#;asher

Giselle: woke as anyone waking in an unfamiliar place would, disoriented, but slowly the night and its events fell into place in her brain. She grinned, uncoiling herself from where she lay on top of Asher and resting beside him for a moment before searching the floor for her dress. It was nowhere to be found, so she settled on the sheet crumpled on the floor, padding silently out into the apartment. Giselle was horrendous in a kitchen, but coffee was attainable, and she could at least do that. She hummed as she placed the pot on the stove. Surprised to hear someone at the door, she walked towards it, expecting to find her bodyguard behind it. (He had made himself sparse, sleeping in the hallway. Perhaps he was ensuring that she was alive? Or maybe Asher’s roommate had locked themselves out?) She opened the door and blushed, tightening the cloth around her. "Asher is..." She paused when she saw a familiar face confused. “Hello Ellie.”

Ellie: Ellie was overthinking everything, one of her biggest downfalls, but lately, she almost felt like a crazy person. She needed to know. And after the other night, she needed to talk. Even if Asher hadn't said when, she knew today was his morning off and decided to head over with coffee and muffins for breakfast. He'd kissed her and it had felt so familiar. It was comfort she'd missed and she couldn't ignore his words. If he still loved her, maybe they could... give this a real shot as parents... being more than friends. She smiled at the thought as she knocked, though the smile quickly faded from her red lips when her blue eyes landed on the girl covered by his bed sheet. "I... I don't need to know where he is... it's pretty obvious," she breathed, feeling the tears stinging her eyes. "I'm sorry I don't have another coffee for three," she shook her head, her tone slightly sarcastic to cover how hurt she felt. Shoving them at her, she turned, holding her stomach as she tried to move fast.

Asher: Asher stirred when Giselle slipped out of bed, not fully awake yet. He heard her footsteps padding out of the bedroom as he slowly blinked his eyes open and stretched his arms above his head. He took in the state of the room: clothes, discarded on the floor; the half-made crib in one corner. His stomach churned unpleasantly. He wasn't naive enough to think he hadn't messed up—but that hadn't stopped him from bringing Giselle home with him after their date the night before. He started to move when he heard the knock at the door, but with no great hurry as he grabbed a pair of boxer briefs and pulled them on. He rummaged around for a shirt, wondering vaguely who might be at the door at this time of the morning. Charlie, maybe, coming to see Ben. That thought had him speeding up, not wanting Ellie's best friend to catch Giselle in her state of undress opening the door. He tugged the shirt over his head as he jogged out of the bedroom, just in time to see Ellie's face in the doorway. "El," he called out, running towards the door. "El, wait. Please, just wait. It's not..." He trailed off and bit his lip. It was exactly what it looked like, but he couldn't let her leave. He caught her arm.

Giselle: wasn’t stupid, and her mouth fell into an oval as she scoffed at the cliché of him. If this was a movie, she would have slapped him. If this was a movie, it would have seemed too easy, missing all the hints in the dark of the night. Only to have them explode in her face the next day. Why hadn’t he said he wished to use her as a means to an end? Sex. It was all she was good for, and the heartbroken girl... This was her fault. She’d been stupid to be vulnerable in front of him. Now, Giselle wanted to sink into the floorboards. Burn until she could disappear and be nothing but ash. Trampled upon. Destroyed. The cup holder fell with a flourish, and she searched the living room for her dress, finding it draped over a chair, almost elegantly, before running into the bathroom. Angry and ashamed.

Ellie: Ellie felt like such an idiot, all she wanted right now was to disappear, for everything she was feeling to be gone. Her breathing was heavy as she fought back her tears, she felt physically sick. She'd done it again... she'd been a fool again. And she felt herself crumble, letting out a sob as she rushed away from his apartment. She heard him say her name, but she ignored him, she couldn't look at him. She didn't want to see him. Ellie shook her head. "No," she breathed, feeling his hand on her arm. She quickly pulled it back. "Don't touch me. Don't come anywhere near me," she wrapped her arm around her front, still refusing to look at him. "There's an upset girl waiting inside for you... just go," she said, her voice cracking.

Asher: Asher looked around as Giselle rushed off and sighed. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and then looked at Ellie. One thing at a time. "Ellie, please," he said again in a soft voice. But the worst thing was he didn't know what to say. He couldn't give her some thinly veiled lies about how it had been an accident or how he hadn't meant for it to happen—and not because she'd see right through them but because he couldn't hurt her like that. He had to be honest, even if the honest answer probably wouldn't help his case any. "You're upset. I'm not just letting you go when you're like this. Ellie, you—" He took a deep breath. "Me and Giselle went out for dinner and she stayed the night. And I know why you're upset but we... We're not together. We haven't been together for over six months. And I know the other night... And I know I should have told you before but I was scared it would become a big thing when it might be nothing." He swallowed, twisting his hands anxiously in front of him.

Giselle: pressed her palms into her eyes, knowing that she had no right to cry. Thus, the tears stopped almost on command. She swiped at the corners, filled her palms with water, and doused her face, washing away any hints of the night before, wishing to scrub away every part of her that had touched him until she reached bone. No, marrow. It was her mother’s voice that stopped her when her knuckles turned pink. Respirare. She did, busying her hands by braiding the hair out of her eyes, ending it with a delicate loop before, and sliding reluctantly into last night’s dress. Giselle could burn this material thing, running the action of putting it through the incinerator over and over in her mind as she waited. How was she going to get out of here? Hell, she even considered the window, but it was too far and the ledges were narrow. PRINCESS SCALES APARTMENT BUILDING. That would be a headline, and one hell of a walk of shame. So, shutting her eyes, she rested on a toilet seat. Uncommon in every sense of the world.

UGLY CHATZY DECIDED TO DELETE THIS BIT EW. HAVE A SUMMARY: Ellie confronts Asher, but nearly loses consciousness from not eating. He insists that she go inside and manages to coerce her slightly. Giselle enters the room on command when she hears that Ellie is ill and attempts to find something for her to eat. An apple and some water. Asher attempts to take the reigns on the situation, but Ellie protests and Giselle defends her. CONTRACTIONS!

Asher: Asher fell silent. He wanted to protest that he was only trying to look out for Ellie, not belittle her, but it was clear that whatever he said to either of them was going to be taken badly. He scrubbed his hands over his face, exhausted and defeated. Ellie, at least, he understood. But Giselle had no right to be angry with him: he hadn't lied to her, hadn't deceived her. He set down the water and then hovered uncertainly near the two women. His eyes fell to how Ellie was clutching her stomach. "Ellie, please. If not for yourself, then for Maya. Tell me what's going on. Should I call the doctor?"

Giselle: placed the food on the table, backing away prepared to make herself sparse again. What was she supposed to say? I'm sorry your boyfriend, fiance, signifigant other cheated on you with me. It all felt wrong. She felt wrong like she was entruding in a situation that was beyond her. It felt helpless. All of it. Ellie was somewhere between early labor and a panic attack, and Giselle knew how to calm her. Knew how to deal with such things at least on a subjective level. She went back into the bathroom and returned with the warm compress. It had calming effect, and she wished for alloe of sage oil as she placed it beside the dish.

Ellie: Ellie's breathing was already heavy and slightly broken, before she'd even realised what was happening. Something didn't feel right, she leaned forward slightly, feeling the stabbing pains again. "I'm always in some sort of pain, lately... it's fine." She dismissed him. It was true, she'd experienced quite a lot of uncomfortable pains throughout her pregnancy. Recently, though she was also feeling pains in her lower stomach and along her lower back quite often. She thought the stomach pains were just cause she was hungry, or tired, or stressed... but right now these felt different. "I'm okay," she insisted. "I don't want to be here."

Asher: "No, it's not fine," Asher said firmly. "Pains are not fine and they're not normal. Why didn't you tell me? Or at least go to the doctor?" He grabbed his phone from the table and unlocked it. "Fine, great, you don't want to be here. That's fine because we're going to the hospital." His hands were shaking as he pulled up the number for their doctor. He put the phone to his ear and glanced at Giselle. "I'm sorry to ask this but is your driver still around? Could he take us?" Everything else, the whole chaotic mess that had unfolded between the three of them, was going to have to wait.

Giselle: huffed aggravated at him, and her voice was equally enraged. “You have no place to be sharp with her. You are the reason she is upset. In Spain, they used to castrate men who cheated on their significant others. Especially when they were pregnant. I will take care of it. Go! Put some clothes on.” She practically shoved him in the direction of the bedroom, taking his phone from his hand and bending in front of Ellie. She made a point of ensuring distance. “He can’t make you go or stay, Ellie. No matter what he says, and I know I’m the last person you’d like to be here with right now, and I’m sorry, but I’ve seen early labor before. The b-b-baby who you sing to. You want her to be safe. Yes? For her to be safe, you have to find strength, take care of yourself, and check on her. It’ll be okay. I promise.”

Giselle: pondered the reality of the situations for a moment's time. She stood and cornered him keeping her voice low and even. "You really should. Do you think that you're helping with your tone? Do you think handling her harshly is making her any less afraid? Do you think it’s making her want you to be in your child’s life? Tread carefully. You're making it worst. The stress of you. Your anger. You’re making the process accelerate. Don’t rush her. You are not in charge here. She is… She is the one having your child She is afraid and doesn’t want you here. I know you’re angry and afraid but don’t turn into a tyrant and an asshole because of it.” Giselle kept her distance from Ellie but rose her voice slightly. “D-Do you have someone t-t-to call Ellie? I’ll take care of Cylon here, and he’ll b-be in a separate car to give you space.”

Ellie: "Don't talk about me like I'm not here," she yelled, using the little energy she had left. "I just walked into a shit situation this morning... and I wish I was anywhere but here... but..." She paused, unable to talk for a moment as she felt another sharp pain. This time she looked over at Giselle when she defended her, she wasn't her favourite person right now... but she was grateful for her words. "But... I... something is not right. And I am fucking scared. And this has happened... and you're yelling at me... stop." She shook her head. "My mom is out of town. I... I'll call Charlie," she said, looking over at Giselle again. "And then my mom. Hopefully she can get here as soon as she can." She winced, holding her arms around herself and barely looking at Asher. "I don't want you there. You're right about that. I don't want to see you."

Asher: Asher looked between Giselle and Ellie. "I'm trying to help," he mumbled. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. She clearly wasn't okay and the longer she was here meant the longer she wasn't getting seen to by a doctor. But no matter what he did or said, he was apparently the bad guy. Ellie's words stung, too—he could understand that she didn't want to see him, but the idea that the baby could be born without him there made emotion well up in his chest. "Can I least get my phone back so I can call Charlie for her, if that's what she wants. I'll leave her mom a message, too," he said to Giselle quietly. "I..." He trailed off and shook his head, taking the phone and moving into the hallway to make the calls. He took a breath and tried to remain focused on what he needed to do, and not by how angry and upset he was.

Giselle: took him by the shoulders, setting him as far away from Ellie as the room would allow. “Sit. Ask don’t demand.” She turned back to the girl, furrowing her brows in concern. “Do you need Asher or I to call someone or can you do it yourself, Ellie? Would you b-b-be completely averred to an ambulance or perhaps a police escort. Time is relatively important…” She sat at Ellie’s feet, encouraging her to breath by steadying her own. "What can I d-d-do to help?"

Ellie: Ellie's eyes closed a moment, the pains overwhelming her body. She could hear both Asher and Giselle still talking, but their voices were almost a blur, fuzzy and making little sense to her. She could barely concentrate on anything but the pains... contractions. But she couldn't say that word. This couldn't be happening yet. She took a deep breath, trying to snap herself back into the room. She needed to focus. "I... I can call my mom. You shouldn't do it..." her breathing was heavy as she spoke. "But you're still doing it... still talking about me like I'm not here in the room. At least Giselle is talking to me." Her blue eyes watched the back of his head as he moved to the hallway. "I... I need someone. I don't... just... Charlie. I don't want an ambulance. I don't... want a fuss. I..." She let out a sob. This couldn't be happening here. Not like this. Not after this morning.

Asher: Asher took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. "I tried talking to you but you won't listen to me," he said, his voice flat and almost toneless. It was as close as he could get to being calm right now. "If you call your mom like this, she will completely and utterly freak out. And I figured it was better that I spoke to her than Giselle try and explain who she is. But whatever you want to do. And if you want me to stay here and not come with you, then that's fine, too." He stared down at the ground, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. This was not how he'd pictured welcoming his daughter into the world.

Giselle: went with her instincts, circling Ellie with her arms and holding her close. By all accounts, this wasn’t her place, but she felt the need in the air. “I’m here. It’s okay.” It was true. She had Giselle’s complete and utter being. There for her. Steady. Constant. “I’ll get a hold of Charlie for you and will get your Mom to you, I promise. It’s okay, Ellie. D-D-Don’t be scared. It’s alright. You’ve got to take care of your little one. She’ll be okay and so will you. I know it hurts. Breathe.” She pulled away, keeping her hands in Ellie’s. “D-D-Do you think you can stand up?”

Ellie: Ellie wasn't expecting the girl to move her arms around her, but for a brief moment, she didn't stop her. She was afraid, no, she was terrified. She needed some form of human contact right now, some comfort. She finally pulled away from Giselle slightly, trying to get her head together. She glanced up at Asher. "No. That was not talking. That was yelling... and right now, I don't want to listen to you. All you ever tell me is lies," she breathed, placing her hand on her stomach. "My mom... is my mom. I need to talk to her. I'm upset and it's your fault... it's your fault this is so much worse right now," she let out a sob. "We're... not together. You said so yourself. I don't want you in that room with me." She looked down at her knees, nodding a little at Giselle's question. "I think I can stand... thank you," she said quietly.

Asher: Asher shook his head. "I..." He swallowed. There was no point trying. He sank down onto the floor and put his head onto his knees.

Ellie:  Ellie looked over at Asher and sighed. She needed to put her own feelings aside, this was their baby. "I... want you to be there. When it happens," she said quietly.