Title: Moving In
Author: SneetchesToo
Rating: Teen
Pairing: Ethan/Rox
Summary: Roxane gets asked a question she never thought she would hear.
Author's Note: Don't get too excited…
—
It had been exactly a week since the fire at her apartment and Rox was beyond frustrated.
She had been staying with Ethan, which had been great.
But having to shuffle her stuff back and forth was becoming a nuisance.
And then there was the phone call she had gotten last night.
The call that had shaken her entire world.
"My building's being condemned." She whispered.
Ethan's head snapped up from his cup of coffee and he raised an eyebrow.
"Condemned?" He asked softly.
"They say that it's unlivable." She shrugged her shoulders as she moved further into the break room at Angels. "Apparently the Fire Marshall found more than he bargained for during the investigation."
"Damn." Was all he replied with.
And then his eyes were back on the paper in front of him, his hand bringing the cup up to his lips as he returned to his previous activity.
It was as if she had never said a word to him.
Letting out a sigh she leaned back against the counter.
She didn't know where to go or what to do.
She didn't really have the money for another place, this being one of the cheapest apartments she could find.
And she really, really didn't want to move in with Emo.
"I don't know what to do." She said quietly, her eyes shifting toward the door as it opened.
"Do about what?" Leanne's voice filled the small space and Rox couldn't help but let out a sigh.
While she and Leanne were trying to mend their friendship, it hadn't been easy sailing the past two weeks.
"Rox's complex is being condemned." Ethan stated as he eyed her over the top of his paper.
"Interesting." And with that the other woman was gone.
Rox felt all the fight leave her body.
She knew that what she had said to Leanne had been harsh, but she had never meant for it come down to this.
She missed her friend.
"You two still fighting?" Ethan dropped the paper on to the table as he stood, tossing his empty coffee cup into the trash can beside him.
"I guess so." She shrugged her shoulders as she spoke.
She thought they were on the way to making things better.
She must have thought wrong.
"I'm sorry." He stopped beside her and dropped a gentle kiss against her head. "I gotta go. Shift starts in five."
"I thought your shift ended an hour ago." She whispered.
She was really hoping that they could just go back to his place and watch TV in bed for the rest of the day.
"I picked up another shift." He smiled at her softly. "I'll be home late."
"Oh." She let out a sigh as she hung her head. "Okay."
"I'll be home all weekend." He pressed another kiss to her head because pushing the door open and offering her a soft smile. "I promise."
She didn't have anything to say back so she simply nodded her head.
And then he was gone and she felt terribly alone once again.
—
Ethan hadn't made it home until well after 3:00am and Rox had simply mumbled an incoherent greeting at him as he climbed in bed beside her.
When she awoke a few hours later he had been gone.
She had showered and gotten ready for work in complete silence before leaving the house.
She was expecting to find Ethan waiting for her by her rig when she arrived, but instead she was informed that Noa would be her ride along partner for the morning.
She was upset, but she refused to let it show.
So instead she had welcomed Noa with a smile and a shrug when the girl asked where Ethan was.
And then they were off.
Four hours later, a little before noon, they dropped two patients off at Angels and Rox was forced to stand at the nurse's station and wait for a release form from a doctor.
She let out a huff when a body appeared beside her, her eyes quickly shifting in it's direction.
"Move in with me?" Ethan didn't even greet her before the question slipped from his lips.
"Excuse me." She choked out.
She couldn't believe him.
He hadn't even kissed her 'goodbye' that morning and here he was asking her to move in with him.
He was unbelievable.
"Move in with me." He said with a soft smile.
"Why?" She didn't understand why he was all of a sudden so interested in having her by his side.
"Because you need a place to live." He whispered, his eyes searching hers. "I have a place."
"Sound logic my dear." She pushed herself away from the desk and headed toward the break room.
This was certainly not a conversation they should be having out in public.
"Please..." He pleaded with her as he followed her to the small room.
"Please?" He sounded like a child begging for a piece of candy.
"We're together all the time anyway." He shrugged his shoulders as the door closed behind them. "You might as well."
"Well gee thanks." She felt like he was saying these things because he felt obligated.
Surely he wasn't saying them because he meant them.
"I want you to move in." He whispered.
"That's an awfully big step Ethan." She let out a sigh as she fell to the couch.
She had never lived with a guy before.
In fact, she had never lived with anyone else.
She went straight from her parents home to Emo's and then from there she had been on her own.
She didn't know how to share space with someone else permanently.
And certainly not a grown man with a part-time teenage daughter.
"We're more than ready for it." She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was being serious and it made her heart race in her chest.
"Ethan..." She whispered his name as she closed her eyes.
She couldn't fathom this.
"Look, we're together all the time as it is. You spend more time at my place than you did at yours, and certainly more time than you spend at Emo's." He wasn't lying there. Especially before their big fight a month ago. "Besides, I much prefer waking up next to you every morning. And think of all the sex we could have."
"We have lots of sex as it is Ethan." She rolled her eyes at him.
He was such a man-child when he wanted to be.
"We could have even more." He waggled his eyebrows at her as he settled himself on the table in front of her.
"You're seriously trying to bribe me with sex?" She wouldn't put it past him to do just that.
"Not bribe, no." He shrugged his shoulders though, his eyes soft as they stared back into hers.
"You're serious aren't you?" She couldn't believe it.
"Very." And yet, here he was, being more than amazing and perfect.
This was everything she had ever wanted.
She didn't know why she was having such a hard time saying 'yes'.
"We've only been together a few months." She honestly hadn't been keeping track and she felt bad.
Weren't girls supposed to be obsessed with anniversary's and what not?
"It'll be six months next weekend." He said softly.
"Six months?" There was no way. "Seriously? Already?"
"Yes dear, six months already?!" He smiled back at her and she let out a soft sigh.
"It doesn't seem like that long." It had been a wild ride, that was for sure.
"Time flies when you're having fun." He replied with a wink.
She couldn't help but let out a laugh as she shook her head.
"You really want me to move in with you?" She whispered her question after a minute of sitting in silence.
"I'd love it if you'd move in with me." He whispered back.
"Where will we put my stuff?" She couldn't believe that her biggest concern was her stuff. It wasn't like she had a lot of it to begin with. "My furniture?"
"The guest room or the office. Or the garage if you wanna keep stuff." The fact that he had seemed to actually put some thought into this was making her skin crawl in all the right ways. "We can always get a storage unit if you need too."
"Ethan..." Yet she was still looking for a reason to say 'no'.
"What? Let's do it. Let's move in together." He seemed so excited about the concept and she took a deep breath. "What's the worst that could happen?"
"I just... are you sure?" She could do this.
She had to do this.
"Yes Rox. I'm sure." He reached out and took her hands in his, squeezing gently as he leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers.
"What about Ariel?" She asked softly.
"What about her?" He pulled back and raised an eyebrow at her slowly.
"She lives there too." She knew that she shouldn't care what the teen thought, but she did.
She didn't want to step into their already rocky lives and make things worse.
"Yeah. She has her own room Rox." He smiled at her as he spoke. "You won't be moving in there so it won't affect her any."
"I can't just move in without her knowing about it Ethan." She had been on good terms with the teen since Ethan's accident and she wanted it to stay that way. "I don't wanna invade her space."
"Rox…" He was pleading with her again.
But she had to make sure that he understood the severity of the situation.
"No Ethan. I'm not gonna do that to her." And she wouldn't. She wouldn't rock the girl's world anymore than it had already been rocked by her presence. "She views your house as her safe place. I'm not gonna just waltz on in and take over."
"You wouldn't be taking over anything Rox." He squeezed her hands once again before standing, pulling her up with him. "Ariel likes you, she won't mind."
"I want to hear that from her." She whispered.
The girl may not have hated her, but she doubted that she was her biggest fan just yet either.
"Fine. Let's go ask her." He tugged her toward the door then, a giant smile on his face as they made their way out of the room.
"What? Now?" She couldn't believe he was doing this now. "We're at work Ethan, so is she. "
"She's folding linens Rox, not performing brain surgery." He said with a chuckle. "Come on."
And with that he dragged her down the hallway by her hand, a giant smile on his face as they went out in search of the teen.
—
It took them a good twenty minutes to find the girl, her small frame tucked up on the couch in Leanne's office, a book in her hands and her earbuds in.
Rox felt bad for interrupting her downtime, but Ethan didn't seem to mind just busting into the small room.
"Hey kid." His face lit up at the sight of the girl and Rox felt something inside her stir.
She would never get over how happy it made her feel to see Ethan beam with such love toward his daughter.
A tiny part of her wondered if he would ever beam with such love toward their daughter.
If they were ever able to have one that was.
"Hi dad. Hi Rox." The girl pulled her earbuds out and set her book down, her eyes shifting between them slowly.
"Hi." Rox offered her a soft wave as Ethan settled on the chair beside the couch.
"You look nervous." She turned her head back and forth as she eyed them both suspiciously. "Am I in trouble?"
"No honey." Ethan reached out and patted her arm as he offered her a soft smile. "Rox and I have a question for you."
"Okay…" The teen sounded skeptical and Rox couldn't blame her.
This was certainly an odd situation they had gotten themselves into.
"How would you feel about Rox moving in?" Ethan didn't beat around the bush with that one, instead he just came right on out with it.
Rox felt her face grow hot as the girl shifted her gaze toward her and raised an eyebrow.
"Moving in?" She turned back toward her father with her question. "Like, into your house?"
"Yes. Into the house. With us." Ethan locked eyes with the girl as he spoke softly. "Would that be a problem?"
"No." Ariel didn't skip a beat as she gave her father an answer.
And while it was the answer that Rox was hoping for, it scared her almost that she didn't show any hesitation.
"Ariel, are you sure? I don't wanna step on any toes." She knew that the bond that the girl had with her father was sacred and the last thing she wanted to do was to come between them. "I know how much you value your space at your dad's. I don't wanna take that from you."
"Are you gonna move into my room?" The teen asked as she turned her attention toward her.
"Well, no." She shook her head back and forth.
She had no intentions of taking over the teen's room, and she doubted Ethan had any plans on doing anything to it either.
"Then it's fine by me." She shrugged her shoulders as she sank back against the couch cushions. "You're there all the time anyway. It just makes sense."
"See. I told you she wouldn't mind." Ethan turned toward her with a smile, his hand patting the girl's leg as he stood.
"Are you sure Ariel?" She really, really had to be sure that this was okay.
"More than sure." She smiled back at her though and Rox felt a sense of peace come over her.
She didn't know why she needed the teen's acceptance so badly, but she did.
"Okay. Problem solved." Ethan reached out and grabbed her upper arms softly. "You're moving in."
"Just like that?" She couldn't believe they had just settled that so quickly.
"Just like that." He beamed back at her and she felt her heart swell.
If he was so excited about it then who was she to take it from him.
"Okay." She whispered.
"Okay?" He whispered back.
"Okay. Let's do it." He was so happy that it made her own heart flutter in response.
She didn't know that something like moving in together could make him so over the moon.
"So when is all this gonna happen?" Ariel's voice broke through the silence and Ethan let out a sigh.
"Well, as soon as possible I guess." He eyed her curiously. "Why?"
"Just curious as to when I should invest in a better set of headphones." She said with a smile.
Rox couldn't help but roll her eyes as she let out a chuckle.
The teen had berated them more than once about not exactly being quiet in the bedroom.
Rox had been completely mortified the first time it had happened, but Ethan had simply laughed it off.
He had told the teen that they weren't monks and that they certainly weren't participating in any acts of celibacy.
The teen had rolled her eyes and made a disgusted face before she had sulked away.
"What for?" Ethan asked. But then a look of understanding came over his face and he shook his head back and forth. "You know what… don't answer that question."
"You asked." The girl shrugged her shoulders as she sighed.
"Yes, yes I did." He pointed at her as he pulled away from Rox, his eyes shifting between the two. "And I regret it."
"Does mom know about this move yet?" Ariel asked softly.
"No." Ethan whispered his response and Rox felt her heart sink.
Her rift with Leanne had only gotten worse since Ethan's accident and she didn't want something like this to further destroy their friendship.
"Are you gonna tell her?" The teen had to have known about the rising tension between the two women in her life though.
"Yes Ariel, we'll tell your mother." Rox was glad that Ethan was handling this conversation between she didn't know if she would be able to maintain her composure like he was.
"You don't think she'll be mad do you?" The question left her lips before she realized that she had asked it and she instantly regretted it.
"No!" Ariel jumped up, her eyes softening as she tried to calm her down. "No, I'm just curious."
"Ariel…" There was a warning tone to Ethan's voice and Rox wondered what was going through his mind.
"Okay, okay." The teen sank back down into the couch and sighed. "She may have asked me the other day if you two were living together."
"And…?" Ethan pressed on.
"And I may have told her 'yes'." She whispered.
"Ariel!" He was frustrated and it was showing.
Rox felt horrible for even bringing Leanne into this conversation.
"What?! I thought she was!" She pleaded with her father. "Rox is there all the time anyway. I just assumed…"
"Was she mad?" Rox asked quietly. "She was mad wasn't she?"
She couldn't bare knowing that Leanne had one more thing to hate her for.
"No Rox! No. She was fine with it." The teen's voice was soft and she sounded genuine. Rox prayed that it was. "She said it was about time."
"Ariel, you shouldn't have told your mom that." Ethan said softly.
"I'm sorry okay." Ariel sounded like she meant it and Rox felt herself relaxing a little. "She asked, I answered. I didn't realize it was such a big deal."
"It's not a big deal honey." Rox said softly, her eyes softening as she reached out and patted the teen's arm.
"Rox…" Ethan dragged her name out as he eyed her cautiously.
She knew that he didn't like it when she tried to override him when it came to issues with Ariel.
He was her father and what he said went.
But sometimes, what he said, made no sense.
"No, Ethan, it's fine. It's fine Ariel. I promise." She offered the teen a smile as she spoke. "I just don't want to upset your mother that's all."
"She wasn't upset. I promise." Ariel smiled back at her and shifted her gaze between her and her father for a moment before continuing. "She's fine with it. And so am I."
"You're really okay with this kid?" Ethan asked softly.
"Yes dad," She sighed out, "I'm okay with it."
"Okay then." He smiled down at his daughter before turning his attention back toward Rox and she felt her heart start to race in her chest. "It's settled, you're moving in."
"I'm moving in." She whispered with a smile.
He then pulled her into a hug as Ariel let out a small laugh.
She was thankful for the teen's blessing on the issue.
She just hoped that they wouldn't be met with resistance from anyone else in their lives.
*Don't forget to comment.