A week went by in a blur after that disastrous yet significant dinner.

To keep his mind off of the last encounter he had with Emma, Brandan was trying to read a newspaper sitting in the lounge. But so far the words seemed like aliens as they refused to become understandable in his busy mind - like a broken record which kept replaying all those hurtful words Emma threw his way with such bitterness.

He heard Oliver cussing from the kitchen. Sighing Brandan rubbed his temples, he wasn't looking forward to Oliver's silly tantrums after a long workday in the office. He had appointed a maid who will come three days a week and do all the chores - basically cleaning and laundry. Cooking was still in Oliver's department though, he plainaway refused to handover the responsibility to someone else.

He lowered the newspaper and peeked up to see Oliver storming out off the kitchen with a wooden spatula in his hand, yanked the main door open and sprinted off towards the direction of Emma's house.

"Now what!" He mumbled confusedly to himself.

Throwing the paper away he briskly walked to the window and slid it open with a hand.

He heard Oliver yell angrily at Elli when the door was opened after a minute of furious knocking, "Where are my pancakes Elli? You better give them back to me right now or I'll spank you with this spatula." Oliver ended the threat swinging the weapon in his hand dangerously in the air.

Elli crossed her arms over her chest leaning on to the door frame and smirked, "Oh! You're so kinky Oli."

Brandan swore he heard Oliver growl like an animal - but Elli didn't even flinch, rather she added looking disinterested, " As much I would love to see that kinky side of yours, I'm afraid that won't be happening anytime soon. Because honey I've no idea of where your pancakes are, hell - I don't even like pancakes."

"ELLI..."

But before Oliver could retort back the door was slammed shut on his face.

Brandan watched as his friend - now red in the face shaking with so much anger - huffing and puffing walked down the distance between the two houses and then when he came to the front porch...

Brandan raised a brow. Oliver fell face first into some sticky liquid.

"Uh...hunnn..." And the blood curdling scream that followed shook the whole suburb.

Brandan turned around to face the main door and crossed his arms when after a couple of minutes Oliver entered and slammed the door shut so loudly behind him. His eyes immediately fell on the amused look Brandan was giving him.

Oliver yelled, "I'm going to kill that girl one of these days I'm telling your Brandan. She stole my pancakes, I'm sure she was the one messing with our cars - she painted them pink Brandan -PINK! And then goes ahead and flattened the tyres God knows how many times till now."

Brandan kept quite. Lots of unusual things are happening around them or in staright words pranks - making them almost crawl up a wall and jump off in frustration and in utter loss of knowledge of why and how these little yet disturbing things were happening to him or around him lately. But he could surely smell conspiracy behind the huge number of accidents and coincidences, only in that case he agreed with Oliver. But he wasn't sure it was Elli.

Oliver clutched at his hair in rage, "And now Savanah's dog has joined the team with her. That bloody dog is painting our front porch with it's stinky - disgusting pee in a regular basis."

Then it clicked on Brandan's head. He took a step back from his friend scrunching his nose. "That was dog's pee you fell into Oliver!"

"Like you can't smell it already..."

Oliver said through gritted teeth, grimacing Brandan moved as far away from his friend as possible.

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The next morning Brandan was strolling in his front yard keeping an eye on Emma's house trying to get a glimpse of her and sooth the ache in his heart as much as possible but instead he ended up with an aching butt.

"What the hell!" Cursing under his breath he stood up slapping away the dirt on his pants. His eyes got stuck on to the reason of his fall.

"A cupcake!"

A cupcake with a good amount of gooey cream topping it had somehow ended up under his foot - in the middle of nowhere. That certainly didn't look like an accident.

Proving his suspicion he heard hushed childlike chuckles from a nearby shubby bush. Tiptoeing Brandan made his way over to the source of the sound which fell abnormally quite now.

He bent down at the edge of the bush and moved aside the leaves with his hands. Peeking in he couldn't help but smirk, the next second he erased that smirk off his face and wore a serious look.

"So, you're the culprit."

Staring back at him with wide eyes like a deer caught in headlight was - Sammy. He was crouched down in a ball in an attempt to hide himself from the victim of his pranks but seemed like it was a little late now.

Brandan heard Emma's voice a little away, yelling Sammy's name.

He forwarded a hand towards the little boy to take, "Come on little fellow, looks like your mommy's looking for you. Let's get you back before she throws a fit and you get into a trouble after getting found."

Sammy looked at the hand forwarded towards him with hesitance. Wetting his lips with his tongue nervously Sammy asked in a whisper, " You're not going to tell mommy, are you?"

Brandan had a brow raised at the question, before he could answer the scared boy - a shadow fell over them as someone stood behind them.

Sammy looked above his shoulder and paled visibly while Brandan too turned his head around.

"Not going to tell me about what?"

Emma's voice held so much authority. Brandan felt something stir in his pants. How the hell could he get turned on at this kind of situation was a wonder to him. This woman had made him a pathetic mess of hormones.

Sarah peeked out from behind Emma's legs, her eyes zeroed in on the still crouched down Sammy inside the bush.

"Come out of there Sammy, right now." Brandan ordered.

Brandan watched as Sammy hold his still forwarded hand reluctantly. After he helped him out of the bush, the boy seemed even more scared by the second - his eyes glued to the ground looking very much guilty.

His heart went out to the boy who was very much into trouble.

Emma looked at Sammy suspiciously. "What's going on Sammy?"

"Errr... nothing mommy." Sammy didn't dare look up at Emma.

Sighing Emma now turned to Sarah instead. "Sarah - honey, do you know what's going on?"

Brandan watched amazed as Emma asked Sarah in an extra soft voice, the mother in Emma was a master manipulator. He wondered how many of her sides he still had in store to find out.

Sarah glanced at Sammy uncomfortably then back at Emma who purposefully smiled to encourage the little girl.

Sarah began speaking nervously. "I told Sammy not cupcake put here. Mr stranger fell down. I not want to... but Sammy told me ... color the cars..."

Brandan had his jaw almost dropped to the ground. So it was them all along.

Emma managed to keep the perfect smiling face intact as she asked Sarah to continue. "And..."

Sammy gulped loudly when Sarah seemed to start this verbal diarrhea, "And uncle Oli's pancakes - yum."

"Sarah - shhhh." Sammy whisper yelled at his sister who had spilled all their sins. Emma glared at Sammy.

The whole time Emma never made eye contact with Brandan, it didn't go unnoticed by him. After a good scolding session Emma asked the kids to apologize to Brandan. The apologies were so cute Brandan ended up giving affectionate kisses on the little heads and ruffled their hairs.

"I didn't mind Emma. I must admit the kids are pretty intelligent, some of the pranks were really creative." Brandan said.

He wanted her to look at him, he wanted see her eyes. He missed looking at them. And she did, she lifted her eyes to look at him - but only to glare.

"You shouldn't praise them for pulling such pranks Rozario, they'll only get encouraged."

Brandan raised his hands in surrender. "Noted." He winked and added, "Will keep that in mind next time."

Emma narrowed her eyes at him. She took hold of the both pouting kids hands and dragged them away as she yelled not sparing a glance back at him.

"There will be no next time."

Brandan kept looking at their retreating backs while shaking his head. The kids were grounded for a long time - he guessed.

And before the kids and their mother who had his heart - leave his eyesight, he watched fascinated Sammy turning around and giving him this nasty eye.

Now - what's that all about? He asked himself fascinated. And he was confused out of his mind thinking what the hell had he done to his boy for him to set after his ass like that - like a hellhound - no, hellpup.

Hellpup - Brandan smiled. He liked that name for his little man.

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Brandan was sitting on the fence in semi darkness that evening - looking at the lit windows of Emma's house, if people called him a stalker or a pervert... he didn't really care. He was happy to get the little glimpses of Emma or the kids in the windows from time to time or their shadows behind the curtains. He wondered if Emma noticed him lurking in the shadows looking at her house, he hoped yes... and he hoped not at the same time.

Was he getting too much creepy? Maybe yes.

He heard someone - a female voice calling him from a distance, straightening his spine he turned his head to look for who it was only to find out Savanah waving her hand which was adored with crinkled - aged skin and colorful nails.

He pointed a finger at himself to ensure she was calling him and Savanah nodded confirmation - with an irritated scowl on her face. Brandan wondered why the cranky woman was calling him. Oh no! Was it because she was going to lash at him for perving around Emma's house all day?

Anyway, straightening the hem of his t-shirt and clearing his throat he set off to Savanah's house. The old woman was sitting in an armchair in her front porch... and she was smoking. The elderly woman was chain smoker.

Everytime he saw her sucking in the white smoke with a pleased expression adoring her face... Brandan didn't know why but he got creeps in his brain. Something about her actions was unsettling. Was she behind closed doors into drugs too?

"Hey there, what's up beautiful lady..."

He thought to compliment her and put himself out of the possible danger... if he was in any. Savanah just stared him for a good few seconds without a single blink, her expression unchanged. He felt a little uncomfortable under her scrutiny.

"I've nothing shoved up my a** young man but you sure have in yours. So why don't you sit down for a while and we discuss how to remove it."

He gave the woman an amused look but she just narrowed her eyes at him some more. At last he sighed and propped himself up on to the heavy wooden railing. Purposefully he avoided sitting on the stairs as it would have given him the feeling of being a child again as he were to look up to the old woman and listen to her bickering.

Savanah held out the cigarette in between two fingers, the slow dizzying white smoke made it's way upwards. She picked up a half emptied bottle of vodka and took two big - loud gulps. Brandan raised an eyebrow in amusement, so the oldy was a drunkard too. How the hell Emma sometimes left the kids under her supervision, he wondered and felt a little angry.

"What are you staring at young man? Want a little? I swear I don't drink all the time. It's just Ross's death anniversary, you know - this day brings so many bad memories of that day... when he left." Savanah sighed.

Noticing Brandan staring she waved the bottle before him with a sad smile. "So - you want to join me?"

"Nope. I don't drink anymore." Smiling back Brandan declined, now more comfortably leaning back looking at the sadness in her eyes and catching the exact moment of baring those emotions were closed off - yet again.

"Anymore! That means you used to before and now ditched this heaven?" Savanah tilted her head towards her bottle, her graying hair swiveled at the movement.

Brandan shrugged. "I would say it more of a hell when the limit's crossed - only messes with the head and the parting gift's hangover, it later makes working in the office harder."

"You're a workaholic gentleman." Savanah pointed out.

"Well, thanks I guess." He said unsure.

Savanah narrowed her eyes. "That wasn't a compliment."

Then out of the blue she blurted out the question. "You like the hot shot mommy?"

She gestured towards Emma's house with her eyes, the skin around her eyes crinkled making her age more prominent.

Brandan was caught off guard by the question , he lowered his head and fixed his gaze to the palms of his hands.

He replied honestly, "Yes, very much."

A ghost of a smile played across Savanah's face.

"Ross... my husband also used to stand like a lamp-post in front of my house those days when I kept rejecting him for the fun of him chasing me around like a lost puppy. It was irritating and endearing at the same time. Those days..."

The woman talked absentmindedly gazing into a time unknown... mind going back to a certain memory lane. Brandan knew what she might be feeling right now... love - lost love. He too felt like that for years too and he was well aware of how unpleasant the experience was. But now, he was lucky that God had finally decided to show him some mercy and landed him on Emma's doorstep.

Jumping off her dazed state suddenly Savanah snapped at Brandan stunning him with her mood swing.

"But one thing I must tell you boy. Since you and your friend have arrived, this suburb is not anymore peaceful. I used to enjoy my booze sitting in this very armchair in calm and quite. But now only shouts - arguments and loud voices can be heard. Add two morons in the neighborhood and see how your blissful mornings become miserable."

Brandan was sure that those two morons were none other than he himself and Oliver - according to Savanah. He was aware of the drama they were creating in daily basis, other neighbors were always giving them these weird glances every now and then while passing by.

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well - Yeah. You're right about that, Oliver and Elli are arch enemies at first sight."

Savanah threw her free hand up in the air dismissing Brandan's comment. "Nonsense! They are soulmates."

Brandan looked at her shocked, now what made her say so? The old cranky woman was clearly drunk and out of her mind.

She added, "You yourself is also making a number of chaos young man, Emma looks very troubled now-a-days but - alive too..." She said the last bit thoughtfully.

Again that ghost of a weird smile appeared on her lips. Brandan neither could understand the meaning of that smile nor the last words of her wise lecture. Looking at the woman standing at the end years of her life... Brandan just witnessed the loneliness and the void around her - smartly hidden behind the veil of her crankiness and occasional insanity.

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Emma glanced once again at the backseat of the car through the rear view mirror. The twins were staring wide eyed at the back of her head, their expressions blank out of the shock they got merely half an hour ago.

Emma held her breath and pulled out of the parking lot without a word, knowing that her children needed some time to sink in the information that was revealed to them.

Earlier this morning Emma took them to school for their admission. Everything went well, Sarah was a little shy and scared at first while questions were asked to her but with some encouragement she did well and afterwards made the teachers laugh with a few of her own innocent questions. Sammy went overboard and spoke more than he was supposed to but Emma could say behind those confident facade of his - her son was nervous. But as always Sammy amazed her by pushing back all his fears and insecurities.

Later she took the relieved kids who were acting like they had won the third world war and headed to a ice cream parlor. After enjoying there favorite flavors of the icy heavens she told them that their father was coming to see them - soon. That's when Emma's got weariness tripled by the sudden silence that fell upon the shocked kids. They were being painfully quite.

Earlier when she made the plan to tell them she was unknown of what responds were to be expected but she definitely didn't expect the silence.

Reaching home Emma bent sideways against the door frame of the kid's room while Sammy was fiddling with his new school bag Emma bought them, Sarah was sitting on the edge of her bed rocking her little legs back and forth while smoothing down her barbies hair.

Staring at them trying hard but failing to understand the meaningf of this odd silence - Emma sighed and moved closer to them. She stood between their single beds with her arms crossed.

"Okay now - spill it out."

Both Sarah and Sammy looked up at her from their sitting positions with their pouty lips and wide glossy eyes, Emma's heart constricted at the sight.

She softened her voice even more - her motherly instincts eager to wrap them in cottons and then hide them away from all the pain and harshness existing in the world... but she knew she had to do the opposite instead, exposing them to the vast reality - of the sorrows and joys of life that came hand in hand - was a necessity. That's what was growing up was all about.

"Come on. Won't you tell mommy?" Emma encouraged them.

She noticed Sarah passing a look with Sammy and then turned to look at her with a little hesitation.

"Why daddy wants to see us mommy? He hates us... right?" Sammy asked sadly.

Emma's heart thudded with pain at the realization.

"Ohh... baby!"

She picked up Sammy in her arms, the little guy protested for a while to squirm free as he thought big boys never sits on their mommy's laps and he was a big boy now, he was going to go to school from now on but after a while he basked in the feeling of protection that his mother's arms offered and sank his little head in her shoulder.

Emma sat down beside Sarah with Sammy clutching onto her, she pulled Sarah closer to her with her free hand and the little girl rested her head on her chest.

"Daddy doesn't hate you okay." She said trying to assure them, comfort them.

Sarah immediately protested raising her head from her chest and looking up at her. "But Steeve said so, he said we - mistakes."

Now Sammy too joined in. "Yes, and that when we were born daddy hated us and never wanted to see us, that's why he never came to see us..."