"What is he doing here?" Elsa asked the lawyer shaking in grief and anger, pointing to her left where Jack was sitting emotionless.
"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Quinn left you Mrs. Overland and Mr. Overland as Ashly's guardians. They did this a month before they passed; they said they knew you'll always be there for her. And you are Ashley Quinn's godparents. If something ever happened to them, they wanted you to take care of her," The woman kindly explained with confusion. Hadn't they known that already?
"Ms. Arendelle, now. Mr. Overland and our divorce is getting finalized in a month. Samantha had known about our marital issues months before she passed away. Why did they still choose us?" Elsa asked, confused, but her voice broke, saying Samantha's name. It had been three months since their friends passed away, but the wound was still fresh.
"I am sorry I didn't know you guys were getting divorced. I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Quinn were aware of your situation," The woman speaks, baffled, with furrowed eyebrows.
Elsa asked, "So if we already were her guardians, why are we getting to know this three months later" She was mad, of course. Their niece has been through hell for three months, and she's just seven months old. This is ridiculous.
"Well, it's our fault. You both had to sign the papers to make it official, which the Quinns never got to do. You can't plan to make someone your child's legal guardian and not have them sign the papers. So now that we have the papers here, you can sign them, making you Ashley's legal guardians and take her with you," The lawyer explained.
"That makes sense" Elsa rubbed her forehead; this was too much to take in.
Jack, who had been silent the whole time, talked, "Is it possible if one of us gets custody?" He didn't want to do this with Elsa.
The lawyer answers instantly, "Yes, that is absolutely possible, but we will have to go through some extra paperwork. As long-"
Elsa rudely cuts her with a shaking voice, "There is no way I'm letting Mr. Overland take Ashley away from me! I run a business that makes me financially strong enough for Ashley. Mr. Overland can't offer her anything."
"I'm not a workaholic! I can give her all the love she needs!" Jack yells, clearly talking about Elsa now.
The lawyer coughs and speaks, "I'm assuming this is getting a bit personal now. I need an answer ASAP. Because I'd be putting Ashley up for adoption."
Instantly Elsa shot up from her seat. "No! You can't do that! She's only seven months old, and no one can love her as much as me! She doesn't even know anyone other than us and-"
Jack interrupted her and spoke with the same volume, "How about we solve this with a Rock Paper Scissors match."
The lawyer and Elsa both give Jack an obnoxious look, and Elsa snickers sarcastically, "Immature as always."
The lawyer makes her final statement, "You both can take Ashley under custody, or she'll be put in foster care."
Jack and Elsa announce simultaneously, "We'll do it. We want what's best for her, and she'll only be happy and safe with us."
"Ok then. Take a seat, please, and we'll discuss the procedure," The lawyer talks softly now. "So Mr. and Mrs. Quinn had a mansion which is Ashley's now. The government has taken care of it. There'll be no payment issues with that. We will have to send a person to check up on you guys just the first two months to see if Ashley's well taken care of. Now, if you agree to these, you both can sign these forms and take her with you" The lawyer pulled out the forms and placed them in front of Jack and Elsa.
"I have my own house, so can I take her there instead?" Elsa asked kindly. Well, it was Jack's house, too, but Elsa got it after they came to an agreement with their divorce lawyer.
The lawyer gave it a thought and noted, "Is Mr. Overland ok with this? Will it be ok to move in back there, assuming you don't live there anymore?"
Jack looks around nervously and then gives a firm reply, "Yes. I can" For Ashley's sake, he'll do anything.
"Ok then, done! You can see Ashley and take her home in an hour. Good luck, Ms. Arandelle and Mr. Overland. I'm sure you'll take care of her" Saying this, the lawyer exists the room. There is pin-drop silence in the room now.
Jack awkwardly asked Elsa, "Babe, are you ok with this?"
Elsa tensed at the word, and her voice cut through the air "Elsa. Call me Elsa, and yes, I have to deal with this just for Ashley's sake. I can't imagine her with someone else, and only we can give her the family and love she needs."
Jack asked again. "Alright then, Elsa. When can I move in? I'd like to today. Can we stop at my apartment? I…I don't have a car."
Elsa tilted her head and asked, "What happened to the ca... never mind. And here you wanted to have her under your custody. Funny"
Jack snorted. "When did you become this stuck-up bitch. You're not the Elsa I knew."
Elsa spoke emotionlessly, "She died."
"So can we or can we not stop at my apartment? I need my things Ms. Arrendelle" Jack asked the last time with venom in his voice
Elsa moved her shoulders in a circular motion trying to ease the stiffness, and said, "Yes, we can, Mr. Overland. Just know that I hate you," saying that she left the room and Jack was left alone.
Jack whispered, "I still love you, Snowflake."