person to fake a pregnancy to keep a guy."
"Well take it from someone who has been on the receiving end of Emily's warnings to stay away from Daniel. I'd believe it."
"Hmm," Ben said once more looking over as he chewed a piece of melon.
-o-o-o-
"It is not summer anymore," Emily said as she shivered hanging onto the inner tube Daniel was floating in.
"Technically it is," Mark said hanging off his own float.
"You boys enjoy your technicalities, I'm going to enjoy my towel," she grinned at them as she let go and began to float back.
"Wuss," Mark called out.
"Em," Daniel followed.
Her hand went up in a wave as she headed out of the pool.
Daniel's eyes trailed her as she dried off and then wrapped herself in a towel.
"Em," he gave one final pleading as she started to walk away from the lounge still in her towel.
"We're out of mojitos," she nodded at the pitcher, "you guys want anything?"
"I'll help," Daniel said trying to get off the tube without hurting himself.
"Oh come on," Mark splashed him as they had been the only ones left in the pool.
"Sorry man," he shrugged and began to swim to the side.
-o-o-o-
Emily's lips curved up as she walked past Jack as he was talking to Madison, the redheaded school teacher from Brooklyn that they had gone to the bar with the previous month. Carl was asleep in his stroller next to them.
It was nice.
Normal.
What Jack's life would be like without her in it.
-o-o-o-
Daniel's arms went around her as she was at the sink washing off the limes.
"No one's around," Emily pointed out keeping her body stiff.
"Even better."
"Not interested."
"I am just here trying to be a good boyfriend and suck up to my emotionally distraught girlfriend."
"Really?" Emily turned to face him.
"You chose this route for today. You coming off as emotionally unstable and completely obsessed with me was just a pleasant side effect," he grinned at her.
"I'd have to be to keep going back to you."
"Now that I'm here, what do you want me to do?"
"Cut the limes?" Emily said walking away.
"Yes dear," he grinned as he grabbed the strainer out of the sink.
They settled behind the island next to each other as Emily pressed the limes he cut.
"So it's driving you completely insane that we were happy on Monday."
Emily barely looked over.
"It was a good day and you're not supposed to have good days. Definitely not with me."
Her head tilted and she looked at him, "Okay you're just being annoying now."
"This feels good and it's driving you insane," the limes were forgotten and his hands skimmed along her body.
"We have a backyard full of people," she continued pressing the limes for juice doing her best to ignore him.
"They're outside," he continued and moved behind her. "We're like a broken in pair of shoes. You want to get rid of them, you know they're not pretty, but they feel good," his breath was warm upon her neck.
"Until they give you athlete's foot."
He laughed and pulled her closer to him. "Life is short," he repeated. "I'm not the bad guy, I mean I am a bad guy, but not the bad guy."
She laughed slightly at him.
"The past is never going to change, but we get to decide how we want to live now and I really don't want to end up hanging off a chandelier with you."
She laughed again and didn't fight him as he pushed her wet hair off to the side to place a kiss on her neck or as he turned her to him.
They both stopped and turned moments later as they heard the kitchen door open.
"I hate you," Daniel said without pause seeing Ben.
"Sorry?"
"Ignore him," Emily smiled.
"We're out of propane," Ben shared why he had been the only brave one to venture into the kitchen after Daniel had gone after Emily.
"I'll get it," Daniel nodded, kissed Emily's cheek and headed towards the door.
"Need any help?" Ben questioned still uncomfortable being in the room.
"Want to muddle the mint while I finish with the limes?"
"I will if you tell me what that is," he nodded and walked towards her.
"Smash them with the wooden spoon?"
"I should be able to handle that," he smiled as she set up the pitcher for him.
"Thanks for inviting me," Ben said as the silence grew uncomfortable, "after the other day-"
"You were just trying to be a friend."
"You don't really seem like the kind of woman that would-"
"I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of," Emily shrugged.
"But Daniel-"
"I don't know how to trust people or be all the way honest," she focused on the press going down onto the lime.
"But-"
"A lot of the mess, I made myself. Daniel doesn't get all the blame as much as I wish he did."
"So you two are really going to try to work it out?"
"Story isn't over yet," she shrugged.
"Hopefully it has a better ending than last time," he gave her a small smile.
"If these were done I would so cheers to that," she returned his smile lightening the mood
-o-o-o-
"Thanks for helping," Daniel said as they cleaned up by the pool.
"Never clean unless I'm drunk," Mark smiled as he sat on a float trying to deflate it.
Daniel laughed.
"There's something weird between Emily and Louise," Mark finally stated the thought that had been nagging him for hours.
"There are a lot of weird things about Louise," Daniel said tossing a half eaten burger into a garbage bag as he stacked the plate. "Weird how?"
Mark gave Daniel a look, "Marking her territory."
Daniel laughed, "Do not ever let Emily hear you saying that if you enjoy peeing while standing up."
"So you slept with her?"
"Southhampton is a very small place."
"So you slept with her."
Daniel laughed, "Yea I did."
"You know your life would probably be a lot easier if you didn't sleep with people besides Emily."
Daniel laughed again at his drunk friend who was looking up at him from a semi deflated yellow float as he crushed a dolphin in his arms. "The problem is that is dependent on Em sleeping with me. What I need to do is move across the country or to a new country when this is over."
"Problem, you're gonna have a kid. I'm guessing your ex lives here."
"She does," Daniel frowned. Even if he wanted to run, he couldn't.
"Think positively man," Mark nodded as he furthered his death grip on the dolphin. "How did you get Emily to take you back this time?"
"Showed up at her door with a bag and told her I was moving in."
Mark blankly stared at him. "That worked?"
"I slept in the guest room for a few days," Daniel grinned.
"You guys are odd," Mark shook his head. "You guys are going to be my new favorite couple friends. Gonna make me look great. Can you fuck up really big at Christmas?"
Daniel laughed again.
-o-o-o-
Daniel kept his eyes peeled on the wall that contained the shower head as the water beat down upon him.
Emily had showered first and if he had any speck of self preservation he would have showered in another bathroom. Instead now he took a quick shower as Emily finished her routine in the bathroom.
He knew exactly how the routine would go. She would comb out her hair once more after putting in some product, put it in a bun because they weren't going anywhere it needed to be done for. She would wash her face again, it had been an oil before she showered, but now she would use a cleanser and then wipe off anything else with a little pink pad she always had in a bag when she came home from getting a facial. It made her face taste oddly delicious, she had told him once it had cranberries in it.
She was the only one who tasted so good after washing her face.
After that it would be moisturizing her body. He debated turning the water to cold.
He was starting to realize he was a masochist.
Sure enough as he stepped out of the shower with the towel wrapped around his waist she had one leg up on the toilet as she applied moisturizer to it. Clad only in a towel, hair up in a bun, her face still glistening with product. "What do you want to do for dinner?" Emily questioned paying him no real attention.
"I don't think 10 minutes went by without me eating something."
"So nothing?" Emily looked up.
"Maybe a sandwich later, why did you want to go out?"
"No," her head shook and she switched legs, "I was just trying to figure out the rest of the night."
"I have one suggestion."
She looked over and smirked. "How are you feeling?" Emily nodded at his ribs.
"I could be feeling better," his eyebrows lifted.
Her head tilted and she gave him a look.
"Good," he nodded and watched her lower her leg so she was now standing straight, "those inflatables were probably better than any of the breathing exercises they had me doing."
"Good," she continued looking at him as he continued to try his best to not take in the sight of her body. It was a single finger movement that brought her towel down.
He did his best to not eagerly respond, "Did you want to talk first?"
"Are you going to leave?" Emily once more questioned.
"No."
"Then no," she smirked and took a step forward.
"So just," Daniel shrugged.
"I don't particularly feel like hanging off a chandelier."
He couldn't resist taking a step and meeting her, one arm going around her back to pull her into him and the other going to cup the side of her face. "I don't know, I bet we could figure out something comparable, but more enjoyable. Probably not for a few days though, I'm still pretty sore."
"You could just lay there," Emily gave him a smile as she easily undid his towel as well.
"No, trust me, pretty sure being still is not going to be possible," he pulled her even closer to prove it.
So "guest" posted about a shower scene after I had written the mention of Emily bathing Daniel. I cracked up reading that review because really my scene was not at all what was wanted. :-P
