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[rachel-delacroix-blog]

asher-o-conner‌:

Asher groans. “That is not my point and you know that.” He struggles to find the right words for it. “I have caused you nothing but hurt since I got back into your life. I didn’t mean to but I did because that’s what I do. Whether I like it or not, whenever I try to fix anything I make it worse.” His voice is calm and collected now, back to his usual monotone. “So me loving you doesn’t worth anything, ‘cause I will just end up hurting you again. You know that by now. You should know that by now. I can’t just say that I love you and expect it to magically fix everything.” He pauses as a look of pain and hesitation crosses his ash-covered face. “…you know I would do anything for you. You know that. Of course I will come if you call me. If you tell me to fuck off, I will. If you ask me to stay, I will. I’m simply asking you to make up your mind. I will do anything for you, but I can’t do two things at once.” 

Asher opens his mouth to tell her what happened while he was overseas, but stops himself for a moment. Perhaps he should not have mentioned that. “…um, when I was overseas. It’s a long story. I don’t really keep track of that. I won’t bore you with details. My point is, my broken legs are not the worst, and you could have died but you didn’t. Let’s focus on that.” He murmurs evasively. 

He presses his lips into a thin, flat line at her menacing finger pointing. “Well, I haven’t died, have I” he shrugs. “You’re the one who went into a burning building. So don’t act like you won’t put yourself between the phantom and innocent people over there.” He points out, this time pointing his finger at her, mimicking her favorite gesture. “Like I would leave you to do that on your own. If it’s important to you, it’s important to me as well.” He says before kicking open the wooden fence around the lot. A panel breaks like it was made of plastic, revealing a construction site with a building in progress. “From what I understand, me and Noah together produces more energy than two people can, ‘cause we are in one body. It’s like, difference between two plus two and two cubed.” He explains as he casually breaks into a lot. He rotates his shoulders to check his condition. “Spirits need that energy. I am like a walking, talking full course meal for them…” 

He takes a deep breath, trying to concentrate on his sixth sense. He usually can’t detect spirits as other mediums do– he wonders if it is because he already has Noah within him– but phantoms, they have a bigger presence than ordinary spirits. It was more of a survival instinct to sense them. “Alright, get ready.” He whispers as that dreaded gut feeling telling him to run seizes him. When it comes down to fight or flight, though, Asher is usually one to choose a fight. A blade of flame cuts through the air from above their heads, bearing its fang like an angry animal. Asher has already seen this pattern in the building, however. He focuses his life-force into his arm until it feels like his bones were breaking just by its pressure, and swings a huge punch in the air. The stream of life-force trapped in his arm jets out, sprinting like a gust and offsetting the flame. Capillaries in his arm breaks from wielding power well above his limit, but it is a minor cost compared to being crisped. Especially with Rachel around, he can’t simply dodge. “There, up in that structure.” Asher points at the building where the Phantom is standing. Its gutted scream echoes in the lot, as a rope of flame encircles the two. “Come down here, asshole. Your one trick doesn’t work anymore.” He growls tauntingly, even though he doubts it understands any word at this point. 

This was a lot. Everything about the situation was a lot, and quite frankly for the second time in her life, Rachel didn’t have the answers. Asher was unbearable sometimes, they both knew that about him, but it didn’t change anything. His words made her roll her eyes but she still listened regardless. A couple things he said even shocked her a little. “That’s because everything that you do does involve me, and when you’re careless enough to think it doesn’t, that does hurt me. Asher when you walked out...” Rachel shook her head a little, trying to muster up the words, or find the right set of words to use in a situation like this. It’s not like it was easy for either of them, she new that, truly, she did. “When you walked out, I thought that was it. I didn’t have an explanations as to why, I didn’t know if it was something I’d done or if something happened to you and that...that was a really shitty, idiotic thing to do to someone you love. But,” Rachel paused, her eyes falling on his as she spoke, “but, that doesn’t mean the day you walked out we both just stopped caring about each other. If anything, I think it means we still do. So I’ll make up my mind right now. I want you in my life, I can’t imagine you not in it. But this, us, whatever we had back then it’s gone. I still love you but I don’t think I can ever trust you, rely on you or love you the way I did six years ago. So are we both good with that decision or what?” 

Talking about their relationship was just as draining as it was confusing. It’s not like she’d run into a burning building and called him out here to talk about that. Honestly, she’d wanted to avoid it, but here they were. Rachel sighed and ran a hand through her hair, winching when the side of her arm stretched up and ached. “Right, just boring, not like you were shot or put in harms way. Just a totally normal day for Asher O’Conner. Is that was this is now, a normal day for Asher O’Conner? This is exhausting.” The philanthropist let out an exasperated chuckle, feeling like she’d much rather stay lying on the ground than get up to take care of the phantom. “But you’re right, we can focus on the fact that I am certainly not dead.” 

Another sigh escaped her as well as an eye roll but she didn’t object to the things he’d said about her because they were true. Him being right was far more annoying than him being an idiot, but of course she didn’t say that either. Instead she walks past Asher once he breaks down the fence, going ahead of him towards the construction site. “So basically the saying ‘two minds are better than one’ is at play here? Who’s to say this whole thing won’t go horribly wrong and you’ll end up killed? How long can Noah stay inside of you anyway?” She probably had more questions than Asher could answer, but so far he’d been knowledgable enough to give her somewhat understanable explanation. “Can I be honest? Your life sounds like a fucking comic book.” 

Maybe it was the jumping out of a window onto a sofa that made Rachel kind of grouchy, or maybe it was the phantom still trying to rip them limb from limb...but she found herself feeling more than a little fed up with today’s antics. With the fire extingusher still in hand, Rachel rolled her shoulders back and stayed alert. That fucker could come down at any minute, and she wasn’t about to get singed again. Suddenly a large, blade-like flame rose above their heads in the sky, causing Rachel to look up and point the extingusher. Before she even got a change to pull the trigger, Asher’s arm came out and sent a wave of energy through the air, cutting into the blade and making it disappear. “Jesus Christ...” Rachel murmurs as their attention turns towards the building, her hands resting firmly on the nossle of the extingusher like her life depended on it, which it did. “Fuck!” She yelped when a rope-like ring of fire appeared around them. They were trapped. Almost immediately, Rachel began spray the circle, making holes in its path so that they had a way out. Asher seemed busy taunting the damn thing, which...honestly seemed like a horrible idea. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to piss it off?” 

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

asher-o-conner:

Asher is genuinely taken aback by her answer. Her feelings may be an explanation but it does not excuse the way she acts, the way she wants him around and not want him around at the same time– just as the reason why he left her years ago may explain his behavior, but cannot not justify it. People say love makes you do the craziest shits. People stay for love. People leave for love. They throw themselves in the path of danger for love. They commit unspeakable sins just for love. But love is not a panacea. “That doesn’t mean shits. You think I don’t love you? I’m not talking about the way you feel. I’m talking about the way you act.” He says shakily after they land, breathing through the pain. “Even if you love me, that don’t mean you can call me and then tell me to fuck off. Even if I love you, I don’t let that… I try my best not to get that in your way. I just won’t.” 

His limbs flinch sporadically with pain as the body tries to mend itself. His eyes water because it fucking hurts. It is in no way a delicate process. If anything, it was as violent as the way his bones broke. Forcefully regenerating his body by using his life-force is, in a way, lay burdens to his future. At this point, he is quite certain his body is permanently damaged somewhere– like Marina told him, he is getting weaker. “I got shot like… three times.” He groans. 

That’s rich coming from a woman who literally ran into a burning building, Asher mutters internally. He doesn’t dare to say that out loud, though. “It’s called rational thinking. I can heal myself. *You* can’t.” He rolls his eyes. At her suggestion, he raises the brows. If they can keep out the fire with an extinguisher, it will definitely more easier to deal with the phantom. “Smart.” He nods as he follows her from behind. “*Invincible?* Rach, I just broke my legs and it hurt like a motherfucker. I can survive shits, but that’s pretty much it. Beside, I don’t think me being reckless is today’s news.” he laughs weakly. He doesn’t even blink when Rachel breaks a glass to get the fire extinguisher. He circulates the life-force within his body like one starts an engine of a car, getting ready. It will draw the attention of the phantom.  “We need to get to somewhere vacant.” He notes as he begins moving toward an empty lot next to the building. There are people around the burning building, firefighters and all. It won’t be wise to expose them to the phantom. 

Rachel’s back felt a little sore from the impact, her shoulders aching a bit as she laid face up, looking crossly at the sky. She hated admitting when she was wrong. In fact, she was really complete shit at it most of the time. When she turned to the side their eyes met briefly before Rachel turned away again, letting out a low sigh. “What, are you saying that this- that I, have been getting in your way, Asher?” Was she? Was coming here merely a mistake? Perhaps she did believe that, seeing as it had nearly ruined her friendship with Lucas, torn her in two knowing what Asher had been hiding from her all this time and become quite the PR mess for Kinnections. Port Ashborne was a liability more than it had been a success, but she couldn’t help but think of all she could have missed if she had never stepped foot in this town.  “Maybe I shouldn’t have called you.” Rachel concluded as she sat up, wincing a bit when the pain set in. 

They were both pretty badly beaten up while the Phantom seemed to only take minimal damage. It made Rachel feel a little helpless knowing there was practically nothing she could do to help Asher, who looked even worse than she did. And he was supposed to be the invincible one. “Shot three times? When the hell did that happen?” She pressed, brows furrowed as she stopped in her tracks to look back at him. Who the hell would have shot Asher three times? “You look like shit, are you sure we should do this? We could always make a run for it...” There were others like him right? Or others who had abilities that she didn’t know of and probably couldn’t even comprehend. Surely they could take care of this phantom situation while they took the evening off from getting beat up. 

“You can heal yourself? Yeah, how well has that been working out for you? You can’t just keep taking beatings like this. I’m sure Noah saying the exact same thing in there, he’s always had some sense that you nor Lucas had.” Rachel pointed out with a finger raised in typical ‘Rachel’ fashion, her brows raised slightly as if she were daring him to tell her otherwise. It was almost a blessing Asher had Noah in his body to look after him. God knows what might have happened in their future had he not been. As she broke the glass and got the extinguisher raised in her hands, she gave a light snort towards Asher and sent him a look. “Even more reason to make a run for it.” His recklessness wasn’t news yet because he hadn’t died, but the same thing could easily have been said about Rachel’s recklessness. If she hadn’t ran into the burning building they wouldn’t be in this situation...but like hell she’d take the blame for something so heinous. Instead of protest again, however, Rachel merely sighs and raises the fire extinguisher as she follows Asher to a vacant lot behind the ashen building. By now, an ambulance and a fire truck had arrived, pulling up out front right as they circled around back. “What makes you think it’ll come for you and not them?” 

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

asher-o-conner:

“Then why did you fucking call me, huh? Why the hell am I here? Why do you think I’m here?!” Asher screams back at her over the smoke. The flame burns away their reason, exposing the red, bleeding skin beneath their pretense. “You want me out of your life? I can leave if you want. Hell, I’m the one who kept telling you, you should walk away. But you didn’t. For some fucking reason I can’t understand, you stayed.” His words gush out of him as he carries her toward the windows. “You can’t have it both ways, Rachel. I’m either here for you or I’m fucking gone, alright? You gotta make peace with that. Right now, you called me here, and you’re fucking insane if you think I’m just gonna let you die while I’m here.” He coughs after speaking so much in the smoke, but Noah’s soul keeps him from choking. 

“That– could have gone worse.” Asher breathes heavily as he barely stands. “But we need to get you to hospital… for any inhalation burn.” The landing was the opposite of graceful. Asher bites his bottom lips till it breaks and bleeds, enduring the pain of breaking both his legs as much as it can. He diverts most of his life-force to healing. He looks down and he sees his left tibia spiking out of his flesh. “Shit, don’t look” he warns her, blocking her eyes with his shaking hand, his voice trembling, “it’s kind of… gross.” His forced regeneration is already at work. The broken bone sticking out of his leg readjusts himself like the time is being rewound. The bloody opening sutures itself. The pain lingers for a while, but soon enough, he is able to take his stand. 

Asher gives her a hand to get up from the half-baked mattress. “It’s still here… and we don’t have much time. I think it will come after me, first. So I’ll be the bait.” He speaks, his voice gone hoarse. “I don’t know how you did it last time, but this one can burn you if you get to close, okay? Keep your distance.” 

Well, she didn’t really have an answer to that. Why had she called Asher? Why not call Jonathan Preston, a cop, who honestly may have been better in a situation like this had it not been for one key element...the phantom. The only person Rachel knew could deal with phantoms was Asher, as she’d seen him do it before. With her mouth agape, hands fumbling against his chest as he carried her, Rachel’s brow furrowed up at Ash and she found words she didn’t have moments ago. “It’s because I love you, you idiot. I cannot simply turn it off and on when I wish, I can’t...I can’t leave like you did. Besides, there was a damn phantom here, who else did you expect me to call? These people needed someone and I wanted to be that person for them because I...” I’m running out of people myself, she wanted to say, thinking of Noah, who was trapped in Asher’s body and Asher, who left her as soon as things got somewhat complicated. Even Luke now came and went, his temper constantly getting the best of him, none of the people she cared so much about really stayed present in her life. But she doesn’t say this, instead she lets the smoke swallow her words, and the fall break them. 

Sucking in a breath of fresh air, Rachel winced when her lungs brought back strangled breaths, making her cough again. God, maybe going in there was a fucking horrible idea. She could hear the sirens from the firetruck about a mile out, deafening their words. “Define worse. Your legs are broken.” Rachel pointed out bluntly, nearly gagging when she saw the bone sticking straight out of his pulled back skin. “Jesus, it’s too late for that.” Thank god he had Noah’s soul fixing him when he did stupid shit like jumping out a damn window to save her life. Though he wouldn’t be in this situation if she hadn’t run into the damn burning building...that was on her, not that she’d admit that aloud. 

She took his hands once it was extended out to her, putting most of her strength into standing, though she wobbled on her first attempts. “Bait? Sounds like a suicide mission. Who has the hero complex now?” Rachel murmured, finally gaining her balance before walking up to a fire hydrant, examining the base. Something hard with force should be able to break it, though if the fire department arrived and it was broken, it’d be useless with their hose... “I’m aware of that, Ash. But it wants you, right? Not me.” Better to be confident than under prepared. They’d need water and lots of it. Or perhaps... “Fire extinguisher.” The philanthropist states aloud, making her way back towards the front of the building. Surely they had one in case of fires, or so she hopped. As she made her way back around the front, she could feel Asher on her heels close behind. “Look, I know you think with Noah in your body, you're this...invincible force. But you’re not. You need me, O’Conner. Human or not.” Rachel quipped, letting out a sign of relief once she came across the extinguisher hanging inside a glass container. She picked up a rather large rock and hurled it at the box, shattering the glass just as the phantom’s shrieks began to pick up within the building. Grabbing the extinguisher, Rachel backed up with the weapon raised, getting behind Asher as she was told to do moments ago. 

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

asher-o-conner:

“Yes. Abso-Fucking-Lutely.” Asher stresses every syllable of each word. “If you see a person bleeding you stop the bleeding, but don’t fucking operate on them because you are not a doctor. This–” he mutters under the breath, vaguely gesturing at the burning walls “–is way beyond first-aid response. You’re overstepping and this is not your profession. You’re only gonna get yourself killed. The worst thing is, though, that you knew that, but you did it anyway.” He talks fast and lengthily which is as rare as a goddamn meteor shower– you can only observe it once in few years but it comes down like a pouring rain. When was the last time he was pissed off like this? He can’t seem to remember. Maybe that time Lucas walked in with a bruise on his eye. That feels like a lifetime ago… The only reason he stops is the presence of Phantom. “We are not done.” He shoots her a brief glare before turning his focus to the spirit. 

Asher glances over his shoulder at Rachel’s warning. “Jesus Fucking Christ.” he curses. Now the Phantom has them in its grip, the cage of fire closing in. The oxygen begins to wear thin. He could probably survive it for a while, overloading life-force within his body, but what about Rachel? It is like they are sitting in the belly of the beast. This place is too disadvantageous for them. When Asher hears her coughing, he makes a quick decision. “Rach, stay low!” The Phantom is only few steps away. Asher closes the gap within a second. It claws at him with a wide swing. The past encounters with spirits toughened him in a way, and rather than taking the hit directly, Asher ducks his head and the claw misses him by hair. He goes in beneath the Phantom, and smashes in a clean uppercut to what he thinks is its head. The sheer force of the punch stuns it, a moment Asher did not miss. He gives a kick over its chest. The Phantom grabs his leg, burning through the fabric and his skin. Asher pulls his leg, throwing the spirit of its balance, and hammers down his elbow on its head.

As soon as the Phantom falls to the floor, the wall of flame grows weaker. Asher turns to Rachel and picks her up. Carrying her on his shoulder, he grabs the mattress with his free hand. He jumps over the flame, and heads back into the apartment they escaped from. Another screech can be heard from behind. He hurls the mattress out of the broken window. “Okay, Rach, hold on.” He steadies his grip on her, and charges through the window. A moment in the air, he does his best to land on the mattress with his feet first. He swallows his scream at the impact breaking his bones. He lays Rachel down, and wills his body to fix itself. The Phantom wasn’t destroyed. It will chase them down. After taking a deep breath of fresh air, he realizes they are in the backyard of the building. “You alright?” He checks with Rachel, trying to stand up with his broken legs. 

“So what if I did, Asher? This is who I am, this is who you supposedly fell in love with right? You know that about me. But as I recall you walked out on this, which means you lost the right to have a say in what I do or do not do for the sake of my well being.” Rachel hissed back, knowing she meant every word in anger, anger that still flared inside of her and perhaps always would. Asher’s betrayal wouldn’t simply disappear, even if they were somehow on good terms now. The phantom’s presence only delayed this argument, though she was sure Asher would bring it up again later. He almost always did, having the memory of a damn elephant. Rachel merely nodded when he spoke again, turning her attention back to the phantom. Quite frankly, she wasn’t in the mood, and probably wouldn’t be even when this was over. 

As the smoke and flames began to thicken around them, Rachel’s back pressed farther into the mattress, her hands coming up to shove the think tank top harder against her lips. Still, the smoke persisted, as did the gasping coughs that made it hard for Rachel to breathe. She watched helplessly as Asher charged at the phantom, ducking when it’s claw-like fingers nearly grazed the side of his head. Her knees buckled at some point during the fight, knees scuffing the wooden floor roughly as she fell deeper into the mattress. There was no longer oxygen in the air, or so it felt like, as Rachel’s eyelids began pulling downward, lulling her into a deep sleep. Somewhere farther away from her, she felt the phantom’s body make contact with the floor beneath them, which was much louder than she’d expected it to be. The noise jolted her forward somewhat, eyes sagging open momentarily to see Asher moving towards her. “Ash...y-you’re bleeding. Your skin...it’s b-bleeding...” Rachel’s words got lost in the haze around them, but she still felt his arms around her, lifting her off the ashen floor. 

In seconds she’s over his shoulder like some rag doll, hanging loosely against the singed fabric hanging loosely against his skin. She could feel the flames lick at their heels as he hurdled over them, racing back into the apartment they’d just left. The mixture of the phantom’s screech and the breaking of the window Asher hurled the mattress out of makes Rachel tense. Her brow furrows as he adjusts her body slung over one of his shoulders. “Ash what...” She intended to ask him what was going on. What was he doing? She finds out about two seconds after she mutters the words, fresh air hitting their bodies like an oncoming wave. Rachel’s hair billows, her body weightless as they soar through the air, crashing down on the mattress below. She can hear the sound of bones breaking before her body is gently dropped down onto the singed mattress top, a light groan escaping her as another cough escapes through her parted lips. When she breathes in, it’s like her lungs are on fire, but there’s relief in her eyes when they open and see the sky up ahead. “I think so. My lungs just sort of...burn.” Rachel breathes out, holding onto her chest as she turns over, looking at Asher. “Are you? Your legs...I heard them breaking.” 

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

asher-o-conner:

The flame hisses like a serpent as it engulfs the walls. Asher can’t help but feel like he is inside the stomach of a great monster, slowly dissolving into nothingness. He grits his teeth, ignoring small burns and scalds his skin takes as he walks through the fire. It doesn’t matter if it hurts him– he can heal himself fast enough. But Rachel can’t. The thought drives him faster than ever. “Rachel!” He calls her name again. This time he hears an answer. He rushes toward the source of the voice, finding her and– a child and a woman. “Don’t breathe in the smoke, and stay low as possible.” He instructs before walking up to Rachel. He grabs the mattress with one hand and moves it like it was a piece of bread. He turns to Rachel with fire in his eyes– quite literally, as his quiet blue eyes are furious with the reflection of flame. “Are you insane? Are you a crazy person? Is that it? Walking into a burning building? You’re not a firefighter for fuck’s sake–” he stops only to usher them out of the apartment, going through the passage the mattress provided them. Granted, he is not done yelling at her yet.

The moment he steps out to the corridor, the sense of dread jolts through his spine. It approaches them from end of the hallway, flame coming alive with its every step. “Fuck, Rach, it’s here.” He warns Rachel, not keeping his eyes off the advancing threat. His mind races like a car without a brake. What options do I have? Can all of us run away? No, it can blink and will chase after me. Then can buy time while others run? No, Rachel won’t listen. Then the only option is– “ma’am, take the stairs and get out of here.” He points to the direction he came up. He can’t keep three other people safe. “But what about–” the woman protests. “I’ll be fine. Gotta find the others.” He cuts her off curtly. She hesitates, but soon takes her kid and leaves.

The Phantom screeches as it gets closer. It raises its charred finger and points at Asher. A rope of fire raises its head like a snake, and charges toward him. Asher in turn releases the energy coursing through his vein, and swings his arm widely. It cuts the flood of flame and keeps Rachel from burning. He can feel his hand burning off, blistered red, but it heals itself as soon as he clenches it to a fist. “Rach, whatever you do, stay behind me.” He says, hiding the shake in his voice. “Look out the fire around us for me, okay? I just need to–” he swallows the groan from pain as his hand regenerates. “Hold off till it’s close enough.” 

Rachel couldn’t decide what was worse; the flames just inches away from their bodies or the now lite blue flames in Asher’s eyes. It should have obviously been the fire. but at the moment, the fire was only going to be a small portion of the problem now that Asher had arrived. But probably her greatest problem now was the amount of smoke she’d inhaled. That caused death, not his gaze. Her coughing continued even as she pulled the tank top back over her lips, eyes hardening when he had the nerve to yell at her in front of these strangers, and in the middle of a goddamn fire. “What was I supposed to do, eh? Sit there and watch helplessly? I’m fine aren’t I?” Rachel hisses back, her pride stronger than the slight guilt she felt scaring Asher the way she had. Was it stupid? Yes. Did she know that? Hell yeah, but she’d done it anyway. Like Ash would say, it was the ‘hero’ in her, or perhaps it was just the need to control everything.

 One pet peeve Rachel had was feeling useless. It was why she’d learned as much as she could attending classes, why she took karate till the bitter end, all in hopes to avoid ever feeling helpless. And yet...Ash lifted the mattress as if it were a damn nickle he’d found on the side of the road, carrying out into the hall with the women and child in tow. She should be thanking him for coming to help out, considering he was practically super-human with Noah resting inside of him. Rachel still didn’t quite understand how it worked, but Ash had never been that strong or that fast, so she could only assume it was by Noah’s doing. “It’s here? What...” Her question was engulfed in flames, flames that sprouted out of no where, not a damn source in sight. It was almost as if they were footprints, like someone- or something was stepping towards them, each movement igniting another flame. Shit. It was the phantom. 

The philanthropist gave a sharp inhale, only to elicit another coughing fit, which made her chest heave and her lungs burn. Bless the woman beside them for caring about their well being, but Ash was right. Rachel wasn’t going anywhere, and she doubted he could defend three people let alone one. Defending himself from a phantom was hard enough... “Asher-” The phantom’s blood curling scream shattered any remaining window left unscathed from the flames, shards of glass ricocheting into the mattress roughly along with billowing flames. Rachel covered her ears, ducking down behind Ash once she saw the phantom create a large rope-like weapon out of fire. The mattress as well as Asher were taking most of the hits, leaving Rachel unscathed. But as she turned to survey a quick exit, she slowly began to realize the phantom had only been trying to distract Asher, creating a circular barrier of fire around their only exit. As it came closer, it licked at the end of Rachel’s tennis shoes, making her cry out, while her back practically molded to Ash’s. 

“Ash, fuck, the flames are getting closer! It’s creating some sort of barrier here, I can’t even see a way o-” That’s when the smoke inhalation became almost unbearable. Her lips curled as she attempted to suck in more air, yet she only found more smoke. Her knees buckled as she fell into the mattress, gasping for air when there was none. She coughed, sputtered, hands gripping onto the back of Asher’s shirt as her lungs began to burn from within. 

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

asher-o-conner:

Asher is awoken by his phone ringing. That is odd for him. Nobody ever calls him– except Dad and Luke. Wow, my life is desolate, is the thought crossing his mind as he picks up the phone. It flies out of the window faster than how he grabs his clothes, the first aid kit and runs out of the door. “What? What the fuck are you– just call the ambulance! No, don’t you dare think about going in there, it’s a suic– Rachel!” Asher rarely raises his voice, a distinguishing feature from his brother. But this kind of urgency warrants the irregularity. 3rd and Birch– near the docks which takes him about fifteen minutes by foot. That just won’t do. He jumps down the stairs of his apartment building. As soon as he reaches the lobby, he channels most of his life-force into his legs. Please, just this once, help me, Noah. It’s Rachel. 

She had to be a hero. A part of him that admires such passion, such selflessness had always pitched a war against a part of him that hated her heroic bullshits. Who cares about other people? Who cares what happens to the rest of the world? All that matters to him are the handful of people he has managed to keep in his world. As much as he is in awe of her ability to love humanity, he would burn this city down himself if anyone costs him her life. He has lost far too much in life. The whole reason why he disappeared from her life was to make sure she would be safe from this supernatural bullshits. What was the fucking point of that, hurting her deeply and rendering himself living like dead for six years, if he loses her like this?

Asher reaches the street Rachel mentioned in three minutes, a feat of willpower in itself. But she is nowhere to be found in front of the burning ruin. There is a siren to be heard in the distance. But he has no intention of waiting around until they get here. He takes his jacket off, uses it as the mask and marches into the fire without hesitation. “Rachel!” His shout echoes through the flamed corridor. He needs to find her and get out, or at least draw the phantom to him so that she can get out safely. He shrouds the life-force like an armor around him. For some reason, it doesn’t feel as tiring as it lately has been. But the more he uses life-force, the fire begins to crawl closer to him. He avoids it as much as possible and heads upstairs.

Asher’s voice rang out in her head even after she’d hung up. ‘Don’t you dare think about going in there.’ But she’d dared anyway. It’s because that’s who she was, the ‘hero,’ as Ash liked to put it, the one who would totally go barreling into a burning building, with nothing to protect herself other than the hope that she could at least get one person out of there. One was enough, right? The fire department was on their way, she could hear the sirens over the crackling of the fire blazing up the stairwell. Smoke covered every inch of the building, rendering her practically blind. If she didn’t get something to cover her nose and mouth, the smoke inhalation would kill her in minutes. The problem was all she had one was a damn tank top. It would have to do. Quick, she shifted up the stairs and removed the top, tying it around her nose and mouth as a shield for the smoke. Up above she could hear a woman yelling and a small child screaming over the top of the woman’s words. 

“Shit.” Rachel breathed out, praying Ash would somehow be fast enough to get his ass over here as soon as possible. Taking in a deep breath, she ran up the stairs and around a gust of flames, which licked at the ends of her heels. “Hello? Hello?! Where are you, which door?” Rachel yelled from the top steps, pushing her body against the bare wall away from the fire. “In here! The first door at the top steps!” The woman shouted back as the child cried.  “Thank god.” She said as she reached for the door, immediately feeling a rising heat coming from the knob. It burned her flesh instantly, making her cry out and nearly stumble back. “Shit!” Rachel stammered, sucking in a deep breath as she backed up, using all of her strength to kick down the door. It came loose almost instantly, buckling under the weight of Rachel’s shoe. Flames rose from just beyond the broken door, making her jump back. 

“Okay, you’ve got this, it’s just a burning building, it’s fire, you can do this.” The philanthropist breathed in, pumping herself up as she stood in place, centering her body so that all of her weight could be distributing into her kick. Again she aimed at the hinges of the door, kicking and pushing with all her might until finally it came loose. As soon as it did, Rachel launched herself forward over the door, trapping the flames underneath. “Where are you?” She coughed, hearing the child’s muffled crying as the woman shouted ‘here, here!’ Rachel found them in a bedroom opposite to the kitchen, and she was quick to move by their side. “Hey, it’s okay, all right? I’m here to help you, the fire department is on their way, just...here, help me with this mattress, we’re gonna use it to the block the flames, okay?” It was then when she grabbed one side of the mattress and the woman grabbed the other and her child, that she heard Asher call her name. “Ash?” She yelled back, heart nearly leaping from her chest. The shirt muffled her words as did the coughing,  so she tugged it down below her lips. “Asher! We’re up the stairs, first door! Come on,” Rachel said to the mother, positioning the mattress so it went in front of their bodies towards the flames. Her chest was on fire, the coughing continuing even though she seemed resolute on carrying the mattress. “Ash, help us with this, it’ll catch the flames before it gets on us.” She said once she heard footsteps within the apartment. 

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

jonathan-preston:

“Do you believe in that?” he kept his eyes on her as he asked. John wasn’t being cynical, his question was not meant as a challenge of belief. It was simple curiosity. “In fate?”. The longer he lived in Port Ashbourne the more he had to reconcile with the fact that not everything was as structured and clear black-and-white as he once believed. There were things beyond his comprehension, things that he couldn’t even see or proof by traditional means but knew full well that they existed. Maybe fate existed, invisible to people’s eyes but pulling threads together all the time. Maybe it didn’t.

Rachel was somewhat nervous in his presence. He could tell by the way in which she spoke, still composed and sure of herself but with a subtle difference in her tone and how she talked a bit more now. He wished she would not feel that way around him, but he could not help but smile a little as she spoke. “Glad I could provide you with an excuse” the Lieutenant stated with a brief laugh. He didn’t laugh often, he had few reasons to do so other than with his daughter, and whenever he did it felt like taking a breath of fresh air. That was further confirmation of just how much at ease he felt around Rachel.

After she brought the cassoulet to the dining room, he pulled a chair for her and then took his seat. Hearing her speak of her concerns regarding others due to the fires made him want to tell her truth he’d find the other night: the police wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop the fires because its source was supernatural. It wouldn’t break protocol to tell her since that wasn’t classified information of Port Ashbourne PD. They didn’t even know that. But John was hesitant as to how she would react if he started speaking about a phantom-like creature of fire. “I wasn’t alright the other night” he began, looking up at her as he decided to venture into the topic carefully. Judging by her reactions he could choose what to tell and what would be best left unsaid. “I nearly died in one of the fires. And this will sounds crazy but I saw something there, not just fire”.

Fate was a funny thing. Her parents, like many others in France were raised Catholic, but their belief in medicine and science had since taken over their belief in God, and so Rachel was raised in a rather Godless household. They still went to church on holidays and when her grandmother came to town, but there was always this idea of fate nestled deep within Rachel and she wasn’t quite sure why. When she’d met Asher, perhaps it had been some form a fate, cruel or not. But perhaps meeting Asher had led her to Port Ashborne and evidently to John. “Yes.” She said finally, after a moment of processing and thinking back to her childhood, which she found herself doing quite a lot of. Rachel nodded slightly before giving him a light smile. “Yes, I suppose I do believe in fate.” Her parents might find it foolish, since their roots were in science and facts, but Rachel found some form of hope in fate. 

It bothered Rachel that a man could make her this uppity. She hadn’t felt that way since grade school, and she certainly hadn’t felt that way with Ash. Probably because of the whole sibling swap to begin with, she’d already rather felt at ease with him. Besides, that situation was quite strange, this was...well, this was somewhat of a crush. It made her want to frown, but she focused deeply on not furrowing her brow. “Really I need one. Lucas is one of those individuals that’s very hard to say no to.” Rachel sighed, feeling like now would be the perfect time to pour herself a glass of wine. Cassoulet first, then the wine. There had to be priorities around here...

With the cassoulet now seated under a trivet to cool off, Rachel moved sideways to sit down across from John. It surprised her a little when he pulled the chair out for her, though it shouldn’t have. He was quite the gentleman, and in an old fashioned way. Ah, just a couple more points for Lieutenant Jonathan Preston. She could feel her cheeks flush lightly, but was thankful her hair blocked his view for a moment as she poured each of them a glass of wine. Their topic of conversation wasn’t exactly joyous, but then again John’s profession wasn’t exactly a cakewalk or a basket full of roses. Rachel could feel a sense of worry set in deep within her as she’d paused with her fingertips against a glass of wine. When she looked into his eyes, she could tell this was serious. So he hadn’t been all right. It didn’t come as a shock to Rachel that he had lied about that, it probably came with the job. But why he’d decided to tell her the truth, she didn’t quite understand. But then, it sort of began to make sense. “You almost died?” Rachel said gently,  reaching across the table for his hand. “But you’re okay right? I mean...I- John, what did you see?” He saw something. What kind of something was the question. 

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

@asher-o-conner

She’d been on a morning jog when the fires by the docks began. Normally, Rachel ran in the park in front of her complex, but today she’d decided to take a different route. And honestly, thank god she had. If not, she wouldn’t have seen the fires break out, raging ahead of her into an apartment building resting nearby the dark, charred and ashy docks that began catching fire weeks ago. It’d finally made its way to other buildings now. “Shit.” Rachel breathed out, coming to a stop a little ways away from one building. The flames licked at the outside but began tearing into the inside of apartments now. Her eyes scanned the building as she moved forward, arm coming up front of her face as the coughing began. There was too much smoke to really see anything but flames now, but from where she stood, she could hear people inside yelling for help.

The fire had just started it seemed, but was growing larger by the minute. Quickly, Rachel took out her phone, dialing 911. “Hello? This...this is Rachel Delacroix, I’m on 3rd and Birch Street and there’s...there’s a fire. By the docks, yeah another one. We need fire and rescue out here now.” Perhaps it would have been best for her to stay on the line. Normally she might have, but the sudden gust of flames shattering several windows followed by a blood curly, inhuman shriek gave her pause. The phone nearly dropped from her now trembling fingers, hanging up without so much as a goodbye. “No. No, no, no, this....this can’t be happening.” It couldn’t be. But the sound, that...that shriek...it sounded so much like the phantom that had attacked Asher at brunch. Her breathing became erratic, the smoke piercing her lungs and making her sputter. Ash. Quickly she dialed his number, realizing now she was about to do something very stupid. The fire and rescue wouldn’t make it here fast enough to get these people out of the building. 

“Hey, Ash.” Rachel breathed out as she reached for the bottle of water resting on her hip. “I’m on the corner of 3rd and Birch by the docks and I’m about to run into this burning building, which I’m pretty sure has something to do with a phantom. And yes, I called 911, they’re on their way. Just get here as soon as you can and bring a first aid kit, or...something.” The last thing she’d heard was his faint protest as she hung up the phone, not even giving him the chance to talk her out of it. He couldn’t anyway. She’d already poured the water onto her body, or as much of it as she could and made her way toward the building, currently in flames. This was a horrible fucking idea. 

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

jonathan-preston:

The Lieutenant smiled after her remark. Not that he had been expecting to ‘get points’ for it, but the light-heartedness and honesty in which she showed her appreciation were enough to make him feel content. “I think you did. And we’re lucky to have you in the neighborhood” he said, which could sound as if he somehow was welcoming her on behalf of all the neighbors. That sentiment was there, of course, but the truth was he was appreciated Rachel and was glad they might see each other more frequently now.

The salad bowl was in place and he glanced up meet Rachel’s eyes as she spoke. A light smile tugged at his lips as he listened to her, feeling he could relate to such a question. “I like to think of it comes down to choice” he told her, getting a little closer to get the open bottle from her to settle it at the table as well. “The good influence is what I choose to keep doing, the things that feel right. The bad influence is usually the kind of things I can’t choose because they’re just… too ingrained in me, I suppose. The things I wish I didn’t do but can’t really help but keep doing as force of habit”. His hand lightly brushed against her as he took the bottle. It wasn’t intentionally done but it certainly wasn’t something that would ever cause him to recoil and pull back his hand.

John nodded, appreciative of the concern. He was alright and he was safe, even if that hadn’t been the case not long ago. “I try to keep them in check, otherwise I can’t really do my job well. But don’t worry about it, Rachel. The seems to be a sort of pattern with these fires. I have reason to believe there won’t be fires of that kind around this area”. He was still wrapping his head around the actual situation, not the police case but the supernatural element to it. But at the very least it seemed like the fiery entity had a range and most burn sites were recurring. “So you should be safe here”.

Rachel’s smile brightened a bit, feeling a bit better about her choice to move away from Lucas. It had been years since they’d lived apart, and his codependency to her was a bit overbearing. Now he’d decided they didn’t need separate offices at work, but could instead share an office, specially her office and he’d put his desk facing directly in front of her. That’s how she’d found her office this morning. A disarray of her own things and Luke’s, while his office was now home to one of his many pretty assistance. Needless to say, she’d decided to take the rest of the day off. “Honestly I’m lucky to have even snag this place while it was on the market. The woman who lived here before was moving to Florida for early retirement or something. It’d only been up for a couple days and I managed to get approved. It’s funny how these things happen, like it’s fate perhaps.” 

Perhaps she was rambling on...Rachel tended to ramble when she was a bit nervous. Her mother hated the habit her daughter had, told her women should only speak when they had something intelligent to say. That was a bit sexist of her, but her parents were extremely old fashioned. Rachel turned to John as he spoke, smiling thoughtfully at his words as she handed him the bottle to set on the dining room table. It didn’t go unnoticed that his hand brushed against hers, the light skin to skin contact sending somewhat of a shock up her right arm. Their eyes met briefly and she smiled, trying to come up with something to say. It was rare the CFO could be lost for words. “I like that take on it. I’ll use that when my business partner claims I’m too much of a perfectionist. ‘Well Lucas, I apologize, it’s just ingrained in me, I simply cannot help it.’” She joked, turning back towards the kitchen counter to grab the main entree. A traditional Cassoulet prepared in a slow cooker she’d bought just a week ago. Rachel had been dying to use it that day she’d purchased it but didn’t have a good enough reason to open it yet. A homemade Cassoulet was just the thing. 

She turned back around to face him, Cassoulet in hand as they made their way to the dining room. Of course he’d looked all right when he’d showed up at her front door, but sometimes these kinds of jobs had mental scarring on the employees as well. The fires had killed many people, it was hard to let that go unnoticed. “I feel safe here. Just with all the people dying, I mean there are plenty of other people I’m far more worried about than myself. I mean one of our employee’s she’d...well, she’d just lost her brother to the flames, and they just don’t seem to be stopping any time soon.” Rachel sighed, placing the Cassoulet down on the dining room table. It was set now, but something in her felt a bit saddened. Perhaps they shouldn’t discuss the fires but something else instead. “Anyway though, I’m glad you’re all right. My business partner decided we’d be sharing an office this morning, that was quite the treat.” 

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

asher-o-conner:

Asher grimaces, his eyes searching for any sign of injury on her. Even after passing out in the middle of the day, most of his attention is spent on checking up on others but not himself. So of course, it has not occurred to him that she would worry about him. “…right, that’s fair.” He sighs. “I’m sorry I scared you.” His apology is simple but genuine. If anything, Asher has always been honest to his wrongs. His underlying problem is that he doesn’t know how to fix them. He does his best, but it doesn’t feel like he is doing a great job at it. 

He laughs weakly at her determination. “Maybe it’s time to establish that I’m incorrigible then.” He wishes he knew how to be better. He truly does. In another universe where another version of him is better than who he is, maybe they had worked out. While that idea nicks at his heart every time, it also gives him a peculiar sort of solace. “I mean I doubt that I’m light…” he mumbles, but decides to drop it since it doesn’t matter. “I will be when I get some sleep… I was going home anyway.” 

It seemed like he was sorry a lot the past couple months they’d reconnected with each other. The word almost lost meaning, but she knew he’d meant it. Ash was sorry, he always had been. Perhaps that’s why she had really fallen in love with him. He had this ability to take care of everyone else and just do it so seamlessly, it almost frightened her. Whether it was chocolates and flowers on Valentine’s Day or little notes in her jacket pockets before a very important meeting, he’d always found ways to make her smile. It’d been hard to remember that when he’d caused her so much pain in the last six years. Rachel sighed, putting her hands on Asher’s shoulders, letting her grip tighten a bit but not enough to actually hurt him. “Ash, I’m fine. Seriously. And I know you’re sorry. You’re always sorry because you’re always scaring the shit out of me.” She smiled at the end, giving his arm a light punch. Hell, he deserved it. 

Rachel gave his words a second to mull over in her head, before nodding. “You’d think by now I’d know you’re a lost cause, O’Conner.” It was very much like their relationship that Asher O’Conner changing his ways and opening up more, perhaps communicating was a lost cause. He did try, he really had...but then again, six years was a long time and Rachel spent most of it growing, thinking... “Well you’re in luck. I’m assuming you took the bus here, and you’d assume right if you said I drove. Why don’t I give you a ride home? I have yet to actually see your place and I’m extremely curious.” 

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

jonathan-preston:

“I do. I figured you might appreciate that” he said with a nod, content to see she seemed to like his choice of wine. His father had made sure he knew a thing or two about this sort of thing, even if it didn’t play out much in his day to day life. Luckily, it was useful knowledge now. “I was surprised to learn I live this close to you. And that’s exactly what I thought when you sent me your address”. They had run into each other a few times already running errands around the neighborhood and John could only hope they would continue to do so. Talking to her during those encounters was always rather pleasant.

The Lieutenant was indeed a very punctual man, all thanks to his diplomat father. “My father’s influence, I’m afraid” he responded with a neutral tone, not really giving away whether Alaric Preston’s habits rubbing off on him was a good thing or not. As she suggested he could help out by setting the food on the table the man nodded and went ahead to accept the salad bowl from her. “It is” he smiled briefly and then turned to set the bowl at the center of the table. “It’s keeping us all very busy, for sure. It’s turned out to be more complicated than expected but… well, we’ll keep working to solve it. I’m sorry, that’s all I can say. You know I can’t disclose information about the cases I’m working on”.

“I do. Thank you for thinking of me in your choice of wine, John. You get points for that.” Perhaps he would think she was being sarcastic, but Rachel actually did have a point system going on in her head. Ash and Luke were down about a thousand points each. The only person in Rachel’s life who seemed to be thriving was Johnathan. He was in fact a proper gentleman, probably due to his similar upbringing. It wasn’t that Ash wasn’t a probably gentleman, he was just...extremely different than Rachel was. The way he operated was very different from the way she did, and perhaps that was their downfall. But she didn’t want to think about that now, or about points- though John had surely just earned about three hundred of them. She smiled after he spoke, running her fingers down the bottle of wine. “Well. I suppose that means I picked a splendid place to live, then.” 

Rachel hummed gentle, and turned briefly to acknowledge the Lieutenant before reaching for a bottle opener. The end nearly pricked her finger because she hadn’t really been paying attention, but instead regarded him. “I always wondered if that kind of influence was bad or good. Come to think of it, I’m trying to figure that out about myself as well. There are many things I can thank my parents for, but I also think they might have put some of the obstacles I face in my way to begin with.” She gave a light shrug as their eyes met again and she peeled back the metal surrounding the cork nestled deeply within the bottle of wine. Perhaps most women would ask for a man’s help opening the bottle of wine, but Rachel was not one of them. Instead she began doing it herself. With the salad in John’s hands being placed on the table and the cork popping off gently in Rachel’s it seemed the night was going smoothly. At least for now, anyway. 

“Oh of course. I didn’t think I’d be getting any special treatment. I am a civilian, after all. Was just making sure you were doing all right, actually.” In his line of work, she could see his workload being rather stressful, and the deaths might lay heavily on his shoulders. Rachel certainly couldn’t do it. “I admire you for being able to keep your emotions at bay in a situation like this. One of the fires was not all that far from here, actually, and I keep thinking that well...what if this building is next? We honestly have no idea.” 

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

asher-o-conner:

Asher opens his mouth to say something in his defense, but the words fail him. He has never been the one with quick wits when it comes to conversation. It doesn’t help that Rachel looks like she is about to rip him a new one. He doesn’t know if she has been keeping up with her martial arts, but he still believes that she can kick his ass. “Well, the ER’s packed with patients, we are understaffed and I just worked few more shifts than they let me ‘cause it’s my job.” He explains as his brain begins to function again. “I’m sorry I fell on you– are you hurt?” He asks again since she just ignored his question.

It takes him a while to notice Nurse Jensen saw everything. As she runs away from Rachel, he sighs internally. His boss might actually fire him for not taking care of himself. He believes not everything is attributable to the heat and overwork, though. Like Marina warned him, his body is straining itself out by having two souls in one vessel. “I’m pretty sure we established that I am an idiot…” He mumbles before frowning to himself. “Wait, are you calling me fat?” 

One word to describe the way Rachel might look and feel right now was fierce. With her nostrils flaring, hands balled into fists that would rise up and shake in his face when she felt extremely furious, and the pulsating vein in the corner of her left eye, Rachel was sure she looked more than a bit menacing. It resulted in rendering Ash silent, which she might have gotten mad about at one point in time, but right now she was almost grateful for it. Lately there’d just been excuse after excuse and it made her head spin and her heart ache. Something always seemed to be wrong with Ash, whether it was a phantom tearing him to shreds or passing out from exhaustion. Rachel closed her eyes as soon as he began talking, explaining-  or as she liked to call it, throwing out excuses. She took a deep breath in, opening her eyes again to calmly address Asher fucking O’Conner. “I’m not hurt, I’m fine. I think I’m probably just a little scuffed up from the damn wall your body knocked me into, but it’s nothing. It’s nothing compared to how fucking scared I was that you were passed out again.” 

Maybe Rachel tended to...overreact a bit and use her anger as a defense mechanism, but it was much easier to tell at Asher than it was to cry over him. Rachel Delacroix did not cry. That was not something that came naturally to the philanthropist. “We did. But I’m going to keep saying it until it sticks. Maybe then you’ll stop being an idiot.” Rachel mumbled under her breath, eyes rolling as she put a hand to her temple. “Fat, muscle, food baby, does it really matter? I was just angry and wanted to scream. Are you all right now?” 

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

asher-o-conner:

Falling was easy. But somehow in his mind, Asher understood that he was falling. He felt how his knees gave in and how the gravity embraced him. It was just that there was nothing he could do about it. It was as if his limbs had been detached from his control. His entire body went into a strike, and apparently his brain didn’t get the message? He never had the sleep paralysis but he thought, maybe this is how that feels like. Or maybe he was just dreaming all this. 

He hears Rachel talking to him. Fuck, he must have freaked her out, especially after he was unconscious for few days… and let’s face it. It’s kind of embarrassing. Fainting in front of your ex is hardly dignifying. He wills his legs to work, but he can’t even feel his toes. If he could make any sound, he would have groaned in frustration. He would have answered– I slept few hours, had coffee and energy drinks, and sandwiches! But then he feels a stinging pain in his chest, as if someone reached in and squeezed at his heart. The rush of sensations follows, bringing him back to the surface with a gasp. His body jerks violently as he wakes up. He coughs out short breaths, cussing, “whoa– fuck.” He grunts as he manages to stand on his own. His head hurts like hell, but at least now he is awake. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” he mumbles, leaning onto the near wall. After taking a moment to recollect himself, he turns to the gentleman who helped him up. “Sorry, I just had a long… week.” Then he faces Rachel. “Well, that was rather dramatic… Sorry for the trouble. Are you alright?” he asks feverishly, blinking too fast as his body slowly recovers. Before she could even say anything, he adds, “and before you punch me in the face, can I just say that I did have sandwiches?” 

“Easy now. He’s much heavier than I remember.” Ash didn’t know this about himself, but he liked to quite literally lay on top of Rachel when they slept. Some morning she’d wake up tangled in his limbs, and his mouth would be pressed against the side of her face as he snored rather loudly. Ash didn’t sleep often but when he did, he was out like a fucking brick. Even then he hadn’t been this heavy. Was it because Noah was inside him? That wasn’t possible, spirits couldn’t weigh anything, they were a lot like...air...or something, she wasn’t quite sure. 

The man beside her grunting as they dragged Asher into the hospital. Almost immediately one of the nurses was on them. “Oh my god, Dr. O’Con-” They were all a little startled when Ash jerked violently in their arms and coughed out a low curse under his breath. Rachel nearly slapped him across the face out of shock but held back, looking rather stunned as he lifted out of their hands and rested his back against the wall. The man’s mouth was agape, staring wildly at the nurse, who looked just as perplexed. She was staring at Asher, as was Rachel now. She didn’t look nearly as pleased. “Sorry for the trouble? You fell, into me! You fucking passed out, long week doesn’t even begin to explain why the hell you do this to yourself!” Oh she was in it now. The two stranger’s head snapped up to look at Rachel, who had her arms crossed over her chest and she looked furious. Slowly, the man began to back up, nodding to everyone as if that was a proper goodbye. Rachel hardly gave a shit, she was seething now. “You’re an idiot. Have I mentioned I loathe you? You nearly gave me a heart attack! And why are you so fucking heavy?” The nurse had sprinted away at some point too. It seemed no one wanted to face Rachel’s fury head on. 

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

asher-o-conner:

To say that Asher had an insanely busy week would be a criminal understatement. With the heatwave, all kinds of people were being sent to the hospital from dehydration and heatstroke. The series of arson didn’t help, and he treated countless burns and carbon monoxide poisoning. Of course, this mess brought in his oldest friend– sleep deprivation. At the end of his shift, he was kicked out of the ER, getting yelled at by his supervisor. Apparently, it’s illegal for him to work over 72 hours without going home… or something. He barely registered what she said, but understood that he can’t sleep in the hospital. So he dragged his feet out of the hospital.

He immediately regrets that decision, however, since it is way to hot outside, worse than the packed ER. He frowns at the unforgiving sun, and groans as he stumbles to find his direction. He doesn’t even realize that he ran into someone until he hears a voice. He can’t understand the words for they sound so distant, but he mumbles an apology, “Sorry–” It takes him more than few seconds to take in a familiar face. Not just any other face. The face he sees in dreams quite often, more often than he likes to admit. But then everything fades into a blurry mush. “Huh. Hey, Rach.” He greets before falling forward. 

It wasn’t so much a response as it was a lasting mumble of her name that had him tumbling forward into her arms. Rachel barely had time to react as his body crashed into hers, one of her shoulders roughing scrapping against the wall, surely snagging the silk blouse she had on. That didn’t matter to her, she had plenty. What did concern her was that Ash looked even more pale than when he’d pumped into her. In fact his eyes were now fluttering shut and his breathing was a bit rigid and low. Asher was much heavier than he looked, that became evident with all of his weight pressed against Rachel’s torso. “Ash? Ash!” She grunted out, managing to get him upright, using the wall to steady herself. People who were passing by stopped and stared, one man in a suit moved forward rather quickly to help hold her ex-fiancee upward. 

One of her now freed hands went up to cup Ash’s cheek, slapping it gently several times. “Ash? Hey come on, stay with me here, have you slept? Have you had anything to eat or drink in the past twenty-four hours?” A rush of panic took over when he didn’t respond right away, and continued to be dead weight in her arms. Rachel turned to the stranger who was helping hold in upright, motioning to the hospital’s front doors. “We need to take him in, he probably hasn’t slept in days.” “What? How can you tell? How do you know it’s not heat stroke?” The man countered as they practically dragged Asher back into the hospital. Rachel snorted at his response. “He’s my ex. He never fucking sleeps, he’s a doctor.” That was enough to shut the man up. 

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

Élodie Yung for New York Post September 2017

[rachel-delacroix-blog]

@asher-o-conner

It had been about a week since Rachel had practically stalked Asher into that sandwich shop in town. They hadn’t spoken since then, even on the phone, which wasn’t unusual since both lived very busy lives. With the arsonist still on the loose, she wouldn’t be surprised if the ER had nonstop admittance of its victims, keeping Ash extremely busy. The fires has also kept Rachel busy as well. She’d used her connections with the Port Asbourne Fire Department and various investors who lived just outside of the small town to donate and fund several rebuilding projects all over the city. Rachel had also paid out of pocket to house several victims and paid for their medical bills. That meant going into the hospital, which meant running into Asher, but she was surprise she had not run into his once all week. That was about to change. 

Rachel had a habit of multitasking, even when she walked in hallways or on the streets. This meant she didn’t look up from her phone, but used her peripheral vision to judge her proximity to others. Sometimes this worked, sometimes it didn’t. At the moment, it had been working just fine, until she ran into someone else who seemed to be looking down as well. The collision had Rachel’s shoulder pinned against a nearby wall, and it was all she could do to keep from falling down. She braced the wall, managing to catch her bag and phone all in one go, which was surprising for her. Yelling had been her first instinct, because she was tired and was running on about four hours of sleep. But she stopped, realizing rather quickly that the person she’d run into was Asher. “Ash? Hey...are you all right? You look rather pale. Have you been sleeping?” He never slept when the hospital was up in arms like this, Rachel remembered that from when they were together.