The Redemption of Ace Merrill

It's Stella.

Ace sat there as he picked up the newspaper Eyeball had left.

"You wanna read it?" He asked quietly, holding it out to her.

She nodded slowly. He spun it around to her as he sat there waiting for her to read.

"What's that word?" She whispered pointing down.

"Fiancée." Ace grumbled.

She nodded slowly as she carefully began to try reading again. A few knocks were heard at the front door, yet as Ace got up to go, he felt her fingers grab his again.

He looked down at her as she shook her head slowly.

"Please stay." She begged.

Ace sighed but nodded, sitting back down opposite her.

Eyeball soon appeared at the door, Ace and Stella both looked up to greet him.

He nodded slowly at Ace. "Someone called the cops after the scene at the diner..." he mumbled as he scratched the back of his head. "They wanna talk to her."

"No." Stella quickly answered.

"It's just a little chat Artois." He said as he came closer.

Stella clenched tighter around Ace's fingers.

"Don't make me go." She pleaded quietly, shaking her head and staring at Ace. "Don't make me go."

Ace shook his head slowly. He couldn't keep her. She wasn't his. She never was.

Turning back to Eyeball, he nodded. "Have Charlie get the rest of the boys. Cops stand one side, you all line up in between. They make one move, she walks."

Eyeball nodded as he quickly left the room. Stella looked up at Ace.

"It says my names Oceane." She mumbled as she looked down at the newspaper.

"Apparently so." He mumbled.

"I don't like it." She shoved the newspaper away.

"Stell it's your name."

She shook her head. "You've just proved yourself wrong."

Ace was confused.

"You called me Stell, Ace." She whispered.

"You'll always be Stell to me." He whispered back.

Her fingers gripped his a little tighter.

"I wanna be Stell all the time." She begged him as her eyes softly filled with tears again.

"Hey come on now." He whispered as he leant forward, gently brushing her cheeks as the tears fell.

"Heroes don't cry."

Stella nodded slowly. "Shut up Ace." She tried to laugh.

"You remember now reading any of that?" He asked nodding at the newspaper.

"Would it change things if I said yes?" She asked quietly.

"Depends." Ace mumbled.

"On?"

"On if you still wanna marry that dickhead." He snapped pointing down the small photo of her and her fiancée.

A small smile came to her face. "You don't know him Ace."

"Yeah well you don't know him either do you?" He almost snapped at her.

Stella was silent.

"Stell I'm sorry." He looked down at the newspaper on the side of the bed.