Love within Ashes

Chapter 23: Digging Deep and Emotions Are Found

The birds were chirping, the sunlight was delicate and glorious, and the lungful of air of their bodies made that house feel normal, for the first time. Emma without knowing it, was the first woman to enter Billy's personal house. She was the first to occupy a role that neither Billy had even thought about it. Don't get me wrong, Billy every night, after his shift or after a visit, he always took a prostitute with him to a Motel or to the Office. The man could be working and they just came to him, like he was some sort of god or something. He always had a different one for every night. And what Emma said to Cora was right, if he slept with her twice it's a lot to say. Nevertheless, Emma doesn't care about Billy's promiscuous past life, she only cares about her present with him and their future. After a slight morning groan, Emma managed to get Billy's strong arm, that was resting on her breasts, off. He slightly groaned as he took one of the almost ripped apart pillows and hugged it as a teddy bear. Emma saw his sleepy and involuntary action, she stared at him and a sweet smile arched on her lips. He looked like a child a baldheaded with tattoos child. She leaned forward kissing his forehead and took the opportunity to nibble his neck tracing the alluring tattoos. She got up and she put on one of his black t-shirts, she went to the his closet and took one of his clean boxers and used it as a new pantie-shorts.

She made her way to the kitchen and started to look inside the fridge, there were eggs, bread, beers, cheese, milk, more beer, something that you really don't want to know, and a disgusting screwed soup or something. No wonder Billy loved to eat at Emma's.

"What the heck is this? ", she asked to herself when she took a wet sock, "Ugh! Men!"

She got the eggs and the bread and went to the kitchen drawers to grab a pan, there she found a box of Cheerios cereal. She grabbed a bowl and the Cheerios as well. She placed everything on the kitchen and went to the bathroom to clean herself just a bit. Looking at herself at the mirror, she saw something different in her, but she placed toothpaste on her finger and started to use it a functional toothbrush. She sauntered back to the kitchen and continued to prepare breakfast. She broke the eggs on the pan and placed the bread on the toaster. She took the milk and poured it on the bowl with the cheerios. Just when she placed her spoon full of cereal on her mouth, a tall, bald, gorgeous, topless tattooed man came strolling to the kitchen. Emma fixed her hair very quick as he placed his arms on his hips, frowning at what she was doing.

"What are you doing?", he asked with the resonant overpowering voice.

"Good morning to you too! I'm great how about you? Do you want cereal or eggs?", she asked grinning at him.

"You sure you're ok?"

"Yes, why?"

"I'll go with cereal, everything in that fridge is screwed", he changed the subject, he knew she was trying act like nothing happened last night.

"Yeah, I noticed. You better buy some groceries."

He snorted loudly.

"What?", she asked.

"Buy groceries? Hell, no! Those are a woman's chore."

"Really? Don't tell me you are one of those macho men who thinks woman are slaves and not equals!", she placed her hands on her hips.

"Really? Don't tell you are those crazy feminists who thinks they can do everything like a man", he mimicked her.

"Eff you, Billy!"

He laughed as she glared at him.

"It's not funny!", she tried to appear serious, but it only made her look funnier.

"Quit bitching and pass me the milk."

She passed him the milk glaring at the milk and then at him.

"As a matter of fact, I want you to teach me how to shoot", she commented to Billy who was smelling the milk to check if it wasn't screwed.

"Billy!", she caught his attention.

"What?!", he glared at her.

"Teach me how to shoot", she commanded more than requested.

"No!", he held.

"Why?!"

"Fuck, Emma, I knew this was gonna happen."

"Well, why don't you want to teach me?"

"Cause you're a woman", he flatly said like he was talking about Jane Doe.

"Oh, so I see. I'm only a woman, that's right! But, what I am to you?"

He sat down the on the nearest chair and lighted a cigarette.

"You are my woman", he said with the cigarette between his lips.

"You mean, your whore?"

He avoided her glare.

"Answer me, Billy Darley! Is that what I am to you?! A whore?! A stupid whore who gives you sex when you want?!"

"Think whatever you want, Emma!", he spewed.

"Oh, yeah?", she grabbed her cereal bowl and threw him at his direction, causing that man to jump out of his seat dodging the flying bowl with raining milk.

"The fuck?!", he scowled at her reaction.

"Well, I'm not your fucking hoe, Billy!", she started to throw him the eggs like it was a snowball fight, "I'm no one's whore, I'm a woman! A woman who loves you and cares for you! And you only treat me as your whore?! You son of a bitch!"

"Calm down, Emma! Put the pan down!', he ordered to the crazy woman who swung the pan with eggs to her left and right.

"Hell, I'm won't even be the King's whore if they ordered me, then why the fuck I should be yours? And you know what makes more angry? THAT YOU KEPT ALL MY BELONGINGS!! You stupid bastard! How could you?", she yelled her lungs out at the evading man with scrambled eggs on top of his bald head.

Emma's eyes glinted fury as Billy's widened and darkened. He decided to stop her before he makes something that he will later regret. He walked towards the pitching girl and grasped her hands, pushing her against the nearest wall. They were head to head, and then she came to her senses.

"Why did you stayed with me? Why do you protect me, Billy? I want to know what I am to you. What our relationship is", she sighed.

"You want to know?! You really want to fucking know?! You are my woman, my woman an nobody else's. I don't fucking know why I stayed with you but I did, ok? You are mine, and only mine, Emma", he sincerely growled to her.

"Why me? Why me and not another girl?", she used that moment to oblige him to open with her.

"Because, you were the only one who looked at me in the eyeball. You didn't even balked when you were in front of that mini market. You had the balls to keep your ground at my threatening glare. You didn't avoided me. You were the first one to look at me and to stare at my soul. NO woman has made that before, and you, you little spoiled brat, you were the first. You were the first one to stare at me without judging eyes, you affronted me and dared me to look back at you and that, Emma, not even my boys have done that", he lowly growled as he ended uttering it calmly.

Did he just told her that? His eyes widened as she raised her eyes to meet him, and they way she looked at him took control over his heart. His heart began to race promptly and then, he revealed himself, exposing, for the first time in his life, what he felt.

"If he knew I stood my ground because of fear" , she thought as she kept silence, and batted her eyelashes to him.

"Are you saying that I'm brave?", she whispered to him lusting at his lips while he lusted at her eyes and biting lips as well.

He slowly reclined leaving her breathless and answered, "Did you beat the shit out of that whore's ass?"

"Yes", she slowly nodded with feelings of triumph and remorseful by her death.

"Then, there's your answer", he uttered as he lighted another cigarette.

Emma went to the coffee table and opened her purse digging for her gun. She grabbed it and showed it to Billy.

"Where the fuck did you get that from?" he frowned.

"It's Bob's. I found it a couple of days ago", she answered calmly as she held the gun.

"Teach me, Billy. Please", she said with pledge, and her eyes were vowing to him that she will do her best.

Billy sat on the couch's arm and tilted his head glancing at her.

"Why won't you teach me?", she whined.

"Because you already know", he exhaled the nicotine cloud.

"Huh?", she tilted her head in confusion while a soft smile beamed on his face at her cute confused expression.

Billy stood up and laid an empty beer on top of the rustic old coffee table.

"Shoot it", he said standing in front of her and next to the table, he repositioned his muscular and tattooed shoulders and reclined his head with the cigarette on his lips.
Emma stood there confused in awe, staring at Billy and his masculine and overpowering posture.

"But-but", she stuttered.

"Just shoot", he groaned irritated by her stutter.

She slightly nodded and raised her gun aiming to the beer. She closed her eyes, and pulled the trigger but all that was heard was Billy's laughter. She opened her eyes to see what happened, and to her surprise, nothing happened but Billy was chuckling at her fail.

"What? Stop laughing, Billy Darley!", she exclaimed in ire.

"Cock the gun, and don't close your eyes, babe", he snickered.

She cocked the gun and raised it again aiming to the beer. She sighed and narrowed her eyes to the empty beer. Then, the gun felt cynically locked with her vision and when she felt her heart racing, a voice in the back of her head whispered, "Now, Emma, shoot." Her soul was shaking but her hands were firm and steady. She did as she was told and firmly pulled the trigger, letting a loud blast be heard and for her surprise the beer was gone. She felt her knees trembling after the bullet was gone and for her amusement, she felt comfortable with it, and more than that she had fun, sardonic fun. Billy saw how the beer flew to the living room's floor, shattering into pieces. His eyes widened and almost his jaw was dropped but he clenched it and managed to appear not impressed. He looked back at a smiling Emma that made a victory jump and dance.

"You are pathetic", he snorted.

"I did it! I did it! Yeah, pathetic, hot and now a shooter!", she shrieked.

"Get down of that fucking cloud, Emma, cause that ain't gonna happen. Now listen, only shoot somebody when you need to. And never, never, look at the dying person or the blood."

"But I already did, I saw how that whore died."

"Erase that and keep moving."

"How can you easily erase something like that? Ah, Billy?"

"I don't fucking know, but just forget it. And I don't want you to be shooting any whore that gets near to me because of a brat's jealous fist."

"Jealous? What? Me? Heck, no!"

"Then why did you get out of the car and beat the shit out of Cora, eh? You disfigured her face, Emma, and your knuckles can prove it."

"When did you rejected her?", she changed the subject.

"Just forget about that whore and what happened to her, ok?"

"Ok, Billy", she sighed as she put the gun down and kneeled to clean the pan and eggs with milk and cheerios that was all over the place.

"I'm sorry, Billy, for making this mess. I'll clean it quickly", she added as she groaned, "Ah, what a mess."

She started to wipe the eggs with her hand bringing them to the pan. Just when she was going to groan again, a slight whoop slipped through her lips as Billy lift her up placing her on his shoulder. It amazed her that in a couple of seconds he could easily lift her and manage her.

"Billy what are you doing? Put me down!", she giggled desiring the opposite.

"You gotta clean me, first", he chuckled as he patted her buttocks like a conga.

He took her to the bathroom and placed her on the tub. She started to remove the few clothes she had on as he unzipped his pants and turned the tub's faucet on. He was going to place his feet inside the tub but Emma dragged his arm to her . He falls on top of her embracing her and her love. They started to kiss and the passionate tongues united in their mouths dancing and swaying their emotions. Their souls flew from their bodies uniting and dancing as well in the air while the two rascals rolled on the tub making the water appear like a tsunami. She rolled her legs a little bit lower than his waist as he caressed her thighs. She injected her claws on his back leaving her trace while he groaned in pleasure as she bit his lips. A storm was released at the stroke of each other and at the fuse of each other's essences. They came together becoming one at the melody of their moaning and enticing unison movement in infatuation.

After their raving and wild morning, Billy and Emma went to the Four Roses. Billy wanted to do something but Emma didn't know, and she had to follow him all places. Emma was endangered to death, the Cutty Macks will try to kill her no matter what. Billy doubted they will do something now, that their leader is dead, but he didn't had the time to risk it so he had to have Emma with him all the time.

They were walking the entrance when Emma saw a couple of whores. She walked closer to Billy as she grabbed his elbow. Billy looked down at jealous Emma and a smirk appeared on his face. He decided to place his arm around her, embracing her closer to him. Of course the kissing hand was made in the intimate private moments, and Billy thought that if he kissed her hand, it will look corny in front of the entire bar.

They got to the Darley table and saw everybody there. Billy sat on his seat and he placed Emma on his lap as she placed her arms around him.

"Yo, dude, the Cutties are a piece of shit, now", commented a satisfied Bodie.

"Yeah, man, last night was a fucking roller coaster!", said a laughing Tommy.

"I wonder the reaction of their ugly faces when they saw the dead shit of Norman!", joked Spink.

"Last night, we proved every motherfucker that tried to mess with us, that we are the one who rule this place and that were are the fucking shit!", exclaimed Jamie with his raised mug of beer.

"Will you ladies, stop celebrating? We are not finished yet", Billy's voice abruptly created silence while Emma traced with her finger his scars as he dragged the nicotine.

"What do you mean, dawg?", Bodie frowned.

Billy lighted a cigarette and stared at Emma who was playing and twirling his cross necklace.

"Why don't you call your friend, babe?", he said with a smirk on his face.

Billy was up to something but he was more than happy with the head of two of his enemies on his hands.

"What friend? Aubrey?", Emma shyly said.

Billy nodded as the boy stared at Emma.

"Why?", she united her eyebrows in confusion.

"She needs to hear the good news. Tell her to come", he ordered exhaling the smoke.

"Ok", she dug in her pocket for her cellphone, when she grabbed it she dialed Aubrey's phone number. Emma thought that maybe Billy is going to tell her about Heco or he is going to ask about Joe, so she naively did as he told her.

"Hello?", answered Emma, "Aubrey, can you come to the Four Roses?... Yes?......Ok.... I'll be waiting here." She hanged up and informed the guys that she was one her way, since it was her lunch break.

In a matter of more than 15 minutes, Aubrey entered through the Four Roses door, and made her way to the gang's table.

"Hey, guys", said the jovial Aubrey.

"Aubrey! Boo!", greeted Emma.

"My disney suckling!", she greeted as well.

"Why don't you sit next to Bodie, Aubrey? He's ugly but he doesn't bite, right, Bodie?", Billy jested as the others except Bodie snickered.

"Dude, that ain't true! I ain't ugly and I bite! I ain't like you, pretty boy", Bodie defended himself spitting back at Billy.

"Don't worry, Bodie, the one who will bite you will be me if you don't calm yourself, my choco coco loco!", Aubrey snickered as she sat next to him while everybody laughed at the offended face of Bodie.

"So, Heco died", Billy coldly informed her while a slight gasp slipped through her lips.

"Oh, no", she gasped horrified and a little bit shocked by the news.

"I'm sorry, Aubrey", Emma tried to console her.

"It's ok", she held at the reason that she wasn't his girlfriend anymore.

"I want to ask you something, and you better not lie to me", Billy's voice sounded ominous and Emma felt that something wrong was going to happen.

"Ok, Billy", Aubrey stuttered in fear at the eerie feeling that attacked the bar.

"Do you have something to do with the Cutty Macks?", he asked looking at her feared soul.

"Hell, no, Billy. I don't know anybody of the Cutties", she held.

"Bullshit! Heco was with them and you should have seen them around his place."

"I've seen them, but me and Heco separated more than a month ago, it was official a couple of weeks ago."

"She's telling the truth, Billy", Emma backed Aubrey.

"Shut the fuck up, Emma", Billy roared.

"Don't fuckin' lie to me, bitch. Now, tell me are you spilling everything to them?", he insisted on her.

"No! Fuck, Billy! I would never do that!", she sobbed.

"Then, did you talked to your shitless cousin about Emma?"

"No, no, no! I haven't seen her in months. She's Norman's whore now."

"So you knew she was with Norman?"

"Yeah, but she's only his whore. Bi-bi-lly, that ain't important."

"No, it's not important cause the whore's dead and Norman boy is six feet under ground."

Aubrey's eyes widened at the news of her dead cousin, and she knew she was next. Billy wasn't the type who could care if you were lying or not, if you were connected to something that he hated you were dead. Billy raised his gun and aimed Aubrey's forehead.

"Billy! NO!", Emma screamed while Aubrey sobbed closing her eyes.

"Oh, you haven't told your friend about you?", he cynically and sarcastically asked to a crying Aubrey.

"Put the gun down, Billy! What's wrong with you!", Emma yelled at him desperately while she tried to punch his chest.

"Emma, you didn't know your friend here used to be a filthy whore?", Billy glared at Emma, while her eyes enlarged and her sight went to the now horrified Aubrey.

"Isn't that true, Aubrey?", he added while the entire bar witnessed this dreadful scene.

Aubrey nodded with shame and with her eyes closed while Emma gasped in shock.

"See, babe? She is only a witless whore trying to play as a saint."

"Do you think that I care if she's a whore or not, she's my fucking friend, best friend, Billy! Now put the goddamn gun down, she's telling the fucking truth! ", Emma bellowed with such an intensity that made her ignite.

Everybody stared in shock and in silence at Emma and Billy was going to bark back but a call interrupted him.

"Yeah?", he answered mad as hell.

The bar was silent and waited for Aubrey to be saved.

Billy, after a few seconds, flipped his cellphone, lowered his gun placing it on his back pocket and stood up.

"Tommy, take Emma and her 'friend' to see Joe. The rest of you come with me", he ordered as he placed his coat on.

"What's wrong, dude?", asked Bodie.

"Bones", Billy growled.

At the sound of that name, everybody stood up and did as they were ordered.