Adam's POV:
I wrapped an arm around Emma, to keep her from falling off the wagon. She was so pretty, I thought, as I gazed down at her sleeping form; she seemed so much more peaceful when she slept; the slight crease on her forehead, that was usually there, due to stress, vanished, and her lips formed a slight smile. I frowned and shook my head, to clear my thoughts, What was I thinking? For the next few minutes,I rode in silence, only listening to the sound of Emma's steady breathing, the chirp of birds in the sky, and pondered my feelings towards her.
Emma's POV:
My dreams were filled with death. The people who were taken from me by death, encircled me, one by one. First, it was my parents. They looked at me with such disappointment and shame, I looked down, knowing that I never made them proud. I started backing up, and ran into somebody.
"Helen." I muttered, tears threating to fall. She slowly shook her head, as she pointed behind me. When I looked, I expected to see my parents, instead, it was my team. They all glared at me, slowly walking towards me, with their fists clenched. I shoved past them and ran. I ran from all the pain and guilt I felt, hoping that maybe, just maybe, I could forget. When I finally decided to slow down, I observed my surroundings. I was in a dark place, everything was cold, even the air around me felt wrong. Out of the darkness came a figure dressed in black, with a sinister grin on his face.
"Where am I?" I asked, glaring straight into his pure black eyes. He laughed, showing teeth, that were just as black as his eyes.
"You are in your mind...and I am your greatest fear...death." He said, as he slowly walked towards me. I gasped and shook my head, as I stumbled back, trying to get as far away as possible from him.
"Oh yes," Death muttered, his grin becoming wider with each word he said, "you can try to run and hide from me...but, if you haven't noticed, I follow you wherever you go...Think about it for a second, first it was your parents, then the only friends you ever had...and next, it'll be the Cartwrights."
"No!" I shouted, as the faces of Ben, Adam, Hoss, and Joe, surrounded me, all of them shaking their heads. I covered my ears and closed my eyes, as I sank to my knees. The more I tried to block out the evil words, the louder they became. Just when I was about to break down, a familiar voice jolted me back to reality.
"Emma, we're back at the ranch." Adam whispered in my ear, while gently shaking my shoulder. I jumped up, looking around frantically, my eyes landing on Adam who looked slightly worried by the way I was acting.
"Sorry." I mumbled, as a blush crept up my cheeks, "You just startled me."
Adam eyed me for a minute, not sure if he should believe me or not, but nodded his head when he saw that I was clearly not going to continue the conversation. I started to stand up, when Adam grabbed my arm and shook his head.
"Allow me to do the honors of helping the young lady down." He said, as he walked to the other side of the wagon, and winked.
"I'll allow you to help me down," I said, laughing, "But don't think for one minute I'm a lady! I may be a woman, but I'm most certainly not a lady!"
Adam laughed and nodded his head. I stood up as he grabbed my waist, picking me up and gently placing me on the ground. I stood there for a minute, observing his eyes. They were a light brown color, but when the sun hit them, it looked like there were many different shades of brown combined. I felt him genlty grab my arm, pulling me a little closer. My heart started to beat faster as he bent down, leaning in so close, I could feel his warm breath on my cheek. Just as we were about to close the distance between us, Joe walked out.
"Well, well!" He said, rather loudly, when he saw us, "What have we got here? Did I interupt anything?"
At this point, Adam had stepped back, and I was blushing furiously, as Joe grinned at our reactions. I glanced over at Adam, who calmly took over the situation.
"I was just helping Emma out of the wagon." He said, glaring at Joe.
"Riiiiight..." Joe said, smirking, "I guess that's why you were standing so close."
"THAT'S IT JOSEPH CARTWRIGHT!" I yelled, as I stepped forward, but tripped, due to my shoes.
"Dang these shoes!" I mumbled, then proceeded to bend down and take them off, handing them to Adam, "If you will exuse me, I have to punch somebody, and I can't have these shoes getting in my way!"
With that, I turned back to Joe, and charged. At first, Joe looked confused, but when he saw that he was the one I needed to punch, his smirk fell, and his eyes widened. Joe shrieked, a shriek that was so girly, if I weren't so mad, I probably would have laughed.
"Adam! Don't just stand there! Help me!" Joe shouted, as I tackled him, in the most unlady like way. Adam just leaned against the wagon and grinned.
"Sorry little brother," He said, as he watched me land my first punch on Joe, "No can do. She's giving you just a little bit of what you deserve."
Joe glared at Adam, and rolled his eyes. He grabbed my arm, and picked me up. Throwing me over his shoulder, Joe started walking towards something.
"PUT ME DOWN!" I screamed, as I pounded on his back. My eyes widened when I saw where he was walking, "Don't you dare put me in that trough!"
"Sorry my lady, but somebody has to teach you a lessson!" Joe laughed, as he continued forward. My mind quickly tried to make up a plan, and just as he stopped, I smirked, a plan had finally formed. Joe shifted me, getting ready to dump me into the water. I turned around and punched him square in the jaw, that caused him to drop me, inches from the water. I quickly ran behind him, and shoved him face first into the trough. Joe came up gagging and spitting up water.
"Emma, I'll get you for this!" He yelled, as he stood up, getting ready to grab me. I shrieked and backed up.
"Uh...Adam, I think now would be a good time for you to step in..." I said, as Joe advanced. Adam laughed, and jogged over, standing in front of me.
"I think you can stop now, Joe." Adam said, then smirked, "Anyway, you needed a bath, you should be thanking Emma."
At that, I burst out laughing, while Joe glared at both of us.
"What are you three up to?" Ben asked, as he walked outside, due to all the noise, "And Joe, why are you wet?"
"You can ask Emma." Joe said, crossing his arms. I started laughing again, but this time I laughed so hard, I had to hold onto Adam's arm for support.
"Well, you see," Adam stepped in, when he saw that I couldn't talk because I was laughing so hard, "Little Joe here made the mistake of teasing Emma, and he ended up in the trough."
Ben's eyes widened, before he burst out laughing. He glanced from me to Joe, and tried to stop, but failed miserably.
"I'm sorry Joe," He said, in between laughs, "I know I shouldn't be laughing...but Emma put you in the trough! Come on, let's get you changed in time for supper."
Ben walked over to Joe, put an arm around his shoulders, and lead him inside, still laughing. When they had gone, I walked towards the wagon.
"We should probably get the clothes inside." I said, smiling.
"Alright." Adam said, but then stopped walking, "By the way...that trick you played on Joe was pretty good."
"Thanks!" I said, grinning. We headed towards the wagon, and I grabbed half of the boxes, while Adam grabbed the other half. We headed inside, to my room, where I placed the boxes on my bed.
"Oh, Adam," I said, turning towards Adam, "Do you still have my shoes?"
He nodded, and handed me my shoes, which I placed in my closet. I started putting my clothes away, with Adam's help, we got the job finished quickly. Once we had finished, Adam walked over to me, and handed me a small package.
"Here," He said, when I raised an eyebrow, "You were looking at this in the store, so I got it for you."
I opened the small package, and gasped. It was the small music box I was looking at earlier.
"Adam..." I whispered, as I looked at it, "This must have cost a ton! You didn't-"
"I know, but I wanted to." He said, placing a finger on my lips. I smiled and gave him a hug.
"Thanks." I said, as I buried my head in his shoulder, "You don't know how much this means to me."
Adam placed his arms around me, holding me tightly. I stood there for a few seconds, enjoying the moment, before I noticed how close I was to him.
"Sorry!" I said, as I pulled away, blushing, "I don't know what got into me, I don't usally hug people."
I looked down, trying to hide my embarrassment. I was never good at awkward situations.
"Emma," Adam said softly, gently lifting my chin so that I could look at him, "You don't have to apologize, there's nothing wrong with hugging me, sometimes, people need to be hugged."
He pulled me in for another hug, and I didn't pull away. Instead, I relaxed, letting his strong arms wrap around me. He was right, sometimes I did need a hug...it felt good to be wrapped in arms again.
"Thank you." I whispered, as I buried my face in his shirt.
"No problem," He said, as he rested his chin on my head, "I'll always be here of you need me."
My breath stopped, and I pulled away, staggering back a little. That was exactly what I Helen, and what she told me. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I could not lose control of myself. Just as I thought I had my thoughts under control, death flashed before my eyes. He grinned, and his black eyes seemed to see right through me.
"Death follows you everywhere. Your friends will never be safe, at least, not with you around."
"Emma?" Adam asked, as he took a step towards me, "Are you ok?"
"No." I said, coldly, "How do you know? How do you know you will always be there for me?"
"Emma..." Adam said softly, "You're right. I can't promise that I will always be here for you. But, I can promise you that as long as I'm alive, I'll be here."
I looked into his eyes, looking for any sign of a lie. There was none. All I saw was truth, sorrow, and something else I couldn't place. The look wasn't bad though, it was almost as if he actually cared for me.
"Do you promise?" I asked. I needed to know if he really meant it.
"I promise." Adam said, smiling. I smiled back at him, happy at least somebody understood me.
"Do you know when supper will be ready?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"Probably not for another hour," Adam said, as he opened the door, "Is there anything you would like to do in the meantime?"
"Do you have any...musical instruments around here?" I asked, feeling the sudden urge to play some music. When I was younger, I used to play the piano, but after about 8 years, I moved on to the guitar. Whenever I got stressed, I would play the guitar and sing...even though I thought I sucked at singing, it helped get some of my emotional pain out.
"You play music?" Adam asked, as we walked down the hall.
"Well, I used to play the piano...but then I switched to the guitar." I said, as I stopped walking to look at him, "It kinda helps me calm down."
Adam nodded, and grabbed my arm, turning me around, guiding me in the other direction. I followed him down the hallway, where he opened the door to his room, and went inside.
"What are you doing?" I asked, as I followed him.
"You said you played the guitar." He answered, walking over to a corner in his room, and picking up a guitar, "You can use this."
"Are you sure?" I asked, gently taking it from his hands, "I mean, it's yours, I wouldn't want to ruin it or anything."
When he nodded, I grinned and threw my arms around his neck, standing on tip toes, I gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you so much," I said, as I pulled away, "You don't know how much this means to me."
"No problem," Adam said, as he lead me out of his room, "Do you mind if I listen?"
I hesitated. I never really let anybody listen to me play, because I was so insecure about my music skills. The look in Adam's eyes was hopefull, like he wanted to hear me play, but was afraid I would say no.
"I guess..." I said. It was the least I could do...after all, he was the one who let me borrow his guitar, "But can we go somewhere where nobody else can hear me? I'm not really comfortable with other people listening."
"Sure!" Adam said, his face instantly lighting up, "I can show you a secret place of mine where I go to read, nobody will bother us there."
I grinned and nodded, as he took my hand, leading me outside. We ran into Ben, who asked us what we were up to, but Adam just said he was showing me something. Luckily Ben didn't ask any more questions, he just nodded, told us to have a good time, and to be back in time for supper.
We walked down a small path, and in about a half mile, Adam stopped walking. He let go of my hand to cover my eyes.
"Adam!" I said, freezing right where I was, "What the heck are you doing? I can't see where I'm going!"
"Trust me, Emma." Adam whispered in my ear, while chuckling.
I relaxed a little, as he carefully led me forward. We took a small turn, and when he uncovered my eyes, I gasped. The veiw was beautiful! We were standing under a willow tree, and in front of the tree was a small pond with lily pads in it. The grass was greener than I had ever seen, with flowers all around. I stood there, for at least three minutes, my mouth hanging open like a fish.
"It's so beautiful here..." I whispered, as I took everything in.
"I'm glad you like it." Adam said, smiling at my reaction, "Now, why don't you play the guitar?"
I took a deep breathe and nodded. We sat down under the tree, I placed the instrument on my lap and began to play and sing one of my favorite songs on the guitar: When a Hero Falls - Stephen Cochran:
The man said, "Boys, call home.
Tonight's gonna be a long one,
And I don't want to say it, but I will
Some of you may not see home again.
Cause eight clicks north there's a villiage in a valley
Where the mullah lays his head.
Son, you lead them in, keep'em locked an loaded
If that man gets wind your comin'
He'll surprise you boys instead."
Now I know what a hero looks like when he falls.
Ron slapped my back then slipped away. Hit his knees, blessed his family and his team,
Cause God says all he has to say, when a hero falls.
About three hours, we were down in our postions, when I heard Ron's voice on the radio, and he was sayin',
I've got to take another road, dogs bark too loudly, stirring up the night, I've made some decisions, now I'm prayin that their right.
Now I know what a hero sounds like when he calls,
No fear for him, just for his men.
A voice of a lion, heart like a lamb, and he'll do all he can,
When a hero calls.
Shots rang out from the high ground,
Grab the rifles, start the jeeps,
Got there too late, but just in time to see...
Now I know what a hero looks like when he falls,
And lays his courage on the ground,
Knows where he's headed, and knows where he's been,
It's a moment to behold, and each story must be told,
When a hero falls
When a hero falls
When a hero falls...
By the end of the song, tears threatened to fall. All that I was thinking about at the moment, was of my failed mission.
"Emma.." Adam said softly, as he took the guitar and helped me to my feet, "That was beautiful. You sing and play the guitar very well!"
"Thanks," I said, wiping my eyes and giving him a small smile. I knew he was trying to make me think of happier things, and for that I was grateful.
"Do you know what time it is?" I asked, as we walked toward the path we took to get here.
"Not really," Adam answered, "But we had better get home, because if we're late for supper, Hop Sing will have my hide!"
I laughed as I tried to imagine Hop Sing, the little Chinese cook, yell at Adam. That sure would be a sight to see!
When we finally got home, I stopped Adam from going in.
"Adam," I said, "Thank you so much for today...it was an amazing day."
He smiled, and nodded, but before we started walking again, I kissed him on the cheek. He paused for a moment, before kissing my cheek in return.
"It was a wonderful day." Adam said, as we walked into the house. Everyone was already at the table, eating, but they all stood up as I approached.
"Well Emma," Ben started, as we all sat back down, "How was your day? I'm happy Adam got you some new dresses."
"Today was great!" I said, smiling, as I glanced at Adam, who was sitting beside me, "Adam bought me some new dresses, that is true, but what I don't get is how women here live like this! I can barely function properly in these thing!"
"I take it that where you come from, you were allowed to where men's clothes?" Ben asked.
"Well, where I come from, pants aren't really considered men's clothes...women wear them all the time! To tell you the truth, I don't think that wearing pants are bad...but some of the pants girls wear are just way to tight, or just plain to short. Actually...some of the women barely wear anything at all!" I said, rolling my eyes. Everyone at the table seemed disturbed by that thought...exept for Joe, who leaned forward in his chair.
"And you say this is common, where you come from?" He asked. When I nodded my head, he grinned, "I think Emma's world sounds amazing!"
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. Joe will be Joe. Of course he would say that.
When we had finished supper, Adam stood up, and pulled my chair out for me.
"Thank you for supper," I said, as I turned to Ben, "But if you don't mind, I would like to head to bed now. I'm quite tired."
"Of course!" Ben said, as he and Adam escorted me to the stairs, "Just so you we planned a little party for tomorrow, just a little get together. Maybe you can meet some new people."
I nodded, and smiled, "Ok. Good night!"
Ben leaned down and kissed me on the cheek, "Good night Emma."
I was just about to start up the stairs, when I stopped. I turned towards Adam and gave him a big hug.
"Again, thank you so much for today." I whispered in his ear. He nodded, and hugged me back.
"Good night, Em." He whispered back, as I walked up to my room. When I finally got undressed and into bed, I pondered the events of today, I couldn't take my mind off of Adam. Maybe, just maybe, my stay here wouldn't be bad.