Closed Panic

[Ember Michaels]

Ember had been out on a tour, working a series of gigs through the country and generally enjoying herself over the last few months. But something was off, and it took her two months to realize what had happened. Now, now she was panicked. She didn't want to go home, and she most certainly wasn't going to go see Morwen. Instead, she decided it was time to pay a visit to an old friend. She knew he'd been staying at the inn, so she had no issue finding him. She also had no issues showing up at six in the morning. She pounded on his bedroom door, not caring how much ruckus she made. She already knew Jason was at work and Tyra had gone out on work. "Atkin!" she snapped, pounding harder. "Atkin, move it, open up!" she ordered, ready to bash the door in if he didn't answer her.

 

[Atkin Grayveson]

Atkin leaned in for a kiss... when a different voice drifted into his consciousness. He bolted upright, tangled in his sheets. He was just dreaming and whoever it was on the other side of the door was ruining it. He screamed his frustration into his pillow as the pounding became louder. He took his time getting out of bed when he heard the voice, this time much clearer. "Ember.", he rushed to the door. She was supposed to be in Paris. Even if she would be visiting, she would not go around waking up the whole inn. That meant only one thing - problem. And the fact that she came to him instead of going to Morwen, it has something to do with the man. He opened the door to an Ember almost ready to smack his door down.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember was startled when the door opened and very nearly smacked Atkin in the face. She clenched her jaw, and chickening out of her own issues immediately, she summoned his pillow over without a word and began beating him with it. "What. Are. You. Doing?" She enunciated each word with another smack to the head and torso region. She peppered it in with some heavy cursing and name calling, chasing him into the room. She was relentless, taking out her panic on her best friend in a pep talk he probably could have used a year ago.

"I swear, Atkin, you dense, infuriating man. Have you even met my cousin?" Ember skipped over that Mallory was technically not her cousin, but Sapphire's, but that detail hardly mattered. Family was family. "Man. Up. And make. Your. Move!" she ordered, dropping the pillow and collapsing on his bed. "Mallory is insanely shy, Kin. I've seen how she looks at you, how she is when you're around, but she is so soft there is no way she will ever make a move herself." Ember dragged her hands over her face, sighing deeply and trying to melt into the mattress. She was trying to hide from her current predicament, sure, and it was working. Hopefully Atkin would take the bait and focus on Mallory instead.

 

[Atkin Grayveson]

Atkin instinctively raised an arm to shield his face once the door swung. He was right, Ember already had her fist ready to bang the door. She looked enraged and in a panic yet everything disappeared when she summoned his pillow, hitting him as it flew past his head. "What-?", before he could finish, he was assaulted. "Em!", was all he could say as he tried to block her every hit, backing into his room. The air was filled with curses as he attempted to catch the pillow and shut her mouth.

After what seemed an eternity, Ember let up as she sank into his bed. He strode to the door and closed it before climbing into bed beside her. He just kept quiet as she ranted about him and Mallory. "I know that Em. I don't know if she sees me look at her the way you said she does. So many times...", he slumped into his pillows, running a hand over his face. "So many times I want to tell her, you know. The words are there. But I don't deserve her. She deserves so much more. So much more than me.", he murmured before bolting upright for the second time that morning. "I know you are right but I know my situation about Mallory is not a reason enough for you to come to NZ and bang on my door before breakfast.", he looked at the woman pointedly. There was something off but he could not really point it out. "Spit it out, woman. What's wrong?", he asked concerned.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember scoffed at his words, picking up the pillow and hitting him in the face with it again. "That is not your decision, Atkin. You don't get to tell her what she deserves, especially if you knew anything of where she's come from," She shook her head, hitting him again before dropping the pillow and falling back beside him. She sighed as he sat up, looking away. She was silent a moment. "I'm pregnant, Kin," she whispered, tears filling her eyes as she stared a hole in his wall. "I just found out last night."

 

[Atkin Grayveson]

Atkin groaned once more at the impact of his pillow. He made a move to snatch the pillow again. "Fine. I'll tell her. The next time she comes home or I'll find a way to see her. Happy?", he said. There's no stopping Ember when she put her mind into it.

At Ember's sigh, Atkin braced himself, almost ready to apparate to Morwen's flat. However, the next words that came out of her mouth stopped him. The fact that she came to him meant it had nothing to do with Morwen. "Hey, don't cry.", he comforted him, scooting closer and placed his arm around her. Tough Ember in tears was a rare sight to see but he was not going to point that out. "Wow, Em. A baby.", he was at loss for words. "Does Morwen know?", he asked despite knowing the answer to his question. She would not be here in tears and waking him up if Morwen knew.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember rolled her eyes. "You better," she grumbled. She leaned into him, sighing softly. "No," she told him. "He doesn't. He won't. I don't know if I should tell him." She bit her lip, tears filling her eyes. She leant more into Atkin. "What am I going to do, Kin?" She asked. "I don't- if I tell him, he's going to ask me to marry him. I'm not going to get hitched because I got knocked up. I've had to work years just to get him to kiss me. Commitment issues much?" She shook her head, burying herself deeper into his side.

 

[Atkin Grayveson]

Atkin listened as Ember pour her heart out. It all made sense now, he thought. He stroked her hair as he worked up a response to her. "Em, you're asking a single man if my cousin needed to know about his child.", he chuckled. "But seriously, Morwen deserves to know. He has the right to know. You know his history. He had grown up in an orphanage before being adopted. He would not want his future child to grow up without a family." Pulling her closer, he continued, "Knowing Morwen, he would respect your wishes on how to move forward with a baby coming into your lives. The man worships the ground you walk on. He's committed to you, yes. He'll ask you to marry him, naturally. But he won't force you. He will wait, just like the way he takes things slow with you." He reassured her. Deep inside, he could not believe he was giving relationship advice when he was a mess up on his own.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember pouted as Atkin used reason on her, hiding her face in his neck. She sighed, shaking her head as he stopped talking and sitting up. "I know, I- I just- I need time, Kin, I just-" she let out a heavy sigh and wrapped her arms around herself. "Can I stay here for awhile, Kin?" She asked. "I just- I don't want to be alone, but I can't- I need you," she admitted softly, wiping at the stupid tears that filled her eyes.

 

[Atkin Grayveson]

Atkin sighed, nodding understandably. “Alright. You win. You can stay.”, he bent down to place a kiss on Ember’s forehead. “You better get some sleep. I don’t know what time you flew in or apparated but it was sure early when you came banging on my door.”, he chuckled, tucking her in. He then grabbed his jacket and headed out of his room. He quickly sent a message to Morwen about Ember, where she was, and not to worry. And that to wait for at least a week before he would come find her.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember sighed, laying down as Atkin guided her. She shut her eyes, letting herself relax. "Okay, Kinny, you win," she sighed softly, shutting her eyes and practically melting into the bed. She let him leave, hardly minding the privacy know that she'd yelled at him and gotten her anger out. She fell asleep quickly.

 

[Morwen Orlando]

Morie just came home to his apartment tired and worried. He was on an assignment at Evelyn’s in Paris. After he finished the shoot, he decided to surprise Ember with a visit only to find the door unlocked and her traveling bag gone and some clothes. She was in a hurry. No note, nothing. He tried calling her but it was turned off. He could not do anything but fly back home, hoping she was there waiting for him. Still, he came to an empty house. Just as he was about to head out again and look for his girlfriend, an owl came in with a letter. It was Atkin. He exhaled with relief. He was itching to go there right away but his cousin’s right. Ember needed space, for what he didn’t know.

A week dragged on and Morwen went to the Inn. Tyra welcomed him and led him to a room just at the end of the hall from Atkin’s room. He went inside to take a rest before making his way to Atkin’s room and knocked politely.

 

[Atkin Grayveson]

A week had passed and Atkin just received a text from Tyra on his muggle phone that Morwen had just arrived. He glanced at Ember who was already awake yet just preferred to stay in bed. He scratched his head before clearing his throat. “Hey, Em?”, he started although he knew she could already figure out what he was about to say. At that precise moment, there was a knock on the door and he knew who was on the other side. He sighed, braced himself for an assault from his best friend. He opened the door, “Morwen.”, he shook his cousin’s hand.

 

[Morwen Orlando]

Morwen’s smile was faint. “Hey.”, he said softly. He took the hand before gesturing to where he assumed Ember was. “Em?”, called out, unsure whether to take a step inside or not. He had always been cautious when it came to his girlfriend. Ember was independent and he would never change that in her, in fact, he encouraged it. "Em, sweetheart. What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything. Talk to me, love.", his voice broke as he put a hand on the door frame to steady himself.

 

[Atkin Grayveson]

Atkin returned the smile, his heart going out to him. With everything his adopted cousin had been through, it was so amazing to see how the man cared for his best friend. “Em, Morie’s here. He’s worried.”, he explained, risking a peek from the door to look at the woman in his bed. He did not need to lie as to how Morwen knew she was here. It was as plain as day.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember had been staying in Atkin's room, keeping mostly to bed unless she needed to get up for the morning sickness. It wasn't too bad, but she'd been researching a lot on pregnancy, and as far as she could tell she was only about six weeks pregnant. She could have been wrong, though, and she needed to set up a doctors appointment. She sighed, scrolling through her phone. She looked up as she heard Atkin speak, her brow furrowing until she realized what had happened.

Her eyes widened and she shot up, taking his pillow and rushing forward. She leaned out just enough to push Morie back and slam the door in his face before whirling and pummeling Atkin with his pillow. "You absolute traitor!" She yelled at him, beating him with his pillow for several moments and shouting expletives at him.

After a moment, she dropped the pillow and turned on her heel, stomping over and throwing the door open. She stormed out, pushing Morwen back into the empty room across the hall. When they were inside, she slammed the door behind her. The action, however, drained the anger from her. She didn't look at her boyfriend, slumping against the door and letting her hair cover her face. What was she even supposed to say?

 

[Atkin Grayveson]

One moment he was talking to Morwen and was about to get Ember when so many things happened in a blink of an eye. Mowen was pushed back, the door was slammed and he was attacked just as he expected. "Em!Em! Em, stop!", he blocked his arms although it was not really that helpful. It may be a pillow but Ember struck hard enough for a woman with raging pregnancy hormones. "He's worried! You know that!", he reasoned out, grunting all the same as his voice got drowned by Ember's curse words. Just as he was about to catch the pillow, it was dropped on his head and the next thing he heard were stomps and the door slamming. He sat up to find out Ember not in the room anymore.

 

[Morwen Orlando]

Morwen was not surprised at what happened next. Ember sounded like she screamed murder before he was pushed back and the door was slammed on his face. He just stood there as he listened to the series of thumps, grunts, and swear words courtesy of his girlfriend. The man could not help but smirk at how strong she was and was amused because Atkin could not do anything about it.

Moments later, Morwen heard thumping and he almost jumped back when the door opened. "Em, wha-?" All he could do was let himself be pushed back to the adjacent door. He braced himself for more screams but there was none. Ember just stood there with her head bent. Morwen slowly approached her, bent down to level with her, and lightly touch her shoulders. "Em? Love?", he cooed. "What's wrong? Talk to me.", he whispered.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember let out a heavy sigh, turning and leaning her head on his shoulder. "Morwen, I..." she hesitated, heart racing in her chest. She brought a hand up to clutch at his shirt, tears filling her eyes. She took a ragged breath. "I swear to god, I could very well kill you if you even try to get on one knee," she threatened, though they both knew it was empty. She sighed, burying her face in his neck. "I'm pregnant, Morwen," she whispered brokenly.

 

[Morwen Orlando]

Morie immediately wrapped his arms around Ember the moment she leaned onto him. He rubbed her back as he heard the sniffles. He had known her to be tough and almost nothing made her crying. Almost. Then he guessed this was one of those 'almosts'. Suddenly, his girlfriend spoke up saying something that did not make sense to Morie. "Emmy, what are you-?", he began to ask when she dropped the bomb. He gently pulled back to look at her face. "We're going to have a baby?", he asked, teary-eyed.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember winced at his words, pulling away. She wrapped her arms around herself, shaking her head. "No. Yes. I don't- I don't know, Morwen," she turned and walked a bit away from him, trying hard to keep her composure and crying a little bit anyway. "We've always taken everything so slowly- I don't- I'm scared, Morwen," She told him. "I'm not ready- we aren't ready for this. There are steps, we don't live together, we've only just recently- and I know you, you're going to want to get married, rush through everything else. I'm not- I'm not going to marry you just because you happened to knock me up the one time we-" she let out a frustrated sigh, running her hands into her hair and tangling them in the golden locks.

 

[Morwen Orlando]

Morie sighed understandably. He stood there, shoulders slumped as he watched his girlfriend pace around the room. She was right, actually right. They had taken everything slowly, probably even slower than most couples. But to say that they were not ready, Morie thought she was wrong. He was ready all along. From the moment he knew that he loved her, he was ready. But he was not telling her that. Not now. The sight of her in distress worried the man. He hurried to her, removed her hands from her hair, and clasped them together in his. "Em...", he sighed. "I know it's too soon. I know you're..we're.. not ready.", he cleared his throat. He cupped her chin to meet his eyes. "Ember, I am ready. I do want to marry you. Not because of the child but because I love you. I always have loved you.", he tucked her hair behind his ear. There, he said it. And he honestly felt lighter after it. "But I will respect your wishes. No wedding now, we'll still take it slow. We'll plan everything. If you want me to move in, I'll do it. I'll do whatever you want. Anything, Em.", he said, almost in a pleading voice.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember let Morwen turn her, looking up to meet his eyes and listening to him. She relaxed, though her fear didn't completely go away. She let out a deep sigh, leaning into him and resting her head in his neck. She brought her hands up, playing with the hem of his shirt. "I don't know, Morie," she sighed, shutting her eyes and resting against him. "Maybe we can stay here for a while?" She asked. "Tyra has been helping me. I'm not ready to tell daddy yet." She sighed again, biting her lip at the thought of telling her parents.

 

[Morwen Orlando]

Morie visibly relaxed as he felt Ember relaxed in his arms. He just enveloped her in his arms as she liked to play with his shirt. He ran a hand on her hair, rubbing her back soothingly. At her request, Morie agreed to it right away. "Anything you need, love." He suddenly realized he would need to speak to his parents about this, or to Cassi. "I've got a room just at the end of the hall. Or we can go to my flat, whichever feels more comfortable for you.", he proposed the idea. He might need to get more things from home and some for Ember as well just in case she would choose to remain in the inn.

 

[Ember Michaels]

Ember sighed, stepping back. "Your room, here." she ordered, turning for the door. "I'm going to bed. I'm tired. And I want ice cream. Mint. With pickles. Sliced, dill, with whipped cream and olives," she ordered absently, walking out of the room and starting down the hall. Why did she feel so worn out?