Author's Note: Sorry, sorry, sorry for the delay! My writer's block kinda got severe! But here it is…and I must say I'm kinda proud of the final result! Every really seemed to love the last chapter and I wanted this one to be that 'Father-Daughter' moment I had been asked to put in a few reviews ago :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing :'(
Wordlessly Jeremy Sherwood tossed Emmalin Holden's soaking clothes into the dryer, turning to look at her as he started the appliance. She sat on the washer machine in only his mother's thin pink robe, small tears trailed down her rosy cheeks.
"Now that you're all dry, how's about you tell me what happened, baby?" Jeremy asked softly, wiping away the Army Brat's tears and laying gentle kisses on her full pink lips, "You show up on my doorstep soaked to the bone and crying. Now who the hell do I need to beat the crap outta for making my girl cry?". The Specialist stroked her long damp hair soothingly as she cried against his chest.
"The Gen…the General found my birth control pills. He started yelling and throwing things…and he called me a little whore and threatened to have you arrested, Jeremy." Emmalin stuttered between sobs, burying herself into her boyfriend's strong chest. She relaxed as she felt his arms wrap around her. His warm, muscled body quickly easing the chill that had engulfed her outside.
"But we've never-" Jeremy began, raising an eyebrow.
"I tried to tell him that, but he said I was just covering for you…I get why he doesn't believe me though…because if we were having sex I would lie for you." the seventeen year old interrupted, mumbling against the soldier's soft cotton shirt.
"Shhh, shh…It's gonna be okay. You can stay here for the night until things cool down and then we'll decide what to do tomorrow okay, baby?" He rubbed the small of her back and laid tiny kisses across her forehead.
"Will you share the bed with me?" Emmalin asked, peeking up from his chest, a small smile tugging at her pretty lips. God, he loved seeing her smile.
"Half of it's got your name on it, beautiful." Jeremy chuckled, pulling her off her seat on the washer machine and into his arms. He gripped her hand firmly and led her up the stairs to his room.
"I love you." Emmalin whispered as she slid between Jeremy's bed sheets. She smiled as Jeremy kissed her shoulder, taking his place in bed next to her.
"I love you more. Don't worry, we'll get things straightened out." Jeremy promised, pulling the seventeen year old flush against his warm body, holding her close.
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"Your phone's ringing." Jeremy pointed out, lying on the couch lazily with his girlfriend pillowed softly on his chest. The two had been cuddling for hours and their kissing and "lovey" eyes had been enough to almost erase the bad conversation waiting for the seventeen year old back home.
"I know. It's my dad." The Army Brat sighed, leaving the pink cell phone abandoned on the glass coffee table, she cuddled deeper into her boyfriend's arms and resumed her focus on the hockey game playing on the television screen.
"Answer it then, Emmalin." Jeremy prodded. He didn't want to deal with this any more than she did but it's not like the seventeen year old could avoid her father forever. It had already been a day, so the solider figured he had probably had time to cool down. Emmalin had snuck out her window last night and her parents where probably worried. Even though Jeremy phoned Claudia Joy last night after the seventeen year old had fallen asleep to let her know that she was safe, that probably didn't reassure her father any. God, he probably thought she was on her knees blowing him right now, and imagining that the General thought that low off Emmalin pissed Jeremy off beyond belief.
"I'm not ready yet…I don't know what to say and I don't want him to yell at me anymore. I'm scared." The brunette confessed, inhaling the Specialist's masculine sandalwood scent. She was dressed in a pair of his old sweats and one of his soft cotton shirts, both drowning her petite body in a ocean of fabric.
"You're gonna have to talk to him sooner or later, baby." Specialist Sherwood sighed, running his hand through Emmalin's long dark hair.
"I pick later." She giggled, leaning forward to kiss Jeremy's cheek teasingly. The seventeen year old would rather stay here forever with her love than return home and have an awkward discussion about sex, which she wasn't even having, with her father.
"Stay as long as you want. I feel kinda guilty for admitting this, but I love having you all to myself." Jeremy chuckled, pulling the amber eyed beauty close to him for a rough kiss, tongue included.
"The Colonel's watching us like hawks." Frank had barely left the couple alone since Emmalin had gotten there. The man was stealthy and tended to pop out when they least expected it. He was a man on a mission, and that mission was no pedophilia in his house. The blonde had even surprised Jeremy in the shower that morning, pulling back the curtain suddenly to make sure his nineteen year old son was all alone….though giving his son a heart attack wasn't part of his intention.
"You know…I don't see the Colonel anywhere. Looks like we finally got some alone time." Jeremy smiled, peppering soft kisses against Emmalin's shoulder. His warm calloused hand pulled at the neckline of Emmalin's shirt, exposing more skin to lay his lips upon.
"Good." She giggled under his sweet administrations, realizing there was no where else she'd rather be.
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"Coming!" Jeremy called as he heard the doorbell ring.
"Good afternoon, Specialist Sherwood." General Michael Holden said as the door opened.
"Ah…General Holden. Welcome, come in, Sir." the solider saluted his superior. Moving aside to let the Post Commander into his home.
"I know my daughter's staying here with you." the blue eyed General sighed, he was just the tiniest bit nervous. He hadn't meant to lose his temper and go off on his daughter like that, it just sort of happened. Sure they butted heads sometimes but that's only because they loved each other.
"Yes, Sir, that's correct…" Jeremy trailed off awkwardly.
"Can I have a word with her?" Michael asked, raising an eyebrow. Great, the boyfriend, he thought bitterly. The one trying to worm his way into his baby girl's pants.
"She's upstairs changing, Sir." Jeremy said formaly, trying not to lose his temper and blow up at the man. He could just picture his infamous temper getting out of hand and throwing a punch at the Post Commander, that would earn him a nice little nine month deployment in the worst corner of hell the General could ship him off to.
"I can wait. Until she gets down here, you and I should have a chat." Michael took charge, walking toward a couch. Jeremy took the opposite one, figuring it was probably a good idea to have a table between them in case things got out of hand.
"Of course, Sir." the Specialist agreed. The man wanted to talk, well then fine, he would listen.
"I don't like you." Michael said bluntly. He hated the man who was stealing his daughter's heart. He knew just how much damage Jeremy could do with Emmalin's heart in his hands. The General would never forgive himself if the solider broke her.
"I know." Jeremy almost had to laugh. It wasn't like Michael Holden's disdain for him was some secret.
"It's nothing personal, Jeremy. I liked you a lot after you straightened up and you're a great soldier, and you're even my best friend's son, it's just I'd hate anybody who was dating my daughter." Michael apologized. He felt guilty, hating the soldier who hadn't done anything wrong, but it was his duty as a father. Jeremy was a great soldier, one with lots of potential, and the General would be really fond of him…if he wasn't dating his (not so) little girl. They even had stuff in common; they loved hunting and fishing, felt a duty to serve, but even if they had the same fingerprints they would never be able to get along, not as long as there was a potential of heartache for Emmalin.
"Sir, I understand." Truth was he really did. If he had a daughter, he was the last guy he would want dating her. Hell if Jeremy was Michael, he would've kicked his own ass.
"Good, because nothing you do is going to change that. You could go to college, become General of the Army, or even become President and I'm still not gonna like you. There's nobody that I'll ever find good enough for my little girl, Emmalin's the only one I have left."
"I know I'm not good enough for her and I know she deserves better. But I love her, and I also know that me loving her isn't good enough to change your mind. But I do love Emmalin, more than anything and that's why it makes me so angry when she comes knocking on my door balling her eyes out because of something you said." Damn it, there he went. All anyone could hope for now was that the two grown men didn't start beating each other.
"I lost my temper, but don't act all innocent. She wouldn't even have gotten those pills if it weren't for you. You're almost twenty, you think I don't know what you're after Sherwood. You want one thing and if I have anything to do with it, you'll be walking away empty handed." Michael accused, hostility in his voice.
"I've never once asked her to do anything. I'm here on her terms and no one else's. And I don't have a damn thing to do with those birth control pills, you're wife sprung that on her. You're making it out like I held a gun to Emmalin's head and made her go to the fucking gyno." Jeremy growled, feeling his blood boil. He didn't even care that this man was a General, or even the Post Commander. No one was treating his Emmalin that way.
"Exactly, my wife took her! Claudia Joy doesn't want Emmalin jeopardizing her future for someone, especially not someone who's not worth her time."
"Emmalin's not in 'jeopardy', I treat her just fine. And she's not spreading like the 'little whore' you accused her of being. She cant get pregnant if she's not open for business." His deep voice had a rough hostile edge to it.
"I'm sure she'd be as open as a McDonald's if you had your way, right Specialist?" Michael argued. He knew exactly what was on an almost-twenty-year-old's mind.
"Listen here, I'm willing to wait as long as she wants, no questions or strings attached. It's gonna happen when she's ready for it and not a damn minute sooner, you got that? But even if we did decide to have sex, I'll kick your ass before I let you talk to her that way again, Sir." the word 'sir' dripped from his lips like venom. Chain of Command could go to hell, he was setting this man straight once and for all.
"…Dad." Emmalin herself interrupted from the top of the staircase, glancing at the angry exchange between her father and boyfriend. Her amber eyes drifted back and forth between the two pissed off men, she could feel the deep tension from her place on the stairs.
"I'll just…ugh, wait in the kitchen. Good afternoon, General." Jeremy excused himself. Rising from his place at the couch and walking in the direction of the aforementioned room, sending Emmalin a look on his way out that said to come get him if she needed him.
"We need to talk. It's been three days and you haven't answered any of my calls." Michael said gently, the aggravation and harsh tone that he used to address Jeremy was long gone. He looked regretfully at his seventeen year old.
"I know." the brunette agreed, not sure of what else to say.
"I'm sorry I lost my temper, but Emmalin, you're my little Princess and the thought of you being violated drives me crazy. It's time you come home." Michael sighed, his hands fidgeting nervously in his lap. He seemed incapable of looking the hockey player in the eyes.
"I'm not having sex, and Jeremy hasn't ever done anything to 'violate' me, he'd never do anything to me that I didn't want him to." She huffed. The Army Brat knew better, Jeremy would never treat her that way.
"I know. When I went downstairs to talk to your mother, she pointed out that all the pills where still in the case. And she said she made you get the prescription." Michael admitted, shamefully. He had made some pretty heavy accusations three days ago and he would honestly understand if she had trouble accepting his apology.
"Yeah." Of course she knew this already.
"I didn't mean anything I said, Em. I was just angry." the General frowned.
"Oh, so you didn't mean to call me a little whore and threaten to send my boyfriend to prison? I must have just misunderstood, how stupid of me!"
"Emmalin, come on. I never meant to call you a whore." He grimaced at his daughter's sarcasm.
"And sending Jeremy to prison?" She raised a brow, tapping her foot as she waited to hear her father's response.
"Okay…so I meant that one. But Emmalin, come on you can do so much better than Sherwood. Don't waste your time on that boy." the man sighed, wishing that she could see.
"No I cant find anyone better than Jeremy! I love him and he loves me. Jeremy makes me happier than I've ever been before. And one day, not now, but one day we are going to have sex, live together, and have kids. It's called marriage." Emmalin insisted, putting extra emphasis on the word marriage.
"Emmalin, sweetheart, you're only seventeen. You don't have any clue what love is yet. And I know it feels like Jeremy is the only person out there but chances are you're going to break up before you hit the aisle." Michael said gently.
"No. Jeremy is the one I'm gonna marry, Dad. I promise. I just know. And I do love him. So much." Emmalin laughed, without a doubt in her mind she knew that she would marry Jeremy Sherwood, and also that he would make her very, very happy.
"I don't like him. I think there's got to be someone better."
"Dad, you've hated all my boyfriends. And there's no one more perfect for me than Jeremy Sherwood." Emmalin sighed, they had been over this before. Emmalin and Michael just couldn't seem to agree on who would be 'worthy' of her. Emmalin was all-in-favor of Jeremy and Michael was holding on to the notion of no one.
"Of course I hate all your boyfriends Emmalin. They're all trying to steal my little girl." Michael said regretfully, ruing the fact that he would one day have to give his precious little girl away.
"Jeremy's not trying to steal me out from under you and Mom. I promise, he's really good at sharing." Emmalin laughed, realizing that her father might be jealous of all the time she had been devoting to her boyfriend.
"You love him. Next thing I know you're going to leave us. You'll be all grown up soon. And you won't need 'Daddy' anymore." He was using the 'L' word loosely.
"I'm always going to need you and Mom. Do you really think Jeremy is capable of doing my laundry and making me chicken soup when I'm sick? Well he's not!"
"I wish you were still in kindergarten. We'd hold hands on your way to school and you'd tell me what your favorite color is and what you want to be when you grow up. I wish I could give you caffeine and cigarette's and keep you little forever." A few cartons of cigarettes and a carafe of Starbucks a day and he'd make sure she didn't grow another inch.
"It's a little late to stunt my growth, Dad." the Hockey Player giggled.
"What a shame. Now what do you say we get your stuff together and head on home?" Michael suggested hopefully.
"Can Jeremy come to dinner tonight?" She asked, hope filling her eyes.
"Ugh, why?" Well that didn't mean 'no'.
"Because I love him." Emmalin smiled.
"Alright, fine. If he makes you happy." He didn't have it in him to turn down her request.
"Thanks, Dad." the Army Brat laughed, leaving in search of her boyfriend.
Michael sighed realizing that he was facing a loosing battle with Jeremy Sherwood. Maybe he should just throw in the towel and rent a wedding band already? Because it sure seemed like the Specialist was being dealt all the right cards.