Dedicating this chapter to

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Elli threw away the vase while proudly smirking, her achievement sprawled across the floor.

Oliver and the kids had already stood themselves up. The kids were straightening up their messy clothes while Oliver had his eyes glued on Brandan, his facial expression was in between teasingly smirking at Brandan and wincing in pain for the heavy beating he got from the unconscious fellow lying on the floor.

In the meantime Elli looked at Oliver to say something smart but frowned in confusion at his expression and then she followed his eyes and looked at the semi naked... shocked couple on the bed.

"HOLY SHIT !!"

Immediately her hands were upon both Sarah and Sammy's eyes blocking their innocent visions from the sinful sight.

Emma's gaze was still stuck on her elder brother sprawled out cold on the floor.

It was Brandan who recovered first. And the first sentence out of his mouth was...

"Get out. All of you."

Without wasting a moment with the kids Elli was out of the room avoiding looking at anyone while mumbling incoherent things under her breath.

Oliver was still smirking at Brandan not showing any sign to leave.

Brandan raised an eyebrow and hissed. "You better leave Oliver."

The smirk never left his lips as Oliver teasingly saluted his friend and finally turned around to leave wiping at the trail of blood that trickled down his nose.

Brandan was still covered in the sheets from waist down, he exclaimed all annoyed. "And who do you think would take this one out?"

He pointed at Evan.

Oliver hesitantly cleared his throat, "Errr... Me?"

"Yes. You." Brandan confirmed simply.

Oliver groaned, but anyways dragged Evan's unconscious body out of the room.

"Take him to my place for now. I don't want him here in Emma's and troubling her and our kids, let's just give him some time to cool down."

"yeah yeah..." Oliver mocked back.

Finally they were all alone in the room again. Brandan sighed frustratingly at the sudden turn of events as he dragged a hand down his face.

Turning back he looked at the still stunned face of Emma, she looked so pale. With the heels of his hands he dragged his body backwards to sit beside her leaning on the headboard.

"Are you alright, Emma? Hey, hey ... honey, don't cry please."

Emma covered her tear stained face suddenly aware that she had been crying without even realizing it.

"Look, don't cry and don't you worry about Evan. I'll take care of him, it'll be alright. You'll only meet him when you're ready. Not before that, alright? Just calm down baby."

He tried to sooth her. Grabbing her wrists lightly he tried moving her hands off her face, to look at her - to make her stop crying. It hurt him so much to see her like this.

But then as if a lightening had struck, Emma snatched her hands away from his grip roughly. She jumped out bed grabbing the sheet tightly over her chest. "You'll make this alright! You?"

The reaction from Emma was a bigger shock to Brandan than the sudden arrival of Evan was.

Frantically shaking her head Emma found herself at the brink of a panic attack. The thought of having to face her brother now, the same brother that loathed her like she was a disgusting worm walking on the face of the earth.

Evan's barging into her home, her safe heaven, her life... had also made those depressing, self destructing feelings of her from the past barge in like a tidal wave to haunt her yet once again.

And with that, the desire of running had again raised it's ugly head.

True, so many things have changed and so have the people. But facing them...

She wasn't prepared for this and she didn't know if she ever will be.

"It's all happening because of you. Everything... everything I've run away from is suddenly barging back in my peaceful life. And the reason, it's you BRANDAN. You brought all this shit back with you." She yelled. "They followed you here and... and found me!" She added in a low voice, coated with exhaustion.

It took merely a few seconds for Brandan to recover from the shock and when he did it would be an understatement to say that he was angry, he was plain furious. "Do you think you running away from everything was a good solution! Your living like this, like an invisible person - hiding away from your whole life is God damned - A GOOD THING? Freaking not only that, you have hidden my children's existence from me too. They didn't deserve that."

Emma gritted her teeth as the decisions she had taken were being questioned here. People could say all they want that they understood what she had gone through but the truth was something else. No one, and absolutely no one had felt what she felt at the situation these two men had put her through all those years ago.

Her defense mechanism worked by itself. It was strange how the need to protect yourself had the power to hurt someone else so deeply. "You certainly don't need to worry about what my children deserved, I gave them all the happiness in the world that I could... and don't blame me for leaving all those years ago. You guys had made my life miserable enough. And now one by one all those miseries are suddenly dropping down on my head out of nowhere - AGAIN."

In minutes Brandan was on Emma's face, his sculpted nose almost touching Emma's red one.

"So I'm just a misery to you!"

Emma breathed heavily, totally out of control - she screamed, "YES. You and Evan, you guys made my life a living hell before and you are doing that again now."

A flicker of raw pain and hurt crossed his face before he blinked and hid it away. And then...

Dark.

Like dense clouds covering the sky, Brandan's face shadowed and his eyes became so hooded. No, it wasn't the violence - the wildness that could be seen while he had been thrashing Jonathon.

It was something completely else that Emma couldn't name if she tried to.

And then she felt her heart breaking as he slowly took painful steps back, creating so much distance between them.

Emma watched him picking up his shirt with brisk movements and walking away without a backward glance - leaving everything empty behind.

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Anyone want to throw tomatoes ? Or shoes or anything? If you want to, then I suggest you to hold on a sec. This scene was very much needed. ;) And I think Emma needed to vent out like this after seeing her insane brother, it was Brandan's misfortune that he was present there when she blasted. :P

Let's see how things go from now on.

But seriously, did you like this chap? Do you agree with me that Emma should have reacted like this? What about the words Bradan had said? Do you agree with him?

Which one do you support this time, Brandy boy or Emma girl?

And don't forget to vote, comment and follow me after reading this chap friends. :)

Take care till the next update.

Love, hugs and kisses.

- Lara.