(Nathaniel's point of view)

I raised my eyebrows at her words wondering exactly how she knew the code without seeing them put it in a single time. She looked back at me with a tortured but also relieved look and I knew that I t had something to do with our little wise bird moments ago.

"He, that man, I." No matter how she tried to phrase it should couldn't get the words out, she took in a shaky breath before speaking again. "Once I was younger than you and met an extraordinary man."

She looked towards the door lost in the memories, "He was extraordinary because no matter how many walls I put up he knocked them down." I smiled at her thinking of my own relationship with her daughter, and how we had both grown by being around each other.

"He always was pursuing me, because even though in the beginning we just loved each other as friends it slowly became more." She brushed the locks of her fiery hair that hung in front of her face, twirling a single stranded nervously like a teenage girl with an endearing smile.

"Our families hated each other, so we could never be." A frown overtook the soft face she once wore turning it into something harsher.

"Our fathers made a deal regardless of their hate for each other," She paused slightly her eyes narrowing at the mention of her father, "His brother's bride couldn't give him children, he needed an heir."

"Emily's Father." I spoke knowing where this story was going, she nodded sadly a tear slipping down her cheek.

"I never loved that horrible man." She shook her head trying to get the thought out of her mind, her red waves going in all directions, "I only loved one man."

"The man that came in here, they tried to disguise him but I could recognize him anywhere. Marques, my Marq." She smiled when speaking his name and finally sat down next to me, tears flowing freely.

"I'll tell you the code and you can leave but... I'm not leaving him again." In that moment, I could see Emily looking down at me the determination resonating in her eyes into my heart. I knew if it had been Emily and I then I would never leave her either.

"Then we get both of you out." She went to rebuttal my thoughts but I quickly silenced her, "I am not going back to her only to break her heart, and I am not leaving you here."

A sob ripped from her throat as she gave me a hug muttering over and over again, "Thank you my son."

As we sat there I realized that Emily's father had been lying to her for a long time, Alana hadn't been his original match but one of necessity. She needed to know the truth one day, but first I needed to find a way out of this place with both of the love birds.

Flashback...

"So then, your parents... are they hard on you like mine?" We were sitting on the dorms roof, the place where the group had claimed and decked out with fairy lights and patio furniture. We both laid on the fuzzy red rug looking at the sky. Every so often watching a cloud pass by through the night sky.

"You could say that, my dad and I don't really talk anymore unless it's absolutely necessary. My uncle is the one who pays for my college education." I couldn't exactly tell her everything, especially not that I was the heir to my pretentious uncle's business and that my half brother taking my father's equally pretentious business.

"You don't talk to your father? Like not at all?" I shook my head slightly even though that wasn't necessarily true, we fought a lot but never just talked to each other.

"Well, even if I hate my father sometimes and his life decisions I don't think he would ever stop bugging me." I looked over towards her, she had a sad smile on her face.

"What do you mean? Bugging you?" She sighed and I almost regretted asking, almost.

"He wants me to have a good education just in case, my brother doesn't want anything to do with the family business so it falls to me. He's trying to get Mich to do so, but if not someday I'll have to find a guy to help me take over my father's empire."

"Man, that's rough. You don't think he would ever force your hand though do you?" She looked at me with confused eyes, the emerald orbs reflecting the stars as her eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean, force my hand?"

"Like match you with a dude or something, I don't know." I shrugged, how was I suppose to know what her father would do. But those in desperate situations do whatever they need to get the job done, especially if her dad is like my father.

"Like an arranged marriage?" She looked even more perplexed, looking towards me as her brows furrowed further.

"Yeah I guess?" I didn't mean to make it sound like a question but either way it came out as one.

"No way, my father may be strict sometimes. But there's no way he would force me into some empty engagement." She paused slightly before continuing, "I mean that would be hypocritical, after all he left his match to be with the woman he apparently 'loved.'"

End of flashback...

Eventually the two got the meeting they deserved after roughly thirty years, when he brought the food trays in he say the look in Alana's eyes. She told him that she wouldn't lose him again and that she refused to leave without him.

"Idiot girl, what do you mean you aren't leaving without me?" His voice cracked, he obviously cared much about Alana. I mean it was obvious, after all he was blatantly telling her to leave him so she could stay safe.

She got up closer to Marques, her hand going to his cheek with tears in both of their eyes. I knew most of the things on this man were fake, the long, uncombed, chestnut wig on his head and the blackened contacts he wore. They had told me in fact that he had bright emerald green eyes, and short sandy blonde hair which was pointed upwards.

The Love in their eyes was electric, anyone would be able to see that. Even after all this time of not seeing each other the two both still had such a connection. His hand wrapped around her waist, she shivered at his touch. Looking towards them you would have thought that they were a new young couple and not in there early fifties like they actually were.

His other hand went to her cheek, slowly moving up through her auburn locks. They stared at each other, eyes clashing and slowly they moved towards each other. His arm pulled her closer, guiding her lips to meet his in a kiss filled with longing after being a part for decades. She pulled away and he leaned forward looking for more not wanting to be away from her. She pulled away reluctantly only leaving enough room for her to speak.

"That's a lousy way of getting me to leave, do you really think I could after kissing you like that? Marq, you've always been the only one for me. Come with us... Please." She looked at him begging that he escaped with us, not wanting to be without her love again.

"I'll leave on my own before you guys, I'll make up something ok? I'll meet you in NYC," he paused dipping his head down to hers again? Place a peck on her lips before placing a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you, Marq." She brought her own lips to his placing her hands on his cheeks, it was slow and soft yet filled to the brim with love.

"I love you to, Lana." Their Foreheads touched and his hand stroked her back gently before they leaned away watching each other with longing before breaking a part.

"Two days time, we will get out of this place." I announce, they both snap their heads towards me. Finally realizing that I was sitting on the ground watching them.

"Now you'll need to get the keys for my chains, right before you escape. A day later we will leave, everyone understand." They both nodded at me, Alana was still a bit flustered after her scene with Marques and me seeing all of it.

"Better head out Marques, we don't want them figuring us out." I smirked at him and nodded towards the door. He rolled his eyes at me before turning and looking towards his love again, smiling softly at her before going through the door once more.

"Are you nervous, Alana?" She sat next to me, taking a lock of her hair between her fingers while twirling it answering my question without speaking.

"I suppose I just don't want to lose him again, after thirty years of us being apart." She looks at me, for a second Emily flashes before my eyes, before fading back into Alana.

"I know what you mean, I don't wanna wait to see Emily for another minute let alone thirty years." The thought of that, not being able to tell her the truth and standing with her against those that wanted to clip her wings. I no longer lived in my own world, I circled her like the earth does to the sun, she was world.

"Eventually you try to forget, I tried my hardest to forget all of the love we shared. But the moment he appears again all of the hundreds of locks that I had pour on my heart sprung open." Her eyes connected with mine, gray orbs holding me in place. Simply using that to reinforce a message, don't hurt my daughter.

I crossed my arms and tilted my chin up, chains rattling as I moved. My eyes connected with hers, conveying my own message back, I would never. She seems to have understood as she smiled at me softly and nodded her head in confirmation.

"But there is still one problem, even once we get out of here... Emily still is suppose to marry Brandon." I doubt many other people could say a name with as much venom as I had, especially the name of your half-brother.

"That family, it's always the same in the end. But I have a plan for that. " Her eyes flashed with anger and determination before sending a wink my way, like she knew something I didn't. She stood tall with an intimidating aura running through the room and silently I was glad that the aura wasn't focused on me.

I felt myself sit up straighter inspiration flowing through me from her presence. I finally understood what Emily meant, and a bit why they didn't want them together. Her mother was strong and independent, if the expected Emily to have an arranged marriage one day they would need her to be the complete opposite.

"You know, I'm glad my daughter has you. I get the feeling that you've made her stronger to be herself. I know her father, he wanted her to be someone that she wasn't... isn't." We both look towards each other once more before she slung herself into the darkness to sleep for we assuming that it was late after dinner.

I placed my head on the cold concrete floors with the light swaying above me creaking and breathing was the only noise. Yet still I found my home in my memories of college letting my eyes fluttered shut as I was taken back in time with a smile on my face.

Flashback... (Second year of college, first semester, fall)

Emily and Sierra were back at their dorms, Sierra caught a cold and Emily was nursing her back to help. So, neither of the two could be with us tonight, sadly...However, me and the guys all decided to hang out anyways. Caleb was sitting up on his bed, as tonight we were in his and Nick's dorm. Nick was sitting on the ground next to Caleb, and Dai was sitting at Nick's desk drawing something again. Noah and Martin were laying on Nick's bed together, sitting as close as humanly possible. They had just recently began dating over the summer, not that it really surprised anyone. Even I noticed the attraction between the to right off the bat.

I was sitting next to Nick on the ground, I was always closer to him out of all the guys then I was of anyone else. However, sitting next to him may have been a mistake after he asked me a certain question.

"So then Allen," He paused and Caleb picked up where Nick had left off, "How do you feel about," he paused and they both asked the real question at the same time,

"Emily?" I froze in place not particularly liking what they were implying even though they weren't way off base because I did in fact like her quite a lot actually, but I didn't plan on sharing that now.

"I have no idea on what your talking about, Emily and I are friends." I tried to keep my voice steady but my voice cracked when I said friends.

"Yes, I'm sure that's true." Martin began with his usual sarcastic self, great they were all ganging up on me.

"I mean its obvious, you two are tooooo cute." Noah and Martin both were just the same sometimes, only Noah is more teasing while Martin is more sarcastic. Martin was a year older than us all even though he's in the same year as us making us believe that his parents held him back at some point. He's a sarcastic, brunette that's extremely intelligent and quick-witted. His skin was like chocolate and his eyes were just like his hair a medium brown.

Meanwhile, Noah was a teasing, strawberry blonde that was fairly innocent compared to the rest of us. He loved to write and he was the only one of us that was middle-class, making him the black sheep of the group. His parents were probably the nicest out of all of ours though, so who really won out in the end.

"Honestly, nothing is going on between me and Emily." I put emphasis on the word nothing, it was the truth the honest-

"That doesn't mean you don't want anything to happen." Dai raised his head up from his desk, saying what I'm sure everyone else was thinking. I was hoping he would be on my side, or at the very least not pick a side at all. Why does everyone have to try to intervene, its not like she would ever like me... Allen Walker. A scrawny kid, with bad hair and baggy clothes...

"She wouldn't ever want to date someone like me, she's amazing and I'm-" I get cut off by Nick, a smirk resting on his face.

"He admits it!" He screeches while the other guys all laugh to, smiles evident on their faces. I felt a bit of red on my face and ears which only caused more of an uproar.

"But seriously dude, I am almost positive that she has the hots for you to." Caleb turned upside down on the ledge of the bed, looking at me with a genuine smile. His shaggy light brown locks falling towards the ground along with all of the blood in his body, while he snacked on a granola bar.

"Yeah I mean you should go for Allen, what's the worst that could happen." Martin exclaimed, sitting up a bit and turning serious.

"She says no and the entire group splits up over a shipping war." Dai lifted his head, spinning the rolly chair around and then went back to his drawing.

"DAI!" Everyone else yelled, he just mumbles a sorry and continues his sketch.

"What are you drawing today Dai?" I try to change the topic although everyone knew exactly what I was doing, but the plan backfired badly at what he was doing.

He turns around showing us the picture in his sketchbook, and it was a picture of Emily and I kissing next to the school fountain. He laughs at all of our shocked faces, before mumbling, "I ship it and I was bored ok!"

End of flashback...

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I'm Soooo Sorry y'all I didn't even notice that yesterday was Friday. School had been so stressful but at least I caught my mistake pretty early! I hope you enjoy my lovely wattpaders.

"The most beautiful things are not associated with money; they are memories and moments. If you don't celebrate those, they can pass you by."

~ Alek Wek