Canvas & Keys

30. Let's Put It Away For A Little While

Chapter 30

Let's Put It Away For A Little While

"Since you're not coming along for the day, what are your plans?" Emmy asked as she buckled Eddie into his car seat. Even for being a little over a month old, his eyes were wide, taking in the world around him, though he always managed to look back at his mommy. "Got a hot date?"

"Me, Drake, and Cruz are going to Antecedent, actually," I told her.

"And that would be because...?"

"I'm guessing John hadn't said anything about it, huh? The four of us talked after we got back from Berlin. We're taking the journals, keys, and the book to Antecedent and keeping them in the basement vault."

Sitting back on her heels, Emmy looked up at me, seeming a little confused. "Why are you doing that?"

I shrugged, sitting down on the floor beside her and the car seat. Little Eddie's eyes moved over to me, which had begun to change to green like John's, and I reached over to caress his chubby cheek.

"We're just...putting it away for a little while. It's not going to be for a long time, but we want to take some time off, I guess you could say. I want to maybe head home for a few weeks and then come back and spend more time with you, especially this little man." I smiled at Eddie. "Drake wants to also. And Cruz...well, I think he's going to leave for a few months, too. You don't have to worry about him. He mentioned wanting to find Kenna last week since she's disappeared pretty effectively. She would be of use to us...and we can offer her protection from Vince and the Order."

Emmy nodded, understanding. "It gets tiring after a while. Sometimes, you just need normal life to escape it. You'll miss it after a while, though."

"I don't know how you and John did it, being on the road for months at a time. I know you had a few months in between looking for the pieces in the paintings and then the bronze boxes, but..."

"And those few months between the two were especially boring," she smiled. "Normal life wasn't normal for me anymore. And it's not like your life has ever really been normal either."

"Still, some kind of resemblance would be welcomed."

She reached over and patted my knee. "You guys can do whatever you want to. There's no rush with this, especially since we don't even know what the keys will open or even if they actually do open anything. Plus, it'd be nice to have you here for the holidays."

With Emmy not paying any attention to him, Eddie let out a small cry, just to get her to look his way. She grinned when she did, leaning over to kiss his forehead. "You hate it when I'm not paying any attention to you, don't you, baby? Just like your daddy."

***

We left in two separate directions from Paul and Rosaline's house. While Emmy, John, Eddie, and everyone else headed to Elena and Nathan's, Drake, Cruz, and I went on our way to Antecedent. The book, journals, and keys were all stashed in the leather tote I usually carried to work, which wouldn't look out of place to anyone who saw us there. The third journal was still in the Brotherhood's library, where it would stay until we started back up again.

Of course, Drake and Cruz commented on my outfit. When heading to work, even if I wasn't actually going to there to work, I needed to keep up appearances. My navy dress and nude heels was that appearance. As Cruz grinned at how uncomfortable I seemed yet used to it, Drake's eyes swept over me like they always did when I was wearing something other than t-shirts and shorts.