I know I'm not the one, but I still can't help but call you.

[Kaydence Morgan]

Her grand exit was short-lived. For almost as soon as she had left the alley, Kaydence all of a sudden felt herself stop as if something was preventing her from moving forward. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she tried to take another step. Impossible. Slight panic overcame her. Had someone who wasn’t supposed to have seen her had? Her glasses were back covering her eyes. No one would have known it was her given how much she looked different both structurally and with her short messy blonde bob. Before she knew what was happening, she was turning around. But it wasn’t of her doing. Kaydence couldn’t explain it but her body was definitely pivoting and walking back in the direction she had just come. Mentally she was telling herself no yet her legs had completely different motives. Internally, she was screaming. Her brain pleading with them to turn back around and go home. That’s all she wanted to do. Instead, she was going right back into the hole she had just come from and in the direction of a very annoyed looking Ashton. At least he didn’t have control over her facial expressions. As she once again approached him, her eyes narrowed into such tiny slits that it probably looked like her eyes were closed.

”You don’t get to do that.” Feeling her body regain its control, Kaydence stopped mere feet away from him. “Seriously?” she asked, watching as he pushed himself from the wall. He had told her to leave only moments ago. So she was. She tried. Why had he forced her back here? “YOU told me about all the things I need to get back to. What the hell is this all about? I’m TRYING to go!” She threw up her hands in digust. ”You left. You chose. You ran. You fucking hid and made a whole new life for yourself.” She was pretty sure this was the most he had ever spoken in her presence, well, ever. Kaydence lowered her arms back down, allowing them to fall down to her sides as he continued. ”You forced my hand – when there was NOTHING to do, BUT to fucking deal with it. On my own – with not so much as a REASON from you. Not a word – not a sound – fucking nothing.” This was definitely the most he had ever said in one sitting. Instinctively, her arms folded to her chest, incredibly nervous as to where this was going. ”You. LEFT. ME. You don’t regret it, fine. You’re happy in your new life, that’s fine. You want to leave all things in the past, EVEN BETTER, but you know what you don’t get? Me to explain things to you. You lost that right – to know how I processed anything – the way I had to face things, because you weren’t there. You weren’t part of it – and since you’re so fucking pleased about that? Then be done – and leave it, you wanna be angry at somebody about it? Be angry at yourself.” Oh Kaydence was getting angry alright but it sure as hell wasn’t at herself.

”So fuck you Kaydence. The horse you rode in on. The poor fool you’ve trapped. Fuck every single thing about you.” Her blood was boiling. He had triggered her so badly that her brain was completely unable to process the huge revelation that he had perhaps inadvertently exposed. She was completely incapable of understanding his admission of pain that she had caused him. The tears now rolling down her cheeks were no longer that of sadness but of such anger, such hate that they felt hot against her skin. “Fuck me?” she questioned, closing the distance between them. Her arms moved forward until her hands connected with his chest, using all of her fury to push him. “I admitted what I did was wrong. YOU are completely incapable of having a civilized conversation about anything.” As he stumbled backwards, Kaydence pushed him again. “How dare you try to make me feel guilty. How many times had I asked you to just be open and honest with me? HOW MANY?” She was sure he could see the mascara running down her cheeks as she pushed him again. “I don’t want to talk about that,” she said sarcastically, mocking him for the times he had said the same thing to her over and over again. “Now, all of a sudden you’re ready? When it’s convenient for YOU to get the last word in?” She stopped. There was no doubt in her mind that she looked like a crazy woman. “Deal with this however the fuck you dealt with it last time. FUCK OFF!” she yelled, giving him one final push.

[Ashton Wentworth]

There was some sort of disconnect that she wasn’t seeming to understand. He could see the exact moment that her temper triggered. Could see it in the way that her eyes had shifted form the narrow slits that they had been from simply being inconvieneced into something else - something deeper. Could feel it in the way that his shoulders were set too square on his frame and his jaw was clenched in anticipation. Waiting for her to strike at him, to take that purse in her hand and have it shift into some sort of weapon to attempt to beat him with. “Fuck me?” Was she deaf. “Yeah, that’s what I JUST said.” he spat as she started to move closer to him once again. Her hands lifting and shoving at his chest. His torso shoved backward to let his shoulders collide with the wall he had pushed off of - and having to repeat it again to regain his footing, seemingly unphased. “Don’t touch me.” He warned, should have likely said it a lot louder than he had. “I admitted what I did was wrong. YOU are completely incapable of having a civilized conversation about anything.” No, she didn’t. She said that she knew she fucked up - not in that she fucked up by leaving him, she was saying that she fucked up in having waited so long. That she had fucked up in not doing it earlier, that she didn’t regret it. So why did she care if he spoke civilly about it or not? She was missing the entire point. Communication had never been a strong suit of theirs. “Civilized?!” He echoed lamely, but if she heard him she made no note - speaking over him to get whatever bullshit point she felt that she needed to express across. Her hands lifting again to shove him backward, body jarring against the wall and coming right back for more with an eye roll. Over exaggerated so that she could see it. “How dare you try to make me feel guilty. How many times had I asked you to just be open and honest with me? HOW MANY?” She should feel guilty. She absoltuely fucking should feel guilty for the way that she left things. It was a mockery, that she mentioned wanting to be open and honest when she hadn’t said a single thing. She had just left. No words. No open, honest communication, no civil conversation, no anything.

“I don’t want to talk about that,” That pulsing in his jaw was back , her voice dropping in a very crude imitation of himself. Of course he didn’t want to talk about it - when he tried to talk about it, this is what always ended up happening. “Now, all of a sudden you’re ready? When it’s convenient for YOU to get the last word in?” No shit. It was his turn after all. His turn to get the last word, his turn to walk away. She could have left - but she just had to drive in that final wedge. Couldn’t just be ‘civil’. “Deal with this however the fuck you dealt with it last time. FUCK OFF!” Ashton snorted, a short burst of derisive laughter as he shook his head. “MAKE UP YOUR FUCKING MIND!” Hand lifted to poke pointedly at her shoulder, “You want to talk about things CIVIL? Says the woman - shoving - me,” And he prodded at her shoulder with two fingers as he spoke. “You want me to fuck off?! You don’t know what the hell you want - good to see that some things don’t change, huh?” His hands lifted to scrub at his face, it had been all of a handful of minutes that they had been attempting to converse and already he was ready to put something through a wall. She was the single most, infuriating, entitled little brat that he had ever met in his life.” Ashton’s hands lifted to either side of his head “You want words - but you don’t want to hear them? You SHOULD FUCKING FEEL GUILTY KAYDENCE!” His brows lifted in incredulity, “You can’t be THAT fucking heartless!” The moment he said it, of course he knew that she could be. Her above most - given the way that she had just up and left. The way that she was handling things now. “You did - a fucking shit ass thing! But I’m not supposed to be mad about it? Wasn’t it YOU who were always going on ‘I know’ wasn’t a fucking apology?” Countless times she had pulled that on him - because he wasn’t good with words. Talking too much made his head hurt and he didn’t have the ability to convey the things that he actually meant most of the time - so when he was in control of his temper, then he kept way too much to himself - and when he was angry he didn’t mean half of the things that he said anyway.

[Kaydence Morgan]

Kaydence wanted to scream. Wanted nothing more than to throw her head back and yell at the tops of her lungs as if releasing her pent up frustration in that manner would really make her feel better. It wouldn’t, she knew that, but how much easier things would be if it was that simple. A simple scream to release everything she was feeling. Too often, when all of her emotions were battling against each other, she acted irrationally. She thought irrationally. It was insanely difficult for her to think clearly. To really process things as they were happening in the now. Kaydence had attempted to better herself as she had gotten older. She had learned patience, to an extent but there were still times Lukas, acting out in his innocent child-like behavior, made her so upset she had to leave the room to get a handle on herself before disciplining him appropriately. What she was doing to Ashton now would have gotten her son taken away from her so quickly it would make her head spin. Ashton had always made himself a good punching bag though. How easy it was for her to channel all of her rage into him, hitting or cursing. He had always taken it. As much as he could take it though, he could easily give it back, which he certainly was about to when Kaydence had laid her hands on him for the final time.

”MAKE UP YOUR FUCKING MIND!” Ashton’s hand was lifting towards her shoulder now. ”You want to talk about things CIVIL? Says the woman – shoving – me.” He proceeded to poke her aggressively near the spot where her most disfiguring scar lay hidden. Kaydence wondered if he remembered where it was. ”You want me to fuck off?! You don’t know what you want – good to see that some things don’t change, huh?” She huffed, wanting to rub at the tender area from his fingers. ”You want words – but you don’t want to hear them? YOU SHOULD FUCKING FEEL GUILTY KAYDENCE! You can’t be that fucking heartless.” Her eyes widened, incredulous at what he was saying. Guilt? Yes, she felt it. How would he feel knowing that she had felt guilty from the minute she had found Noah and spent the night with him only days after last being with Ashton. Or how when she discovered she was pregnant with Lukas, the overwhelming guilt she suffered the entire pregnancy and post-partum. Would he believe that he was the only thing that had been on her mind for months, even taking precedence over her own child? How she almost had to obliterate herself just to make the pain go away so she could attempt being a loving mother to her son and girlfriend to her now fiancé? No, there’s no way he would. He’d likely chalk it up to her just trying to win the argument. Making shit up to make him feel bad for questioning her. ”You did a fucking shit ass thing! But I’m not supposed to be mad about it? Wasn’t it YOU who was always going on ‘I know’ wasn’t a fucking apology?” Laughing, Kaydence motioned towards him with an outstretched hand. “How does it feel? Seriously? How does it feel having it reciprocated? It fucking sucks doesn’t it? Just wanting to know what the other person, that you supposedly care about, not seemingly give two shits about how you feel when they do something to upset you. Just saying what you think they want to hear, but in the most vague and counterproductive way possible?”

“The pot calling the kettle black,” she rebutted. “You say I don’t know what I want? How about you? How about the times I stayed with you and you were more preoccupied with drinking your night away then spending time with me even though you were stuck at the Ministry all damn day? But then coming into your bed to fuck me because you were ready to get handsy after too many whiskeys? Or how about the very, very few times we went out publicly and you had no fucking interest in looking like we were together until some guy tried to creep in and all of a sudden you were all over me? So you’re right Ashton. It’s GREAT seeing that some things don’t change. Or are we going to forget all of your past transgressions and just focus on mine because its easy to place all the fucking blame on me and not take accountability for any of the shit you did to me too.” Kaydence huffed, placing her hands on her hips and looked up to the sky.

[Ashton Wentworth]

“How does it feel? Seriously? How does it feel having it reciprocated? It fucking sucks doesn’t it? Just wanting to know what the other person, that you supposedly care about, not seemingly give two shits about how you feel when they do something to upset you. Just saying what you think they want to hear, but in the most vague and counterproductive way possible?” Supposedly. She still didn’t get it. She never would. His words would have been useless to her - nothing that he said was going to make a difference. She didn’t want to hear it any more than he wanted to say it. He didn’t want to admit that she had hurt him. Ashton didn’t want her to know that she had that power, that she still had it to this day. That she was hurting him even now - he couldn’t give that to her. He couldn’t give in to that. He didn’t think that he was vague - but then words had never been something that he was good at. He was never one to openly express...anything. Life time of trauma and repressed emotions. Ashton tended to delude himself into thinking that if he could just push his emotions down, to tuck them away somewhere deep and repressed that they would just go away. Then he would explode. It was a very unhealthy cycle. “The pot calling the kettle black,” Ashton also wouldn’t be able to agree with her, even if she was right on that. “You say I don’t know what I want? How about you? How about the times I stayed with you and you were more preoccupied with drinking your night away then spending time with me even though you were stuck at the Ministry all damn day? But then coming into your bed to fuck me because you were ready to get handsy after too many whiskeys? Or how about the very, very few times we went out publicly and you had no fucking interest in looking like we were together until some guy tried to creep in and all of a sudden you were all over me? So you’re right Ashton. It’s GREAT seeing that some things don’t change. Or are we going to forget all of your past transgressions and just focus on mine because its easy to place all the fucking blame on me and not take accountability for any of the shit you did to me too.” Obviously that was what he wanted. Previous to know - when she reached this level of angry he could put hands on her and make it all go away. Even if only for that night. He could kiss her, and they would fall asleep contented in one another's arms. That wasn’t an option here. He felt sick to his stomach that it was still even a thing that he was considering. What would happen if he were to try the same thing now - those claws that she was so adept at wielding would come out with a vengeance. She would lash out at him, there was no denying that. He didn’t want to think about the things that he did wrong, because then he was going to have to let go of pieces of the anger that had helped him move past the whole situation in the past.

To himself, Ashton pointed out his own faults, and frequently. He couldn’t always handle it when they were pointed out by other people. It was interesting to him that she said that they were together, because she had dismissed that earlier, or at least that was the way that he had chosen to take it. Where was there to go now. What else was there for him to say? He could only hope that she wasn’t planning on staying in town long, that she would be on her way sooner rather than later so that he could go back to a life that didn’t have her anywhere near it. He was already wishing that he had never seen her here today. “And how am I supposed to believe that you hadn’t planned this from the beginning?” His hand gestured over to the hand on her hip with that ring on it. “Up and leave - run to the first man with deep pockets? Or had you already had him all lined up - how am I supposed to know that wasn’t the reason?” He was pulling at straws here. “You never wanted anything to do with me huh? Just something convenient when you were passing through? You were right - it’s a damn good thing that you left.” He couldn’t touch the subjects that she had brought up - he never had been good for anybody, let alone somebody like her. He had been fooling himself all along. He couldn’t stop coming back to the resentment for how he had just been, case aside. “Whatever actions I may or may not have done - whatever problems we had then - I wouldn’t have just ...thrown you away.” The next words couldn’t come out. He couldn’t say that she meant more to him than that - for all the work he had done to gain patience, to rebuild himself and try to be the person that he was supposed to be - the words just wouldn’t come out. Ashton’s hand had waived dismissively when he had spoken, and it faltered in the air - he wasn’t one of her objects to have just been thrown aside when it was no longer in season.

[Kaydence Morgan]

Ashton had always infuriated her. Far more than the times he actually made her feel genuinely cared for. Kaydence had never truly been able to get used to how he purposely chose not to mention certain things especially when they were staring him smack dab in the face. She was stubborn. She was hard-headed, but she was also a human being. She was guarded but its only because she cared so deeply for individuals when they found a way to break past her wall. He had been always been so closing to tearing it down whether he realized it or not. Certainly had torn a few bricks down whether she cared to admit it or not. It was why things had been so painful for her. Why she yearned for him for so long after leaving. Deep down, Kaydence had always regretted it. If only he had the ability to believe her. Because this was the way they always handled things though, tearing each other down instead of having an open line of communication as normal, healthy couples did, was there really any point? Ashton could say what he wanted but if she truly told him that if she would have wanted to leave and wanted him to go with her, leaving behind everything he had worked for and made for himself here, would he have done it? There was too much uncertainty for her to believe that it could have been an option.

”And how am I supposed to believe that you hadn’t planned this from the beginning?” She closed her eyes, lips forming into a tight line. Line of sight being brought down to look at him through her glasses. Again, refusing to answer any single one of her questions. She watched as he motioned towards her ring yet again. He really liked bringing that thing into topic of conversation. ”Up and leave – run to the first man with deep pockets. Or had you already had him all lined up – how am I supposed to know that wasn’t the reason? You never wanted anything to do with me huh? Just something convenient when you were passing through. You were right – it’s a damn good thing you left.” Now she was hurt. The same shit. “Yes,” she replied, sarcastically but with enough ferocity for him to tell he had really bothered her with that one. Maybe it was a good thing he had never talked much. There was no telling what else emotional turmoil he might have stirred up from within. “I planned on meeting you, messing around with you until I got bored and then moving on to the next. I planned on staying with you until I found a new place to live, for as long as I did, because it was convenient for me. Because that’s alllll that I do. It’s not at all possible that you never let me try to show you any sort of respect because you refused to do the same. You let me stay with you,” she paused long enough to give him a thumbs up, “cool thanks. How often did you ask me if I was okay though? If I feel protected? Or even just to go out to dinner and talk about anything unrelated to all the bullshit going on in our lives? You keep going on about how you didn’t feel respected but do you hear just how selfish you sound as well?”

”Whatever actions I may or may not have had done – whatever problems we had then – I wouldn’t have just…thrown you away.” And then she lost it. Kaydence hadn’t been trying to keep the tears at bay because they hadn’t been there. Bringing her fingers to her left temple, she stood there, silently sobbing, so frustrated that he still didn’t seem to take any accountability for anything that he had done to exacerbate their problems as well. She would own that she messed up, in time. She shouldn’t have just upped and left no matter how much she thought it was for Ashton’s own good. Yet how long could a person live in darkness before needing the light? Sure, he had his times of being affectionate when their clothes still remained on but because of how moody he was of a person Kaydence felt like she constantly had to live in the unknown. Why was it so hard for him to just tell her he cared once instead of dancing around the subject as he so often did? Sighing, she removed her glasses momentarily to wipe at the bottom of her lids; making a point not to look him in the eyes as she did so. “Maybe you should take into consideration Ashton that “throwing you away” was simply due to the fact that I didn’t know what the fuck to do with you anymore. I got it, you don’t always like giving me what I want. Did you ever think that if you just maybe, once, put me at ease with all the uncertainty we had going on that maybe I would have been more receptive to looking at our bigger picture?”

Kaydence sighed again, bringing her glasses down to the hem of her skirt to wipe away any stains the tear splatters had caused. “At least I know what he wants,” she said, checking her glasses briefly before putting them back on the bridge of her nose. “There’s no guessing games.” She brought her left hand up and pointed at the ring. “Don’t try and punish me for being drawn to the idea of stability.”

[Ashton Wentworth]

“Yes,” For half a moment, he thought that she was agreeing with the fact that she had planned it all along. That he was correct in his assumption - the look of shock on his face had to over been one that was stupidly obvious for how surprised that he was - the way that she had spat the word at him left very little time for his interpretation. “I planned on meeting you, messing around with you until I got bored and then moving on to the next. I planned on staying with you until I found a new place to live, for as long as I did, because it was convenient for me. Because that’s alllll that I do. It’s not at all possible that you never let me try to show you any sort of respect because you refused to do the same. You let me stay with you,” She kept talking at at first he felt like it was affirmation that she had done it - he was far too close to catch onto the sarcasm that was dripping out of each and every word that left her lips. “cool thanks. How often did you ask me if I was okay though? If I feel protected? Or even just to go out to dinner and talk about anything unrelated to all the bullshit going on in our lives? You keep going on about how you didn’t feel respected but do you hear just how selfish you sound as well?” Why did he have to ask if she was okay? He had tried to be there for her - physically patching up her wounds -attempting to make her as comfortable as possible. Hell he had let her spend so damned much of his own fucking money totally redecorating his house to make her feel more comfortable there. She hadn’t been able to go and do things because she had been a wanted woman but he had tried to make her stay comfortable. He still came straight home after work each and every day to her, had let her sleep in a bed next to him - which was more things that he never, ever did outside of her. He had tried to make sure she was okay - why did the words matter? They couldn’t go to dinner - what if somebody had recognized her? Perhaps at the start they could have. Before - all of the rest of it. Back before he had even known her last name and the heavy family drama that went along with it. Perhaps he could have started there - but after he knew, and how important it was for her to stay under the radar - what did she want from him?


“Maybe you should take into consideration Ashton that ‘throwing you away’ was simply due to the fact that I didn’t know what the fuck to do with you anymore.” What was she even talking about. She wasn’t making any sense. He had thought - well it didn’t matter what he thought. ”I got it, you don’t always like giving me what I want. Did you ever think that if you just maybe, once, put me at ease with all the uncertainty we had going on that maybe I would have been more receptive to looking at our bigger picture?” What uncertainty? Ashton’s brows lifted, watching the way that the tears were free falling down her face with a pang of guilt. He had been under the impression that pulling her from the actual torture of a death eater had been clear - he had thought that going against the oaths that he took for the Ministry had been clear. He had been trying to help her find places to live. He had invited her to live in his home - he had thought that those things had been clear, but apparently not. He had thought that even though the whole living together thing had been forced on him - the way that he had been dragging his feet and insulting each and every apartment and home they looked at had also been clear. He didn’t know how to do this. Clearly, given that he was still oh so very single, and she was married….or engaged...or whatever, she must have some clue to what she was talking about. “At least I know what he wants,” Followed the way that she jumped. Whoever it was, likely was much better than him at a lot of things. Communication clearly being one of them. “There’s no guessing games.” He couldn’t look at that ring without it screaming ‘money’ at him in a blinding fashion. “Don’t try and punish me for being drawn to the idea of stability.” That wasn’t at all why he was attempting to punish her. He had just - been trying to convey how upset he was. Nodding at her with the glasses sliding back on her face, his hands ran up over his hair once again. “I was still there, Kaydence.” He finally admitted softly. It was - as open as he knew how to be. “After all of it, I was still there.” He had still been trying - in so much as he knew how. It wasn’t like he had a whole lot of experience on the subject.


In just entire life, Ashton had never seen a healthy relationship ever. He didn’t have parents. The woman who raised him had been single her entire life. Merlin knew that all of the relationships that he had entered into had been toxic. All of them - his marriage, his friendships, Kaydence was no exception to that rule. He had been just as bad with her, because he didn’t know what he was doing. A wealth of trust issues and stubborn to a fault, he hadn’t been able to open up to let people get to know him - but still just expected for them to somehow still understand what he meant, when he was doing whatever he was. With a deep inhale - his body sagged backward to the wall and let those magical barriers that had been keeping her here in the alley with him go. Falling to the ground in silence as he chewed the inside of his cheek. “Congrats.” More genuine than the first time that he had said it. Pushing his sleeves back up around his shoulders and nodding he pulled his cigarettes from his pocket once more. No reason to stay and hold her any longer. He couldn’t imagine that there would be any reason that they would run into one another before she ended up passing on through. “When do you leave?” Just for good measure, lighting that cigarette. “I am assuming that you’re leaving?” His tone fully defeated, hollow in the way his eyes lifted to her.

[Kaydence Morgan]

”I was still there Kaydence.” The tone in his voice had changed. Perhaps she had gotten through to him? If only just a small amount? ”After all of it, I was still there.” More tears. Before she went back home, she was going to have to duck into a shop or a restaurant and clean her face up. She couldn’t imagine how tragic she looked with the black streaks from her mascara. She could feel them dried on her cheeks. Hopefully she had some makeup wipes in her bag. Likely, considering how much she cared about her appearance forever and always, but continuing with the way her luck had gone she may have to just settle for water and paper towels. Though the thought of using unfiltered water against her skin brought a feeling of disgust. Certainly with how clean and expensive the Boardwalk had been turned into they could afford an expensive filtering system that connected each building. Only time would tell.

Nodding her head, Kaydence dabbed at her eyes again. “You were,” she admitted. “You didn’t go anywhere.” She wouldn’t take that from him. He may have been a pompous asshole. He may have been completely incapable of vocalizing anything he felt. But he had never gone anywhere. Hell, he hadn’t even gone as far as to go out for a drink or two with coworkers after a long shift. Then again, he didn’t have friends and had often complained about coming in to work the next morning after Stavros had rallied the office to one of the local bars at Alzubra, conveniently forgetting to invite him but making sure to showboat about the great time they had all had. Although Ashton never seemed to have minded since he hated people anyway, Kaydence always felt bad for him. The two men were just about as bad for each other as she and him were. She had always told herself that if she ever had the opportunity to confront the beautiful bastard again that she’d make sure to let him know how impressed she was that he hadn’t lost the Galaxia jock he was. Ashton would probably mind that she was sticking up for him but that didn’t matter. Maybe that had never mattered to him because he would have always preferred spending time with her instead of them. A thought that was becoming a little less crazy after he had said what he had.

She sniffed, using her knuckle to scrape under her eye. She really needed to get a handle on her crying. She needed to go home sooner rather than later. She needed to compose herself as not to appear so fragile when she walked back into the condo with the countless pairs of eyes watching her every move. Kaydence folded her arms tightly to her chest as Ashton slid to the ground, looking just as defeated as she felt. What was next? The realization that this was the most closure they were ever going to get was settling in and she wasn’t quite sure she was ready to accept it. ”Congrats.” She nodded, unable to accept the well wishes. “Thank you.” It was the polite way to respond as awkward as it was for her to acknowledge. ”When do you leave? I am assuming that you’re leaving?” There was no optimism in his question. He had accepted that her time here was short. “Soon,” she finally responded. “He has some business to finish here and we should be gone within the next week or so.” Kaydence was surprised she had allowed herself to open up that much about Noah and his ventures. She could have easily just left it at ‘soon’. “You probably won’t see me again after this,” she confessed. There was no malice in her voice. This honesty thing made her feel a little better. “It’s not safe for me around here. I really have no idea if there’s still an active warrant out for me but I can’t risk it. Can’t risk the wrong person finding out I’m still here you know.” She looked at him and nervously chuckled. “There’s a lot at stake more now then before.” She half hoped he would ease her mind and tell her no but it wasn’t his responsibility to keep her up-to-date on the Ministry going-ons anymore.

One final sigh, she brought her hands to the sides of her face and allowed them to slide down to her shoulders. This was it. His spells had been released. He was succumbing to defeat, in whatever twisted way he thought it was. While her conscience felt a little bit clearer, Kaydence still felt empty. “I really need to be going Ashton.” Giving him one last look, she turned on her heel and began walking towards the entrance of the alley for the second time. But then she stopped. “This probably makes no difference,” she started, turning back around to face him again. “But I am sorry.” Reaching up for her glasses yet again, she pulled them from her face, pressing folding the earpieces together. She brought her hands down, lacing her fingers together in front of her. “You and I would have always misunderstood each other in some sense but you do deserve to know that I was sorry. I am sorry. For leaving and just for putting you in a really fucked up position with your job.” Her eyes bore into his. Kaydence had no idea if he would respond but she allowed herself to stay there for just a minute longer, waiting on bated breath for a response, any response.

[Ashton Wentworth]

“Soon,He has some business to finish here and we should be gone within the next week or so.” A week. Ashton could make it a week. Hell he had made it these last eight years, what was one more week? He could avoid this island all over again, to eliminate the chances of them seeing one another so that this little outburst wouldn’t ever happen again. It was for the best. They weren’t good together. They didn’t need to be around one another. “You probably won’t see me again after this,” Good. He almost said it out loud, stopping himself at the last moment in a rather difficult bit of self control. He didn’t want her to elaborate any more than that. Didn’t want to know what he did - didn’t want to know what else they had planned or where she was going. He didn’t want to give himself the opportunity to follow her. He didn’t want to give himself any hint as to where her life was going to go after this - he needed the door to all things that were her - closed and closed for good. “It’s not safe for me around here. I really have no idea if there’s still an active warrant out for me but I can’t risk it. Can’t risk the wrong person finding out I’m still here you know.” Ashton couldn’t help her there, and he wasn’t willing to offer up the fact that he didn’t know where her arrest warrant status currently stood. She didn’t know what he had been doing, she didn’t know anything about his cover story or the things that he had been doing to keep up with them, and that was for the best so he said nothing. He wanted to remind her that being out and about in the middle of a shopping center making wedding plans - probably wasn’t the most low-key option that she currently had. “There’s a lot at stake more now then before.” Didn’t know what that meant - wasn’t sure if she had said it as conversation or was just attempting to have him ask follow up questions. Ashton wasn’t certain that he had the energy for either.


“I really need to be going Ashton.” Ashton nodded, watching as she walked away - keeping those goodbye’s silent on his tongue. He couldn’t bring himself to say it. He couldn’t force those words out. “This probably makes no difference,” Ashton’s eyes lifted up to Kaydence, taking in every part of the way that she had stopped in the entrance. “But I am sorry.” He had wanted to hear that for so long. He had wanted to hear those words come out of her mouth for years - but now that she had actually said them in actual words - it didn’t make him feel any better whatsoever. She looked like such an adult standing there. With the way that she was looking at him - her torn sundress and her bandaged hand. Her strange hair - but she was so damned beautiful.“You and I would have always misunderstood each other in some sense but you do deserve to know that I was sorry. I am sorry. For leaving and just for putting you in a really fucked up position with your job.” Fuck his job. Didn’t care about his job - not then particularly.


For a long moment - Ashton couldn’t do anything but hold her gaze, processing for just a moment. Breathing too heavily and flicking the half used cigarette to the side, exhaling fully. It made him feel - absolutely no better than he had before, felt just as hollow as he had then because honestly, if it had happened any other way - they both would have ended up just a beaten up. More things that he couldn’t accept even to himself that should she had tried to have this conversation with him eight years ago, he wouldn’t have listened anyway. He couldn’t have accepted what she said, would have dismissed it as just her starting another fight or would have just antagonized her - it would have gone any number of ways that wouldn’t end with a well done breakup. At least now - he could try to handle it the semi-mature way. Crossing the alley to her he nodded, moving to push her hair back over her ears and let his hands cup around the bottom of her jawline. Thumbs smoothed out over her cheeks - smearing that bit of mascara just that much further over her features. She wasn’t kicking him at least. She wasn’t pulling away - wasn’t stopping him - at least not yet. Offering her a meek half smile, he lowered his face to hers - thinking better of his actions at the very last second. Couldn’t do it - couldn’t kiss her, couldn’t put himself through that, his lips connecting with the top of her forehead instead and holding for probably too long of a moment. With difficulty, he pulled his hands from her and nodded again for finality. “Goodbye Kaydence.”

[Kaydence Morgan]

Kaydence was finding it difficult to breathe. The anticipation was overwhelming. She hadn’t crossed any lines. She had given him the apology she knew that he had deserved. A huge weight had already been lifted off of her shoulders. She felt at peace yet the weight on her chest hadn’t lessened. When was he going to say something? She briefly wondered if he still thought she was lying, telling him what he wanted to hear. He had to know that wasn’t the case. She meant every. single. word. She wondered if it still wasn’t good enough. If that was the case, then Kaydence was about to find herself in the same boat she had when she left him the first time so long ago. Not knowing at all what he wanted and finding some way to humiliate herself in the process.

But then, he moved. Her eyes never left him as he flicked his cigarette away, pushed himself from the ground and quickly closed the distance between them. Like other times in the past, this could have insinuated that he was about to get in her face. Maybe grab her by the shoulders and slam her against the nearest wall. No, something this time felt different then all of the other times before. Closing in, Kaydence inhaled sharply as he stopped, brought his hands to her head and tucked her hair behind her ears. She always loved when Noah did that but Ashton, his fingers sent electricity through her. He could have probably felt the small shake her body gave as he cupped her face. She looked up at him, embarrassed with how her face must have looked with the black remnants of her mascara everywhere. As his thumbs rubbed against her cheeks, she couldn’t help but to grab his wrists. The intent wasn’t to stop him, simply to reciprocate a hold. It felt like time stopped as he leaned into her, she couldn’t bring herself to meet him halfway. As much as she wanted to, another feeling of guilt remained heavily on her brain. Noah. How completely unfair all of this was to him. Allowing herself to be captivated by a former lover so easily. He would have never understood. He had no reason to. Stopping midway, Ashton’s lips turned north and instead landed on her forehead. Closing her eyes, she tightened her grip on his wrists. This was it. This was the end.

His kiss was longer than she expected. He was coming to terms with their reality as well. As he released, the tears resurfaced and she did nothing to hold them back. Dropping her hands from his wrists, Kaydence quickly put her sunglasses back on as he stepped away from her. ”Goodbye Kaydence.” Bringing the strap of her purse back to the top of her shoulder, she cleared her throat. “Goodbye Ashton.” With that, she turned on her heel once more and left the alley. This time, making sure not to look back and forcing herself to leave the past in the past once and for all. Her body quivered with sobs as she pushed past the crowd, finding the first spot that looked like it could have a private bathroom in the vicinity. Maneuvering through the racks, Kaydence went to the back of a clothing store and found one. She had briefly noticed a sign that said restrooms were for paying customers only but she paid it no mind. If anybody had anything to say to her when she left then she’d give them a few galleons to shut them up. Opening the door, she quickly closed it and locked it behind her. She moved towards a vanity bench propped against the wall and sat down. For the next few minutes, Kaydence bawled her eyes out, unable to process fully what had just happened.. Only able to replay the memory of his kiss over and over. When she had finally managed to calm herself down, she began digging through her bag in search of wipes to fix her mascara-stained cheeks. As her hand landed on a pack of them, she lifted them out and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Merlin she looked fucking awful.

Kaydence tended to her face with quick and precise dabs. Her makeup had been ruined but at least she looked presentable enough now to go home and shower before having to answer to curious eyes. Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself from the bench and unlocked the door. Not allowing anyone the chance to say anything to her, she darted back through the racks to where she had originally come. She found her way back to the Boardwalk and took no time in continuing her journey back to the apparition spot on the Waterfront. Taking the steps briskly, she hurried past the beach club and didn’t stop until she found herself in the same area bodies randomly kept appearing and disappearing from. Finding a safe spot off to the side, Kaydence closed her eyes and imagined the long driveway leading up to the family condo. With a small pop, she disappeared into thin air, assuming this would be the final image she’d ever have of Ilfracombe’s waterfront and the painful memories attached to it.
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