Life After High School - Ten Years Later

By Risty and Silver

Disclaimer: We don't own them, only our characters.

Summary: Dude, chill out. It was like that when I got there.

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(Emma's POV)

I got a call from Damon that evening telling me that he and Benny would be home sometime the next day. I was glad since I hated sleeping alone. I had Galia and Lucas upstairs with me, but it wasn't the same as having someone sleeping next to you. And I was anxious to hear what had caused them to disappear in a hurry. When I had finished talking to him, I went into the kitchen, put Crystal in her chair and began to prepare her food. Just as I had finished, the phone rang again. I hesitated, wondering who would call at that time. From what Damon had told me, Kivan and Ranger had left Hobbiton that morning and Billee, Legolas, Colan and Wendy were leaving the next morning so it didn't seem likely that one of them would be calling and they are usually the only people I get calls from. But I figured it might be important, so I put Crystal's dinner in front of her with a plastic spoon and went to answer it.

"Hello" I said. "Darkshield residence, Emma Darkshield speaking."

"Hello Emma" a very familiar voice said. "It's been a while."

"Boromir" I was so surprised that I had to sit down. The last time I had spoken to my ex was two years ago, when he tried to get Kane away from me and prove that I was an unfit mother. He made many accusations; most of them false and some of them true in part, but lacked the evidence to back them up so he didn't get very far. Nevertheless, he was the last person I wanted to hear from. "If this is about Kane, I've told you before…"

"It's not about Kane" he interrupted. "Not really. I'm in Silverwood tonight and I want to see you."

"Forget it," I said, prepared to put the phone down on him. "However, his next words stopped me.

"Last time," he said quietly. "You got lucky. But I have been doing some investigating and I have quite a few people who will come forward to give evidence against your husband. You don't do what I want, he'll go down. I'd like to see your chances of keeping Kane then."

I figured that he was bluffing; at least I hoped he was. Damon generally helps people, sometimes using illegal methods but even so. The only people I could think of who might well have bad things to say about him were our dear friends Gimli and Randy and the thieving group who were his rivals. And somehow I was not certain that their evidence would get someone arrested, let alone sent down. But I was going to take no chances.

"What about your wife and kids?" I asked. "Do they know you are calling me asking to see me?"

"Adele is a good mother and a reasonable companion, but I don't love her" Boromir told me, no emotion in his voice. "As for the children, well it's debateable about whether or not they are actually mine. We don't have a happy marriage, not like me and you could have had."

"Stop it!" I said sharply. "I'll meet you outside in about fifteen minutes. By the inn."

I asked Galia to look after Crystal for a while and told her that I was going to get some shopping. Then I went to meet him. I didn't want to, I knew exactly what he wanted from me and I didn't like it. But his threats had scared me and I felt that I had no choice.

He met me outside the inn; we went up to his room and did what he wanted. We barely spoke and as soon as I was dressed, I left. Boromir's parting words were: "I'll be calling again soon."

I went and got the shopping and went home in a daze. Luckily Galia was in the living room, singing Galia a song so she didn't see the mess I was in. A split lip and the beginning of a black eye; my punishment for refusing to take off my wedding ring. I had managed to clean myself up a little and get the shopping put away before Galia came in with Crystal. I thanked her and she said she was going out for a while. I told her not to be late back, everything I would normally say. Because that was what I was trying to do, just function normally. I knew that no one must find out about this, since Boromir would just persuade everyone that is was my fault. No one, not Damon, not Benny, not Billee, not Kivan, would know about this.

Crystal had gone to sleep so I put her down in the double bed Damon and I shared and had a long bath. Then I get undressed, got into bed and cried quietly into my pillow…