Hank woke up from a restless sleep. It was still dark outside, he couldn't have slept longer than two hours. Something felt strange, he didn't feel home... turning around he saw Emily sleeping next to him. Sure! Of course she's there – how could I forget? He shook his head and wondered about himself. He reached out for his phone. Somehow he had a feeling that there had to be a message from Evan. But there wasn't and instead of relief he felt worry coming up. You're silly, Hank! Waking in the middle of the night and worrying about Evan 'cos he didn't leave a message for you! Hell, it's dark outside and Evan is asleep! Of course there is no message for you, especially after your fight in the morning. Hank knew his mind was right, but his stomach and his heart just didn't believe his thoughts.

He went to the restroom and put some fresh cold water on his face. It made him feel a bit better. A look in the mirror showed him the tired expressions on his face. Of course, he was still sleepy. He didn't have a long sleep and the little he had wasn't really peaceful. There were no nightmares, but this feeling all along that something bad was going to happen.

He went back to the bedroom and tried to get dressed in the dark. Emily woke up, when he was almost finished. "What are you doing, Hank?" she asked, when she noticed he was in the room with her, but not in the bed next to her.

"I think I'm driving home. I wanted to leave a note for you."

"Why?"

"To let you know that I'm gone."

"I understand that, baby. My question was why you want to leave?"

"Oh, it's really nothing. I just didn't sleep well and figured it wouldn't help your sleep, when I would lie here tossing and turning."

"I see, but there is something else on your mind, isn't it?"

"No...yeah..."

"Okay" she got next to him and kissed his forehead. "You make yourself comfortable on the couch and I'll make us some tea, then we sit down and talk about it."

"No, you can go back to sleep and I drive home, it's no big deal."

"Hank, you don't leave, we'll talk. You just have to accept my help, if we want this relationship to work. Got it?

"Got it! Thank you, Em." He kissed her.

Emily left to the kitchen and Hank waited in her living room. Thinking about how sweet it was of her and wondering again, why his brother didn't like her. Sure she was very ambitious, more than he himself was, but then again... she was born to a family that always had money and so it was just natural that she tried to make a lot of money herself to maintain her exclusive lifestyle.

Right when she had entered the kitchen she had sent a text message with her phone. Now she was waiting for the water. She didn't want Hank to leave. I have to calm him down somehow, it's probably Evan that keeps him awake. She got herself a peppermint tea and a calming tea for Hank.

He looked up, when she offered him a glass. "Here's your tea, honey," she said and got to his side on the couch.

"Thanks. I don't really know what's wrong, I'm just nervous and... well restless. It's Evan, I can't stop thinking about him."

"So I thought." She smiled encouraging, but inside she wasn't happy that this brother-thing was a constant problem in their relationship, or so she felt. The ass is so annoying even when he's not around. That drives me nuts.

"Well, yeah. He has lost a bit weight. Have you noticed?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I don't know what's wrong with him. He says he's not sick and I guess I just have to believe him. But even if it's not an illness, something is just not right. He is restless, too and then again he seems kinda depressed. You know I love him, but there are just times that he really drives me crazy. And lately there have been a lot of such days. Other than business we hardly don't talk anymore and if, there is just so much tension and frustration and annoyance, so it just leads into discussions and fights that leave me with even more anger. I try to think 'he's just having a bad time', but that doesn't help me deal with it better. I try to stay calm, but I just can't, when I find him careless and not concentrating on what I'm telling him about work. He seems to be so far away with his thoughts. And there is the way he treats you, like you're poisoning my mind. I don't like that he talks about and with you the way he does."

"Let me bring you another tea and then I tell you what I think, ok?" She head to the kitchen. He was more awake than before, but she needed to have him a bit more relaxed. When she prepared the next tea, she just added a few drops of a homeopathic tranquilizer, nothing strong that would put him to sleep, just something to help him calm down and the rest of convincing would be up to her.

He started drinking the new tea as soon as he got it. "So, what do you think?"

"Baby, I think you shouldn't worry about Evan so much. I know he's your brother and you try to take care of him, but he's a grown man. Yeah, he doesn't act like one, but he is old enough to take responsibility. You're his brother and his friend, I guess, but you're not his father and it's not your job to watch him like a baby. It's time for him to make his own mistakes, let him fall and get up on his own, that's the only way he can learn about life."

"I don't know, I know he's immature, but he has moments when he actually acts as an adult. But you're right anyway. I often act like his father, because I had to take care of him so early in our lives and you know about Eddie. He's not really the kind of father that Evan needs. Just think about the money he wanted from Evan."

"But truth is, baby, that Evan gave it to him and he was the one that took it from you. I sometimes think you forget that."

"I don't forget it and I let Evan know, but in a way I still see it as Eddie's fault. He hasn't spent much time with my brother and if he did, he just used him to get information about me and my life or he put him in a situation that caused trouble. Evan just wants to be loved by our father so badly that he's not always thinking about the things he does for or with him." He drank the rest of his tea and yawned. "I admit though, how very tired I am of Evan. For weeks it's even getting worse."

"Maybe you just need some distance."

"Well, that's not easy done. We work and live together and it's not like I would tell him to move out, he's still my baby brother and I love him and he didn't betray me or gave me any other reason to tell him to pack his bags."

"I know and I didn't mean anything close to that. Maybe you could just go to your house for business and stay here for the nights or the time off. I guess a week or so will give you some space to think about things and how you should go on."

"That's very nice, Emily, but I'm not sure. Evan won't like it."

"But it's not up to him to decide it, Hank. I want to be with you and I want to be here for you when you need me; right now I think you do."

"You know what? I think you're right. When I'm at the house tomorrow I get some stuff and stay with you for a couple of days. We'll see what happens."

She smiled. "And there is another good reason for you to do so."

"What is it?"

"I can do this for you every evening." She kissed his neck and got on her knees, turned his back more in her direction and started a massage.

"I'd like it." Hank could feel himself relaxing. Emily helped him out of his shirt and massaged him again. She would stop now and then to kiss his back, but when she followed his spine with the tip of her tongue, he closed his eyes and forgot his brother.