Ashley opened her eyes when she heard Pepper barking… and she picked up the cordless phone in the guest room, calling Seth.
"Ash?" Seth responded.
"Yukie's dog is barking up a storm." Ashley explained.
"Better Pepper barking than Finn grabbing a gun and aiming it at me or you if you ever go to their place again." Seth replied.
"So Mandy denied calling the police…" Ashley responded.
"Yeah, but if I ever do anything else to you or her, Yukie or Mandy will call them." Seth explained.
"I swear, Finn is so damn blind to who Amanda really is." Ashley responded. "Cops didn't take my stash did they?"
"You actually had a… Ash, you can't keep doing this to yourself." Seth responded as the realisation hit him.
"Well I wouldn't call it a stash it's a mixture of mine, TJ's and Jeff's stuff." Ashley replied.
"You have to go to rehab. And I owe Mandy an apology." Seth replied.
"You don't owe her a damn thing, she called the police on me!" Ashley yelled.
"Ash, has she even been near you lately?" Seth asked.
"No and who cares if she doesn't come near me anymore?! I don't need her!" Ashley yelled. "As for rehab I refuse to go there with their sad depressing white rooms and that 12 steps bullshit!"
"Fine, we're done." Seth responded before he hung up and called Amanda.
But he only reached her voicemail.
"Hey, it's me. I recently had a medical emergency so if I missed your phone call during that time I was in the hospital, I'll return it soon."
At the same time, Amanda felt Finn place a heating pad below her waist.
"Stupid reproductive system going haywire." Amanda muttered.
"You just need to relax. You got off lucky and they only had to remove the cyst but don't let yourself get stressed, Darlin'." Finn responded as he lightly brushed Amanda's hair back.
"Ashley probably wanted me to bleed out..." Amanda replied quietly, Finn brushing her tears away.
"She'll get what's coming to her, eventually." Finn responded as he kissed Amanda on her forehead.
"I wish I had the old Ashley back… the one who protected me by breaking Randy's hand when he almost killed me." Amanda responded as they hugged.
The door opened and Jeff, who had been sober for 6 months, walked in with Yukie, who was holding Pepper.
"You need to get your sister under control, she swung at Pepper last night!" Yukie responded after closing the door, Pepper licking Jeff's right hand.
"She'll be itching to get another fix." Jeff said as he petted Pepper.
"Is he okay?" Amanda questioned.
"Yeah, he's alright. You healing up okay?" Yukie responded.
"Yeah, just sore at times." Amanda replied as Pepper was placed on the couch and Amanda petted him.
Amanda checked her phone when it rang, Finn answering it for her.
"Will you leave Mandy alone? You have a lot of nerve calling after what happened earlier!" Finn responded.
"Put her on the phone please." Seth replied.
"Go fuck some ring rat or post more nudes online! I'm no longer in yours or Ashley's life, remember?! You kicked me out! You finally turned my sister against me, used her because your ego was wounded, are you happy now?!" Amanda responded, shouting the last part and Seth knowing she was hurt.
"Look, I broke up with her alright?!" Seth yelled.
"Til the next time you turn horny, then you'll call Ash and use her for a release." Finn muttered before he hung up on Seth, Pepper barking in agreement.
"Good dog, Pepper." Yukie responded.
"Wait you locked her in the guest bedroom right?" Jeff asked.
"Had to after she was threatening to kill Mandy." Yukie explained.
"Listen…. it's quiet, too quiet for her." Jeff responded.
"Jeff, she was going berserk. I took everything out of there that she could use to harm herself." Yukie responded.
Across the street, Ashley was listening to voicemails on her phone after sneaking it back.
The first one was from Finn and from three days ago.
"I don't know where you are but something's happened, Mandy was bleeding from a ruptured ovarian cyst. If you show up here, please be sober. If you don't come here… then I guess that answers it for me, that you chose drugs over Mandy."
"That's bullshit! All of this is pure bullshit!" Ashley yelled.
She played the next one, which was from Amanda and from a day ago.
"I don't even know why I'm bothering to leave this… guess I'm just hoping to hear your voice. I'm fearing that you're dead in an alley somewhere or that you took your own life. You can yell if you want, Ash, just… just call back. I wish I knew what possessed you to take drugs in the first place but you won't tell me, you just yell at me that I'm nothing to you and that I'm the worthless one… if that's how you've always felt, why did you save me when I tried to take my own life 8 years ago?"
"All bullshit! Life, love, friends, family! This is just pure bullshit!" Ashley said.
She stretched out and closed her eyes.
Ashley walked around, recognising the choppy bob hairstyle that belonged to Amanda and walked up to her.
"Mandy?" Ashley replied… and Amanda slowly turned to her, Ashley seeing that the tiny brunette was nearly 7 months pregnant.
"Oh, hey… Jeff's in his locker room if you're looking for him." Amanda responded, rubbing her stomach and Ashley seeing an outline of a tiny foot just barely visible under the skin.
"Why would you say that? What if I was looking for you?" Ashley asked.
"We haven't really spoken much lately, Ash… life's gotten busy." Amanda replied.
"Yeah I can tell." Ashley responded before folding her arms.
"Every time I called to tell you about mine and Finn's baby, you hung up. That's not fair to little Liam Christopher." Amanda responded.
"I've been busy myself you know." Ashley muttered.
"Too busy to try to be a part of your nephew's life?" Amanda replied, Ashley letting out a frustrated scream.
"You know what Mandy?! If you really want me gone I'll be happy to leave you for good!" Ashley yelled.
"Every time I mention this little boy, you get pissed off!" Amanda responded angrily.
"Fine looks like I got the answer I needed! I know what to do now!" Ashley yelled.
Amanda turned and walked off to her office, Ashley following the heavily pregnant GM.
"Why did you have to get pregnant?!" Ashley screamed.
"I've wanted a family for so long. You knew it was nearly impossible but that made it much more worthwhile to me… I'm not choosing you over my own baby, a sweet little boy who hasn't done anything to you!" Amanda responded before Ashley saw Finn.
"Get away from my family!" Finn replied, standing in front of Amanda to protect her and their baby… and Ashley turned rageful.
"She was my family first before you put your Demon Brat in her!" Ashley screamed before she lunged at them…
Amanda screamed as she woke up, feeling arms around her and seeing Finn.
And from the way she hung onto him, he knew it was about Ashley.
"She was trying to kill us…" Amanda responded as Finn lightly brushed her tears away and cradled her face in his hands.
"I won't ever let her hurt you, Darlin'." Finn replied as he kissed Amanda on her forehead.
At the same time, Ashley was also having a similar nightmare.
Ashley lunged at Finn and Amanda, only for them to disappear completely and she fell through the floor and into a room full with mirrors.
"What the fuck is happening?!" Ashley growled before seeing the back of a woman wearing a red and orange crop top, long back pants and her back and arms covered in tattoos, her arms were spread out, red wings attached to her back and wrist. "Hey you! Where am I?" The woman turning around.
"I think the better question is who am I?" The woman said.
"Haha real funny I know who you are, you are me." Ashley retorted.
"No not entirely true. You need to come find me." The woman responded.
"Find me? What the hell does that mean?" Ashley demanded.
"When you really hit rock bottom aka nearly die, I'll be there to rise up from the ashes and be awaken." The woman explained.
"Nearly die? What do you mean?" Ashley asked.
"Bloody hell, I can't give away the whole damn story! Just come find me! See ya drug-o." The woman responded before walking through a mirror and disappearing.
Ashley's eyes opened and she bolted upright.
"Oh man I need to take some chill pills and have a long drinking session… no. I can't anymore." Ashley responded.
After getting ready for the day, Amanda and Finn were parked outside of Universal Studios, Soundstage 21… and Amanda felt wrong for coming here as Five To One by The Doors played on the radio.
"We just need to explain it… Jarrett will listen to you. He still has control here." Finn replied as he lightly rubbed Amanda's left wrist.
The two got out of the Altima after turning it off, locked it up and walked into the arena, Amanda's left hand in Finn.
Ethan Carter looked up from where he was… and his eyes widened in shock at seeing them.
He didn't expect this on the chilly mid December morning.