Behind the Scenes (lxngdon & MaryGold)

I S A B E L L E​

"I don't know you, but fine. I am pissed with Isabelle. And I did leak the pictures, alright? They were mine to do what I pleased with." Nate huffed, "Are you happy now? Because I have other things to do, better things to do than talk with you people."


Isabelle rubbed her eyes but kept them closed, instead, she held Ethan's hand after seeing him so upset. She found it easier to focus on him than herself or her ex. He didn't make her drown in negative feelings. The opposite, actually.

"That wasn't for you to share." She swallowed. Of course, it didn't matter to him. It never did. She couldn't understand how one person could be so selfish and horrible. And how she could never have seen that for the times she had been with him. But it was all said and done now. "I want you to delete the one you have, please."

"After you and you lover acted so rude toward me you ask something from me?"

"Nate, please?"

"Fine. It's all on the internet anyway." Isabelle let out a groan. "If it makes you feel any better I'll slip in some extra money for the child support."​
 
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"Yours to do what you pleased with -- they were not yours to do what you pleased with, she sent them to you in confidence and you sharing them with the world just further proves how weak you are, as if your abandonment of your son didn't prove that to everyone enough."

Ethan was getting too worked up over this, he knew, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't just sit back and twiddle his thumbs while this lowlife abused his beautiful Isabelle. If Nate were physically there, Ethan probably would have punched him.

"A couple of extra bucks won't change the fact that your son has grown up without a fucking father --"

"Daddy?"

Ethan looked up to see Bianca standing in the doorway, with tears in her eyes and her fingers at her mouth, chewing at the nails. Ethan had never leaped to his feet faster in his life. He bounded over the back of the couch and scooped up his baby girl in his arms, a look of concern cemented on his face.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

"Who's on the phone? Why is he being mean to Izzy and Noey?"​
 
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Isabelle fumbled with the phone in her hand with Bianca's sudden appearance. Without thinking, she instantly hung up. How much had the small child heard? Clearly long enough to hear some of the offensive things that Nate had said She felt horrible to the girl in tears because of it.

Quickly, she stood on her two feet and slowly approached the two. "It's no one sweetie." She smiled as if to reassure her and back up her own statement. She shrugged her shoulders, unsure what to say. She couldn't very well say that was Noah's bastard of a father, now could she?

"Don't worry about it, okay?" She brushed back Bianca's brown curls from her face. And then occurred to her that Noah may have followed, so she looked out the doorway for the small boy, but he was nowhere in sight.​
 
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Ethan looked at Bianca with a pained expression because he had absolutely no idea how he could fix this. She was so upset because Isabelle and Noah had been mistreated on the phone.

"Baby, it's okay, it was no one," he murmured, rubbing her back in soothing motions.

The front door opened and Ethan turned to see Jessa making her way through the door, dressed in blue denim shorts and a lacy white top with her thick brown hair cascading around her face in windswept curls. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to pick up Bee," said Jessa, and Ethan nodded. He had forgotten. Jessa put her phone in her pocket and noticed Bianca's crying. "Oh my God -- what happened?" she asked, rushing forward, clearly just as alarmed as Ethan had been.

"I -- can we talk to you?" Ethan asked worriedly, handing the eight-year-old over to her mother and looking at Isabelle, squeezing her hand.

"Is this about the pictures?"

"You saw them?"

"No -- I didn't see them but Perez Hilton wrote an article because he's a scumbag." Jessa set Bianca down and quietly instructed the child to go upstairs and pack her things for her week with her mom.​
 
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"Ugh, I can't even ... " Isabelle rubbed her eyes once again, a habit and a technique she learned to keep her eyes from tearing up. She was so upset she didn't know what to even do in that moment. It wasn't the end of the world, she knew that, bit it didn't stop her from being so distressed.

She felt terrible that Bianca had to hear that and that the little girl was so upset over it. Honestly, Isabelle had grown used to Nate's nasty attitude which was saddening in itself, but it was still something she didn't have to worry about. She didn't want Bianca to worry about anything at all.

"I'm sorry about Bianca, we just had a bad conversation over the phone and she heard some of it." Isabelle explained as best she could, her voice was weak. She felt weak and tired, and she hated that feeling.
 
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"What did she hear?" Jessa asked, looking up at Ethan with concern in her eyes. Ethan could tell she wasn't angry or annoyed with Isabelle -- no, Jessa might be immature but she wasn't irrational. And she was an understanding woman, which Ethan was grateful for, because if Jessa had been spiteful, he wouldn't be allowed to see his daughter.

Both Jessa and Ethan cared about their daughter, not any disagreements between them. Bianca's best interests, her wellbeing, her happiness, were always their top priorities.

Ethan only wished that could be the same for Isabelle and Nate.

"She mainly heard me berating the asshole who leaked Isabelle's pictures," said Ethan tersely, pinching the bridge of his nose and sitting down on the back of the couch.

"Wait, you know who leaked them? Who? I'll go beat him up with a broomstick."

"You will do no such thing." Ethan didn't elaborate as he didn't want to violate Isabelle's privacy even further than it had been violated. "It's fine, we're going to sort it out, you don't need to do anything. Just make Bianca happy."

Jessa licked her lips and looked at Isabelle. "I'm sorry this has happened to you, it's pretty shitty." Jessa reached into her purse and pulled out a loose piece of paper, which she scrawled her phone number onto and pressed into Isabelle's hand.

"You can text me if you like, okay? The same thing happened to me a couple of years ago."

Ethan nodded. It would be good for Izzy to talk to Jessa since the model had gone through the same thing.​
 
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"I will. Thank you." Isabelle offered a tony smile and neatly folded the paper in her hand. She was grateful for Jessa's help and understanding. It had felt as if things were getting worse and worse, but she was feeling slightly better with her number in her hand. She wasn't sure when she would call or if she would at all, but having someone who could relate only a phone call away was super comforting.

She slowly lowered herself back onto the couch, placing the number into her pocket for safe keeping. The who ordeal was upsetting, but she was starting to relax if only a little. She hoped Bianca would forget about the entire thing. Isabelle would if she could, it wasn't foreign to her.

Noah walked out of the doorway not too long after she sat down and took his place at her side. He glanced at Jessa cautiously and then to Isabelle "Bianca's leaving now." He said as if was puzzled on what to do next.

He sighed longingly as if she had already gone, then he frowned at his mother. "Are you okay, mommy?"

"I'm okay," She put her arms around his small frame and hugged him, pulling him onto her lap and kissing the top of his head.
 
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"Hey, buddy," Jessa said kindly to Noah, leaning over a little and giving him a pleasant wave. "I'm Bianca's mommy, I don't know if you remember me from the party."

Bianca came downstairs with a backpack, presumably filled with toys since she had ample garments at both Ethan's and Jessa's houses. Ethan leaned down, picked her up and planted a kiss to her cheek. It was always hard for him, letting Bianca go to her mother's for a week, but he wouldn't keep her from seeing Jessa. That would be cruel and unfair to the both of them.

"You'll feed Poppy, right, Daddy?"

"Of course I will. Bye. I love you."

"I love you, too." Ethan set her down and Bianca trotted over to Isabelle and Noah. She planted small kisses to both of their cheeks. "Bye Izzy. Bye Noey."

Ethan went to the front porch to wave her off, then closed the door and went back inside. He sat down on the couch beside Isabelle and pulled both her and Noah into a tight hug, pressing them both to his chest, the way a husband would do with his wife and child.

"Okay, let's stop being grouchy. Noah, what would you like to do?"​
 
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"What do I wanna do?" Noah repeated, seriously thinking it over, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We could play a game," Isabelle suggested, picking at her fingernails and watching the little boy. She even offered a smile, trying to pull herself out of her sullen mood. Like Ethan had said, she was going to stop being grouchy. What was done was done.

Noah shook his head. "You're bad at games."

"That's not very nice to say." Regardless, she kissed his cheek again.

"Can we bake cookies? We can use them to make ice cream sandwiches."

She could only imagine he had gotten his love for baking from his grandmother who was a patissier. And seeing how she watched him all of the time for Izzy he was bound to gain some of her traits. His knack for baking being one of the most noticeable ones.​
 
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"We can absolutely make cookies," Ethan affirmed with a bright smile, kissing Isabelle on the lips and Noah on the cheek. He got up, lead the two Kings into the kitchen and wrapped Bianca's white apron around Noah's waist, so he could play chef. Really, Ethan would have done anything to make Isabelle and her son even marginally happier.

Ethan pulled the ingredients for the cookies out, set them on the bench and located a recipe online so they could follow it. Double choc fudge -- luckily, Ethan kept a lot of chocolate and sweets in his kitchen as Bianca was somewhat addicted.

"Alright, MasterChef," Ethan teased, picking up Noah and supporting him on his hip so he could cook. "Let's see what you've got."​
 
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Noah grinned brilliantly as did Isabelle, watching how happy he became warmed her heart. She only wished she could always make him this happy every day. She leaned against the bench across from the two males and looked at the recipe from her place in the kitchen. "We'll be making double choc fudge cookies." She read aloud for the small boy. "To get started - "

"I can read it!" Noah interjected, raising his hand in the air, very independent on the matter. She shrugged and allowed him to read the directions which he did so steadily, being an excellent reader for the young age of five. Helping him only consisted of the actual cooking part, and they had begun that after washing their hands. Kitchen hygiene was important.

And after a bit of a messy process, they were sliding their pan of double choc fudge cookies into the oven to bake. To be precise, Isabelle did, because letting a child near a dangerously heated object such as an oven was never a good idea. "How long must we wait, Noey?" She asked, just to be sure as she set the timer.

"Eight to nine minutes," He said, as a matter of fact, squinting his eyes as his mother wiped flour off of his forehead.
 
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Ethan found that he barely needed to do anything for the little boy. He wiped the bench down as Isabelle put the cookies in the oven, then he squatted down in front of him and smiled at Noah.

"You're a very talented chef," Ethan told him honestly, gently poking the little boy on the belly. "I'm very impressed. You keep this up and you can be a five-star cook in the future."

Ethan loved seeing people be passionate about things. Bianca was a wonderful painter and he knew she would be incredibly talented when she was older. There was no doubt Noah would be successful in the culinary profession.

"You should be proud," Ethan added to Isabelle, standing up and kissing her on the lips softly.
 
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"Ew, I'm still here," Noah stuck his tongue out in distaste, but was visibly still very happy. Instead of sticking to the two grown ups, he left their side to crouch down in front of the oven and watch the cookies rise and spread through the glass.

Isabelle rolled her eyes good naturedly, endearingly, at her child and moved her gaze back to her beloved boyfriend. "He gets it from my parents, I think." She held Ethan's hand, stroking the back of it with her thumb. "My mother is a patissier and my father a chef."

She smiled gently at the thought of them, "They actually own a restaurant. Took them forever to save for it, their dream place. I remember living off of bread and water for a while." She was joking, but they were extremely tight on money back then. They managed, obviously.

"That's actually why we moved to the states."
 
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Ethan smiled, rubbing small circles into Isabelle's waist. He loved hearing inspiring stories about people achieving their dreams. It reminded him of how he had succeeded, despite all the setbacks he had experienced.

"You'll have to take me and Bianca to the restaurant sometime," Ethan murmured, watching the little boy watch the cookies. "I'd like to --"

Ethan was cut off by his phone ringing. He frowned at the caller ID but answered anyway. "Aunt Ingrid?"

"Ethan?" His aunt's voice was loud and shrill enough for Isabelle to hear, too.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Is it Eden? Where is he?"

"He's been arrested!" Ingrid sobbed. Ethan gripped the edge of the kitchen bench. He felt sick.
 
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"Ethan," Isabelle called his name, very much alarmed and worried.

It wasn't as if she was trying to eavesdrop, but his aunt was so loud it was impossible not to hear. Eden, his little brother arrested? And for what? It was only about a week ago he had sounded somewhat happy to be able to talk to his niece, Bianca. And God, she hoped this wouldn't make things worse for the both of them.

"Are you ..." She trailed off. Asking if he was okay was a stupid question to ask when he so obviously wasn't. And he was still on the phone.

"Mommy," Noah bounced up to her.

"Baby, why don't you go play with Poppy. I'll watch your cookies."

The five year old looked confused, but obeyed his mother's wishes, stalking off while he called for the dog.
 
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"Okay, okay, Aunt Ingrid, calm down. Please. Tell me what happened."

"He - he beat up another boy at school and got arrested!" Ingrid sobbed. "They're asking five hundred thousand dollars for bail -- oh, Ethan, I will never be able to afford that!"

Ethan shakily inhaled. "Okay, I'm coming."

"What?"

"I'll come to Charmaine, try and smooth shit over." It was the absolute last thing he wanted to do, but he had to do it, because his brother was in trouble. Serious trouble. "I'll be there tomorrow."

He hung up and looked down at Isabelle. "Come with me, please." He couldn't do this alone.​
 
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"To Charmaine?" Isabelle mumbled underneath her breath softly.

Going on a trip out of state and to the other side of the country wasn't something she had planned to do at all. She'd have to ask her mother to watch Noah for a few days. And prepare for the trip in other ways.

It was completely unexpected

But looking into his pleading blue eyes, she knew he needed her more than ever. And she wouldn't date turn him down in the vulnerable state he was in. Her heart would never forgive herself either.

"Okay," She nodded, squeezing his hand softly and pilling him closer."I'll come." She confirmed and kissed his lips lightly.
 
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Ethan knew he wouldn't have been able to do this by himself, so it was an immense relief to hear Isabelle say she'd come to Vermont with him. "Thank you," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her on the top of the head. "Thank you. I love you. I love you so fucking much."

He let her go and turned to hurry up the stairs and to his bedroom. While he was in there, he called Jessa to let her know what was happening.

"Eden's been arrested?"

"Yeah." Ethan's voice was tight. "I have to post bail."

"You'd better go."

"Thanks. I'll call Bee later."​
 
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Isabelle had moved to follow him out the kitchen, but stopped in her tracks when hearing the ringing of the timer, reminding her of the cookies in the oven. So, she first took the pan out the oven after finding a mitt and set them on a rack to cool off. They sweets immediately reminded her to talk to their maker, Noah.

After shutting off the oven, she went into the living room and found the sweet child playing with the puppy on the floor. She wondered if Bianca would be able to keep the pup at her house while they were away? She hoped so.

"Noey, come here. Let's talk," She beckoned the boy over and pulled him close as she explained she'd be gone for a little while.

"For how long?"He asked sadly,

"Maybe a few days," She kissed his cheek to comfort h. But she really would need to quickly talk the details with Ethan, but she also knew they'd be on a hurry

Isabelle held Noah in her arms as she made her way up the steps and into Ethan's room.
 
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Ethan hung up the phone and moved around the room as he packed -- or rather, he threw a collection of random clothes into a suitcase, along with his chargers and a couple of other things he needed, such as shoes, and products relating to personal hygiene. Usually he'd put more attention and effort into his packing, but this wasn't exactly a holiday.

It was quite the opposite, in fact. This was not a holiday, this was a trip to bail his brother out of jail. And Ethan would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous.

He hadn't even seen Eden in a couple of years, and he'd only spoken to him a couple of times over the phone, all of which had been begrudging and forced. A week ago, he wouldn't have come to Charmaine if Eden had begged him to with all of his might. But he had to go now. He had to.

Eden needed him. And despite how much Ethan might have resented his brother for traumatising his daughter, he was still his baby brother, and he still loved him.

Ethan looked up when Isabelle came in with Noah, and he sighed. He didn't like that he was taking Noah's mum away from him. He crossed the room and dropped a kiss to Noah's forehead. "You alright, mate?"​
 
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