Chapter 4
Helen was true to her word, no matter how much she disliked it. She called Greg and they had a long, very pointed though relatively civil conversation.
Like any good mother, she threatened him with every imaginable thing under the sun if he should touch a drop of alcohol or disappoint their children in any way. She promised this was his one and ONLY chance to be back in their lives and that he had better not screw it up. She was ruthless and fierce, prickly as ever and unyielding in her demands.
Grudgingly, Helen had to admit Greg was very different than she remembered. At first she found the conversation maddening, the way he was so calm and gentle. Suspicion and distrust flowed through her veins the moment he answered his phone and said 'hello' in that placid, understanding voice. Then, partway into the dialogue, he somehow managed to slip past those high walls of hers and start to convince her that maybe he was changed.
By the end, they had come up with a plan for Emma to finish her school year in Toronto at Jackie's' school. It wasn't a permanent solution, but they agreed that after everything their daughter had been through at her current school, she could do with relief from it all. Especially after the last stunt pulled by those...little witches.
Oh, how Helen fumed as she thought of the excuses and allowances made by the principal and school board. The bullies seemed to have parents with deep pockets, protecting them from repercussions of any kind. Without proof and without the cooperation of the school, there was little that Helen could do to fight for her daughter without alienating her further. Instead, she pulled Emma from the school and told anyone and everyone she could what had happened. She had friends of influence as well, and if she could hurt the corrupt facility in the long run, she was happy.
To say she wasn't uneasy about the whole thing would be a lie, however the conversation with Greg and the fact that Dean had volunteered to go with Emma helped ease her feelings immensely.
Not that she wanted her children gone.
Tears pricked in her eyes and she sniffed, blinking hard and looking out the window as she set the phone down between calls.
It was for the best, she reminded herself. With Dean being happy to go with Emma, she felt less inclined to worry about her, and the girl had been through one hell of a year.
Taking a deep breath, she set her jaw. Emotions were useless and needless in this situation. It didn't matter how she felt about it. It was what it was.
Three days after Christmas found Emma and Dean packing for the trip up to Toronto. Emma was ecstatic, talking ceaselessly to her friend Jackie and making all sorts of plans. It was almost infuriating to Helen how excited the girl was, triggering her own uncomfortable anxiety about the whole thing and making her extremely cross in that last week together.
She lashed out at everyone on numerous occasions, even yelling at Emma for the tiniest thing that she couldn't even recall the issue later. Emma was much subdued in her presence afterwards, which only made her more irritable and feeling like a failure as a parent. This went on until Matt finally took her aside, broke past her spinney walls the way only he could, and got her to finally tell him the truth about how she was doing with everything. It ended with her having a long cry in his arms, which left her feeling both more at peace and also annoyed that she was so weak and emotional.
The dreaded day arrived, and Helen dragged herself out of bed after another sleepless night to go get some coffee. All was quiet upstairs, which was as it should be at 6am on a Saturday.
Silence would become the norm, a small and unwelcome voice reminded her.
Sighing, she headed downstairs.
Laughter, whispering and the smells of breakfast trailed up to her the closer she got to the landing of the stairs and as she stalked quietly to the threshold of the kitchen, she was shocked to find both her children flying about setting the table, pouring orange juice and flipping pancakes in the frying pan.
Fresh flowers stood in the middle of the table along with a card that she could see was addressed to "Mom".
A lump rose in her throat, threatening to choke her and make her fall apart.
The woman bit her lips, straightened her back and forced a convincing smile instead before strolling in.
"What's all this?" She asked pleasantly.
Dean and Emma turned around, smiles' wide and eyes anxious for her approval. She hated that look, and hated herself more that they felt they had to earn it, that her standards drove them thus. Hardness wrapped around her heart again and she forced the regret away, taking charge instead and standing tall, a very picture of the strong woman.
"We made you breakfast." Dean announced, gesturing to the table. "It's almost done, if you want to have a seat!"
"Here's your coffee, mummy." Emma said with nervous energy as she handed over the mug. "I think I made it just right, if not I can make it again...if you want…"
Helen tasted it, was tempted to grimace at the incorrect milk, sugar to coffee ratios, but stopped herself for a change. Instead she smiled.
"It's perfect, sweetheart. Thank you." She lied, her heart aching a little as she looked at her youngest. Not quite a woman, and yet not a young child, Emma was the picture of awkwardness. Gangly, plain hair and little confidence in her posture or choice of clothing. Helen wanted nothing more than to take her under her wing, dress her and mold her into the strong teen she wished she had been. There was so much to fix in Emma, and so much of it was Helen felt was her fault for not insisting on certain things. If she had just taught her and pushed her more instead of letting her daughter do her own thing, maybe she wouldn't have been bullied at all and made new friends.
"Really?" Emma asked, her face lighting up. "Nice! See Dean? I told you I was right!"
"I'll never doubt you again, kid." Dean laughed, though the quick, fond look he tossed his mother made Helen squirm a little. He was so like his father. Too observant.
"Something smells good!" Matt stumbled in, taking a seat next to Helen and taking her hand under the table with a comforting squeeze. "So nice to have a break from the cooking, eh dear?"
"It is!" Helen agreed lightly, although her eyes followed her children hungrily in the knowledge this was the last time they would all be together for some time.
They enjoyed the meal together, somewhat tiptoeing around the fact the kids were headed out later that morning and pretending all was well. As much as Helen wanted to be upset, she couldn't let herself. Both her children had tried so hard to show her their love before leaving and she had promised herself she wouldn't make a scene that day.
In all too short a time, she was hugging them goodbye, kissing them and telling them how much she loved them, making them promise to call every week and to stay out of trouble. Then, just like that, Dean was lifting the heavier of the carry-on bags and ushering Emma away with him as they boarded their flight to Toronto.
"They'll be alright." Matt told her, putting an arm around her.
"Of course they will." Helen snapped. "There will be hell to pay if they aren't."
Undeterred by her snappish tone, Matt just laughed and pulled her closer, "Don't I know it. It's going to be ok, Helen. Dean will look after them and it's not forever."
Moisture gathered in the corners of her eyes, and Helen stomped her foot ever so slightly before giving in and turning her face into Matt's chest.
"I just let my babies go to the man who hurt me most and let me down...what sort of a mother am I? What if he fooled us and it all goes to crap?"
"Then you can tear the city apart and wipe the floors with the man." Matt chuckled. "It won't happen. You've always said I am a good judge of character, and that Dean is even better. Trust your kids, Helen. It'll be good for you to give up some control for a while."
Helen wasn't so sure she agreed with him, however she was grudgingly calmed by the fact that he was right.
"Sit still already!"
Dean settled back into his seat while Emma shifted and wiggled about trying to get comfortable.
"I can't. I'm too excited!"
"Well, you're making the other passengers cranky. Just watch the movie."
"I hate flying." Emma sighed.
"It's not even a long flight. We only have, like, four hours tops."
"Feels like forever."
"Seriously, watch the movie. You're driving me nuts with your shifting and fidgeting!"
"I've already seen it."
"Then read a book."
"I get motion sick."
"Then look out the window! Mom made sure you got a window seat so I didn't have to listen to you complain!"
"Why are you so testy!?"
"Cause I'm actually interested in what happens in the movie and it's hard to watch with you yammering at me!" Dean hissed with a mix of exasperation and amusement.
"The butler did it." Emma muttered.
"There is no butler."
"That's what you think."
Not biting any further, Dean ignored her and put his headphones on all the way leaving Emma to her own thoughts.
She was excited, but also more nervous than she had expected. The idea of living in Toronto had been like a dream come true and the advantages, the fresh start, living with their dad, being close to Jackie, those were all wonderful. Now that she was on her way, worries started to creep in.
What if she got homesick? What if her mom was secretly really mad and upset about them leaving? What if their plane went down or was hijacked? What if Jackie's friends didn't like her and she ended up in a worse situation than her last school? What if their dad decided she wasn't worth the time and wanted her to go back to her mom? What if Dean got along better with their dad than her and she got left out? What if she was a nuisance? Would the kids at her new school be jerks? What about her teacher? Would they be nice?
Dean sighed loudly next to her, pulled off his headphones and turned to her.
"Emma, it's going to be fine."
"What? How did you-"
"You have a tell, and I know you are worried about stuff. Just relax. I'm a little nervous too, but we have each other and dad is great! I know he's really excited we are coming and even had some of his stuff put into storage so that we each got our own room in his apartment. He wants us there and honestly, I think he would go to the moon and back to make sure we are happy, so take a deep breath. It's going to be ok. Alright?"
With that he turned back to the movie. Emma had to admit her brother was a little more empathetic than most boys his age and that she was very lucky to have him.
Taking his advice and breathing deeply, Emma settled to staring out the window and daydreaming about the adventures her and Jackie would have.
When they finally landed, disembarked from the plane and found their luggage, Emma's tummy was doing turnovers.
"There he is!" Dean said with relief, spotting their dad waving them down in the busy airport. Emma had to stand tippy toe to see him. She recognized Ed Lane and Jackie's cousin Spike there too. And next to Spike, jumping up and down was the unmistakable head of Jackie.
All nervousness faded into blissful excitement and happiness as Emma followed her brother through the crowd to meet their welcoming committee.
"YOU'RE HERE! FINALLY!" Jackie cheered loudly, squealing as she bounced forwards to hug Emma, making her drop her bags.
"Take it easy there, Jack Jack. Let her breath!" Spike laughed, taking the fallen cases from the floor. "Welcome back, Miss Em!"
"Thanks! It's good to be here!" Emma said with genuine enthusiasm. Looking to her dad, who had just broken away from hugging Dean and was headed to her next.
Smiling broadly, Greg pulled her into a warm embrace. "So good to have you here! How was your flight?"
"It was good! Not too bumpy, which I prefer."
"Yeah, Emma isn't a big fan of flying." Jackie told them all seriously.
"She's a smart girl!" Ed told them. "Flying is meant for the birds."
"Yes, we know how you feel about flying, Ed." Greg laughed. "Come on, let's get you two settled. I hope you're hungry, the team wanted to have a 'Welcome to the Family' barbecue for you this evening over at Wordy's house."
The ride to Greg's apartment was cheerful and lighthearted. Emma couldn't be happier to have Jackie there with her for her first day and to help her unpack. It made her feel so much less nervous and awkward.
The apartment was small, but cozy. Emma's room was at the end of the hallway near the washroom and across from Deans' room. It was clean, bright and a blank slate for her to make her own. At first she felt a little intimidated by that. Her mom always had some sort of suggestion or opinion...now it was up to her. What if she did it wrong?
Again, having Jackie was her saving grace that day. She had brought a own box of things that she thought Emma might like to use to decorate her room. White Christmas lights, a map of Middle Earth, three plants, a quirky yet delicate lamp for her night table, a selection of books that Jackie had found at a used book store, pictures of them at Camp, and the perfect comforter for her bed that she had insisted on picking out. Together they unpacked her things, setting the room to rights and making it every bit 'Emma' so that when they finished, she felt right at home.
Out in the kitchen, Ed and Greg sipped water while leaning on the kitchen island. Spike had headed off to the Wordsworth household to help with meal prep leaving Greg and Ed to bring the kids.
"Good idea," Ed commented quietly as he indicated the door at the far end of the hall. "Asking Jackie to be part of the welcoming committee. Emma went from anxious to happy in a matter of seconds."
"I'm glad we thought of it." Greg agreed, smiling a little sadly at his friend. "It's never easy moving, especially not with someone you don't know very well."
"Hey," Ed bumped his arm. "It'll come. She's happy to be here. Just going to take some time to get really comfortable. She won't take long. They both started calling you like, what, three times a week? And Emma confided in you about her school problems before anyone else. That's a good sign. I'd give my left arm for Clark to tell me stuff."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Greg looked down into his cup with a serious frown. "I just don't want to disappoint them."
"You won't." Dean appeared around the corner, his serious face mirroring Gregs' in a way that made Ed smile. "Dad, you won't disappoint us, ok?"
Emotion worked at Greg's face and he let it break into a wide smile as he pulled his son into another hug. "Thanks."
He pulled back, and cleared his throat. "You get settled in alright?"
"Yeah, my stuff is all unpacked. I don't know what's taking Emma and Jackie so long, but I would be worried if I were you. They are making an awful racket in there and with how distractible they are it will probably take all day."
"Excuse me!" Emma called as she and Jackie came into the kitchen. "We are NOT taking all day, thank you very much!"
"Good! I'm starving!" Dean rounded on his sister with drama. "Let's get going!"
A slow, long and contented sigh released into the darkened room as Emma stared at her new ceiling, hands clasped over her chest atop the comforter Jackie had brought for her. Meeting the rest of the team at the BBQ wasn't as scary as Emma had been worried it would be. They were all really nice and welcoming. She already knew Ed and Spike. That left the rest of the team; Jules, Wordy and Sam.
Emma had to admit she was a little star struck with meeting Julian Callaghan. The woman was petite, kind and feminine. At the same time, she could quip back and forth with the boys, teased as good as she got, and the fire that sparked in her eyes told Emma she was a dangerous lady when pushed too far. The young teen was awestruck.
Wordy quickly became a favorite of Emma's. She got the best vibe from him watching how he interacted with his three young girls and the way he treated his beautiful wife Shelley like a queen. He was a huge, blurry man and yet she could tell he was a complete teddy bear. If ever she needed a gentle giant, Emma was certain she could go to him.
Sam reminded her of the kid brother of the group, but he was kind, soft-spoken and went out of his way to make her and Dean feel welcome, so Emma decided that she liked him too.
She wasn't sure if she like Clark yet, Ed's son, but she supposed she had better get used to him since he and Dean seemed to hit it off alright.
All in all, she personally had to approve of her dad's team mates...not that it mattered what she thought, but it made her feel better knowing that the people that watched her dad's back every day seemed like good people.
Breathing again into the darkness, Emma twiddled her thumbs, listening to the traffic outside and the soft sounds of the TV in the living room that told her that her dad was still up.
It was always weird getting used to sleeping in a new place, and made her really have to fight the feelings of homesickness. Strange new sounds, new smells, new mattress and pillows.
Then there was the looming reminder that starting her new school was only a few days away.
Shaking her head at that thought and willing the feeling it gave her in her stomach away, Emma slipped out of bed and padded out of her room to the living room. She couldn't sleep. She'd been trying for two hours now and it was no use.
Maybe her dad had some chamomile tea.
"Emma!" Greg noticed her pretty much right away, turning in his chair and muting the TV. "Are you alright? Was the TV too loud? I can turn it off."
"No, it's ok. I actually like hearing it in the background." Emma slipped into the living area and climbed onto the couch nearest his chair, tucking her feet up under her and wrapping her arms around her knees. "Just couldn't sleep. Do you have any chamomile tea?"
"Yeah, I have chamomile!" Greg was up instantly and put on the kettle before pulling out two mugs. "Anything in particular keeping you awake?"
Emma thought for a moment, partially distracted by the hockey game on the TV. "No...not really. I never really fall asleep quickly in new places. I'll probably sleep great tomorrow night."
"Ah. I understand." Greg carried her mug to her and then settled back into his chair with his own. "I'm the same way."
"Dean doesn't have that trouble." Emma told him. "He's already snoring."
"I thought I heard him." Greg laughed.
"He could wake the dead some night, just warning you."
"Noted." Greg paused for a little, watching her discreetly and gagging her expressions. "You sure nothing's bothering you?"
For a moment, Emma was tempted to tell him, but then again she didn't want to cause any trouble on the first night. He looked tired and besides, it was silly. She had come all this way, uprooted her life and Dean's, rearranged her dad's life all so she would be in the new school.
Not wanting Greg to think her a baby or immature, Emma just shook her head.
"Nope. I'm good."
"Hm."
Her dad's scrutiny lasted a little longer before he took a drink of tea and looked back to the game. She got the feeling he didn't believe her, which made her uncomfortable. She didn't want him to think she was a liar or that she didn't trust him.
"It's just…" Emma started in a small voice after a long debate with herself. "I'm a little nervous about school on Monday...which is dumb cause I...made such a fuss to change and...I don't know. I should be excited and happy."
Greg set his mug down and leaned forwards to rest his arms on his knees, clasping his hands while giving her his full attention.
"Emma, you're allowed to be nervous. This is all new for you. It's completely understandable that it would be bothering you and making you worry, especially considering the situation you just walked away from."
Surprised by the validation, Emma looked up from the fingernails she had been studying. "Really?"
"Yeah, really. It's ok to be nervous starting something new. It means you care about it. And that's a good thing. But, you know, I'll bet it's going to be a really good change." Greg smiled a little. "And you know what? I'll be here every step of the way, just like your friend Jackie, and Dean, and your mom and Matt. You aren't alone in this, ok?"
Whether it was the words of her dad, or the chamomile tea, or a combination, Emma felt like an immense weight lifted from her shoulders and for the first time that day, she felt good about heading to a new school.
"Thanks, daddy." Emma whispered with a shy smile as she moved to snuggle down against the couch pillows, tugged a throw blanket over her and pretended to watch the game.
"Any time." Greg's answer came softly from beside her as he took her lead and went back to watching hockey and drinking tea. About five minutes later, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that her eyes were falling shut. Though the couch wasn't the best place to fall asleep, Greg opted to let her stay for a little while, telling himself he would send her to bed when he headed there himself. Two minutes later, her cup was in danger of slipping out of her hands. He quickly and quietly moved to take it. Once it was safely on the coffee table, he pulled the blanket so it covered her properly, pausing a minute to gaze at her sleeping face. He hadn't seen that angelic peace on her face since she was a baby, and it made his heart swell with love and gratitude.
About an hour later, Emma was woken by a gentle shake of her shoulders and her dad telling her she needed to go to bed. She was incredibly groggy and was thankful that Greg was happy to guide her down the hall, seeing her safely to her room. She didn't even remember her head hitting the pillow, but she did recall the next morning that there had been a kind and loving bidding of "sweet dreams' from the doorway just before she fell asleep again.
