Until Then

A/N: My new story…JoLu set in the future, maybe 6 months from where are on the show. Completely written, will be updating twice a week. Hope you guys enjoy!

P.S. I have no beta. All mistakes are my own. Sorry.

Chapter One

"I hate you!" Charlotte's voice rang through the house and LuLu felt her eyes well with tears. It had been six weeks since she and Valentin had finally settled on shared custody of Charlotte. It was still a work in process. The little girl was still grieving for Claudette and LuLu was trying to be respectful but all she wanted to do was love the little girl.

Leaning against the door of the Char's room, she felt the tears spill. "I'm so sorry baby," she said through the door before she moved away. Waiting for Charlotte calm down, that was the only real thing she could do. Walking down the stairs, she saw Dante staring up at her. "Don't start," she snapped.

"This isn't working LuLu," he snapped back. It had been like this since Charlotte had came to live with them. Dante not understanding how important this was to LuLu. Winning shared custody had been a big thing and she didn't want to just see her daughter. She wanted to live with her. Dante felt it would be better to just get to know the girl first and then introduce her to living with them.

Shaking her head, she swiped at the tears still spilling. "IF this was Rocco, would you feel the same way?"

"Don't do that, I care about Charlotte just as much as you do. Why I don't think this is working."

"Care, not love. That is the issue. You don't love my daughter, is it because she's online mine, not yours?" she angrily question. Part of her knew that was not fair and she should not make that an issue but she was hurt and angry. Wanting Dante's support one hundred percent but she felt, her was not even trying.

Dante's cheeks were pink and he was vigorously shaking his head, all signs LuLu knew meant he was angry. "I gotta get out of here."

"Run Dante, it's what you're good at." she screamed after him as he grabbed his coat and walked out. Collapsing into the sofa, her hands covered her face and she cried.

"I want a divorce," she whispered as they sat on the bed. It had been a few hard days during the weekend Char stayed with them. They were making slow progress but she felt Dante pulling away more every day. He was not present and he worked long shifts at the police department every weekend Charlotte was with them. During the week, all they did was fight about the weekend.

His head snapped from where he was looking at some briefs he was working on. "What?" His voice filled with shocked.

Lulu stood up and began to pace. "The environment we're creating for our children - for my daughter and our son - isn't healthy Dante. You have to see that."

"I see we need to work on it." Dante countered.

"I can't focus on fixing us Dante; I need to work on building a relationship with Charlotte and work on maintaining my relationship with Rocco." LuLu knew that was probably wrong, that putting her children above her marriage but she could not coddle Dante and give one hundred percent to her children at the same.

Especially without his support when it came to Charlotte.

"You're being irrational," he argued and LuLu shook her head.

"No, I'm being rational for the first in in a long time. Dante I cannot keep fighting with you and I cannot keep not giving my children a hundred percent of myself because of it. I'm going to my mom's, with the kids." Moving to the closet, she grabbed the small suitcase she kept packed an old habit her dad taught her. Be ready to run when you had too, something Dante thought was silly. It was the Spencer in her though.

Going to Char's room and then Rocco's, she gathered their sleepy forms. Glad Dante was not making a scene. Getting everyone and everything into the car, she finally called her mom. Letting silent tears falls as she told her mom she was leaving Dante.

"Baby, I know things are tough but are you sure this is the right idea?" Olivia once she had put Rocco back down on the rug in front of the TV at my Mom's. LuLu had been expecting Liv to visit and plead her son's case but she had her reasons, ones she would not change her mind on.

Being the best mother she could to BOTH of her children was the most important thing. Dante could not say the same, that was where the disconnect came from.

"And what about your case with Valentin, will he try to take away shared custody?" Lulu shook her head at Olivia's idea. She was sure that would not be the case. She still despised Valentin for killing Nikolas but they had come to a tentative truce and she was sure he would not play this game.

"Liv, tell Dante I'll see him at Alexis' office in the morning." she told her mother in law - soon to be former mother-in-law and saw her out. Leaning back against the closed door.

"Thank you for seeing me on short notice," Lulu hated that she had to place nice with the man who killed her brother, but still, she would do anything to keep the peace and her custody agreement intact.

Valentin sat across from her and nodded. "Of course, what can I do for you LuLu?" he asked pleasantly.

Deciding to not delay the inevitable, she sighed and began to speak. "I am leaving Dante, wanted to make you aware and also wanted to make sure it won't affect our custody agreement." As in her nature, the words came out fast and nervous.

When the smirk formed on his face, she had the urge to punch it off but that would not help her case, so she fist her hand beneath the tablecloth. Probably thinking his relationship with Nina was far superior since they seemed as happy as ever.

"I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties with Dante but I assure you, I am not callous enough to take Charlotte away from you because of your marriage trouble. You and she seem to be getting closer." To hear Valentin acknowledge the progress she and Charlotte would making made her feel more secure in this.

"Thank you, for not using my marriage for leverage and saying that." she said as nicely as she could. Charlotte and here were not perfect but they were getting there and Lulu loved her daughter to pieces. Once Valentin said his goodbyes, LuLu sighed. One hurdle down.

"Shared custody of Rocco and LuLu gets the house? No alimony?" Alexis' asked Dante and her as they sat at the long table in her office. After a few weeks of meetings, luckily no ugly scenes, things looked about to be settled. He did not want any money from Dante but she would take the house. Both Char and Rocco were comfortable there.

"Yes." Dante said, defeated.

LuLu did not want to end her marriage out of spite and she was disappointed too but since she had left Dante and focused on her children, she had made progress with Charlotte. "Thank you Dante," she told him. Honestly happy Dante had not tried to drag this out and kept everything civil.

"I will always love you, LuLu." It pained her to see the tears in Dante's eyes but she nodded. The feeling was mutual.

"And I you Dante." Leaning over the table, she pressed a kiss against his cheek and then picked up the pen. Signing and initialing where Alexis had placed tabs. A few tears spilling as Dante did the same. The end of a marriage should not be simple but here they were.

Once done, they shared a hug and he went to work as she went home to her children.

"How did you do this Maxie?" she asked as she looked at her office, it was small but the hours were good and worked with the kid's daycare schedule. Working for Nina was not what she had been planning but she had been good at her job working with the magazine back when Kate ran it.

Maxie shrugged her shoulders, "Me and Dillon can't keep this up and Nina still has a lot to learn. I told her you and I basically were in charge of the magazine when Kate went to Connie and then back again. And since you and Valentin are still on good terms, she agreed."

Hugging her best friend, she kissed her cheek. "You're a lifesaver."

"I know. I'm amazing." Maxie half teased.

"Night Mommy," Char whispered as Lulu tucked her in Saturday night and she was glad she went right to sleep. Lulu could not hold back the tears as Char called her mommy for the first time.

As much as she missed having Dante as husband, this showed her she had done the right thing. Being able to solely focus on Char and Rocco had made her a better mother. "I love you, my sweet girl." Kissing the girl on the head, she got up and shut the light. Once she was outside the room, she let the tears come. Leaning against the door and crying, for the first time with joy.

"Come on, it's been two months since the divorce was final and you have the weekend free." Maxie told her. It was true and Lulu felt so lonely at home. Valentin had asked if he could take Char to France with him and Nina, and she had agreed when Charlotte had looked so excited. She would get her three days when they came back during the week.

Rocco was with Dante for the weekend, the first he had off in a while. They were going to a Yankee's game with Michael. She was home alone for the first time in ages. "Fine. Meet me here, need a makeover. I've been in Mommy mode way to long.," she told her best friend.

"I can't believe you let me do that!" Lulu told her the next Monday at work. Speaking of the Saturday night they had went out. Where LuLu had wound up on top of a table with her best friend twerking to some music from the base.

"Let you, you dragged me up there!" Maxie half shouted and she laughed. Feeling more like herself for the first time since she had found out Char was her daughter. Things in her life were finally settling and she felt like she was in the driver's seat. "Nathan is never going to let you go out with me again or pick us up."

"Oh he will. He likes me drunk." Her best friend joked and caused Lulu to laugh yet again.

LuLu looked up from the documents spread out in front of her to the door where she heard the knock. The next layout was due by midnight tomorrow and there were still issues with the ads and the placement. She had been so engrossed with her work since she got the kids to sleep; she almost missed the knock.

It was late, not terribly so but late enough she was not expecting any company. It was probably her mom, since she and Dante had split; Laura came over more often just to check on LuLu and the kids. Figuring it was her mom; she got up and opened the door.

"Didn't anyone teach you about opening the door to strangers?" Johnny's voice floated over her and she almost felt like fainting. The last person she had been expecting.

"Oh my god, Johnny!" she said, half whispered and half shouted as she launched herself into his arms.

Author's Note: So I just formatted the first chapter like this because I wanted to show the process Lulu went through. The following chapters will be more in a normal format. Not skipping around a ton. This is a Jolu story if you could not tell. I have posted links to outfits and inspirations for each chapter in my profile. This story is 100% written and will be posting every few days.