TRIGGER WARNING

If you are very sensitive to the subject of suicide then I highly suggest that you take precaution when reading this chapter or do not read it at all as this chapter speaks of suicide for a lengthy period of time. I will put a summary of this chapter at the beginning of the next chapter for those of you who do not want to read.

Austin hated telling his mother no. It was one of his very few weaknesses, but luckily for him, she almost never used it to her advantage. That was until that very morning, when she called so early he swore he could just barely see the sun peeking from above the horizon. Mimi Moon made it very clear to Austin that she would not go another day without seeing him and his new wife... She wasn't taking no for an answer, that was obvious. He knew that this would eventually happen, it was inevitable that Mimi would want to spend quality time with her son and new daughter in law.

The only problem with Mimi getting to know Ally was the fact that she was not really his wife. Sure they were married, but the term husband and wife was not to be used loosely in Austin's book. For husband and wife were to cherish and love each other, look past one another's flaws, and better each other; Austin and Ally did not. He wondered how he was going to spend an entire day with his parents, lying about his love for Ally, his happiness, and his plans for the future. He knew that everything he could manage to speak that day would only be mere bullshit. But breaking the contract between him and Ally was nearly worse than any type of backlash he would receive from his parents.

He stepped into the living room after quickly thinking up a way to get Ally to agree to spending the day with his parents. Ally stood in the kitchen, dressed comfortably in a pair of pajama pants and a loose fitting t-shirt, she mindlessly sipped from her coffee as she read the latest teen magazine- which did in fact have a lengthy article about Austin and Ally's new marriage.

"I'm going to need you to be the perfect wife today," he said with a chuckle as he entered the living room. He promised his mother that he'd be over no later than 11:30, knowing Ally, getting there in time wouldn't be the problem, convincing her to go in the first place would.

She quirked a brow, letting the magazine slip from her fingers and fall onto the counter top as she began to wonder what Austin could have possibly put her up to; "And why is that?" she asked.

"Well..." he began, he tried to hide the nervousness that was beginning to creep into his voice as he found his words, "My mother called this morning... and she has her mind set on seeing not only me but also you today. She would like to spend the day together and she isn't taking no for an answer," his voice lowered an octave as her facial expression went from serene to angry in just seconds.

"No!" she exclaimed, her hands balled into fists so tight her knuckles began to turn white, "I have already lied about enough! I can deal with this whole fake marriage thing, even though I really do not want to- hell I can deal with living under the same roof as you for a year. But I cannot and will not lie to your parents face about our happiness, I'm pretty sure I had enough of that at our 'wedding reception'."

"Look I know it sucks but this was bound to happen! My mother has always dreamed of having a daughter and you're the closest she'll ever get to one for now. I... I just can't say no to her, no matter how hard I try, I love her too much to tell her no all the time. And since I'm always on the go I rarely get to spend as much time as I'd like with her," her facial expression softened.

She knew she couldn't say the same for her own mother, who would do anything just to see her crash and burn, even if that meant ruining her career and her self esteem. Any other time, Ally would have flat out told Austin no, without even considering it. But the soft look in his eyes as he spoke so freely and highly of his mother made her know that blowing him off would make her feel worse than she felt for lying to his parents. At least lying to them would bring them a sense of happiness for a little while.

She shook her head, knowing that for once, Austin had really convinced her to do something she didn't want to do- besides the marriage of course.

"Fine," she replied, breaking the brief silence between the two, "It's not like we're busy today anyway."

At that moment, Austin couldn't help pulling her into a hug and thanking her countless times. He owed her big time.

She sat silently outside beside his mother, wondering what to say. She was worried, she found herself wanting Mimi to like her, regardless of rather her relationship with Austin was fake or not. She'd spent the entire day in her head, helping out when she could, and speaking when it was needed. She wondered what Mimi was thinking of her- was she too silent? Too persistent in helping to the point where she seemed fake and unlikable? Was she planning a lengthy speech in her head as to why Austin simply couldn't go another day being married to a person such as Ally. Did she think that their affection towards each other was too forced? Could she see through Austin and Ally's lies?

She couldn't help it, her mind was running wild with its possibilities, making it impossible for Ally to utter a single word to Mimi. She feared the worst for herself and Austin, she promised him she would do her best to interact with his family and here she was, quieter than a mouse, sipping on the same coke for the past hour. She was failing, miserably.

Mimi broke the silence between the two, her gaze directed at Ally, "I... I just wanted to say thank you."

She resisted the urge to lift a brow in confusion, and instead replied, "I'm sorry, for what?" she asked, placing her coke on the table between them and turning her full attention to the woman before her.

"For making Austin happy. All these years he's come to visit and never once has he come looking as happy as he does now," she paused as if she was looking for the right words to say, "I'm not sure if Austin has told you this or not, but since you're married I figure it probably wouldn't be a big deal anyhow- In middle school and high school, Austin was bullied severely, he only had one friend and his name was Dez."

Ally nodded her head, urging for her to go on, "One day his father and I had a meeting that we knew would run late. So before we left for the day, we put money on the counter for dinner and a little extra just in case he wanted to go to the movies or go to the mall. We also left a note stating our whereabouts and as always at the end we said we loved him-" she paused, her eyes watering up. She stared directly ahead, watching her son toss a football back and forth with his father.

"When we got home that night, the money and the note were still on the counter. We wondered if he'd just decided that he wasn't very hungry and went to hang out with Dez, but when we called his cellphone there was no answer, and Mike heard his phone ring in the guest bathroom... What I'm trying to say is... Austin tried to commit suicide, in fact he almost succeeded, he stabbed himself right in the chest and just barely missed his heart. He was in the hospital for days and had months of therapy but even that didn't help much. He hasn't been the same since that day, sure he has his career now and probably outshines anyone he went to high school now but I know that deep down he still wishes he could do more. Those bullies really ruined him Ally- more than you and I will ever know. He doesn't like to talk about it, in fact now he's made up a completely new story about his high school life, choosing to forget about the time when his life was nearly no more because of the people that surrounded him everyday. And... what makes it worse is that Mike and I were clueless, all of the signs where there. He wasn't eating, he spent most of his time in his room, he hated talking to us. Somehow I felt like it was all our fault, and for a while I blamed myself but knowing that he was okay, and that he would continue living is what kept me going. My point is... Austin has always been a loner, after his friend Dez went off to college he had absolutely no one and it didn't make it any better when he became famous, there were tons of people who came around just to leech from his fame and he hated that. He keeps himself in a box constantly. And for years now, I've been scared that it would all eventually get to him and he'd try to kill himself again. Except this time, I won't be there to stop him. Seeing him now, with you... makes me know that I won't ever have to worry about him doing anything like that ever again. You make him happy, I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you. I know you already know this but, he loves you a lot. And I'm just thankful that you came into his life when you did, because he really, really needed someone like you to keep him going."

Ally found herself at a loss for words, wondering exactly what she could have possibly done to deserve something like this. Lying to his parents in the first place, that was bad. But this, this was cruel. She eyed the woman, her blue eyes filled with hope and gratitude as she stared back into Ally's brown orbs. Her eyes filled with tears despite her urge to fight them back, she knew she was about to cry. She hated crying.

But Austin Moon, the boy who she'd assumed had a bigger ego than the entire populations existence, was once bullied. He was hiding behind those arrogant walls, trying to make himself into a person he wasn't. Every interaction with him made it easier for her to slap a label on him just like the rest of the world did. But Ally did not want to be the rest of the world. In fact she wanted to be so far from all of those people and their thoughts to the point where she was determined to get to know Austin. He was not a stereotype like she thought he was. He was a human being, one with emotions, pains, flaws, ones that no other person could have because he was unique in his own way.

"Thank you for sharing that with me," she replied. placing her hand gently on top of Mimi's, "Austin is a sweet boy, I'm positive you know that. And I'm glad that I've been able to transform him into a happier man, I promise I'll do my best to make sure that he's always happy, it will be my duty as his wife."

To Ally, a promise wasn't something she could fully rely on, something she didn't really keep. But she knew at that moment, that every word she'd said to Mrs. Moon was true. Austin would never be unhappy as long as Ally was in the picture.

"She's gorgeous son," his father complimented as he tossed the football at him. Austin caught it gracefully and sent it back his way in one swift motion.

"Thanks dad," he replied, a smile tugging at his lips. His parents really seemed to enjoy Ally's company, sure she was being a bit quiet but his parents weren't new to shy people. They made Ally feel right at home even if she hadn't spoken a single word in what felt like an eternity.

"It seems like your mother is really enjoying her company, I think she's excited that she finally has someone she can call a daughter- probably even more excited about having grand kids one day," he chuckled, "She's been on about it ever since you called and told her about your engagement."

"Well I hope she knows that grand kids aren't in the near future," Austin warned trying his best to keep his cool. Before Ally it was easier for him to disregard the thought of children to his mother and father. He would simply tell them that they were moving too fast for his liking- that he wasn't even married yet. But now that he really was married, there was no running from the dreaded 'when will I have grandchildren' talk.

For a moment things were silent, weirdly silent. Austin wondered what his father was about to ask, he always made the same face before he asked an odd question that Austin most likely didn't have the answer to.

"What made you want to marry Ally- and not tell us about her before you decided you did?" he asked, holding the football tightly between his hands.

Austin wasn't sure how to respond to that question. If he could, he would tell him that marrying Ally was just a publicity stunt, that it wasn't real whatsoever. But doing that would break the rules of the contract, meaning that Austin would have to pay 10,000 dollars and have his name slashed by the media for months. He didn't want that..

"Ally was special, she is special," he replied without thinking, "She just caught my attention one day and I didn't want to bring another girl around to disappoint you guys so we kept everything on the down low. Then one day I don't know...I just decided that I didn't like her, I loved her, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her so I proposed...And she said yes... its crazy what love will do to you," he smiled genuinely at his father.

"You're just filled with surprises then aren't you?" Mike responded as he glared playfully at Austin, "I never thought I'd hear something like that come out of your mouth. I mean sure you aren't a very predictable child, you've never been. But we've always known that you weren't the type to follow your heart... until now I guess."

Austin shrugged, if only Mike knew why he and Ally really got married. Ally didn't really decide anything, he knew that if it was up to her she wouldn't have agreed to something so absurd. He squeezed his eyes shut, placing both of his hands on top of his head. Austin was feeling guilty.

"What the hell am I doing here?" he thought to himself, his heart was racing a mile a minute, "For fucks sake Austin get yourself together, this is going too far. She's here, getting along with my parents, making them love her. Look at what I made her do, this is my fault! I can't stay here, I can't keep lying. I can't do this, this makes me a bad person, even worse than I was before."

He turned his gaze to his father, who wore a concerned look on his face. He knew that Austin had something heavy on his mind, but Austin had no intentions on talking about it. In fact he wanted to leave. He needed to leave before things spiraled more out of control. There was a possibility that he could fix any of this later, but he knew that if it went any further his relationship with his parents would not be salvageable. This time, he had to tell his mother no, rather she liked it or not.

"I uh... sorry I just remembered that I have a meeting at 5 and I'm going to miss it if we don't leave right now," Austin lied, leaving no room for his father to ask questions as he walked away. His eyes were on his wife, her cheeks were a bright shade of pink as she laughed at something his mother said. He hated seeing how well they got along, it wasn't fair, not for Ally nor his mother. He hated himself for this, for pulling Ally into a life she didn't need to have. For forcing her into something she clearly didn't want as much as he did. It was all his idea, no it wasn't Austin that was trapped, it was Ally. He probably deserved it all, to have his name ruined by the media, to have people slaughter the meaning of his music and call him a piece of shit. To him that's what he was- or at least that's what he felt like. Ally was far too beautiful and elegant to be with a guy like him. He knew that long ago, hell, even his fans knew. So what were they doing. This wouldn't prove a point, not to him or his fans or his so called 'haters,' because at the end of the day, Ally never really wanted him. And she never would.

Ally hated to admit it, but Mimi felt more like a mother to her than her own mother. She actually listened, and that's what Ally liked about her. She found it easy for her to open up to her after she'd so kindly opened up about Austin's past, she could tell it pained her to talk about it.

That's why Ally was quite sad when Austin rather suddenly showed up and told his mother that the two had a meeting and needed to leave. Ally knew it was a lie, but she could tell something was on his mind, and she didn't want to question him any further about his actions when they arrived home that evening.

They sat silently in the dining room, eating chinese food. The only sound heard was the scraping of plates. She wondered if he would talk, or if she'd have to spend the rest of the night confused. She'd never seen Austin in such a way before, his skin was pale, his eyes were dull, stripped from their usual glaze of playfulness. She would be lying if she said that hearing of Austins attempted suicide didn't make her more aware of his actions.

"I bet you're a little confused right now aren't you?" he asked, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. Ally nodded her head, unable to find her voice as he continued on.

"Yeah, I figured," he pushed his empty plate away from himself and looked up at Ally, her eyes shining with concern. "It just really hit me earlier that what we're doing isn't right. I've lied a few times, I'm sure everyone has. But this is huge, this isn't a joke anymore. At first it all was... but then I saw the way my mom looked at you and the way dad looked at me. He's proud of me, but for what? I haven't accomplished anything. Shit- the only thing I really have to show off is my fame but thats nothing compared to everyone else. Everyone else is happy with families and here I am... In a fake marriage, trying to up my fame even though I already have millions of fans. I'm greedy and I definitely don't need to be. I have everything I've ever asked for and yet everyone is still outshining me in some type of way. They don't even bat an eyelash towards me, they probably still-" he stopped himself before he could finish, not wanting to open doors he couldn't close. He could feel unwanted tears brewing in his eyes, he resisted the urge to blink. She couldn't see him like this.

"It's going to be okay... we all make stupid decisions on a whim sometimes. This was one of them... even though this wasn't really my decision," she laughed lightly, "but now we have to make the most of this. We can turn this into something to laugh about sometime in the future. Sure it sucks now, but if you don't want to, your parents never have to know that our marriage was fake. We can keep it between us, no one ever has to know." She reached out and placed a hesitant hand on top of his, unable to catch his gaze.

He felt a tear roll down his cheek. He felt like a wimp. He didn't need heartfelt bullshit. He didn't want it.

He pulled his hand back, meeting her gaze just to glare coldly, "Stop trying to make this into something it isn't okay? This isn't real, and it will never be." He spat, "From now on, we'll only talk when it's needed. The sooner this year is over, the better."

His chair scraped loudly against the wooden floor as he left the table. Leaving Ally speechless as she sat at the now empty table. Her eyes burned, as if she wanted to cry, but there were no tears. She was angry, and she wanted to yell and scream and throw things- and she almost did.

Until she remembered the promise she made to a certain someone.

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! I love replying to your reviews so you should leave one below so I can reply to it! It would be greatly appreciated!

I hope that this chapter wasn't too much for you guys. I am deeply sorry if I've offended anyone in any kind of way but I'd hope that I was vague enough to the point where I didn't offend anyone.

Thanks so much for reading! I'm very happy with how this story is going so far, maybe it's because It's not a story I've been trying to finish since 2013. It's hard to continue writing that is old especially when your writing has gotten better over time.

ClearSkies-L- I've got to admit, the way you've capitalized the letters in your title kind of put me off, but I decided to check this out, and it's pretty interesting.
Also, Ally's mom is cold hearted oh my god. It must've been horrible for Ally to overhear her mother talking about her like that.
Furthermore, awwwwww! Austin is actually cleaning up his condo for Ally. I'm glad he apologized because even if Ally was being rude, he didn't have to speak back to her like that.- Haha I was worried that my title would put a few people off but I'm glad you decided to check it out and I'm even happier that you actually enjoyed it! Thanks for reading.

sicklscaler- Bicker and fight it out and then come to an agreement. Glad to see that they both apologized. This will work if they get along. Thank you for the update.- No problem, I love updating!

Thanks so much for reading! There will be another update soon, until then De Mi Amor!

NiKkI.