|E|X|P|L|E|T|I|V|E| {private}

[Asher]

The tiny Hawaiian was in a foul mood now that she was alone. Her acting skills had been put to the best use and no one had suspected. It all stemmed from few emotions that she had and tried to keep buried, locked away. Slamming cabinet doors in her kitchen as she stalked around, gathering together a bag so she could go surfing all day. It wasn't like Ian had been around lately for anything and the Hawaiian wasn't sure what she believed.

She shoved a hand through messy hair, letting it trail around her whirlwind steps as she shoved things in the bag, violet eyes hard. Mama had decided that Asher and Ian needed a 'romantic weekend' or a mini honeymoon and had taken Nicolae for a week so that the couple could manage it. Asher had smiled and nodded graciously, saying that it should be fine and wishing Mama well and thanking her.

However, of course Ian wasn't around and Asher had stopped questioning it of the gypsy. She had grown used to his absence and had started single-handedly raising their son, which to her now felt more like her son rather than theirson. She sighed and stopped suddenly, dropping her head in her hands as she took a shuddering breath, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. Asher didn't know what to believe anymore.

Asher had been out one weekend, when Ian was supposed to be taking care of Nicolae (she later found out that the responsibility had mostly been his sisters' and was thus infuriated) and she was with the surf team, training. They were on down time one night and one of the girls, Jenny whom Ash had known for a while had been talking to her. She brought up that she had seen Ian out and about with a young, pretty woman in a lot of different places, mostly casual settings.

Jenny had said they'd seemed pretty intimate and comfortable together, but Asher hadn't believed her until she'd come back home and found the Cato sisters there and Ian no where to be found. She didn't bring it up when Ian reappeared, instead just acting as if everything were normal. That was one of the scary parts of Asher, she could act as if everything were normal then beat their head in later, turning downright vicious when she wanted to.

It was a few days later that she'd been out and just by chance had happened to see Ian with another woman, and she'd immediately felt hurt and betrayed. Now, her attitude towards Ian was completely normal, minus the physical intimacies they'd used to share in the past, blaming it mostly on her surf training. Of course, Ian didn't have the same sex drive she had, so it was no big difference to him if they weren't even having sex, but she'd managed to make up several excuses for not sleeping in the same bed that he'd been in.

She'd lay in bed with him at the beginning, wait for him to fall asleep before leaving the room, going to sleep in Nicolae's room and always up and about before dawn broke, giving excuses that she was falling into her old patterns of surfing and personal training, she was working again.

At the present moment, ash stood in her kitchen, most of it a mess before the memories brought a surge of tears and white-hot anger. She ground her teeth and picked up the nearest object, a glass vase and heaved it against the wall, forcing it to shatter into tiny pieces and leaving a dent in the wall. Other objects were soon to follow, a glass, mug, plate, anything she could get her hands on quickly before she slid down against the cabinets, burying her face in her knees for a moment as she gained control again, taking a deep breath and wiping any traces of tears from her eyes and shoving a hand through her hair.

Angry violet eyes took in the mess that she had made, blinking once as they went blank before she stood again, grabbing the broom and cleaning up the mess quickly, disposing of the trash. She couldn't do anything about the dent at the moment, but she didn't really care. She sighed as she looked around, alone at the moment, chewing on her lower lip, alone and it seemed, forgotten.

[Ian]

He'd just been coming in when he heard the first crash, wincing as more were heard. Ash was obviously mad about something (something he'd done, no doubt; women were always mad at him for something), so he was reluctant to run to the kitchen until the danger was gone. Well, at least until he heard her come to her senses and start cleaning up.

And just as he had predicted, there was a distinct sweeping sound after the long silence, signaling that at least she wasn't going to lob something at his head if he asked her what was wrong just yet. Silently, he prayed to God that any and all sharp objects had been safely stowed away.

"Ash?" he called out tentatively, slinking towards the kitchen almost guiltily. He didn't know what he'd done (if he'd done anything), but it didn't bode well for him in any case. "Are you okay?" he tried again in case she hadn't heard him.

[Asher]

The tiny Hawaiian started, blinking quickly as the mask slid into place, firmly as she brushed a hand through her hair. "I'm fine. Somethings just dropped as I was climbing up to reach some spare wax I keep in the top of the cabinet," she lied smoothly. To her it didn't matter anymore, she knew that they would eventually get into a fight, but she didn't really have a reason to care anymore, since to her it was obvious he didn't.

She pulled her hair back into a tight braid, fingers working quickly with the strands to ensure that it wouldn't come loose when she went to surf. She was going alone, no one else knew where or when she was going, despite being dressed for it, bathing suit on and a pair of jean shorts as well, showcasing her perfect body.

[Ian]

Ian came up behind her, hands stilling hers as they worked on the braid and green eyes full of worry; she always braided her hair when trying to avoid something. Guiltily, he wondered if she was angry because of his continued absence. While it was for the noblest intentions, she might have thought that he was abandoning her and Nicolae, a thought that seemed ridiculous to him, but may have been plausible to her. After all, her whole life was about abaddoment. "That didn't sound like an accident," he pointed out, indicating the broken pieces of the vase. That little number had been on the island in the middle of the kitchen, well away from the cabinet. Many of the other pieces had also been in places no where near it, and thus her lie was easily seen through.

Their fingers laced themselves together. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

[Asher]

Asher stiffened slightly, an involuntary movement before she pulled away, smoothly detaching herself from him. "I have waves to catch. Training doesn't take a break," she said, not bothering to look at him. "Nicolae is with your family, if you care to see him," she said with a shrug before lifting the bag that rested innocently on the table.

Her answer was enough that she didn't want to talk about it at all, she just changed the subject as she moved through the kitchen, sliding past the tall gypsy on her way out. Her jeep was already loaded, board on top and keys were the only thing she had to grab, from the peg in the back room. Her bag was dropped by the door as she padded silently further into the house to grab the keys and head back.

Asher hadn't really fully looked at Ian since she'd found out about the other woman, as suspicious as her nature was, she decided she didn't want to or need to know that badly what was going on, figuring it would all come to a head sooner or later.

[Ian]

That had hurt, he decided as he watched her slink past him, looking back down at the hand that had held hers. Biting his lip, he went after her, catching her at the door just as she was leaving. "That was uncalled for," he informed her bluntly, blocking the exit so that they could hash this misunderstanding out. Care to see him? What the hell did that mean? Of course he wanted to see Nico, but something was keeping him from spending the time he wanted to with him while he worked on his surprise. "What the hell is wrong with you Ash?"

[Asher]

Neutral violet eyes blinked once before they actually looked up at the gypsy. It had been a long time since she'd actually bothered looking at him, or more specifically his face. "There is nothing wrong with me," she said, her voice never rising. Her eyes never gave her away, never once changing from the neutral state they were in.

Asher's tone was still soft, the musical accent in her words rising and falling as she spoke, watching the gypsy carefully, as if waiting for something, a sign or signal. A few strands had fallen out to frame her face in a way that made her seem like a saint of all those who had been abandoned or hurt by those close to them.

"Like I said, I have waves to catch since I am technically employed as a professional athlete," she said, her voice still soft.

[Ian]

"You were surfing when I left this morning," he pointed out, clearly confused. "You just had a baby. If you don't take it easy, you could hurt or something. What would I do if I lost you because you thought everything was fine and dandy?"

He had unknowingly stepped on a minor landmine.

[Asher]

Asher looked at him, a peaceful calm on her face as she gave him a small smile. "Haven't you already?" she asked, her voice still soft. That was Asher when she was truly angry. Calm, serene, peaceful, her infamous temper no where to be seen. She watched him, her eyes going dead and flat.

"It seems that you don't need me anyways," she said with a dismissive shrug as she crossed her arms over her stomach, the perfect picture of calm. "Or, come to think of it, maybe I was just the excuse for you to get here," she said, one finger tapping her lips. "Afterall, wouldn't be the first time I was used until something or someone better came along."

[Ian]

There was hurt in his eyes before it was quickly replaced by anger. "I never used you," he hissed, crossing his arms over his chest in case she said something else and he took a swing at the wall. He'd never hurt her, but his own temper was just as dangerous as his father's if it wasn't controlled properly. Thank god he'd learned some form of patience, or he'd have never made it out of his teens. "What the hell are you talking about Ash? What did I supposedly do that has your knickers all in a twist?"

[Asher]

"I didn't care enough to find out, but next time you go out with someone, make sure that they know you have a son and you're not somewhere where people who know you and me are, Damian," she said, some sick form of amusement dancing in her eyes as she watched him, almost daring him to go ahead and hit her. She used his full name, a sign that she had distanced herself from him, if the pulling away and lack of physical closeness hadn't been enough of a sign.

[Ian]

The anger was temporarily dispelled by confusion as his brows knitted together. Some other woman? When had he ever been out with-Oooooh! This time it took all he had in him not to snicker at her, but only because she would take it the wrong way and deck him. In all seriousness, the misunderstanding needed to be rectified; she'd probably leave him forever if he didn't, and THEN where would all his effort go? "Another woman, huh? And what makes you think I'm interested in other women?" he couldn't help teasing.

[Asher]

Asher gave him a blank look, easily able to read him, seeing that he was amused before she shut down again, shrugging and turning on a heel, picking up her bag in a smooth motion. "Like I said, I decided that I didn't care enough or need to know enough to find out," she said as she walked away from him, deciding to head out the back door.

She really didn't care what his excuse would be, actions spoke louder than words after all. And for the most part, it seemed that by his actions, he was done with her and her son, not really needing her except for a reason to come here. She had had enough and right now, walking away from it all seemed like the right idea.

[Ian]

"Wait, Ash!" he called after her, following a a slightly sedate pace. He'd wiped the smile from his face only because it had had the opposite effect he'd intended. Ian caught her by the arm once more before she made it out the door. "Aren't you the least bit curious why I've been meeting my case worker for lunch everyday for the last few weeks?" he asked, deciding now would be the best time to bait her with the juiciest bit of information. The fact that he had called her by her job title might be enough to pique her curiousity, but then again the tiny Hawaiian had drawn her own conclusions, so maybe not.

Either way, it didn't seem she was going to be able to wait till the aniversary of their first meeting for him to tell her he'd enrolled in Naturalization classes.

[Asher]

"No," was the only word she said, not really caring at all. That was a really damn good excuse for him, especially since he was an Italian citizen, so it would be potentially plausible for the outside world, if anyone else asked.

She shook her arm, intent on taking it back from him, at the moment she just felt like she wanted to go and jump in disinfectant, away from him.