Home Sweet Home. (But not really)

James tossed his bag on the bed and fell next to it with a groan. Nothing would be worse then this, staying in the same house as Rachel Emerson. He unzipped his bag and took out his toothbrush and related things and tossed them on the floor next to the bed. He would have to ask Rachel where his bathroom was. He sighed and looked around. The room was small, the walls were an ugly shade of green. How would he survive?

Rachel walked into the house, sliding out f her heels and dropping her coat and purse Ito the kitchen table. She saw another pair of shoes and figured James had beat her to the house. Looking around, she didn't see him. Too lazy to walk up the stairs, Rachel walked into the foyer.

"JAMES GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!" Rachel shouted, resting her hand on her hip and waiting for him to show up.

Oh great. The yelling. Already. He took his time, deciding to change his shirt, taking off his black T shirt and putting on a dark red button up, walking out of the room slowly, buttoning the shirt up, when he realized he'd left his toiletries on the floor, so he walked back to get them, picking them up and bringing them down to where Rachel stood, hands on her hips, an annoyed expression "Yes?" He asked slowly, smirking slightly

Rachel scowled at the smirk on his face. "Your bathroom is across from your bedroom, and I'm going on a date tonight, so try not to ruin the house." Rachel said, starting up the stairs.

"Why did you have to scream at me to tell me this?" he asked, smirking, "I could have figured it out" He grinned "A date? With who?" He smirked again. Man him and smirking, he'd been doing it a lot recently. "Is it hot in here or is it just me? Can you turn the heat down?" he asked, rolling up his sleeves and unbuttoning the top few buttons on his shirt.

"I did." Rachel replied, turning around to face him. Rolling her eyes at him, Rachel then raised her eyebrows. "Wow, you've gotten uglier since the last time I saw you." She spat at him, going to answer the phone, which had started ringing.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Is this Rachel Emerson?" A lady asked.

"Yes..." Rachel replied.

"This is Alivia Fawcett from Wesminster Hospital. Your mother was checked in this morning due to a severe heart attack -"

Rachel slammed the phone back down on the wall, turning around and burying her face I her hands.

James smirked and nodded "Whatever you say, Emerson" He said as she answered her phone, and he headed upstairs to put his stuff away. He did it slowly, because he didn't want to go downstairs and see her again, leaving for her stupid date. He hummed quietly to his favorite song as he put his stuff away.

He was walking back to his room when he heard the phone slam down, He glanced down the stairs "What, did he cancel on you?" He asked and laughed shortly, before heading back to his room, but when he didn't hear Rachel respond he walked back to the stairs "Emerson?" he called down, and when there was no response he walked down the stairs.

She was facing the wall, her head down. "Rachel?" he asked softly, coming up behind her "Rachel what's wrong?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She heard James come up behind her and touch her shoulder. "Godfucking dammit, leave me alone!" Rachel shouted, refusing to cry. She didn't cry. Ever. It wasn't acceptable. Running her hand through her hair, she walked into her office, which had nothing in it, considering all papers were still in her bag. Sitting down in the chair, she pulled her knees up to her chest and spun around.

James was tempted to leave her alone, but he didn't. She always used to say that when she was upset. "Rachel!" he said following her into her office. He stood at the door and watched as she sat in the chair and spun around, he walked in and sat on the desk, swing his feet around to face her "Rachel!" he said, stopping the chair with his foot and grabbing her hand "Rachel, what's wrong" He asked quietly

Rachel pushed his hand away. "My mom had a heart attack." Rachel said. And here came the part where he told her she knew nothing because both of his parents had already died and other bullshit. Standing up, she walked bak into the foyer.

James sat there for a second, sort of stunned, then stood up and followed her out, he stood a few feet behind her and stuck his hands in his pockets "Is she alright?" he asked quietly "Is she gonna make it?" He asked, and looked down "I know you don't care, and I know you don't want to hear it, but I know how it is." he said, looking at her back. "If you want me to, I can leave." He said quietly.

Rachel sighed. "I hung up on the lady. I don't know. I heard the words 'severe heart attack' and..." Rachel trailed off, sighing. "I don't think so." Rachel said, sighing. She bit her lip. He did know how this was, why was she so mad at him? Sighing again, she looked up at him. "You don't have to leave," Rachel told him.

James smiled slightly and sat on one of the steps and sighed, putting his face in his hands "I could tell you she'll be alright. But if I'm wrong you'll kill me" he said "But if I say she's screwed I'm a fucking bastard" he said "But I guess I already got that down pro don't I?" he asked, laughing humorously James Montez, the drunk fuckup bastard the thought, and then sighed.

Rachel chuckled softly. "I suppose you do." Rachel smiled weakly and stood up. "So you have to put up with me then, I am canceling that date." She walked into her bedroom and put on a skirt and a long-sleeved shirt. Walking back out, she passed James on her way to the kitchen. "I'm making spaghetti, I hope that's alright."

James sighed and stood up, walking into the kitchen after her, spinning a chair around and sitting on it, to watch her cook "I hope you're still an good cook" he said with a faint smile. "Remember when you used to babysit Lex and Robbie?" He asked, "And you'd be cooking them dinner, and I'd just sit there and watch you? Well at least until you yelled at me and told me to scram" he said, looking at the floor and grinning.

"I like to think so," Rachel said, pulling out a few things from the cabinet. He brought up when she would babysit his sisters and sighed. "Mhmm." Rachel replied, putting water into a pot and setting it on the stove. "So how are they doing?" She asked him.

"Eh. Robbie's in college. Sometimes. Lex doesn't go. She has chosen a different............ profession." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. There was a reason he didn't talk about the two very often. He wasn't very good at raising two teenage girls, back then, and he was busy a lot, with school. So they were kinda screw ups. "Um, well I talked to Robbie last night. She says hi... she might stop by on her next.. er.. Road trip" He said

Rachel nodded, raising her eyebrows. He seemed fidgety. "And what would that profession be?" She asked him skeptically. Rachel turned back to TE stove, but the water still hadn't started to boil yet. "Well, that would be nice." She then added, leaning on the counter.

"Nothing you'll find out. She'll want to tell you I'm sure" He sad quickly "Careful of the stove." he told her watching her arm come dangerously close to the stove. He nodded, unsure, "yeah sure. But I don't think 'nice' is the right word."

Rachel raised her eyebrow at him. "Alright..." She said, turning to the pot of water. Bending over to turn the heat up of the stove, her earring falling out into the water. "Fuck." She muttered, turning off the heat and reaching for a pair of metal tongs. Reaching into the pot to try to get out the earring, her arm slipped and hit the stove. "Ow!" She exclaimed, grabbing her arm.

James watched, smirking, and waiting for her to injure herself. That was his Rachel. He stood up, going to the fridge, watching her out of the corner of his eye, and grabbing a bottle of water. He cracked it open and took a drink. He sighed when she burnt her arm "Rache, stop moving" he said taking her arm "Alright. here" he said turning on the sink, towards cold of course and sticking her arm under it "Stay here" He said, and ran off to his bathroom to grab some first aid things.

Rachel scowled at him, acting like they were still dating. She hated it when people took care of her. She was twenty four, and perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Sighing, she turned off the water and took the pot of water, dumping that out, not caring what happened to the earring. She filled it up with new water and waited for that to boil. Rachel picked up a sweater that had been lying on the living room couch, using it to cover up the burn.

James jumped down the last of the stairs and rolled his eyes "Typical. It's going to get infected that you'll complain" He said, tossing her a gauze pad "just use that" he said going to sit on the couch in the other room. "try not to hurt yourself doing that"

Rachel rolled her eyes, not caring. She threw the gauze pad onto the kitchen counter, putting the spaghetti into the pot of boiling water, not burning herself. She set a timer for ten minutes and walked outside, sitting on the porch and laying down on one of the chairs. Why was he living with her. Why.

James sat on the couch, and hearing Rachel walk by, closed his eyes and acted like he was asleep, he listened as she walked by, and heard the door open, and opened his eye, leaning his head back to watch as she sat on the porch. He sighed and leaned forward, cursing under his breath. He took another drink of his water and rested his head in his hands. Why was here?