Sorry for taking so long. I was sick again for the past two weeks - a head cold with a lovely laryngitis tossed in. It's on mid-November and I've hit my quota for sicknesses for the season. Let's hope that's it!
"Ready to go at it again?"
Emily laid on the ground, staring at the ceiling. The woman was out of breath and a light sheen of sweat had built itself on her forehead and neck.
"Bruce, we've done it three times already. I'm just not getting it."
"Once more then. Forth time's the charm," Bruce stated with a smile, holding his hand out towards her. Emily reached up, taking his hand and he pulled her to her feet.
"You said the same thing about the third time. I'm beginning to think you're enjoying doing this to me everyday," she commented.
"You're only learning that now!?" he joked, with a laugh.
"Very funny."
"You are getting better though. It'll just take practice and most of that comes from experience. You'll learn to know what an opponent is about to do before he does it."
He tossed her a water bottle and she opened it, taking a large gulp.
They had spent nearly three hours every day in the gym for nearly a month. Before work or after work; whenever there was free time. Emily had gone into work on more than one occasion feeling exhausted and made the excuse that she hadn't been getting enough sleep. There had been no word from Crane and although Emily was beginning to believe that the man would never call, the longer wait made Bruce even more apprehensive and tougher on Emily with the training. He knew it was just a matter of time. He used that time to get her ready for whatever Crane would throw at them, even if that meant working her overtime.
"Ready?" he asked, as he watched her toss the water bottle towards the edge of the mats.
Emily was still out of breath from the last exercise and merely nodded.
Bruce had to admit that in those few weeks, he visibly noticed the change in her. She had gained more muscle and her endurance had increased due to her jogging around the edge of the property every day.
Bruce swung his arm out towards her. Emily quickly ducked, turning around to grab onto his arm before attempting to kick him in the side. Bruce had come to recognize that movement and blocked it, and instantly pinning her down onto the mats beneath them.
"Another point for me," he boasted, slightly out of breath.
He looked at Emily and watched as her facial expression changed from bitter frustration to a smug smile.
"You really think you won this one?"
He stared down in confusion at her, until he realized that her arms had come up and found their way under his t-shirt.
"I know your weakness, Mr. Wayne," she whispered up towards his ear, running her hands over his bare back beneath the shirt and then onto his chest.
"You're playing dirty, Doctor."
She shrugged. "I didn't know there were rules of conduct when it came to hand to hand combat."
She could feel Bruce relax under her hands and with a quick smirk, she managed to pull his knees out from under him. Emily quickly used her legs and managed to get him on his back, pinning him down with her own hands and knees.
Bruce shook his head in astonishment as Emily stood up. With a smile on his face, he looked over at her as she picked up the water bottles from the edge of the mat.
"Fair enough, you won that one," he stated, as he stood up and walked over to her. Emily passed him the bottle.
"If I had only thought of that weeks ago, it would've saved me from the bruises on my back and shoulder," she said.
She took another drink when her cell phone began ringing from where it sat alone on a chair against the wall. They turned and looked at it. They both knew what it could mean. Emily walked over to it, and instantly relaxed when she recognized the number. Bruce didn't have to be told that it wasn't from Crane. Her body language said it all. Emily answered it.
"Hi Louise," Emily said, as she began a conversation with the woman. The benefit had been postponed twice due to the board at Wayne Enterprises concern over Dr. Dravis' possible criminal involvement. With persuasion from Bruce, it was now less than two weeks away and with Bill missing, the arrangements were left to Emily. Her phone calls to Wayne Enterprises had become more frequent as final preparations were being made. For being thrown into the position, Emily was doing quite well. She had attended a few meetings with the board at Wayne Tower to discuss the plans and led part of the meeting herself. For a woman who never had experience in the business world, she really had a gift in it.
Bruce turned to the electronic sparring partner and turned it on, all the while listening to Emily's side of the conversation. She would glance over at him as he punched and kicked the machine, as it was instructing him. Bruce was so focused on beating the program that he didn't even notice that Emily had finished her phone conversation and was watching him.
The moment she heard the audible beep come from the machine, indicating that a round was over, she spoke.
"Louise was just wanting to know some contact information for the benefit so she can get the thank you cards ready," Emily called, gaining Bruce's attention before picking up her water bottle.
"The benefit isn't for another week," he reminded her with a smile as the woman walked towards him.
"She knows that. She prefers to not leave things to the last minute like some people do."
Bruce stopped for a second and turned. "Are you implying something?"
She shrugged and smiled coyly.
"Ready?"
He nodded, waiting for her to make her move when the phone rang again.
Emily sighed.
"Louise probably forgot a name," she suggested, jogging across the room to grab it. With a smile, she pleasantly said hello, but her face suddenly fell.
"Meet me at Craigowan Golf and Country Club at 11:30pm," Crane voice drawled over the phone.
Emily turned, and looked at Bruce, who instantly knew that it wasn't Louise on the phone.
"The one that's for sale?"
Her voice stammered slightly as anxiousness set in.
"That would be the place," Crane replied. "And don't forget the money and no cops, because I doubt you'd want to know what would happen to your friend if you did."
She looked down at the phone in her hands, realizing that what they had been planning for, was actually going to happen. Emily barely noticed Bruce take her by the shoulders.
"Em, you can do this," he assured her. "I'll be there watching you."
Finally, she nodded and looked up at him.
"I'm going to need a good, stiff drink when this is over with," she said, as Bruce smiled. He nodded.
"Sounds like a plan."
They spent the next hour going over the plan as Bruce pulled up an aerial photo of the Craigowan property. It was vast 18 hole golf course that had been for sale for the past 2 years after the owner was charged with embezzlement. In that time, the greens were left to become overgrown and the local wildlife had turned it into their own refuge on the outskirts of the city.
After he had equiped Emily with a wireless transmitter and a discreet 2-way radio within her ear, she climbed into the small Matrix, giving a sigh as Bruce passed her the briefcase.
"It's all ready?" she asked.
With a smile, he nodded as she placed it on the passenger seat.
"Are you ready?" he asked, bending down over the door.
She smiled, nervously. "I suppose I'll have to be."
Bruce leaned into the car and met her lips for a brief kiss. "I'll be there shortly."
Emily nodded as Bruce closed the car door, allowing her to drive off the property. Even before she left his sight, he turned to walk back into Wayne Manor to head down to the cave to prepare to leave.
From where he stood, he could see everything. The tall club house was a perfect vantage point for him to see the entire parking area and the wooded drive from the main road. Batman kept himself in the shadows and waited.
Emily preferred staying in the feeble light of the parking lights, even though they sounded like they could burn out at any moment. She leaned against the drivers side door of the Matrix and waited.
She suddenly turned her head when she heard a sound coming from the wooded area and let out a breath when she realized it was an owl calling out into the night. In the darkness, she couldn't help but let her imagination wander with the eerie sounds of the night.
Emily pushed herself up to stand up and ran her hands through her hair.
"Where is he? I just want to get this over with," she said softly to herself.
"Shouldn't be much longer now," she heard Batman say into her ear. She nearly had forgotten about the discreet earpiece sitting just inside her ear.
"And to think, I could be dealing with drunken patients right now," she commented with a smile. "At least I get the chance to spend some time with you, even if we are over a hundred yards from each other."
She could have sworn that she heard a chuckle in her ear.
"No more talking," he reminded her.
Emily cleared her throat. "Sorry. Just getting anxious."
She could hear the distinct sound of a motor approaching and she noticed the two pairs of headlights reflecting off the trees in the wooded area around the drive.
The two cars stopped ahead of her, and turned off the ignition. She watched as both passenger and drivers side doors opened and someone stepped out of the cars on either side.
Emily picked up the briefcase at her feet and waited as someone began walking towards her.
Slowly, she walked forward to meet Crane.
The moment she saw the man's face in the light, she knew that it wasn't him.
"Where is Crane?"
"Is that the money?" the man asked, gesturing to the bag in her hand and completely ignoring her question.
"It is."
"Toss it to me."
"Not until I see Dr. Crane or Dr. Dravis," she called out.
The man shook his head. "Ain't gonna happen."
"I spoke with him on the phone and I'm only handing the money to him," Emily stated, as the man pulled a gun from his hip and aimed it at her.
"Bitch, I'll be pulling it out of your dead fingers," he threatened.
"Get down," she heard in her ear as she quickly complied as the light suddenly went out and the man in front of her bent over in agony.
The men began to call out to each other in the darkness as Emily quickly stood up and swung the briefcase out to hit the man in front of her. To her surprise, he grabbed it and pulled it from her hands. Emily tried punching the man in the face and he merely staggered backward slightly. Trying to recall all that Bruce had taught her, she found that this man was stronger than she suspected. She could see the anger grow on his face in the moonlight as he brought his hand up to hit her. Emily quickly ducked and bent over to trip him. The man fell forward onto his knees but swiftly turned and grabbed her by the ankle, bringing Emily to the ground. In one swift motion, he managed to flip her over onto her back. In the light, she could see the flash of a knife in his hand and even caught sight of his eyes.
His eyes. She had seen the same look before. Marcus.
Out of nowhere, she saw the man reach for his neck as he was pulled backward and away from her.
Emily quickly stood up, seeing Batman standing a few feet behind the man, pulling on a thin rope that he had wrapped around the man. She could see another four men ready to attack Batman.
"There are too many!" he growled at her. "Get out of here!"
He must have seen Emily hesitate because Batman quickly added a loud, "go!"
Startled, she suddenly turned and ran towards the overgrown fields of the golf course. Batman saw one of the men turn and begin to run after her. He quickly abandoned the man he had ensnared in the rope and jumped onto the back of the man chasing Emily, bringing the man to the ground before he was quickly attacked by the other men.
Emily ran.
The thick grasses pulled at her legs and tripped her more than once. She didn't even bother to stop or look back, knowing that those men could easily be chasing after her. Once she reached the tree line, she glanced over her shoulder. No one was chasing after her. Emily quickly ducked down behind a tree and sat down, catching her breath.
That's when she heard it. An explosion.
It was nearly deafening.
Emily peeked around the tree and saw the bright light and the plume of smoke rising from the burning Matrix.
Behind it, she could see the two cars swiftly make their way out of the parking lots, squealing their tires as they spun around to leave.
Bruce. Where was he?
Not daring to use his name, she whispered, covering her ear, hoping to hear the slightest sound coming from the small speaker in her ear. Her voice was shaking as she spoke.
"Are you there?"
Nothing.
Emily could feel her heart begin to race. Without thinking, she ran out towards the Matrix as it burned brightly in the parking lot. It burned brightly and hot. As she neared it, there was no sign of anyone. Her eyes began to water as her mind thought the worst.
"Where are you?" she said aloud.
"I'm here," she finally heard in her ear. It was soft.
Emily spun around, trying to find out where Batman was hiding.
"Where?"
"Clubhouse," he replied, forcing the words.
Emily ran towards the building, and climbed up the wooden stairs and across the large deck that surrounded most of the clubhouse. Her footsteps creaked over the old wooden panels. She stopped when she saw a door that was pushed in. Carefully, she pushed it further, scanning the darkness for Batman. Instead she felt a hand on her shoulder and she quickly turned, startled.
"It's me. Are you all right?" he asked, his voice seeming to struggle with each word.
Emily let out a sigh of relief, hearing his voice.
"I'm fine."
She could hear him let out a breath before she felt him let go of her shoulder and drop to his knees.
"What? What's wrong?" Emily begged, panic in her voice as she knelt down in front of him and brought her hands to his face, feeling for anything that could answer her questions.
Batman took her hand and brought it to his side.
"You're bleeding," she concluded, feeling the wetness on the thick armour.
"And it hurts like hell," he added, as he gasped from her touch, as he sat down against the wall of the old clubhouse.
"I have to get you home," she said, holding her hand against the spot where she assumed the blood was coming from.
"Alfred's on his way," Batman whispered, feeling more and more light-headed as he rested his head back.
"What happened?" Emily asked, partly to ensure that he kept talking to her as his breathing was concerning her.
She heard him let out a breath as he leaned up against the wall.
"I didn't move fast enough," he simply replied. "One of them had a knife and I didn't turn in time."
Keeping a hand on his side, she brought the other one to his mouth, feeling the cool, clammy skin on his cheeks.
"Don't pass out on me," Emily demanded him, softly.
She felt his hands find her arm and then trailed up to her neck and face.
"I'm not planning on it."
Emily reached up and took his hand, before pulling the glove off. Batman didn't protest as she found his wrist to feel his pulse. It was fast; alarmingly fast.
"You need to keep talking to me," she told him, her voice speaking nervously. Bruce must have heard and he took her free hand and kissed it.
"Emily, I'm not planning on leaving you anytime soon," he assured her, even though he was fighting to keep himself awake. "In fact, I wanted to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"I was wondering if you'd join me as my date to the benefit next week," he said, his voice audibly weak
Emily smiled and let out a light laugh.
"Actually, I have plans to go with another handsome man," she teased, softly. "You probably know him. Like you, he's incredibly stubborn, but super sexy."
Batman closed his eyes for a brief moment as he smiled at her attempt of keeping the situation light hearted. He found it increasingly difficult to re-open his eyes and suddenly opened them upon hearing Emily loud protest that he opens them. In the pale moonlight, he could see her outline in front of him.
"Don't you dare close your eyes again!"
"Then you're going to have to make a more interesting conversation," he admitted, his eyes obviously not the only thing struggling to keep alert.
Emily thought for a brief moment before looking into his eyes. Thinking of the first words that she could say that would make him stay awake, she blurted them out.
"Will you marry me?"
That worked.
Batman's eyes suddenly opened a little larger hearing the words come from the woman in front of him.
"That's not what I was expecting."
"Did it help?"
"Depends on whether you were serious about it," he told her.
Her mouth was open, but she didn't know what to say. There was a pause.
"I can't live without you," she told him, flatly.
A smile pulled at Batman's face. "Then yes, I'll marry you."
Emily chuckled before running the back of her hand under her nose, realizing for the first time that tears were coming down her cheeks. In the back of her mind, she tried to ignore the fact that these were the things that someone speaking to someone who would be dying would say.
"On one condition," Batman added.
"Yeah?"
"That you let me ask you."
"Okay."
There was a pause for a second and Emily reached forward shaking Batman's shoulder. She heard him gasp as he suddenly regained consciousness again.
"Stay awake!" she pleaded. "You need to stay awake."
"Emily, I love you," he said, his words seeming difficult to say. Every breath seemed difficult.
"I love you too," Emily quickly told him, running her hand over his cheek.
She heard him let out a shaky chuckle at hearing her words as his body was beginning to tremble.
"This is hardly what I pictured when I thought about being asked or even asking someone to marry me. This is hardly romantic. We can't barely see each other, we're in a dusty, old building and you're probably going into shock."
Emily couldn't help but laugh slightly at their situation. She heard Batman groan and move slightly as a flash of light shone across the room, indicating that someone was pulling into the parking lot.
"Alfred's here. Everything is going to be all right," Emily reminded him.
She turned back to Batman and noticed that while he had moved, he managed to take the cowl off of his head and laid it on his lap. His hair sat haphazardly on his head, but even in the darkness he was the most handsome man she had ever met.
"Emily," he said, trying to keep his eyes open as his words came out as breaths. "Mar...ry..?"
"Yes," she quickly broke in, as a smile appeared on his face before his eyes suddenly closed for a brief moment before he opened them again.
"You didn't let me finish."
"I already knew my answer before you asked," she told him, as his eyes closed once again, but this time they didn't open again.
With her free hand, she shook him calling his name over and over before checking for a pulse.
The door suddenly opened and Emily could make out Alfred's silhouette in the low light as he held out a GPS in his hand.
"He's lost a lot of blood," Emily cried, not realizing until then that she was crying. "He's non-responsive now."
Alfred quickly rushed over. The older man ran his hand over Bruce's face and felt for his pulse.
"We have to get him home," Alfred said, urgently. He looked at Bruce's pale face.
Bruce fought to keep his eyes open. Sounds, lights and voices seemed to blend together as he floated in and out of consciousness.
"Stay with us, Master Bruce."
"Damn it, Bruce. Keep your eyes open!"
"We're almost home."
"I can't tell where the blood is coming from!"
"Bruce!"
"No! Don't you dare pass out again!"
"I'm not going to be burying you too!"
"Don't you dare leave me! I love you!"
I love you.
Bruce slowly opened his eyes. A cool breeze floated across his face yet he felt warm and safe. He moved slightly in the bed and instantly regretted it. He gasped at the sudden pain in his side.
"You're going to have to take it easy with your right side for the next few days."
He recognized the voice although he hadn't heard it in many years. Bruce looked at the elderly woman sitting on the edge of his bed and instantly recognized her as the woman his father worked with at the hospital, years ago. Dr. Leslie Thompkins. Although time had changed her appearance somewhat, her eyes and smile remained the same. Alfred stood beside her.
"Sir, how do you feel?" Alfred asked, holding a glass of water.
"Like hell," he replied, with a wince as he slowly pushed himself up to sit. "Leslie, what are you doing here?"
"Alfred called me when he and Dr. Tucker needed some assistance with your injuries," she explained, as Bruce took the glass from Alfred.
Bruce took a long drink of the water before glancing across the room to where Emily slept; her socked feet resting on the end of the bed and a blanket drapped over her. Leslie noticed Bruce's attention being brought to the woman she had the honour of meeting for the first time many hours prior.
"She hasn't left your side," Leslie informed him, keeping her voice soft.
Alfred nodded.
"I've been forcing her to eat and Dr. Thompkins threatened to sedate her if she didn't get some sleep."
"She can be very stubborn," Bruce commented, as he gently placed his hand over the large bandage on his side.
"Seems like she's in good company then," Leslie quipped with a smirk. She noticed him look down at the bandage.
"You ended up with fourteen stitches, and you lost a lot of blood," Leslie told him. "I still can't believe you're acting recklessly every night. You're lucky to be alive."
Bruce avoided the topic as he knew that Leslie was as aware as Lucius was that he had a double life. He also knew that she wasn't fond of what he was doing. Instead, he changed the subject.
"How long was I out?"
She looked down at her watch and mentally counted. "Nearly thirteen hours, I'd say. It's close to 1 in the afternoon." She paused, placing the last of her things into her bag. "And now that you're awake, I'll leave you in the care of Dr. Tucker."
Bruce thanked Leslie as she left with Alfred beside her, offering to show her the way out. Once they left, Bruce turned to Emily and watched her as she slept. Inwardly, he wanted to wake her so they could finish the last conversation he remembered having with her.
Carefully, he laid back and relaxed against the mountains of pillows under him as Alfred walked back into the room with a tray of food. He placed it on the table beside Bruce.
"What's happened since I've been out?"
Alfred sat down, after handing Bruce a plate of toast with jam.
"You'll be happy to know that the fire department took care of the Matrix at the golf course and I had reported it as a stollen vehicle just prior to then," he said. "And the briefcase was gone. I managed to set up the tracking system on it but the signal disappeared."
Bruce sat up straighter and winced with the movement.
"I'll have to get down to the cave and see if I can find the last known location for the transmitter," he said, passing Alfred the plate of partially eaten toast, but he refused to take it.
"Sir, I don't believe that it's a good idea that you move too much at the moment," Alfred suggested, sternly. "Dr. Thompkins requested that you stay in bed for the remainder of the day and get some rest."
Bruce smirked. "Dr. Thompkins isn't here."
"But I am."
Bruce looked past Alfred, who also turned hearing the voice and realized that Emily was awake. She had pushed herself off the chair and stood up, rubbing the back of her neck.
"And you're not going anywhere," she added, as Alfred backed out of the way as Emily walked towards them. She had a smile on her face as she sat down and took his wrist, feeling his pulse. Emily looked down at her watch and mentally counted, knowing that Bruce was watching her. Finally, she let go and sighed in relief.
"Normal," she told him, with a smile.
"Can I get you something to eat, Emily?" Alfred asked, from where he stood behind her.
"Yes, thank you Alfred," she said, before Alfred left the room.
She pulled back the blanket and looked at the bandage that rested over the many stitches that she knew were beneath it.
"Is it feeling sore?"
"It's not so bad anymore."
Emily brushed her hand over his brow and leaned towards him to gently kiss his lips.
"You scared the crap out of me!" she exclaimed as Bruce smirked, after she broke the kiss.
"I'll make it up to you. I promise," he assured her. "Besides, I figure that once you're my wife, I'll have plenty of time to make it up to you."
Emily chuckled. "You heard my answer."
"That was the last thing that I actually remember before waking up," he said, as she stood up and walked towards the windows and pulled the heavy curtains aside to let in the mid-day sunshine into the room. "Is it still a yes?"
Emily turned around. "Of course. The thought of possibly marrying you has been in the back of my mind. The visit from those foreign investors made me think a little more seriously about it. And then, when I realized that I might lose you, it was the kick in the pants that I needed. I also realized that I had to tell you how I felt. That I love you. I would have regretted not being able to say it."
A gentle knock on the door alerted them that Alfred was back. Without hearing a protest, he pushed the door open further and carried in a plate with a sandwich on it. Emily took it from Alfred and placed it on the dresser across the room.
Bruce winked at Emily for a moment before looking at Alfred.
"Alfred, can you do me a favour?"
"Of course, sir."
"My Mother's ring, the one that I put away for safe keeping, could you get it for me please?"
Emily couldn't hide the smile that grew on her face as she heard Bruce ask Alfred such an unusual request until the man turned to glance at Emily and then back to Bruce. As though a light turned on, a smile erupted on his face.
"Are you telling me that you two...? Did something happen that I'm not aware of?"
Bruce shrugged innocently, but kept the smile on his face. "I believe that my Mother would want my future wife to have her old ring."
Alfred nodded as he smiled in astonishment. "Yes, I do think you're right. I'll get it right away."
He turned on his heel and stopped by Emily. He looked down and took her hand before looking back into her eyes. Emily could see the tears outlining his eyes as he smiled.
"Thank you," he said softly. "Thank you for finding him."
Emily smiled and glanced towards Bruce before looking back into the older man's eyes.
"He found me."
Alfred squeezed her hand before letting it go and walking out of the room.
Emily sat at the computer in the cave, as she tried to find the last known whereabouts of the transmitter. She wasn't getting anywhere. She sighed and leaned back in the chair before running her hands over her face in frustration. The simple, yet elegant ring on her left hand caught her eye. It seemed foreign to her and she had to admit that it nearly made her feel intimidated. Knowing that it once belonged to Mrs. Wayne; a woman whom she had only come to know through photographs and the few stories that Bruce had confided in her with, it was all the more precious that just a ring.
"Does Master Bruce know that you're down here?"
Emily swung around in the chair and watched as Alfred walked towards her. She smiled as she turned back around.
"Doubtful. I managed to slip him something to make him sleep," she informed him with a smile. "He should be out for the next few hours."
Alfred chuckled. "That certainly explains a lot."
He looked at the computer monitors. "Have you gotten any further with this?"
She shrugged, gesturing towards the monitor. "It looks like the transmitter was on for a while but then was suddenly deactivated. The last known coordinates brings it to the intersection at 5th and Lewis Street."
She stood up from the computer and turned to Alfred. "I'm going to go check out that area."
Alfred shook his head. "I'm sorry but I don't think that's a good idea. If these people managed to hurt Master Bruce in armour, I can't allow you to go after them."
"I'm not," she assured him. "I have to meet with Louise and Janie regarding the benefit at a club across town in about an hour and I'll just swing by that way on my way there." She smiled to emphasize her point. "I wont get out of the car."
Alfred sighed as he looked up at the computer where a flashing dot appeared, showing the intersection on the screen.
"Call me when you reach the club," Alfred concluded.
She nodded. "I will."
"Approaching destination," the GPS within the onboard computer of the Jetta announced aloud as Emily slowed down at the intersection. The light was red and she looked around at each corner. A small pawn shop on one corner, a money loan office on the other, a 2-pump gas station across the street and a convenience store with bars in the windows directly across from it.
It wasn't until she looked back at the doors of the convenience store to see it open that she vaguely recognized the man that walked out. Quickly, she turned right at the light and pulled over. Emily climbed out of the car and slammed the door behind her before running onto the sidewalk to make her way back to the front doors of the store to see them empty. She looked down the sidewalk and saw a man walking quickly away from her.
"Wait!" she called out.
He heard her voice and sped up until he was running as she chased after him.
"Bill! Please stop!"
He quickly turned a corner and Emily followed, this time bumping right into him in the darkness of the corner.
"Emily, what the hell are you doing here?"
She barely recognized him. A dark stubble had grown around his mouth and his eyes appeared sunken and bags hung below them.
"You need to leave, now!"
"Bill, everyone's been looking for you," she told him.
He shook his head as he looked nervously around them.
"You need to leave," he repeated. "You can't be here. He'll find you."
"Crane?"
"He'll kill you if he knew you were here."
Bill took her hand and pulled her back onto the sidewalk and towards where she parked the car. Emily protested and tugged back on her arm, finding that Bill was much stronger than she.
"Come with me," she urged.
"Crane needs me."
"Like hell he does!" Emily exclaimed. "He's brainwashed you somehow. This isn't you."
Bill shook his head as they approached the Jetta. He let go of her hand, pushing her towards the drivers side door.
"Go!"
"I can get help for you, Bill," she pleaded once more.
"You don't understand," he told her, scratching his head, almost nervously. "By helping Crane I'm keeping you alive."
"What? What are you talking about?"
He paused, looking around before turning back to her.
"If I don't, he'll kill you," he exclaimed softly. "I'm trying to protect you."
He reached forward and opened the car door. "Now, go!"
Emily held onto the top of the car door and paused for a moment, looking at Bill before climbing in, but suddenly found Bill's hand fold overtop of hers. She paused as he slid his hand over hers, feeling the rough diamond against his palm. He looked up at her, with an almost resentment in his eyes.
"Wayne?"
Emily nodded. "Yeah."
"Make sure that he takes care of you." Bill looked down at her hand once more before twitching his head and glancing back up at Emily. "Get out of here!"
Emily slid into the drivers seat and quickly pulled away from the curb, her heart still racing from what she had heard from Bill.