Endlessly

Ville could scarcely believe that any of the events from the day before had been real. He lay in his bed for hours without sleep, reliving every minor detail from memory and trying to discern whether he'd just dreamed it all. Laughing at himself, on more than one occasion, he felt like a schoolgirl doting on a crush but this was so much more than that.

Every single time he went out on stage, he searched for Emilia in the crowds. When he walked down the street, he looked for her face among strangers. But to have been able to drink in her countenance for so long, to have held her in his arms once again - it was the fulfillment of every wish he'd made over the past decade.

The sun now shone through the blinds in the windows, casting shadows across the wooden floor. Ville groaned and closed his eyes briefly, feeling how tired his body was but his mind absolutely wouldn't stop for anything.

His phone rang for the third time that morning and he merely glanced at it from its place on his nightstand. He knew already who was on the other end of the call and had no desire to speak to them at the moment. Though he knew that putting off the inevitable would only worsen the situation in which he'd gotten himself, he wasn't willing to break the spell that Emilia's return had brought to his world just yet.

Deciding that he would just get up for the day, Ville walked into the bathroom that was adjacent to his bedroom and began peeling off the clothes he still had on from the day before. He wondered briefly how well received he would be if he showed up to Essi's house so early in the morning so that he could steal Emilia away for the day.

As he stepped into the shower, he figured he'd be better off bringing a peace offering in the form of caffeinated beverages. He wasn't about to test Essi's limits with him, despite not fully understanding why she seemed to be more mad at him than her sister. He resolved to address that question later on in the day, if it wasn't answered for him sooner.



Emilia was rising from her slumber when Essi came traipsing into her room bearing a bowl of cereal and a cup of apple juice. Emilia gave her sister a funny look at being given a glass of juice and Essi only rolled her eyes.

"I ran out of coffee yesterday and forgot to pick some up," Essi reasoned. "Besides, juice is better for you."

Emilia chuckled. "You're such a mother."

"Speaking of mothers...have you spoken to ours yet?" Essi asked, though she fully knew what answer Emilia was about to give.

"Not yet."

"You really think you're going to get away with living in Helsinki again and she'll just never know?"

"I'll tell her, eventually," Emilia shrugged, taking a bite of cereal.

"You two are ridiculous."

"Fine, I'll go over there and pick up Osku later. Will that satisfy you?"

Essi took a sip of apple juice from Emilia's cup. "For now, yes. I'd be immensely more satisfied if you both would throw up the white flag and stop fighting altogether but I know that's never going to happen."

Emilia grimaced. She hated that she and her mother couldn't seem to get along anymore. When her father had passed, so too had passed the peacemaker. Essi tried to take up the mantle her father had left behind but it more often than not ended with Essi begging Emilia to make things right with their hardheaded mother.

"Maybe things will get better now that I'm staying home."

Essi shrugged and polished off the apple juice, earning a glare from Emilia. Turning her attention back to the cereal which was now rapidly becoming too soggy to enjoy, Emilia wondered when her sister would bring up the inevitable topic of the company she'd had last night. She could practically see the question tugging at Essi's lips, begging to be asked. Emilia smirked, her sister was too easy to read at times.

"So..." Essi began finally.

Emilia sipped some of the almond milk from her bowl. "So."

"You're really going to make me ask what happened last night?"

"I was going to watch you squirm with it for a little while longer."

"You're sadistic. Tell me!" Essi flopped down on the bed and curled up against the pillows.

"We talked, that's it."

"Yeah I'm sure," Essi responded, unconvinced.

"It's true. I think things are finally going to be okay. I have my best friend back and that's really all I've wanted all along."

Emilia knew that she spoke only a half truth, but ultimately having Ville back in her life was all that she could have hoped for. Besides, he was a rockstar now, just as he'd always planned. She knew she could be a distraction for a time but he had beautiful women throwing themselves at him on a day to day basis. He could have anyone he wanted, why would he choose her? Admittedly, she would have loved to have been his someday, but she would satisfy herself with his friendship and not put herself through the slow torture that the inevitable decay of any other kind of relationship would bring.

Still, his kiss from the night before stung her lips.

Essi still eyed Emilia but seemed to accept her response. "You forgave him too easily."

"Maybe, but what was I going to do? Stay upset with him for another ten years?"

"To start."

Emilia laughed. "I'll be careful. Trust me."

Essi gathered the dishes and got up from her seat, giving her sister a quick kiss on the cheek. "I trust you, just not where he's concerned."

Emilia watched as Essi left the room and contemplated getting up to follow but the statement her sister had made rang in her ears. Truthfully, Emilia wasn't entirely sure she trusted herself with Ville either. She hoped that her mind's decision would overpower the one her heart screamed to make, but as soon as his face popped into her mind she could feel her resolve weakening.

She shook her head to banish him from her thoughts. If this was going to work then she would need to stop thinking of him in that way so often. Climbing from her bed, Emilia grabbed her things and headed for the shower. Perhaps some cold water would calm her down.

As she exited her bedroom, there was a knock on the front door. Essi sighed and went to answer it with a groan. Emilia hesitated outside the bedroom door and peered down the hallway as her sister went to open it.

Ville stood with a smile on the other side, bearing a tray of coffees and a bag of what she could only assume were pastries. Essi glared at Ville but took the cup he offered her and she stepped aside ever so slightly to let him in.

"Good morning to you too, Es." He sidestepped the door she practically closed on him.

"Don't push it, Valo."

Emilia emerged from the hallway and into the living room to greet Ville. He gave her a wan smile, still eyeing a very grumpy Essi who had returned to her dishes.

"I wasn't sure how you took your coffee, so I got you the same one you used to order," Ville said, handing Emilia the cup designated for her. She took it, grateful for an actual morning beverage.

"That's good because that's still how I take it," she said with a smile as she removed the lid and took a sip.

"Mine could use less cream next time!" Essi said from the kitchen. Emilia tried not to laugh.

"Noted!" Ville called back. A dish slammed in the sink as a response and Ville shrugged, grinning.

"So what's up? Not sick of me yet?" Emilia asked, gesturing to the couch as she discarded her shower things. Ville took a seat and observed how cute Em looked with her hair in a haphazard bun and still in her pajamas.

"Not yet, I was wondering what you were up to today?"

Emilia laughed darkly. "Going to see my mother and inform her of my plans to stay."

"She doesn't know?" Ville was genuinely confused as to how Emilia could have neglected to tell her own mother she was staying and yet his whole family knew.

Emilia bit down on her lip. "Things with her and I are complicated lately. She's changed...a lot."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

She shrugged. "It is what it is. I hope it gets better now that I'll be staying. Baby steps, though."

"Well, would you mind if I came along? I haven't seen Tatiana in years. I could even act as a buffer," Ville offered hopefully. He watched the indecision flash across Emilia's face.

"If you really want to bear witness to another world war then by all means."

"This will be seven or eight, I think I can handle it."

Emilia gave him a smirk and took a sip of her coffee, savoring the caffeine. "Fine. I need to shower so get comfortable, I'll be a few minutes."

"Not too comfortable!" Essi shouted. Emilia gave Ville a comforting smile and gestured to the couch as she turned to head into the bathroom.

Ville sat down in the same spot he'd occupied a few hours earlier and tried not to get too comfortable. He heard the water kick on in the bathroom and almost simultaneously, Essi walked into the living room and took a seat in the armchair adjacent to him. She stared him down over her cup, eyebrow raised with a challenge. He inwardly chuckled at her attempted intimidation tactics but tried to remain appropriately respectful on the outside.

"What are you doing with her?" Essi asked finally.

With that line of questioning, Ville almost expected that Essi would soon pull out a shotgun to lay across her lap as she interrogated him. He cleared his throat and met her intense gaze, so much like her sister's when properly incensed.

"What do you mean?" He knew playing dumb would get him nowhere and yet he still persisted.

"You know damn well what I mean, Valo. You bailed on her once you got what you wanted the first time, is this going to be any different? If it is, I suggest you get out now."

Ville was slightly taken aback. He'd suspected this being the reasoning for Essi's blatant hostility but was shocked by the confirmation of it nonetheless. "That's not why I went away, Es. You should know better than that."

She looked at him incredulously. "I should, but then I would have thought that you should have known better than to do that to her."

"Not that it's anyone's business but Emilia's and mine," Ville began as he gave her a pointed look. "I stopped talking to her because I couldn't handle that she wasn't coming home. It broke my heart."

Her eyebrow remained raised but she remained silent as she waited for him to continue. In that moment he would have dared anyone to try and deny that all the Mustonen women bore the same exact temper.

"I made a mistake, I left her when she needed me and I'll spend the rest of my life regretting that. But I'm here now."

"Do you love her?" She asked without missing a beat.

"Of course I do, Essi. She was my best friend."

"You know what I mean, Ville."

He paused and bit down on his lip, feeling his heart beating rapidly within his chest. He knew the answer to that question but he'd scarcely tell it to Essi when Emilia had been back in his life for less than twenty four hours. He met her gaze, which had softened slightly.

"She's been through a lot. And if I know my sister, she probably hasn't told you the half of it. Don't you dare hurt her again, Valo. If you don't intend on sticking around this time then you should probably leave sooner rather than later. Losing you the first time hurt her more than she'll ever admit and I don't plan on watching her go through that again."

Her words hit him in the gut and he nodded solemnly, wondering just how much of a show Emilia had put on for him. Essi seemed satisfied with his response to her warning and she stood, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You're the only one she ever let in, don't take it for granted."

He looked her square in the eyes as he answered. "I won't."

The water switched off in the bathroom and Essi left him to his thoughts, but not before snatching the bag of pastries he'd left on the coffee table. At her core, Essi felt bad for having to behave the way she did with Ville. She never knew him to be a bad guy, until he'd cut off ties with her sister. She wanted to believe he'd treat Emilia the way she deserved but there was an unshakeable warning that Essi felt deep inside telling her to protect her sister. Too often had she ignored those feelings, but not this time.

Emilia quickly dried herself off and got dressed more rapidly than she would have thought herself capable. She tried desperately to get a grip on herself.

'Did you not just tell yourself not to get caught up in him? Get it together.' She admonished herself as she slowed her pace and shook out her wet hair.

Once she left the bathroom, she discarded her towel and old clothes in the basket in her room. As she was searching for a sweater, she felt a pair of eyes on her back and so she turned to meet her guest.

"So I was thinking..." Ville began as he leaned himself casually on the doorframe. She tried not to notice how handsome he looked.

"I believe we've talked more than once about how dangerous that can be."

"I'm a gambler, you know that. Anyway, we're playing a small gig next Friday. Would you be amenable to coming? I'd love for you to meet Gas and Burton."

She produced the sweater she'd been looking for from a suitcase and then turned back to Ville with a smile. "Sure, I'd like that. I haven't seen you guys play in so long."

"We've not gotten much better, but I think you'll be at least mildly entertained ." He smirked and she swatted his arm, unmoved by his dramatic tone.

"I'm so sure you'll be massively disappointing but I'll try and keep my negative comments to myself," she replied sarcastically and his smirk turned into a grin.

"Much appreciated, we have very fragile egos," he chuckled.

She rolled her eyes with a smile and pulled her sweater on over her cami. He watched, finding his gaze wandering over her figure appreciatively while she wasn't paying attention. While she'd always been slender, her gentle curves had always tantalized him in a brutal fashion. Memories of his hands running over them, once upon a time, replayed in his mind and he shook his head to rid himself of them. This was not the time to get riled up, especially with Essi's warning still fresh in his memory.

"Okay, I'm ready." Emilia shrugged herself into her coat and pulled a beanie from its pocket, pulling it over her wet hair.

"Took you long enough," he joked and she gave him a look.

"Careful, I'll leave you here with Essi if you keep that up."

"As if you'd run off to face your mother alone when you had the option of company," he countered lightly.

"At least I would have a chance of surviving that. Essi would eat you alive after twenty minutes."

He didn't doubt that. "Then I suppose I'll behave."

She smirked triumphantly and led the way out of her bedroom and toward the front door. Essi had retired to the living room with the bag of pastries that Ville had brought and was engrossed in a movie she'd put on.

"I'll be back, send a search party if I don't return before dark," Emilia called from the doorway.

"You'd better be back before then, you're responsible for my kid and he does have a bedtime that I try to stick to."

"We'll see," Emilia taunted, quickly closing the door behind Ville and herself. She turned to see Ville looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Keep that up and we will have to compete to see who can survive Essi for longer this five minutes. I bet I'd outlast you. "

Emilia laughed. "You really want to make that bet? You're on."