Elizabeth couldn't believe her ears when Johnny asked Jason to drive to the front gate to pick up the Queen of hate herself. The woman couldn't even be bothered to have her driver take her to the front door. No. She had to have someone to protect her on the way in. With Jason busy barbecuing and Johnny busy doing whatever he was doing, Elizabeth steps forward.
"I'll pick her up." Elizabeth says before anyone else could offer. "It is my barbecue, after all."
"Are you sure?" Jason walks over to her. "You two aren't exactly on good terms."
"I'm used to being civil to people that despise me." Elizabeth says simply. "We won't be long."
"Why don't you watch the grill instead?" Jason suggests. "I already turned the meat..."
"Its okay." she assures. "Don't worry so much."
With that being said, Elizabeth makes her way into the house to grab her keys before getting into her car and heading to the front gate. There's a million other things she'd rather be doing in that moment, but she knows that she has to do this. The men have been really good to her and, if she's going to prove that she's just as good a friend, she's going to have suck up her ego and accept that Emily's part of her life now. Regardless of how badly the other woman destroyed her life in the past.
"You." Emily practically choked out at the sight of her. "Where's...where's Johnny?"
"Busy." Elizabeth states simply. "Get in."
"That's okay." Emily shakes her head. "I can walk."
"In those heels?" Elizabeth scoffs. "Its a good mile to my house."
"Then I can wait for Johnny."
"Look, either get in or get off my property." Elizabeth snaps. "Your choice."
"Fine." Emily mutters before climbing into the car. "Happy?"
"Buckle up."
Once her passenger is secured in her seat, Elizabeth turns the car around and starts heading back to the estate. She knows that she should probably have driven a little slower, but Emily's expression was just too priceless. Gripping tight to whatever she could get her hands on, Emily looked like she was about to pass out from fear. Slamming the brakes once they get to the estate, Elizabeth gets down and opens Emily's door for her, a soft smile on her face.
"Welcome to my home." Elizabeth says simply before turning her back on Emily. "Party's out back. Take your shoes off while you're in my house."
"You...you tried to kill me."
"Honey, if I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead." Elizabeth says firmly, blocking her way once they get to the door. "Keep one thing in mind before you walk through this door, if at any time tonight you treat me like a cold blooded killer, I will personally drag you by your hair all the way to the front gate and throw your ass off my property. Do I make myself clear?"
"Jason would never let you do that to me."
"Try me." Elizabeth dares her. "Jason or no Jason, I won't let you disrespect me in my own home."
Without another word, Elizabeth walks into the house and back to the party. She doesn't care who Emily is related to, she won't let anyone disrespect her here. The rest of the town is fair game, obviously, but not her home. She won't stand for it. If it were up to her, Emily would never step foot on her property, but its not up to her. Not when she's Johnny's girlfriend and Johnny's her friend. Taking a deep breath, she walks over to Jason with a soft smile on her face.
"See." Elizabeth says simply. "Told you it wouldn't take long."
"Everything okay?"
"Everything's fine." Elizabeth says before turning to Emily when she walks over to them. "Right, Emily?"
"Right." Emily says after glancing between Jason and Elizabeth. "Everything's fine."
"Good." Jason shakes his head. "Food's just about done. Why don't you two go relax with the others?"
"Johnny!" Emily calls out to him when she spots him, hurt by the look on his face when he sees her and just continues on with what he's doing. "I'll...I'll be right back."
"I don't really feel like relaxing." Elizabeth says to Jason once Emily walks off to talk to Johnny. "Anything I can help with?"
"Marco's been looking for a reliever." Jason says after a moment, a part of him wishing that Emily could see the pain she's been inflicting on Johnny. "You any good at grilling meat?"
"Not really." she admits. "But I'm a fast learner."
"Good enough." he smiles slightly. "Marco, you can go."
"Seriously?" Marco hands over the tongs as fast as humanly possible before sprinting over to his girlfriend.
"Wow, you weren't kidding." Elizabeth comments as she stands in front of the grill with Jason. "He's fast."
"Its a new relationship." Jason explains. "He'll calm down soon enough."
"If you say so." Elizabeth shrugs before turning to look at the meat on the grill. "Now, about this grilling thing..."
When Emily finally caught up to Johnny, she could see that he wasn't all that happy to see her. She thought that maybe, just maybe, if they were face to face, everything from the night before would just melt away, but it seems as if it will take a lot more than that. Getting him to stop what he was doing, she guides him off to the side where no one can hear them, needing some time alone with him.
"I know you're mad..."
"I'm not mad." Johnny cuts her off, just tired of the same argument. "I just hate that you keep doing this."
"Keep doing what?" Emily looks at him confusedly. "I'm here. I came."
"You should have came with me!" Johnny practically snaps before regaining control of himself. "I shouldn't be an after thought."
"You're not an after thought." Emily insists. "I love you, Johnny! Nothing matters more to me than that."
"Really? Because it doesn't seem like it." Johnny sighs. "Look around Emily. Don't you think that any one of these girls could have chosen to do something else tonight? Don't you think they have their own lives to tend to?"
"What's your point?"
"My point is that, regardless of what's going on in their lives, they always make the time to be here. Even if they don't stay long, they still show up at the beginning." Johnny says seriously. "Not just once in a while, Emily. Every week!"
"What did you want me to do?" Emily counters, tears in her eyes. "It was my grandmother's tea party. I had to make an appearance."
"If you wanted to be here with me, you would have made the time." Johnny states. "Every single week, I ask you to come with me and every single week you make up some excuse why you can't. You couldn't even make the time to walk into my best friend's birthday party with me. Not just one of the guy's birthday, Emily, MY BEST FRIEND'S BIRTHDAY! You know how much Francis means to me...you know what that night meant for me."
"I'm sorry." Emily voices through her tears. "I don't know what else to say, but I'm sorry."
"I don't want you to be sorry, Emily." Johnny shakes his head, gripping both sides of her face with his hands. "I want you to understand. You are one of the most important people in my life. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you. Just once in a while, I wish you'd understand where I'm coming from the way I understand you. I may not have high class parties to attend the way you do, but it doesn't mean they're not just as important."
"I know they are." she insists. "I know that."
"I love you, Emily Quartermaine, but maybe we just need some time apart." Johnny says as his heart aches in his chest, slowly dropping his hands to his side. "I have to go help the guys finish setting up the shooting range."
As Johnny walks away from her, Emily could literally feel her heart breaking in her chest, this wasn't supposed to happen. They were supposed to talk it out and resolve whatever was hanging between them. He wasn't supposed to want time away from her. This isn't supposed to be her reality. It shouldn't be her reality. Wrapping her arms around herself, Emily starts to make her way back to the house to leave, allowing Johnny to have the space he seems to so desperately need.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Luwella, Cody's pregnant girlfriend, practically shouts from the doorway. "Running away, Quartermaine?"
"Johnny doesn't want me here." Emily says as she turns around to find nearly half of the girlfriends standing on the front porch, surprised to find Elizabeth standing to the right of Luwella. "He said he needs space."
"Isn't space what got you into this mess?" Luwella counters, her hands on her hips. "If you leave now, you might as well end things with Johnny because that's the only future you'll have with him."
"That man loves you." Christie, Rico's wife, steps forward. "Just once, he'd like you to choose him over your own miserable life."
"Do you love him?" Luwella questions, stepping up to her. "Well, do you?!"
"Of course I do!" Emily exclaims. "I love him with all my heart!"
"Then stop running and fight for him!" Luwella snaps. "Prove to that man that you love him enough to stay."
"But that's not what he wants."
"Then walk away. Leave." Elizabeth finally speaks up, moving to stand in front of Emily once Luwella steps away. "You know I couldn't care less about what happens to you, but Johnny's a good guy. He deserves someone that will fight for him. If that's not you, walk away and never look back. But...if there's still some part of you that wants a future with him, grow a pair and fight for him."
"Its now or never, Quartermaine." Luwella says seriously. "Stay and fight or leave for good. Your choice."
Staring at the group of woman that stood before her, Emily took a deep breath before walking past them back into the house. Elizabeth was almost certain she'd walk away, believing her to be a coward like that, pleasantly surprised to find out she still had some kind of soul in that body of hers.
"I know you hate that girl." Luwella voices when the others follow Emily back to the party. "But, what you did just then, makes you something she will never be."
"What's that?" Elizabeth questions, looking at her with curiosity.
"One of us." Luwella smiles softly. "You may not be dating any of the men, but you're part of our group now...if that's what you want."
"Its what I want." Elizabeth doesn't hesitate. "I mean, I could definitely use all the friends I can get."
"Good." Luwella puts one arm around Elizabeth. "Lets go introduce you to the rest of the ladies. Some of them have been dying to meet you in person."