Blaze Of Glory

PikaDarkness

Chapter 23

Pop The Question

It was a hot day a month after the funeral. Emma was sitting infront of her bedroom fan that she had unpacked. Jeff had gone out with Delia, leaving her with Ash Brock and Misty, she didn't mind though; Jeff told her he had something special in mind and that it was time he felt ready for a relationship.

"Emma! I think Ash broke something!" Misty shouted and Emma tore down stairs. Ash was blood red, they had been playing the laptop and suddenly everything had crashed.

Emma sat down and entered the codeword she learnt by heart. It was a fourteen letter codeword. Then everything righted once again, and she settled down on the lounge next to Brock.

"Can I speak with you in private?" Emma asked and Brock nodded getting up. Emma led Brock in the kitchen.

"What is it?" Brock questioned slowly.

"You remember when you offered to wait until I was ready to handle a relationship?" Emma asked and Brock nodded. "You don't have to wait anymore- I'm ready."

Brock gawked at her for a moment before sweeping her off her feet. Emma yelped grasping hold of him tightly. Then Brock bent his head down and kissed her, they melted into the kiss without giving it time.

Then they walked back into the room ignoring Ash and Misty's inquisitive looks as they cuddled up on the lounge watching a movie before falling asleep.

Jeff and Delia walked in hand in hand not three hours later, Ash and Misty were still on the laptop and Brock and Emma asleep.

"Aw their so cute!" Delia commented, while Jeff looked proudly at his sleeping daughter.

Emma woke up as Brock moved, she looked up to see her father leaning on the back of the lounge looking at her lovingly.

"Hi dad." Emma sleepily raised her head. "I listened to my heart, and it told me I was ready."

"I'm proud of you…" Jeff muttered, Emma smiled. "I have something to tell you guys… if you can wake Brock up."

"Brock…? Wake up!" Emma roused Brock who pleaded for five minutes before he grouchily opened his eyes.

"Guys… me and Delia are getting married."

Emma was open mouthed before she squealed and got up and hugged Jeff. "Congratulations!"

Jeff put his arms around her as well. "Thanks!" Delia walked into the room and Ash did almost the same thing Emma did.

"When is it?" Emma asked.

Jeff shrugged. "We haven't figured it out yet."

Emma nodded feeling so happy for Jeff.

"But we have figured out something's." Delia announced, drawing all eyes to her. Jeff pitched in.

"Emma and Misty you guys are going to be bridesmaids," The girls jumped up and down squealing with excitement. "Ash and Brock you guys are groomsmen."

"Who's the ring bearer and flower girl? Come on you guys need them!" Misty asked. Jeff looked away thinking. Delia knew however.

"My sister Denise has twins a boy and a girl, maybe they could fill that position in." Delia looked at Jeff like passing judgement.

"Yeah, that'd work!" Jeff nodded his head with a grin a mile long. Emma hadn't seen him that happy since he had been with Andrea.

Within another hour Delia and the kids had gone home and Emma was in bed.

Jeff knocked on her door and was allowed entrance.

"Hey." Jeff sat down on Emma's bed.

"Hi." There was something solemn in her voice that Jeff picked up and was confused about it.

"What's wrong?"

Emma shook her head. "Nothing, so congratulations about you and Delia."

Jeff looked at Emma knowing something was bothering her. "Thanks now what's bothering you?"

"Nothing." Emma looked at Jeff to find he was giving her a look that said how much he didn't believe her. "Seriously."

"Emma, your not a good liar, is it something to do with the wedding?" Jeff wanted her to tell him.

"Not really…" Emma looked uncertain, sparking Jeff's desire for her to tell him everything.

"This is about your mother." Jeff suddenly realised.

Emma nodded, "Do you miss her?" Jeff nodded, Emma was succumbed to tears. "Same here, and just with you getting married a second time just makes me remember how much."

Jeff pulled her into a gentle hug. He knew that one of them would be feeling like this, he just wished it was him not Emma.

"You will miss her right?"

Jeff nodded. "Yes I do and will miss her, I never stopped since her death. Even with Delia, she wont fill that empty gap where Andrea used to be."

Emma nodded seemingly satisfied with his answer. "Sorry for bringing this up dad."

"Hey, don't be sorry, its ok. Look just because I'm getting married again doesn't mean my love for your mother will cease, if you feel like this again don't hesitate to tell me about it, because I want to help you out alright? It doesn't matter if I get married, get divorced, or just on my own like I was I want to know." Jeff rubbed her back softly, Emma nodded.

"Ok." Emma's voice was a whisper, the hug was softly broken.

"Get some sleep and please don't dwell on this." Jeff kissed the top of Emma's head and walked out of the room. "Ok?" Emma nodded, Jeff smiled and turned her bedroom light out and gently shut the door.

Emma fell asleep not long later.

Jeff however couldn't get to sleep, Emma's words had an affect on him. Jeff never realised how everything that had gone on affected like this, her mother was one thing but there obviously had to be more, she wouldn't have started to tell him how she felt about the wedding if there wasn't more to it. Jeff just figured he'd ask about it. With that comforting thought he finally dropped off.

***

Emma was sullen the next morning, Jeff knew it was because of last night, she tried to pull herself together. It worked except she was withdrawn and if you looked into her eyes you would see emotional pain.

"Emma talk to me." Jeff looked at Emma with sadness. "Please, I wanna help!"

"Its just-"

The phone rang, Jeff sighed grumpily and got up to answer it, Emma decided to go upstairs into her room. Jeff came back out and slumped when he saw a vacant living room.

Jeff ran up the stairs and knocked on Emma's door. When he walked in he gave Emma a smirk. "Did you think I'd give up? Now spill!"

Emma shook her head. "Its stupid, I shouldn't be upset by it."

"Emma, I don't care if its stupid I want to help you!" Jeff settled down on her bed.

Emma decided to open up and let Jeff in on everything. The Wedding, Andrea, the fire, everything spilled out. Jeff and Emma were lying on her bed as she talked. Jeff was surprised she was feeling all this stuff and managed to keep it hidden.

"Emma you should've told me!" Jeff sighed, he couldn't believe how much he neglected her feelings. Maybe neglect was the wrong word, but he saw through her emotions.

"I didn't want to get you angry or upset, I was scared that it would happen if I brought it up." Emma wasn't feeling foolish, it very well could've ended up like that.

"Emma, I wouldn't have gotten angry or upset, because your being open with how your feeling! I don't want you to beat yourself up inside with all these negative emotions, because you don't deserve it."

"I felt like the emotions were trapping me, that I couldn't tell anyone because they were telling me not to do it, so for seven years I have been carrying all these emotions, I couldn't think about telling anyone… not even you."

Jeff smiled sadly. "Well now you have told me, don't you feel better?"

Emma nodded. "I feel loads better, like this heavy weight has been lifted."

Jeff got on his knees and tickled Emma. "Good now keep it that way!" Emma rolled around laughing, this was the cherry on top of feeling loads better.

Within minutes they were downstairs, Jeff was preparing breakfast when the door was being knocked on and Emma ran to open it.

"Who are you?" Emma's smile faded, this guys face was covered by a bandana and a hood.

"Give this to your dad." The stranger shoved a package in her chest and ran off. Emma looked down at the box.

Open on your wedding day. it read. Emma walked into the kitchen with it. Jeff was surprised when she gave the package to him.

"Open now or wait?" Jeff asked.

"The man looked suspicious, I'd say throw it away."

"We'll open it then throw it away."Jeff opened the package then yelped. It was a bomb. It was set to go off another month, the month Delia and he had set the wedding on.

Emma ran to the phone calling the police. Within half an hour the place was swarming with cops.

"Thank you for calling us." One of the policemen shook Emma's hand then Jeff's. "We'll be taking this down to the station to diffuse it." Jeff nodded.

Then in an hour the place was empty.

"Who'd want to send a bomb?" Jeff crashed on the lounge biting his index finger.

"Someone who's jealous of you getting married to Delia, someone who hates you…. I don't know." Emma supplied without a clue. Jeff shook his head.

"At least we got rid of it, next time we're throwing out any packages handed to us by masked strangers." Emma nodded.

"I shouldn't have brought it into the house." Emma shook her head inwardly bashing herself for being idiotic.

"Don't worry about it, you didn't know what it was." Jeff assured. Emma nodded. "Look don't beat yourself up about it."

"Ok."

Jeff looked at her. "Emma, I'm serious! Don't beat yourself up!" Jeff pulled her into a one armed hug. Tears secretly fell down Emma's face, if Jeff didn't open that package, they'd have been blown to bits.

Emma sniffed and Jeff pulled out of the hug, he was upset to see her crying. "Come here." Jeff held out his arms and Emma crashed into him and began to cry. Jeff rubbed her back comfortingly, he was prepared to sit there until her tears dried up. It was at least five minutes before there was no more tears to cry. Jeff felt her body stop shaking, Emma pulled out of the hug, wiping the tears away. "Are you ok now?"

Emma shook her head, it was amazing at how fast the tears could come back it was as if it was on fast forward. Tears came back down Emma's face. Jeff pulled her back in for a hug, Emma was already sick of crying, her eyes were doing the same thing Jeff's does- glower.

Within minutes Emma was feeling almost fine, Jeff watched her wipe her tears anxiously, Emma smiled at him. "I'm ok now…" Jeff grinned and ruffled her hair.

"Good, my shirt was getting saturated," Emma and Jeff laughed quietly.

Emma wiped her dry eyes of spare tears. "Sorry…" Jeff waved it away wordlessly saying not to worry about it.

There was a knock on the door, Emma motioned for Jeff to get it. Jeff grinned and went to open the door- Delia.

Jeff and Delia shared a kiss, Delia savoured the taste but Jeff didn't. Delia was wondering why Emma looked like she was crying but was told not to worry about it.

"What's been going on?" Delia's voice was sickeningly bright, Emma scowled at it.

"Never mind, I'm just going to go outside for a little while" Emma announced, Jeff nodded thinking it would be good for her to get some air. Emma got up and walked outside.

"Was it something I said?" Delia asked thoroughly confused.

Jeff shook his head, "It's been a rough morning. Emma's pretty shaken up- we got sent a bomb telling us to open it on the wedding, she's blaming herself because she was the one who unknowingly brought it into the house."

Delia looked horrified. "Is that all she's upset about?"

"No, with us getting married she's becoming horribly reminded about her mother, and how much she misses her." Jeff knocked his knuckles against his knee. Delia buried her face in her hand, she felt for the girl this mustn't be easy for her to accept. "I miss her too, just she's so hung up on it she told me how blames herself for the fire and living while Andrea didn't, I'm surprised she didn't crack earlier with everything she's feeling."

"Poor kid…" Delia muttered and Jeff nodded.

"I just wish she'd have talked to me about it sooner, yet I found her upset when I came in to say goodnight to her last night and I realised the magnitude of her emotions." Jeff shook his head.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be ok." Emma must've been listening to them. "Honestly, you guys just worry about your wedding."

Jeff watched her walk back out the door. "I hate it when she does that."

"Does what?" Delia asked, baffled.

"Pretends everything is fine, its like she doesn't know I'm here for her, that I want her to talk to me." Jeff shook his head directing his gaze to his lap.

"Maybe you should talk to her about it." Delia suggested with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I did before you came, she was crying her eyes out about everything." Jeff felt depressed, he needed something to get rid of the feeling. "Lets get on with planning the wedding…"

Delia liked teal dresses, but with the men wearing blue, it wouldn't work… Jeff thought it was a bad idea to get married at a beach. Delia didn't like the idea of a church because she wasn't religious. They obviously were too different.

They set the date to March 10th which was in four months time.

If they wanted a wedding they'd have to put there differences aside and choose. Because they were opposites like electricity and water.

Emma didn't put two cents in, she had strung up a punching bag from the garage and was violently hitting it. An hour went by and she was tiredly hit the punch bag before collapsing against it. Josephine rushed towards Jeff's house to warn him that Emma was going to kill herself, today wasn't going to be a good day.

To Be Continued…

I'm thinking of closing the story up next chapter and open it with the wedding, don't hate me because you have to wait! Or have the wedding next chapter and close it off with a cliff hanger! Then get on to prequel then write the sequel

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PikaDarkness!