Assurance Closure

Brooke was laying on the couch with Oli and Embry. Embry was watching some kids show, and Oli was holding Brooke. Brooke turned her head and kissed him softly.

"Brooke, I'm-"

"Daddy! Shhhh!" her parents laughed. Embry focused back on the T.V.

Carol walked in the house, followed by another person. Brooke looked over and saw that it was Tom.

"Oli...Tom's here." she whispered to him. Oli sighed.

"I'll go talk to 'im first." he kissed her softly and got up.

Brooke watched as Oli walked over to his brother. She saw them embrace. Tom looked over and Brooke scooted down more, so he wouldn't see her. She didn't know what he thought about her, but she knew that he'd be the hardest one to get to forgive her.

"Olis...I 'erd you 'ave a kid." she heard Tom drawl out.

Brooke held the little girl to her and she looked at her mom with confused eyes. Brooke put a finger to her lips and the tot stayed quiet.

"Yeah. I do. And she's beautiful."

"'ow come ya didn't tell me about 'er? Why did Nicholls 'ave to tell me?" Oli hesitated.

"It's complicated."

"Mum said that she were 'ere. And 'er mother." Brooke froze. She could sense Oli's hesitation.

"Yeah. They're.....they're over 'ere." Oli walked with his brother and Brooke snapped her eyes shut.

"She is beautiful." she heard him pause, "Is that Brooke?" she felt her body turn hot and cold at the same time. she opened her eyes and was met with the blue of Tom's.

"'ello Brooke."

"Hi Tom." she said softly.

Embry looked at the man and then snuggled into her mother. she had suddenly gotten shy. Brooke clutched her daughter to her.

"Is this...yeah. What's 'er name."

"Embry." the tot said softly. the girl looked up and met his blue eyes. "Who are you?"

"I'm Tom. You're dad's brother." the girl pulled away from her mother.

she looked at him with confused eyes. she didn't know what to think. She had never really seen any pictures of him, because he was always not in the pictures that Brooke took, and he was the one who took the pictures that had Brooke in them.

"So....you'd be my uncle Tom?" she asked and he nodded.

Embry gave him a hug and he smiled. Tom looked at Brooke when Embry pulled away.

"Been a while, Brooke." Tom stated. she simply nodded. He looked at Oli and he gave Tom a look that Brooke couldn't decipher.

"Brooke, maybe you, me and Oll should go out to dinner some night. I'm sure that Mum would love to babysit Embry." Brooke bit her lip then nodded.

"Sure. sounds good." he nodded and Embry tugged at his shirt.

"Uncle Tommm? Let's go to the park." he smiled down at the girl.

"Alrigh'. I mean...if it's okay with yer mum." Brooke nodded and Tom picked her up.

"What were ya for Halloween?" a grin appeared on the tot's face and she almost wiggled out of his arms in excitement, "I was a dinosaurrrr!" Brooke heard Tom laugh as they walked out the door.

"Oliver, was that yer brother leavin'?"

"Yeah. 'e's takin' Em to the park." Brooke smiled and felt her heart swell.

It seemed to her that for the first time in her life, she had a family that cared about her. And that loved her for who she is, not because they felt they had too. She knew what it was like, and she could tell that Oli's mom, Carol, genuinely cared.

Oli walked and sat next to Brooke. Carol sat in the recliner caddy corner to them. "Brooke?"

"Yes?"

"Are you plannin' on stayin' 'ere?"

"I'm here for about two years for my work, and I'll see if I can get transferred here to stay. I know that cross Continent relationships don't work out. I want to stay with Oli." she felt his eyes on her and she knew he was smiling.

_______________________________________________________________________

Embry was running around at the park, Tom watching her.

"Embry, can I ask ya somthin'?" she nodded and walked over to where her uncle was sitting. "Did yer mum ever talk about yer dad?" the little girl thought a bit.

"Not really. Mommy said it hurt too much to think about him. Because she loved daddy, but she knew she hurted him." Tom looked down at the girl leaning against him.

"Are ya glad that you met yer daddy?" the little girl gave him a look that reminded him of Oliver. "Duh. Plus mommy seems so happy. I've NEVER seen mommy that happy before." Tom smiled. "You're daddy's brother right?" Tom nodded, "Yeah." the tot looked down a look of confusion coming across her features. "What's wrong Embry?"

"Mommy had a brother. She also had a mommy. But she said that they're dead. She...she doesn't like talking about her brother. All I know is his name is Landon. and that he died here." Tom's eyebrows shot up. He didn't know that he had died here. or how he had died. Just that he had. Or more accurately....he was killed.

Tom smiled down at the girl, seeing so much of each of her parents. her eyes were like someone took Oli's eyes and put them in her skull. "Em?" she looked up. "Can I take some pictures of ya?" she smiled, nodding. "Mommy likes taking pictures of me too!" Tom laughed and took out his camera, and the tot just looked at him and smiled. As he clicked the shutter, he was determined that no matter what, she and Brooke would stay.

Because, what did they have to go back to in America? Brooke had a father that she wasn't sure if he was alive or dead, and she had no other family.Plus, the fact that the love of her life lived here.