A/N: Chapter 2 of Starting Over, hope you guys like :)
Disclaimer: I only own Matt and Lindsey
Chapter 2:
He woke up the next morning and saw Lindsey and Matt both dressed and ready for dance lessons. "Morning kiddos, where's your mum?" He asked opening the refrigerator and getting the orange juice out pouring himself a glass. Matt shrugged his shoulders and slid into the seat next to his father. "Lindy do you know?" He asked sitting his glass down and staring at his little girl.
"She went to go see Grammy and Granpa." She said swinging her legs as she was too short for her to reach the floor. Scott sighed and picked Matt up and sat him next to Lindsey. He had done some serious thinking last night and he had no doubt what he needed now was a break. A break from Liz, his parents and his life. He would never cut his children out of his life ever though. If he left so did they, he would make sure of it.
"Listen kiddos, whatever happens in the next few days…just know that I love you very much okay?" Matt and Lindy nodded and went to hug their father. "Alright shoes, on and be ready to go in ten minutes." He said standing and going to his room to get dressed. He grabbed jeans and a gray shirt and threw them on. When he walked back out Matt and Lindsey were holding their bags and had their shoes on ready to go.
"Ready to go daddy?" Lindsey asked grabbing his hand and pulling him out the door. He chuckled and picked his sweet baby girl up. Seeing the look on Matt's face he mussed up his hair which earned a playful glare from the young boy. Scott lived for days like this, when Liz wasn't around and his kids could be kids.
"Yep, come on don't wanna be late do we?" He escorted them out of the house and into the car. He drove the all too familiar route and got them out. He walked them inside and saw Liz with her usual dancers. She offered a small smile and he returned it. He knew it was for appearances, in everyone else's minds they were the perfect couple, on and off the dance floor.
"Daddy you gonna stay?" Lindsey asked while he took his shoes off. Scott shook his head no and kissed the top of her head.
"I got some stuff to do but I'll be back in an hour to pick you up okay?" She nodded and ran off with Matthew to Liz who hugged both of them. She glared at Scott over matt's shoulder and he gladly returned it with an icy stare of his own.
"Darling, we need to have a little chat." He turned around to see his mother standing there with a stare of disapproval on her face. "Before you leave the studio." She said grabbing his arm and dragging him to a dark corner away from everyone else.
"What is it you want mum?" He asked and crossed his arms looking down at her. She got that wide eyed look and opened and closed her mouth like a fish, a look she got when she was mad. One that he had seen a lot of in his 30 years of life.
"What I want is for you to realize how lucky you are and to stop being so selfish. You have a beautiful wife and kids, a wonderful marriage, you've won the Pan-Pacific…and now you want to argue with everyone that's come your way! What's going on Scott?" He had just about had it, what with Liz's constant whining, Kylie complaining about mum and him complaining about his mum all he wanted to do was scream at the top of his lungs.
"What I want is to be able to spend time with my wife and not have it filled with tension, what I want is to be able to sit down at dinner for one night and not have Matt or Lindy crying because of their mother. What I want is for my own mother to realize I can make my own decisions and don't need her meddling in my life. Damn mum all I was is to be happy like I used to be!" He hadn't meant to go on a rant but with him mum cornering him like this it was hard not to.
"Scott what could you possibly be unhappy with? Liz-"
"That's exactly what I'm unhappy with; I don't think we've done anything together in the past 5 years! Anytime we're alone all she wants to do is complain either about me or the kids!" He hated saying that out loud, Liz actually was a good person. She just wasn't good with him, their personalities just didn't mesh. "Listen mum I got stuff to do, I'll call later." He kissed his cheek and walked out to his car. He sat there just staring at the steering wheel trying to figure out what he needed to do.
"You know dear brother to get places you need to actually start the car." He jumped in shock at hearing Kylie so close to him. He looked over and saw she was sitting in the passenger seat in her dance outfit gibing him one of her looks. "Wanna talk about what's going on?" She was 19 now, an adult and could tell when her older brother was upset. She could always tell though and he figured it really shouldn't have surprised him.
"It's nothing Kyles, don't you have a class to teach?" She shrugged and leaned her head on his shoulder. And looked up at him with the deep brown eyes that resembled his own.
"Matt can handle it; now tell me what's going on." She said taking his keys out of the ignition so he couldn't go anywhere until he told her. Scott sighed and ran a hand through his hair before answering.
"I'm thinking about divorcing Liz. Things just aren't working, I tried to ignore it for Matt and Lindy…but if I'm being honest we were doomed from the start." Kylie was quiet as she processed what her brother had told her.
"Can't say I'm surprised Scott, you may act like you thought it would work but deep down you knew it wouldn't. You got with Liz because she was familiar you knew how she worked. She wasn't a puzzle for you to figure out because you had already solved her. You didn't have the same passion and adoration in you eyes with her as you did Fran. You wanna know why Scott, because Liz isn't the one you loved and still love. It's Fran and always will be. So don't short handle yourself out of obligation or duty. Forget about what mum wants and do what you want." The door opened and she got out handing him his keys back, Damn, he had just been told by his sister. He gave a smile of thanks and pulled out of the parking lot. He still had about 45 minutes until he had to be back to get Matt and Lindsey.
He pulled back into his driveway and went up the stairs to the front door. He walked to their bedroom and grabbed an overnight bag and put 3 changes of clothes in there and put a set of pajamas along with other things in there and put in the trunk of his car. The kids could stay with Liz until he got himself squared away at a new place. He drove back to the dance studio and waited for Matt and Lindy to go out.
"Daddy guess what momma said I did really well today with Teddy!" Lindsey yelled running into her father's arms and he picked her up. He noticed that Matt didn't look so enthused and sat her down and went to talk to his boy.
"Matty…what's wrong?' He asked squatting down at the 8 year old's level. He just shook his head at his father and looked away, looking as if he was about to cry.
"What's wrong Scott is that your son kept forgetting the steps after I told him what to do." He didn't like the way Liz would act like Matthew wasn't her son unless he did everything right.
"Our son Liz, he's been working on this dance for 4 days, you can't expect him to be a natural at it." He said put Matt behind him and sheltering him from the force that was his mother.
"Exactly Scott he's our son which means he should be able to do the dance and not resorting to making up his own steps. Guess he had more of you in him than I thought." Scott's blood boiled. He could settle with Liz acting like a selfish brat when they were alone. He would not stand for her belittling him in front of his own children.
"And just what is that supposed to mean Elizabeth?" He said stepping closer, by now his mother and Kylie were watching from the shadows. His mother ready to jump in on Liz's behalf and Kylie on Scott's behalf.
"It means he's going to be a silly dreamed like you Scott. He's going to become like you!" She screeched and punctuated every word with a jab to his chest.
"Well if I remember correctly it was I who won the Pan-Pacific, not you!" She gasped and everyone turned to look at them Matt and Lindsey's eyes widened, they had never seen their father talk to their mum like that.
"This isn't the time nor the place to be having this discussion Scott. We'll continue this once we lay Matt and Lindy down for a nap." He shook his head and stepped away.
"No Liz, when you lay them down for a nap. I can't do this anymore; I can't pretend to love you anymore." He said staring her straight in the eyes. He watched as her eyes filled with tears. Liz was the one who loved him, but he wasn't the one who loved her.
"Scott you don't mean that. You've been with me since we were kids." She said stepping closer and he just stepped further back. "Scott think about Lindsey and Matthew." She was gasping at any angle she could now and that didn't work for him.
"I am, I don't want them to grow up in the same household as Kylie and me." He bent down to his little ones and saw they were crying as well. "Hey now don't cry, I promise I'm going to fight for the two of you until I die." He said kissing them both on the tops of their heads.
"I love you daddy." Lindsey said grasping onto his legs and he lifted her up. She was crying and the tears were rolling down her rosy cheeks. She looked so much like him and Liz. She had his eyes but Liz's bright blonde hair.
"I love you too Princess, and I love you too Matty." He said taking the carbon copy of Liz into his arms. Matthew hugged him back and surprisingly he heard his son speak out.
"Don't leave me with mummy." He felt Matt's hold on him tighten and his heart broke for his little boy.
"It's only for a little while baby." He muttered and kissed the tops of his son's head. He turned to Liz and saw she was crying as well. He hated to admit it but a small part of him did love Liz, just not the way she wanted to be loved. He closed the distance in 3 large steps and took her in his arms.
"I'm sorry Liz." He muttered against her hair and held her while she cried. He pulled his head back and kissed her one final time, no sparks, just a kiss. There was nothing there, for either of them anymore.
"I do love you Scott, even though I don't show it." Her hold on him tightened and he had to struggle to keep his tears at bay. Even though he didn't love her leaving would be hard. It was just like Kylie had said. Liz was familiar, and now he was sailing into unfamiliar waters.
"I know you do Liz, and some day you'll find someone that loves you as much as you love them." He said pulling away and looking at his mother and Kylie. "It's time for me to go. I'll stop by later so we can talk things over." She nodded still crying. He got in his car and with a final glance to the five people who were watching his every move he drove off. Trying his hardest not to drive back and tell Liz he wanted to stay together. Because deep down he knew that's not what he wanted, he needed to find something else. And he knew exactly who that something else was.