Fighter.

Another game, another fight, another black eye she would have to mend. She always loved the fighters, but it has gotten her in trouble.
She knew he couldn't stay this time. She knew she'd have to stand her ground. She couldn't do this anymore. She didn't have to be the other woman anymore. She wanted all of him or none of him; she was done with this “relationship”.
He said he loved her more than once. He always said that he was going to leave her, until she got pregnant anyway. "It's hard to think that you love me when you knocked up her," she had said when she found out. Since then she’s wanted the courage to leave, but not matter what she always came back.
The bottom line was that she loved him and was paying for it.
She heard the knock on her door right when she thought she would. She opened it like clockwork. It was an impulse that she wished could break.
Deryk had that sparkle in his eyes that she could never turn away from; he always had something up his sleeve when they were together. Eleven months to the day; it was an anniversary of some sort. He smiled and gave her a light kiss that she couldn't help but return.
"You can't be here" she said with a weak voice. He gently pushed her aside and let himself in.
"Ashley..." he started.
"No Deryk. I can't do this-s with you. You know how I feel..."
"Ashley," he repeated sternly, "I love you," he said grabbing her by the waist and pulling her into him, "I want to be with you." he finished. She resisted rolling her eyes. He was singing the same notes he did every time they went through this argument.
"You sure like to say that." she spat; trying to squirm away from his grip but failed. "Look Deryk. You can't use the same stuff over again. All the "I love yous" and the "I want yous" it's all just not what I need..." Ashley argued. Deryk kissed her and grabbed her neck, deepening everything. It was definitely the most passionate kiss they've ever shared. She gripped him at his shoulders; her mind screaming at her to stop but her heart had other ideas. He gently took her hand and they made their way to her bedroom like the many times before. Bodies on fire; they made love to each other.
It was soft and slow and much like the first time they were ‘together’. Ashley savored every moment to make it last. She didn't want to end this, she didn't want to tell him goodbye but she knew she had to. She knew it was the 'right' thing to do.
Whatever that meant.
When they were finished Deryk gentle traced circles on her stomach and kissed her shoulder. She sighed and shooed his hand off her and turned away, facing the wall. Deryk let out a sigh of frustration, "Ashley, please, you can't keep doing this..."
"Deryk we can't keep doing this. You know that. You should just leave and go back to Melissa, go back to Cash." she countered pathetically. Of course she didn't mean it, but she made a promise to herself tonight and was already on the ledge of breaking it.
"No. I'm not leaving until you promise me we're okay." he said, forcing her to look at him.
"You don't get it do you?" she laughed bitterly, "Deryk we are never going to be okay as long as you keep lying to her. As long as you keep me here on the sideline we are far from okay." she raged. It felt good getting this off her chest until she saw the heartbreak in his eyes.
"Well what do you want me to do? I-I can't just up and leave her!" Deryk rebutted.
"I'm not asking you to! I'm asking you to leave me. To forget about me." she begged. Her heart shattered with each syllable that left her mouth, but she kept on, "I don't have anything to give you, Deryk. I didn't carry your child. I'm not the one you married." He reached out to touch her, but she only moved farther away.
"You know I can't do that, Ash." he said. Their brown eyes mixed in the dark and she could see the desperation. She shook her head to break the intense connection.
"Why not. It's what's for the best. It's the only way that no one will get hurt." she said. She tried to smile but she didn't trust herself. Deryk took her face into his hands.
"We both know that isn't true." He breathed, and before he continued his phone rang, and the wordless exchange they made, made it obvious of the caller. "Hey hun...yeah I'm fine as always...oh I had to say a little longer for some tests on my eye...yes I will...be home soon...bye Cash...yes...love you too see you soon."
Ashley listened and just took it. She knew she was nothing but his play thing. She know all the "I love yous" didn't matter, because as he just proved, Deryk saves them for someone else too. Ashley didn't wait for another sorry explanation.
"Please just leave." she whispered. Deryk didn't argue this time. He just kissed her gently on her temple, got dressed, and left, leaving Ashley to sit and sob until she was numb and sleep covered her.

Weeks passed and she ignored his calls, his attempts of trying we're overwhelming. He never tried knocking on her door, he know she wouldn't answer. He was dying inside without her, and she without him. But she refused to break, she was staying strong.
That strong front wavered a bit when she discovered she was late, and the one thing she feared most would happen, happened.
She was pregnant. It had to be the night she ended things, it was one of the few nights they didn't use a condom. Lucky her. She was going to mother a lovechild, she felt disgusted.
Of course the two alternatives besides keeping the child crossed her mind at rapid pace, but she quickly chased them both out. She was going to keep it, and raise it right. She didn't need Deryk's help. She was in control.

A month passed but the calls and texts from Deryk never waved. She was slowly getting over him and wished he could do the same for everyone's sake. One day she was out shopping when the dreaded happened. She accidentally crashed carts with another person and when she went to apologize she froze in her tracks.
Melissa.
"Oh I'm sorr-hey! I know you!-you're Deryk's friend, you work for the Pens, Ashley right?" she asked.
"Yes that's me," she replied meekly, "sorry for-"
"Ruining my marriage?" Melissa snapped. Ashley looked at her in horror. Deryk told her? How could he? Why? Ashley saw the fire in her eyes, making Ashley's stomach sink,
"Look, Melissa I'm sorry I tried to-"
"Save it for someone who cares. He told me. He told me about all your pathetic attempts to break it off. Told me about all the times you've been together, and I must say, it's good to know that my husband wants to leave me for a whore like you."
"Leave-e you? I didn't want that!" Ashley cried and Melissa gave a snort.
"Yes it is, isn’t it? It’s what you wanted all along right? To have him as your own? To raise a kid with him?" At that Ashley instantly grabbed her stomach, much to Melissa's disgust.
"Well it looks like everything is going according to your little plan. Congratulations on your bastard child." she said and hastily turned away. Ashley was frozen there, not knowing where to run to. She kept her composure as she finished her errands and didn't let the tears fall until she got home.
She paced and paced around her apartment until she heard the all too familiar knock on her door. She opened it and wordlessly let him in. She took a deep sigh before facing him. He wrapped her into a hug as he gently rubbed her hair. "I missed you." was all he said. Ashley tried to hold back the tears but as soon as he looked at her the flood gates burst and she was violently sobbing into his arms.
"You told her. You told her after I told you just to forget about me." she said, gently punching his chest. He just gently traced fingers down her spine and let her have it.
"I could never forget about you Ashley. I love you."
"But what about Cash? What about Melissa? You can't just do this to them!" She accused. Deryk quickly kissed her to stop her babbling. She missed his lips, but she didn't let that show.
"Look I know this isn't going to be easy for any of us. It won't be a clean break. But as long as I have you-and whoever's in here-" he said gently placing his hand on her stomach, "I can make it through, we can finally be together. One hundred percent together." Ashley looked to see a fault in his eyes; to find a flaw, because surely he wasn't telling the truth. She never thought he would ever leave Melissa, but here they were, about to start a family of their own. Ashley couldn’t help the smile that came to her face and Deryk gentle got down and kissed her stomach. She saw the innocence in his face, the excitement. She didn’t see that when Melissa was pregnant with Cash, it was a new sight. And in that instant she knew that Deryk wanted all of her as much as she wanted him. Deryk looked up at her and returned the bright smile. They were back at eye level now.
“Just kiss me.” she said and he gently kissed her with an urgency she never got from him before. And that night was the first time Deryk spent the night, the first night of many, when he didn’t go back to Melissa.
Everything was okay.