Hello! So, this idea has been rolling around in my head for a long time. I finally got around to writing it down. I am basing this story from the film and not the book (I have the book...I haven't read it yet). I loved Emily's character, so I wanted to delve into it a bit more. Of course it is AU, but it will coincide with the events of the film, so Andy and Miranda will be making appearances! I am also in the midst of a slight obsession of having Emily Blunt's characters be with Jason Statham's characters, so I am bringing over Lee Christmas from The Expendables franchise into this story. You don't have to see the films to know the character as I do character development for him as I go.
I hope you enjoy the story!
2006
Emily Charlton loved her job. Yes, she did. No, really. Working at Runway for one of the top women in fashion was every girl's dream. It was. Well, maybe it was an illusion. As Emily stood in the street with bags and bags in her arms, her phone screaming at her, and cars honking at her, she was beginning to think that perhaps the job wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Then, when things couldn't get any worse, Emily was struck by a car. As she lay on the ground after flying a few feet, she started to think about how she got there. How had things gotten so hard?
"Miss? Miss!" voices shouted. She felt her eyes closing. She felt so alone. She really wanted the person she no longer had, and it made her want to cry, not the fact that she just got hit by a car.
"Hang on, miss. Help is coming."
She didn't respond. It was getting quieter. Everything seemed like it was in slow motion. Where would she go from here?
Okay, now let's back up a bit, shall we?
December 2004
"Are you sure this is what you want, love?" Rosemary asked. Emily looked up at her mother from her bags.
"What do you mean? Of course it's what I want," she answered. Her tone was a little sharp, but it seemed to be sharp these days.
"It's just so far away," Rosemary went on.
"I will come visit," Emily promised.
"I feel as though you are running away," Rosemary said, looking pointedly at her daughter. Emily gave a huff and set down the things she was holding.
"Mum, I am not running away."
"It's just...well your father..."
"He'd want me to go, Mum. You know that. He always backed up my dreams and ambitions."
"I do too! I'm just saying that it's so soon after..."
"Don't," Emily said, holding up her hand. "I'm not running away, and it's not too soon. It's been three years, Mum. I'm going because I have to start my career and my life."
Rosemary studied her daughter for a moment before nodding.
"Okay," she said.
"Hey, sis," Eric said, coming into her room. "You almost ready?"
"This is your fault," Rosemary accused upon seeing her son. As the oldest, he was supposed to protect his little sister, but instead he was dragging her off to New York to live with him.
"Hey, whoa," Eric said, putting his hands up in defense. "This was always her plan, Mum."
"You've both left me here alone," Rosemary said, beginning to cry. Emily gave Eric a look behind their mother's shoulder.
"You've got Aunt Hettie. You're not entirely alone," Eric insisted.
"Oh yes, the sister who is always one upping me. Yes, that's the perfect person to leave me behind with."
"Mum, stop," Emily ordered. "We all can't live under the same roof forever. You knew this day was coming."
"I know but...without your father..."
"I need air," Emily said, moving out of the room quickly. Eric patted her shoulder as she passed, knowing how hard it was for her still. Emily reached their front step and breathed in deep breaths. Thinking about or talking about her father was beyond difficult. He had died just before Christmas three years ago. It was still very fresh in her mind, though, and it made her heart hurt every day. It had been a shock to all of them, really. Edward had been struck with a heart attack on his way to work. No one had found him until hours later when it was too late. Emily became vigilant about her health ever since. She watched her diet and she exercised more. She refused to let what happened to her father happen to her. Of course, her mother was terrified she would become anorexic, but Emily was careful.
"Hey, Em," Eric said, surfacing behind her. "Mum's sorry, you know?"
"I know."
"Come on and finish up. We don't want to miss our flight."
"All right."
Emily took one last look around their front yard before going inside. Despite what her mother thought, she was going to miss home.
...
Emily did her best to keep the image of her crying mother out of her mind as the plane flew over the ocean. She felt bad leaving her there all alone, but her mother could have come with them. They all could have started over in America. There would have been nothing wrong with that. Her mother refused, though, saying she had to stay where she belonged.
"Peanut?" Eric asked, holding the bag to her. She shook her head.
"Come on, Em, you've eaten nothing today," Eric said.
"I'm not hungry," she replied. It was sort of the truth. Eric narrowed his eyes at her.
"You're not getting sick, are you?"
"No. Would you stop? You're worse than Mum."
"Ouch," Eric laughed. "Okay, I'll stop, but you have to promise me to eat at least two peanuts." Emily glared at him, but she reached into the bag and pulled out two peanuts, placing them in her mouth. They were way too salty, and she immediately wanted to spit them out, but she chewed and swallowed to make him happy.
"Thank you," he said. Emily was calculating how much time and exercise she'd need to do to get rid of those two peanuts. It was becoming a little bit of an obsession, but she was still confident she was fine.
"I'll get my own place," Emily promised. "I won't get in your way."
"I don't mind you staying with me," Eric said. "I didn't tell Mum, but I do have a roommate."
"You do?"
"Yea. Is that all right?"
"Guy or girl?" Emily asked, suspicious.
"I'm not secretly dating someone, if that's what you're thinking," Eric chuckled. "No, it's my friend. You remember him. Lee Christmas? You used to tag along behind us when we did stuff."
"Oh my God, Lee?" Emily asked, shocked. She hadn't seen him in a long time. She blushed a little, remembering how much of a crush she used to have on him. She hadn't really dated much growing up, and she certainly did not have any experience. She had just turned 23. Eric was 30. The joke was that she was a "whoops" and not meant to be there at all, but her father had convinced her that it wasn't true, that he'd always wanted her. Lee was at least 32 or 33. She remembered he had been held back a grade in high school, where he and Eric had met. Her young girl crush on him had turned into a teenage crush until he had joined the SAS. She'd been terrified of him dying all the time until he finally quit and moved to the States. Eric had followed him, and Emily had been jealous because she had been left behind.
"Yea. I didn't want Mum to get all fussed about her unmarried daughter living with an unmarried man," Eric teased.
"Thank you for that," Emily said. She would have gotten phone calls every day about it if their mother knew.
"It's not a problem, is it?" Eric asked, breaking into her thoughts.
"No," Emily shook her head. "I'm all right with it."
Lee Christmas, she thought. She hadn't thought of him much recently.
"He hasn't really changed at all," Eric said, knowing she was thinking about him. She blushed again, hating that her brother knew her so well.
"Well, we'll see won't we?" she commented. She felt a little excited knowing she was going to see him again.
...
When everyone was getting off the plane, Emily waited for Eric to be ahead of her before she started playing with her hair. She wished she had looked a little better than she did. Her jeans felt juvenile, and her shirt too ruffly. Why hadn't Eric given her the head's up about Lee before she had boarded the plane? She would have changed.
"Stop," Eric said, catching her tugging at her clothes. "You look amazing."
"I'm just wiping off plane guck," she explained.
"Sure," he smirked.
"I am!" she insisted.
"There's Lee," Eric said, pointing.
"Where?" Emily asked, hand instantly going to her hair.
"Yea, plane guck," he laughed after she saw no one was there.
"You're so mean!" she cried, swatting him.
"I'm your brother. Of course I'm gonna be mean sometimes," he joked. He lifted their bags from the baggage claim and pulled them both behind him.
"I can take mine," Emily said, reaching.
"It's all right. I'm capable," he answered. She didn't argue. It was nice to have someone look after her things for her.
"Where's your car?" she asked when they got outside. Eric scanned the line of waiting cars until he found his. He knew Emily was going to hit him again when she found out who was driving it.
"There," he gestured. Emily looked to see where he was pointing, and her heart fluttered. Someone was driving it, and she knew exactly who it was.
"I hate you," she said to Eric, but of course she didn't mean it. He smirked and headed over to the car. When Lee got out of the driver's seat, Emily thought her legs were going to give out on her. That crush was instantly back, and it didn't help that Lee looked phenomenal. He was even wearing the same black leather coat he wore all the time, which Emily was a sucker for, and his dark aviators.
"Hey, man," Eric said, fist bumping Lee. "Thanks for bringing the car."
"No problem," Lee replied. Then he spotted her. "Emmy! Wow, look at you. You're all grown up!"
Emily thought she was going to topple over. He was the only one who called her Emmy. Anyone else who tried got wounded. She did her best to stay upright while she beamed back at him.
"And you haven't changed at all," she commented. He laughed.
"That's what I've been told," he grinned. Eric put their bags in the trunk and closed it.
"Shall we?" he asked. Lee opened the passenger door for Emily, and she headed for it.
"No hug?" he questioned when she went to get in. "I haven't seen you in ages."
"Right," she giggled nervously. She hugged him, and the feel of his arms around her was incredible. He smelled wonderful too. She felt like a dithering teenager all over again.
"You're stopping traffic," Eric said from inside the car. Emily pulled back from Lee and somehow managed to get in the car on her shaky knees. Lee closed her door and got in behind her. Eric was still smirking as he started to drive.
"Shadow missed you," Lee said after a while.
"Poor ol' boy. We haven't been separated for this long before," Eric sighed.
"Shadow?" Emily asked.
"Oh, my black lab."
"You have a dog?"
"Yea."
"In your apartment?"
"It's big enough."
"Oh," she said. She hadn't really thought much about Eric's apartment. She had never seen it. He'd always come to England for holidays and such.
"So what brings you to New York, Emmy?" Lee asked. She flushed.
"I'm astounded she doesn't clock you when you call her that," Eric said. "I got a book chucked at my head for calling her that once."
"Oh, I didn't realize you didn't like it," Lee said. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine!" Emily said, her voice too high pitched. "Really." She gave Eric a dagger look, and he just laughed to himself.
"You didn't answer my question," Lee pointed out.
"Right! Um, well I'm just looking for a new start, you know?"
"Emmy's into fashion now," Eric said, sniggering. Emily punched his leg hard. "Ow!"
"Fashion? Really?" Lee asked, ignoring Eric. "I never would have thought."
"A lot has changed since I was a teenager," she said.
"I noticed," Lee said. Emily thought she was going to die on the spot. He noticed she had changed! Had he always noticed her? No, that's ridiculous. She was a kid to his teenager when she'd followed him and Eric around like a puppy. She was a teenager to his adult when he'd left. She straightened in her seat. They were both adults now. Her mother would be appalled at her eying up someone almost ten years older than her, but she didn't care. What was age anyway?
It was quiet in the car for the rest of the trip. Emily couldn't think of anything witty to say, so she stayed silent. She didn't want to embarrass herself.
"Here we are," Eric said, pulling into the parking lot of an apartment complex.
"Oh, it's lovely," Emily said, looking at it.
"It's New York," he smiled. He parked, and they got out. Lee took her bags while Eric took his, and Emily followed behind them to the elevator. She again felt like that lost puppy following after them. She shook her head. She wasn't a kid anymore. Their apartment was on the twentieth floor, which meant there was going to be a view. Emily was antsy to see her new home when they reached the door. Barking sounded behind it.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Eric said, pushing the door open. Shadow was immediately trying to jump on him. "Down!"
"This way," Lee said, leading Emily around them and down the hallway to her room. Emily was impressed at the size of the place. Her brother had been right, it was big.
"Thank you," she said as Lee set her bags down on the floor of the bedroom.
"No problem," he smiled. "Good to see you again."
"You too," she smiled back. He left her standing there, and she wondered how she was going to survive living five feet away from him without looking like a complete idiot who couldn't string a sentence together without blushing. It was going to be difficult.
...
"Why does this dog follow me around?" Emily asked Eric when she was sitting at the bar in the kitchen while he cooked.
"He likes you," Eric responded. Shadow was panting and getting his drool on her legs. She felt a little nauseous looking at it.
"I'm not a dog person," she said.
"What?" Lee asked, joining them and overhearing her. "How come?"
"I don't know. I just never was."
"She got bit by one when she was younger. It's a fear thing," Eric explained.
"No, it isn't," Emily insisted. Lee snapped his fingers, and Shadow hustled over to him to retrieve the treat Lee had for him. Lee smiled at her when he caught her watching. She blushed again before looking away.
"All right, tuck in," Eric said, setting down the platter of hamburgers and the fixings beside it.
Emily tugged at the lettuce and put a slice of tomato on it and ate it slowly.
"Eat the meat, Em," Eric urged.
"I'm not really hungry," she said.
"You never are," Eric sighed.
"I'm fine," she said to him, giving him a look.
"Not to eat and run, but I've got somewhere to be," Lee said, observing this interaction between brother and sister. Something was up here, but he wasn't sure what exactly. He stuffed a burger onto a bun with other stuff added and headed for the door.
"Oh, you're literally eating and running," Eric joked.
"Yea, sorry. See you later?" Lee asked.
"Yea, yea. Go," Eric waved him off. Emily gave him a small smile and a wave before he left. She buzzed inside when he returned it before shutting the door behind him.
"So," Eric said after a while. "Lee, huh?"
"What about him?"
"Em, you blush like a little teeny bopper every time he looks at you. I'm not an idiot."
"Is it that noticeable?" Emily asked, mortified.
"A little," Eric nodded.
"I'm so embarrassed," she said, hanging her head.
"I'm sure he's used to it," Eric assured her. "I wouldn't worry about it."
Emily finished her lettuce without another word. She would have to work carefully on her blushing from now on. If Eric saw it, then Lee probably saw it too. She couldn't have that.
"I'm going to lie down," she said. "I'm feeling tired."
"That's because you haven't eaten enough today," Eric pointed out. "You have no energy."
"Eric, stop," Emily ordered. "Please. I am fine. I promise."
Eric studied her carefully for a moment.
"Okay," he finally said. "Good night."
"Good night."
Emily managed to keep Shadow from coming into her room with her and went to lie on her bed. She was in New York. She had a new beginning. She could see most of the skyline from her bedroom window. Everything was going to be all right. Tomorrow, she'd go look for a job.
So as you've noticed, I will be talking about Emily having an eating disorder. I just want to put that out there so as not to trigger anyone. Thanks for reading! Let me know if you want me to continue this story :)