Oh hi! :D
So sorry for the long delay - the TR fandom holds my soul currently and I mostly post stories there, but this also means I do write stories! :D And after 11 recently written one shot I wanted some fresh air and I never planed to abandon Emmett :D Also Christmas is coming and I totally have plans for the Frye family for the holidays, but for that I needed to move the storyline forward a bit. (Probably it still will be a tight fit, but who cares xD)
So, chapter 4 is here and there is the light at the end of a long and dark tunnel :D I hope you will enjoy this chapter and sorry for every mistakes I did, no beta reader and I am still a foreigner.
The wind changed and it brought more coldness and grey clouds with itself forcing the people into their homes and Crawley silently fell into slumber. It seemed like time went on so slowly it almost stopped.
It didn't have an effect on the flowing time only: news also stopped coming from London. Abberline had nothing new to say and as the days passed slowly Emmett also started to lose hope. Even he had to admit there was very little chance of finding her father alive – and honestly, he started to have doubts the police will find Jacob at all. He will be another missing soul, vanished from the dark streets of London and slowly everyone will forget him. It happened before. Jacob won't be an exception either.
A year or two later Emmett will be the only one who will still think about him day after day.
Dark thoughts embraced the young Frye and he changed with them. Became more silent, lonelier… George saw it how the boy slowly gave up the hope and he tried his best to push him on, but how he could expect from Emmett to have faith when even himself had his own doubts? The older man didn't force it after a while, thought giving some time to Emmett probably will be more useful than to expect him to believe in miracles, like a fool. He wasn't a child anymore, saw just enough of the world's cruelty to know when it was useless to keep hoping. It still come way too early for the young lad, he was way too innocent to face with his father's death, even if Jacob tried his best to train his son and prepare him to the life of an assassin. And all of the losses what Emmett will have as his own.
Jacob – if he was still alive somehow – definitely needed a miracle and someone who was brave enough and skilled enough to go after Jack, moreover stop him and restore the uneasy balance in the City. And giving back the father of a grieving boy, who was too young to be strong enough to face with such a tragedy, but too old to be sheltered from the world's cruelty.
-x-
Days started to blurred together as Emmett faced with the same challenges and with the same pain. Get up, go and have breakfast and deal with your tasks; George created a fix daily routine for him and Emmett agreed to it – it was way better than lay in his bed and stare at the ceiling, even if that was everything he craved after. He didn't want to face with the world. He didn't want to accept that life goes on and nothing and no-one stops, because he, Emmett Frye lost his father too and become an orphan at age of 16. No-one cared. Not really. These things happen all the time. He wasn't the only one without parents or a home and he knew that, still he wanted to… to... deal with this unfair outcome. It wasn't fair! Why him? Why now? Why his father? Losing his mother wasn't enough? Sometimes he didn't think he had the strength to get out of the bed, sometimes he wished he rather die over the night and never get up ever again. And sometimes he was so angry and wanted to break things, everything around him and scream and cry and destroy to let the world feel what he felt, the pain, the loss, the anger. But he was smarter than that, he need to be smarter than that, Jacob wanted him to be smarter than that. So instead of letting his emotions dictate how he acted, he tried to find something he could grab and hold onto, something what will push him over this. Will this ever be over? He didn't know.
So when George offered his help, Emmett did what he had to: accepted it. Maybe it will help, a routine, tasks to fulfil, continuing his training. He didn't want to give up his training. This was his heritage, the only thing what was left to him and he will fulfil his father's wish and become an assassin, hopefully reaching the master rank sometime. Just like his old man before him. And well, if Jacob could do it – despite, well everything, but mostly his personality – then why Emmett couldn't? It was as good of a goal as anything else.
His new mentor – wait, did this make George as his mentor now? Probably yes, after he will be the one who will watch his training over, he will be the one who will teach him. It was weird to think about George like that – arranged a small job for him, to help out around the horses. There was a stable near to Emmett's new home and apparently the owner of it was a good friend of George, so Emmett had the opportunity to help around the animals. Some minor tasks, nothing too serious, just enough to deal with. The teenage boy knew why George didn't overwhelm him with honing his skill and full training yet; he hoped the calm, silent environment and being around the creatures Emmett always loved will help to heal him. It supposed to be some kind of therapy apparently. And even if Emmett had his doubts, he didn't say a word about them.
After all, he felt a bit better when he was alone and knew what he has to do. The horses never pitied him, never said how much they felt sorry for him.
This morning was a more difficult one. He had to collect every willpower in him to make a simple movement as sitting up in the bed and then put his feet on the floor and get up. Another glorious day ahead of him. Hopefully he won't break down, like he did the last time when he felt like this. It happened when while brushing one of the older geldings, a gentle grey horse. The day had a difficult start, just like now, but Emmett managed to get up and head out, keeping up with his new schedule. Everything seemed to be kind of normal – until it suddenly hit him. The realization of his new situation, how alone he was, how he will never see his father ever again and it was just too much, too much to deal with and sobbed like a child, leaning against the huge, warm body, covered with soft fur. Thankfully no-one walked in on him, only the gelding push his muzzle against Emmett's side, eerily felt like he was asking if everything was okay.
Today he wanted to avoid this emotional breakdown.
After dressing up, headed to the kitchen, steadily walking down of the stairs. George was already there – as always – preparing a heartful amount of breakfast. It sometimes made Emmett feel less alone and cared for – it was nice, something that warmed him up a bit.
"Good morning", greeted George politely – mourning didn't mean he had to be an asshole with people – and was about to sit down, when his blue eyes noticed something, being fixed on the item. It was white, two words written on it, laying on that part of the table where he used to sit at. Looked like it was waiting for him.
Why it would be waiting for him?
"What's… what's that?" Could it be news from London? After so much time of silence? No, that wasn't logical or if it was news from London then it won't say anything new; either way Abberline telling them they gave up the searching or they found Jacob's body.
Emmett didn't know which version would be better. If Abberline gave up the search, he can still have the fantasy Jacob is alive and well and maybe eventually will return. Silly thought but it could give him hope again.
If Abberline found his body, then finally Emmett will know for sure what happened with Jacob – and can bury him properly.
George didn't answer right away, slowly reaching for his tea and took a sip from it, swallowed. "Seems to be a letter."
Must be bad news if he avoided the topic so much. There goes the hope of having a rather normal day.
"What is in it?" his voice was strained, already afraid of the letter's content.
"I don't know." came the answer with a sigh "It is for you."
For him? Who would write to him? Stepping a bit closer he could read the words; it was his name, Emmett Frye. He didn't recognize the handwriting. One thing was sure: it didn't come from Abberline. The man had an awful writing style, always in a hurry, made his letters hard to read. These words were much neater, this was written with care and under calm circumstances. And by someone Emmett didn't know.
Slowly reached for the letter and opened it, pulling out the paper from the envelope, read it silently.
George watched him carefully, ready to any kind of bad reaction. After such a long period of silence, no way it could be good news and poor boy couldn't deal with more, he was already at his breaking point. If this letter told him they found Jacob in the Thames and moreover something horrible happened with him – like Jack mutilated his body – George wasn't sure it won't hurt Emmett way too much, urging him to do something stupid, making him hurting himself.
But what actually happened wasn't the scenario George ever imagined.
Emmett read the letter twice or he just stared at it, he couldn't tell. But his breathing became rapid, redness was forming on his cheeks and his eyes… something sparkled in them, the lad was clearly excited. More and more with every passing moment, still not quite sure to dare to believe what he just read.
Emmett looked down on him, George looked back, waiting for him to say something finally.
"My aunt…" started a bit weakly.
"What about her?" He didn't hear about Evie since years and wasn't sure Emmett even knew her.
"My aunt is here. Arrived weeks ago. She says…." he had to stop and take a deep breath "She says she found my father. And Jack. Jack is gone and my father is injured but… alive." Blue eyes glistened as they were filled with unshed tears of joy. "He is alive George."
It felt like putting down a huge weight. Not because of himself, not really; watching this poor kid suffering this much and unable to help him, unable to give his father back to him was torturing. Jacob loved his son and he and George exchanged many letters over the years: when Evie went away and Jacob was left alone and there was London and a baby too, depending on him, Jacob turned to George for advices and support. And he happily helped him. Got many stories how things were going, how London and also Emmett grew and evolved and watched how Jacob slowly became more matured, growing up to the tasks ahead of him. In a way he knew Emmett and was part of his life, even if the boy didn't know him for years, only heard stories about him from his father. Finally meeting with him under these circumstances and seeing him suffer wasn't something George wished for. He hoped for a different kind of meeting, father and son coming together, maybe Jacob complains about Crawley and George tells maybe a bit too awkward stories about the older Frye what Emmett would definitely enjoy.
Maybe he will still have a chance to do that. Sometime.
Hmmm, I dunno what to feel. I can only hope it wasn't too bad or too out of the mood. I kinda just sat down and wrote it.
As for Evie's silence: she did not write sooner because even if she knew where Emmett was, she didn't want to let him know about her arrival for several reasons: there was a huge chance he will show up in London and ruin everything moreover get himself killed. It was easier for her to work alone, without dealing with a 16 year old boy, who is emotionally compromised. Also she didn't want to make him hoping and then let him down either way not finding Jacob - not an option - or find out he is already dead. And she doesn't really know him yet, yes Jacob was writing to her tons of letters, but meeting with him for the first time when she has to concentrate on other things and do her best wouldn't be ideal. So she rather kept her presence as a secret, doing her best and once that was done she could let Emmett know and give him some much needed good news.
For the timing, I don't really think it took months for Evie to find Jacob, she was on a hot trail and didn't stop until she found Jack. It was Jacob who let her know he needed her help and she arrived a month after Jacob's absence - in that time Emmett easily fell into his depressed state - and then adding weeks - probably another month or so - while she was looking after her brother was kinda enough to Emmett to accept the fact Jacob is probably gone and tried to deal with that more or less.