Twenty Nine

The final leg of their trip was spent exploring town and catching up with old friends. Leonard had taken full advantage of their time off by meeting up with old colleagues both from med school and high school. It felt surreal to see so many familiar faces of the people she used to see on a weekly basis. While she didn't graduate with their graduating class, she was still familiar with most of the high school graduates. The vast majority of them hadn't left town since then, but many of them started families of their own and started businesses of their own. Savannah was a smaller city with a small-town vibe to it, with much of the original buildings still in place.

What made it stand out was the fact that most of the buildings had survived the Eugenics War. Leonard's family played a large role in that history, having saved much of the animals and the land that would have been affected. He carried his family name with pride, in spite of what Pamela had done to him all those years ago. She knew that a lot folks in town believed Pamela's lies and did what they could to help the redhead. They weren't aware of the fact that Leonard was the victim, or that Pamela had been using him for his family's income. Now that the truth was finally out in the open, Leonard could finally show his face without being ridiculed in the process.

She held back a sigh of contentment as she waited for her orders.

Their favorite spot was a cafe not far from the Sun INN. They spent more than enough time at this cafe for most of the employees to recognize them. It helped that the barista had gone to high school with Leonard. While she graduated early from middle school, she knew most of the high school graduates thanks to Leonard.

"I'll admit, I am glad to see the two of you back together again," the barista remarked once the orders were put in place. "It was always odd seeing Leo with Pamela… plus, he was a totally different person whenever they were together."

Emily chewed the bottom of her lip as another barista went to work making their drinks. She glanced out the window in time to see Leonard talking to one of the owners of the local flower shop. They were planning to make wedding arrangements with one of the local shops. That was partly why Leonard stopped by, though he had other motives for visiting as well.

"There are times when I wish we could have salvaged our old relationship," she admitted guiltily. "Leonard deserved better than what Pamela did to him."

"Everyone deserves to be treated better than the way she treated him," the barista said dryly. She finished filling out the orders, and Emily took them gratefully. "And truthfully, I think Pamela was only ever in it for the money. You know how loaded his family is, given that you were neighbors."

She rose an eyebrow at that.

Of course she was well aware of how rich his family was. That was how they had been able to save most of the city and the farm. It was through careful financing that they managed to salvage everything and rescue what would've likely been tossed. Hannah had always been more than happy to help out others whenever they needed it, and Leonard wasn't much different in that aspect.

"He's never been fond of showing it off," she replied with a shrug. "And to be fair, I was never interested in money or the benefits that come with it. I was just grateful that Papa had given me a roof over my head."

Coulson had done so much more than put a roof over her head. She knew full-well that she would have been out on the streets or in worse shape if it hadn't been for Coulson. He adopted her when no one else wanted to. He gave her a second chance and the chance to have a normal, happy life. It was also thanks to him that she met Leonard, and that her life had changed for the better.

The barista merely smirked in amusement at that. Most folks had known how Coulson moved in next door over twenty years ago. He had been friends with David McCoy long before she was adopted. It was through that friendship that they moved next door, and that she learned how to trust doctors again as well.

Once that was said and done, she paid for their orders and left a generous tip. She knew credits were shared among other baristas, so she wanted to give them as much as they could receive.

"… already the talk of the town since you got here," the shopkeeper remarked. "I'm glad things started looking up for the two of you. She's definitely a keeper as far as I can tell."

Emily rose an eyebrow in amusement when the shopkeeper said that. She heard more than enough people say the same thing, though she couldn't help but wonder how true it was. She had been there for Leonard after he filed for a divorce. She was there when he found out Pamela was cheating on him. She would always be there for him regardless of what happened, but there were times when it felt as if she hadn't done anything to deserve him.

"She's always been that way," Leonard replied without missing a beat. She merely rolled her eyes as she reached them, not missing the look of amusement the shopkeeper was giving them as she handed Leonard his coffee. "Thank you, Darlin'."

"Do you think you can provide floral arrangements for the wedding?" she suddenly asked.

The shopkeeper looked at her in surprise before giving a faint nod, "We've got some of the best arrangement makers in town. What kind of theme did you have in mind?"

She shared a knowing look with Leonard, not missing the fact that he was equally surprised with her question. She had been planning to go local with their wedding. The problem was, they didn't necessarily have the chance to discuss dates for the wedding. She was still trying to wrap her mind over the fact that they were getting married at all.

"We haven't exactly set a date yet," she admitted sheepishly.

"Well, you'll have to let me know as soon as possible," the shopkeeper pointed out. "We can do something seasonal or choose a variety of flowers that you like."

She had to admit, the idea of choosing something seasonal was appealing. Emily thought back to the many wedding pictures she used to look through. When she and Laura first started talking about weddings, the idea had always sounded amazing to her. Of course, that all changed when she was taken and her relationship with Leonard changed on a dime.

"We'll have to keep that in mind," Emily nodded her thanks.

'I want to go with someone local to help support their business at least,' she added to Leonard.

'I like that idea, and Tom's always been a good person,' Leonard replied with a warm smile.

It didn't take long for them to head back to his mother's place. Hannah was already waiting for them outside on the front porch, working on some of the floral baskets she set up by the front door. The older woman looked up from her work and pointed an accusing finger at Leonard, looking less-than-happy with whatever was happening in that moment.

"One of the geldings tried snapping at me this morning," she explained. "Maybe you can take a look at him and see what's bothering him."

'I'm a doctor dammit, not a veterinarian,' Leonard complained when he realized what she was implying.

Emily snorted with laughter and patted him on the shoulder as he reluctantly gave in to her orders. Once he was gone, Hannah let out a sigh of relief and led the way inside. Emily knew this was her way of giving them some much needed alone time. They hadn't really gotten the chance to talk alone since arriving in Georgia, so Emily knew this was one of the few chances they had to do so.

"I know you and Lennie haven't talked much about how you want to go about weddings and everything, so I wasn't sure if you wanted to talk about it with me," the older woman explained once they sat down. Emily wrapped her hands around the cup of coffee she had been carrying earlier and looked at nothing in particular. "I take it you're not a fan of the added attention?"

"I've never been a fan of being on the spotlight," she admitted guiltily. "Part of my training was always to blend in with the crowd rather than stand out for all to see."

"You could always opt for a smaller wedding," Hannah suggested. "I know Lennie isn't above pulling that off if it means making you happy and comfortable."

She almost rolled her eyes at the thought of having a smaller wedding. She knew full-well that was next to impossible with both Leonard's family and her own makeshift family to worry about. Tony had already planned on being there for the wedding. He'd warned Leonard that he planned on crashing the whole thing if he wasn't invited. Eventually Leonard was forced into conceding and making him part of the groom's men, though it was with great reluctance.

"I don't think I ever imagined myself in this position," she said thoughtfully once they settled down together. "We've always talked about getting married in the past, but at the time we were never really serious about it."

"No one is ever fully prepared for it," Hannah remarked with a warm smile. "But you and Lennie have been together for so long now… you deserve this much."

She couldn't hide the smile that followed when Hannah suddenly took hold of her hand, giving it a light squeeze in the process. She was only just beginning to realize how lucky she was to have a family like this. Leonard's family had been far more accepting of her than anyone she ever met. While there were some in the family who would suggest otherwise, his main family had always been accepting of her. And she found herself feeling grateful for that notion.

It didn't take long for Hannah to begin reminiscing over the times they'd spent together as children. Emily smirked in amusement as she went through old photo-albums of when they were together. She and Leonard had gotten into plenty of trouble over the years. There were times when she found herself wondering how they managed to survive school. Then again, she had some fairly traumatic incidents occur throughout her time in every level of school.

"I would like to believe I have," she murmured quietly. "There are times when I wonder what I've done to deserve someone like him. He's always been so patient and understanding, albeit he still has a terrible bedside manner."

"He gets that from his father," Hannah chuckled in amusement.

She was ready to say something else when Leonard chose that moment to finally pop inside. Emily rose an eyebrow in amusement when he reached them, scowling in annoyance at something that clearly happened with the gelding.

"That gelding has a temper worse than an angry hornet," he complained.

"Well you must have done something to set him off," his mother rolled her eyes.

"Do you want a kiss to make it feel better?" Emily asked while struggling not to giggle.

Leonard just gave her an incredulous look, though she couldn't resist playing the role of 'doctor' when they were switched. She reached him within seconds and kissed him tenderly on the cheek, ignoring the shrewd look Hannah was giving them. Though even her eyes were bright with laughter at Leonard's expense.

'Where were you when the damn Gorn was in labor?' he retorted after kissing her back without hesitation.

'I was busy helping you manage all the babies while the mother swore at you in her language,' she laughed right back.

If he wasn't grinning before, he was now when he realized she was right. She had been there at the time the Gorn went into labor. Of course that in itself was a whole different story, and one she doubted anyone wanted to hear again. Leonard only talked about it whenever he was drunk or surrounded by new medical staff, simply because the story was too unbelievable not to share.

"I do hope you plan on stopping by before the wedding date is chosen," Hannah gave her a lasting hug, knowing full-well this wasn't the last time they would see each other.

She planned on making a point to check in with her as often as she could. Their reunion left her realizing just how much she missed being with the family. His mother had always been so warm and accepting, so unlike anyone she'd ever met on a Starship. At least in the past.

Once that was established, they made their way back to her old place. Emily hadn't missed how resolved Leonard was ever since he talked to his mother the other day. His whole demeanor seemed to change ever since their talk. She knew something was eating away at him, despite their carefree banter from earlier.

"Is everything alright?" she asked carefully.

After talking about whether or not it was safe to tell his mother everything, she understood his sudden change in demeanor. She'd felt his grief, confusion and frustration towards his mother's lack of reaction towards the news. He was angry that she hadn't reacted badly to it. He was confused as to why his mother had been so understanding. More importantly, he was frustrated with the way everything was handled.

"Ma told me the truth sets you free," he suddenly admitted. Emily rose an eyebrow in surprise, though she didn't bother questioning his motives as she guessed where this was headed. "Look, I've been meaning to tell you this but I couldn't get it out of my head what the damn agency would do."

"Leonard, you know I'd give the agency hell if they tried hurting you or anyone else I care about," she snapped without missing a beat.

"Yeah, I know," Leonard rolled his eyes in exasperation before looking at nothing in particular. "Your Pa is alive."

It took a few seconds for his words to sink in. The moment they did was when Emily's face fell. Her eyes widened in disbelief as realization dawned on her. She'd always had a feeling, somewhere deep down that Coulson was somehow alive. Yet the last thing she expected was to hear it from Leonard's mouth.

"Are you… are you sure?" she asked warily.

Maybe she hadn't heard properly. Yet the moment his eyes landed on her was when she knew he was telling her the truth.

"I was there when I patched him up," he explained after settling down beside her. "The old man didn't want my help, but I couldn't turn down the offer, especially after knowin' what happened to my own Pa. The damned agency made me sign a disclosure keeping his survival a secret."

Emily wasn't sure what to say as this new information sunk in. She looked down at the floor, suddenly hyper-aware of the fact that his breathing was louder than usual. Swallowing hard, she finally looked back in time to see his eyes darken with concern.

"They forced you and Jim into that agreement," she said quietly.

"More or less," he replied with a shrug. "Darlin', I've wanted to tell you ever since it happened. But that damn agency of yours would've gone through hell just to make sure you and the rest of the team didn't find out."

Her lips pursed together in understanding. She knew full-well what the agency was like. She knew they would have likely seen both Leonard and Jim as a target, and the thought of it sent a shiver of anger through her.

"The fact that they've forced both you and Jim into this makes it wrong," she muttered crossly. She realized with a start why she was so angry. It seemed as though everything she believed in with the agency was nothing more than a lie. "I don't know how you've managed to hold it in for as long as you have."

"Believe me, it wasn't easy," Leonard reassured her with a knowing look, "Especially since we share minds. But I knew what needed to be done."

"Considering I'm the one who had to teach you how to block each other's thoughts, I'm surprised you were able to control it for so long," she remarked dryly.

She let out a heavy sigh as she leaned into him. Once again, she was only just beginning to realize that a small part of her was relieved to know that Coulson was alive. She was already scheming a way to find him and talk to him again. It would feel good to see an old face, especially the face of the man who practically raised her.

"You know he'll likely break protocol just to see you again, right?" Leonard suddenly cut through her thoughts and looked at her thoughtfully.

Emily merely rolled her eyes before kissing him firmly on the lips, knowing full-well he was right.

"If I know Papa he's already made plans to do so," she replied without missing a beat. She smirked in amusement as she recalled the many times he came close to doing so in the past just to be there for her. Coulson was never afraid to break the rules or go above and beyond his normal training. She supposed that was partly where she got her own ideals from. "What I'm more concerned about is how Jim handled being forced into signing those orders… I know he was pissed off with the agency to begin with, but I'm sure that only made it worse."

"No, he certainly didn't handle that process too well," Leonard chuckled in agreement. He shook his head when he thought of how angry Jim had been at the time. The kid had been reckless, to the point of threatening to share such information with the entire Council. Emily was suddenly grateful he hadn't done that until his own trials… she could already imagine the chaos that would follow had he done so ahead of time. "I think at that point Kirk was too focused on figuring out how to process everything he learned about you to do anything else. He kept talking about giving away your position, but he didn't jump that ship until you returned."

She grimaced at the less-than-stellar memory of Jim using his own trials as an excuse to reveal her own secrets. It had been a cheap shot on his part. He was lucky he hadn't been expelled at that point. She knew that Jim was fairly popular at the Academy before that incident, so expelling him would have been a harsher punishment than he likely deserved. That didn't stop her from wondering what would have happened had Planet Vulcan not been under attack.

She tried pushing those thoughts aside and wanted nothing more than to focus on the situation looming ahead. She planned on confronting Coulson again… one way or another, she would make sure that they saw each other again before the wedding day. She just hoped that he was ready for that day, because they were both in for a long haul.