Life After High School. Is It Scary? You Bet.

By Risty Maskell and Silver15

Disclaimer: You really want to know? Well I can't tell you.

Summary: Damn it. I am not saying one derogatory word.

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(Billee's POV)

The atmosphere in that kitchen was so tense; you could cut it with a knife. Benny and Damon were sitting each side of Emma, like a pair of bodyguards, and constantly glaring at Boromir. Stacey and Tracey kept glancing in Boromir's direction and giggling. Every time they did, both Emma and Jaime would scowl at them. Everyone else was trying to act normal and pretend that nothing was going on. However, I could see that the strain was getting to Emma and I wondered whether she would be able to cope. She seemed to be handling everything fairly well, but I knew that she would finally crack. She always did, she's just not cut out for these situations.

Legolas and I were sitting on the other side of Damon. Benny and Elrond were engaged in an interesting conversation about Benny's time at school. Most of the others were holding their own conversations around the room, except Boromir who was sitting in the corner looking like the world had ended. I guess to him, it probably had. I mean, I love Legolas with all my heart and I couldn't imagine being without him, so I could kind of understand how Boromir felt.

"Hey, Elrond" I heard Benny say. "Do you remember Mattie? Matt Stuart?"

"I do indeed" Elrond replied and I had to smile. Elrond never forgets his students or so he says. Considering the fact that he's taught hundreds of people, it doesn't seem likely, but who am I to argue?

"Do you remember?" Benny said with a laugh. "When Galadriel caught him and his girlfriend screwing in the stationary cupboard, and she was so shocked, she fainted?"

He and Elrond started laughing. Emma laughed too and even Damon gave a small smile.

When they had stopped laughing, Elrond turned to Benny with his 'serious' face on.

"If you don't mind me asking, Benny?" he said. "Weren't you going to go to medical school and become a doctor?"

"I did go, for a while at least" Benny shrugged. "But in the end, I realised that I was only going to keep my parents happy and it wasn't really what I wanted to do. I may not have a steady job at the moment, but I'm happy"

"Well that's what counts" Elrond said with a smile. "But you have talent Benny. Don't let it go to waste"

"Oh he doesn't" Damon cut in. "Definitely not. I keep telling him that he's very lucky to have had an education"

"You didn't go to school?" Julia sounded surprised. "Didn't you have any education at all?"

"I know how to read, write and do sums," Damon told her. "And I learn a lot from reading books. I just don't have any exam results to prove it"

"But why didn't you go to school?" Julia persisted. I clenched my fists in anger. I knew that she didn't mean to offend anyone, but in my experience, some people can be tactless even if they don't mean to be.

"My mother is crazy" Damon said slowly. "She's been like it since I was a little boy. She was in and out of hospital all through my childhood and when my dad died I had to take care of her full time"

"I'm sorry" Julia said quietly. "I didn't…"

"It don't matter" Damon said quickly. "What's done is done. It's in the past now"

I looked at Emma. She seemed completely uninterested in anything going on around her; in fact she looked half asleep. Since her little brush with death, she's been sleeping a lot. And the ride here had taken a lot out of her. I tapped Damon's arm and he turned to look at me.

"Damon, I think Emma needs to go to bed for a while" I said quietly. "She looks done in" Damon got up and went to talk to Jaime. A minute later he came back.

"Jaime said she can sleep in one of the spare rooms," he said. "Come on, give us a hand"

Gently I helped Emma to her feet. She looked really dopey, like she wasn't completely there.

"What are you looking at?" Benny snapped, seeing that some of the others were watching us. "Go on, get on with your own business. Nothing interesting here"

"Thanks Benny" I whispered. When she's in these sorts of states, Emma had a phobia of being looked at. I guess she's afraid that everyone will laugh at her afterwards or something. I don't know, it just strikes me as kind of odd.

Between us, Damon and me got her upstairs and put her to bed. She fell into a deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. We stood there for a minute, just watching her sleep.

"Damon" I said after a minute. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Go on" he agreed. "What's on your mind?"

"Did you…?" I began, and then stopped, not sure how to go on. "Did you sleep with Emma?" I said finally. Damon looked at me for a minute, his expression unreadable.

"Yes" he said slowly. "Once. The night before Jaime's wedding. I…Well if you want to lay the blame on someone she started it. But it was what we both wanted. Why do you ask?"

"Because" I said with a sigh. "I think a lot of people believe that Emma dropped Boromir for you"

"I haven't touched her since then" Damon looked at her and shook his head. "It was just one night. That's all. There's nothing happening between us"

"I believe you. Do you love her, Damon?"

"It doesn't matter" Damon said softly. "She doesn't love me, she loves Boromir. Oh, she might deny it, but she does"

"I know" I put one hand on his shoulder. "Thanks Damon. You've been a good friend to her"

"There was nothing else I could have done" He smiled at me affectionately. "Come on, let's go downstairs. She'll be okay for a few hours"

I nodded and followed him out of the room. Boromir was standing outside the door.

"How is she?" he asked. "Is she okay?"

"She's asleep," Damon said coldly. "You coming Billee?"

I shook my head and went to the bathroom. When I had finished, I went to look in on Emma again before I went downstairs. On the bedside table was the engagement ring, which she had given back to Boromir, with a note. Quietly, being careful not to wake her, I picked it up. I was shocked by what it said.

Dear Emma

By the time you read this, I'll be gone. But I just

want you to know that I will always love you, no

matter what. Please keep the ring, there's no other

girl who I would want to give it too. You have my heart

forever. I love you, and nothing will ever change that.

Boromir 

That note brought tears to my eyes and I couldn't help wondered what Emma would think when she read it. Only one thing puzzled me, when he said he was leaving, where was he planning to go. I ran downstairs and burst into the kitchen.

"Where's Boromir?" I asked quickly. Jaime looked up at me sadly.

"He's gone," she said. "You just missed him. He said he had some urgent business to take care of"