darker_london | Making the Point (Hope, Emma)

First things first. "Zoe doesn't miss you." Hope announced to Emma, by way of greeting. She was hovering in the doorway of Emma's hospital room and Emma hadn't noticed her until she spoke. Upon hearing her daughter's voice, however, Emma turned quickly to lay eyes on her. Once again, she was overcome by guilt, and she probably should have been.

"Hope..."

"That's me." Hope took several steps into the room, but she didn't sit down. This felt like a standing conversation, really. She didn't want to be relaxed. It wasn't as easy to be strong when you were relaxed. Not that anyone could be especially relaxed when they were sitting in the hospital room of their adoptive mother who looked like hell warmed up and battered... "Zoe doesn't miss you." Hope repeated, just in case Emma had missed it the first time.

Emma flinched at hearing the words again. She hated that Zoe wouldn't miss her, but she supposed it was fair... "I miss her." Emma whispered. "Does...that mean you do?"

Hope arched one eyebrow. "Would that make you stay?" Emma said nothing, and Hope continued. "Then you don't get to know. I'm not here for me anyway. I'm here for them." Hope crossed her arms and she stared hard at Emma. "Mum's been dating someone." She announced. While Peter hadn't said anything because he didn't feel it was his place, Hope did. Liz was her mother and she was going to protect her, dammit. "She's been dating someone who makes her smile. And she hasn't smiled in a long time and I like that he makes her smile."

Emma blinked. "He?" The idea that Liz was with someone else cut like a sharp blade, but it hurt more that it was a man for some reason. She knew Liz had been married to a man before her. He had died and Liz hadn't moved on for years and when she did, she had moved on to Emma. And now she was with a man again? It made Emma feel like an experiment, even though she knew it wasn't true and, furthermore, she had no right to feel upset about it at all. She had left...

"Yeah. He. So she swings both ways, that is so not the point." Hope growled. "My point is that he makes her smile and then you come back. Not...that you just breezed into town or something..." Hope looked slightly pitying then, but the expression was short-lived. "If you fuck this up...I'll be really pissed off. And I don't mean don't try and make it up to her. I mean...if you don't think you can stay, say that. Right away. Say it first thing. Because eventually she's going to come visit you. And then she'll come again. And again. And even if you don't end up together, she'll start to enjoy your company and she'll rely on you and if you leave again, I'll give the feckin' Templars your goddamn address." Hope looked more firm that Emma had ever seen her look. "You got me?"

"I...I got you.."

"And if Liz, for some unknown reason, does choose you, if you hurt her again I'll never forgive you. Ever. Same goes for Zoe. She's fucked up, okay? Her best friend goes apeshit and kills all her other friends and then you just fuck off? That was kind of the opposite of what she needed. If you flake on her again, you'll be worse than the goddamn Templar. If you can't be here, don't be here from the beginning."

Emma swallowed roughly. "I understand."

Hope had thought that was all, but suddenly she was talking again, rambling and angry and the words didn't stop. "And I do miss you. Dammit. And I hate you for that too. But for a long time...even before I knew Fiona was my sister, it was just you and E1 and I. We were a team, you know? Three people who loved each other and took care of each other. It took a long time for me to believe that I wasn't going to be sent back because all my other foster parents sent me back and I DID hit accidentally Peter with a car and break all his bones and if he hadn't been immortal he would have been a road pancake...which is kind of funny since that's the only thing he can cook...erm anyway...you didn't send me back. You adopted me and I was so happy because I had a family. I had these two parents who cared and who loved me and we were so happy together and then I found out Fiona was my sister and she came here to live and then you adopted Zoe and everything was really nice and I didn't mind sharing you with them. Because I wanted people to know the happiness I knew. But then you left and I felt stupid. Stupid for thinking I wouldn't be abandoned again and stupid for thinking I was sharing anything good and stupid for loving you and you're stupid too." Hope finished off with a pouty little frown.

Emma had heard every word, and all of it just made her realise that she couldn't be selfish any more. Hope was right. If she couldn't stay, she needed to leave the moment she could. She just didn't know if she could or not yet. There was too much to think about. "Hope...I'm sorry..."

Hope took a deep breath then, becuase she had just talked a lot. And then she crossed her arms again. "Well. That's a start." And then, finally, Hope sat down.