Have Faith in Me (Ianthony)

Chapter 17: This is Impossible!

Teary-eyed, Ian lay sprawled out on his back in the bed of his hotel room. He was certainly reeling from his emotional encounter with Anthony, but he was still determined to do whatever it took to get Audrina back. Thus, he had his laptop in his lap and he was typing up a generic email to send to different lawyers in the LA and Sacramento areas.

Ian was a writer. He'd spent many hours over the years, poring over a script for Smosh, sometimes wishing to bang his head through the computer screen due to writer's block. However, he always somehow managed to come up with something. Usually, this heavily involved Anthony.

Now, he was sitting blankly behind a computer screen again, but this time, there was no Anthony to help him get inspired, to form words. He felt a pang in his chest at the thought of his lost love and their conversation in the lobby, His eyes began to sting with unshed tears, but he blinked them away. He was done crying. He had to get his daughter back and sitting around crying about it wouldn't solve a damn thing.

He sat back, swallowing, and reaching for his cell phone. He was going to call his friend, Valerie, who just happened to be a paralegal at a small, private firm in LA. He and Anthony had met her years ago when the three of them had all lived in Sacramento. When she'd met her husband Zach, she'd moved with him to Los Angeles for his new job. It was a little late, but he knew that once she heard his situation, she wouldn't mind at all.

"Hello?" she answered on the third ring. Surprisingly, she didn't sound tired.

"Valerie, it's Ian," he said, shutting his laptop and relaxing onto a pillow.

She laughed. "Dude, I know. I have caller ID. What's up, Ian?"

He paused, clearing his throat. "I...Well, I'm in a very odd situation at the moment and I was

hoping that you could give me some legal advice." He shoved his laptop to the foot of the bed.

It was Valerie's turn to pause. "Ian, are you...Are you in trouble? Did you do something wrong?"

"No, no!" Ian replied quickly. "No, it's just...," he trailed off, "it's a custody issue."

Swiftly, Ian filled Valerie in on what had transpired over the past few months. She listened silently.

"So anyway," Ian said, beginning his last sentence, "for me to get Audrina back, what do I need to do?"

It was totally quiet on the end of the line for a long time. For Ian, it felt like hours. "V-Val?" he whispered.

"Yeah, I'm here," she replied, "I'm sorry, Ian. It's just...It's a lot to take in."

He sighed. "It's...," he trailed off. Finally, he just agreed. "I know." He had a bad feeling of what she was going to say.

Valerie took a deep breath. "Here's the thing, Ian. I'm going to be totally honest with you because you're my friend and I don't want you to get your hopes up over nothing, okay?"

"Okay," he whispered.

"From what you've told me, I've gathered that this little girl-"

"Audrina," Ian interjected, "her name is Audrina."

Valerie cleared her throat. "Right. Audrina. Anyway, Audrina is the biological child of Anthony and this Kara woman. In the event that you could prove that she was being mistreated by Kara, you might be able to get DHS to investigate. And I say might because Sacramento is a big city and I'm sure that their caseworkers are already stretched thin. And anyway, Kara could easily show that Audrina's in good hands-"

"But she's been neglected! Valerie, the girl doesn't show any emotion at all. Ever. She doesn't smile, she doesn't frown, she doesn't cry, she doesn't throw tantrums. She just sits there!"

Valerie paused again. "Through extensive monitoring, it's very possible that one could prove that. But it would probably take years-"

"Years?!" Ian exploded, "by then, it'll be too late!"

His friend sighed on the other end of the phone. "I know that, Ian. But the truth is, you're not biologically obligated to her and nor does Sacramento DHS have the resources to fully accept her case. My advice to you would be to get in touch with Anthony. He can definitely make a case. But I'm afraid that you more than likely cannot."

Ian sat back, knocking his head against the frame of his hotel bed. His head hit hard, but he shook it off. He could feel more and more tears creeping down his cheeks. His fears were coming true.

Audrina was truly gone from him and there was nothing he could do about it.

As if she could sense his thoughts, Valerie spoke up again, "Don't give up yet, Ian. Just talk to Anthony, get a lawyer, and build a case. Try to remember everything that Kara did that was remotely detrimental at all."

Ian sighed. "Yeah, okay."

Her words were hitting Ian hard. For the child that he loved so very much wasn't his, not really. She was Anthony's. He could never get her back without him, which he knew was impossible now. Anthony simply didn't love them enough to even try. And that hurt more than anything else he'd ever experienced.

"Ian?"

He took a deep breath, choking back a sob. "I-I'm here."

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

He nodded, though she couldn't see him. "I'm fine. Thanks, Val. I...I really appreciate it."

She was quiet for a moment before saying, "well...All right. If you need anything at all, don't

hesitate to call me. And if you need a lawyer, I can definitely connect you with a good one."

Ian almost snorted. "Right. I'll...I'll let you get back to sleep."

"Okay. Good night, Ian. And good luck."

"Bye, Valerie. Thanks again," Ian concluded the call and pressed end on his phone.

He laid down on his pillow, tears leaking from his eyes. He'd sworn he wouldn't cry again, but now, he felt utterly and completely stuck. The only way to get Audrina back was through Anthony, which just simply wasn't attainable. He'd lost Audrina and he'd lost Anthony and there was absolutely no way to get either of them back.

He was truly alone.

Sup, guys! All right, so here's the deal: I haven't updated in a long time and I am really sorry about that. I graduated from high school on May 15th and I had to turn my school-issued laptop in. My family does have a desktop computer, but after typing on a laptop for so long, I just couldn't get into it. Luckily, this week, I finally purchased a laptop of my own and voilà! I will be writing A LOT. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you guys get tired of seeing stuff from me! However, there are only a small amount of chapters left and it will be finished at least by July. I'm going to be sad, but I'll still be writing Ianthony, don't worry.

Now, about the contest! It's pretty simple. Basically, you need to write a one shot involving Ian, Anthony, and Audrina. It can be set in the future, the past, or the present. I don't care. You can also include any other characters you want. It can be any genre and of any rating. The only requirement is that it must involve Ian, Anthony, and Audrina. You must post it on Wattpad, Fanfiction, or Archive of Our Own. Make sure you let me know that you are entering. It must be finished and uploaded on or before July 4, 2015. The winner will get a personal Ianthony one shot of any kind written by me and a shout out on all of my writing platforms, my Twitter, and my Tumblr. If you have any questions, you may contact me on Wattpad, Fanfiction, Archive of Our Own, or my Twitter: @smoshdayparade. Good luck, everyone! :)