Zander and Peter walked into Jake's, it was late, but Zander was sure Coleman could whip something up for them to eat. "Hey man, what can I getchya?" Coleman asked as he wiped his hands on the towel that he had hanging over his shoulder. "Beer's fine." Peter replied as he was eyeing up the pool table across the room. "Zander? You're usual?" he nodded as he pulled out a few bills from his pocket and laid them down on the bar. Coleman returned with their drinks and took the money he needed for the drinks from the pile. "Hey ... I think she's waiting for you." he said to Zander as he pointed to a girl sitting off at a corner table. "What makes you think that?" Zander asked as he took a swallow of Jack. "Man, she asked for you when she walked in about a half hour ago. She's been waiting for you." Zander slapped Peter on the back. "Rack 'em up. I'll be right back." Zander walked slowly over to the young lady who was waiting to see him, apparently. As he got closer, he noticed it was Emily who was waiting.
He found it kinda funny that she was wearing dark glasses at night and quickly became concerned. "Hey, Em .. Coleman said you were waiting .... for me ..." his words drifted off as she removed the dark glasses from her face to reveal a bruise that covered her cheek. Zander stood in disbelief, he never seen such a bruise on her before, and now was really concerned as to where she got it. "Em, who gave that to you?" he asked as he sat down on the chair beside her. Her eyes were puffy and red from sobbing, he wiped her tears away with his thumb. She knew in that moment she was doing the right thing by coming to him. "Zander, I didn't know what to do or where to go .. I thought .." she began to cry, tears filled her eyes once more and all Zander could do was to take her in his arms and hold her. "Shhh.. I'm here. It's gonna be okay, now Em." he tried his best to console her as her tears moistened his shirt.
"Let me guess, Nikolas?" She pulled from him and from the look in her eyes, he knew Nik did this to her. Anger and rage began to overtake him. "I will kill him!" Zander stood up from the chair with such force the chair flew back against the wall behind him. "Zander, no! He's not worth it!" she cried. "Like Hell he's not! How dare he hit you?! It's about time Nikolas finds out how it is to get a beating!" Peter heard the commotion Zander was making and quickly approached. "Wait wait .. what's going on?" Zander turned and saw Peter walking over to them. "That bastard is gonna get an ass whippin'!" He had never felt the rage he was feeling at that moment. Nikolas had no right to lay a hand on Emily, he never thought he'd do such a thing, but I guess they were all wrong. Emily has the bruise to prove it.
Peter gave a confused look as Zander's anger reached an ultimate high as he punched the wall hard enough to make a dent in the plaster. Emily went to him to try to calm him down enough to talk some sense into him. Nikolas wasn't worth the fight or the aggravation. She had known for some time that it wasn't working with Nikolas. He had begun to drink quite a bit, more then usual, his mood swings were enormous and random, and he could go into a tantrum at any time, he became quite unpredictable to live with. This wasn't the first time Nikolas's rage left its mark, he had never hit her in the face before, always someplace that could easily be covered up by a scarf or her clothes that she wore. It had been going on for a few months and she learned to hide it well from those who were close to her.
Emily knew that if Zander didn't calm down the table and chairs were going to get broken, so she tried her best to talk him down .... at least long enough to talk to him. "Come on sit down, and I'll tell you everything." she said as she helped Zander to the chair. He motioned to Coleman for a drink, with what he was about to hear from Emily, he's gonna need a stiff one. "Start from the beginning .. and I want you to tell me everything, okay?" Coleman brought over the bottle of Jack and a glass for Zander as Peter walked away, thinking this was between the two of them. It was none of his business.
Emily started to explain that Nikolas was drinking more then usual and that living with him had become very unpredictable. Zander's fury raged inside him as Emily told him what had been happening while she was living at Wyndamere. "Okay, what about the cops? I mean, did you call Lucky or someone?" Emily hung her head. "I didn't call them, Zander ... I didn't want everyone to know. I guess it's partly my fault cause I didn't speak up .. but Zander, I .. " Zander looked at her with a stern face. "Emily, you listen to me .. This is not your fault! Nikolas is to blame, not you! And I'm gonna fix this right now! Nikolas has had this coming for a long time now, and dammit I'm gonna enjoy this! Trust me!" Zander got up from his chair and stormed towards the door. Peter threw down the pool stick on the pool table and went after him. Emily began to follow and Zander turned around and yelled at her to stay there. "You stay here, Em ... it's the safest place for you right now." Zander looked at Coleman .... "Give her the key to my room and make sure she stays there till I get back." Coleman nodded and opened the drawer for the spare key.
Emily walked somberly to the stool and sat down. Coleman laid the key in front of her on the bar and she reached for it. She slide off the stool and walked towards the staircase that led up to Zander's room. She fumbled with the key and unlocked the door. She stepped inside and closed it behind her. The room filled with a musty smell, just like she remembered. Her and Zander had some wonderful times in that room, and she began to remember every one as they all came flooding back to her. She sat in the corner swivel chair and stared out the window. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, she felt her eyes well with warm tears as she began to sob. She never wanted any of this to happen, she had made so many mistakes over the past few months, choices that she could never take back, but she knew some way, some how she had to make it right.
Peter followed Zander out into the parking lot of Jake's and grabbed onto his arm to stop him from doing something stupid. Zander ripped his arm from his brother's grasp with force. "Let go of me, Peter!" Peter could see the rage inside Zander just boil, his clenched fists and stern stare said alot. Peter sighed heavily. He saw the look in Zander's eyes, there was no talking him out of anything when he got like this. Zander had always been the hot head, he was a loose cannon and Peter knew better then to try to talk him out of it. Zander glared at his brother, he turned and stormed off into the night, Peter just hoped that Zander knew what he was doing and wouldn't get hurt. He had just found his brother again, he didn't want anything to come between finally being a family again.
Zander thought the place Nikolas would most likely be was at Wyndamere, so he walked down to the docks and hopped the boat to the island. He walked into the living room of the gothic mansion to find it was a mess, furniture turned upside down, glass broken, curtains hung crooked, it looked like someone had gone into a rage and destroyed the room. He was pretty upset himself as he searched the room and it's connecting rooms for Nikolas. He re-entered the living room just as Nikolas stumbled in through the doorway from the hall.
The rage he felt building inside him released the second he saw Nikolas walk in, their eyes locked and Zander rushed him. He pushed him back up against the wall and took hold forcefully of Nikolas's collar with his fist. Nikolas began gasping for air as Zaner held his clenched fist against his windpipe. Zander could smell the alcohol on Nikolas, he smelled so much of it like he took a bath in it. He also noticed that Nikolas was in no shape to do much of anything, it wasn't going to be a fair fight, but Zander was going to enjoy it. Nikolas smirked at Zander which infuriated Zander so much more. He pushed against Nikolas and began to slide his body up the wall high enough that his feet dangled off the floor.
"I am telling you right now, you will never, ever touch Emily again! You hear me, Nik! Never!" Nikolas just laughed in a drunken stuper. Zander left go and Nik fell to the floor in a heap. "Stand up!" Zander kicked at Nikolas's feet for him to stand up. "Stand up you son of a bitch! You want to beat on Emily? Well, now I'm gonna beat on you!" Nikolas tried to get up, but fell back to the floor with a laugh. He wasn't at all comprehending what was happening, but Zander continued his tirade with him. He pulled Nikolas up off the floor by his shirt collar and walked him to the middle of the room where the coffee table once stood. Nikolas found enough strength to push Zander's arms from him and release the hold he had on Nikolas's collar. He took a swing at Zander, but stumbled and Zander countered his swing with a punch of his own and knocked him to the ground. Nikolas crawled to the chair that was still standing and grabbed onto the arm and pulled himself to his feet. Zander didn't waste a moment and gave him a kick in the ribs, Nikolas fell to the floor once more.
Nikolas began to gasp for air, Zander figured with that kick he probably broke a rib or two. Nikolas got to his knees and buckled over as he spit up some blood to the floor. Zander backed off once he saw Nik was spitting up blood, he had had enough, he did the damage he wanted to.
Nikolas wiped his mouth with his hand and noticed blood, his blood. Zander's punch had split his lip wide open, he glared at Zander who still was filled with anger for what Nikolas had done to Emily. It sounded like it was becoming more and more difficult for Nikolas to breath, as he began to wheeze. "I'm here to tell you now, you stay the hell away from Emily and if you come anywhere near her, I swear to God, Nikolas ... I will kill you!" Zander turned and stormed out the door leaving Nikolas gasping for air.