Brandan saw a chaos infront of the house across the street... where Sarah, Sammy's house was. Something must have happened there, he decided to look out to their house a while later. 

He had just pulled his car onto the curb before his house after convincing Oliver that he needed to have a little space and be alone for a while after again having the same kind of encounter with some lady at the mall.. like in the morning when he thought he had seen Emma,so taking all the grocery bags with him .. he had sent Oliver to have some drinks at a bar.. to loosen up a little.

Seriously, how could he be wrong when he was so sure that it was her... that too twice in the same day. But then again, how was it even possible? 

He was about to open the backdoor of his car and reach out for the pile of bags... when his eyes fell upon a tiny someone running towards the streets, after a few moments of sqinting his eyes at the tiny figure Brandan could figure out who it was... Sammy. He looked at the boy's tear stricken... scared.. pale gone face.. and he knew that something was very wrong. Brandan looked around Sammy to see if that cute sister of his was around... but no, he couldn't see her anywhere near or far. It pricked Brandan as he knew that Sarah was seen glued to Sammy most of the time... the twins were almost inseperable. 

Brandan found his feet dragging himself to the direction of Sammy in a quick run and when he reached him, he knelt down before the ever strong boy who was now pathetically trembling. 

"What happened buddy? Tell me. Everyone alright in there?" He tried to ask as calmly as he could but his own voice betrayed him.

Brandan watched Sammy abruptly rub his little palms over his red face wiping the tears before attempting to make his expressions as firm as he could. Sammy was struggling to hold it together... Brandan watched amazed, it was so unlike and difficult for a five year old. 

Sammy opened his mouth to say something but couldn't form a proper sentence with his trembling lips. It was only when Brandan placed his comforting large hands on both of his shoulders that he could speak coherently.

"Sarah.. there.. mommy.. Sarah.." Sammy almost chocked and pointed his forefinger backwards to the direction of the backyard he came running from.

Tilting his head Brandan looked from above Sammy's head towards where he was pointing at and tried processing what the obviously shaken up boy was trying to say. And without wasting a single moment holding Sammy's hand he ran in the directrion of their backyard. 

Smoke coming out of an open window and flahses of orange and red flames.. caught his eyes with the absolute terror of the situation. He didn't realise when Sammy was tugging at his pants desperately and sobbing loudly now, the scared kid had lost all his strength at the sight of the monstrous.. fiery blazes of fire.

Deliberately like a deja vu... flashes of the burning motel from his most haunted memories began replaying in Brandan's mind. It was this fire which had announced the end of his search for Emma six years ago. It was this fire which had snatched Emma away from his reach... to a place so far and created a border so strong and tall that he couldn't go beyond it to search for her anymore. Six years back in front of such blazing flames.. Brandan for the first time bowed down his head to his own feelings and the light this fire had iluminated in his heart made him see the love he had been denying to accept since a long time. Realisation was what dawned upon him that night and gone was the immature - scum - old Brandan, instead a broken man with a hollow heart was born from the ashes. 

"Mommyyy.. bring my mommy... Sarah... come back..." Sammy's panicked voice snapped him out of his reverie and he looked down at the usually brave boy almost shrinking in his own invisible shell gripped by this pure unmistakable fear.

Brandan shook Sammy by his shoulders, this was not the time to break down thinking about the past. "Stay put here Sammy and try to be strong for me, alright? I want you to wait here huh... I am going to bring back Sarah and your mommy. Stay right here."

He watched Sammy biting his lower lip hard, painfully trying to gulp down another blow of tears and at last he nodded.

Brandan stood up and looked around to find any means to reach to the window. It didn't take time for him to see the pipe which went right by the window and the next moment he was climbing it. Reaching beside the window he discovered that the curtains ha already caught on fire, stepping on the window sill first with great difficulty he jumped inside in an abrupt speed to avoid the fire as much as he could. Instantly terribly heavy smoke surrounded him in a wicked embrace and clutched at his lungs brutally. Coughing violently he tried to look through and past the blinding smoke, he could hear sounds of frantic coughs from his left side. He took a few careful steps towards that direction, someone was sat down over there on the floor slumped against the door.. he figured out.

Taking steps carefully - one after another and he finally reached close to the person slumped on the floor in a ball against the closed door. He watched Sarah clinging to that person - to a woman's chest, hugging her with all the force the little girl could gather. 

His eyes travelled up to the woman's face and everything around him just paused. It felt like the earth had stopped spinning for a moment and the whole universe was holding it's breath with anticipation and when they will start moving again... it wouldn't be the same, it would never be the same again. 

He took in that familiar face... those ever so soft lips now trembling, that little cute nose with a stain of greese now... and those marvellous eyes gazing back at him, hypnotizing him with the magic they held. There was shock and disbelief in those eyes and he knew that his own eyes had that same look too.

Not being able to believe his own eyes, his own sanity Brandan felt his lungs declining all the air pumped into it as he droped down on his knees before her. His knees hit the floor so hard that he was sure.. the skin over there had obviously gone punctured. 

It was like history repeating itself, six years back Brandan... in this very same position lost Emma... and at the same time he realised that whom he had lost was his soulmate. His soul had died that night.

And now, as Brandan stayed on his knees before her, his soul stirred up to life once again after what seemed like a century had passed by, like rebirth had happened to it. 

The way his heart swelled with emotions, made it still hard for him to believe if this was all real. Was it really Emma he was looking at? Or a game his own brain was playing with him?

He heard her mumble his name in a shocked... chocking voice.

"B... Bran... Brandan!!"

And that was the moment Brandan knew that it was all real, Emma was real... and that she was given back to him when he had least expected it. 

He threw his arms around her and snatched her in a bone crushing hug... making Sarah get sandwiched between their bodies. The little scared girl squirmed between them trying to adjust herself.

Emma and Brandan... both were crying, Emma was still holding Sarah tightly in her arms while Brandan almost sucked her in like a blackhole in his embrace.

"I have searched for you like a complete madman Emma... everyone said you were... we.. I thought..." His stubbled jaw was pressed against Emma cheeks when he whispered in her ears with a lump in his throat.

Brandan paused for second before speaking again, this time his voice heavy in passion... it sounded like a demand and pleading both at the same time. "Never leave me again... never..."

With that Emma's whole body stiffened, she couldnt help but to recall the flashes of that night in the arms of this very same man. She had given all of her to him only to get her heart thrown back at her face completely broken the morning after.. in the most cruel way. She tried squirming away pulling from his body but the man had a really strong hold. Sarah whimpered clinging to her chest by the movement. 

The next moment she found herself being lifted up a little and placed a little away from the door. Brandan now stood up abruptly and was thrashing the door with his shoulder... but that wasn't helping. So he distanced himself a little away from the door and threw a couple of kicks on it.. forcing it to swing open and almost hang off it's hinges. 

At the same moment fire fighters were coming in from everywhere. Carrying Sarah in her arms Emma stood up and staggered out of the door, Brandan was beside her in a dash lifting up his hands to give Sarah to him.

Emma glared at his hands before taking a few immediate steps backwards, her face now panick stricken - more than it was in the locked room caught in fire. A frown of confusion formed on Branda's forehead. 

Before he could say or ask anything... some cops and paramedics ushered them down... out in the open. They were immediately checked for injuries. Thankfully there were no major injuries to any of them instead of some minor cuts and bruises. 

Emma was still clutching onto Sarah, refusing to let her go while getting attended by the paramedics. Brandan's eyes were not leaving Emma... not for a single second, he was still in a state shock. The kind of shock when a person looses their logical thinking process.

It was only when yelling out "mommy"... in the most desperate and heart wrenching way... Sammy ran towards Emma and she held the two kids in her arms sobbing... as if they were her most prized possessions, everything suddenly started clicking into Brandan's hazy brain.

Now it was Brandan who took a staggering step backwards. Sarah and Sammy... they were Emma's children, Emma was there mother. Realisation hit him like a fiery comet descended from the heavens. 

The obvious possibility right before his eyes made him bend down as a chill ran up his spine, he placed his shaking hands on his weakened knees. 

Looking at the two most beautiful kids in Emma's protective grip... in her embrace, Brandan felt all the bones in his body twisting to near non-existence. Each and evey fibre of his being screaming out a million of piercing - heavy questions.

____________________________________________

_______________________________________

Authors Note:

My dear readers and friends, I'm going to pick a cast for this story and I am in need of your help. I've already decided who's going to be the leading male, it's Sean O'pray. So Sean O'pray is Brandan. But I'm still confused about Emma. Please give me your precious suggestions of who would be perfect to play Emma's role. 

Then there's Jonathon, Evan, Oliver and Elli. They need pretty faces too. Each week I'm going to pick a cast for one of the characters. 

This week It's Emma. Feel free to suggest me names. So hurry up... I'll be eagerly waiting for your advices.

And don't forget to let me know what you felt reading this chapter. Did you like it or was it not that good ? I'm a human being and I definitely do mistakes, it will be so helpful if you let me know about my mistakes in gentle language.. so that I can correct them and better my writing. I've so many things to learn from all you fantastic readers.

- Lara/Clara :)