Chapter 10

Not Alone Anymore

The rest of the household had risen by the time the press conference was scheduled Mark, Paula, Candy, Jonathon, and Bobby all sit behind Joshua, Angel, Sophie, Luke, and Chase on the steps of Ivey Mansion A camera is set up in front of them. A few reporters are scattered on the lawn. The STOP team stands on each step beside the group and along the porch. Sophie recounts what happened and Chase issues a statement of warning to the person or persons behind the attempt on his daughter's life. The Chief of police makes a statement saying they had located the car that was the vehicle of the attack. The man that touched Sophie was identified they had a recording of his interrogation and Sophie nods her head saying that is the voice she heard. After the press conference everyone walks back into the house the STOP team makes sure that only Ivey Mansion Security is on the grounds they then go back to their cars outside the gate.

It was now 9 a.m. Joshua insists that Angel go to bed considering she had been up for a full 24hours. Sophie agrees with him after once again telling Angel she is fine. Mark and Paula checks on Janet and goes back to bed. Candy gave her downstairs room to Chase since he was staying. She went with Jonathon back down the hill to his residence when he tries to drop her off at her home she asks can she go with him. He first tells her that he is going home when she tells him she knows where he lives. He asks her not to reveal it to Angel as of yet then asks why she would want to go to his home. Candy tells him that she just didn't want to be alone. He says "Talent, I don't want to give you the wrong idea I am flattered that you wish to be in my company but I think it best if you go home."

Candy felt like a damn fool what the hell was she thinking? She just asked her boss to go to his home at Nine in the morning saying she was lonely he must think she his talent (he hadn't even called her by name) was trying to come on to him. Great she had texted Deon and he told her that he would have to catch her later. She would get out of the Range Rover before she embarrassed herself more if that was possible she guessed it was because her voice cracked when she said "Thanks see you" She quickly gets out runs in her little house locks the door and slides down the other side crying.

Jonathon was confused as he drove down the street and parked in his newly reconstructed garage. Had his talent started crying? He walks in and looks at the promotional picture of him and Gloria (they are standing back to back Over his head was the wording LEGNA US over hers was LEGNA) on his mantle he had other issues or at least he believed he did. Gloria had said she loved him and if he weren't mistaken that wasn't the first time that phrase had slipped from her lips. He had told her that she would have a room at his Dallas condo instead of at the Best Western in the room she had booked since he did not know how long he would require her assistance. She'd closed the call with a thank you and said she loved him. She had arrived hours after her flight and a mere half hour before the meeting with his LEGNA US staff. He had thought he heard her say it before when he was dealing with Vivian but she'd hung up quickly. He had blamed it on the fact that she was tired it was late in Ireland that night. Well she could have had jet lag yesterday. He had worked with her for 20 years they knew a lot about each other. Driving his hands through his hair he went to bed or couch rather his bedroom had not been redone. He refused to sleep in what once was his fucking martial bedroom. He lay on the sofa-bed he'd set up in what was his girl's room upstairs.

Sophie was in work mode she and Luke had gone to her home office. Luke watched her. Sophie had taken out her contacts hours ago she now wore her glasses taking them off she looks at him sitting across from her. "Look if your taking up from where Angel left off I'm fine, now please stop staring at me." He tells her it's 10 in the morning and asks her isn't she sleepy. She snaps "I got stuff to do. I have cases to catch up on. This office needs to be redone. I have a house full of people." Sophie gets up and walks towards the door. Luke tells her to stop. Asking if she hears herself telling her she has to sleep sometime. "I know you're not talking Dr. 82 work hours last week." Sophie turns back to her desk.

Luke gets up and tells her. "Yes Sophie I'm talking. I'm not talking to you as a doctor I'm talking to you as someone that loves you and knows that whatever you were coming to my office to tell me can wait until you get some sleep. You've been up since this time yesterday morning. Take it from someone that does this a lot you at least need a nap. I don't need you face planting your desk. Now please shut down the computer. Come up to your room and let me give you a massage and just maybe you can get some rest."

This morning had gone to hell quick. First the guy tries to take her out and all the family emotional back lash of that shit, then Julius showing up. She wanted to talk to Luke right now last night or this morning was just a day, another 24 hour period and before she went to sleep she wanted this out, no more waiting. "Luke, I came to your office this morning because I was going to say. I've given it loads of thought and analyzed it from every angle. I have a few questions for you." he walks over and sits on her desk facing her. She looks up at him. "What are your deal breakers as far as marriage?"

He says "With you," He shrugs "I really don't have any. I do want to make this a point though. We joke around about work and the amount of work we both do. A lot of my previous relationships have burst in to flames over this." He unbuttons his shirt and points to his only body art (A Caduceus tattoo on his chest, with the words DOCTOR is Who I am Not what I DO) "If you can deal with me as a husband that will be just like I am now. There will be days that we may not see each other because of conflicting schedules. I just don't want you to trust that because we get married that I'm going to suddenly be able cut my work load down to sit around the house. Will I take vacation time that I would have never thought to take, yes? Like I've said before, you've showed me something that I can't learn from the latest medical journal. You are not a part of my personal life, you are my personal life. Now since you asked what are your deal breakers?"

Sophie leans forward resting her chin on her raised hands "I saw you listening to Julius and I speak. Luke, I was telling the truth I don't want a house husband. I would never assume that you would want to sit around the house it is just not who we are. I want children. I'm going to run Ivey Enterprises. I understand about making time. If you want me to, I'll move somewhere within town with you. I've did the far away from family experience you should understand. I want to be a part of my father, my sister and nephew's life. I don't regret any of the choices I made. I got the education that got me this far but this is home." She waves a hand around her office to encompass the house.

Luke pulls a chair next to her so they are eye level. He'd seen her reach up and rub her neck from looking up at him sitting on her desk. "We seem to want the same things. I have no siblings but my parents are an important part of my life. With them getting older I wouldn't want to leave the area." He runs his hands through his hair. "As for children call me old fashion I always wanted children but, I'm greedy, I want the whole package a loving wife, so that we can bring a child into a loving home. So does this talk of marriage deal breakers mean that you are closer to a yes that you will marry me?"

Sophie thinks now or never as she looks over at him. "No" his non poker face expression comes into play as he sits back. "I'm not close, I'm there I'll marry you." He sits back up sighs, and smiles at her leans over and they kiss. He gets up and asks her to please come to her room. In her bedroom as promised Luke gives her a massage. Afterwards they lay facing each Sophie closes her eyes, as he softly speaks to her. His pager goes off he curses under his breath as he gets up and grabs it out of his pants that he discarded on the floor. He walks around the bed to her side and bends down kissing her. "Sophie, I have to go please get some sleep sweet heart." She pulls him down for another kiss meets his eyes before she lets him stand she tells him to please be careful. "I most certainly will. My future is up on this hill. Love you." she tells him she loves him and lets him up. Luke has to make himself walk out of her room he reaches the door when he is about to turn around for one more kiss, his cell phone buzzes he grabs the doorknob sighs and walks out into the hall. He knew he loved her when he proposed. The fact that he wasn't half way to the hospital already was a change in his normal behavior. He got Bobby to get him a ride back to the hospital.

Sophie lies in her bed when Luke texts her that he had safely made it to the hospital. She replies that she was glad and that she was going to get some sleep. He tells her to get some for both of them. He also says he wants to take her and the families out in celebration of their engagement. She sends him a giant pie faced emoticon with hearts for eyes saying she loves him saying that was a nice idea and goodnight. Now that she knew he was where he was supposed to be safely she curls down into her bed she looks at the ceiling as she grabs Luke's pillow the mixture of his natural scent and his Zegna Uomo cologne was what gave her the enveloped feeling she needed to go to sleep.

The next morning Sophie wakes to not only the smell but the man himself lay on his back beside her with his arm over his eyes lightly snoring. Looking at her phone she had 47 messages 283 missed calls and 102 Facebook messages her email count was still climbing . She hadn't heard shit looking at the clock it was 9 am the next morning. No wonder she's hungry she hadn't ate anything before she went to sleep and slept through the rest of yesterday. She gazes at him he must have come back after his shift. He moves and folds his arms across his chest. He'd stripped down to his boxers. His tattoo peaked out from under his arm. Not knowing when he got in she didn't want to wake him. She slips out of bed and into her shower. Moments later Sophie put on clothing and emerges from her bathroom, walks over and kisses Luke before exiting the room. She heads downstairs and starts fixing breakfast. Putting on coffee she starts mixing batter for pancakes.

Angel wakes to Joshua moving around. She opens her eyes and looks over at him he was asleep. Getting up she watches him he had his hands balled into fist in front of his face. He presses himself into the pillow. "Please Stop, I helped, HELP ME…" He jerks and twitches, lowers his hands covering his chest as he says in a quieter voice "I'm sorry" Squeezing his eyes shut even tighter he tries to sit up yells out in pain and falls back on the bed.

When Joshua collapses back on the bed he drops his hands and just keeps apologizing. She knew touching him when he was in the throes of a dream like this was dangerous. "Joshua, you're dreaming please wake up." She stood at the side of the bed. The jerky motion scared her, he'd had this dream the night after his mother attached him and she'd had Luke wake him. He starts pushing himself further into the pillow twitching, Angel shakes him. "Joshua" before she can move a safe distance away he suddenly grabs her shaking her. His eyes gave away the fact that he was still asleep. He was making her dizzy she screams "PLEASE. DON"T HURT ME"

Joshua hears Angel scream. Blinking he focuses on her realizing she was talking to him he lets her go. She falls to her knees. He was soaked in sweat and felt like he'd run a fucking marathon. She sat on the floor with one hand on her stomach and the other over her mouth. Getting up she shakily goes in to the bathroom. Joshua puts his hands up to his face. This shit had to stop before he hurt her or his son. Running a hand through his hair he gets up. Angel soon comes out of the bathroom smelling like Listerine. "Are you okay?" She tells him she was okay and that she knew awake he'd never hurt her. "I can sleep on the couch." She says or she could find something else to wake him besides foolishly touching him. She describes what he looked like and how it scared her into trying to shake him awake. "I have to either settle what's going on up here" He points to his head "or I have to not fall asleep around you."

"Do you think it's time to speak to her? She hurt you," He explains if he could have been able to restrain her or if he already wasn't in pain her blows would not have affected him. "You trusted her and she attacked you. You apologized in your sleep you know you are not to blame correct?" Joshua looks at the floor shakes his head and says he had asked himself that a lot since it happened. "Joshua there isn't anything you could have done. We spoke about this, how were you supposed to know he would go nuts on his own father?"

"Sally made a very good point I let my childish dislike for Cass and Brad's past actions let me hang up instead of lending a hand. Now my father is dying. No, I didn't swing the bat at his head but I also didn't stop it either. I just wish I could help him." Angel tells him about what Vash told her about Bradley being wild and the fact that there wasn't much Vash believed Joshua could do short of killing him. Joshua says "Not his place to say" and walks into the bathroom slamming the door.

After standing at the bathroom door for a while debating on whether to interrupt him. Angel walks out of the bedroom she was hungry and had no clue whether she should have said what she said. Luke walks out of Sophie's room and greets her. She greets him and asks where Sophie was he sniffs the air and they both say kitchen. Only Sophie had mastered chocolate Chip Carmel pancakes and able to make them look and smell like they should. Angel tried it and it looked like brown glop in the bowl and even worse after it was fixed. Angel watches Luke ease into the kitchen. Smiling she says "Sophie, Luke is being sneaky"

Sophie turns Luke stops and says "Give me your hand please" he kisses her hand and puts the ring on her finger "thank you for saying yes to one of the luckiest men in the world you made a home in my heart." She opened her eyes it was a different ring. She meets his eyes. He hurries and explains "I believe in luck I know it has no scientific backing but I see this is as turning a new page in our lives. My parents are the first people I told. My mother gave me her engagement ring and us her blessing. I figured it had to hold some luck they've been happily married over 40 years."

Sophie puts her hand to her mouth Angel is just as speechless. Luke's lack of a poker face shows his growing uncertainty to change the rings. He asks her thoughts. "I love you and it's beautiful. Who am I to argue against 40 plus years of good luck?" He kisses her and her building excitement takes over as she kisses him back.

Angel sees the ring and runs over hugging her sister and new brother in law. She believed Luke wouldn't lose himself like Julius. They were cut from two different cloths there was really no comparison Luke is cashmere, and Julius was dryer lent. Sophie was going for her happily ever after. "Oh My God I'm so happy for you guys." Angel let's go and Luke pulls her back into a hug. Angel stiffened she still didn't like being pulled on. She half smirks "Luke let go before breakfast is burned." She steps back from him and into someone she is about excuse herself and step off the person's foot when Joshua wraps his arms around her whispering can they please talk saying he was sorry for shutting her out it occurred to him that she was just repeating what she heard. Angel turns in his arms looking up into his eyes. "After breakfast okay JC and I are hungry and haven't had caffeine in over 24 hours." Joshua says sure and lets her go.

After breakfast Joshua and Angel talk and agree that it was time to talk to the parents. Joshua calls Candy since she had not called or come up the hill. It goes to voice mail and he tells her to call him when she gets this message. He wanted to talk to her about a place for his bachelor party.

Authors Note: This chapter was short but gave you some key parts you will understand later. As always if there is anything you would like me to clarify let me know please review it helps me out :End Note