Chapter 4

Crossed Lines

The next morning, Lily woke up disoriented. She forgot where she was momentarily, looking up at the white ceiling of a bedroom she didn't recognize. Her eyes widened in alarm after she blinked the sleep out of her eyes and reality set in. She was smack dab in the middle of the biggest "oh shit" moment ever. She turned her head to see August was sleeping peacefully beside her, head turned away from her.

His shoulders and broad back were bare, and Lily realized with a start she wasn't wearing any pants. She lifted the black sheet draped over her and was relieved to see she wasn't naked. August was shirtless, but still wore his pants and socks from the night before. She thanked her lucky stars he was unconscious and decided to quietly roll out of bed. Lily racked her brain, Did something happen?

She left August sleeping and got dressed in the bathroom. She paused at the bathroom mirror to swipe at her raccoon like eyes, and thought for the hundredth time how absolutely fucked she was- Emma was going to be pissed. Lily never made it home last night. She remembered finding August at the bar and taking him back to his apartment. She got sloppy drunk with him, never one to let a friend drink alone. Nothing happened though. She just passed out.

Her timing couldn't be more terrible, because just as she was sliding out of August's place, Emma came bounding up the steps, back fresh from her morning run. Her eyes grew large with shock, and then her features twisted into a horribly, ugly angry snarl. "What the fuck, Lily?!"

"Em, I can explain," she implored her girlfriend, spreading her hands out in an innocent gesture. She fumbled for the front door behind her so they could move their conversation in doors. "What kind of explanation can you possibly have for fucking not one, but TWO people in the past month?!" Emma's voice rose higher and higher, and soon Lily was getting pissed right back at her.

"I didn't do anything!" she yelled back. "If you'd let me finish, I could tell you how we just got drunk last night, that's all!" Lily shouted, stomping her way into the bedroom. She had to get away from Emma when she was like this. She was fed up with Emma's attitude- just because she had one slip up on vacation didn't mean she fucked every single person she came across, no matter how sexy they both agreed their neighbor was.

"Oh, is that all?!" Emma said, her voice raising an octave and breaking shrilly. "I'm not fuckin' him, Emma," Lily growled as Emma stalked into the room on her tail. "Well forgive me for saying so, but trust in you is a fuckin' foreign concept nowadays," Emma sarcastically bit out and Lily's eyesight nearly went red. It was unbearable being accused of something she did not do. It was bad enough owning up to the things you did do without being accused of a slew of other crimes on top. Lily could just never win. She had had meaningless sex with a girl on vacation, yes, but August wasn't just anybody. He was starting to be their friend. She had no desire to be with him sexually, and was insulted how convinced Emma remained that something had happened when Lily was telling the truth. The fact that Emma didn't believe her when she was telling the truth was infuriating, worse than being found out in a lie.

Emma had been hovering around Lily as she went about the room. She was so angry she didn't realize at first what all items the brunette was collecting as she walked around. When she noticed Lily reaching for her make up bag, and getting on her hands and knees for her suitcase, Emma halted unsurely.

"What're you doing?" she asked, dumb foundedly. She should be the one to break up with Lily for what she had done, it wasn't supposed to be the other way around. Lily was leaving her. "I'm going," the brunette confirmed. "Alice said I could crash at her place for awhile until things blow over," Lily said, wishful thinking at its finest. She did sincerely hope Emma had it in her to forgive her.

Maybe it was selfish, but it was too painful to be reminded of how she hurt Emma and let her down on a daily basis. This separation would be good for both of them. They could reevaluate what it is they truly desired from each other and go from there. But first, Emma had to stop hating her guts.

"I'm sorry, really, I am," Lily said, zipping her suitcase closed. "We can take a few days. You call me, if you need me," Lily said meaningfully, hoping Emma would miss her. She prayed Emma would miss her, and ask her to come back. Until then, Emma shouldn't have to look at her everyday with such misery and betrayal reflected in her beautiful green eyes. She needed time and space to heal. And if Lily was honest, she needed time away to figure out what she really wanted, too.

Emma sank down onto the bed. She was quiet, and then, forcefully, she said, "Fine, go!"

* ~ * ~ * ONCE * UPON * A * TIME * ~ * ~ * ~

August woke up that afternoon with a hangover from hell. He was nauseous, and barely made it to the bathroom before he was regurgitating the contents of his stomach. He was sick and uncomfortable on the floor by the toilet and his leg was killing him. August could faintly hear from his place on the floor the sound of soulful music filled with sadness playing next door.

He managed to struggle up from the ground by gripping the porcelain white claw footed bath tub. The last thing he remembered from last night was sitting on the couch, talking with Lily. August splashed some cool water on his face from the faucet and cupped some water into his hands, rinsing his mouth out.

He wandered into the living room, looking for Lily. She was nowhere to be found. He could still hear the blues playing next door, and the sound was beginning to bother him. Lily had left, and Emma was playing sad music. Somehow, August couldn't abide the thought of the Princess suffering next door all alone, not when he was literally staying right next door.

August pulled on a black t-shirt and then his leather jacket. He winced as he descended the stairs leading outside his apartment complex. He made his way towards a corner convenience store, hurrying as best as his leg would allow. Carrying a sack, he took the elevator back up to their floor, and was soon standing in front of Emma's door knocking. When she opened the door and saw him, her eyes narrowed dangerously and she glared daggers at the man.

Then she shut the door in his face.

Hold on, August paused, his eyebrow raised curiously at the unyielding door, and then gave it another rap. This time, Emma threw open the door with a wild eyed look in her green eyes and she was immediately on the offensive. "What d'you want August?! You got my girlfriend, what more could you want?" she demanded.

August's face looked shocked, and then realization dawned on him. "What?!" His clear blue eyes were alarmed and August moved as if to prevent her from shutting the door on him again. "Let me explain," he said. Emma folded her arms over her chest and glared at him stonily, her silence in itself loud and condemning. "I'm pretty sure Lily is innocent here," August said, trying to help clear the brunette's name. "I don't remember getting the nasty on last night, and for what it's worth, I doubt I'd ever forget someone like her," he said, his tone mischievous as he tried to lighten the mood.

Emma's stern expression melted away as she looked August in the eye. She could sense he was telling the truth, and she started to feel a little foolish for jumping to conclusions. He may have flirted with both of them on a regular basis, but August had never done anything untoward to either of them. He genuinely seemed to respect their relationship, which was more than Emma could say of Lily at the moment.

Emma mentally scoffed, appalled at how bad her luck in her relationship was going. But at least she had a friend through all this, she thought, darting a look at her mysterious, sleepy eyed neighbor. And if Lily didn't cheat, Emma reluctantly acknowledged if only to herself that she owed Lily an apology. She just wasn't ready to make up yet.

"Sex or no sex, you shouldn't have kept her all night," Emma still argued. "I was worried sick about her," the blonde said and the writer grimaced. "I'm afraid that's my fault, too. I drank a little too much last night and Lily was just trying to help," he said. The look Emma sent his way clearly showed she wasn't convinced.

"For what it's worth, I'm very sorry," August said and held up the sack he'd forgotten he was still holding. "Please accept my apologies," he said, holding it out to her and Emma reached in and pulled out a pint of strawberry ice cream. Her eyes lit up and she smiled for the first time all day.

"I hope you like it, I hear it does wonders for break ups," the writer commented. He watched Emma retreat into the kitchen, admiring her shapely figure from behind in her pink tank top and loose fitting, grey sweat pants. Her waist tapered in pleasantly and he was a sucker for her long, curly blonde hair. If they ever ended up in bed together, he was counting on running his hands through her golden tresses and inhaling the scent of her.

August kicked himself for the thought, smiling indolently as Emma came back to the living room with some spoons. "I guess you're sorry for that, too, then," Emma said, snarky tone evident in her voice. Lily and Emma's relationship was barely cold, and here he was already imagining what the blonde's hair smelled like. "If I remember correctly, there was trouble afoot before I got here," August mused, and went to sit beside Emma who had sunk down into their plush, white couch. She offered a spoon to him which he took and helped himself to the pint in her hands. "Don't remind me," Emma said, and heaved a heavy sigh.

They shared the ice cream together in companionable silence while the music played on in the back ground. There was a long pause as Emma warred internally with herself, needing someone to talk to but being reluctant to open up to her mysterious neighbor. Her insecurities won out in the end.

"We've been growing apart for awhile," Emma finally admitted. "She's mad at me because she's ready to move on, keep looking for our parents, and I kind of like it here. I don't see the point in searching for them anymore," Emma explained, and her demeanor turned bleak.

August's eyes softened as he looked at the blonde and he said, "Have you lost sight of hope?" Emma gave a mirthless laugh. "You and I both know I'm a glass half-empty kinda girl," she said. "You sound like you don't even want to find them," August accused her, wondering how Emma could seem so indifferent to a task Lily considered so close to her heart. "Isn't it important to you?"

"Of course it is. But what good is wishing for anything going to do? How is knowing who or where they are supposed to make me feel any better when I'm still the one that went looking for them first?" she asked. "Maybe it's more complicated than you know," August said mysteriously. "What if you were kidnapped? What if your parents died? Shouldn't you stop wasting so much time hating them for leaving you, and find out what really happened? You're not doing yourself any favors. Lily's right. We have to keep looking for our parents."

"We?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. "Since when do you plan on leaving? You just got here a couple weeks ago!" Emma exclaimed, incredulous as to what nonsense he was spouting now. "Don't you have a lease?" she asked. "Pfft! As if I'd let that stop me, I'm my own kind of man," he said. "And when I feel the need to go, I will." Emma stared at him, truly baffled. "Where will you go?" August replied, "That's for me to know and you to find out."


A/N: As always, please read and review! I'd love to hear any thoughts or concerns you might have. Stick around for some wooden swan action, it's coming soon ;)