Chapter Twenty: The Consequences
One week. For one week, everything had been perfect. Emma had spent the majority of her time with Josef, relearning the small details she'd forgotten. It was a bit like living in the center of a tornado where the world was calm and perfect. At any moment the wind could shift and she would be sucked back into the chaos. Towards the end of her perfect week, her body had begun to spoil it. In the morning she would put on a happy face for Josef then close herself up in the bathroom at the café after the lunch rush had passed while nausea racked her body. At that point in the day she couldn't really hold back anymore.
"Why me?" she grumbled, head pressed against the cool white porcelain of the toilet. Maybe she was being punished for lying to Brandon. Maybe she should have told him over the phone that she was moving out and that his engagement ring was in the jungle of his front lawn. Of course, Emma had been cowardly although she wanted to call it honorable. She wanted to confront Brandon face-to-face before moving in with Josef and becoming fully part of his life.
The stomach issues could also be nerves. It wouldn't be pretty when Brandon got back. Or when Naomi finally emerged from the shadows. Emma didn't like guessing at what the big, bad witch was up to. There were a thousand possibilities and none of them were good. Mona had explained that if any big magic went down she would sense it and be able to warn everyone in time. While comforting, Mona would not be immediately aware of subtle, invasive magic that destroyed lives. And while Andy was in vampire boot camp they were a witch short. Mick was keeping her busy and out of the way. Mona had told Emma that it was because he didn't want a fledgling vampire getting into trouble while she could barely control herself. However, Mona also expressed her belief that Andy's control was not that bad and Mick was just overprotective.
No matter what the reason, Emma was nauseous and miserable. She'd just blame the world.
"Um, Emma?" Ellen called softly, tapping on the bathroom door. "I know you like to spend an hour alone with the plumbing but I need to tell you something." Emma smiled a little. She was a bad influence on Ellen. The young vampire was developing a sarcastic streak that was carefully hidden by her soft voice.
"Go for it, honey. I'm not going to be moving for at least another ten minutes."
"Here it is, then," Ellen began, taking a deep breath she didn't need. "I know I'm young and I haven't experienced everything yet. I could very well be wrong about what I think is happening to you. It's just that your body is producing certain hormones that I… Well, I've only smelled them on… I think you might be…"
"I hope you're not going to say dying because that would be really inconvenient," Emma murmured, wondering what was so difficult for Ellen to just spit out. The vampire giggled nervously.
"No, not dying. The opposite, actually. I think you're pregnant." She took a few steps back when Emma swung the door open.
"Pregnant? I… I can't be pregnant. I'm not… I don't…"
"You're thirty and still fertile," Ellen pointed out gently. "And Josef is human. You could say all systems are go." Emma's eyes were wide and she had to use the door for support. There was a baby growing inside her. Josef's child. Her child. An ex-fiancé to deal with, an evil witch haunting her steps, a former vampire's immortality still missing and Emma had to go and get pregnant. What the hell sort of timing was that?
"Christ," she muttered, wishing she could run her hand through her braided hair. Ellen bit her lip.
"Don't you want it?" she asked nervously. Emma had never talked about having children. Not everyone wanted to be a mother. Maybe Emma was one of those women.
"I haven't really thought about it," Emma said honestly. "Babies were always sort of off on a distant horizon. Then being with Josef ruled out having children of my own." She sighed deeply, moving into her workroom. "I mean I've always liked babies. They have really exquisite hands."
A storm of thoughts had erupted in her head. She was going to be a mother. She'd need to buy a thousand different things, see a doctor and… and tell Josef. Did he want to be a father? Did he like children? Emma slid a hand over her womb protectively. Her child deserved to be loved completely, no matter what. That wouldn't be an option. She smiled slowly, the fright and uncertainty beginning to fade. Fathered by a vampire turned human, her baby was completely impossible. Miraculous. Who cared about the timing? This was fantastic! "I need to call Josef," she said, reaching for her bag. Ellen had gone still a moment ago and begun to sniff lightly at the air.
"No need. He's here and… angry." Ellen and Emma both frowned. Then Ellen knew exactly what Josef was angry about. "Uh oh. Did you know Brandon was back from Europe?" Emma paled. She could remember her message machine that morning, the red light flashing. Josef had wanted to know why she refused to check it. Emma didn't want Brandon intruding on her time, that was why. Apparently Josef had listened to the messages. Apparently Brandon had called and said he was coming over to see her.
Apparently she was screwed.
"This isn't going to be pretty," Emma said, hurrying out of her workroom. She was right and knew it straight away. Brandon taking a swing at Josef was definitely her first clue. Josef smashing his fist into Brandon's face was the second.
"Oh, dear," Ellen breathed. "That drew blood."
"Shit," Emma cursed and sped up, throwing the door open. It didn't distract the men. Brandon was set on making Josef bleed in return and Josef was thinking about how bad it would look if he snapped the other man's neck. "Josef, stop!" He heard Emma's voice and turned slightly in response. Brandon took the opportunity, striking out and blackening his eye.
"Hey, that was a sucker punch!" Ellen shouted. She caught Josef before he fell while Emma walked past the two of them. The vampire wasn't sure exactly what Emma was intending until her fingers closed into a tight fist and she finished breaking Brandon's nose for Josef.
"Jesus Christ, Emma! What the fuck was that for?" he cried out, holding his hands over his nose. Emma rubbed her knuckles but kept the wince of pain off her face. The impact had hurt her, although not nearly as much as it had hurt him. That was satisfying.
"Believe me, I have a long list of reasons," Emma snapped. "And you're going to hear all of them. Get inside right now." Brandon only briefly entertained the notion of disagreeing. But even a blind man could see the sparks of fire in Emma's dangerously narrowed eyes. He did as he was told.
"Impressive right hook," Josef commented, having managed to stand up straight after a few moments. The last time he'd felt real significant pain was when another vampire had shoved a stake through his chest. A sucker punch delivered by a human paled in comparison but he'd felt it nonetheless. It was humiliating.
"Your eye is going to swell," Emma said, tilting her head back and studying the damage. Then she stood on tiptoe and pressed a soft kiss to his surprised mouth. "Ellen will put some ice on it while I tell off Brandon."
"I'd rather you take Ellen's job," Josef said as he stroked her cheek. "Besides, she could punish Brandon much more effectively." Ellen smiled, sharp fangs glittering briefly in the sun before she morphed back into a shy young woman. Emma smirked.
"Tempting. I might take you up on that later."
Before Emma went to talk to Brandon, she made sure that any lingering signs of warmth or pleasure Josef usually triggered when he was around had vanished. This was not going to be a friendly conversation. She had broken his nose. Her opinion about who was the better man was obvious. Emma pushed open the door and prepared herself for an argument. Instead she was surprised by Brandon hanging his head like a beaten puppy.
"I deserve this," he said, gesturing to the nose he'd stuffed tissues in to stop the bleeding. The skin was a mottled shade of red and the bruising had already started. His nose would never be straight again, either. "You have every right to be mad at me."
"No kidding." Sadly, being agreed with took the fire out from under her and she sat on her desk chair. "You lied to me."
"Yes," he whispered unwillingly. "I thought you were in danger. I thought Kostan was going to hurt you." Brandon shook his head. "Then I got you into a car wreck. Shows how safe I am."
"It's still vague for me," Emma said. "I need you to describe this in detail." He winced as if the suggestion pained him. "What's made you so willing to talk about this? A few seconds ago you were at Josef's throat."
"Josef and I don't have a great relationship," he replied simply. "And I've been wanting to talk about this for six months. Lying to you was never easy."
"You pulled it off well." Emma had every right to be a bitch right then and she intended to make this difficult. A broken nose wasn't enough. He'd wrecked her life just as much as Naomi had. Although… if he hadn't then there would be no baby growing inside of her. Damn.
"Naomi came to me," Brandon told her. "Somehow she knew how much Josef had freaked me out and that I was afraid for you. She knew and she convinced me that I wasn't crazy. That you were in danger. Then she asked if I was willing to pay the price."
"The price of what?" Emma asked, remembering what Josef had told her about Naomi. She'd talked about the price of her services. A price that was always too steep to pay.
"The price of keeping you safe. I said yes. I did what she told me to do. I lied to you, got you to drive down to my house. Emma, I swear to you that if I'd known what she was planning I wouldn't have agreed. I didn't want to hurt you."
"But you did," she murmured, looking away from his pleading eyes. The details were foggy but the pain wasn't forgettable. It was chiseled into her body. The impact, the glass, the rough grind of pavement. All of it was because Brandon hadn't asked her if she was safe or not. He hadn't trusted her judgment.
"She erased your memory," Brandon continued. "Except she said it wasn't erased, that memories couldn't be erased. They could only be locked away. She… she gave me those pills for your headaches. Any time the pain started, it meant that a memory was getting loose. The medication would keep it all repressed. After a while, Naomi said you wouldn't need it anymore." Emma's fingers dug into her jeans, clutching at her legs. He'd poisoned her. She'd figured it out before but… It was too horrifying for words.
"I haven't taken it in a week," Emma informed him flatly, afraid that if she spoke with any emotion she'd start screaming. "There haven't been any headaches, either. Have I passed the point of no return?"
"I don't know. Maybe it just takes a while to wear off," Brandon suggested. If she'd lost her memories forever, there was no way she'd forgive him. Forgiveness didn't seem likely right now anyway. "I can get you your sketchbooks. I hid them at my house. Naomi said to destroy them but that didn't feel right."
"Oh, because you're such a moral compass," she snarled. Emma stood up and fought the urge to hit him again. She needed to keep in mind that she'd benefited from all this. Josef wouldn't have become human if it hadn't happened. If he hadn't had become human… Emma wrapped her arms around her body, holding that spark of life tight within her. Her memories might be gone for good. In exchange she was getting a child. Emma could live with that. "I wanted to tell you this once you came home. I'm leaving. I'll have someone get my things from your house. I never want to go back. Josef's more than happy to have me as a roommate again. Oh, and the wedding's off." Brandon opened his mouth. Whether it was to apologize or plead, Emma didn't know and never would.
"Emma!" Ellen cried out. Emma sprinted out the door and felt her heart grind to a stop when she saw Josef's pale, seemingly lifeless body in her friend's arms. "I don't know what happened. His pulse doubled then stopped for a few seconds before he collapsed." The vampire was then completely ignored as Emma took Josef's face in her hands.
"Josef? Come on, Josef, don't do this to me. Josef!" she shouted, beginning to shake him. Then she noticed it. A smell clung to Josef that did not belong. "Do you smell that?" she asked Ellen, looking up at her.
"Candle smoke," Ellen whispered. Both of them came to the same realization at once.
"Call Mona." Emma took Josef's weight even though she couldn't handle it. She ended up cradling his head on her lap as she sat on the floor. He felt cold. Too cold. Dimly she could hear Ellen's voice on the phone. Emma pressed her fingers to his throat. There was a pulse, frail and weak. "Josef," she pleaded quietly. "Josef, please open your eyes. Please, I'm begging you. You know how much I hate to beg. Please, Josef, I love you. I need you here. Josef, please." Her voice broke on the tears she could no longer control. "I can't lose you, Josef. I can't. Please."
Please, she prayed to whatever power was listening. Please, don't let him die.