A.N. Chapter 4. I got all of these written out the last two days, they would have been up yesterday but my son stayed home from daycare so I wasn't able to get to the library.

Chapter 4

She had a pair of orange earbuds in her ears as she leaned back into her comfy airplane seat. She was catching an early flight to Boston. She wasn't going to have any free time in her home state, so she'd decided to leave a few days earlier so she could drive from Logan Airport to Springfield, MA and visit with her sister. She would have taken a flight to Bradley, which was closer to her destination but getting a rental vehicle from Connecticut, when she would be going back to Boston made no sense.

When she had called Helena, her younger sister had been ecstatic. It had been perfect timing because she'd just found out she was pregnant. Helena was four years younger than herself, making her JUST 21, but she had married her high school sweetheart the year before. He had come from a wealthy family and was currently going to law school. Why they still lived in Springfield, Elysium would never understand. It had been a short phone call as Helena had been leaving the doctor's office with Henry when Eli had called.

Helena had let her know it was okay to come to the house for a couple days, and that it had been SO exciting to see her on TV, AND that they had a lot to talk about. Eli had packed up her things and headed out but not before checking with the bosses to make sure they didn't need her for anything. They'd let her know that she HAD to be in Boston before Monday because she had a promo shoot with Phil and Chris early Monday morning. Why they schedule these things so early was beyond her.

Sometime during the flight, Eli had fallen asleep. When the buckle seat-belts light flashed on and the pilot came over the speakers, she had been startled awake by a flight attendant whom she graciously thanked.

The drive from Boston to Springfield was a very long two and a half hours but when she finally got off of the masspike she grabbed McDonalds and headed to her sister's house. She lived in the Forest Park Historical district, which was a diamond in the rough, as the rest of the Forest Park area was turning into a ghetto.

Her sister was running out of the house to greet her before she even got her bags out of the rental. This time she had an 04 Volkswagen which was more presentable than the 92 Buick she'd rented in Ohio. "Elysium! Oh my God I missed you! Haven't seen you since the wedding!"

Helena had her in a vice grip, but from what Eli had seen of her she was radiant. Her sister had always been beautiful though, vibrant red hair, meadow green eyes, flawless ivory skin. She was a replica of their mother, while Eli looked more like their father. Eli's natural hair color was slightly darker then what she had it, caught somewhere between being a light brown and a very slight red. Her eyes were a very dark green and could easily be confused with brown. "You look wonderful Helena." Eli smiled, pulling back from her sister.

The time she spent with her sister had been wonderful. They talked about EVERYTHING, including the time Eli had spent with Phillip Brooks. Her sister had squealed and told her that she knew it! That there was no way, that kiss had been fake, it was too real. To passionate, she'd continued on and on until Eli stopped her with a laugh. She'd explained to her that the kiss had been nothing more than just good acting, in which she got a 'yeah right' in response.

Now Eli was sitting back in a folding chair, just having finished her photo shoot with her plotmates. She was still wearing the skimpy black dress they'd put her in for the last picture. It was the roster photo they were going to use whenever Phil had a match that she would be accompanying him to the ring. Guess the fans really liked where this storyline was going.

"Hey."

She looked up just as Phil flopped into the chair next to her, he looked as tired as she felt. "Hey." She said back, offering a small smile. She hadn't seen him since she left him in that elevator a week ago.

"Hanging in there?"

"Just barely." Eli laughed. These mornings were something she would never get used to.

He laughed as well, his head leaning back as he closed his eyes. "Need a ride?"

"I got a rental this time." She said with a grin.

"Well that's too bad, I was thinking pancakes." He opened one eye to look at her.

"My treat or yours?"

"Mine of course. You owe me dinner sweetheart, not breakfast."

She couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks. Did he just obscurely ask her out to dinner? "Pancakes sound wonderful Phil."

"My car or yours?" He was already standing up. They'd both have to change before they went anywhere.

"Yours. I just drove two and a half hours yesterday, I'm all driven out." Eli smiled before she too got to her feet. They went their separate ways; Eli changed back into her black jeans and red tank top, collected her belongings and met Phil outside. She had taken a little extra time unraveling her braid and removing the to bright lipstick.

"Ready?" He grinned, unlocking the car doors. His rental was nicer than his last one as well.

She only smiled as she got in the passenger seat. She pulled the seatbelt on and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "You know if I didn't know any better I'd say this was a date."

"I was under the impression this was a date, princess."

She turned to catch his eyes with hers, a small amount of surprise flitting across her face before a smile settled across her lips. "Hm, it's a date then."

He returned her smile with one of his own before starting the car and driving off.

Phil brought them to an Ihop, and they were settled into a booth sitting across from each other. There weren't very many other people in the restaurant, it being 7:30 in the morning and all. "Know what you want?"

"Chocolate chip pancakes and bacon." Eli said thoughtfully as she gazed at her menu. "And maybe some scrambled eggs. Coffee for sure."

He was smirking at her but before he could say anything the waitress approached the table. She didn't even glance in Eli's direction as she took their orders, she even called Phil "baby" before walking away. "What nerve." Was all Eli could manage, she was still gawking.

Phil put his arms up in defense. "Hey I didn't instigate any of that. All I did was look at her."

"Never said you did, baby." Eli shook her head, replacing her open mouthed look with a smile, emphasizing the word baby.

He smirked. "I think I like the sound of that."

Eli laughed just as the waitress came back with her coffee and his hot chocolate. "Excuse me, but could you bring my girlfriend here some extra creamer?"

It was the first time the waitress looked in her direction and it was very brief. "Yeah, sure." She had said with underlying acid in her tone. No tip for this bitch. "Man I hope she didn't spit in my coffee..." Eli glanced down into her coffee cup just as the waitress walked away again. She turned her gaze back to Phil.

He was still wearing a smirk. "I doubt it. I'm sure its fine."

Eli raised a brow at him. "So, Phil," she started, "I could probably wiki this information but what do you do for fun?"

He shrugged. "I like to go to the shooting range."

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack, princess."

"...sounds thrilling." Eli replied, honestly. She could see why a person would find such an activity entertaining.

"What about you, Elysium? Somehow I think your wiki page might be a little lacking in detail. I might just write it myself if you tell me enough."

She held back a laugh. "Well, this might sound a little lame, but I love playing scrabble. Movies are great too."

"Scrabble, huh?" He took a sip of his hot chocolate, seemingly in thought. "We'll have to play sometime..."

"Only if you teach me how to fire a shotgun." She retorted with a smirk that was more like her character then herself.

"You got a deal." He smirked right back. The waitress came back with their food and the extra cream for Elysium's coffee.

"That woman was SUCH a bitch." Eli complained as she sat in Phil's rental. He was taking her back to the studio to get her rental.

"She was jealous of you."

Eli blushed slightly, but she supposed he was right. She was just really irritated that she'd been treated like that, it wasn't her fault Phil was so hot. "Let's not go there anymore." She declared.

"We'll be in Europe in a couple weeks, don't need to worry about that Eli."

She glanced over at him just as she smiled, getting comfortable in her seat. When they pulled into the studio parking lot and came to a stop, she turned towards him. "This was...nice."

"Really nice." He grinned, catching her eyes with his. "Do you have Friday night off?"

"I think. I'll have to double check."

"Let me know. You can take me to that dinner you owe me."

"Alright." Her smile widened, "I'll see you tonight, and I'll let you know then."

"I'll hold you to that, Elysium. I'll catch you later."

"Okay, Phil." She said, deciding to lean over and place a soft kiss against his lips, it was brief and not nearly as satisfying as the onscreen kiss they shared the previous week. "Bye." She half whispered as she climbed out of the car, easily locating her own. She had to get back to the hotel and clean up, she had to be at the arena by 3:30 and she'd promised Barbie she'd come by her room for a little while.

Eli wore an excited smile on her face the whole way back to the hotel.