crawling back

Marie had been trying to get a new job for weeks when she’d come across a potential job offer - somebody needed a babysitter. It was almost fishy, but she’d called to set up an interview, anyway. Arriving at the address, she stared at the building; somebody had clearly rented it for the interview, but that worried Marie a bit. Eventually forcing her concern away, she made her way up to the small building, lifting her hand to knock on the door. For a moment, she thought about turning, running, getting as far away from there as possible, but she had to try to see how this went.

Michael was bored - beyond so. All of his friends were busy, doing their own thing, and, because of this, he had nothing to do. Damn them for being busy. Scoffing with the thought, he made his way out of his house, a small pout on his lips as he wandered around. Eventually climbing into his car, he started it up and began the drive to the nearest diner. If he couldn’t find anything specific to do, at least he could eat and be out and about, rather than being cooped up in his room. After he arrived, he headed inside and sat down, easily placing an order before he peered around a bit, taking in the sight of everything, taking note of those around.

Cezara rocked her niece gently as she worked on making the bottle for her as the baby cried, cleary hungry. “I know, Lily-bug,” she cooed gently to the baby as she continued rocking her. Once she warmed the bottle, she moved to sit down with Lily, lifting the bottle to feed her. Cezara’s sister was a single mother and had a full-time job, so Cezara had offered to help out as much as she could - and, when Ashton was home, Ashton tried to help as well. Luke had offered to help find a suitable, more permanent babysitter for Lily, that Cezara’s sister could afford but, for now, Cezara enjoyed these moments.

Calum was honestly glad to have something to do in his free time. Louis had explained his and Etta’s situation to him, how they were babysitting Etta’s niece, and how they needed to find a permanent babysitter to make things easier for all parties involved, and Calum had offered to help do just that: to find a babysitter for them. In doing so, he’d made an ad to request people to contact him for the job so they could set up an interview. Plenty of people had contacted him after the interview ad, and he’d already conducted many interviews, but nobody seemed to fit just yet. His next interview was with a Rosie Parker and, seeing that it was coming close to time, he stood up to go open the door so she could come straight inside when she arrived.

Ileana offered a weak smile to her friend as they walked to one of Ileana’s favorite restaurants. Sarah had offered to take her there to get her mind off things. A few months ago, Ileana had been expecting a baby with the man she loved - Jensen - but they’d suffered a miscarriage. It had left them both broken and upset and they’d tried to fix things, Jensen especially, but every time Ileana looked at him, all she saw was the baby they never had, and all she felt was heartbreak for not being able to give them that baby. It’d ended in them breaking up about two months ago and this was the first time Ileana was really stepping out since then.

Jared leaned against a wall in the house. His friend had decided to throw a party and had invited him, but Jared only really came because it gave him something to do. For now, his eyes were taking in the crowd, watching people move about and dance, and he was hoping, silently praying even, that a certain Sasha Ingrid wouldn’t show up at the party. His friend had invited her solely to cause problems for Jared, to get under his skin, because his friend knew how much he and Sasha didn’t get along, how much they hated each other, and he always found enjoyment in using that to cause problems. Sighing with the thought, Jared shook his head and drank more.

Emilia sighed as she made her way into hers and Harry’s home after their “date,” and she worked on taking out her earrings, she put them in her jewelry box in their room - a room they didn’t actually share. It was all for show; while everything was decorated to make it seem like they were having a happy life together, Emilia’s real room was actually down the hall. This whole fake relationship had been developed by their publicists, who thought it would be good for both of them. In reality, though, they rarely spoke - though she preferred it this way. It was easier to pretend if she didn’t actually spend much time with him.

Louis came back home after having to run out to get some new diapers and baby wipes for Etta’s niece, Amelia. “I’m home,” he called out, smiling with the thought as he made his way further into the house to bring the wipes and diapers to Etta, though he cringed when he realized that perhaps he had woken Amelia from a nap - he tended to accidentally do that, though he never meant to. He hoped that wouldn’t be the case this time, maybe she was being fed or she was having tummy time or something along those lines. He thought about calling out for Etta to find out where she was but, since he didn’t want to risk waking Amelia if the baby was asleep, he refrained from doing so.

Valeria walked into the party she’d been invited to, peering around. While she’d been invited, it was one of the last places she wanted to be, because she knew the person throwing the party was close to a certain Nathaniel Buzolic - and, oh, how she loathed him. Scoffing with the thought, she weaved her way through the crowd that had already formed, and went to get something to drink, needing to put something in her system so that she could at least try to enjoy the party, though she was already tempted to just leave. The only thing worth being here for was the booze.

Cillian looked around his empty home for what felt like the millionth time since Euphemia left. Things had gotten difficult for them after they’d lost their unborn child. It’d been hard to admit to and impossible to get through, to the point that they’d ended up breaking up. But, after the break-up, home didn’t even really feel like home anymore. It just felt like a place for him to lay his head, to eat in, a place where he could simply get through the days that passed. And, God, how he missed Euphemia, how he wished to fix things between them. It broke his heart that he’d lost not just their unborn child, but her as well, and she’d always been the person he wanted to spend his life with. Running a hand through his hair, he made his way out, needing some fresh air.

Luke had set himself a task, and damn it, he was determined to follow through: he was going to find Ashton and Cezara a babysitter for baby Lily. The band schedule was beginning to pick up and Ashton didn't want Cezara to pick up more pace without his help, so everyone had agreed to find a suitable and affordable babysitter for the sweet little girl, so Luke had put out an ad, and he'd even interviewed a few people, but none had been a good match. The girl he'd had booked in for the afternoon, Marie, had sounded promising on paper, and Luke hoped, more than anything, that this would be the end of the process. Hearing a knock, Luke stood up and went to the door, nudging away an excited Petunia with his foot, amused. Pulling open the door, Luke blinked in surprise as he caught sight of a beautiful brunette woman, clearly nervous. "Hi, Marie, right?" Luke asked. "Come in!"

Gracie's lunch breaks were getting shorter and her hours were getting longer, but she'd be damned if she minded - the money she made was too good to back out of the job and Gracie was certain her mother was right when she said a pretty face could get you anywhere, as long as you had a sharp tongue to match. Smirking with the thought, Gracie pushed open the doors to the diner she used to frequent in high school; her black heels clicking against the linoleum floor with each step she took. Gracie could admit she missed the days she would sit in the booths with her friends, because she never seemed to have any fun these days... smile faltering a little, Gracie chose a table and sat down, setting her handbag in the chair next to her before fixing her hair and looking at the menu.

Ashton walked into the kitchen and smiled at the scene in front of him, his heart swelling with the fact that one day, Cezara and himself might have a child of their own - until then though, Lily was more than enough to keep them both busy. She'd been a wonderful learning experience and Ashton was reminded of the days when his own siblings were just babies, and how fucking grateful he was that he'd retained the knowledge of how to change a diaper. "Well, aren't you two cute?" Ashton asked with a soft smile, pressing a kiss to the top of Cezara's head, and then a kiss to Lily's forehead as she suckled from the bottle greedily. "God, she was starving." Ashton laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Want me to burp her?" Ashton asked, putting the coffee machine on.

Rosie tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she looked up to the house she was meant to meet Calum Hood at. She had applied for a babysitting position, and yet, the house seemed a little too quiet to have any children living there. Wondering if she should just skip, Rosie's feet ignored her anxiety and led her up the path, and seeing the door was open, she pursed her lips into a thin line. "Hello?" She called, blinking in surprise as a tiny dog came running towards her, barking excitedly. "Oh, hello!" She laughed, kneeling down. "Feisty, aren't you?" She grinned, scratching behind his ears before gently looking at his tag. "Duke. Are you the one I'm babysitting?" She laughed.

Jensen felt as though he'd been living life in slow motion recently, because since Ileana had left, since they lost the baby they both already loved so dearly after such a short amount of time, since everything fell apart, Jensen had been holding on to the smallest amount of hope, and it felt as though it was dragging him down further rather than lifting him up. Resting his chin in the palm of his hand, Jensen listened to Misha Collins, the motor mouth, rant on and on about how Jensen never seemed to do anything these days and he needed to get out of the house and Misha knew just the place to go for some good food. "If I say yes, will you quit bugging me?" Jensen asked gruffly, and as Misha smirked and said yes, Jensen was quick to stand up. "Then what're we waiting for?" - as it turned out, Jensen wished he'd waited a little longer before relenting, because Misha had dragged Jensen to one of Ileana's favourite resteraunts. "Dammit, Misha." Jensen hissed as he climbed out of the car.

It had taken Sasha quite a bit of convincing to agree to go to the party Richard Speight was throwing, knowing damn well Jared Padalecki would be there - but dammit, Rich had a way with words and Sasha was sold in no time with the promise of drinks and a good time; and now here she was. Sasha held a glass of wine in her hand as she danced happily with her friends, glad that so far, so good, she hadn't ran into the sasquatch of a man she had been trying so desperately to avoid. Still, despite Richard's (and sometimes Misha's) teasing, Sasha could admit to herself that there was a small part of her that hated Jared just for the thrill of getting under his skin and riling him up to the point where his jaw was tightened and his eyes were dark, because it was such a good look on him. Biting her lip with the thought, probably influenced by the wine, Sasha looked for Jared in the crowd.

Harry felt... guilty. His agency had dragged Emilia into his mess and she had to pick up the pieces as he shattered the glass, and beyond the contract, there wasn't anything he could do. Pursing his lips into a line, Harry followed Emilia into their 'shared' bedroom, clearing his throat. "Emilia," Harry spoke, sitting on the edge of his large bed as he shrugged off his suit jacket. They barely spoke outside of allocated dates and premiers, but something told Harry to try and break the barrier between them, because he owed her much more than what he was giving her. "Would you like a glass of wine and a film?" He offered. "I just... feel like I barely know you, considering that we're meant to be together." Harry offered a half-hearted grin. "We can order a Chinese too, if you want, what do you say?" He hoped she'd say yes, and standing to his feet, he went to get himself some pyjamas.

Etta lay on the bed on her front as she watched Amelia on her play mat, kicking her legs happily as the stuffed elephant and giraffe sang a delightful tune, and just watching the scene, Etta couldn't help but smile. Amelia had been an absolute joy to look after, but with Etta due back to work soon and Louis back at the studio, the couple wouldn't be able to take her on as much. Frowning with the thought, Etta was pulled from her own mind when she heard Louis call, Amelia kicking frantically when she heard Louis' voice. Smiling, Etta wondered if one day it would be their own son or daughter laying there. "Up here, babe! We're having some tummy time before bed." Etta called.

Nathaniel already had a drink in hand and a pretty woman eyeing him from across the room, and hey, this party wasn't as bad as he was expecting, because he was certain he would bump into a certain Valeria Rayne within the moment he crossed the threshold, but so far, so good. He was certain the only reason why his friend - Sean - had invited her was to get a rise out of Nathaniel, and he was proud to say that Sean wouldn't win this round. He was there to have a good time, not to get annoyed at the very sight of Valeria. Deciding his drink needed a top up, Nathaniel weaved through bodies to where Sean kept the booze - and as if God himself had read his thoughts, Nathaniel saw the very woman he didn't want to bump into. "So they did let you in, hm?" Nathaniel scoffed. "Sean warned me in advance you'd be here and yet I still can't stand the sight of you." And maybe, just maybe, the reason why he couldn't stand the sight of Valeria was because he was much more fond of the woman than he cared to admit.

Euphemia tugged her jacket a little tighter around herself, the crisp Autumn air enough to make her consider, if just for a moment, turning around and going back to the sweet little apartment she'd managed to make a home out of since leaving Cillian. The decision to leave hadn't been easy, driven by grief, and god, she missed Cillian more than anything - he was the one she was determined to spend forever with, and yet, the loss of their unborn baby had torn them apart in a cruel twist of fate. Pursing her lips with the thought, Euphemia headed for a familiar little coffee shop - the one she met Cillian in - and decided that a warm coffee would put some warmth back into her chilled skin. Finding a seat, Euphemia shrugged off her coat and took in the scent of coffee beans, wondering if life would fall back into place soon.