Infinity Chapter 53 - What Happened...?

[itztigress3]

Chapter 53 – What Happened…?

POV:  Emily / Zac

Word count: 2308

January 16, 2014

-Emily-

We’d been at the studio for three hours when Casey came and he made it as far as just past the office door before he turned and came into the office.

“Are you busy?”

I glanced around at the ever increasing stacks of paper and shook my head. “Not at all.”

He looked around for Alexander. “Where is Alexander?”

“He’s in the studio with Zac. Ezra and Penny came in with Taylor and Everett and Monroe are also here. River and Viggo had doctor appointments and Nikki had one. So, Zac took him for a bit.”

He got Zac’s chair and rolled it over, propped up on the end of my desk and eyed the stacks of papers himself.

“So, you know Robert and I decided beginning of the month that we were going to really try and we were going to take this relationship serious, right?”

“Yes. You told me that you two had talked and that you both felt there was a strong enough connection to pursue more than just casual dating.”

“I’m probably being totally irrational and paranoid but I feel like Robert is still seeing his ex Jacob.”

“I didn’t know he had an ex, is this someone that was recent?”

“He broke up with Jacob because he caught him cheating. But he has calls, messages, and e-mails from him from last week. He does know about Max before you even say it; he is aware that Max and I are just friends and that we haven’t been together in a long time. He’s seen our messages and most of them are just seeing how we are, letting me know how Maddi and Riley are.”

“Ok, did you see these messages and are they the same type?”

“I seen the e-mail first, he used my laptop to check his e-mail and left it open. I went to pay bills and seen nude pictures of Jacob and he got defensive when I asked about them.”

“Well, it is possible that Jacob sent them without Robert asking.”

“I know. But, he also has messages from him asking to meet him and after I seen them he said it shouldn’t bother me because he just knew I had sex with Zac while we were in Jamaica and when I questioned why he thought that he said it was because he changed his mind about wanting to be with either of us to get past the rape.”

“Is that the only reason he thinks that?”

“Yes. He said it was weird that he changed his mind after spending several days alone without him being around.”

“Well, he doesn’t want to come to me with that bullshit, because Zac always had the right to change his mind. Aside from these pictures is that all?”

“Yes. I know Jacob could have sent the pictures himself but there are also messages asking to meet and he said OK to those, but he claims he didn’t go.”

“Well, I mean it’s possible he didn’t Casey. Is this the only proof you have?”

He just stared at me for ten full minutes. “Are you fucking serious Emily?”

“Yes, I am serious. You are pissed off because Jacob sent him messages wanting to meet him, sent him pictures of I presume his dick and you have no proof that Robert even went to meet him. What proof do you have besides these messages?”

He frowned. “Nothing.”

“I can bet his comeback about Zac was because he felt attacked.”

“But he sounded so sure and I tried to tell him that Zac and I haven’t done anything since March. I can’t believe it’s been that long but still.”

“Do you want me to call Robert in? I’ll mediate.”

“You don’t have to call me, I’m already here.” Robert said.

Neither of us had even seen him at the door, so Casey was as shocked as I was.

“I figured he would come here, I actually thought he’d be talking to Zac though.”

“Not always, she’s usually more rational.”  Casey said.

He came in and pulled up a chair as well, I mean really who cared that I couldn’t see my desk, evidently not them.

“She’s right Casey; I brought up Zac because I felt like you just didn’t trust me. I admitted that I got the messages; I admitted that I agreed to go but I never went. I just agreed because I knew he wouldn’t stop sending the messages if I kept saying no. I thought that if I brought up Zac you’d get that point instead you got angrier.”

“It wasn’t that, I just figured if you didn’t trust me for a few days away how could it possibly work beyond that?”

“It sounds like you both just said things you didn’t mean to say and it was a product of trust. Casey, you should believe him unless you have something concrete that says he went you should know by now not to just rely on a text or e-mail to provide the whole story. Robert, you’re not completely innocent because you shouldn’t have accused him of cheating if you didn’t believe it, it never ends well and I understand your ex was cheating on you but Casey isn’t like that.”

“But Zac did change his mind.”

“Yes, he did. He talked to me about it and honestly he just doesn’t feel comfortable with it yet. He doesn’t even want me to do anything so it’s not you or Casey, it’s his decision. He and I talked while there and he made the choice before we left and informed Casey. It doesn’t mean that it was because he was with Casey there. In fact, Casey shared with Velma the whole time and she can verify for you that Casey slept there every night.”

I had them both sit on the sofa and gave them time to kind of calm down some.

“Robert, have you seen Jacob since you broke up?”

“Yes, he came by my house before we left for the tour. I told him we were done, I don’t give second chances for cheaters. He just doesn’t seem to want to listen to me. He sent a few messages while we were touring, after the wreck but I only said I was ok or busy.”

“Do you want to make it work with Casey?”

“Yes.”

“Then you two need to sit here and talk this out calmly. I think your both kind of blaming the other one for past relationships, and you need to know this isn’t them. I’ll step down and check the warehouse floor you can sit right here.”

I got up and went down to the warehouse floor, went through some of the merchandise and made plans with Velma and Stephanie concerning new merchandise and then returned to the office.

“Better now?”

“Yes.” Casey said.

“You’re a good mediator.” Robert said.

I smiled. “Hey, I needed you both on the same page when you’re in El Paso, I need his bodyguards.”

“How is that going to work because Casey said they shared a room?”

“You’re all sharing a room, Sonic Ranch added to their rooms and there is now one with a queen and a twin, you two get the queen but Zac will be in the room with you. He’ll stay with one of you the whole time.”

“What about you?” Casey asked.

“I’ll either be at home with Alexander, where we’re safe or with a brother. Now that you’re both good with one another I need to get shit done.”

I shooed them away and got some stuff done before Zac came in with Alexander, he then informed me Grant Marshall was on his way, and he was without Eliza this time.

-Zac-

Agent Marshall had called early and I set it up for late afternoon, didn’t realize that Casey and Robert had some issues until she told me, but it was fine she’d gotten them to talk and work the problems out. Agent Marshall arrived and I was glad Eliza wasn’t with him, because while Emily had called her to set up a meeting, she still felt a bit off about her. He came in and Alexander went right to Emily, curling up with her in the chair, which she didn’t mind at all.

“Acey!” he whined.

“You want Uncle Casey?” She asked.

“Acey!”

She got up and took him to Casey, came back alone and sat down. Perhaps it was best because he didn’t really need to hear about the case and Grant didn’t need to get too attached just yet either.

“I wanted to give you an update, I know it’s been kind of tense lately and I want you both to know we are working this case actively.”

“It didn’t seem like it.” Emily said.

“I know. We back tracked and used the picture you provided and the ones we found from your most recent tour to scour through pictures, Colton your friend was given access to your own personal files and found a few and we found some from fans that posted. It really doesn’t appear that he aggressively watched either of you until more recently.”

“We figured that much.” I said.

“We interviewed Mr. Daniels again, an agent in Georgia did. He maintains he didn’t know the man’s name that was supposed to come and get you, but the agent thinks he was lying about that. What they did with the taking and training and stuff was more built on trust. We tried digging deeper into his background and found nothing that we didn’t already know.”

“What about the snow globes? They were custom made and I am sure that someone has to know something about them.”

“We haven’t found the maker and the snow globes have no marks to say who made them. We are looking at a few local places that don’t use marks but so far nothing.”

“What about the mail? He mailed some.” Emily said.

“Cash payments, cashier and video showed a young women coming in. My guess is he lied to her.”

“So, basically you have nothing?” I asked.

“Basically, but I vowed to keep you as informed as I could.”

“This isn’t some trick to feel me out before our meeting Monday with Eliza is it?” Emily asked.

“Uh, I didn’t know you two were meeting. Honestly, after the way Mary Ann and Gene described how it went I didn’t expect you to ever want to meet her again.”

Emily shrugged; clearly she didn’t expect that answer. But, he didn’t respond to it either.

“Do you believe Mr. Daniels would tell you?”

“Me?” Emily asked.

“Yes.”

“It wouldn’t matter I’m not going back there to see him.”

“Ok. That’s all I have really then.”

We said our byes to him and I let him out, it really was a strange visit and he could have easily just told me that over the phone. She was still sitting on the couch when I got back to the office.

“You feel like that was a check up call too?”

“It’s strange because he knows I have brothers, he knows David is in jail, but Eliza didn’t seem to know any of that. He’s her husband, is he not telling her anything?”

I sat down beside her. “I think you need to tell your brother’s about her.”

“Not yet.”

“Ems, they were mad when you didn’t tell them about their father, about what David did.”

“Not the same situation.”

“So, not telling them they have another sister isn’t important? Wouldn’t you want to be told?”

“I don’t know at this moment I just wish I’d ever met either of them, wish that I’d never even heard her name.”

I kissed her forehead. “You asked me about one of the pictures, the one of the painting.”

“You never answered that question; I assumed you didn’t hear it.”

“No, I heard when you asked me the other night. The painting was for you, I was aiming for your birthday but I was running late getting it done and everything was just hectic and then I found it missing. He stole it when he broke in here and then he ripped it up.”

She blinked at me. “You were doing a painting for me?”

“Yes. For years you have sat here and watched me paint dozens of canvases to be sold or displayed, you never asked me but I could tell a few times the way you kept looking at one that you wanted to keep it. So, I started one just for you, not something fan related or music related but something for you.”

“You painted his nursery Zac.”

“Yes, For Alexander. Not for you.”

“Your just making me hate him more.”

I smiled. “I loved what I had, was almost done but he stole it and destroyed it. So, what would you like?”

“What do you mean?”

“I can recreate it but I’d rather not unless you really want that look. Otherwise, what would you want?”

She smiled at me, real one too!

“I don’t care what you paint Zac, as long as it comes from you. Paint whatever you feel.”

“That could be dangerous.”

“Well, if you’re going those directions make it something I can put in the bedroom.”

I smiled and kissed her. “We’re almost done so we can cut out early.”

“Ok.”

She went back to work here and Casey had Alexander down in the studio so we kept him here, letting her finish up what she was doing before we finished up and headed home. I liked early days, it was nice to just relax and enjoy the time together. She wasn’t looking forward to the meeting with Eliza by any means, but she’d promised to try not to get upset.