OCTOBER 3RD 2024.

"You're sure?" Will asked Elsie as she layed on his lap. Elsie nodded.

"Even if he doesn't want to be the baby's dad. He can financially support the baby, I won't ask for 11% of his income, I'll say a grand and a half." She said calmly. She knew Paul made more than that, he was one of the most sought after names in Hollywood, he likely got paid triple that for photoshoots.

Exactly three hours later, Elsie's lawyer had sent the letter to Paul, who had been served mid filming a scene for Hamnet by a skilled process server.

Paul read over the paper and muttered a loud 'fuck' to himself before hurrying off to his trailer, where he promptly frantically messaged Daisy, who had Elsie's number from Edward and Daisy doing a play together as teenagers.

"Hello?" Elsie picked up her phone, expecting it to be an assistant from her legal team.

"Is this real?" Paul asked her. "Are you serious? This isn't a joke? You're actually having my baby?" Paul rambled slightly.

Elsie looked at Will who was rummaging through instructions of how to set up a crib, she held up a finger and mouthed one minute before walking into the hallway.

"Yes I'm pregnant, and before you ask, You we're the only man i slept with after I broke up with my boyfriend, if id have gotten pregnant with his kid, it would already be a month or two old." She explained.

"How- How many months are you? Like how far gone?" He couldn't quite control the words leaving his lips, his heart was beating so fast he thought he would collapse at any moment, he really needed a cigarette.

"Are you dense Paul?" She asked him before signing. "Seven, I'm seven and a half months pregnant Paul." She clarified for him.

"Oh." He gasped, he held up ten fingers and removed seven, the dates lined up, they'd had sex nearing the middle of February, and the sperm may not have fertilised right away.

"Do we need to go through the courts to sort this all?" He asked her after a few moments of silence. She raised her eyebrows. "You'd pay what I asked?"

"And let's say I don't know, five hundred a month into a savings account." He offered. "Once I make sure it's mine." He clarified, it wasn't that he doubted her, he just needed legal proof so his accountant would let him send £2,000 a month off to someone.

"Okay." She nodded. "Text me when you've found somewhere to get the DNA test done." She replied before hanging up as she walked back into the nursery she and Will had been decorating together.

Will looked at her with expectation "He knows, he wants to sort it without lawyers." She explained.

She looked at Will, who was setting up a crib, his face looked sceptical. "I know." Elsie sighed. "I'm not firing the lawyers, in case he changes his mind."

"You reckon he will?" Will asked as he held a screw between his lips. Elsie shrugged. "I don't really know him Will. I shagged him once, we've got a few mutual friends but we'd never met."

Will raised his eyebrow. "Not even like been at the same event in passing?" He questioned. "Maybe, but I never actually saw him face to face until that night." She replied.

"How many times did you two fuck?" Will asked. Elsie raised her eyebrow. "Why do you want to know that?" She wondered aloud. Will raised his shoulders before dropping them "I just do."

"It's a bit of a blur but maybe like four?" She said, Will didn't look pleased. "I just remember four positions, we could've been moving a lot and only fucked once, I don't know." She rambled desperately.

Will just stared at the crib he was making. "I feel interrogated." She sighed. Will carried on ignoring her. "Whatever." She muttered, walking to the living room of their flat. Will being in a funny mood with her was the last thing she fucking needed.