A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to say a massive thank you for getting Troubled Waters to 100 followers! It's almost been three years since I came up with the idea for it and back then I would never have dreamed it would do so well. Thank you to everyone who has ever favourited, followed or reviewed (good and bad) for your continuous support and feedback. You have made me a better writer. But this isn't the end! We still have another 16 chapters after this one and a to-be-written epilogue. After that I might even do some one shots, what do you guys think? Hope you're all staying safe and well :) ~ Emma
Emma bristled at his implication. Tom was not her father in any sense of the word other than legally.
He surveyed her carefully before clasping his hands in his lap. "It's been a while."
"Because you haven't visited her in over a month." She'd wanted her words to sound harsh but they only came out weak. She chewed the inside of her lip as she tried—and failed—to maintain eye contact.
"Well someone has to earn enough to pay for all this madness." He gestured to the room. "Specialist facilities, a New York apartment. You're not cheap, you know."
Emma fell silent. She never had anything to say to him. It only ever got used against in the end.
"I give you a very generous budget and all you do is buy books with it." He chuckled, though it didn't meet his eyes. "Shame you couldn't have bought something nicer to wear for dinner tonight, but here we are."
She hadn't realised the sinking feeling in her chest couldn't get any worse, but there it was. Dinner. More time with her stepfather, less time with Rory. Perfect.
"She's all ready to go." A carer appeared at the door, wheeling Emma's mother in. The tremor in her mother's fingers seemed to have reduced ever so slightly. Just the thought gave Emma a brief respite from the dread that hung over her.
"Emma." Her mother broke out into a broad smile as their eyes met.
"Hi mum." Emma moved to her side and wrapped her arms around her gently. "You're looking well."
As Emma pulled away she saw how true the words were; her mum looked so much more relaxed than usual. It was nice to see her dressed up, Emma knew how much it meant to her to look put together.
She held on to Emma's hand. "How have you been?"
"We'll have time for that later." Tom strode over, breaking the contact between them.
Emma took a step back and they embraced and exchanged pleasantries. She looked away. It was an awful reminder of how permanent Tom was.
Emma couldn't get a word in as they made their way to the taxi. She stood back and pulled out her phone as the carers loaded her mum into the car.
Won't be back till late-ish. Stepdad showed up so we're going out for dinner. - Emma
A couple of moments later her phone buzzed.
Just got back to school. Let me know if you still want me to come round, I don't care how late. I can always sleep in my favourite spot… the couch! - Rory
She grinned to herself and started to type a response.
"Didn't feel like helping your mother in?" Her head snapped up at Tom's voice.
She cursed the blush that she could feel on her cheeks. "I'd just be in the way."
He made a disgruntled sound before climbing into the taxi. The last thing she wanted to do was follow, but what choice did she have.
Before too long they were seated in a nice restaurant. Emma felt completely out of place in her jeans and boots. Of course, it would have been too much for Tom to give her advanced warning of his plans for the evening.
"Have you spoken to Austin again recently?" Her mother leaned over, her hazel eyes sparkling with interest. "Such a shame you two aren't still friends."
How wonderful for the dinner to start out with talk of Austin. Just what she wanted. She felt her shoulders fold in.
"Emma, you didn't tell me you were seeing someone." Tom raised his eyebrows at her. As if they ever talked about anything but finance.
Emma ignored him. "No mum, we're not friends and we're not getting back together." It would be great if someone could come and take their order right about now.
"Ah a break up, that would explain why your grades are slipping then." Tom looked down at her, over his menu. "I was shocked when I found out from your teachers. When you do absolutely no extra curricular, I would expect you to have top grades."
"Oh darling." Her mother reached across the table with a shaky hand. Emma met her halfway, not wanting to strain her mum. "Well I'm sure they'll come up again soon."
Emma could only look away. "I'm doing my best."
"All depends on how much trouble the next one brings you, doesn't it?" Tom's humorous smile made her mother laugh, but Emma knew this wasn't going to be funny. "He had quite a nice car for a seventeen year old."
There it was. How she was supposed to eat when all he did was make her nauseous, she couldn't understand.
"Who's he talking about, darling?" Her mother looked at her with furrowed brows.
"Rory's just a friend." As her lips shaped his name she felt her heart beat faster. She shouldn't have let him drive her. He shouldn't have let Tom see him. Sharing him with them felt like placing her worn heart on the chopping block. He was so perfect and Tom was... anything but.
He simply smiled. "And do you kiss all your friends, Emma?"
"Tom!" Her mother said through a loud laugh. "Leave the poor girl alone."
"I'm teasing, love." He stroked her arm affectionately as he chuckled with her.
How easily he could play it off. Each of the comment's that scratched her soul and made her shrink. She wanted the floor to swallow her whole. She wanted to run away and never return. She'd tried distancing herself before, but the threat had come loud and clear. Play along or get cut off. She didn't think she was strong enough to entertain the thought of the latter.
She just had to get through this. She grasped the whole pendant in one hand and tugged on it, letting the chain bite into her neck. Breath.
The next part of the conversation didn't require her. She was quite happy to sit back nibbling at the bread instead of having to partake in the conversation. She managed to make it all the way to dessert before University came up, where she reminded how her lack of extra curricular would stop any good uni from considering her. Emma wanted to ask how well Tom could balance constantly fighting for his life with getting through high school, but her mother shot her a pleading look. She wouldn't have let the words out anyway.
She couldn't have been happier when her mother suggested she walk straight home from the restaurant. If she'd spent another moment with Tom she might have disappeared entirely.
She hugged her mother fiercely and told her she would visit again soon.
"It was nice to spend time with the both of you." Her mother smiled, as she always did. Acting as if nothing Tom said hurt Emma. That she should put up with it for her mother's sake. The way she had done her whole life. It made her resent her mother more than anything else, but when you only had one parent it meant you clung to them that much more.
As she walked to the subway, dragging her feet, she wished there were less lights so that she could just fade into the shadows. Shame hung around her like a thick cloud of smoke. She hated how she could never stand up to him. How every time he talked down at her it only made her smaller. He was the one person she could never stand up to.
When she checked her phone there was a message from Rory asking if she was okay. She knew that if he'd asked her that to her face she'd have broken into tears. She never felt quite as weak as she did facing Tom.
As soon as she was through the door she moved to put the kettle on. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with a cup of tea and a book. But she knew the only thing that would truly make her feel better was having a certain blue eyed swimmer curling up beside her; feeling his arm around her waist, holding her against his body.
She poured her tea and waited on the sofa for him, twisting a blanket around her shoulders. She allowed herself to get lost in the pages, the real world falling away. Reading didn't solve or dissipate the emotions she felt, but it blocked them out until she was ready to deal with them. That time was not now.
The buzz of the doorbell almost wasn't enough to pull her away, but a few moments later there was a knock at the door. She opened the door and there he stood, his lazy smile lighting up his deep blue eyes. She hadn't realised how much she'd ached for him till he was merely a meter away from her. The best part was, she didn't even have to hold herself back. As soon as he closed the door she stepped into the circle of his arms. She clung to his jacket, nuzzling her head in his neck. His body became tense, but never let go. When she drew back she sniffled, though no tears escaped her eyes.
"What's wrong?" He cupped her face in his palms, running his thumb over her cheek.
She shook her head. How could she ever explain? "It's nothing. My stepdad just… gets to me sometimes"
He pulled her in for a hug and pressed his lips to her hair. "Why?"
"It's nothing big. Nothing obvious. It's just small knockdowns that pile up and bury my waning sense of self worth." She gave a shaky laugh to try and lighten the weight she felt. She flinched when she bit her lip. It was already raw.
"Sounds like an asshole." He loosened his grip on her and she stepped away, moving back to her tea.
"Is that why you were so nervous in the car earlier?" His voice was soft, just like his eyes. He sat on the sofa with her, but not close enough to touch.
The car. She'd forgotten all about being privy to Betty and Austin's spat. She hadn't told Rory yet. She liked to have time to process things before discussing them, but her opportunity had been cut short.
She shook her head slowly. "No… I didn't even manage to get my text book."
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why not?"
"Austin and Betty were arguing in the hall. Right in front of my locker." She ran her tongue over her dry lips.
"Then," he paused, "why didn't you come straight back?"
She looked away, trying to push down the surge of embarrassment that washed over her. It mixed with her pool of emotions that ranged from sympathy for Betty to anger at Austin and a feeling of helplessness. No one deserved that. Betty might be a nightmare, but to be with such a monster. He wasn't just mean to her, he was dangerous to her. She was a demigod and he was with Bahram.
She let her lashes rest on her cheeks. She couldn't look at him as she said, "I think we should tell Betty about Austin. I think she deserves to know."
"What?" There was a dark edge to his voice. "Are you out of your mind?"
When she met his gaze there was a smouldering fire in his eyes.
"She deserved to know."
"Why? So she can go tell him and we lose any advantage we have over him?" Rory passed his fingers through his hair.
"It's hardly like we had any plans to use it anyway." Emma wasn't sure how she stayed so calm. Maybe it's because of how tired she felt, how much effort it required just to move her bones. "He treats her horribly. He walks all over her and lets everyone think it's the other way around."
"Why do you care?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "When has she ever done anything nice for you? She probably learnt your name for the first time when you started seeing Austin."
She tried to ignore the burning sensation that started in her veins when he mentioned her fling with Austin. "She was nice to you when you arrived, wasn't she? She invited you to her party, she introduced you to people you'd get along with."
"She just wanted to get with me, that doesn't count." Her calmness seemed to rub off on him, his voice quieting. "Besides, I thought you hated cheerleaders as much as you hated jocks."
"And then I met this one swimmer, who was kinder to me than anyone has ever been in my life." She reached over, a smile on her lips and gently caressed his face. "Since then I've been trying to keep an open mind."
He leaned into her and she felt the tension flowing out of his body at her touch. When he caught himself doing so, he went rigid. "I'm not going to let you risk it. If Bahram finds out we know he could get desperate, he could become even more dangerous than he already is."
She dropped her hand. "You don't get to tell me what to do."
"If I rephrase it, are you any more likely to listen to reason?" His tone was sassy, but it did little to disguise the worry underneath. "What's the point? She won't believe you anyway. She'll just think it's a ploy to get Austin back. She sees you as a threat and though she wont lash out at you, she's not going to take your word when she doesn't know you."
His words hit her like a flick between the eyes. How disturbing reality was. I need you. I love you. Betty's words sounded in her ears like church bells. How could she forget the one lesson every book taught her. Love trumps reason. Even if she had any semblance of evidence, Betty still wouldn't believe her.
"So I just let him hurt her?" Emma couldn't set aside the tightness in her chest. She searched his face for an answer that wasn't yes.
He placed his hand on hers. "It's not your job to save everyone."
She tilted her head to one side. "If I'd had that attitude with you, you wouldn't be here."
For a moment he looked at her with an expression that said 'seriously?'. Then he smiled, a beautiful smile that evolved into a laugh. A loud, infectious laugh.
"This isn't funny," she said between the giggles she couldn't suppress.
"No of course, what's funny about a sixteen year old girl reminding her boyfriend that she saved him from a kidnapping by an ancient monster before they were even friends?" His eyes sparkled with hysteria. "'So how did you two meet?' 'Oh, nothing unusual. She just tried to drown me with her magic powers.'"
"Stop it." She slapped his arm, but she couldn't stop herself laughing and neither could he. He wrapped his arms around her, dragging her toward him and she squealed in surprise.
He pushed her hair behind her ear, tangling his fingers in the rest as she tried to catch her breath. They both fell silent. She felt the rise and fall of his chest and each beat of his heart as it thumped against his chest. She could stare at those crystalline eyes until she fell into them. Maybe she already had. When their lips touched, the moment was brighter than the light of a thousand stars. She couldn't imagine tiring of the way they felt against hers. She didn't think she would ever get used to the fact he was hers. He would always seem like a character from a book because, in the real world, there were no perfect people. But to her, he was just that.