Just two more chapters left in this one. I am sorry this one isn't the best I just didn't really feel this one like I felt the others...
Five
I'm gone as the day is fading on white houses
I lied, wrote my injuries all in the dust
In my heart is the five of us
In white houses
-Vanessa Carlton
Emily decided it would be best just to take Declan back to America with them. The poor boy was having a hard time, getting picked on because he'd lived in America and had no parents. Emily hugged the boy tightly.
"You can come home with us okay?" She said.
"Okay Emily. They won't hate me there?" He whispered.
"No, no they won't." She said. "Now let's get you some lunch."
After lunch Derek decided to take Declan and Lizi to the Trievi Fountain giving Emily some much needed time to herself. Her mother was in a meeting all afternoon which meant she didn't have to worry about her for a few hours.
She entered the old music room which had pretty much stayed the same after all those years. She sat down at the piano and smiled to herself she hadn't had the time to play in recent months. She sat down and smiled to herself, she didn't need any music she had it all in her head.
As she moved onto the third piece her eyes filled with tears it was called 'White Houses' it had been one she and Matthew often played together. She paused and took a deep breath, remembering the time the two of them had sat here playing this.
"Hey Emily." Matthew smiled at her. She jumped and turned.
"Matthew, hi." She grinned. "How was France?"
"It was okay I missed you though." He grinned sliding onto the piano bench next to her.
"I've missed you too, Jenny was gone so it was just me and John…" She trailed off.
"Oh, what are you playing?" He asked surveying the music and running his hands over the ivory keys.
"White Houses." She smiled placing her hands on the keys and beginning to play. Matthew reached over and stopped her.
"There are words. Sing." He said.
"Matthew –" She started.
"Sing." He raised his eyebrows.
"fine…" She sighed playing again. "crashed on the floor when I moved in, this little bungalow and some strange new friends, stay up to late and I'm to thin…"
"We promise each other its till the end, now we're spinning empty bottles it's the five of us…"
When Derek got back with the kids he could hear Emily playing and singing to herself, he could tell from the tone of her voice she was upset. "Hey Declan, take Lizi upstairs and read play with her for a few minutes okay?"
"Okay!" Declan smiled picking up Elizabeth.
Derek walked into the music room and he saw Emily playing her fingers seeming to dance across the keys her voice clear and beautiful. He hadn't known she could sing , she'd never told him she could before.
"My first time, its hard to explain, rush of blood –oh! And a little bit of pain, on a cloudy day its more common then you think, he's my first mistake…" Emily's voice trailed off and her playing stopped.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked.
"No. I hate it here." She whispered. "Not just because of my mother but because after everything that happened here I feel like I don't belong here, when I left Rome I swore I would never come back and now I remember why. It's just too much, I suppose it wouldn't be as bad if Matthew was okay but he's not, he's gone and no one else truly understands."
Derek sighed and sat next to her, she was right he didn't understand what she'd been through and he never would but he hated to see her like this. He shouldn't have pressured her into coming to Rome. He never should've even suggested it. "I'm sorry I made you come here."
"It's fine." She leaned against him. "Can I lay down?"
"Yeah you should, stressing yourself out like this isn't good for the baby." He kissed her head.
"Where's Elizabeth and Declan?" She asked.
"Upstairs, Declan's watching her for a few minutes." He said. "Do you want anything?"
"Peanut butter." Emily smiled, it had been one of her frequent cravings.
"Okay I'll get you some peanut butter." He smiled.
"Okay, I love you." She kissed him and went upstairs.
Derek went into the bedroom where Lizi and Declan were playing. "Declan will you two be alright for a few minutes if I run an errand?"
"We'll be fine!" Declan smiled brightly.
"Okay, Emily's laying down in the other room, try to be quiet okay?"
"Okay!" Declan smiled.
"Alright I'll be back in around fifteen minutes." Derek smiled.
As he made his way to the small corner store he pulled his phone out and dialed John's number.
"Hello?" John answered groggily.
"Hey John, it's Derek." He sighed.
"Derek why are you calling me at three in the morning?" John yawned.
"Oh yeah sorry about that. Tell me about Italy." He ordered.
"Okay well its Capitol is Rome, the pope lives there, there are a lot of church services most of them in Italian or Latin and –"
"No, no, Emily in Rome. I know she had an abortion but there's more. What is it." Derek ordered.
"I'm sorry but I can't tell you." John sighed.
"Why not?" Derek asked.
"Because its not my place, besides I don't know the full story only pieces and if you really want to know the whole story you'd have to ask Emily or Matthew." He sighed. "But I'm warning you, this side of Emily has always been something that she didn't like to talk about. Give her time and she'll do fine."
"I can't ask Emily and Matthew's dead what am I supposed to do?" He sighed.
"Wait. Emily will offer the information when she's ready, I know her pretty well and you just have to wait." John said. "Now I'm going back to bed, tell Emily hi and that Sergio's doing fine."
"Bye John." Derek hung up.
When he got back he brought Declan and Elizabeth down stairs to try to give Emily a quieter place to rest. When Emily came down half an hour later she didn't look well.
"Are you okay?" Derek frowned concerned.
"I'm almost seven months pregnant, I'm moody, I can't see my feet, my ankles are swollen, I'm sore, I can't care for my baby and I can't even go into work to distract myself how do you think I am?" She sighed sitting down.
"Hey, you are pregnant you have a right to be moody, you're beautiful, and you're a wonderful mother even if you can't rock your baby." He smiled kissing her.
"Thanks." She smiled. "Where's Declan?"
"He's outside playing soccer with some of the neighborhood kids." He said.
"Mama I play!" Lizi giggled.
"You were playing?" Emily smiled at her daughter. "You like playing with Declan?"
"Yes!" Lizi giggled standing and making her way to Emily and trying to climb on her. "Mama!" She whimpered in distress when she found there wasn't much room on Emily's lap.
Derek sighed. "Want me to get her.
"No its fine I am fully capable of holding her." Emily snapped.
"I didn't say you weren't." He sighed, he hated it when she got like this, snappy and irritated.
"It was implied!" She snapped.
"No Emi it wasn't." He said. "Look I'm going to make dinner." He sighed and turned back to dinner. He was almost as ready for this baby to be born as she was, he was trying to be patient but it was getting extremely difficult. He just hoped she would calm down.
