Emily received the text at 10 AM.

Then the second at 10 AM.

The fifteenth rolled around by 10:01. 

The moment she entered the crib, she was bombarded with questions. 

Apparently, Lucy's ex-boyfriend, Beau, drove all the way from Georgia to "win her back" and everyone naturally assumed Emily had all the answers. 

She peeked out the blinds with Katie, using binoculars, spying on Lucy and the new guy by the pool. He had jet black hair, blue eyes, and was incredibly well built. 

"I can still ask her out, right?" Kendall thought, pacing in front of his friends who sat on the couch in front of him. "I mean just because they dated for three years and he drove all the way out here from Georgia doesn't mean she's gonna take him back."

"Yeah, it does," Katie told him. Emily snickered, elbowing Katie. "That's the best looking guy at the Palm Woods, ever."

"What?"

A sigh escaped Emily's lips, feeling the familiar body behind her, pressing her into the window. James stole the binoculars, crushing his girlfriend to get a look at Bo. "James, don't be dramatic, that's not true."

"So, you don't think he's hot?" James retorted, keeping his eyes on his competition. 

Emily stuttered, "Well, that's a different question."

Kendall intervened, leaning over the group huddled by the window, "But this is the guy that broke her heart. She's probably down there right now telling him to get lost."

Emily winced as she saw Lucy and Beau laughing together by the pool, Bo's shirt unbuttoned, exposing his chest. "I don't think that's what she said," Emily muttered. 

"Okay. New plan," Logan said, standing with Carlos. "We'll tell Gustavo you're vomiting and can't come in to record today."

"Yes!" Carlos agreed. "And you can stay here and beat the super hot and hunky guy."

"He's not that hot, okay!" James snapped. 

The door burst open, Jett storming in, "James!" He cried. "Have you seen the new guy? He's gorgeous! We have to get rid of him."

Emily stepped out in front of James, turning to him as she backed up with Logan and Carlos to head into the studio, "No, no. You need some perspective, and to not listen to Jett."

Logan nodded, "Good luck!" 

***

The three entered the studio, Gustavo and Kelly waiting in annoyance, explaining their morning with Griffin. 

"He wants you to what?" Emily repeated, thinking she must have heard them wrong. 

"Kidnap him," Kelly repeated, rolling her eyes. 

"So Griffin wants to be kidnapped to prepare for his worst CEO scenario," Logan clarified. 

"He said I could hire anyone," Gustavo told them. "And I immediately thought of you three."

"We're the first people you saw," Emily pointed out, fully aware of how Gustavo's mind operates. "I don't need to be here then, right?" She asked, backing out of the studio as Kelly shook her head, shooing her away. 

"You don't want to help us attack Griffin?" Carlos wondered as she walked off. 

"I'd rather admit to James I think the new guy is attractive."

***

She quickly got back to the Palm Woods, texting James on the way about the dilemma at the studio and that she was free to help Kendall with the Lucy problem. 

James responded right away, ignoring her story about Griffin and sent multiple headshots of himself asking her to rate his hotness in each on a scale of 1-10. 

Jett, James, and Kendall were all in the lobby waiting by the front desk when she walked in. Jett was already prepared, black paint smeared under his eyes and a cloth tied around his forehead. "What's our plan?" She asked, stepping in their circle, leaning against the desk. 

"Nothing," Kendall shrugged. 

Jett and James' eyes both bugged out of their head in astonishment. "What? What do you mean? You're not going to fight for Lucy thus getting rid of Beau?" James asked. "I can not be the second-best looking guy at the Palm Woods."

"You mean third," Jett corrected. "I'm better looking than you."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am. Tell him, Emily."

"Em, I swear-"

"Guys!" Kendall interjected. "All I'm doing is putting myself in her shoes," he explained. "Her ex-boyfriend came back. If Jo came back, I'd be confused too." Emily sighed sadly at the mention of Jo, missing her best friend. 

"Beau has got to go," Jett firmly said. "He's untrustworthy, Kendall. I know because I'm untrustworthy!" 

"Look, she's not my girlfriend. If Lucy is going to give Beau another shot, then we should too."

Emily sighed, watching Kendall walk off, feeling defeated knowing she couldn't help him through this. 

"I'm honestly better looking than you," James told Jett. 

"Not in my mirror," Jett responded. 

"You both need to stop," Emily told them. James hit her arm, seeing Beau in front of them talking to Kendall by the elevators. "Ow!"

"There's Beau," James pointed out. "When he passes by, fall on him," he instructed Jett. Jett tightened his cloth, climbing on top of the desk to wrap himself around the rafters on the ceiling. 

"That's a stupid idea," Emily told him. James nodded. 

"I know, but Jett falls on his face this way."

James quickly held a magazine in front of his face, peering over the top to see Beau walking past them. "Now," he whispered. 

Beau flashed Emily a bright smile passing by. She gave a tight lip, nodding her head at him, finding it odd, but putting it back in her mind as Jett collided into the floor at her feet, much after Beau. 

"You missed," James snapped. 

"I know that," Jett wheezed out. 

"Okay," Kendall said, approaching the group again. "Let's get rid of him."

While James and Jett nodded eagerly, Emily frowned, "What did he say that made you change your mind?" 

"He was kissing another girl in the elevator."

"What?" James gasped, Emily thinking in realization back to her moments ago encounter with Beau. "What?" He repeated, looking at Emily to explain her ghostly look. 

"I knew it was weird he smiled at me," she thought to herself. 

"He what?" 

Kendall waved his hands in front of James, calming him down, "We're going to stage a moment in the elevator with a hot girl, get Beau making a move on camera and show Lucy."

"Why can't we just go find her and tell her what you saw?" Emily asked. 

"Because she's going think I'm saying it out of jealously and Beau gave her a $900 necklace."

Emily gaped, "Holy smokes," she gasped. "But where are you even going to find someone who will go along with this?"

Kendall nodded knowingly at her, "Well, I was thinking since you're already here..."

"Um, I don't know-" Emily admitted, feeling uneasy at the idea of her tricking Beau into kissing her to show Lucy when Emily felt Lucy deserved more credit and would believe Kendall anyway. 

"Em's not doing it," James cut in. 

"I asked Emily," Kendall reminded him. 

"She's uncomfortable with it," James told him. 

Kendall scoffed, "How do you know?"

Emily nodded sheepishly, "She's uncomfortable with it."

Kendall sighed, nodding in agreement, so preoccupied with getting rid of Beau. His eyes suddenly lit up, "Camille."

***

Camille opened her door, smiling in pleasant surprise to see her friends on the other side. 

"Hey, guys. What's up?"

"Have you met Beau, Lucy's ex?" Kendall wondered. 

She gasped, "No, but I hear he's dreamy and gave her some amazing necklace!" Emily groaned feeling the weight of James' eye roll beside her. 

"Kendall saw him kissing another girl," Jett told her. 

"I hate him. What's the plan?"

"We're going to set a hot girl trap and catch him in the act of macking," James told her, the guys holding up their equipment consisting of a camcorder, sound amplifying cup and radios. 

"He's from Georgia," Emily told her, the girl smiling. 

"Oh, I know exactly what he's looking for," Camille smiled, shutting the door, moments later opening it again, revealing herself dressed in a large pink lace hoop skirt looking like a southern belle. "Why Mr. Beauregard, I do declare," she gushed in a southern accent. 

"He's not looking for that," Emily told her. 

"Nobody's looking for that," James shook his head. 

Camille sighed, "Well then how do you want me to dress?"

The guys looked at each other, twirling their hair, giggling in high voices, mimicking girls. Emily outwardly rolled her eyes, shutting the door on them, entering Camille's home. 

Emily and Camille opened the door again, Camille now dressed in curled pigtails, short jean shorts, and a cropped flannel shirt, exposing her midsection. "How's this?" Emily gestured. 

"Yup."

"That's it."

"I'm better-looking than James."

Kendall pulled Camille down the hall, James and Jett bickering behind them. 

"We'll be in the lobby," Emily assured her, pushing James and Jett to the stairwell. "Will you two stop it!" 

"Babe, he's saying he's better-looking than me," James defended. 

"Who cares who's hotter?" She exasperated. 

"Who cares!" The two boys boomed at her. Emily jumped, turning to see them staring her down on the stairs. 

"Sorry," she mumbled, carrying on her way to the lobby. 

They set up shop, tucking away behind the wall on the corner of the elevators. In the camera, they saw the doors open, Camille standing inside, waiting for Beau. She leaned out, "Have you seen him?" She whispered. 

"No," James shook his head quietly. Camille ducked back in the elevator, smiling as, luck would have it, Lucy walked on. 

"Hey, Camille," she greeted. "You look hot."

The doors closed, the two girls riding up. The radio in Emily's hands vibrated, Kendall's voice coming through. "He's in the north elevator. I repeat, he's in the north elevator." 

Just then, the north elevator dinged, opening. Beau walked out as a brunette strolled in. He turned, seeing her, stepping back inside. "I'm Beau. Just moved in," he said, his voice playing through their mini speaker. 

Emily threw a palm in her face, already anticipating what this news would do to Jett and James' competition. "He moved in?" They exclaimed. 

The other elevator opened, Camille and Lucy standing inside. Emily and the boys ducked back behind the wall. Hearing the doors close, they peeked out, Camille frantically looking at them for answers. 

"He's headed upstairs with a girl!" The two boys shouted, sprinting up the stairs with Emily leading the way. 

Emily gasped for breath, reaching the fourth floor. She slammed the door open, rounding the corner to see Kendall. "He's in the elevator with a hot girl," the three told him, one in between breaths. 

"And he's heading downstairs!" Kendall exclaimed. 

Emily sighed, stiffing a whine as she threw herself back into the stairwell, finding it much easier to run down stairs than up. 

Breaking out into the lobby, Emily steadied herself against the wall, heavily breathing, noticing Camille's plaid shirt in the elevator through the closing crack. The guys shouted, bursting up the stairs again, Emily, in a hushed voice, saying she'd meet them there as she caught her breath. 

Emily leaned her head against the wall, steadying her heartbeat. The elevator dinged. A red shirt passed by her place by the stairs. She briefly looked up, seeing Beau of all people. Choking on air, she straightened up as he smiled, doubling back and stopping in front of her. 

"Hey," she smiled, glancing behind him at the stairwell door, hoping one of the guys or Camille would run through and be able to catch Beau. 

"Hey," he grinned. "I saw you in the lobby earlier, right?"

She nodded, continuing to smile at him, "Yeah, yeah, I think so."

He stepped in closer, "I'm Beau."

Seeing no sign of any of her friends, she stalled him, shaking his hand rather than continuing her flirting game. "Nice to meet you, Beau."

"You have beautiful eyes," he told her. Feeling her heart rate pick up, unsure how to respond, Emily smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear. 

"Oh, well, thanks," she said, glancing back behind him, still no one there to open the door. "I wouldn't know, I can't see them."

Beau chuckled, "Can you see your lips?" 

She shifted, seeing him step closer, "Uh, no," she replied absentmindedly, wishing her friends would stop doing whatever they were up to and take the mental clue she had him right in front of her. 

"Wanna see them on mine?" 

Emily snapped her eyes back to Beau as he leaned in. She nervously laughed, pushing him back, "Not for a line like that," she told him, internally dying at his persona. 

He smiled, putting his hand under her head, stepping back in, "I'll do better next time."

Emily let out a shaky breath, feeling his hands on her as he inched to her lips. "I'm okay, for now, really," she tried to say, taking his hand off her waist. 

"No, it's okay," he told her, putting his hand back on her, going in without missing a beat. The moment she felt his lips on hers, she decided it wasn't worth it and Kendall could find a different plan. She roughly pushed against him. 

"Seriously, Beau-" 

"Stop," he mumbled, pushing her back into the wall, his weight falling on her. Emily felt her throat close up as her eyes stung, feeling the familiar feeling she felt years ago in Hawk's office. She slapped his arm off her. He roughly gripped her wrist, holding in against the wall, furiously moving his lips onto hers despite her struggles and obvious disinterest in him. 

"Beau, ge-" Emily snapped, throwing her knee up, grazing against his spot as he suddenly wasn't on top of her anymore, but significantly farther away. 

"Get off her," James hissed, gripping Beau's collar, dragging him off her. Emily found James murderously staring at Beau who stumbled to the side. "Really?" He snapped, edging towards Beau. Kendall tore out of the stairwell, hearing the commotion, Camille behind him. He quickly saw James shoving Beau back, and found Emily in relief against the wall. He jumped out, grabbing James' shoulders, tugging him back from starting a fight. 

"He's not worth it, James," Kendall told him, pulling James back who continued to shake Kendall off. 

"James, just let it go," Emily said, swallowing the lump in her throat, her nerves only slightly fading away. James finally broke his focus on Beau, who had made his getaway, and didn't waste a second before he overlooked his girlfriend, praying inside she wasn't about to breakdown or close up like she did when Hawk returned. 

"Em," he softly said, placing a hand on her arm. James internally sighed in relief when she didn't flinch or jump back. "Are you okay?" 

Camille worriedly glanced between her friend and Kendall who brokenly watched from the side as well. Emily took a deep breath, shaking it off. "I'm fine, yeah, I'm good," she assured him, her eyes pierced together, staring at the floor. She looked up, finding Kendall behind James. "Dude, I'm sorry, I couldn't stall him any longer."

"Em, don't apologize," Kendall told her. James silently wrapped his arm around her, pulling the girl into his chest, his other hand closing holding her head to him. Emily just let him do it. She wasn't going to cry. She didn't need to. Her brain had hardly processed what just happened for any emotions to take over. 

James blankly stared at the wall in front of him, tightly holding Emily, who remained stiff. He knew she wasn't okay. She might've not realized it yet, but he knew she would close off at some point when she had time to realize what just happened and her memories would kick in, sending her into her cave. 

He never felt the need to constantly check in on his girlfriend. He didn't feel like she needed him 24/7 or she would break if something went wrong. Since London, he had definitely felt his protective instincts over her heighten, but they always faded quickly when Emily handled the situation on her own. James knew she didn't need him constantly pulling her out of the line of fire, but when he had to...

Emily eventually pushed back, breaking James' hug. She looked up at James and her friends, some distant thought in her eyes. "I'm gonna meet up with you guys later, I just need a minute," she told them, turning to the elevator to cool off by herself in her own room. 

The mumbled encouraging words, promising they'd update her, and to meet them when she felt like it. James sadly watched her get in the elevator. "Just call me if you need me, okay?" He told her. 

Emily nodded, a light, unconvincing smile as the doors slid shut. 

***

She'd been hanging upside down off her couch for two minutes, trying to get her mind off the sick feeling in her stomach. 

Emily truly believed she could've gotten out of it without James there. She would like to believe, Beau eventually would've taken a hint, maybe after she broke his balls. She just wished there wasn't a reason for any of it to even cross her mind. 

Emily got off her couch, swung herself around into her kitchen, taking out various ingredients from her cabinets; flour, sugar, salt... 

Mindlessly baking, the girl hated how affected she was by the event. Sure, she knew she likely had more trauma to add in than the next person, but the way her friends poorly looked at her froze in her mind. The way they reacted. 

How would Lucy react?

Would she tell her? It's her ex. Yeah, he's the worst, and Lucy would believe her, but baking a batch of muffins for herself was much more worthwhile. She hadn't baked anything since Jo left. 

Jo. 

Emily couldn't deny she missed Jo more than ever right now. If Jo were here, she wouldn't be felling sorry for herself, baking alone for no reason. Jo would make her confront Lucy head on and tell her everything. 

Emily had to find Lucy. 

The girl left her kitchen as it was, slipping her shoes on, running out the door to hopefully find Lucy in her own apartment down the hall. 

She knocked on the door. Again. Again. 

Emily sighed, accepting she wasn't in there. A hand ran through the knots in her wavy hair as she rounded the corner to the elevators. And there she was. 

Lucy turned seeing Emily, smiling at her, holding a small plant. "Hey, I'm so happy to see you. I need to talk," she sighed to Emily. 

Emily nodded, cutting Lucy off as they waited in front of the silver doors. "Listen, Lucy, I know Beau is back. I know he gave you that necklace. I know you're confused," she told her, Lucy nodding, feeling content with knowing Emily already knew her problem. "And I know you and Beau have a long history, but I need to tell you something."

The elevator dinged. Lucy stepped in with Emily following, "Okay," she warily said. 

Emily took a deep breath, "Beau's been kissing girl's all day." Lucy blankly stared. "I know because Kendall saw it. We all saw it. And I know because he kissed me." Lucy hadn't responded, just waiting for Emily to say something else as they elevator rose. "He is not a good guy. Not for you, and not for anyone," Emily told her, stepping out of the elevator, seeing they were one the fifth floor. "Please, please-" 

"Don't ever go near my girlfriend again!" 

The two girls stopped, hearing shouts from down the hall. Lucy and Emily nervously looked at each other, both recognizing the voice. 

The two edged closer, hearing the voices get louder. "... to get Lucy to tell me to leave?" One voice said. 

"I'm just trying to protect her," another said. Emily looked to Lucy, who stared down at the plant in her hands, hearing Kendall's voice. "And it's all right here."

They furrowed their brows in confusion hearing a small crash. "What are you going to show Lucy now?" The first voice remarked, belonging to Beau. 

Lucy turned, stepping out from the other corner of the hall. "Nothing," she said. Emily turned, following her, stopping when she saw Camille, Kendall, and Beau, who rubbed his jaw in pain, facing off with two girls she immediately recognized as James and Jett under the disguise. "Because Emily told me everything."

Emily edged in, standing besides Lucy who glared at Beau, distractedly gaping at her boyfriend in a wig and a dress. 

"You know, I was going to bring you a housewarming gift. But why don't we make it a going-away present instead?" She hissed, throwing the plant into his arms, dirt specs flying onto the red. 

"Lucy," Beau sighed, looking at the girl. "They set me up. She was begging me," he lied, glancing to the blonde besides Lucy. 

"Are you kidding me?" Emily snapped under her breath, her eyes snapping to James, telling him to stay put. 

"I drove out here to be with you," Beau told her, cautiously glancing to James. "I don't even have any money to get home."

Lucy nodded, bitterly, yanking the chain off her necklace, "Well, then use this," she spat, throwing the necklace at him. 

Stammering, he backed up, "I'm glad I'm leaving, because you're all nuts here anyways," Beau said, hurrying down the hallway. 

"Well," Lucy sighed, "he's right. Everyone here is nuts," she mentioned, eyeing the two boys disguised as women. Emily stiffed a laugh, looking at her boyfriends appearance, nodding in agreement. "And amazing," she said, smiling up at Kendall. 

Emily exchanged a look with Camille as the two stared silently at each other. Emily stepped around Lucy, Camille falling in step with her, and they started the chain, leading the group towards the elevators off the floor. 

"Okay, so anyone up for, uh, something?" Lucy asked, stepping in the elevator. 

"Kendall!" The four shouted, pushing Kendall into the elevator with Lucy. The two awkwardly smiled to themselves as the doors closed. 

"Have fun," Emily called, the group waving goodbye. The doors shut. 

***

"You punched him didn't you?" 

James scoffed, "Um, yeah, I punched him."

The two stood in the bathroom in the crib together, James cleaning the makeup off his face. He very quickly ditched the wig, and changed into his sweatpants and tank before Emily could get a visible picture. 

"You're okay, right?" 

Emily looked up at him from the case of makeup remover wipes in her hands, to see James looking at her for an answer through the mirror. "And I don't want to push, but I'd like to know you're really okay before we walk out of here."

She sighed, tilting her head into her shoulder. "I think I'm okay," she answered, fiddling with her hands. "I feel fine when I'm not thinking about it, but the more I think about it the more I might get stuck in a never-ending cycle of dwelling on Hawk and I feel so good about how I ended that... I don't know. It's an uneasy feeling to sit with."

James sighed, throwing the mini towel into the sink, turning to face her in person. "If any of this is because I jumped in there before you could break his nose-"

Emily laughed, "It's not," she assured him, thinking to the joy she would've gotten from breaking his nose the way she did Hawk's. 

"But you need to understand I can't sit back and let someone hurt you. So I apologize in advance for anymore people I beat up before you have a chance to."

Emily softly smiled, gliding up, perking up on her foot to place her lips on his. 

"James? Em?" Logan called. The couple broke apart, hearing Logan come home. James leaned over, letting the door swing open so Logan could see them in the bathroom, letting him know where they were and they were just talking inside. "What are you guys up to?" The boy hesitantly wondered. 

"We're just talking," Emily told him. "Did you kidnap Griffin?" She asked. James snapped his head over to them. 

"What?"

She turned over her shoulder, "You would know what we were talking about if you weren't so obsessed with the whole Jett thing earlier."

James exited the bathroom, rolling his eyes, looking straight to Logan for an answer. 

Emily stepped back in, picking up the makeup wipe James left in the sink and threw it in the trash can, sealing the container in her hand. 

"He has a micro chip in his head," Logan told them. 

Emily nodded, unsurprised, as she went to put the wipes away, "That doesn't surprise me." She nodded to James, holding up the small container, "Are these from the disguises bucket stash?" 

James nodded, "Yeah, thank you," he called as she rounded into their rooms. Seeing the girl disappear, he turned back to Logan, whispering, "Okay, before you hear this from Camille or someone else..."

***

So it's ended on a total random place! 

But that's because the next chapter picks up RIGHT HERE but you probably guessed that. 

Hope you enjoyed!