Lamentation hit with full force later. Much later. Right now, Dave and Emily were still caught up in that good feeling of getting laid after weeks of nothing, and it was amazing! Not only did it feel so incredibly good to be touched by another human being, but they had both experienced something new; Dave was just sweet by nature, and he showed Emily that sex didn't always have to be rough and emotionally scarring to feel great, and she introduced him to some of the darker, more experimental things one could do in the sack. All around, there was a feeling of good vibrations.

But unfortunately, it didn't last as long as they might have hoped for...

Half on her side and half on her stomach, Emily had her back to Dave while they spooned, and she was looking beyond the sea of paper at the TV. It wasn't turned on, so she could see the couch reflected back in the blank screen, and that made her think back to all the times that she and Chris had copulated in front of the television alone, leading up to the last time that they had had sex. For all she knew, that very well could have been the last time that they ever would be intimate...

Arms wrapped around her body, his head was resting far enough back to be looking at her gently breathing form. Dave had noticed it earlier, but since they were so enjoying the moment, he didn't bring it up then, but now that the high was wearing thin, it really hit how almost the entirety of Emily's back was horribly scarred. Intentional, there was a gigantic 'Chris' carved shoulder-to-shoulder, each jagged letter cut into her flesh so deeply that there was likely muscle damage. He knew that it wasn't his place, but seeing how Chris treated his girlfriend was sickening...

Brushing his fingers against the permanent reminder, Dave could feel her flinch. "What was this for?"

There was no way of saying it without upsetting him, she could tell. But, Emily felt like this was a safe enough space, so she didn't abridge it. "When The Toxic Mega Cunts raped your girlfriend, Chris had a hard time cheating on me again. It was a day after I had tried to kill myself, the day that I..." She rubbed her stomach. "Anyways, he said that it was my fault, and once I had recovered from my suicide attempt, he took the very same knife I used and he..." The girl was choking on her tears, so she had to take a moment. "He told me that he wanted me to live with this forever, because he has to live with the knowledge that I ever doubted him... I broke his heart, that's what he said, but I only did it because he broke mine first..." Emily had lost count of how many times he had run the blade through her back, just to be sure that the scars would never fade. But he didn't need to remind her, because her heart was never going to let her forget...

Despicable. Now matter what kind of a person she was or what she might have done, there was just no excuse for harming her in that way. It made sense why she was in no rush to tell him that she had gotten pregnant. "You do realize that if he treats you this way, he'll probably be just as bad with the baby."

"I know." Her voice was small. Whatever she might have said, that was actually one of her biggest fears in keeping it. Emily practically made a living off of being abused and belittled, but to see what could - and probably would - happen to her child... It didn't sit right with her. But there was more to her fear than just that one side - what if Chris treated the child with some kindness? Emily wondered if she would get jealous. It was no secret that jealousy was a third wheel in their relationship, so how would a fourth cog fit into that malfunctioning clockwork they called life? "We both know that I know. I've considered every possibility, and still, every second brings even more mystery... I'm so confused..."

Concern was radiating from every pore as he put his hand on her shoulder. "About the baby?"

Eyes burning, the pain in her eyes was one of dryness, a kind of sorrow beyond tears. "About everything. Me, the baby, Chris... You." Emily rolled over on her back so she was staring at the ceiling, her hands fiddling absently with the air. "I don't know what to think about all of this... I should kill you, for so many reasons, but instead, I find myself wanting to..."

"...To?" He wasn't sure what she was going to say, but if it was what he thought it was, she wasn't alone.

Emily blushed, aware that Dave was looking right at her. "To kiss you."

After what they had done, it seemed a little strange to say a thing like that, but there was a part of him that was secretly glad to hear her saying it. Honestly, he wasn't sure what frightened him more - Mindy not being the only girl he felt something for, or Mindy herself finding out that she wasn't the only girl he wanted...

Holy Jesus fuck! The more that Emily's words settled, the more that they both came to realize what she said and what it meant. Of all the ramifications, the one that seemed to strike out the hardest was the point of what they had done to reach this particular conclusion. Ok, maybe conclusion was a tad strong a term to use, since neither had really reached any sort of final answer, but technicalities were meaningless at the moment.

As if to punish them for what had happened, Emily's phone had begun to ring, and shockingly, it was Angie who was calling her. Since it was the land-line, it went straight to the machine. "...Emma?" Somehow, it was not very shocking to hear that Chris' mother didn't know his girlfriend's name. "Emilia, the exams came back. Chris is going to be fine - the only damage is to his mind." Hearing the way that she spoke about her own son, a lot of things slid into place, and Dave actually felt a bit bad for Chris. "He wants to see you, but before you lie to his face any more, I would like to talk to you first. We expect to see you at the prison in twenty minutes, so don't be late, Gabriella!"

Gabriella? Really? At least the other two monikers were somewhat close to Emily...

Eyes popping out of her skull, she jerked up, looking over at Dave. "Twenty minutes?! There's no way I'm going to be able to make that!"

Buh-nah-nah! Sinister music, for a sinsiter scene! Seriously, when/if Chris finds out, heads are going to roll...

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Kick-Ass is the property of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. Emily Vela is mine. Knight, and all minor characters too.