Be Strong (Tag Eri)

Eric chuckled a bit, ''He's like you... Remembered how scared you were when you thought you had lost Rider? He'll be the same if he loses that girl'', Eric mumbled and looked down to the ice cream.

Belle made a face at the memory. "I hated that," she sighed. "He did lose her for a while... He was so pitiful," She sighed heavily and shook her head. "But, they're good now. I'm glad they got back together. I'm excited for the babies," She bounced gently.

Eric gave her a small smiled and scooted closer to her, ''I remember how you got sad...'', he murmured... ''Hell, I feel like the same now, with Kida far away from me'', he took another bite of the ice cream, swiging the bottle of rum once more.

Belle scooted closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Mm... How about this? I have a surprise," She said softly and got up. "Rosie?" She called. Rose shuffled from the back with Emma in her arms, her head on her shoulder. "Surprise," Belle offered.

''You have a surprise?'', Eric frowned, Belle didn't like surprises, and he was surprised she had a surprise for him... He turned his gaze back, and grinned as he saw Emma upon Rosie's arms... ''Emma!'', he gasped, and jumped over the couch to get her. He gently put her into his arms and kissed all over her face. ''Dad missed you, little girl... I promisse I won't be far from you anymore'', he whispered and turned his gaze up to Rose, ''Thank you, Rosie'', he leaned and kissed the top of her head. ''Thank you, Bells'', he turned his blue hues towards the woman on the couch.

Belle smiled a bit as she watched him go to his daughter. Emma cooed and held onto his neck happily, giggling at the way he kissed her. She laid her head onto his shoulder. Rose smiled and waved a small goodbye before going outside to her car. Belle gestured for Eric to come back and sit with her. "So... Can I put the rum up for the night?" She asked quietly.

Eric waved back to Rosie, and made Emma wave too with her little hand. He kissed Emma's temple affectionately and walked back to the couch. ''Keep this thing away from my girl'', he nodded and sat her upon his lap. ''I've missed you, my girl... Have you missed dad too?'', he asked cutely.

Belle smiled and nodded before getting up and putting the ice cream and rum away. Emma blinked her wide brown eyes and smiled happily at her father before grabbing at his shirt and curling up against his chest. Belle walked back into the room and sat beside him. "See? She loves you," She said gently. "She sees no bad in you -- she sees what I do. Mind of a child," she smirked at him.

''She's so innocent and pure'', Eric murmured as he looked down to the baby girl. ''I wonder if she would act the same if she had Ian and Chris' age'', he murmured quietly, already guessing the answer.

Belle scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Eric... You cannot be so down on yourself. You are a good man. Kida wouldn't have married you in the first place if you weren't," she pointed out. "I wouldn't have gone near you if I didn't see the good in you... You've just... lost something inside of you. It's the anger, and I know you can't help it. John gets it from his father, just like you do," she mumbled. "But... You've got to learn to control it. If you can, I'm positive that Kida would forgive you, as well as the boys," she said gently. "I'm willing to help. I'm willing to get you so mad that you want to strangle me in order to help you. I know you won't get your hands on me -- you care too much. And, if you do, I'll be forced to kick your ass," She warned him.

Eric shook his head... ''I am a good man, I was... I don't know anything anymore, Belle'', he sighed and looked down to Emma. ''I tried to be a good father, and a good husband to Kida... I was wrong so many times with her, and I can't help myself putting me down for all the things I've done and made her and Ian sad'', he murmured. ''You're right... I have this anger inside of me, that makes me want to hurt people, and to control them as it pleases me'', he pursed his lips and turned his blue hues to her. ''I have no idea of what you have on your mind, but I don't think I deserve to have Kida and the kids by my side anymore... Not after all I've done. Kida gave me so many chances, that I'm ashamed to ask for another... She was right on asking me the divorce'', he sighed and kissed Emma's temple affectionately before handing her to Belle. ''I don't deserve any of you both either'', he said quietly and got the bottle of rum back before walking towards his room.

Belle shook her head and sighed heavily, listening to Eric go towards his room as she watched Emma. Emma looked sad in the direction of her father's room. "Daddy!" She called out then. Belle blinked a few times before smiling. "So, Kida was telling the truth," She mused. "Daddy!" Emma complained. Belle got up and carried her up to Eric's room. She leaned right outside the door. "That's the first thing she's ever said, you know," Belle mused. "She started saying it when Kida was with her lately and you weren't there. She wanted to know where you were," She explained. "Eric... I know you may have given up on yourself, but this little girl hasn't... I just...Do good by her, Eric. Don't let her down."

Eric was lost in his misery to lsiten for the first time Emma called for him, but when she called for him again, he frowned and looked back. Maybe it was just his imagination, playing with him. He sat on the edge of the bed and sighed, already knowing the brunette was by the door. ''She was calling for me?"', he asked quietly, turning his blue hues up to Emma. ''Belle... I don't know how to do this... I don't know how to control this anger. I don't think I'm able to make this little angel proud of me'', he murmured quietly.

"Then, let me help you," Belle said quietly. "I helped John. If I can tame him, I sure as hell I can tame you," she said gently and moved over to him, kissing his cheek. "Daddy..." Emma cooed and moved over to him as well. She curled up against his chest and hugged his shirt close.

''But how are you going to help me?'', he asked quietly as the tears started to blur his vision. He smiled and looked down to Emma as she called for him again. He took her in his arms and nestled her little head against his chest, ''Dad won't leave you alone anymore, I promisse you'', he murmured softly and kissed the top of the baby's head.

"I'll teach you how to manage your anger. I'll show you that you are better than that anger. Everytime you get angry, you can picture this baby girl. Would you want her to see you angry? It would scare her. I know you don't ever want to scare her. So, that could calm you down. Make you do right," She said quietly. Emma clung to the fabric of his shirt and nestled her head onto his chest. "Daddy," She hummed

Eric smiled sadly, ''I was thinking of her at the hospital... I was thinking of her, and the boys and Kida... And they helped me controlling my anger. But when I saw Ian lying on the bed, I lost it... The anger blinded me'', he murmured and turned his gaze back to Belle, ''What should I do on times like that? When all I want is to kill someone?'', he asked quietly.

Belle bit her lip and sat beside him. "Well... I've always been able to control my anger... Except for when Flynn was in danger. When he was in danger, I gladly slammed a knife into that guys eye and made sure he died painfully," She smiled sheepishly. "But... That was because I had no one to care about whether they saw me that way or not. I knew you wouldn't care -- and you didn't. I wouldn't do that now. Not with my children. Or my grandchildren," she said softly. "But... Whenever I was on a mission as an assassin, I used my magic. I used it to keep me calm. I know it's cheating, but it kept me from killing when I didn't need to," She explained. "You could try that," she offered. "We can test it tomorrow after I take Emma back to Kida. She agreed to let you see her every other day this week. I told her I'd need her. And that you're her father, so she has no right to keep her from you. You're just as much her parent as Kida is," She pointed out and poked his nose. "Don't argue with me. You're an amazing man. I'm going to make you see that one way or another," she sighed and kissed his cheek.

Eric remembered vaguely of that time, when he found Belle and Flynn on that alley... He didn't know what happened, but he had an idea. He smiled a bit as she mentioned using magic to keep her calm... ''That's cheating, Bells... But I know Rosie uses it sometimes to keep Damon calm'', he sighed, and shook his head... Why he hadn't thought of it before? He never truly used magic upon hismelf, it was always on other people or things. ''Perhaps we could try a shot tomorrow'', he murmured and looked down to Emma... ''When did I ever win an argue with you?'', he teased lightly, looking breafly at the woman. ''Does it mean Emma is staying with me tonight? I would like if she would'', he said quietly, his gaze upon his child.

Belle smirked and then let a small smile fall upon her lips. "Yep. She and I are both staying with you tonight," She said quietly. "I'll share the bed with you so that she can sleep by your side and you won't have to worry about her rolling out of bed," she nodded and played with a bit of the girls brown hair. "You're so lucky. I miss Lizzy being this little," she sighed.

Eric grinned lightly when she said they were both staying with him, ''You'll have your grandchildren soon... Hell, even I'm going to be a granfather soon'', he murmured softly and laid upon the bed. ''Does your husband know you're going to spend the night with me, and not with him?'', he asked with a raised brow as he cuddled Emma closer to him.

"We're old," Belle groaned in over exaggeration as she laid down with him. "Of course he knows. He knows where I am at all times, and I know the same about him. Spy and assassin, remember?" She teased. "I can't say that he's happy about it, but... He'll get over it," She smirked. "I just told him I'd keep my clothes on," She teased. Emma giggled, though she obviously didn't understand, and curled close to her father.

''Damn, Bells'', he joked at her promisse to keep her clothes on. He couldn't help but giggling too as Emma did, and then he kissed the top of her head again. He missed her more than he imagined. ''He would be a fool if he won't get over it.. We're friends Belle... Sure we tried something more... But we both knew where our places really belonged with'', he smirked a bit... He hadn't met Kida by the time he was Belle were lovers, but since then, he didn't feel right about that. Things only started to make some sense when Kida had pushed him into that river.

Belle giggled softly and laid onto her side to look at him. "Right, right... You only slept with your sister, that's all," She teased, sticking out her tongue at him. "I don't regret it though... You seem like you do," she mumbled, smiling a bit sadly.

Eric chuckled and then caressed her cheek softly, ''No, I don't regret it...'', he said quietly, ''I just realized we're not meant to be like that... If he hadn't been together that time, maybe I would still have wondered what we could be if we tried like we did'', he explained quietly.