"...so, the interest rate will remain as we agreed upon, but with an extra seventy thousand down, we can adjust from a 30 year loan to a fifteen year loan."

Emily didn't hear the mortgage officer at all. She was staring past him, her mind lost on the wooded trail behind Alucard's home in Seattle. Four days ago, she'd returned from a much needed visit with her oldest friend. Emily told herself that she was ready. She told herself she was ready to start the business up again; ready to get back to life as she knew it. She was, however, lying to herself. Ask she could see was the worry in the girls' eyes every time she was called out in the middle of the night. Especially Jen, who had been more and more protective of Emily and the renaming girls as weeks passed. 

Seattle had been eye-opening. Life didn't have to be this way. The big city, the hustle, the madness; none if it was necessary for her business. Emily was not the mafia, she only worked for it. The girls didn't at all, and Emily wasn't about to risk their lives again. 

"Miss Renfroe?" 

The mortgage officer tapped lightly on the desk, trying to get her attention. Emily blinked and pulled herself back to the present. She uncrossed her legs and reached for her purse. 

"I'm sorry, I can't do this."

She stood and headed for the office door. The wormy mortgage officer looked startled and stammered. 

"The seventy thousand is negotiable! Miss...Miss Renfroe?" 

Emily was gone. She stepped into the waiting car and shut the door hard behind her, as if she thought the banker might be running after her. 

"Get me to the Port Huron house."

----------

The breeze off the lake blew Emily's loose, brown hair wildly as she walked up the path. She didn't bother trying the house. Instead, she walked into the back garden, making for the large oak with the Spanish moss lazily hanging from the branches. Gavin was exactly where she thought he'd be; perched under the tree on a stump of wood. With her arms clutched tightly around herself, she walked up beside him, not yet sure how to start. 

​​​​​​

Gavin was carving a piece of wood that he tucked into his pocket, but he quickly glanced up as he saw motion, and relaxed as he recognized Emily. He smiled up at her, a mixture of relief and exhaustion.

"Emily. How was your trip?"

She gave him a small smile, nodding a little. 

"Really nice, actually. Finally met Alucard's wife and the new baby. He seems very happy."

Emily sighed heavily. No reason to bear around the bush. What she had to do was what she wanted, all except one detail. She looked off in the distance for a moment, then into the icy blue eyes that seemed so very tired. 

​​​​​​"I didn't go through with the purchase of the old bank property. I just couldn't do it."

She bit lightly at her lower lip, trying to put her feelings into words. 

"I... I don't think I can stay in Detroit, Gavin. The girls...what's left of them...are terrified that something is going to happen again, abs I feel responsible for them. Chloe and Jen have stuck with me, but I don't want them to be afraid."

Now, she looked away, finding it harder and harder to look into his eyes knowing what she was about to say. 

​​​​​​"Seattle was so quiet, so peaceful. It was like a whole different world. I know it's not without its problems, but there's an amazing spring just outside the city, with natural mineral water and a stunning view of the mountains. It would be a great place for a spa."

Wild Card got married? Good for him. It felt like a million years since he'd crossed paths with him in Sicily. Gavin was dragged back from his recollections as Emily talked about Seattle. She didn't say it directly, but what she was saying was pretty clear.

"So. You're moving to Seattle? When?"

Sometimes, while admiring the features of his face, Emily forgot how intuitive Gavin could be.

"A few days. I am going to tell Jen and Chloe tonight, and we'll probably leave Thursday. I need a few days to make some arrangements to have my assets transferred to Seattle, pack, and arrange for the house in Vegas to be cared for. There's quite a lot to do."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, frustrated with her sudden inability to string together a coherent thought. 

​​​​​​"Look, I'm babbling like an idiot, and I'm sorry. I need to do this, but there's something I can't...that I have to say."

She took a step to stand in front of him, facing him. 

"This move feels right. I know it. But leaving you...doesn't feel right at all. I know what we are, but, I don't want to lose that."

A second or two passed, but before he could reply, Emily peered at him, a look of concern on her face. 

"Gavin, are you alright? You look...well, you look pretty wiped out."

​​​

"Pick someone you can trust for Vegas. That house is important to me."

He looked up at her steadily as she stepped in front of him.

"I don't want to lose whatever we are either, Emily. If going to Seattle feels right to you, then I want you to do it. I've just lost a lot of friends lately. And people who are more than friends. I've bounced from Philly to Vegas to Detroit like a ping pong ball. I'm just tired. Haven't been sleeping well. I can sleep when I drink, but you know I'm not supposed to do that anymore."

Gavin took a deep breath.

"Sorry. I'm happy you found something you want to do. I'm happy for you, Em."

"Still having trouble sleeping? It's been weeks."

Setting the current conversation aside for a moment, she put her hands on her hips, thinking. 

"Would you come back to the B&B with me? I just want to make sure the lack of sleep isn't being caused by something else; or causing something else."

Gavin looked at Emily for ten seconds or so, as if running through possible responses in his head. In the end, he just nodded, stood up, and followed her. 

The Lakefront Cottage bed and breakfast was not a bustling sort of place, especially today. Mrs. MacGregor was in the front yard telling Mr. MacGregor how to weed the flower beds. Chloe and Jen were shopping, and the rest of the place was quiet. 

In her cozy little bedroom, Emily sat on the edge of the bed with Gavin. She had her stethoscope in her ears and a cuff secured around his upper arm while she counted seconds on her watch. With Gavin, she didn't like to be so "nurse-y," but she was a bit more concerned due to his consistent trouble sleeping. 

Pulling the stethoscope away from her ears and looping it behind her neck, Emily began to remove the cuff. 

"Your blood pressure is up. It's not alarmingly high, but it's not where it should be."

She folded the cuff and put it in her bag with the stethoscope, then put the bag on the floor before wiggling up to lounge on the bed, tugging at Gavin's arm to get him to join her. 

​​​​​​"You've been so tense since returning to Detroit. I know things are uncertain, but it's been a few weeks. Everyone seems to be settling in alright, despite a few mishaps."

Emily rested her chin on his chest and looked up into his eyes, tracing a finger lightly over his shirt. 

​​​​​​"What's got you so worried?" 

Gavin felt himself focus as Emily rested her chin on him and looked up. It had been harder and harder to force himself to live in the moment, but he found himself able to do so now. She could almost assuredly feel his pulse and his heartbeat quicken, particularly as she traced her finger over his shirt.

"I'm not worried. Not really. I think... maybe I should visit you. Once you're set up in Seattle, I mean. A few days in the woods might do me some good. Particularly if it's on doctor's orders."

He smirked.

A few days in the woods. Woods- of course! That's exactly what he needed. Gavin was raised in the thick of the forests, and that's why he was spending so much time in the brushes around the house. Emily perked up, smiling towards him with a gleam in her eye. 

"Why don't you come with me? Maybe spend a week or two in Seattle with me while I get things settled. We can take a few days and go get lost in the woods. The mountain air would do both of us good. The girls can stay with Alucard, and when we're back I can get them into an apartment."

She watched for his reaction excitedly, already picturing a tent in the woods where they were entangled with each other under the stars. 

Gavin nodded. The more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea was to him. But could he really relax, if...

He frowned.

"There's some more things I didn't tell you about Russia. It wasn't because I didn't trust you- more like I was still processing things myself, and losing Tara was hard enough on its own without confronting everything else. Volkov."

Just saying the name made him sigh.

"He's the one who killed Stella, the one who hunted down Tara's network. He's... my son. It's why he was targeting my family. Decades ago, I seduced a Russian woman for information on how to take down her family... and I let her live. She turned her son into a weapon, and she turned that weapon against my sister and I. Rora and I met him over there, and we managed to make a big enough impression where... well, he helped us. I've gotten a couple letters from him. The Russian Mafia has been hunting him. They're not close to finding him yet, or at least he doesn't think so. But I feel like I need to go to him. Help him however I can- at least do something- especially since I never even knew about him before."

He paused.

"It's... the worst thing that's happened to me, outside of losing Bella and Tara. On the one hand, Stella deserves justice... but we did kill the person who poisoned Volkov against us. Is it fair to see a man like a gun, a tool, when he's been lied to his whole life? On the other hand, my own father was a monster. I think I told you: he gave me just about all my scars before I was sixteen. And when Bella and I made Aurora our daughter, when Will was born... it scared the shit out of me. All I wanted was to be a good father. And now I have a son who's been used his whole life and might need my help?"

Gavin frowned.

"I don't know how long that'll take me. I'm not sure what you'd want more.... me to go handle this for however long it takes, then show up in Seattle and be able to stay for a while... or me coming with you now, then dropping off the map."

Emily's eyes widened as she listened to the story of Volkov, and suddenly felt much more understanding of the pain that Gavin had been trying so hard to mask. 

"I'm not sure what you'd want more...."

Shaking her head, Emily sat up and grabbed his hand. 

"I want you whole, no matter where you have to go or how long you have to be there. I want you to feel peace. At least what you can given what you've been through. And, God, what you've been through...."

She sank down and hugged him tightly, as if maybe she could squeeze tightly enough to meld back the broken pieces of his heart. Then, something hit her. She sat back on her knees. 

​​​​​​"What can I do to help? I still have some of my contacts, and Stella's name still carries weight."

Gavin shook his head.

“You’re out, Em. You said it yourself, and I agree: I don’t want you or the girls to get mixed up in this.”

He paused.

”I think I need to go do this. One last big trip to get things settled... and then maybe I can rest. What I want is to go to Seattle with you right now... but if I do that it might be a lot harder for me to leave.”

Wordlessly, Emily thought for a few moments. Gavin was right; if she got involved, she was just putting Jen and Chloe back in the line of fire. But there had to be some way she could help. If only she could reach out to Stella. 

Emily's eyes suddenly narrowed, and she glanced out the window. The old information gears started turning, and were soon flying like mad. She shot off the bed, kissing Gavin's cheek. 

"Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back." 

She ducked out of the room and hurried down to the desk. Mrs. MacGregor wasn't there, but she couldn't wait. Emily slipped behind the desk and picked up the phone. 

Almost ten minutes later, she returned to the room and back to Gavin's side. She looked a bit more relaxed, but the gleam in her eye was apparent. 

"You have a lunch meeting tomorrow. I don't know if it'll be helpful, but it's what I can do to help without risking the girls."

​​​​​​

Gavin raised a curious eyebrow when Emily returned. She'd been up to something. 

"Alright... I'll bite. Who am I having lunch with?"

He smirked.

"And I accept only on the condition that I take you out for dinner before we both leave the city."

Emily grinned, nodding. 

"You have a deal, Mr. Byrne."

She handed him an address written on a scrap piece of paper. A restaurant on the South side of Detroit. 

"His name is Gabe. Gabe DiVasio-Viacelli."

Gavin raised an eyebrow.

"Stella's adopted son? I've heard about him, but never met him... is he in the game? What's he do?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't know much. All I know is that he's been looking for his mother's killer for a long time and he's fine very close several times. He doesn't know what you just told me, I'm 100% sure of that; but the two of you need to talk."

Emily studied Gavin's face for a few moments. Just having made up his mind to pursue this matter seemed to make a difference in his eyes. Maybe that would allow him at least some rest. With an impish grin, she climbed onto his lap and began unbuttoning her blouse. 

"In the mean time, I recommend some physical therapy for your sleep disorder."

Something flashed in Gavin's eyes that Emily hadn't seen before: a hunger threatening to crack the icy blue of his eyes. His body moved up to her and her kissed her, taking her cheeks in his hands. She pushed him back to the bed, and was just about to remove her blouse when she heard a faint voice from outside.

"Robert William Magregor, do you think I don't have eyes! Those are weeds! Right there! And there! And there!"

Gavin and Emily froze, sharing a grin. Gavin leaned forward, kissing her deeply, but she could feel him pull back as he said, "Emily... not here. Not this place. And not after dinner. Let me handle this last bit of business. When I'm done and I'm back in the States, I'll check in with my family here, then I'll come for you in Seattle- and I'll plan on staying for a while. Set us up in a cabin in the woods somewhere where we can be alone for a few days. Weeks. Whatever."

He smirked.

"A place where there won't be any Scottish people hearing you scream my name."

Gavin, visibly employing as much willpower as he could muster, stood from the bed and sighed. For a moment, it looked like he was just going to walk out, but he half-sat and half-collapsed onto the bed next to her, taking her hand.

"Emily... I feel like I need to go. Meet Gabe. Handle Volkov, try to get him out of whatever shit he's in and get him back here to the States. And then... I think I'm mostly done. I'll split my time between Detroit and Seattle, try to stay as retired as possible, and spend time with you and my family. But I'm afraid that if we do this now, I'm not going to want to leave."

He glanced at her; his smirk had faltered, but now it returned.

"Besides, this..."

He gestured toward her body with his other hand.

"... is extremely effective incentive for keeping myself alive."

Gavin looked at her closely, seriously.

"Do you understand?"