A/N: It's been a few days. Now, this chapter should be full of good stuff.
Also, I wonder what the demand is for an Elex story.

LordVegeta91- I wasn't sure if Ellie was a vegetarian or not! I was thinking about it and I thought she was, but I just wasn't sure. If she is I apologize for the mistake. Ashley walking in on them. Well that might be interesting. Ashley doesn't know about them yet, she has an idea but that's all.

xcrazibabbi69x- What can I say, I love fluff. Bitchy Paige does suck, but she can be quite entertaining. I update when I can. :)

crashetburn- Yeah, Paige has changed. I dunno, I had to make her nice in order for this story to work, and in it she wants to change herself. She aches to be who she really is. Hmm. Well I hope the real Paige on the show continues being nice like she has been lately. Oh, and Pellie kind of surrounds the whole "opposites attract" theory.

Medicated And Dedicated- Definitely, you're the one who got me into Pellie again. But I forgot I wrote a story like a year ago that was Pellie. It was kind of sad though because Paige didn't like her back. Aw.

Also thanks to tribaltaisan, skater4u, EllieNSean4Eva, antiIRONY, HiddenSmile(Kacy!), EscapingFromExistence, Holden Hit Hollywood, tourniquetkid, and Autumn Laborra for reviewing.

Ellie felt like she couldn't breathe when she heard the words father and dead in the same sentence. She got out of the bathtub, wrapping herself up in a towel and handed the phone to Paige. "He's dead," Ellie whispered. Paige pulled her girlfriend into a hug, and let Ellie cry.

"They're having his body shipped over for us to bury...the funeral's going to be in a few days." She sniffed, pulling away and walking into Paige's room.
Paige followed Ellie, taking her hand. "Do you need to talk?"

"NO. I don't want to talk about it. I don't even want to think about it. I don't want to do anything, just leave me alone..."
When they slept that night, Ellie seemed distant. They didn't cuddle, at all.

That morning, when Paige woke up, Ellie was gone. Worried, Paige quickly got dressed and headed out. She decided to go look at the Dot first, and there was no luck. Pulling out her phone, she called pretty much everyone she knew. She found her when she called Marco. Ellie was at Marco's.
Paige went to Marco's to see her girlfriend, and her heart broke when she saw Ellie's tearstained face. Ashley was there too, trying to comfort the redhead. Paige pushed her away, taking the spot beside of Ellie. Paige held Ellie in her arms as she cried as hard as she could.
The look in Ellie's eyes changed as she tried to push all of her pain away. She kissed Paige roughly, the warm sensation taking over her. She kept kissing her and kissing her, even while Paige was trying to pull away. Ellie was using her as a distraction, and Paige didn't think that was a good idea.

Ashley sat there, a little shocked. "Uh, they're kind of dating." Marco whispered.
Ashley nodded. "Oh." She managed to say, staring at the two girls. They were from two completely different worlds. She couldn't help but wonder what had made them click.

Ellie cried for what seemed like hours, until she could cry no more. She just sat there, feeling numb, ears ringing. Biting her lip she snapped the rubber band on her wrist a couple dozen times. She couldn't believe...her father couldn't be. She didn't even get to say goodbye. It wasn't fair, at all. If it weren't for Canada helping the United States with their stupid war on terrorism, Ellie thought bitterly. If it weren't for George goddamn Bush, my father would still be alive! Her eyes stung. She collapsed on the couch, Paige stroking her hair and gazing worriedly at her girlfriend.

Ellie drifted into some sort of warped dream world. It actually wasn't much of a dream. More like memories. She remembered what it was like as a kid. She remembered her first bike ride, swimming lessons, everything. Ellie remembered her dad, very much alive and such a bright person. She remembered her mom, loving and positive. Then everything shifted, into what they were now. She saw her mom, passed out on the couch. She saw her mom throwing up in the toilet. And she saw her dad, leaving for the army. She saw her dad, lying there dead. It was all too much to bear. Her old life had been ripped from her, and all she had was little bits of her life left.

When Ellie awoke, her head throbbed. She looked around her, somewhat confused.
She was in the hospital!
"Miss Nash, glad to see you're awake. You're in here for a minor case of shock. You'll be fine; everything seems to be perfectly normal. In fact, you'll be able to leave whenever your mother arrives."

Ellie closed her eyes at those words. Her mother. Oh, great.

Her mom actually came, about an hour later. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she didn't seem drunk at all.
"Ellie honey, I'm here to sign you out. And then you can go do whatever it is you want to." She seemed upset, but not just about her husband. About Ellie.
They left the hospital, and her mother took her out for breakfast.

"I know you heard about your father. Well, I wanted to let you know that I'm leaving today. For um, for rehab. I can't go to his funeral; there's no way I can bear to. But Eleanor, I promise you that when I'm back I'll make it all up to you."
Ellie pretended not to listen. She was sick of promises. She'd believe it when she saw it. Her mom, sober. She hadn't been sober in so long. It was a miracle that she wasn't drunk right now actually! Ellie glared at her mom, hurrying out of the restaurant and heading to a pay phone. She dialed Paige, who said she would pick her up in a few minutes.
Her mother followed her outside.

"I'm doing the best I can. I'm going to get help, and I need to know that you'll be here waiting for me." Her mom pleaded.

Ellie turned to her. "OK, mom. I'll be here." She promised, getting into Paige's car.
"I love you!" Her mom shouted after her.
Ellie looked at Paige. "Drive."

If only Ellie could have seen the pain on her mother's face right then.
"She'll never understand," she muttered.

Paige gave Ellie a kiss on the forehead, tucking her into bed. She handed her a couple aspirin, and a glass of water. Ellie graciously took them.
"Baby, I have to go to work. I'll be back. I love you, and if you need me don't hesitate to call." Paige said.
"Okay." Ellie replied, gazing into her glass of water.

Her life was a lot like this glass of water. Kind of shallow, yet kind of deep. Deep enough to drown in. Kind of warm, kind of cold. Definitely cold. Her life was such a mess of confusion, especially right now. Ellie got up from the bed, walking into the bathroom.

She stared at herself in the mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her face looked dead. A random surge of anger struck Ellie, and she threw her fist out, punching the mirror with all her might. Glass shattered, and Ellie stepped back, satisfied. Rinsing off her hand and wrapping it with gauze, the redhead climbed back into bed.

She was dead. Or so it seemed. Maybe she just wished it. She was silent to the bone, shaking with fear. Ellie didn't know where she was, and that's the way she liked it. Things seemed alright when she was spinning in nothingness.