Elsie was stood in her and Will's living room "Are you seriously doing this before Christmas?" Will was currently stood opposite her with a large case open and his belongings already sitting in it, and his own eyes widened in response to her question.

"I'm only saying it sooner so you aren't having to deal with it over Christmas!" He argued defensively "I'd have preferred you to fucking wait, I'm giving my son his first Christmas without any father figure." She scoffed.

The comment immediately made Will snap his head up to look at her in irritation"Don't say it like that! Don't make me sound like an arsehole!" He snapped back.

Elsie had been trying to hold it together as she watched him start to pack away his belongings, but something about his snappy reaction irritated a raw nerve and sent her on the defensive "Well what do you want me to make you sound like, then?" She asked pointedly.

Will snapped the lid of his case closed and picked it up as he answered, his own irritation very evident in his tone.

"How about I'm just doing what's best for both of us." He said bluntly, Elsie couldn't help the scoff that escaped as he spoke. She was becoming more agitated from everything he was saying and the way he was so casually packing away his belongings to get out of there.

"I don't remember you ever thinking about what's best for both of us. You've only ever made an effort to do what's best for yourself." She said pointedly "Why lie to me and say you didn't mind me having someone else's baby if you do mind!"

Will's eyes flashed angrily in response as she continued to speak. This wasn't the calm breakup he was hoping it would be. He had tried to end things peacefully, which was difficult enough, but the fact she kept pushing the issue was sending his frustration skyrocketing "Don't make it sound like I just suddenly started to mind about you having the baby because that's not how that happened and you know it!" He snapped.

Elsie felt her own level of irritation beginning to rise more and more, and she clenched her fists at her sides as she spoke, trying to get herself to stay calm, even as the anger and frustration continued to bubble under the surface "You did just start minding out of nowhere! You were so insistent that you didn't care! Why the sudden change of mind?" She asked, even though she already had some idea as to the answer.

The question was the last thing to send Will over the edge, his own irritation and frustration taking over and making him snap as he responded in a raised voice "Because the pregnancy made everything so much more real for me and it suddenly hit me that you're bringing up someone else's baby, and it's driving me insane!" He almost shouted.

His sudden outburst made Elsie flinch slightly. She hadn't expected him to suddenly raise his voice and hearing it had given her pause for a moment as she fell silent. She was trying to keep her own voice calm when she eventually spoke again "Then why the hell didn't you tell me sooner?"

Will paused for a moment before replying, the anger still clear in his voice "Because I thought I could deal with it, ok? But I can't."

He was silent for a moment as he tried to get his thoughts in order before he spoke again, his voice slightly softer now. "I kept trying to convince myself I could deal with it, but I just can't."

The fact that he suddenly sounded much softer when talking again made a small pang of guilt hit Elsie's mind. A small part of her was almost starting to feel bad, but she refused to let it show on her face. She was still pissed off that he didn't say he minded about the baby sooner, and she was determined to not give in so easily. "...So you wait until just before Christmas to tell me?"

Will couldn't meet her gaze as she spoke. He knew he should've brought it up as soon as he started to struggle with the thought of it, but at the time he had convinced himself that he could push those thoughts away and just ignore it "I just..I know it's not the right timing..." He said, his tone slightly sheepish.

His sheepish response only irritated Elsie even more. She desperately wanted to hit him for making an excuse for the way he'd handled it, but she restrained herself and clenched her fists even more "You think?!" She scoffed "Are you sleeping with someone else? Is that it?"

Will immediately looked back up at her as she suddenly asked the question. A hint of defensiveness crept into his expression as he spoke "What? No! No...you seriously think I'd cheat on you?"

Elsie was too full of anger in that moment to hear that bit of defensiveness in his voice "I don't know! You suddenly started saying you can't deal with the baby that isn't from you and you break up with me just out of the blue!" She yelled "So what else am I supposed to think?" 

Will was immediately becoming more defensive and agitated again in response to her words "Is it that hard to believe I'm just struggling with the fact that you're raising someone else's kid and it's suddenly getting to me?!" He shouted.

Elsie knew there was truth to what Will was saying, and it was making the guilt at the way she was reacting to it all creep into her mind a little more, but her own anger and frustration had control of her at that point and she couldn't stop herself from trying to fight back "You waited too goddamn long to just suddenly get like this!"

Will suddenly lost all composure in the face of her shouting and the fact she wasn't calming down at all. His own anger flared up again and he suddenly snapped. "Maybe I would've said it sooner if you would've gotten rid of it in the first place!" His eyes widened at his own outburst the moment he'd spoken.

All of the fight seemed to suddenly leave Elsie's body. She felt as if she'd just been punched in the gut as his words sunk in and registered in her mind. She almost felt as if she couldn't breathe for a moment as she stared at him in shock. As he suddenly started to backpedal and stammer out an apology, she suddenly had a sickening feeling that he hadn't just now decided he couldn't handle the fact she was raising another man's child.

Will could see from the look on Elsie's face that it had finally just sunk in what he'd just said, and the guilt was almost immediate as he immediately began to backtrack as he tried to apologise*

"Wait no, wait, I'm sorry...I didn't-I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry, I-" He stammered out franticallyz Elsie's mind was spinning in that moment. She suddenly found it difficult to find the words to respond, but her own anger rose up again and pushed the words out before she could think to hold them back.

"You didn't mean it? You said it, there's no taking that back now! You're neglecting to remember I was what five months pregnant when you decided you needed to fuck me again!" Her sudden outburst made Will instinctively flinch slightly. He was completely floored not only by the words she spoke, but how harsh they sounded, and he was trying to think of some way to explain himself and tell her to calm down.

"Wait, stop, just calm down, please?" He said urgently, silently pleading that she would just listen and calm down. Elsie's anger and hurt was overwhelming her in that moment. She was desperately trying to keep it together and not lose control, but she couldn't help the way she was acting.

"Don't tell me to calm down like I'm a child! You don't get to say things like that and just tell me to calm down!" She snapped, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. Will continued to hold his hands up in an attempt to calm her down. Seeing the tears building in her eyes immediately made his heart clench and an intense feeling of guilt washed through him.

"I know I shouldn't have said it, I'm sorry, I was just—" He stuttered, trying to find any sort of explanation, The fact that he struggled so much to find a clear explanation only served to irritate her more in that moment, and she suddenly yelled out loudly.

"Don't try and give me some bullshit excuse! It was all your own choice! You're the one who kept saying it was fine and you weren't bothered before!" She went into the kitchen, grabbing his memorabilia mugs and shoving them into a black bag.

Panic quickly flashed across Will's face as he realised what she was doing, and he quickly dropped his large case by the front door and hurried after her into the kitchen.

"Hey, hey, wait!" He said in alarm as he followed her. He reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her.

Elsie immediately froze in the moment when he grabbed her. A part of her was desperate to start struggling as soon as he touched her arm, but a larger part of her just wasn't prepared to have the fight anymore, and she suddenly felt like the fight had completely left her. The tears slowly began to slip down her cheeks as she stood there, her grip on the bag of mugs in her hands noticeably loosening.

The moment Will saw the tears run down her face he gently released the grip he had her on her arm and instead reached out to wipe the tears away. The guilt and regret hit him hard as he saw the tears, and he instinctively stepped closer.

"Hey...don't cry, stop crying, you'll make me feel bad" He said softly, still desperately trying to calm her. The moment he gently stroked the tears from her face and stepped closer she immediately had to fight herself to not just fall into him and start crying against his shoulder. Something in the back of her mind was still insisting she shouldn't give in, but the rest of her suddenly couldn't keep her defences up and the tears continued to fall "You're so stupid" She half-sobbed as she spoke.

Will felt a heavy pang at hearing her sob. He instinctively pulled her against his chest, his arm wrapping around her comfortingly as he tried to soothe her.

"I won't argue with you there." He said quietly as he held her against him and continued to wipe the tears. As soon as she was pulled against his chest, whatever bit of restraint she had left seemed to completely disintegrate. She let out a soft sob and immediately clung to his jacket, burying her face against his chest to muffle the soft sounds of her sobs.

Will immediately tightened his grip around her as she buried her face against his chest. The guilt of the situation was overwhelming as he held her and heard her softly sobbing, and he gently ran his hand through her hair, trying to comfort her as much as he could "Shh...shh, it's ok, it's ok" He tried to soothe gently, continuing to hold her close against him.

The soothing words and feeling of his hand gently running through her hair only served to make her cling to him more tightly. The part of her that was insisting she shouldn't give in was now being completely overpowered by everything else and she was quietly sobbing against his chest, her body trembling slightly due to the crying "It's not, you're leaving me. Again."

His grip on her immediately seemed to tighten even more as she spoke, like he was desperate to not let her go. The fact she was saying he was leaving and the word 'again' hit him hard, and he gently reached to run his hand over her hair again as if he was comforting her.

"I know, I know....I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" He said quietly, an intense guilt in his voice. Elsie heard the guilt and regret in his voice, mixed in with a slight amount of desperation. She instinctively leaned even more against him as he continued to hold her and gently stroke her hair. The part of her that was insisting she was weak for giving in in that moment was silently being ignored as the rest of her mind completely gave up the fight.

"...Please don't leave me. Please, don't go." She half-sobbed out, her voice trembling. The sudden pleading in her voice and the way she leaned closer against him had a pang of guilt and heartache hit his mind as he heard the words. The intense feeling of desperate regret was still there in full force still and as she half-sobbed out her words, something in his mind seemed to snap. He couldn't take it in that moment at all.

He tightened his arms around her even more and let out a strained sigh "Elsie...don't beg me, don't do that to me" He mumbled.

The strained sigh she heard out of him was like a knife to the heart for a moment as she suddenly understood the desperate tone in it. A part of her was still fighting her need to cling to him "Why not?!" She half sobbed out, holding onto him harder "Why can't I beg you?"

Will's mind fell into a whirlwind as he tried to come up with an answer for her question. He was suddenly being overwhelmed by the fact she was clinging onto him, the way she was begging him to stay and his own struggle to stay firm on what he was supposed to do at that moment.

"Because-because it makes it even harder if you beg me!" He half choked out, trying not to let himself crack too much.

The fact that his voice caught ever so slightly in his throat as he spoke was enough to send the remaining fight she had into a complete meltdown. Any small part of her that was somehow still trying to insist she shouldn't be so weak suddenly completely crumbled and she immediately started sobbing against his chest again, a small whine forming in her throat as she tightened her hold on him "I don't care, I can't lose you"

Her final words seemed to be the final thing that sent the last of Will's restraint out the window. He suddenly pulled her impossibly close against him and held her tighter than he'd been holding her already, as the intensity of her sobs began to overwhelm him as well. She could now feel the beginnings of his own choked up emotions against her as he tried to continue speaking "F-fuck...don't...don't cry like that...you're breaking my heart"

The choked up sounding strain in his voice as he spoke immediately made Elsie's grip on him tighten impossibly more in response. She was practically holding onto him with every bit of strength and desperation she had, the intense need to not lose him feeling as though it was almost consuming her completely "Then don't leave me..." She got out through her sobs against his chest "Please don't leave..."

Elsie's grip on him and the way her voice sounded as she sobbed the words out was like another knife in his heart. He couldn't hold back the emotions anymore and he suddenly buried his face against the top of her head as he held her as close as he could against him.

"I can't take this..." He half groaned out, his voice thick with emotion "Stop crying, stop crying...please, you're killing me..."

A sense of sudden desperation seemed to take a grip on Elsie's mind and body in that moment. The desperate need to get him to stay and her complete helplessness in that moment seemed to finally make something in her snap as she suddenly pulled her face away from his chest and looked up at him with teary eyes "Then don't. Leave. Please, please don't go. Don't break my heart..." She cried out, gripping him harder, she tried to kiss him.

The second Elsie suddenly looked up at him and she started pleading again, something in Will's mind completely snapped. Seeing her desperate tear-filled eyes pleading with him and the way she suddenly tried to kiss him seemed to undo him. He suddenly grabbed her face and kissed her back, a mixture of different emotions running through him "F-...just...stop crying" He moaned out against her lips as they kissed.

The immediate and desperate kiss he returned to her as soon as she tried kissing him sent a wave of heat through her body and a flash of intense relief.

She let out a soft whine as she kissed him back even more passionately and grabbed his arms even harder, her body suddenly seeming to mold against his as she moved closer even though there was no space between them.

Something cold ran up his back, he couldn't do this, he needed to stop giving her a false sense of hope.

The way she suddenly pressed impossibly against him as she kissed him coupled with the way she let out a soft whine in her throat made a wave of heat run through his body. The sudden overwhelming heat and passion in the moment was quickly making him lose any sort of sense or control he had in the moment and he suddenly grabbed a fistful of her hair to pull her away for a moment "No...wait...wait, just, stop.." He half groaned out against her lips.

The sudden and rough pull on her hair combined with the sound of his voice made Elsie's mind practically screech to a stop. A brief flash of panic ran through her mind and her eyes widened slightly as she pulled back from the kiss, but still didn't make any attempt to completely pull herself away from him.

"Why? No, what—what's wrong? Why do you want me to stop?" She half-panted out, her voice filled with an intense need and mixture of desperation. The desperate edge in her voice as she panted out the words, combined with the look of pure need in her wide eyes was more than Will could take to look at. He immediately closed his own eyes and took in a shaky breath, still trying to get control over the emotions coursing through him.

"Because I'm not-I'm not supposed to be doing this" He managed to eventually half-choke out, his voice filled with both emotion and a hint of strugglez The moment he closed his eyes and closed his face off from her, the panic started to rush straight back into her heart. The immediate and intense feeling of rejection hit her like a wave and a half-sobbed whine involuntarily left her throat as she suddenly gripped his arms even harder. Her own eyes widened even more now to the point of starting to tear up again.

"Not supposed to...?" She questioned, not understanding at all what he meant. Will tensed as he felt the whine in her throat and realised she'd started to tear up again. The overwhelming need to both give in and just hold her even harder, but also pull back and try to resist and keep firm on what he needed to do was almost too much for him in that moment. He forced himself to speak, the strain and emotion in his voice even more clear as he tried to explain.

"To-...to comfort you like this...it's giving you a false sense of hope" As the words sank into her mind, another shot of panic hit her. A mixture of her initial feeling of rejection was now becoming mixed up with the sudden realisation of what he was saying to her. She swallowed heavily and subconsciously took a step back, her grip on his arms slackening slightly now*

"W-..what? What do you mean, false sense of hope?" She croaked out, a trembling starting to creep into her voice as her emotional state continued to fall apart. The moment she slowly took a step back and her grip on him loosened slightly, it took all the power he had not to reach out again and pull her back against him. He looked down at her, struggling and desperately trying to keep some degree of control still even in the face of the obvious heartbreak and panic in her voice and in her eyes.

"W-what I mean is...it's not-we won't be together, we can't be"

The immediate spike of pain and anguish shooting through her mind as he repeated that it wouldn't work was so overwhelming that it was like a physical feeling. She was suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of desperation and helplessness as she suddenly started to cry again, tears falling and her eyes wide as she spoke.

"Why? Why why are you doing this to me now? I—" She suddenly cut herself off, crying out loudly as she leaned forward and clutched his jacket again.

The instant cry that left her throat as she leaned against him sent a stabbing feeling of guilt through Will's heart. He instinctively reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist, trying to soothe her even while his mind was screaming at him not to give in.

"Elsie, please don't cry...I- I'm trying to...to be sensible here.." His voice was strained as he spoke, the internal struggle practically clear in his tone.

The feeling of him instinctively trying to soothe her and gently wrapping an arm around her waist served to both comfort her and feel more like a stab through the heart. The tears fell harder and faster as she clutched onto his jacket even more tightly now, her body shaking slightly with the force of her crying "J-Just go then."

The words were like a knife through his heart. It felt like every single part of himself was suddenly screaming to just stay and not leave her like this. He let out a frustrated sounding sigh as the guilt continued to run through him. He nodded and sighed.

Will reached down and grabbed his suitcase from the floor. He paused in the movement for a moment and looked back at her, fighting the need to take her in his arms again and comfort her.

Her eyes followed him as he grabbed the suitcase and paused. A silent part of her was desperately calling out for him to come back and comfort her, but she was too overwhelmed and distraught to try saying anything. She just stood there silently and continued to cry.

Seeing her standing there and silently crying was like another knife in the heart. He tried one last time to reason with himself, tried to remind himself that this was what was supposed to be for the best. He took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry" He eventually got out, his voice thick with guilt as he reached for the door. She didn't trust herself to speak in that moment, the silent need to call out and try to get him to stay was too overwhelming. The only sound that came from her was another slight whine in her throat, like an animal in pain. She watched as he reached for the door, silently willing him to turn back around.

Will was on the verge of completely losing his resolve. The last sounds she'd made were like daggers in his heart. The only thing that was keeping him from turning back, gathering her in his arms and never leaving, was that he was struggling to maintain some kind of sense of reason. He was doing his best to keep the internal struggle out of his voice as he spoke again.

"I have to go, Elsie. I'm sorry"

The words she was hearing felt like they were slowly tearing her heart to pieces. She couldn't hold the sobs back anymore and another strangled whine left her throat. Her mind was screaming at her to say something, to call out to him, but she was terrified that if she spoke again she'd be sick. She continued to watch the door, silently praying to every higher power she could think of that he'd turn around and come back to her.

But he didn't, he just kept on going. Before she knew it the front door shut itself.

It was like the second the door closed behind him something snapped in his mind. The immediate feeling of guilt and heartbreak almost made him stop walking and turn back instantly, but he made himself keep walking, struggling desperately not to look back and see her standing there probably watching him leave.

His mind was filled with an intense mixture of things as he silently walked down the hallway of the apartment floor. He was struggling so hard to keep his own emotions from completely overwhelming him he was almost unaware of the tear that suddenly ran down his face.

Half an hour later, Elsie's twin brother Edward walked in, Aneurin wrapped to him with a baby carrier.

Elsie was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. She'd finally cried herself into a kind of exhausted, half-hearted daze, but she immediately lifted her head when she heard the sound of the door opening. She half-raised her head and watched as Edward came in with Aneurin in the babycarrier.

Edward immediately noticed the fact that Elsie's eyes were red and slightly puffy and he frowned slightly as he saw her sitting there on the floor.

"What on earth...why are you on the floor?" He suddenly asked, looking slightly confused.

Elsie didn't respond straight away and just half-looked up at her twin silently for a moment. Once the initial surprise at seeing him with Aneurin passed, the wave of emotions started over again and she swallowed heavily as she half-whispered out a response.

"Will left"

Edwards eyebrows raised in surprise at that and his expression fell a little when he saw the way her eyes widened ever so slightly as she spoke in response.

"Left for good? Just like that? Is he coming back?" He said, confusion in his tone and the frown still on his face as he spoke.

The fact that Edward's immediate response was to ask if he was coming back did nothing to help the emotional state Elsie was teetering on the edge of. She swallowed heavily again and tried not to let any more tears fill her eyes.

"...No. Don't think so" She got out hoarsely, her voice sounding small.

Edwards frown deepened as she spoke and he suddenly became a little bit more concerned. He noticed the tone of her voice and he could practically hear the sadness behind her spoken words.

"Are you okay?" He asked, walking closer to her and reaching to gently pull her up from the floor.

Once Edward reached down to help her up from the floor, her emotional state seemed to teeter and she immediately let him pull her up from the floor. The words were out before she realised and her voice was still shaking slightly as she answered.

"No. No I'm not"

Edward's frown immediately turned into an even more concerned expression as she shakily stumbled up from the floor. The worried look in her eyes coupled with the fact that she'd been sitting on the floor crying and now was saying she 'wasn't okay' was definitely starting to make him worry.

"What on earth happened?" He asked, now sounding even more concerned and confused while still holding onto her arm to keep her steady.

Hearing the note of concern and almost confusion in his tone as he helped steady her made her own heart ache. She half-sighed as she leant against him slightly, her legs suddenly feeling like they had no strength.

"He can't handle Aneurin" She eventually got out, her voice shaky and hoarse

Edward's heart began to ache for his twin sister when she half leant into him and he could feel her still trembling slightly as she leant against him for support.

The words she croaked out did nothing to make him understand the situation more, though. He looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean? Handle Aneurin?"

She half-sighed at the question and closed her eyes, the memory of Will's words still so fresh in her ears. She tried to explain further but she was struggling to stay on her feet suddenly, never mind try to talk.

"He- he said he can't handle Aneurin, that he can't cope with raising a kid that's not his ..." Her voice was shaking again as she spoke.

Edward's heart dropped even more as he realised just how upset Elsie actually was. He was suddenly even more concerned when she spoke and he heard the tremble in her voice and saw her close her eyes as she spoke.

And when she explained what Will had said, Edward couldn't help letting out a frustrated sounding sigh.

"What a cunt."

"I need to lie down." She mumbled, her head was pulsing.

Edwards arm immediately wrapped around her a little tighter when she mumbled about lying down. He could see she was shaking slightly and her head was pounding.

"Yeah, come on. You should." He got out, helping her over towards the sofa and sitting her down.

The feeling of Edward's arm circling around her and his soft 'yeah' was like a soothing touch that was desperately needed. She half slumped back against the sofa once she was sat down and instinctively lifted a hand to her head and closed her eyes, it felt like the room was spinning.

"Are you going to Dad's for Christmas?" She asked him.

While helping Elsie sit down, Edward instantly noticed her raising a hand to her head like she had a headache and closing her eyes.

As she suddenly asked him the question about going to their Dad's for Christmas he couldn't help letting out another sigh, looking down at her for a moment before replying.

"Yeah. I'm going. You not coming?"

She half opened her eyes and looked up at him when he replied about going. A wave of helplessness and loneliness suddenly ran through her as she realised she would be alone at Christmas, her emotions still feeling so overwhelmed and raw.

She swallowed hard and shook her head.

"No, I don't think so" Her voice was still shaky as she spoke. "I'd have to explain to him, and to Claire what happened, I don't need it, Aneurin and I will just celebrate ourselves, I'll deliveroo something."

The words she spoke made Edwards heart ache again once more. The tremble in her voice, the way it was still a bit hoarse, and the expression on her face were only confirming just how deeply upset she was by all of this.

He let out a soft sigh and sat down next to her on the sofa once she was settled. He gently patted her arm.

"You shouldn't be alone on Christmas."

Another wave of overwhelming loneliness washed over her as Edward said those words and she suddenly felt like she was about to break down crying again. Once he gently patted her arm she swallowed and tried with all her might not to let out a shaky sob.

The words came out in a hoarse, shaky whisper. "I—I'll ring you, and Mam, and then Paul for Aneurin."

Edward saw the way her eyes began to water again with his words and he instantly saw how much she was trying to keep it together. He was now deeply concerned for her and he knew instinctively that he would be keeping a close eye on her over the next few days, especially over the Christmas holidays.

He nodded silently in response to her speaking, but he didn't look completely convinced.

"You really shouldn't be alone." He repeated quietly.

The way Edward repeated his statement that she shouldn't be alone made her insides ache in so many different ways. The loneliness mixed with the grief and heartbreak felt like too much for her to handle.

She let out a soft shaky sigh and closed her eyes again and shook her head slightly.

"...I'll be alright, really"

Edward had to physically resist the urge to pull her into a hug when she closed her eyes and shook her head again, still trying to insist that she'd be fine even though it was abundantly clear that she wouldn't be.

He let out a short sigh.

"No, you won't." He replied bluntly, silently vowing to make sure she was far from being alone over the holidays. Aneurin snored silently.

A wave of despair washed over her when he bluntly said she wouldn't be alright. The feeling of loneliness and being overwhelmed was suddenly even more prominent as Edward sat beside her and the silence was interrupted by Aneurin's soft tiny snores.

She opened her eyes again and shook her head slightly. She swallowed and spoke again, her voice was still unsteady and emotional. "I will be, I'll be fine"

Seeing her expression and hearing her repeat she'd be fine was slowly beginning to irritate him. It was becoming clear that she was in absolutely no state to be left alone for any period of time at the moment, but she was being stubbornly set on insisting that she'd be alright by herself.

He let out another short sigh and his tone was firm and almost stern as he spoke.

"For christs sake. You're not going to be alone for the holidays. I won't let you, alright?"

Another strong wave of emotions washed over her when he spoke, his voice suddenly taking on a firm tone. Her eyes widened slightly at the sound, not expecting him to sound so firm and almost stern in response to her insistence that she'd be fine.

She swallowed heavily and opened her mouth as if to reply, but her tongue felt glued to the roof of her mouth.

She tried again and eventually got out a soft, slightly unsteady voice. "I-I cannot deal with Claire, I'd rather stay home."

Edwards eyes widened for a moment as her response, hearing the slight shakiness and unsteadiness in her voice as she spoke was making his heart ache even more. She sounded so heartbroken and vulnerable when she spoke that it made him determined more than ever to not let her stay at home alone over Christmas.

He let out a small frustrated noise at her response.

"Jesus, Elsie. I'll stay home with you, you can't be alone at Christmas, you shouldn't be by yourself right now at all."

Her chest clenched again at his response. The slight tone of frustration he had in his voice along with his words, stating in a firm and almost commanding tone that he wouldn't let her stay alone over the holidays, made more a mixed bag of emotions flood over her suddenly.

And then he'd said that last part. His voice was suddenly gentler as he said that she wouldn't be alone, that he'd stay with her.

"Dad'll think we're abandoning him."

He knew she would try to pull the same old excuse, that their father would be 'offended' that they didn't go to his house for Christmas. But at that moment in time he was more concerned for his twin sister's well being than his dad's feelings.

He let out another soft, slightly frustrated noise in response to her words.

"Dad will live. I don't care, really. You're in no state to be alone for the holidays."

His firm and determined replies were like tiny daggers in her already aching heart. And the last part made her heart clench again.

She half-heartedly looked up at him through slightly watery eyes, her voice a bit thick. "I—I'll be alright." The words sounded almost like a question more than a reassurance.

"I'll get Paul to come over." She lied, she had no intention of doing that and assumed that Edward wouldn't double check that Paul actually would do that.

Edward could see her looking up at him with what looked like tears in her eyes, and the shakiness in her voice as she spoke made his heart sink. He knew she absolutely wasn't going to be 'alright'.

And then she told him that she would get Paul to come over. He couldn't help the sceptical expression that he gave her as she spoke, raising his eyebrows and looking unconvinced.

"You will?" He repeated, in a tone that clearly said he didn't believe her in the slightest.

She suddenly felt very pathetic under the unconvinced look he gave her. His expression made it abundantly clear he didn't believe her in the slightest, and the slight tone he'd used when he repeated that made her even more aware of the fact that he definitely didn't believe her.

She tried to keep a note of confidence and determined tone as she repeated her lie.

"Yeah...yeah, I'll call him once you go and ask." She said grabbing her phone, which convinced him.

Edward looked sceptical for a moment when she repeated her lie about calling Paul. He knew she was bullshitting, but he decided for the moment he would play along.

He raised an eyebrow again, still not believing her word as she picked up her phone.

"And you'll definitely do that?" He asked, his tone implying that he didn't think she would.

Again, hearing the slight implied doubt in his tone and seeing his raised eyebrow, she suddenly felt incredibly pathetic and small.

She kept her expression as steady looking as she could and tried to act cool and collected as she forced herself to smile weakly in response to his question and give a casual shrug.

"Yeah, of course" She lied with a slight nod, praying that he didn't ask to stay and listen to her make the call.

Edward continued to give her the most sceptical look he could manage, he had no doubt that she was lying.

When she gave her non-convincing response and nodded he knew full well that she didn't actually intend to call. He wanted to stay and call her out on her bullshit, or better yet, actually get her to call Paul, but he could also tell that she'd argue against him staying over.

So he didn't really have a choice. He sighed and stood up. Passing Aneurin to her.

"Fine." He said reluctantly.

Once Edward handed over Aneurin to her and said 'fine' in a reluctant tone, her heart dropped at the realisation that she'd won and she'd successfully convinced him to to leave.

Once she had Aneurin again she cuddled him against her chest and swallowed heavily, suddenly feeling so overwhelmingly lonely. "I'll be fine..don't worry." She said lamely, still trying to convince him.

Seeing the look on her face as he handed over Aneurin to her confirmed to him that his twin sister was nowhere near as 'fine' as she's trying to insist that she is. She looks heartbroken, emotional, and fragile for lack of a better term and he can practically see how deep what happened was affecting her.

He let out another sigh, this one much softer than the one before as he looked down at her while she held Aneurin against her chest.

"I will worry, you know that." He said quietly.

She suddenly felt incredibly small and fragile under his soft tone and the look he was giving her as she sat cradling Aneurin against her chest.

Her heart ached even more with his soft words and she swallowed again, trying to keep the tears prickling at the back of her eyes from falling out.

"I know you will...but you don't have to." She said quietly, her voice wobbling with emotion again. "You can ring me twenty times a day if you need to."

Edward saw her swallowing hard as she spoke, obviously fighting back more tears, and her voice seemed to almost crack with the effort of trying to hold them back. It was like a punch to his heart to see her looking so fragile and heartbroken.

He reached out instinctively and squeezed her shoulder gently for a moment in reassurance. "More than twenty times a day if I have to." He said in a firm, caring tone.

"Ed, you've got a meeting you need to be at." She reminded him.

He smiled slightly at her comment about twenty times a day, a small wave of gratitude and relief washing through him as she suddenly reminded him about the meeting he had to go to.

"Ah, shit yeah, that's right." He said with a slight sigh, running a hand through his already messy hair and glancing down at his watch.

She managed to muster a shaky smile in response to his slight smile, knowing and understanding how concerned he was for her.

She swallowed again as his gaze glanced down at his watch and he suddenly remembered the meeting he had to go to.

"You'll be late, get going." She said softly, trying to keep her voice as steady and casual as possible.

Seeing her try to smile and keep her voice steady sent another pang through his heart. Even with the smile on her face and the neutral tone of her voice she was still so obviously distressed and heartbroken.

He let out another soft sigh, glancing down at his watch again. "Yeah. I know." He mumbled reluctantly, he didn't really want to leave her, but if he didn't get going he really would be late.

She could see how reluctant he was to leave her alone from the look he was giving her as he was reminded that he was about to be late for his meeting.

A wave of loneliness suddenly washed over her, but she pushed the feeling back down and tried desperately to keep a smile on her face and a steady tone.

"Go..." She said softly, "don't be late" She added with another small nod.

With a pang of reluctance he let out another sigh and took his phone and wallet off the coffee table. "Yeah, alright." He mumbled. He hated leaving her, and the more he looked at her the more reluctant he was to go.

He took one last look at his watch and then one last look at Elsie. "Promise me you'll call anytime, yeah?" He said, hoping she'd at least agree to that much.

She saw him pick up his phone and wallet and she held Aneurin close against her chest and nodded in response to him saying alright.

She half opened her mouth, intending to nod again when he asked her to promise to call anytime.

Despite the fact she had no intention of calling at all and was convinced she could handle being alone, she agreed, knowing there was no point in making him worry more and that if it got him to leave her then she would. "I will." She spoke softly and nodded again. "I promise."

Her words reassured him only slightly. He could see from her expression that she didn't actually intend to call, and he was fairly sure that she was only agreeing to it to get him to leave her alone.

But that was the best he was going to get at the moment, so he reluctantly nodded. "You better." He said gently, giving her another worried glance before moving towards the door.

Her heart panged as he gave her another glance that told her just how worried he was for her.

She knew full well that she had no real intention of calling, but seeing how worried he was and knowing that her agreeing to that much would at least somewhat reassure him made her feel a lot more guilty about her lies.

She forced herself to give him another quick nod. "I will." She repeated one last time, still keeping her tone as steady as she possibly could. "I love you, now go."

Once she gave him a second, quick nod and told him again that she would call he knew better than to push the point anymore. He knew she was determined to convince him that everything was okay so they could leave her alone.

He didn't have a choice but to relent so he gave her another small nod in return, along with a reassuring smile. "I love you too, Els." He said softly, forcing himself to open the door and walk out.

As he smiled and repeated that he loved her too and walked out, closing the door behind him, her chest clenched and she felt guilt pang through her chest.

She felt so guilty for insisting she would be fine and that she would call, knowing full well that she had absolutely no intention of keeping those promises.