It's Empty And Cold Without You Here.

He listened to her. She told him the story and he listened, asking questions when he felt like it, and shaking his head in all the right places.

"Do you love him?" Brian asked.

"That's the problem, I do..."

"You do realize that he doesn't deserve you after what he did, right?" he said. Emily nodded and dried her tears with her sleeve.

"Brian, you can't tell Michelle. She will freak, hunt him down and shoot him with one of your guns,"

"Yeah, she's quite the protective one, isn't she? But don't worry. Mot likely, I'll be the one shooting him," he said brightly, and smiled. Emily's eyes widened, and her mouth dropped.

"You can't! I told you because I figured you wouldn't hurt him!" she said desperately.

"Then what am I supposed to do, stand by and watch him beating the shit out of you? I thought you said he stopped!"

"He did! For a while..." Brian shook his head and looked at her in disbelief. More tears were falling from the younger girl's eyes.

"This can't go on, Emily. No matter how much you love him, he can't love you very much if he hits you!" She nodded and let out a couple of sobs. Brian scooted closer to her, wrapped his arms around her in a hug and started stroking her hair. She put her head on her shoulder and cried silently, soaking his shirt. If you were watching them, you would say "aww" in a second.

Suddenly, the front door swung open and Nick came running into the room. After him came Matt, who was carrying five grocery bags. Michelle walked behind the two, carrying two bags, and the milk. They didn't notice the two on the couch before Nicky stopped right in front of it, looking puzzled.

"What's wrong, Emmy?"

His words made Matt drop two of his bags, and attempted to save the third, which was caught by Michelle in her milk carrying arm. Then, she dropped everything and rushed over to them, ripped Emily out of Brian's arms, and hugged her like a caring sister would in her position. Emily just cried on her shoulder, and Brian went to place the groceries, and to keep Dominick occupied. Matt, who wasn't speaking to either Emily or Brian at the time, just stood there and looked misplaced. It didn't take long though, for pity to rise in him. He walked around the coffee table, sat down next to the two sisters, and did his best to comfort Emily, who was now sobbing uncontrollably.

After ten minutes of sitting there, Michelle dried her own tears after Brian needed her for something, leaving Emily in Matt's arms. It only made her cry more.

"What's wrong, Emmy?" asked Nick. He'd managed to get away from Brian and was now standing just beside her.

"It's nothing to worry about, Nick. Boy-trouble," she choked out and buried her face in Matt's arm.

"Felix is no more?" he asked and his face brightened. This made Matt look at her, too, but she avoided both of their gazes.

"No, he's still there. It's complicated, Nicky..." she said and Matt's arms around her loosened a little. She caught Brian's disappointed look from the doorway, and even more tears were pressed out into the daylight after hiding beneath her eyelids.

"But I don't know for how long," she whispered, and tried to fake a smile, which led to another sob. Nick grinned and ran over to hug her, but ended up hugging both of them.

And Brian and Michelle were watching the three of them from the doorway, smiles on their faces. Emily looked so much like Val when she was crying, it was almost creepy. But from another point of view, it wasn't, because from the doorway, it looked like Nick had his parents back.