❝time (pronounced tʌɪm or tahym), noun
the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.❞
Three years passed, and Elle was sitting in the courtroom again.
Drew was sitting behind her in the crowd, and the hundreds upon hundreds of people were staring at her as she sat at the witness stand, Frank leering at her from below. The strange woman, the one with skin so pale that she would make snow look dark and blue eyes that would put any sapphire to shame, smirked at her.
"You claim that Frank raped you multiple times?" asked the woman.
"Yes."
"You claim that he ruined your mental wellbeing?"
"Yes."
"And how does he plead?"
"N-Not guilty."
"And you can prove that he is?"
"I- I mean, if you just look at the evidence-"
"You really think that some evidence from four years ago is going to make any difference?" The lawyer looked at the judge with a smile. "I think it's clear what the ruling of this case should be, your Honour."
The judge slammed his gavel, and said, "Mr Frank Dunne, you have been found not guilty. Elle Hayes-Lockhart, you have been found guilty of lying under oath in court, and you are hereby sentenced to death."
"W-What?!"
A guard grabbed Elle's arm, and she screamed, fighting against him. Drew was fighting to get through the crowd, to save Elle, and she was wrestled to the ground as he yelled her name repeatedly. "Ellie! Ellie, no!"
"Drew!"
She felt cold metal on the back of her head, and heard a gunshot, and she shook awake, crying out.
Drew stirred beside her. "Mmm. Ellie?"
"F*ck. Nightmare," she breathed, sitting up in their bed. He switched on the lamp on their bedside table and blinked tiredly, looking at her.
"What happened, baby?"
"Just- just the court case. Bad dream. That's all."
He sighed, taking her hand gently and reaching over, passing her a glass of water. She took a sip, trying to ease her racing heart. "Are you ready to leave tomorrow? I packed everything and checked it all before we went to bed, but-"
"Yeah. Yeah, it's all fine."
He chuckled slightly, glancing at her. "I feel like your nightmare really shook you up. Why don't we go somewhere?"
"We need to be at the airport in a bit, though."
"And so we can sleep on the plane," he said, sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed. "C'mon. We'll drive somewhere."
"Are you sure? It's cold outside, you might get sick."
He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "You're my soulmate, not my mother," he reminded her, and made her blush slightly. "Here, I know how much you like my hoodies."
Two years ago, Elle was told that her cancer was 'holding steady'. Last year, Drew had asked if she wanted to move into an aparment with him, and so they now rented a tiny little apartment, with just enough space for the two of them, and room for a guest if needed. Every day, without fail, Drew would ask her to marry him again. And she'd say no again. "Not yet," she'd always reply. He would nod, and kiss her once to show that it didn't affect him the way it once did, and they'd fall back into their familiar routine.
Everything, honestly, was much better than it had been. Amber appeared less frequently, and Elle was only becoming more and more beautiful, her eyes shining, her hair growing back to its original thickness. Her doctors had high hopes, and so did Drew. If things worked out the way they were meant to, maybe everything would be okay in the end.
She slipped the hoodie on over her tank top gratefully, and pulled on a pair of warm socks, while Drew quickly found his keys. He put some water to boil, making them both some tea, and poured it into a thermos. He took her hand and they stepped out into the chilly night air, Drew fumbling with the key and locking the door behind them.
They got into Drew's truck and Drew began driving. Half an hour passed, and they were driving through a dark, foresty area, before reaching a clearing that was a perfect view of Nashville over a cliff. He smiled at her, squeezing her hand, and helped her sit on the hood of the car.
After pouring them both some tea, they sat in silence together, sipping at the tea and their knees touching. Elle rested her head on Drew's shoulder, and he kissed the top of her head, taking her empty cup from her and placing it behind them. "Wanna talk about your dream?"
"I dunno. It's s-stupid."
"It's not if it scared you," he said gently, kissing the top of her head and wrapping his arms around her. "Go on."
"It was a dream about the court. I dreamt that they- they found me guilty and sentenced me to death."
"Guilty of what?"
"Lying on the stand."
"Perjury?"
"I don't know what that means, but sure."
He let out a slight chuckle, but nuzzled his face against her hair. "Oh, my darling," he said gently. "Everything is going to work out perfectly. You know that, don't you?"
She glanced up at him. He had changed, somewhat. He was a little rounder, not as skinny as he had been three years ago, and his hair was darker, not as long. He still refused to leave it curly, but he looked happier with himself. "I know it will," she said quietly. "It's just- just a matter of- oh, I don't know, Drew. I'm so scared about this damn case. I'm scared Amber's gonna show up all of a sudden."
"If she does, I'll take care of it." He kissed her. "Amber isn't so scared of me anymore. Trusts me, even."
"Yeah, but..." She sighed. "I can't believe it's been this long and I still haven't gotten through to her. I still don't remember anything."
"Maybe that's for the better."
"Maybe."
He kissed her again, gently keeping a hand on her waist and nuzzling his nose against hers. He pulled away. "Marry me," he breathed.
"Not yet," she whispered back, and he nodded, kissing her again, just once, before squeezing her hand.
"I love you."
"I love you more. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, you know."
"I know," he said, and she laughed, nudging him.
"Dork."
He smiled. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah."
"Ready to go home?"
"Let's do it."
<><><><><><><><>
Elle stared out at their little apartment, the quaint little area just enough space for them. Drew worked so many jobs trying to maintain this place, to pay the bills and the rent, and she was scared that unless she got better, he'd never be able to keep going like this. He worked so hard, she knew that, and he always hid it from her, how tired he always was. He pulled their suitcases into the living room and smiled at her. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Have you told the landlord that we're not gonna be here for a while?"
"The courts are paying rent for a little while, just until this case is over, since we can't control our income and stuff. We're gonna be fine," he said. "You look tense."
"I am tense."
"I know, sweetheart. Just think of it as a holiday. We're staying at a nice hotel, we're gonna be having a nice time to just relax until this trial blows over. Let's just let everything slow down."
"Easy for you to say," she mumbled. "I'm the one going up on the stand."
"I know. I'm sorry, I'm just-"
"- trying to make me feel better. Yeah." She stood. "Let's get going, the cab will be here soon."
"Alright." He took her hand, and she helped him with the luggage, carrying it outside, and they waited on the front doorstep.
Elle's phone rang, and she answered. "Hello?"
"Ellie! You're going to California today?"
"Hey, Ma. Yeah, they want us there tonight so that we can go over what I'm saying with Toole."
"I see. You're ready?"
"I dunno. I don't think I have a choice, do you?"
"Mmm." Ryan sighed. "You can talk to us anytime, you know."
"I'll be okay. I'll have Drew." He looked at her when he heard his name and smiled slightly. He kissed her cheek. "I promise I'll keep you both updated."
"Good luck, darling. We're rooting for you!"
"Love you, Ma."
"I love you, too."
Elle hung up, tucking her phone back in her pocket. "Ryan?" asked Drew, and she nodded curtly. He sighed, taking her hand gently and not making conversation. He understood, better than anyone, that she needed some time to think.
It had taken them both some getting used to, living together. Elle didn't realise how messy she was until she realised what a neat freak Drew was. He was always getting frustrated about how she'd leave a book on the table, or leave the dishes in the sink unwashed every night, saying that she'd, "do it tomorrow," and how she would just leave her clothes on their bed. He'd constantly put everything away without telling her, which would lead to fights about how she didn't know where anything was because he'd put it all away without telling her where.
It also took Drew a few days to realise that Elle couldn't handle loud noises. She'd crack, end up having a panic attack, and he'd be left to pick up the pieces. He slowly stopped playing the TV loudly, or speaking loudly to her at all. He was loud around the house so that she always knew where he was, and would never yell. He tried to be quiet and gentle with her, making their home a space where she could be alone with her thoughts or with him.
They had both adapted to living with each other. Elle was neater, though Drew still had a tendency to clean up after her, and Drew was quieter, truly taking care of her the best he could. They were made for each other, there was no other way to put it.
She was daydreaming through customs, until finally, she and Drew ended up at the gate. Elle's eyes were falling shut, and Drew hoisted her onto his lap, letting her rest her head on his shoulder and keep warm in the cool, air-conditioned environment of the airport. She fell asleep almost immediately, and he stayed awake, stroking her hair and thinking about the case itself.
Frank had a lot of evidence against him- enough to make a case. After Elle had come forward, some doctors and psychiatrists observed her behaviour, trying to communicate with Amber through her and trying to get a full understanding of how many charges of rape Frank was up against, along with how much of the ordeal was able to be punished by the law.
Elle was a broken individual. He knew that, as he stroked her hair. No one else that he knew absolutely broke apart the moment someone raised their voice. No one else that he knew would sit at their dining table and flinch every time she felt someone pass behind her.
But no one else loved him like she did. He loved her too, unconditionally. He couldn't live without her, and he had a feeling she couldn't live without him either.
The boarding call came over the loudspeaker, and Drew gently shook Elle awake. "Time to board the plane, Cookie."
She nodded, kissing him once, very sleepily, before staggering to her feet and fumbling her way over to the gate. He chuckled, following after her. She had him wrapped around her little finger, and he loved it.
<><><><><><><><>
"Our new home for the next, what, couple of months? It's cozy," said Drew, setting their bags down in their room.
"I hope we don't stay here long," mumbled Elle. "I like our house."
Drew kissed her. "As long as we're together, does it matter where we go?"
"I guess not."
He walked into the shower and whistled. "This is so fancy. I can't believe we get to live here."
Elle almost said something stupid. She almost mentioned how it wasn't really that amazing, how it was just a hotel room, but then she remembered that something like this was a rare opportunity for Drew. He didn't grow up surrounded by money the way Elle had, and she knew that he tried so hard to work and earn money so that he could live up to her 'expectations'. Saying something like that would have ruined his mood, maybe even started an argument. And honestly, she was just too tired.
"I might sleep," she mumbled, lying down on the bed and hissing in pain. Today wasn't a good day.
"Are you okay?"
"Just the usual chronic pain, you know how it is," she said with a forced laugh.
Drew pursed his lips. "I'll get painkiller and NyQuil," he said, standing up and looking through their baggage. "You weren't so bad on the plane."
"I dunno," she mumbled, adjusting herself. The bed was incredibly comfortable. "Just hurts."
He handed her the painkillers and some water. "Do you mind if I explore a little bit?" he asked, trying to hide his pure excitement. His eyes were sparkling. "I just haven't really been to a hotel like this before. I mean, the last time was when we came to a nice place after your trial, and we only stayed one night so I didn't really-"
"Go ahead, you don't have to make excuses for me," she said.
He smiled, kissing her quickly. "I love you. I'll come back soon, alright? Do you want me to order some food up here so that we don't have to go down to the restaurant? This trip is all expenses paid, after all."
"Yeah, sure," she said quietly. "Not for a while, though. I'm feeling nauseous."
"Of course." He kissed her forehead. "I'll see you in a bit."
"Bye," she said, and rolled over, facing the window on the other side of the room. She heard the door lock behind her.
The thing about living with someone else was that she didn't really get the alone time she needed anymore. Back when it was just her family, she'd have her bedroom, at least, but now, with this tiny, two bedroom apartment, there was no space she could really call her own. This was probably the first time in a long time that she was sitting alone.
She didn't usually mind at all. Drew understood that she needed space sometimes, and honestly needed space for himself, too, and though they were often in the same room, they'd be doing their own thing. Drew would usually be click-clacking away at his laptop, and Elle would be practising her handwriting, or trying to knit the way Ryan had taught her- just something.
The quiet was comfortable, but it was also stifling. Elle was quickly wishing that Drew would come back already, that she could feel his warmth on her back and feel comfort in knowing he was right there. She'd lost him once- being away from him hurt her more than anything, which was why she had told him to come with her when they went to California for this trial.
She fell asleep fitfully, the bed feeling colder than she was used to.
*a/n: hey it's almost on time except it's not
nethii <3*