Falling to Pieces(Kit and Ty)

Chapter 20

    Emma was happy for Ty and Kit. They were perfect for each other. She had been pleasantly surprised at dinner when Ty kissed Kit. Everyone was. It was amazing how fast time went by. Ty was growing up. He was dating now. Emma didn't know why it was such a big deal, but it was to her. Ty was dating Kit. He had his first kiss and Emma couldn't be more happy for him. He deserved this happiness after everything that had happened. Maybe Kit could help him get through it all. He had helped Ty when Livvy died. Emma had no doubt that he could help him now. She just wished that Ty would open up to his family more.
    Emma wished Ty would tell her more about what he was feeling. She wished he wasn't so afraid to do it. She wasn't his direct family. Maybe that was why. But, he still didn't open up to Julian, and Emma could see how much it hurt him. All Julian wanted was to help his family. When Ty mentioned his fear of no one supporting him, she could see the hurt in Julian's eyes. He worked so hard to keep his family running; Emma could only imagine how hard that was. He stayed strong for his family, even when he was hurting. He did everything for his family, and he loved them more than anything.
    Emma quickly changed into her gear; she had patrol with Julian tonight. Helen and Aline would watch the children, and Mark. Mostly Mark. But, the children could still get into trouble. Emma hoped they wouldn't do anything too stupid.
    The door to her room creaked as she stepped out onto the cold wood of the corridor. She walked towards the stairs and almost ran down them. When she reached the weapons room, she grabbed seraph blades and daggers. She would use Cortana, but backup weapons were always helpful. Emma tucked the weapons into her weapons belt and checked to make sure she had everything she needed. Once she was sure that she had everything, she left the weapons room and met Julian by the truck. He was already there, waiting for her.
    "Are you ready?" he asked. He was leaning against the truck a little and he looked incredibly beautiful. His hair was messy, like he had decided not to brush it, and his eyes shone in the moonlight. Her Julian was so beautiful; it should've been a crime.
    Emma nodded, and slipped into the passenger's seat of the truck. Julian started the engine and began driving down the road. They took the least busy roads, not wanting to get stuck in traffic. Julian parked the truck in a dark alleyway, hidden from sight. Emma leaped out of the truck and started walking beside Julian.
    "So," Emma said, breaking the silence. She knew that Julian was probably deep in thought, but she wanted to know what he was thinking. "Kit and Ty are dating."
    "They are."
    Emma sighed. "Let's skip to the part where we talk about how you feel."
    Julian raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
    "Ty didn't tell you because he didn't think you'd support him," Emma said. "Talk to me."
    Emma knew Julian was upset. She had seen it at dinner, and she wasn't wrong. She knew her Julian well. She knew when something was wrong. Now was one of those times. Emma wished to help him. But, she couldn't do that if he wouldn't tell her what was going on.
    "I guess I just wish Ty had told us sooner," Julian said.
    Emma could feel the warmth of his hand in hers. She squeezed his hand, reminding him that she would always be there for him. She never planned on leaving him. Emma loved Julian more than words could explain. He was hers and she was his.
    "I wish he believed in us more," he continued. "Did he really think we wouldn't support him? We're his family."
    "I think he does trust you, Jules," Emma said gently. She stopped walking and looked into Julian's eyes, just to show him that she was serious. "There's always that little bit of unreasonable doubt that can prevent you from doing something. I think that's what stopped Ty from telling you sooner. It had nothing to do with him not trusting you."
    Julian nodded. "You're right, Em."
    Emma smiled. Being able to help Julian, the person she loved most, was an amazing feeling. "I'm always right." She punched his shoulder playfully, and Julian punched her back. Emma remembered not being able to love Julian. The parabatai curse had been a huge obstacle. Even that hadn't stopped them from falling in love. Having to hide her love for Julian had hurt more than almost anything. But now, they could be together and not have to worry about the curse. Emma could kiss him whenever she wanted. She could hold his hand and not worry about hiding it. She could love Julian freely.
    "I love you so much," Julian said. "I love you more than you'll ever know."
    Emma leaned forward and kissed him quickly. When she pulled away, Julian was smiling. His smile was one of the most beautiful things on this earth. Emma wished it would never go away.
    Before Emma had the chance to tell Julian how much she loved him, she heard a noise from behind her. She whipped around, unsheathing Cortana. The metal glinted in the dimly lit alley, and Emma could vaguely see the words inscribed on the sword. She knew the words by heart: "Of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal."
    Standing before her was a hydra. It had three heads, and dark green flesh. The hydra towered above her, and she could see its sharp teeth and black tongue slashing around in the air.
    Emma held Cortana in her hand, and launched herself at the demon. The three heads snapped at her, one of them catching her by the fabric of her gear. Emma slashed at the heads with Cortana, but couldn't land a hit. One of the heads held her in the air while the other two charged at her. Emma connected her foot with one of the heads. It screeched, and moved away. She took that chance to swing herself onto the neck of the head that was holding her, tearing a hole in her sleeve. She pulled herself up to the top of the head and stood on wobbling legs. She brought Cortana down and leaped into the air. Emma heard teeth snapping and looked down to see that the second head had barely missed her leg. She noticed that Julian had taken care of that one.
    Emma landed on the ground, and saw Julian with his crossbow. She smiled, knowing that he had saved her. Emma looked up at the demon. There was only one head remaining. The other two were limp and useless.
    Emma sprinted towards the hydra, Cortana gleaming fiercely in the moonlight. The remaining head snapped at her, barely missing her arm. She spun around, kicking the side of the head. It recoiled and shrieked. Emma laughed before finishing off the hydra. It disappeared in a splash of ichor. Emma leaped out of the way before the ichor could land on her and ran to Julian. He was still holding his crossbow, ready for another attack. He lowered it once he saw Emma coming towards him.
    "Are you alright?" Julian asked, looking Emma up and down, checking her for injuries.
    "I'm fine," Emma said. "Are you?"
    Julian nodded, and pulled her in for a hug. Emma rested her head on his shoulder and held on to him, not wanting to let go. Emma took his arm in her hand and started tracing letters on his skin.
I  L-O-V-E  Y-O-U
A smile spread across his face, lighting up his Blackthorn eyes. Emma knew that saying she loved him wasn't enough. Words couldn't explain how much she loved him. Words weren't powerful enough to describe the ache in her heart she felt whenever he was gone. Words couldn't describe the joy she felt whenever he was near her. They weren't enough.
Emma wrapped her arms around Julian's neck and pulled him down to her a little harder than she had meant to. Julian made a startled noise, and then they were kissing. Emma held on to Julian tightly, never wanting to let go.
"I love you," she whispered against his lips. "I will always love you, Julian Blackthorn."
"Then marry me."
Emma pulled away, unable to hide her shock. Her heart stopped, and then started racing like a rabbit's. "What?"
Julian got down onto his knee, not once breaking eye contact. Emma felt like she would burn under the intensity of his gaze.
"Marry me, Emma Carstairs," he said. "Marry me and make me the happiest man on this earth. I've known you for so long, and I know that my love for you will never fade. We've been through everything together. We've been through the worst and best together. I want it to stay that way. I want to go through everything with you. I used to think that we would never be together, and it's still a miracle to me. I love you, Em, and I would love to be your husband if you will allow it. So, I guess I should ask the question. Will you marry me?"
Emma gasped. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She knew what she wanted to say, but she couldn't force the words out past her shock. She couldn't believe this was happening. She couldn't believe that Julian Blackthorn was asking to marry her. It wasn't real. It couldn't be. Years ago, she wasn't allowed to be in love with Julian. Now, he was asking her to marry him. It felt like a dream that she would eventually wake from. If so, it was the best dream she'd ever had.
"Yes," Emma choked out. "Yes! I'd love to marry you!"
Julian got up off of the ground, and lifted Emma into the air, spinning her around. Emma laughed, and held on to Julian. She still couldn't believe that this was real.
Julian lowered her gently to the ground. "I—uh, I don't have the ring yet, but I'll get one."
Emma didn't care about the ring. If she never got a ring, it wouldn't matter. As long as she was married to Jules. As long as she was bonded to Julian forever. She pressed a kiss to his lips, and couldn't suppress her laughter.
"I can't believe this is happening," Emma said. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming."
Julian shook his head. "This is real, Em."
She smiled, and took her Julian's—her future husband's—hands in hers. "Thank the angel. That would be rather unfortunate if it weren't."
    Julian chuckled. "That would be, wouldn't it?"
    Emma nodded. "I guess we should head back."
    "I guess so."
    They headed to the truck, hand in hand. Julian couldn't stop smiling. Emma loved seeing him this happy. He kept glancing at her as he drove, only when they'd reached a stop sign, of course. Emma couldn't be happier. This moment was one of the best moments of her life. She was going to marry Julian and she couldn't be happier.