A/N: hey guys ! Left you with quite the cliff hanger last update so I'm sorry this one took a few days to publish, hope it's worth it !

Remember to go and follow the Twitter pages I made for mr and mrs bub @stylesarcadia and @elenarosegraham and also me @scarwattpad for update info and polls and stuff like that.

On Twitter we did a voting session and after a lot of consideration, it has been decided that the actress Adelaide Kane is the official face claim for Elena. Of course you can imagine her however you like ! But I have been wanting to have someone to point to when I get the question "who does Elena look like" (which I get a lot).

Anyway! If you want to make a manip of our bubs then that's who I would recommend using !

That's all from me !

Hope you like the update !

More soon, stay safe everyone, love y'all ! X 💖

Harry's P.O.V

I hold her hand tightly in mine as a team of people in white coats wheel her down a hallway. They've told me I can stay with her, to make sure she's okay, to ease my mind. They pull her bed to a stop in the middle of a room filled with sterile looking equipment and different instruments that make me want to pass out.

"Look at me" I hear Elena's voice call out to me as though she's far away, when I look down at her she grins dreamily back up at me. All of the noise in the room disappears for a moment of two, until the doctors begin to crowd around her and I'm pushed away from her bedside.

I try to push my way back up to her, I need to be beside her, to hold her hand, but two men hold either of my shoulders and prevent me from moving. I can see Elena's face as she turns to face me. This might be okay, she's calm, she's smiling, she knows I'm here, this might be okay.

Then all of a sudden the doctors start to yell to one another, large equipment is passed between one another at a rapid pace, and Elena lets out a blood curdling scream.

"Help her! She needs help!" I scream to the doctors, who don't seem to notice Elena crying and screaming in pain. Monitors start to beep quickly and sirens sound. One of the doctors knocks over a table filled with equipment as more of them swarm in around my girl, who's screaming has only grown worse.

"Let me go!" I scream to the men holding me back and thrash against them, they don't budge, they don't even acknowledge that they're keeping me back.

"Harry help me!!" Elena screams out tearfully, the noise ringing in my ears as I try and throw myself out of the men's grasp.

I wake up with a start, my heart beating out of my chest as I sit up and calm myself down from my nightmare. I turn beside me to see Elena still peacefully asleep beside me, laying on her back with one hand resting on her stomach and the other laid out on the mattress. I watch her chest as it rises and falls, slowly in and out, as I sink back down into my pillow feeling calmed by the natural rhythm of her breathing. I don't want to wake her, it's still the middle of the night and she needs as much rest as she can get these days, but I'm desperate to chase the thoughts of these nightmares away.

I lay down with her and bury my head gently into the crook of her neck, wrapping my arm around her waist and softly hugging her to my chest. I'm consumed by her; her smell, the touch of her skin, the softness of her breath, it chases the bad thoughts away. It was just a dream, just an awful fucking dream.

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She can't do this, she can't fucking do this. I keep repeating it to myself over and over again, maybe for the 100,000th time since Elena went to go get those bloody tests done four days ago. They said she'd have the results within a week but we've heard nothing yet. But I know what she'll do, I know her.

If that test comes back as a match, she's going to do it.

She's going to give the man who abandoned her and her mother eight years ago the kidney he needs to save his life, and I'll have to find a way to be supportive. But how can I be supportive? It's just so fucking unnecessary for her to go through it all. The emotional and physical trauma of having to donate an organ especially to someone like him, not to mention the physical act of anaesthesia and surgery. What if something went wrong, what if I lost her? Fuck, I can't think like that.

I run faster, really pushing myself, I've run everyday since that fuckers shown up. And everyday I've had the same thought process over and over again. I increase the speed on the treadmill, what if he leaves as soon as he's got what he wanted? How devastated will she be knowing that he was lying about wanting to reconnect with her?

It was awful watching her meet him again. The whole time, holding her hand, watching her open her soul up to him, shedding weight she had been carrying for so many years. It was magnificent and truly heartbreaking all at the same time. And when it was over she had this small look of hope in her eyes, that maybe one day she and him would have a relationship again. But he kept talking, and then he asked her to save his life, and the most awful thing happened. She did what she's always done best.

She hid how she felt. She didn't tell him or even me the utter devastation that she had when he asked her for her kidney. She nodded her head, blinked back her tears, and her voice became monotoned as she agreed to do the tests. And then, over the last few days I've seen the aftermath take hold of her. She walks around in a daze not wanting to talk about any of it, insisting that 'she'll talk once the results are in'.

Over the last few days I've watched the girl that I love fall apart painfully slowly, and it's like she hasn't even noticed it herself. The light in her eyes is gone, the smile that rests so easily on her lips seems so distant, she throws herself into her school work because then she doesn't have to deal with any of it. He's brought her so much pain these last few years, and now he's come back for one more round, and I can't stop it. If she wants to do it, then I have to support her. I made my views very fucking clear the first day, and if she asks again my views won't change at all, they might in fact be stronger.

I stop the treadmill and wipe my forehead with the towel I brought in with me. Taking my AirPods out of my ear I hear voices coming from downstairs, more than one, Elena must be home early. I switch off the machine and leave the gym, approaching the staircase to see Elena and Heather sitting down on the couch together, I'm about to sneak away and not interrupt them but Heather catches sight of me and quickly stands up.

"What do you have to say about this then?" Heather calls out to me angrily, gesturing to a sheepish looking Elena who avoids my eyes. "This piece of shit showing up and trying to dig a kidney out of her. Don't tell me you're on board?!" Heather sneakily asks as I heave a heavy sigh and walk down the stairs. Guess I'm a part of this conversation now.

"No, of course I'm not on board" I say as I walk over to the fridge and take out a bottle of water, Heather turning in her spot to keep watch of me as I go.

"There you go two against one!" Heather exclaims, clapping her hands together. Elena sighs and rubs her forehead with one of her hands.

"This isn't a group decision Heather, but if I do decide to do this then I need you both to be on board" Elena replies quietly. She sounds exhausted, I should tell Heather to calm down but I did have sort of the same reaction when I first found out too so who am I to judge?

"Elena why would you ever even want to do this? He's not a good guy!" Heather quickly replies, finally sitting down as I sit on the edge of one of the armchairs opposite them.

"Him being a good guy or not doesn't matter. He's my dad, he needs a kidney, I have to give him one" Elena replies, as though she's reciting a law. Heather rolls her eyes, thank god I don't feel like a complete asshole for being livid about this whole situation.

"That's not the rule! The rule is that you have complete choice over your own body and what you choose to do with it" Heather says. Elena nods.

"Yeah. So, if I'm a match then I choose to give him my kidney" Elena tells her as she runs a hand through her hair. I can tell that she's tense, I wonder how long they've been actually having this conversation.

"But why? I don't get why you feel like this is something that you absolutely need to do!" Heather raises her voice ever so slightly.

"Because if I don't do it I will wake up everyday for the rest of my life knowing that I let him die!" Elena suddenly cries out, making both Heather and I jump slightly in our seats. "He was not a good father to me and what he's asking me to do isn't fair but I know that if I don't do this then I am depriving his kids of having their dad. And I can't do that, it would drive me crazy" Her words leave both Heather and I in a sort of stunned silence. Outbursts aren't something commonly associated with Elena. It's definitely times like this when Elena's best traits are her own worst enemy; her kindness, her ability to forgive and her selflessness. They make her forget to look after herself, trust people she shouldn't and force herself to move forward when she's not ready to move.

"Babes I'm sorry" Heather says with a small sigh, reaching her hand out to rub Elena's shoulder. "This must all be really hard for you" She adds quietly. Elena simply nods, keeping her eyes down and laser focused on the couch cushion.

"I'm trying not to let it take over everything but how can it not? I wish he had just stayed gone" Elena quietly replies, laying her head on Heather's shoulder as she wraps her in a hug.

"You know we support you in whatever decision you want to make" Heather comforts her with a small sigh. "I think Harry and I both just had to express our opinions" Heather looks to me and I confirm with a slight nod of the head. Never for a second do I want Frank to think that I've been in his corner, convincing Elena to save his life.

"And we want to remind you that you have options" I add on as the girls seperate from their hug. I know Elena feels an obligation to him, but if he didn't feel the obligation to stick around and be her father then does that mean she doesn't have to do any of the daughter shit?

Heather showers Elena in praise for her kindness and continues to show her support, even though I know that she and I are on the same page about this whole situation. Soon the conversation turns away from Elena's dad and onto Heather's baby, at which time I excuse myself to go and have a shower.

"Heather's gone!" I hear Elena call out from the bedroom through the slightly ajar bathroom door as I climb out of the shower and wrap the towel around my waist.

"Did she help at all?" I ask as I pull open the door and walk back into the bedroom as Elena sits cross legged on the bed, her back impeccably straight.

"Not particularly, she doesn't want me to do it either" She replies quietly.

"Bub I don't know if you'll find anyone who supports you with this one. Not everyone thinks the way that you do" I reply as I walk into the wardrobe.

"I know that" Elena says quietly with a gentle sigh. I pull on a pair of boxers, sweatpants and a white t-shirt and walk back out into the bedroom.

"But you must have known that Heather would have thought the same way as me" I continue. Heather is fiercely protective over Elena, so she's immediately suspicious of anyone new that comes into her life. I can only imagine what her reaction would have been when she first heard about Frank's request.

"What's your point?" She asks, head forehead slightly creased. I sit down on the bed with her, my body facing hers as she rests her back against the wall.

"I just think that maybe you're wanting us to try and talk you out of doing it because you don't want to do it" I answer honestly with a soft shrug of my shoulders. If you're looking for someone to argue with then you go to the people who you know are going to have the opposite opinions of you. Elena's optimism is something that has stumped Heather and I completely, so Elena knows that Heather would 1000% not be on board with this idea.

"Of course I don't want to do this nobody wants to do this but I have to. I meant what I said, it will haunt me forever if I don't do it I'm sure of it I know my mind" Elena says quickly, almost fearfully before her breathing starts to increase. Fuck, maybe I pushed her too far.

"You alright bub?" I ask as I put a hand on her shoulder as she drops her head down low and brings her knees up to her chest.

"Yeah I'm fine" She says with a slight shake. I rub her shoulder softly and repeat over and over that she's okay, she's safe, everything will be okay, and eventually it's over and her breathing returns to normal again.

"Have you had anymore lately?" I ask her once I'm sure that the moment has passed. Elena lifts her head up slightly, and I don't know if I've ever seen her look more exhausted ever since I've known her. This decision is taking such a toll on her body and her mind, I fucking hate Frank with every fibre of my being.

"I had a small one this morning but that's all that I've had lately. It was in my car before going to class, I was totally fine" She attempts to reassure me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"This stuff is only going to get worse once you decide to go through with it" I say helplessly, more to myself than to her. She'll have to go through countless doctors appointments, different planning meetings and the actual surgery itself, and even after all of that her father could just disappear out of her life again.

"It's all going to be fine" Elena replies, giving my shoulder a soft squeeze.

"You don't know that. Shit goes wrong all the time, especially during surgery" I say quickly in response. She can't just shrug her shoulders and say 'it will be fine' because it could all go very very wrong.

"Bub I'm healthy and I'm young, the surgery should be a piece of cake" She tells me flippantly.

"Well I don't like you taking a risk like elective surgery for a man like him. You'll be putting yourself at a disadvantage for the rest of your life if the surgery goes well. You'll have one kidney, and if something happens to that one then you'll be in practically the same position that he is now. And if it goes wrong..." I reply somewhat harshly, unable to even finish my sentence. That nightmare this morning was way too fucking real, I really don't want her to do this.

"I know you're not going to agree with me on this. I can't change your mind, and I'm sorry but I don't think you'll be able to change mine. But I do need to know that you'll stand beside me" She says softly, moving herself closer to me and running a hand through my hair.

"I'm beside you baby, I'm always beside you" I reassure her as she leans forward to place a kiss on my forehead.  She may not think I can change her mind, but fuck I've got to at least try. And I'll keep trying, but not now, not when she looks beyond exhausted. Fucking Frank.

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"You home bubs?" I call out to the apartment when I don't see or hear her when I enter. She should be here, her class finished an hour ago and she told me she'd be here so after that. I do a quick check of the kitchen before I climb the stairs up to the second floor and walk towards our bedroom.

I find her sitting on the floor, her back upright against the side of the bed. Her legs stretched out in front of her with her phone sitting on her lap. She turns her head to me as I appear in the doorway, the light from the hallway lighting up the completely darkened room. I can see she's upset, and I'm immediately concerned.

"What's wrong bub?" I ask as I slowly enter the room and crouch down in front of her. She sniffles and picks up her phone, illuminating the screen for a moment before letting it fall back into her lap with a small huff.

"I got a call from the clinic today. I'm not a match, and now my dad isn't answering my calls. Well, his phone is ringing once and then going to voicemail, like he's refusing to talk to me" Her words are tired, and she sounds as though she's on the verge of tears. I move to sit down beside her and take her hand in mine, placing a kiss to the back of it. A second later, she's lifting my arm up into the air and draping it around her shoulder, cuddling herself close into my side.

"I'm sorry baby" I tell her as I place a small kiss to the top of her head. I can't help the small wave of relief that washes over me once I hear that she's not a match, but it's too soon for me to expressing that kind of relief now.

"I can't save him" She states sadly, I rub my hand up and down her back slowly.

"That's not your fault baby" I say reassuringly.

"I guess I didn't really want to do it, but I would have" She replies quietly. Which is why I am so grateful that we don't have to go through all of this, I was this close to bribing someone at the clinic to alter the results before I thought about the consequences of a lie like that. Suddenly, she sits up and turns to look at me with a somewhat shocked look on her face.

"Why though? Why was I so adamant about giving him my kidney?" She asks more to herself than to me.

"Because you're a good and kind person" I tell her matter of factly, cupping her cheek in my hand. She gives me a half smile and leans her head towards my hand. "And he took advantage of that" I add.

"Maybe I should stop being so nice" She states somewhat bitterly. I shake my head.

"No, don't you ever stop doing that. That's who you are, and it doesn't make you a sucker for believing that people have good intentions" I tell her appreciatively, brushing my hand through her hair. I'd be reluctant to give up my kidney to a lot of people really, aside maybe my mum and Gemma, but Elena would just do it no matter what. I could never be like that, and while I hope my darkness never chases that away, I do hope she can be a bit more selfish with herself in the future.

"I just bought into the fantasy a little too much I guess" She replies with a shrug, lifting up her hand to wipe her cheek. "Just all the stuff that he said about thinking about me all the time and regretting what he did and wanting to rebuild our relationship. I should have known it wasn't true"

"No you shouldn't have" I tell her firmly. I'm not going to let this fucker rip away the goodness in her, I won't let him turn her into a cynic like me.

"But you didn't believe him" She says, bringing her knees up to her chest.

"Because I think the worst in people. You don't, and I love that about you." I reassure her, leaning forward to kiss her forehead softly. I hear her hum softly in response before I feel her hand hold onto the front of my T-shirt.

"I'm still glad that I met him" She tells me with a sad smile, tilting her head slightly. "I don't think I'm missing out on much"

"I think you're better off without him unfortunately" I agree. She lets out another sigh and brushes a hand through her hair.

"I got a lot of stuff off my chest. Feel like I maybe healed a little" She tells me with quiet confidence. I bet it helped her, but fuck it broke my heart listening to her talk to him like that. All the pain and suffering that she went through that she's kept all to herself for so long, it all came spilling out. Not much makes me cry, but hearing all that she went through broke me into a thousand pieces.

"Now you can move forward" I tell her with a soft grin, one that she returns. "Hey why don't we stay in tonight, I'll call Max and say you're not feeling up to it" Max has another art opening tonight that we were invited to, but I'm not going to push her into going if she's not feeling up to it.

"No I want to go. You know I love Max's art, I think it'll be good for me to focus on something else right now" She assures me, pulling herself up off of the floor. I rise as well.

"You sure?" I ask her. She stands up tall on her tiptoes and pecks my lips softly by way of answering before walking past me into the bathroom.

"Give me 30" She calls out behind her as she shuts the bathroom door, and a few moments later I hear the water running to the shower.

I go into my wardrobe to find something fresh to change into, but something she said earlier won't stop ticking over in my mind. One ring, then voicemail. Deep down, I know what that means.

Last time I saw Jack, he told me what it was like calling my phone over the last few years whenever he wanted to attempt an apology. One ring, then the voicemail. I had him blocked. I try Franks number through my phone. Same thing, rings once, straight to a voicemail. On a whim, I pick up the hotels phone in the living room and dial in his number, waiting to see how many rings. One, two, three, four, five...it goes on until the voicemail is heard again.

I knew it. The son of a bitch heard back from the clinic and knows Elena isn't a match. He's blocked her number, mine too, so she can't get in touch with him. That fucker, how the fuck could he do this? I can't tell her, I can't do that to her when she's already so upset. And he may change his mind, I can't tell her and make her go through that all for him to just change his mind. I'll give him a few days, but I know deep down he's not going to change his mind. He came for a kidney, not a daughter, and he's not getting his kidney so why would he stick around?

Well you know what, fuck it, I hope this missing kidney kills him. He deserves it, he never deserved a daughter like Elena and I will thank every deity in existence for the rest of my life that she didn't have to give him her kidney all for him to just abandon her once it was over. And now we can give her time to heal from all of this bullshit and get her to focus on the good that's in the future, starting with Max's event.

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An hour later, Elena and I are stepping into Max's gallery, already bustling with people and press. Max has become quite the celebrity in the art world so I'm not surprised by all the activity. Elena grips onto my hand and sticks close by my side.

"We should find Max and say hello" Elena leans up and say quietly to me. I nod and crane my neck, scanning through the crowd and spotting Max towards the back of the gallery.

"Found him. Oh and you'll love who I've just found him with" I tell her with a smirk, pointing through the crowd towards Max, who's talking amongst a group of people, one of which is Francesca Sutton.

"Oh, that might actually be okay. She sure is distracting" Elena replies with a shrug. "She'll talk my ear off, might be just what I need" She places a kiss on my cheek before we weave our way through the crowd towards them. Francesca spots Elena right away and breaks away from the group.

"Shut up!" Francesca squeals excitedly. "I feel like I haven't seen you in so long babes!" She wraps Elena in a tight hug before pulling her back to stand at arms length. "Your dress looks stunning, fuck I'd kill for your waist" She adds enviously.

"It's nice to see you too Francesca" Elena replies patiently with a polite smile. "How have you been?"

"Oh girl, I've been so busy. Come on let's get a drink and catch up" Francesca says as she links arms with Elena and they trail off towards the bar at the other side of the room.

"How nice of you to finally show up" Max holds out his hand to me to shake and I place my hand in his.

"Sorry. We got a bit held up, quite the crowd" I say by way of an apology, taking another look around the room.

"I'm featuring some other local artists so there are a lot of family and friends of them amongst the crowd. The rest being all the press and my admirers" He replies with a slight roll of his eyes.

"I hear you, Jeff and Mitch are going into business together, congrats" Max states with an grin.

"Nothings been decided, it's all just talk at the minute" I respond promptly just as Elena appears briefly by my side. Francesca is still talking to her as Elena places a glass of amber liquid in my hand and kisses my cheek before being pulled away by Francesca once more. Bub is always looking after me.

"Sure sure, how's Elena doing?" Max asks, gesturing towards the two girls on the other side of the room. Francesca seems to have finished a rather amusing story as Elena tips her head back in quiet laughter.

"She's good, her birthdays on Wednesday" I remind him before I take a sip of whatever Elena brought me. Whiskey, good girl.

"I haven't forgotten don't worry, the whole fam coming?" He asks as we slowly weave through the crowd of people.

"Of course. They wouldn't miss it for the world" I reply, literally quoting my mum when I informed her of the plans.

"It's good that she's tight with them, must make it all a lot easier" He muses as we stop in front of a piece of artwork. All I really see is a well painted piece of art depicting a woman carrying a pail of water, but I'm sure Max and Elena would see something a lot more meaningful within it.

"I guess it does" I reply with a shrug, trying to find something interesting to say about this painting.

"Is it the same the other way around? You close with her family too?" He asks when I furrow my brow slightly. No need to air Elena's problems out there the same day they happen.

"Her dads not really in the picture but her mum and I get along quite well" I answer honestly.

"Every-time you and I talk I'm always expecting you to announce you two are engaged" Max half chuckles as he says the words. I'm sure me being a committed man is something that I would have laughed about a few years ago too.

"I always thought people say a year is too soon to propose?" I think aloud. If I think about my friends who got married when they were young, about half of them are now divorced, a quarter are unhappily married and the other quarter are happy. That's one in four, those aren't good stats.

"I think when you know you know. And you take a risk" He answers with a shrug.

"Coming from the man who bounces into new relationships every six months or so" I quip back with a chuckle. It's something that Max and I used to have in common, if we ever brought the same girl to an event more than once it was hailed as some sort of miracle. Fuck we were pigs.

"I'm not ready for that settle down shit, I'm just living my life for me and I'm happy! Not all of us get lucky enough to find our Elena's" He says with a smirk. "And speak of the devil" He announces with wide open arms to someone behind me. I turn to watch as Elena approaches us without Francesca by her side and walks over to greet Max.

"Thank you for inviting us Max, the art is amazing" Elena compliments him as they exchange a hug.

"No thank you both for coming. I know art isn't totally your thing Harry but if you don't mind I did have some pieces that I thought Elena might enjoy that I'd like to show you both" Max says to the both of us. Elena turns her head to look back at me hopefully, I raise my glass and follow behind them as they talk together. They've formed quite a nice friendship these two, they talk a lot about art and Max is dying to see some of Elena's work, which of course she won't show him. She barely even shows me, she's pretty private and protective over her art.

"I thought this might be something you'd enjoy" Max announces as we stop in front of a wall with a large white canvas almost completely covered by a large yellow off centre heart and drip marks trailing down from it.

"Oh that's beautiful" Elena gasps genuinely, moving forward slightly to take a closer look. There's a young girl standing proudly beside the frame, who's overly eager to talk Elena through her 'process'. I think it's pretty basic, like it's something Charlie could have created on accident if we had a large enough canvas in our apartment. But Elena is so kind, so eager to learn, that both she and Max completely engage with the young woman in conversation. I watch in complete awe, I know Elena loves the colour yellow but she really does appear to be fond of this beyond just it's colour.

"This is for sale right? Please tell me it's for sale" Elena politely begs the young girl, who can't be much older than 18 and appears fairly stunned that somebody wants to buy her work.

"Y-you want to buy it?" She asks Elena as her eyes go wide with glee. Elena nods and smiles back at her.

"Absolutely, I think it's exquisite and you're a very talented artist. I'd love to own it" She states proudly before the girl quickly wraps her arms around Elenas neck and gives her a giant hug. Max leans over to me and whispers.

"There's a desk at the back where you can buy the art from, just give them the number of the piece" He points to the bottom corner of the canvas where a number '62' is attached to the wall.

"Alright, keep an eye on her" I gesture to Elena before I leave them, making my way to the back of the room and stand in the line to buy the piece. I'm surprised by how long the line is, and the process that it takes some people to get their credit card out of their pocket. By the time that I'm finally next in line, I feel a buzzing in my pocket and take out my phone.

Elena 🌻

'Also numbers '23' and '11' please, I promise none of them are too expensive and they're both stunning xxxxxxxx'

I almost laugh outwardly at the amount of 'x's she tagged along to that text message. I quickly respond with; 'Purchasing now x'  and move up the line, giving the woman behind the desk the three pieces I'm now purchasing. Eventually I do get around to see the art that we've now purchased, and all of it screams Elena from the inside out; all bright colours and hopeful meanings. The only problem is that we don't have a lot of wall space to hang them all up, but that's one problem I may have a solution for.

"I forgot to ask you how you managed to get rid of Francesca?" I ask Elena once we're in the backseat of the car leaving Max's event. Elena has sat herself in the middle seat beside me and is resting her head on my shoulder as John takes us home.

"She had an event to go to. It was actually kind of nice catching up with her" She replies in a soft yet upbeat tone.

"Really?" I ask, somewhat surprised by that reaction.

"Yeah, I think she's growing on me, or maybe she's wearing me down. Either way it was nice to see her" She adds, tracing her finger along the lines of my palm. It's one of the things I've become most accustomed to, it's the gentle way in which she treats me. I'd never considered myself as someone who needed that sort of thing; the constant reassurance that she loves me and wants me near her, but now I feel like I'd starve if I didn't have it.

"Sounds like we had a pretty good night then" I tell her softly. With all of this shit with her dad and these panic attacks and her stress with school, I'd do anything to give her a nice night.

"A lovely night, as usual with you" She replies sweetly. In my mind I can think of a few nights which weren't so lovely, almost all of them because of something fucked up that I've done. But then I guess I'd have to agree; even if we were fighting or disagreeing a night with her is better than a night without her.

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"Bub where are we going?" Elena asks for the ninth time since we've gotten into the car. It's been two days since we got the news about Elena's results, she's just handed in a big project at school and she had a complete nights sleep. And I know this for a fact because I was up late, worrying about the surprise that I'm currently taking her to.

"I told you we're going out to celebrate" I grin over at her, giving her thigh a gentle squeeze.

"But we're not even in town anymore, it's like you're taking me to the woods to murder me" She laughs softly as she looks out the window. We really aren't even outside of London, we're in Hampstead in fact.

"You've got to stop listening to those murder podcasts" I tell her with a small smile. Elena's been telling me about these podcasts that she now listens to while she drives that are all about crime and murder, and she seems to strangely enjoy them.

"They're fun! I need to expose myself to bad stuff more often, the world isn't filled with puppies and rainbows" She answers with a grin as she runs her fingertips over my 'S' ring that sits on her thigh. You would think that somebody like Elena would already know that the world isn't a very nice place sometimes. But my bub likes to be an optimist whenever she can.

"Let's hope things will be more like puppies and rainbows in the future" I say hopefully. She sighs with a gentle nod of her head.

"I'm optimistic. I finish uni in a few weeks, mum gets out of the facility next weekend, it's Christmas soon.." She trails off.

"And it's your birthday on Wednesday" I remind her with a smile. This time last year I was organising John to drive up and pick up Claudia from the facility. Now Heather and I have finalised the plans, I just need to get the last few things ready.

"We don't need to make a big deal out of it" Elena tells me with a slight roll of her eyes and a soft smile. "You made it so wonderful last year, but you know I don't need all of that stuff" She's referring to my efforts last year, and also my gift of a new car and an invitation to move in to my apartment. I would say that I'm a pretty good gift giver, the limitless wealth comes handy in that department, but nothing ever seems to be perfect enough to give to Elena. What do you get the girl who means everything? You search far and wide for the perfect things that will mean the most.

"You said that last year. And we are making a big deal because you'll be 21, that's a big deal" I say with an excited grin.

"Ugh, I'm going to be too old for you soon" She turns her head to flash a cheeky grin in my direction. I give her thigh a squeeze. If only she truly knew how deeply I felt for her, if I could ever find a way to truly express it then I would.

"You'll still keep me young for a few years" I return her smirk before she lets out a quiet laugh.

"This age gap really is a bitch isn't it?" She adds with a small laugh. I'm fairly used to it at this point. It does bother me that people look at us and think she's a gold digger and I'm a dirty pervert, but then I look at her. And fuck, I wouldn't trade this girl in for anything in this whole god damn world.

"It can be, but we've still got a lot of life to live" I reply reassuringly. The hand wrapped around my hand gives me a gentle squeeze in response. I turn down the long gravel driveway lined with trees and past a wide grassy lawn as Elena twists in her seat in confusion.

"Where are we?" She asks me, turning back in her seat to view what's in front of us. I turn with the driveway and park under a large archway just opposite the front door of the home.

"You'll see in a minute. Come on then out you hop" I tell her with a grin, climbing out of the car and taking the keys out of my pocket.

"I thought we were going to dinner?" She asks as I walk ahead to the front door and slide one of the keys into the lock.

"Patience my darling" I reassure her as she comes to stand beside me just as I swing the door open and gesture for her to enter first. She does so unsurely and waits for me to enter before walking any further into the house.

"Lovely foyer" She states quietly before taking hold of my hand, probably believing that we are at a friends house and she doesn't want to be overheard. Indeed it is a nice foyer; it's very light and open with the staircase leading to the second floor enabling for incredibly high ceilings.

"Interested in seeing more?" I ask her, turning to look at her. She gazes around the room with wonder in her eyes, nodding her head before I gently lead her through a wide open passage way into a sitting room area.

"Do you own this place?" She queries Just before I hear a soft gasp as the room before her takes hold of her attention. The realtor has definitely styled it nicely, but the high ceilings, glass doors and beautifully kept gardens are a real winner.

"No, but we could" I tell her as she walks further into the room, peering out through the doors only to whip her head back to stare at me.

"Us, live here?" She asks as though she's in shock, and she's barely seen any of the house. I nod and walk over to join her.

"We've been talking on and off for months about moving into a place that's just ours, and I think it's about time that we actually do it" I inform her. I love my apartment, I really do, but it was designed just for me. Aside from a few of her things scattered around the place there's no real sign of Elena living there. I'm done living my bachelor days, high up in the sky with no outdoor living and a bustling hotel beneath me. I'm ready for a garden, a driveway, schools nearby, the suburbia that people rave about.

"Have you seen this place before?" She asks me, the brightness in her eyes exclaims one of excitement, thank god.

"I saw it about a week ago with the realtor and I loved it, and I wanted to bring you here to see it" I respond as I take her hand back in mine and lead her through a doorway to a wide open kitchen and adjoining seating area. From what the realtor told me, the previous owners spent three years doing all the renovations in order to preserve all the older details of the home.

"Oh wow" Elena states as she walks all the way around the middle kitchen island, running her hand across the cool to the touch countertop. "This is completely stunning" She says with a happy sigh.

"And you've barely seen any of it" I state with glee.

"How big is it?" She asks as we exit the kitchen and peer in through a doorway to a small but of course exquisitely furnished bathroom and then carry on down the hallway.

"I forget the square footage. But it's 9 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms, plus a couple of extra fun rooms downstairs" I tell her, stopping with her as she quite literally stops in her tracks.

"Nine bedrooms?! We don't need nine bedrooms! If you think I'm giving birth to eight kids then you are out of you god damn mind!" She tells me with a small squeal, curling herself in close to my side as I wrap an arm around her shoulder.

"I know we don't need nine bedrooms, but I thought we might have people stay over. Like if we hosted Christmas one year; your mum would need one, my mum and Peter would need one and Gemma and Michael would need one, even the kids would need one. So if you think about it we don't really have nine bedrooms" I say with a grin as we walk into a small room that's been converted into an office. I'd probably take this one.

"You've thought about that sort of stuff?" She asks, gazing up at me in wonderment. I shrug my shoulders.

"Yeah a little bit. You were so excited about having your mum up to Manchester for Christmas, it just got me thinking about future Christmases" I admit, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. I'd truly never thought about my future this way until I had Elena here with me, maybe I didn't even contemplate having one at all.

"You're so sweet bubby" She coos softly and placed a kiss against my jaw before I lead her back down the hallway towards the other end. I've been calling her bub for the longest time and it's just stuck, and now she's caught on to doing it too. My theory is that in the beginning of our relationship she was too nervous to do the whole pet name thing with me. Basically because I was an ass and not as open to being romantic as I am now, but now I like that she calls me things like 'baby' and 'bub', it just feels nice, can't explain it much more than that.

"Now I don't want to oversell this, but I feel like this may be your favourite room in this whole house" I announce as we stand outside a closed door. Elena grins and excitedly bounces on her toes before I open the door. Inside is a well lit space with a desk area at the far end, the remaining walls are lined floor to ceiling with empty shelves begging to be filled. A library for my little reader.

"Figured you could use it as an office space, but it's basically a library. Now you have an excuse to buy a fuck load of books" I tell her, anticipating her reaction. I hear a quiet gasp as Elena walks slowly further into the room, touching her hand to one of the shelves.

"I just...this is incredible..." Elena's words trail off as she takes in the room, her voice filled with awe and approval.

"Plus, it's just down the hall from me. So if you're at your desk and I'm at mine then we can wave to each other" I point out the door as she stands by the desk at the window, letting out a quiet laugh as she can see the desk in the other office from her vantage point.

"And there's this little outdoor area here where you can hide out and read your books, or break out the old canvases and have a little paint" I suggest as she walks over to me and wraps her arms around my waist.

"It's perfect" She grins up at me as I tuck some of the loose hair behind her ear. She reluctantly leaves that room with me and we head down the stairs.

"Holy shit!" Elena exclaims as we open the door to the screening room complete with three rows of lazy boys and love seats.

"Pretty cool right?" I say as she leaves my side and instantly sits down in one of the recliners, lifting its leg rest up and closing her eyes.

"The coolest" She replies dreamily with a soft grin.

"No time for rest, there's a lot more house to see" I say to her. She reluctantly climbs out of the seat as I take her on a tour of the rest of the downstairs area; a large garage that would probably fit about six cars in it, a small bowling alley with two lanes, a bar room and a small den like room that has obviously been fitted out like a man cave.

"Ah, an oasis for you" Elena smiles as we investigate the man cave. That's rich, considering that she is my oasis.

We head back up the stairs and onto the second floor, where pretty much all of the bedrooms are located. They're all decorated in a fairly plain way, but the realtor I saw the other day told me that sometimes they do that to allow you creative licensing to imagine the room however you want it. In my mind they don't remain plain at all, the walls are painted whatever colour the occupant wants and decorated however they dream of decorating it. Kids shouldn't have to grow up in adult rooms, and they should have a place that they always feel at home in.

"It's a bit of a different view" I say as we step in to the master bedroom, large windows opening onto a small balcony and a view of a nearby park with the London skyline just in the distance.

"It's just as stunning" Elena grins at the view in front of her, the soft sunset illuminating her in its wake. "This house is incredible baby" She states, leaning forward to take a quick peep into the walk in, it's about the size of a small boutique so plenty of room for both of our stuff.

"So you want it?" I ask hopefully, joining her by the window. I watch as she bites down on her bottom lip before turning to look up at me, I know what question is coming next.

"How much is it?" She asks, grimacing before I've even told her. It's not like I can lie, when we both sign the papers the price will be written down.

"The owners have just done a price decrease" I say, preparing her. "It's now at 17 and a half" She swallows a lump in her throat and let's out a small cough.

"17 and a half million?! Fuck that's a lot of money" Her response doesn't surprise me at all, she's still not used to this sort of thing.

"It's not that big of a deal baby" I reassure her, to which she rolls her eyes with a wide grin.

"But it is, and we don't need a big place like this. It's spectacular, but it's just the two of us with all of this space, why would we buy something this big?" She asks, looking wistfully out at the backyard.

"I just thought you might want somewhere to always call home" I say quietly with a little shrug. Elena turns to look at me as I continue. "Hearing all that stuff you said to your dad, and knowing that you didn't always have a place to live, I figured for the next part of your life you would want somewhere that we can grow into, somewhere we don't have to leave"

Elena gazes up at me in awe, fuck I would do just about anything for her to look at me like that. She takes her hand in mine and raises it up to her lips, softly kissing the back of it.

"You may just be the sweetest and most romantic man I've ever known, both real and fictional" She says wholeheartedly, clutching my hand in hers and drawing her hands into her chest. "I love you so much" She adds with a small smile.

"I love you too" I confirm back to her. "So, would you like to grow old with me in this house bub?" I ask, gesturing around the room with my free hand. She lets out a gentle laugh and nods her head slowly, biting down on her bottom lip.

"I'd love to grow old with you here" She replies sweetly, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me softly. I place my hands on her hips and draw her in closer.

"Please tell me we're alone" Elena suddenly mumbles against my lips as her hand palms the front of my pants. I lift my hand up to check my watch, if we're doing this I'm not letting some real estate agent interrupt our fun.

"The real estate agent will be here in twenty minutes" I reply quickly as her lips trail down my jaw and fingers begin to quickly unbutton my shirt.

"Good. Now we can't do it on the bed because they'll notice the sheets are messed up, so daddy's gonna have to fuck me against the wall" Elena moans out softly, pressing her chest against mine. Holy fucking shit.

"Are you serious?" I ask hopefully. This is a little out of character for Elena, willing to have a quickie in someone else's home under a time limit. I'm impressed, and fuck I want this to happen so bad. Even as I ask the question I'm pressing her body gently until her back hits the wall and grinding my hips against hers.

"Yes daddy, I need you" She whispers sweetly, saying those magic words is all I need. We're both all of a sudden working at top speed to rid ourselves of our t-shirts and Elena jumps up into my arms, bunching her skirt up around her waist.

My lips hurriedly meet hers as I slowly become intoxicated by her; the sweetness of her perfume, the rough tugging of her hands in my hair, the softness of her skin as I hold one of her thighs in my hand, pushing her back into the wall with my body.

"How badly do you need your daddy?" I ask her as I place kisses across her jaw and up her neck, laying special attention where her tattoo sits behind her ear. The way she moans in my ear drives me fucking crazy as the grinding of my hips against hers intensifies.

"So badly daddy, I need it so bad" She moans out gently, burying her face in my neck to muffle her moans as my other hand slips underneath her underwear and my two fingers quickly rub her clit. I wish we had more time before this realtor comes, so I could bury my tongue inside of her and watch her quiver above me. I'm addicted to the way she tastes, so fucking sweet and all mine. Maybe once this realtor leaves we can christen a couple of the other rooms of the house. Our new home.

"Fuck daddy please I need you, I need your cock" Elena continues to moan beneath me, her hands reaching down in between us to unzip my pants and push my boxers down just enough to allow my cock to spring free. Her hands start to pump up and down me before I position in her hips and slide her body slowly down onto me. She buries her face into the side of my neck and I feel the vibration of her moans against my skin.

"Oh yes, yes!" She moans, her words coming slightly muffled into my shoulder. I dip my own head down onto her exposed shoulder and start pounding into her, kissing the skin gently as I do. Her fingers slide up into my hair and claw at the back of my neck as she moves her hips back against mine. I use my free hand and nudge down her bra, wrapping my lips around one of her nipples and swirling my tongue around.

Elena's hands are all over me, skimming their way across my chest, lightly scratching across the skin to leave her mark. Her soft moans echo off of the walls as I start to thrust into her faster, eager to quickly take her to the edge.

"Harder" I hear her quietly moan. I grip onto her thigh, digging my fingers into her skin and tilt my hips up harder into her body, burying myself in her before retracting all the way back out again only to slam myself back in a second later. She begins rolling her hips against mine to help me create a deep and intense rhythm.

"You want it fast and rough baby?" I ask with a soft groan, pulling my head back just enough to watch her as she nods her head, her nails digging deeply into the nape of my neck. I bring my free hand up and wrap it around her throat, squeezing the side softly. Elena's eyes squeeze shut and her moans vibrate loudly against my hand.

"How's that baby?" I ask her with a smirk, knowing full well she's trying to keep her moans as quiet as possible at this point. She nods her head quickly at first before she answers.

"So good, it feels so good" The loud moan escapes her and I increase the pressure of my hand as I drill harder into her. Her hand reaches up to to tug on my hair, bringing me closer to the edge. I sloppily press my lips against hers, taking advantage of her moaning to slip my tongue into her mouth. Her suddenly louder moans are absorbed by my lips and her head falls to the side as she fists my hair.

"You're such a good girl for daddy, you want to come for me baby?" I praise her as she I move my hand down from my neck to quickly rub just above where our bodies connect and quickly rub the sensitive spot. She gasps and buried her face into my neck once more.

"Yes daddy. Can I please come daddy" I hear her muffled voice moan out as I continue to quickly move inside of her. Thank fuck, I don't know how much longer I would have lasted.

"Good girl, let go for me baby" My hand falls away as she groans into my neck and releases her built up tension. I keep thrusting up into her before I spill into her, pressing rough kisses across her neck. Elena's hand softly combs through my hair as we brace ourselves together for a few moments, coming down from our high.

"With a few minutes to spare" Elena giggles breathlessly, pushing my slightly damp hair back from my forehead before pressing a soft kiss to my lips. I slip out of her and help her to stand herself up again before we both start to pull our clothes back on.

"Might need to do a turtle neck for a few days" I smirk as I button up the final few buttons on my shirt, gesturing to a few red circles that are forming around the sides of her neck. Elena blushes and gathers her hair around her neck in an effort to cover them up.

"You might need to do that more often" Elena says with a slight blush and approval in her voice. I'm about to confirm that we do indeed need to do that more often when we both hear the from door downstairs click open. Time to buy a house.