7. Asher

((I wrote most of this. But Veronica came up with the 'fluke' idea. And the Asher. Yes, all of you may puke at Asher.))

Vanessa and Larc returned to the pool. "Today was interesting." Vanessa said as they sat on the rail. "No dur. I can't believe that you guys actually pushed him into the ocean. That sounded like something Katie Carney and I'd do, definitely not you and the cast of Phantom. I mean you're just too… you. And Patrick is too much of a fop. Emmy is too meek. I see Gerard doing it but that's only because he played Erik. Heheh. Nessa, you keep showing me that I'm wrong about you." Larc looked to the stars. Vanessa smiled. "Hey, you might not be as wrong as you think. I hated kissing him, but I also hated seeing him fall to almost certain doom. I was going to say that I have been wrong about you. I mean you helped pull him back into the boat. I would have thought that you'd leave him there." Vanessa looked to her friend for an answer. "Normally, I would have. But I happened to know that his uncle was the captain. I also knew that if we left him there we'd surely be thrown off at the first chance. So I pulled him in knowing that it was for our own good. I HATE that little… boy."

Larc looked at Vanessa. She suddenly noticed something different about her. "Vanessa, what's wrong? You look different." Larc put her hand to Vanessa's pale forehead it was warm. There was no response. "Nessa!" Larc screamed. Still, Vanessa didn't budge. "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!" she yelled, looking around, eyes as wide as a trapped animal. No one around. Her pulse quickened as Larc pulled Vanessa's limp body off of the rail.

Back in their room, Larc shook Vanessa awake. "What happened?" Larc asked, nearly screeching. "I don't know. I was fine then suddenly… black." Vanessa looked at her friend's face. "Well, it was just some fluke thing. Let's listen to some music," Larc comforted herself, pulling out her CD case. She pulled out No Doubt. Vanessa looked at her friend with an angry stare. "You don't care? Just some fluke thing? Listen to music? Why don't you care? I could have passed out! I could have DIED! Something could have happened to me! You don't care? You care more about that stupid CD than me!" Vanessa stood and headed to the door. "I'm going out! Not that YOU CARE! By the way NO DOUBT IS STUPID AND SUCKS EGGS!" Vanessa yelled as she slammed the door. She could just hear Larc yell, "WHAT THE –fop- IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

Larc sighed. She was just trying to comfort herself, not seem like she didn't care… After four years, since sixth grade, she had been doing things like that, blowing it off like it was nothing to make herself stop freaking out. Hadn't Vanessa learned?

Vanessa headed to the deck. She remembered being here on her first night, three days ago. She sat on the rail and then remembered something about room 523. She decided to head there to find out about that. The 500's were on the second floor, or second class. She finally found the room and then remembered that for some reason she had a key to this room. She pulled it out of her purse and unlocked the door. She walked in and saw Asher on a bed with a girl. She screamed in horror. Asher looked up from the girl. She could tell he'd been kissing her. She screamed again when she realized that his shirt wasn't on. She slammed the door and stormed up to the deck.

Once at her destination she let her tears run freely. 'Why am I so upset? I don't even like the guy. Why on Earth am I crying?' Vanessa looked down at her hand. She saw the ring she wore out of pity for Asher. She tore it off and hung it over the ocean. Suddenly she heard footsteps. She gripped the ring with one hand and wiped her face with the other. She turned to see the figure it was Asher.

"What do you want?" She asked hiding her tears. Her hair was blowing in the wind so violently that it covered any view of him. "I wanted to make sure you were alright. You seemed hurt when you were walking into my room. I mean before you saw me and Marina." He touched her shoulder, like a friend would when your mom and dad got into a car accident and got badly hurt. He didn't do it in a lover's way. "Larc and I got into a fight. Nothing to worry you about. Oh, I thought you might want this." She held out her hand and gave him the ring. She did it like Christine would have. Asher looked stunned. "I bought this for you. I told you to keep it." Asher looked at her tear-streaked face. "Marina should have it. I don't love you anymore. I realized that now. Give it to your love. I'm not as dumb as most blondes are. ((Skye: "HEY!")) I know that you love her." Vanessa began to cry again. She turned her face away to hide that fact. Asher caught a glimpse of her face before she had turned away. He knew that she was sincere, and he knew that she was hurt. Suddenly footsteps approached. They both turned their heads to look. It was Patrick.

"Vanessa!" He cried as he walked up to her. Now Vanessa was almost bawling. He stood in front of her and she put her hands to his chest like she was going to beat it like a gorilla. ((Skye: coughcough)) He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her off of the rail. She laid her head on his shoulder. "What did you do?" he asked angrily. Asher answered defensively, "I didn't do nothing! She walked into MY room while I was with my… Marina. We were doing things and then she screamed. She walked out. I followed her I wanted to find out why SHE came to MY room. I came here then she started the water works. I don't know what's wrong with her. All I know is that she is WAY weird." Patrick released Vanessa then walked to Asher. He punched him as hard as he could in the face.

Then he did it again and again until Asher's nose was bleeding and he had two black eyes. Vanessa screamed with each blow. She began to cry even harder when she saw what damage had been done. She screamed in horror when Asher fell to the ground unconscious. She had screamed so loud that Larc had come running up there. She saw a trembling Vanessa that was bawling her eyes out, and a Patrick that was breathing heavily standing over Asher. Larc put a hand over her mouth, gasping. She glared at Patrick. "I can't believe you!" she screeched. "You, an adult, a mature adult, should know how to control your anger!" She knelt beside Vanessa. Vanessa had fallen to her knees. She was still bawling and trembling. She looked at Asher's lifeless body. Patrick stood there, chest heaving, and tears rolled down his face. (He looked much better here then in the movie, I may add.) Patrick walked to Vanessa. He knelt beside her and pulled her into him. Larc started to push him away, but as he turned his bloodshot, tear-stained eyes toward her, her expression softened, and she stood, turning away. Vanessa put her head on Patrick's chest and bawled louder. It had suddenly started to rain.

Patrick and Vanessa stayed where they were for around a half an hour, Vanessa's tears never ceasing. Patrick had tried to calm her, but it was useless. Larc had sat down at the rail with her hand over her mouth. It was pouring and Vanessa's hair was soaking Patrick's shirt, which was white. They all suddenly seemed to remember that Asher was still lying there unconscious. Patrick stood, Vanessa still in his arms, and told Larc to get Gerard. Larc returned shortly with Gerard behind her. Gerard covered his mouth when he saw Asher. He then looked at Patrick who had his arms wrapped around a drenched, trembling, and bawling Vanessa. She looked at him with sheer terror in her eyes. Gerard walked to them and pulled them apart. He gave Vanessa a serious, fatherly, I-can't-believe-you-but-we'll-pull-through-eventually look, then told Patrick to take her inside.

Patrick walked Vanessa to his room and told Emmy the story. Vanessa still clung to him as he told Emmy to make sure Vanessa got dry clothes on before she let her out side again. Vanessa didn't want to let go, but Patrick promised that she could come back. Patrick walked out, leaving a drenched Vanessa on his bed.

"Let's get you into some dry clothes," Emmy said heading toward the door. Vanessa whimpered as she walked to her room. Emmy searched through the drawers to find something for Vanessa to wear. Finally she found some jeans and Larc's T-shirt. "Put these on and meet me on the deck," Emmy instructed. Emmy then left Vanessa to join the others.

"Oh my gosh," Emmy said in astonishment as she arrived at the group, "Patrick, you did this?" She looked at him. Patrick nodded. "We need to bring him back to consciousness. We'll get thrown off the ship if his uncle finds out. We need to take him to the ship's hospital with out anyone knowing that I did this." Patrick was standing next to Emmy. Vanessa suddenly arrived and went straight to Patrick. He welcomed her to him with open arms. He held her, even though she had calmed down. "What's the plan?" Vanessa asked as she looked around.

"You have to take him to the hospital with Emmy. Patrick, Gerard and I will meet you two there after we inform the captain. You tell the nurse that you found him unconscious when you were out on an evening stroll." Everyone looked at Larc, who was looking straight at Vanessa. "Let Gerard, Patrick and I work it out." Patrick looked down at Vanessa. "I don't want the captain to know it was you!" Vanessa said meeting his eyes. He pulled her out in front of him, "Don't you worry about that. He won't know I had any part of it. You just go with Emmy and take Asher to the hospital." "But…" Vanessa whined. "I'll be fine. We all will. Now go. Don't you dare make me sing!" Patrick let go of Vanessa and walked away with Larc and Gerard. "Let's go Vanessa, we have to get him to the hospital. Go get help, I'll stay here." Emmy looked at Asher and then watched Vanessa scamper off.

"Help! My boyfriend is unconscious! I need to get him to the ship's hospital! I found him on deck and then… Oh, somebody help me!" Vanessa yelled into the ship's bar. A bunch of men took one look at her and rushed right over. "Hurry!" She cried as she led them to Asher and Emmy. ((Skye: "Yeah, that'd happen."))

The men grabbed Asher and carried him to the hospital. "Miss, my friend here is unconscious. I need a doctor right away. It seems that he suffered some injuries before he fell unconscious. My friend and I were on a stroll when we found my boyfriend. Please, he's the captain's nephew." Vanessa told the nurse on duty. The nurse took one look at Asher and said, "Right this way Miss." The nurse led them to the ER.

Larc pounded on the Captain's door. "Sir, it's an emergency! As much as we hate each other, you need to help! Your nephew was found unconscious on the deck. He's suffered some physical damage. Vanessa and Emmy took him to the ER. Sir, he needs you!" The captain opened the door and reluctantly followed Larc to the hospital. Patrick and Gerard followed at a distance.

"How is he doing?" Vanessa asked when the doctor returned. "Well, he's conscious. But he's been asking for some Vanessa person. Do you know her?" Vanessa blushed, "I'm Vanessa." The doctor ushered Vanessa through the ER doors and to Asher's room. "Here it is. If either of you need anything press the button and a nurse will be right in." The doctor left her. Vanessa took a breath and walked in. "Vanessa?" Asher said when she walked in. She looked at him and smiled with tears in her eyes. "Yes, it's me." Vanessa looked at all the tubes connected to him. The room seemed do gloomy. She walked toward him and knelt on the ground next to his bed. "You're okay!" Vanessa started to cry. Asher turned his head and put his hand on hers. "Hey, shhh shh. Baby, you're ok. You're all right. I'm here I'm here." ((Skye: throws up "Ew. He just called her 'baby'!")) Asher fingered her hair. A nurse walked in. "Miss, you have people here to see you." Vanessa nodded. She kissed Asher's forehead and walked out. "Vanessa!" Patrick cried. Vanessa ran into his arms. "Told you I'd be ok!" Patrick said once they'd separated. Vanessa hugged each of them.

"How's Asher?" Emmy asked Vanessa. "He's doing ok. He has a lot of tubes in him though. It was kind of scary to see him lying there, helpless." Vanessa told Emmy. "I heard that Marina visited him. He told her who you were and why he'd left. She kissed him and they were happy again," Larc put in. Vanessa glanced at her and turned to the group to say something, but did a double take when her mind processed Larc's look. It was depressed. Very, very depressed. Her face held an expression of hiding, the kind of hiding that you do when you need somebody to hold you, and tell you things will get better. Her clothing reflected her apparent mood – jeans black with rain, shirt hidden beneath a blanket that a nurse had given her. Her normally honey-colored hair was nearly black, soaked through and through with water. Vanessa shook her head and turned away. Things couldn't be too bad… Could they? Vanessa had told all of them what she knew about Marina. Apparently Marina was Asher's maid. Then she saw him and they became lovers. She quit cleaning his room, but her boss didn't know that. She kept coming to visit Asher. When Vanessa had walked in on them, she was spending the night. Vanessa was hurt that Asher would rather be with a maid than her, but she remembered what Patrick had done for her.

Back in their room, Vanessa touched Larc's shoulder. "You okay?" she asked, sitting on Larc's bed beside her. "Vanessa… I know I wasn't there, but Patrick beat Asher to the point of unconsciousness! When I saw what he had done, I was mortified – not for Asher, mind you, but for you! You've said you love this man! You let him hold you in his arms, and you cried in his arms, and felt safe. Just remember Vanessa… It was those arms which nearly killed a man." Vanessa was blown back. "Larc, I - !" she began, but Larc stood up. "I'm taking a shower," she said, pulling her pajamas out of the drawer and stumbling into the bathroom, leaving Vanessa to reflect upon those words.

Ooh, Larc's getting a little frightened by Patrick. Heck, I would too. Thus, I had Larc point it out. And then had Larc make Vanessa think about it. Heheh... We shall see what happens.

Anyhoo, anyone who reviews gets my leftover actions figures and some party poppers!