Your Choice (Book Three)

Emmy

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tom watches as the second hand of the clock is making its way further around the clock face for the tenth time. It is edging on to be half past four and Emmeline is late home. Several times Benedict has tried to assure him that she probably missed her bus and had to get the next one or she is hanging out with some friends but Tom's paternal side is kicking in. The latest she has ever been home from school is four and that is including that time the bus broke down. Oh she was a bundle of joy when she arrived home that night. Not. About five minutes ago Benedict gave up and returned to his latest script in the lounge with his reading glasses on.

The latch on the front door clicks open as the large door is swung open by Tom's twelve year old daughter - Emmeline Rose. Her hair is a slightly dirty blond which she generally has tied up in a ponytail to keep it out of the way and she has Tom's shocking blue eyes. She is currently wearing her school uniform which is made up of a black pleated skirt, a sky blue blouse, black blazer and striped tie. She hates her uniform. "Where have you been?" Tom asks his daughter in a stern tone.

"At school. I had to stay behind." She replies while shrugging off her rucksack and wandering into the lounge with it. She slumps down onto the sofa next to Ben who looks up and smiles.

"Why didn't you text us? Oh and why did you have to stay behind?" Her father continues to question much to both her and Ben's amusement.

"My phone battery died and I had an audition." She rummages through her bag while both actors take in the last part of her statement. She had an audition. She pulls out a large, A4, brown envelope and passes it to Tom. "This is my report." He sits down in the arm chair and starts to open up the envelope.

"You didn't tell us you were auditioning for anything." Benedict comments and sets down his script onto the coffee table. Tom pulls out the bundle of paper from the envelope and starts to read while carrying on listening to the conversation.

"Do you blame me? You two are world famous actors and I knew you would get all excited and start giving me tips and stuff. It is a school play for crying out loud." She giggles to herself.

"A part is a part." Tom mumbles as he continues to read through the report.

"What play are you doing?" Benedict asks, ignoring his husband's remark.

"Romeo and Juliet." Emmy responds, "A bit clichéd I know but it is probably the easiest Shakespeare play for people my age to do."

"Oh." He pulls off his reading glasses and starts to twizzle them in his fingertips. "I thought A Midsummer Night's dream would be easier..."

"Emmeline is very quiet in my class and she might find her time here easier if she made more friends." Tom interrupts by reading a sentence out from the report with a confused expression. "Why do you all your teachers think you are quiet? You are one of the most talkative people I know - and I know a lot of people including Robert Downey Jr. So...why?" Ignoring her father and Benedict's gaze she stumbles to her feet and exits the room without a word. She hates being interrogated like this; she gets it enough at school.

When she switches on the light in her bedroom she instantly relaxes. Here she feels safe and away from all the nasty people in the world and the constantly questioning paparazzi. She is quiet at school for good reason because who can she trust? The popular students cosy up to her because she is the daughter of two world famous celebrities but then there are the other people who obviously feel threatened by her who tease and taunt her for having two fathers.

Luckily she has Max - Elli and Nate's son. They have been best mates ever since they were playing together as young children and he always sticks up for her. There are other people in their group but she feels that they are more Max's friends than hers. Emmeline groans and falls back onto her desk chair before opening her laptop lid. She puts on her headphones and loads up the latest Grand Theft Auto game. She is a bit of a gamer and it is her way of escaping to normality. She plays with random people who don't know her as the daughter of Loki and Sherlock but just as Emmy.

Sometime later she feels a tap on her shoulder making her jump as she drags off her headphones to see her dad standing behind her looking guilty. She holds down a key on her keyboard and says, "AFK." Before releasing it and shutting the laptop lid.

"AFK?" Tom questions with a raised brow.

"Away from keyboard." She answers and he nods while perching on the edge of her bed.

"Right." He rubs his hands together for a few moments before peering up to look at his daughter. "Emmy...there isn't anything going on at school that you want to discuss?" He asks her and for a moment she considers telling him about the bullies and the name calling and the popular people bouncing around her like a puppy but she decides against it.

"No. Everything is fine. I just don't like school." She weakly smiles and he nods.

"Also your Latin grade is not as high as the others?"

"It may be the subject you studied at university dad but to me...it is just a dull dead language which I cannot wait to stop learning about." She explains making him chuckle, "Plus it was a C, not that low." Tom rises to his feet and ruffles his daughter's hair making her whinge before heading out of the room.

"Do you want nuggets and chips from the freezer or do you want to eat spaghetti bolognaise with us later on?" He asks her and she ponders.

"I will eat with you guys." She smiles which he returns with a grin.

\~.~.~.~.~/

It is the next morning and Emmeline is sitting on the steps outside of her school waiting for Max to arrive with his younger sisters - Izzy and Lulu. She ignores the passer byers muttering stuff about her and just focusses on the day. Soon though, she sees a silver BMW approaching and she jumps up to greet her friend. Elli winds down the window and smiles at Emmeline, "Sorry we are late Emmy. Maximilian did not want to wake up this morning." She teases her son who just grunts and jumps out the car to prevent further embarrassment. The twins - who are both identical with brunette hair in a bob with chocolate brown eyes - also exit the vehicle with their satchels. Izzy has a pink one while Lulu has a purple one. They are definitely girly girls. When all the car doors are shut, the car drives off and the small group start to edge their way towards the main building.

"What do you think?" Max asks while waving at himself making Emmy raise an eyebrow and giggle. He is a spitting image of his father with his short brown hair spiked up. "My hair!"

"What about it?"

"The spike! It is pointing in a different direction...never mind." He huffs so Emmeline engulfs him into a hug to make him smile. They wander down the corridor towards their lockers when some kid from the year above knocks into Emmeline while muttering: 'Faggot child.' "Are you alright?" Max asks while holding onto Emmy to steady her. She nods.

"Why do they call you that?" Izzy asks with her brow furrowed.

"It isn't very nice." Lulu comments with her brow also furrowed making Emmy giggle. She loves the twins and she loves how they are so close it is like they are psychically linked.

"They call me that because I have two dads...and you are right it isn't very nice." She replies. "You two better be going to your classroom." The twins depart while adorably waving leaving Max and Emmeline alone. They continue to walk down the corridor ignoring the stares from the other pupils. She hates it.

"When are you going to tell Tom and Ben about all this?" Max asks but Emmy shakes her head.

"I'm not. It would make them upset and what can they do? They can't stop being famous or stop being gay...I will just have to live with it."

\~.~.~.~.~/

Emmeline turns her house key into the lock and shoves open the door with a spring in her step. She removes the key and pockets it as she slams the door shut behind her. "Dad!" She calls with an excitable tone. She dumps her bag by the door and scampers into the lounge where Benedict and Tom are sitting, next to each other, on the sofa holding hands. The atmosphere feels odd. "Dad!" She shouts again. "I got the part!"

"Well done darling." Benedict praises.

"That is absolutely amazing." Tom smiles weakly, "What part?"

"Juliet! And Max got Romeo!" She jumps around excitably but stops as she realises the lack of celebration in the room. "What is wrong? What has happened?"

"Emmy..." Tom trails, "We have to talk to you about your mother."