Chapter 15

(Everything's) Okay

Hey guys, sorry for the long wait, again. My internet has been playing up and I'm writing on a different iPad now.

I'm making this chapter less dark than the others. Because I'm preparing you for mega sad stuff ahead…

I'm not sure how many Guests there are, but here are some answers:

GUEST WHO SAID 'WOW': Was that sarcastic or genuine?

GUEST WHO ASKED ME TO PLEEEEEAAAAASE CONTINUE: My dear, no need to beg me. I will definetely continue. Even if I haven't updated in ages, it's simply because I'm trying to think out as good a plot as possible.

princess mh: Briar thanks you, sweetie.

GUEST WHO ORIGINALLY REVIEWED ABOUT RAVEN'S SEXUALITY: This was about ten chapters ago when you reviewed; and this chapter is some friendly Briar/Raven - I know that's not what you asked for and with my religion and all I can't write what you asked - but it's the closest I could get and I haven't really had any of Friendly Braven in here: so here's some!

Happy reading!

—

Raven stared at the plain white ceiling above her like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Not that she really had a choice not to.

On her bedside table lay a vase of lavender and purple crocuses, from Cerise and Dexter. It did make the room seem less gloomy. She wasn't exactly sure when she could get out of the hospital, because godmother did she want to. But Raven herself wasn't exactly prepared to go out yet, not until she was completely okay.

Footsteps sounded from the corridor. Raven lay still and listened. It wasn't Dexter's dress shoes, Cerise's flappy flats, or the doctor's scuffling. It sounded quite sharp and loud, actually. In fact it sounded like…

"Hey Raven!" Briar greeted. Or at least, her voice greeted. Raven couldn't exactly move her head yet, but it was Briar. Or someone who sounded like Briar.

"Briar?" Raven murmured, her throat still in ghastly condition. She cleared her throat. It helped a little.

"Look, I got you some flowers!"

Raven was temporarily blinded by a bouquet of soft white roses being waved maniacally in front of her face like Briar was trying to whack her with them.

"Do you want me to scatter them around your bed so it looks beautiful and tragic like those sad romance movies?" she asked.

Well, this was Briar alright.

"That's fine," Raven managed. "Just put them in with the crocuses and lavender."

There was a shuffling and some splashing, and then Briar's face appeared over Raven's as the brunette bent over the bed railings. Raven only wondered what had happened.

"Briar, are you okay?" she asked gingerly. Briar had some dried blood on her face, a gash on one cheek and a bruise on her forehead. But she was smiling happily, so Raven was utterly bemused.

"Never been better!" Briar answered giddily. "I led thirty enraged prositutes to war with twenty sleazes and a brothel owner! We wielded fire pokers and baseball bats and cricket bats and parasols! And I got plenty of new employees!"

"That's…" Violent. Odd. Deranged. Totally Briar. "…great," Raven responded.

Briar nodded. "I know right? Excuse me, now. I'll go pull up a chair. My back is starting to hurt. You know, when Mr Brackenschmit shoved me into that table when I attempted to knee his groin, it left a bit of a bruise so I really shouldn't lean over too much."

Then there was the unmistakeable scraping sound of Briar pulling up a chair.

"What did the police say about the, uh, attack?" the ebony-haired young woman questioned. "You weren't in trouble, were you?"

"Nah, Faybelle was cool about it. So, when are you gonna get out of here?" the brunette asked. The way she said it honestly made it sound like she was bailing Raven out of jail or something.

Her hospitalised friend frowned and carefully moved her right arm. It hurt. "I don't know. I mean, I'm still in pretty battered condition."

"I'll go ask the doctor, if you want," Briar suggested as she moved a piece of purple hair out of her friend's face.

As if on cue, a doctor walked in with a clipboard. "Good morning, Mrs Charming. And Miss, uh…"

"Call me Briar," Briar quipped. "Now, when can Raven come out of the hospital? I know her husband is especially excited for her to recover, you know." Raven flushed red at the mention of Dexter.

"Well, Mrs Charming has seen better days," the doctor responded.

"Obviously!" Briar shrugged. "If you've toppelled over a skybridge and smashed onto concrete and then had a truck get rammed into you, you would have seen better days. Don't beat around the bush, please."

"Well, I'd say in a few weeks time, if she's very desperate. But she'll still need a back brace and casts."

Raven smiled. Finally, she could see Cerise and Dexter…

"And one more question, sir," Briar said.

"Yes?"

"Is Raven allowed champagne?"

"What?!" Raven cried, before coughing loudly. The doctor tutted disapprovingly at Briar.

"Don't tut at me," Briar answered. "I bought a bottle of champagne for her! And you know how they say champagne heals all wounds."

"I thought time healed all wounds," Raven pointed out.

"That is entirely beside the point!" responded the brunette. "But if she isn't… I'll graciously drink it for her."

Raven laughed.

—

"Have you ever considered adoption?" Cedar asked finally, tapping her pencil on her table.

"I want to," Hunter answered. "But she always changes the subject. I know it's a sensitive subject for her, but… yeah. I just want a child, that's all."

The counsellor opposite him considered for a bit and noted something down.

"It's best not to rush Ashlynn," Cedar concluded. "Patience is a virtue. And I'm not trying to be cheesy or unhelpful, but the only thing you can do in this situation is to wait until she is ready. Ashlynn has lost a child. And I know it's your child too, and I know she's recovered because it's been around a month or so… but it was Ashlynn's womb in which Harmony passed, and so she feels the most pressured. Understand?"

Hunter nodded slowly. "Yeah, I get it. I know I should be supportive."

"You already are very much so," Cedar answered warmly. "You can leave now, if you wish."

Hunter thanked his old friend and departed from the counselling office. He did very badly want to have a child. But he wasn't sure how, and he certainly didn't want to rush Ashlynn. He was glad there were people like Briar in this world to help Ashlynn and people like Cedar to help him; at least the burden wasn't as big.

He parked his Jeep in the garage and opened the back door. Ashlynn was sitting in the living room, reading a gardening magazine with a cup of chamomile tea on the coffee table, in her plushy, but teasingly short, mesh aqua robe.

"Hey, honey," she greeted, sending Hunter a smile. Hunter responded likewise and sat down beside his wife, putting an arm around her. "How was work?"

"Good, but not as amazing as your company…" he teased, playing with a lock of her strawberry blonde bangs.

Ashlynn giggled. "Charming, Hunter," she responded sarcastically.

Hunter grinned and leaned down to place a kiss on her lips that was readily accepted. They hadn't really done anything that had their lips in contact for a while; Ashlynn had only resolved to cuddles on the sofa. But it seemed she had changed her mind.

He grabbed her lower back to push his wife closer to him. Ash quickly obliged and wrapped both arms around his neck. They drew apart briefly for breath before he reattached his mouth to her's. They edged closer until Ashlynn was practically straddling his lap. Hunter slowly trailed kisses down her face and neck. She smelled like strawberry and mint.

"Hunter…" Ashlynn murmured. "We…should…"

Although, she promptly stopped talking as her brunette husband slowly slid off the shoulders of her gown.

It was a good thing, too.

—

ANNNNNNDDDD IIII'MMMMM…

"Gonna swing by the chandelier-eeeer! By the chandelier-eeeeeerrr!" Briar sang at the top of her lungs.

"Briar… you sing like an angel… but answer the damn phone already…" Hopper mumbled as he snuffled deeper into his fluffy pillow. At least it wasn't three in the morning, but he still regretted suggesting Briar to put her number one favourite song as her ringtone…

"Someone's feisty," Briar laughed, ruffling Hopper's hair.

"Hmm… you're talking," Hopper bantered, smiling a little. Briar seized up her phone and immediately recongised Ashlynn's panicked voice.

"Briar! I don't know what to do! What I going to do?" her best friend wailed.

"Woah, calm down, Ash," Briar answered, immediately alert. "What's going on?"

"It's about Hunter and I," Ashlynn explained, sounding quite miserable.

Briar quickly jumped to conclusions. "Oh my goodness! You haven't divorced, have you? Is Hunter dead? Is he angry? Is he gay?" Hopper shot her a bemused expression. "Is…"

"No, no!" Ashlynn interrupted. "It's just…we were making out last night, he took off my robe, and things escalated from there."

"So he divorced you because of your robe?" Briar asked, confused.

"No! We had, you know, it!"

"What's it? Oh, oh! You guys had really good sex? And now you're worried that he hates you because you think there's no point in having sex when you can't, you know, bear children?"

There was a short period of silence.

"Yes…" answered Ashlynn, almost begrudgingly.

The brunette prodded: "Well, did it feel good?"

"What?"

"You know, having his penis in you."

Hopper groaned. "You're saying that really loud, sweetie…"

"Well, it felt really really good."

Briar giggled. "Did he use an ecologically friendly condom?"

"Bri!" Ashlynn whined. "I am not having a sex talk with you!"

"Of course, of course; where was I? Right, it felt good. So therefore it wasn't useless. You felt euphoric, he probably felt euphoric. I feel euphoric because you had sex and that's fine. Hopper isn't feeling euphoric but that doesn't matter. What matters is that you guys did the nasty, the doodla, whatever you wanna call it, and that's reality," she quipped.

"Inspirational," Hopper mumbled from underneath the duvet.

"Okay. Thanks, Briar," Ashlynn answered, and it sounded genuine. "Bye."

"Bye, sweetie."

Briar happily placed the phone back on the nightstand before hopping out of bed. And Hopper wondered how he still managed to sleep with her around, and how he really really loved her for it.

—

Not ideal, I guess, but I'm unashamedly proud of this chapter.

Raven is coming along well. I love writing Briar, she's always been my favourite.

This is the first ever kiss scene I'm done, and it's probably cringy AF… I don't usually write kiss scenes. 3

Hehe, the little sex convo between Ash and Bri made me laugh… Briar is so straightforward. To be honest I like writing Hopper like this; witty, sarcastic, strong. But sweet and shy nonetheless. He would have gotten used to Bri anyway, and wouldn't be nervous around her anymore.

Don't forget to review, guys!

- Reade :)