❝reunion (pronounced riːˈjuːnjən or re-yoon-yuh n), noun
an instance of two or more people coming together again after a period of separation.❞
"What the hell was that?!" yelled Ivy in the car. "You- you can't be serious, did you actually just spring a bombshell in the court, not to mention under oath?!"
"It's the truth."
"I don't give a shit, Elle! I'm not just your mother, I'm your lawyer, and I'm trying to get you acquitted!"
"I know you didn't believe me when I said I was innocent," said Elle.
Cassie put a hand on Elle's arm, and said, "Ivy, listen. Elle didn't tell you because it's the reason Frank killed Gabriel. He killed him because otherwise Gabriel would have called the police. Because he wanted to marry Elle."
Ivy stopped the car at the remand, and Elle stepped out, walking inside. Ivy signed her in, and they went back to her room together.
They sat down, and Elle couldn't look at her mother. Her hands were shaking too hard. "Elle, would you look at me, please?"
"I can't," whispered Elle, and then the tears began. She began sobbing, the first time she had really cried since she had left to go to Gabriel's house. All she could think about was the horrible look on Drew's face, the look that was both disgusted and horrified by her.
"I'm not just your mother, I'm your lawyer," repeated Ivy gently. "We need to have mutual trust, otherwise I can't help you. I need you to tell me the whole truth and nothing but the truth, or it's not going to go well for you or for me."
She shook her head. "Drew," she whispered.
"What?"
But Elle could hear him. He was outside. He was yelling. "I don't care, I may as well be family, I'm her boyfriend and I want to see her!"
Ivy shook her head. "No, Elle, he can't-"
"If I can't see him, I'm not saying anything," said Elle defiantly.
Ivy glared, then threw her hands into the air in frustration. "Of course I had to give my only daughter the stubbornness that makes her the most difficult client in the world," she snapped, before walking out and slamming the door behind her.
Cassie glanced at Elle. "Ellie, I didn't know you were going to say that on the stand," she whispered.
"I didn't either." She was still crying. "I want Drew. I want to tell him I'm sorry."
"I heard him when we were coming back, he said he wanted to have you back so that he could keep you safe."
The door opened again, and Drew ran in. He tackled Elle, hugging her tightly and whispering over and over, "It'll be okay, it's gonna be fine, Ellie, I promise, I'm here now. You're safe, you're safe and you're loved, please tell me that you're okay."
And Elle cried. She let out all the tears she had been holding in, and Drew held her, drying her tears, being the rock that she had needed for the whole year that they'd been apart, and he held her. He didn't need to say anything. He just had to envelope her in his warm, chocolatey scent, and kiss her hair.
"Now," he breathed, when her tears subsided just slightly. "Are you ready to tell your mom what happened?"
She looked at Ivy, then back at him, and whispered, "No. Not her. I want to tell you."
Ivy's lips went pale, and she looked down. "Alright," she said finally. "Am I allowed to leave a recording device in here, and you tell Drew by yourself?"
"Okay," she whispered.
Ivy went back to the remand office, and got a little, tablet like device and a small microphone, which she connected to Elle's collar. "Try not to smother this," she said. "I know you don't want me to listen, but I need to know. Okay?"
Elle shook her head. "It's not that I don't want you to listen," whispered Elle. "It's that I can't look you in the eyes while I tell you. I'm scared, Mom."
Ivy seemed like she was frozen, staring at her, and she realised that it was the first time that she had really referred to her as her mother. "It's gonna be okay," breathed Ivy. "I promise."
"Okay," whispered Elle. Drew came back in, sitting beside her, and Ivy left the room.
The moment they were all gone, Drew took her hand. "We should lie down," he said. "That way, we can cuddle again."
She nodded silently, and they lay down together. Elle lay her head in the crook of his shoulder, and Drew let his arms wrap around her gently. "Start from the beginning," he whispered. "Tell me whatever you think is important."
She closed her eyes, imagining that they were back to the night they had first made love to one another, when they were ready to trust each other with anything and everything. "I'm so sorry."
"You've done nothing wrong."
"That night, the night I broke up with you, oh God-"
"No, Ellie," he said gently. "I know. It's okay."
"He... he called the two of us outside. He started talking about... about how he had a gun and he had six bullets- one for all of them. One for Ma, Pa, Robbie, Spence, Red and Nick- but he only needed one. And he aimed at you through the window. He was so close... I panicked, told him we'd do anything, and he said to break up with you and leave with him, and to not call the police. He lied. He told us he killed Ivy."
Drew hugged her close, kissing her forehead. "Then?"
"Then... then I broke up with you," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry for," he said quietly. "I forgave you two years ago, Elle."
Her breathing was unsteady, and she couldn't breathe deeply. "Ellie, in through your nose, out through your mouth," he reminded her, rubbbing her back. "Can you do that for me?"
She nodded, but still couldn't. She felt like she was failing him. He shushed her softly, stroking her hair to calm her down and holding her close. "You keep apologising, but I'm honestly just glad that you're alive. I can take care of you now, I promise."
She nodded silently, and Drew kissed her hair. "Then?"
"He... took care of us. I wish I could have hated him, I wish he gave me another reason to, but he didn't. He took amazing care of us, even though he had a gambling problem. It left us in this tiny little house, and his friends would come over and play poker and bet on the sports channel for hours. There was one guy, Frank, who always seemed to be trying to be alone with Cassie. Around... July last year, he came and he threatened to rape Cassie if she didn't go with him quietly. She was... she was begging me for help, and I decided she didn't need to be impure and broken like I already was. Adrian deserved that much."
"You went with him?"
"He made me promise not to tell a soul. He also made me promise that whenever he wanted me, he got to have me. He told me that if I told Gabriel... he'd kill him."
"You cared for Gabriel?"
"He threatened us to force us to come with him, but when we did, he... he took good care of us. He made sure I was getting my medications, and he made sure we were eating enough and all. He had a gambling problem, though, so we didn't really have much. Cassie earned money for us, and she was trying to get us tickets to go to Nashville."
"Okay. Then what happened?"
"It kept... kept happening, and I kept getting hurt every time, and finally, I told him. I told Gabriel that Frank was raping me, and he told me- told me to call Hunter-" Elle was stuttering, and Drew rubbed her back.
"Breathe, darling," he said, but she shook her head.
"Let go of me for just one moment," she whispered, and he did so immediately.
"Ellie?"
"T-They feel the same," she breathed, sitting up. "Your hands and... his hands, and Pa's hands. Men's hands. And your eyes are the s-same colour as his. Yours are a b-b-bit lighter, but not by m-much..."
Drew looked down, not sure what to do. Back when things were simpler, all he had to do to reassure Elle was hug her, kiss her, tighten his grip on her. How was he supposed to help her if he couldn't even touch her?
She started crying again. "I'm so sorry."
"No," he said softly. "No, Ellie, don't be sorry. I know this is hard, it's okay."
"I'm just-" she choked out, before breaking into sobs. "I love you so much, Drew, I'm so sorry..."
"Don't be sorry, my love," he whispered. "Don't be sorry."
She calmed herself down, breathing deeply, before taking his hand. His hand was so much larger than hers, the palm alone enveloping her hand entirely. He brought it up to his mouth, kissing it delicately. "Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah. Let's get this over with. Ivy needs this recording done."
"Right, yeah," he said. "Do you want to come closer again?"
She moved closer to him, kissing his cheek. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he said gently. "Tell me about Frank now, okay?"
"Y-Yep." She took a deep breath. "I went with him. He wasn't kind. He... he abused me. Did whatever he wanted, because if I didn't let him, he'd threaten Cassie again. I... I can't think about that night. I got home, and I was bruised, and bleeding, and then it happened again, and again and again."
Drew paused for a moment, his mind racing back, and suddenly his eyes widened. "Oh my god."
"What?"
"I knew," he whispered. "Adrian told me- his girlfriend's sister- oh my God, Ellie, I-"
"I know," said Elle. "I told him to message you. He had been following you on Instagram anyway, but most of the time, when he was messaging you, I was telling him what to say. That last night, when he said he was drunk? That was me. I just told you that so that you wouldn't question my spelling mistakes."
Drew was speechless. He hadn't fallen in love with Adrian- he had fallen for Elle all over again. "I..."
"It was the only way I could keep in contact with you. I'm sorry that I lied-"
"You didn't lie," he said. "You kept in contact with me. I'd've gone insane if you hadn't, Ellie."
She nuzzled into his neck, kissing him there, and he tentatively wrapped his arms around her, holding her. "I've got you," he said gently. "I'm right here, Cookie, I've got you."
She closed her eyes. "And... and then I came back home one night and I realised that I had to come back to you. That was the night I talked to you. The next morning, I talked to Gabriel, and he told me that Frank had come 'round asking for my hand in marriage. We told him what had happened, and he apologised, and said that I should come back with Cassie. She went to Adrian's for dinner, and Gabriel and I stayed home. We were looking through photo albums together." She sighed. "That's all I remember."
"You don't remember?"
"It's... blank. I don't know what happened in that time, but... I realised that it happens when I'm with Frank as well. I don't remember what happens when I'm with him, and... I think it was when he came in that my memories aren't coming back. I just know that when he's gone, I'm sore and in pain, and I feel filthy."
He looked sad, his hand tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear- the first gentle touch she had felt from a man since... well, since the night she had left him. Adrian loved her like a sister, but wasn't much of a hugger. Or a toucher, either. Drew had kissed her a week ago, sure, but it was anything but gentle.
"So you think that it's him because you can't remember?" asked Drew softly.
Elle nodded, then remembered that the recording device wouldn't hear her nodding. "Yes. Exactly."
"Alright. Let's get Ivy back in here, and we'll let you rest, okay?"
"It was good seeing you again, Drew."
"I'm so glad that you're alive," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "I love you, okay?"
"I love you, too," she breathed, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around him. "Don't leave, Beanbag, please..."
"I have to, darling," he whispered, holding her tight. "You're in remand, I can't-"
"N-No, please," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks. "I can't stay here alone again."
"Elle, I can't," he breathed. "I'm sorry, my love. But it'll be over soon and we can stay together, okay?"
She looked into his brown eyes, then let out a quiet sob, burying her face in his shoulder. "I'm gonna miss you," she breathed, and he breathed in the smell of her hair.
"Everything will be perfect soon, Ellie," he whispered. "I promise."
Elle pushed his fringe away from his eyes, smiling slightly through her tears. "It's gonna be okay, right?"
"Right," he said. "It's gonna be perfect soon. I pinky promise."
*a/n: so my friend and i were sitting together recently, and he looked over my shoulder while i was writing this chapter, and said, "i have a proposal for you, nethii"
so i looked up and i was like "yeah, what's up?"
"i want to finish one of your chapters for you. no context, no nothing. i get a part of your chapter, and i finish it however i want."
i kinda just stared at him for a bit, and then i was like "i've written five books. this is the twenty third chapter of the fifth book. there is so much context necessary for this chapter."
"exactly. c'mon, it'll be hilarious."
so i begrudgingly handed him my ipod. not gonna lie, the result was fucking hilarious, and i couldn't stop laughing. unfortunately really short ("ohmygod nethii why is your ipod so tiny how am i meant to write on this"), but it's still pretty funny. so, have fun reading a little extra part from broden, who... well, his writing style is... well...
you'll know when his writing starts and mine stops. trust me.
~
"What the hell was that?!" yelled Ivy in the car. "You- you can't be serious, did you actually just spring a bombshell in the court, not to mention under oath?!"
"It's the truth."
"I don't give a shit, Elle! I'm not just your mother, I'm your lawyer, and I'm trying to get you acquitted!"
"I know you didn't believe me when I said I was innocent," said Elle.
Cassie put a hand on Elle's arm, and said, "Ivy, listen. Elle didn't tell you because it's the reason Frank killed Gabriel. He killed him because otherwise Gabriel would have called the police."
Ivy stopped the car at the remand, and Elle stepped out, walking inside. Ivy signed her in, and they went back to her room together.
They sat down, and Elle couldn't look at her mother. Her hands were shaking too hard. "Elle, would you look at me, please?"
"I can't," whispered Elle, and then the tears began. She began sobbing, the first time she had really cried since she had left to go to Gabriel's house. All she could think about was the horrible look on Drew's face, the look that was both disgusted and horrified by her.
"I'm not just your mother, I'm your lawyer," repeated Ivy gently. "We need to have mutual trust, otherwise I can't help you. I need you to tell me the whole truth and nothing but the truth, or it's not going to go well for you or for me."
She shook her head. "Drew," she whispered.
"What?"
But Elle could hear him. He was outside. He was yelling. "I don't care, I may as well be family, I'm her boyfriend and I want to see her!"
Ivy shook her head. "No, Elle, he can't-"
"If I can't see him, I'm not saying anything," said Elle defiantly.
Ivy glared, then threw her hands into the air in frustration. "I Of course I had to give my only daughter the stubbornness that makes her the most difficult client in the world," she snapped, before walking out and slamming the door behind her.
Ivy's parting words stung, and Elle swore that she would never tell the fucking bitch what really happened... of course she helped to kill Gabriel, he had no clue how to shut his slutty mouth, and now apparently, neither did her mother.
Ivy had to die.
The vivid memory of Gabriel's bloody face came back in haunting detail; the deep gashes cut like ravines into the bone, the bruises that had formed within instances of the brutal onslaught of violence, like a hellbent whirlwind on meth.
With a determined yet grim expression on her face, Elle began to plan; an ostensible suicide? a framed murder? and if so who to frame it on? The answer flashed before her eyes.
Cassie.
The plan was simple. Pretend to make up with Ivy and propose a girls night with Cass. The real difficulty would be to manufacture a motive, a possible reason that Cass could have to murder her friend's mother.
~
again, no context, unfortunately unfinished. then again, is context necessary?
maybe not :D
nethii <3*