Trouble in Paradise
Authors note: I just like to say thank you to Penguin201 for reviewing, I've used your idea in this chapter as it fit so well so thank you for that :) this chapter contains Hailey's birthday, Shockwave and Blue on Blue enjoy!
On the morning of her birthday, Hailey woke to the smell of food frying in the kitchen. She smiled to herself and hopped out of bed, pulling her slippers on as she did so, before making her way down the hallway towards the kitchen.
Spike smiled to himself as he heard the door of his and Hailey's room open and the shuffle of her slippered feet along the wooden floorboards.
"Good morning." He greeted her, not turning around but knowing that she was stood in the doorway.
"Morning." Hailey said, yawning. Spike smirked and suppressed a laugh, Hailey had never been a morning person, and her birthday was no exception.
"You're up early." He teased, placing bacon on both of their plates. "Something exciting happening today?" He asks playfully, placing a plate in front of Hailey who sends him a mock glare. "Happy birthday bella." He says, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
"Thank you." Hailey replies, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him.
"Eat up!" Spike says, pressing a kiss to her forehead before taking a seat beside her. "You've got presents to open before I have to leave for work."
"You didn't have to get me anything." Hailey protests and Spike shakes his head.
"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't get you a birthday present?" He asks and Hailey shrugs, smiling at him before digging in to her breakfast.
As soon as Hailey was finished, Spike grabbed their plates and placed them in the sink before grabbing the presents he had bought Hailey. Just as he set the packages down in front of Hailey, her phone rang.
"That'll be Soph." She says, leaning across the island to grab her phone. "Hello?" Hailey sits back in her chair and giggles as Clark, Ed and Sophie sing happy birthday to her through the phone. "Thanks guys." She says.
"No problem, happy birthday baby!" Sophie says. "I'll pick you up at 11, is that ok?"
"Sounds good. I'll be waiting. See you soon."
"They sing to you?" Spike asks and Hailey nods and laughs again.
"They always phone really early on my birthday, I'm pretty sure just to wake me up and annoy me, and sing to me. It's really sweet."
Spike grins and pushes the presents towards his girlfriend. "You ready for your presents birthday girl?" Hailey nods and picks up a box.
"Mike!" She gasps, her hand flying up to her mouth as she unwraps it to find a Pandora box.
"Open it." Spike prompts. Hailey slowly opens the box and pulls out the bracelet from inside.
"Oh Mike, it's beautiful!" She gushes, handing it to him to place on her wrist. "It must have cost a fortune!" Spike shrugs and fastens the bracelet around her wrist. He holds her wrist gently in his hand and points to the charm in the middle.
"This one," he says, pointing to a simple silver charm with eight different stones. "has a birth stone for each of your family members and you and I."
"It's gorgeous." Hailey murmurs, turning the charm around to see all the colours. "You even put daddy's on it." Spike nods and rubs her back gently as her eyes full with tears.
"Don't cry Hails." He says, wrapping his arms around her.
"They're happy tears." Hailey insists, wiping away her tears and putting her hands on each side of Spike's face, pulling him in for a kiss. "Thank you. It's beautiful. I love it. I love you."
"I love you too." Spike replies, handing her the rest of her presents.
At exactly 11o'clock, Sophie arrived to take Hailey out for the day.
"Is this what spike bought you?" Sophie asks taking Hailey's hand in hers and turning the bracelet to see the charms.
"Uh huh." Hailey replies, grinning at her sister. "It's beautiful isn't it?"
"It is." Sophie agrees.
"And look, these are our birth stones." Hailey says showing her the charm spike had explained to her earlier. "See, this ones mine, Mike's, yours, Ed's, Clark's, Izzy's, mums and daddy's."
"Wow." Sophie murmurs, twirling the charm. "I have some presents from us. Clark chose this one, it's from him and Izzy and this is from Ed and I." She says, placing two gift bags in front of Hailey.
"Thank you." She says, taking the bag from clark and Izzy first. "Oh wow!" Hailey says, taking out a 3D cardboard letter 'H', covered in pictures of marvel superheroes on one side and family pictures on the other. "I love it!" (AN: Don't know if you guys have heard of Décopatch but that's what this present is)
"He spent ages making that, he wouldn't show it to us until it was completely finished." Sophie explains, watching her sister grin and turn the object over, admiring all the pictures.
"I'll give him a call on the way home, thank him for it." She says, placing it carefully back in the bag and picking up Sophie and Ed's gift. She pulls out two boxes and opens the smallest one first. "Soph! It's lovely!" Hailey says, lifting the necklace out of the box.
"Turn it over." Sophie prompts and Hailey turns the locket over to find and inscription saying 'Happy birthday! Lots of love Sophie, Ed, Clark and Izzzy.' "And open it." Inside the locker were two pictures, one of Hailey and Sophie and one of Spike and Hailey, both from the last team picnic.
"It's beautiful, thank you." Hailey says, turning and handing Sophie the necklace to place around her neck.
"No problem." Sophie says as Hailey open the other box.
"You knew!" Hailey says, laughing as she opens the box to find two charms for the bracelet spike had given her.
"Yep! I had to make it look like I didn't. I was there when he bought it."
"They're beautiful, thank you Soph." Hailey says, leaning over the table to give her sister a hug. "I love you."
"I love you too baby."
*A week later*
"I have to go away again next week." Hailey tells Spike over dinner. "It's for five days this time, but it's an interesting course and there's a talk and stuff, it's sounds really good."
"Ok. I've got pretty much back to back shifts next week anyway so I doubt we'd be seeing that much of each other anyway." Spike replies and Hailey nods.
"But you'll be careful, yeah?" She asks. "Take a break if you need to. No falling asleep on the job 'cause you're so tired."
"I won't babe. I'll be fine. Trust me."
"I do. Just stay safe and text me when you get home so I know you're ok."
"I will. You don't need to worry about me. We all have each other's backs." Hailey nods again and squeezes Spike's hand.
"Hey babe, I'm just calling to check you're alright. Sophie told me your dads not doing so good. Give me a call when you can. Love you, bye." Hailey sighs, hanging up the phone.
"Hailey, they're ready for us now." Hailey's friend, and fellow photography, Marie called and Hailey nodded and followed her into the room.
Spike stepped out of his dad's hospital room and pulled out his phone. He figured he'd give Hailey a call and fill her in whilst his dad was sleeping, he knew she'd be worried by now.
"Hello?" Hailey says, groggily on the other end of the phone.
"Hey bella, did I wake you?" Spike says, taking a seat on one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs.
"No, it's ok. How's your dad doing?" Hailey asks, changing the subject.
"Uh...not so good." Spike says quietly, running his free hand across his face. "The doctors don't think he has long left."
"I'm sorry baby." Hailey says, sounding more awake now. "I wish there was something I could do."
"I know, me too." Spike replies, glancing at the door to his dad's room. "Try and get some sleep, I'm fine, ok?"
"Ok." Hailey says hesitantly. "If you're sure."
"I'm sure."
"I mean...I can always change my ticket home, see if I can get the next flight into Toronto?"
"Hails, you've been looking forward to this course for the past week, you're enjoying yourself right?"
"Uh huh."
"Then stay. I'm ok, there's nothing either of us can do."
"Ok." Hailey says quietly, making a mental note to herself that she would ring the airport in the morning and see if she could change her flight. "Call me if anything changes or you just need to talk. I love you."
"I love you too." Spike replies before hanging up and heading back into his dad's room.
Hailey turned her phone back on as the taxi pulled away. There were no new messages from spike and no missed calls. No news is good news...right? She thought to herself. She quickly fired off a text to Sophie, telling her that she was back in Toronto but decided to not call Spike. She wanted to turn up at the hospital and surprise him. She knew that after their phone call last night he'd said that he was ok and insisted she stay and complete the course, but all she wanted to do was be there for him, his voice had sounded so lost and sad; she didn't know what she could do to help, but she wanted to try. Just like he always did for her. The taxi pulled up outside the hospital and Hailey paid the driver and hopped out.
"Hi, I'm here to see Dominic Scarlatti." She says to the receptionist who gives her a room number. Hailey got off the elevator on the fifth floor and headed down the hallway to where she assumed Dominic's room would be. She stopped short as she neared the room, straight ahead of her was Spike, sat by himself, head in his hands, his body shaking.
"Mike?" She called softly as she inched closer to her boyfriend, being careful not to startle him. "Babe...are you..."
"Hailey?" Spike says suddenly, his head snapping up. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to make sure you're ok." She says quietly, taking a seat beside him. "I know you said to stay but I can always do the course again and...family's more important. Right?" Spike barely nods, his head now back in his hands.
"Hailey you shouldn't have come." He says quietly a few seconds later and Hailey frowns.
"What?"
"I don't want you to see me like this. I told you on the phone, there's nothing I can do...nothing you can do."
"I know that...I just want to help. I know what it feels like."
"Do you?" Spike asks, his voice raised ever so slightly. "Do you know what it's like to watch your father die right before your eyes? To have him so disappointed in you because you won't quit your job?"
"No." Hailey says sharply, standing up. "I don't know what that's like. But I do know what it's like to loose someone you love, someone you care about and it's hard. You can't go through this by yourself."
"I can and I will." Spike says. "Hailey I think you should just go." Hailey nods once and turns on her heel, silently wiling herself not to cry.
"How's Spike doing?" Ed asks Hailey, over dinner, who frowns and shrugs.
"I've not spoken to him in over a week." She replies
"Really?" Sophie asks and Hailey nods.
"I've tried. Everyday I've tried to get through to him and every time I ring him, I get his voicemail and when I go to his house he doesn't even answer the door. I just don't know what I've done wrong."
"Maybe he just needs space." Sophie says quietly and Ed shakes his head.
"I'll talk to him." He says
"No." Says Hailey quickly. "Ed you can't fight my battles for me. If Spike's not ready to talk then I'll just have to wait until he is. Don't go getting all angry and overprotective, that's not going to help anyone right now. Please Ed." Ed sighs but nods his head.
"Fine. For now." Hailey nods and lets out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks."
*Two weeks later - takes place the evening of Blue on blue*
"Hi!" Hailey says, her face breaking out into a grin as Spike opens the door to his family home. It quickly falls again as she takes in the facial expression and posture. "Sorry, is this a bad time?"
"Like all the other times weren't." Spike mutters to himself, leaning against the door frame.
"I'm sorry?" Hailey says, frowning. "I was only trying to help."
"Well maybe you shouldn't." He mutters and Hailey's eyes begin to fill with tears. "What are you doing here Hailey?"
"I...I just wanted to check you were ok. Eddie told me what happened today and I...I guess I was just worried." Spike grunts in reply, crossing his arms across his chest, scowling at the floor. Hailey lets out a shaky breath and steps back from the door. "Why are you blocking me out? I don't know what I've done wrong. Mike please..."
"Just go home." Spike grumbles. "I don't want you here." Hailey takes a few more steps backwards and lets out a cry. She quickly turns and begins to walk down the steps. She was almost at the bottom when she turns again, just in time to catch Spike before he shut the door.
"Do you still have feelings for her?" She asks, catching Spike off guard.
"What?" He asks
"Sams sister, the girl from today. Do you still have feelings for her?" Hailey replies, suddenly scared of what his answer may be.
"Hailey. Do you not trust me?" Spike asks incredulously.
"Of course I do Mike! It was just a question!" Hailey exclaims. "God! Why do I even bother?" She shouts, throwing her hands in the air, suddenly extremely frustrated. "I've been trying for weeks to get through to you, to help you, and every time you just ignore me, shut me out. We've been drifting apart and I hadn't even noticed until now! How could I be so stupid?" She says, continuing to shout. "I love you Mike! But clearly, with the way you're acting right now, you don't feel the same way. I don't know what I've done wrong Spike! I'm just trying to help!"
"Then stop! I don't want your help! I don't need it Hailey! I'm not so dependant on others that I have to be with them every second of everyday! I'm not like you Hailey!" Hailey stumbles backwards as if he had hit her. "Just leave me alone and stop pestering me! I don't need you! I don't need anyone!"
"Well I clearly didn't get that memo. Sorry for caring." Hailey says quietly, turning on her heel and storming back to her car. Spike stands in the doorway, watching Hailey drive off before crumbling to the floor and burying his head in his hands.
"What have I done?" He mutters to himself.
AN: Sorry if Spike seems a little OOC in this chapter - Please review!
