Asher always woke up before Haille. He was usually the last to fall asleep too, leaving him an endless amount of seconds to study her. When she was awake she kept herself guarded. Her days were filled with asking questions and wandering around her new home but she would quiet down if he ever asked about her. He wondered what she did when they were apart, he wanted to know where she grew up, what her childhood was like and all the tiny nuances that made her who she was.

When she was sleeping she seemed more open and vulnerable. Her face was relaxed and he continually noticed that she was very pretty. She had practiced the faces to make and makeup to wear to enhance her features but even free of all that, she had a natural beauty. She looked more at home in the flannel pajamas she still insisted on wearing than her uniform or even the couple times she wore jeans and a t-shirt. And sometimes when she was really asleep, she would talk. He's listened to full conversations and incoherent mumblings, she would frown and smile and sigh multiple times in a night, and the common link was always a name, Ash.

The first time she said it he thought she meant him but it was said in a different way than she said his name. It was hard to describe but almost like there was a weight behind the name, like saying it brought up a million different emotions in her. He hated hearing it, whoever she was talking about was clearly male and that made him think it could be a boyfriend from before him or even someone she's still seeing.

Asher's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door and Haille's eyelids fluttering open. He pulled the blankets back and walked stiffly across the room, yawning as he opened the door.

"Morning, baby brother!" Jessie chirped in a vaguely sarcastic tone, "nice outfit, aren't you usually up by now?"

Asher didn't respond just narrowed his eyes and sighed.

"Giovanni would like both of us to be in his office in 20 minutes. He apparently tried calling you several times but your phone was turned off. How unlike the prodigal son," her eyes shifted behind him to the bed, "Good morning Haille, you're looking lovely as always"

He turned his head to look at the girl in question and smiled as she laughed, "I'll meet you and Giovanni in 20 minutes." He focused his attention back on Jessie but wasn't able to wipe the smile off of his face fast enough. Jessie smirked and shut the door behind her as she left.

Haille curled her knees up against her chest and watched Asher as he got dressed. He tossed the clothes onto the bed as he pulled them out of the dresser.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked without looking at her.

"Yeah, did you?"

Asher nodded and slid his pants on before walking into the bathroom. Haille watched with interest as he brushed his teeth then pulled a pill bottle out of the medicine cabinet.

"Hey, Asher," She started as she stood up and walked up behind him, "what are those pills for?"

He froze for a second, staring down at the bottle, "These? I have a...head...thing."

Her eyes locked with his in the reflection mirror, "A head thing?"

"Yeah, I've had it my whole life. If I don't take them, I get a migraine. A really bad one, so I take them." he shrugged.

She nodded and seemed to accept his answer as she pushed him out of the way to wash her face.

"Did you know that you talk in your sleep?" Asher asked as he walked out into the bedroom and slid a shirt over his shoulders.

Haille laughed, "Yeah, my sisters used to make fun of me all the time for it. Especially when I got older and started talking about boys."

"You have sisters?" he was surprised by this random trivia.

She mentally kicked herself for not keeping her personal information in check but smiled at Asher, "Yeah, three older sisters."

He nodded, tucking in his shirt and watching her walk over to the wardrobe and pull out a clean uniform.

"Who's Ash?" Asher asked quietly noticing her visibly stiffen at the sound of the name.

"He's an old friend," Haille replied shortly, "Why? What have I said?"

Asher was shocked by her tone, "Nothing really, I keep hearing his name but anything else you say doesn't make sense. It was just the way you said his name, it made me curious about who he was." She still hadn't looked at him or moved from her spot across the room making him instantly regret asking, "I have to go, I'll be back later."

She nodded but waited for the door to close before collapsing on the bed and letting the tears fall. Haille shook her hair out of her eyes and caught sight of her reflection in the vanity mirror.

"Stop it," she ordered, "That's enough. It's stupid of you to be this worked up." Taking a deep breath, she stood up and wiped her eyes while continuing to get dressed.

Haille walked slowly down the hall toward Jessie and James' room. They had to wait until Asher was meeting with his father to talk, in an attempt not to seem too suspicious. She wondered if they had spoken to her sisters, Haille had turned her phone off just in case so she had no idea if they had been calling her.

She also found herself imagining what Delia was doing right now. It must be hard, to have your son's future in the hands of someone else. People you weren't sure you could trust and a girl who wanted nothing to do with the boy she was supposed to be saving.

Haille reached her destination and raised her fist to knock on the door but was startled when James opened it.

"Good morning, I was hoping you'd come by." he smiled.

"Is Jessie back yet?" she asked walking past him into the bedroom.

James pouted and shut the door behind him, "How mean, you didn't come just to see me?"

Haille smiled and rolled her eyes a bit, "Well, I have news and I think it's something I should tell both of you."

"Hopefully she'll be back soon then, but talk to me while we wait," James sat down on one of the plush chairs, gesturing for her to do the same, "How are things with Prince Asher?"

"Things are, interesting, he's been strangely nice to me the last couple weeks, part of me wonders what he's planning."

"He's not planning anything, he's accepting his fate," James shrugged.

"His fate?" she leaned forward with interest, "What exactly is his fate?"

"Why do you think he has a partner? It's not as if Giovanni is going to let his heir gallivant around in forests where something might happen to him. You are here to help make babies."

Haille choked in shock and her face flushed, "Excuse me?"

James laughed, "He can't do it by himself, trust me, if there was a way, the Dianno family would be using it." he saw the expression on her face and continued, "Don't take it as an insult, it's actually a compliment. It means that he finds you attractive, otherwise he would have asked his father for a different partner."

"Forgive me for not feeling more flattered," she sighed leaning back into the chair. Then a thought struck her as she glanced over at James.

"Is that what you are?" she asked sitting up with interest, "Are you and Jessie..." Haille trailed off with a smirk.

James narrowed his eyes, "What we are, isn't any of your business."

"You know," she stood up and walked across the room, picking up random items off the top of the dresser, "I always had a hunch about you two. I said something to Brock once, when we were children, but he brushed it off as me just being a romantic preteen."

James nodded, his eyes closed, "Yes, just like everyone's hunch about you and Ash. Remind me, how long did it take one of you to speak up and how long were you actually together?"

Haille shot a glare back at him, a look that James readily returned as the door opened and Jessie waltzed in.

"Hello Haille, how are you? Things looked cozy this morning," Jessie smirked at Haille as she sat on the edge of the bed and crossed her legs.

"He sleeps in his underwear, I have nothing to do with it," Haille shrugged.

"Your future sister-in-law had something to tell you, and then I think she was leaving," James sighed sinking down into the chair and rolling his eyes.

Jessie gave him a strange look but turned her attention back to Haille, "News? Good news?"

"I dunno, just something I thought I should tell you. I talked to Asher about those pills, he said that when he doesn't take them he gets migraines. Do you think that's possible? Or do you think it's psychosomatic?" Haille tilted her head to the side slightly.

"Could be real, I don't know all the things Giovanni has scientists working on." Jessie shrugged, "But it's good that he's talking to you, maybe you can keep going and convince him not to take them. It could be as easy as that, and he snaps back to himself."

"He's still himself," Haille murmured.

Jessie and James exchanged a look but didn't say anything.

Somethings are more pronounced than others, but he's still Ash. He still sleeps in his underwear and laughs that obnoxiously loud laugh..." she trailed off realizing that she was speaking aloud.

"I'd better go, before someone starts to wonder why I spend so much time here," Haille sighed as she stood and walked toward the door, "I'll let you know if I find out anything else."