"That's not how mom does it!" Noah exclaims as he stares in disgust at the grill cheese sandwich Elliot places in front of him.
"It's a grill cheese sandwich! How is possible for mom to do it differently?" Elliot smirks at the conversation he has with his son no matter what plate he puts on the table.
"I don't know but this looks different" Noah pokes at the sandwich as if it has grown a head.
"Noah, I don't know what to tell you. This is the best I can do so can you eat it for your old man, please." Elliot pleads with Noah.
Noah ponders his father's suggestion for two seconds then shakes his head and states "sorry dad."
Elliot watches the boy climb down off the bar stool and leaves the kitchen. What am I going to do with these kids, he thinks to himself. Every Saturday he spends with the kids is plaqued with whines of 'that's not how mom does it', whether it be a meal or bath or even a bedtime story. It's time like this that he wants to shout that he misses her too. He misses how she use to smile at him like he was the only person that existed or the way she fit perfectly in his arm. He misses how earlier in their relationships they could have a conversation without talking. He misses everything about her. He especially misses sharing his bed with her. Elliot's thoughts are interrupted by the doorbell.
"I'll get it." Cali rushes for the door. Elliot rounds the corner just in time to hear Cali ask- "who are you?"
Elliot approaches the door to see his eldest staring suspiciously at his neighbor Lindsay, who to her credit smiles patiently at the child.
"Cali!" Elliot places a hand on Cali shoulder and steps in front of her. "Sorry for my daughters behavior. What's up Lin?"
'Lin?' Callie thinks to herself.
" Can I borrow some sugar?" Lindsey ask, "I am baking cupcakes and forgot the sugar."She smile and touches Elliot's arm.
"Sure, no problem. Come in while I get that for you." He steps aside to let her in and follows here to the kitchen. He misses the astonished look on his daughter's face as he passes her in the hallway. "Lindsay, these are my children, Calliope behind you and Noah and Emma in the living room. Guys say hi to my neighbor, Lindsey"
Emma and Noah barely look up from their cartoons as they mumble "hello". Callie says nothing at all.
Lindsay takes a seat at the bar stool previously occupied by Noah. She picks up the plate containing the grilled cheese sandwich and states, "lunch time?"
"Yeah, except apparently I don't know how to do it right. He won't eat it because it is not how Olivia does it."
"Olivia your ex?"
"No, she is his wife." Cali chimes in from her position next to her father.
Elliot gently elbows his oldest. "Aww... She is my...my aww, well the kids mother". He watches as Cali rolls her eyes. Elliot turns his attention back to Lindsay and the forgotten sandwich. "Well anyway he won't eat it or anything for that matter." Elliot looks over at his son in the living room intensely watching tv. Noah has not eaten a meal at Elliot's apartment since the separation unless it is pre-packaged. He is surviving solely on junk food, at least on the weekends.
"Do you mind if I try?" Lindsay asks as she reach for the knife on the counter.
Elliot nods, "no, not at all." He watches as Lindsay cuts off the crust and makes tiny triangles out of the sandwich. He watches as she leaves the bar stool, heads to the living room and kneels before the picky five year old. He watches astonished as the boy reaches for a sandwich and takes a bite. Noah chews on the mouthful and then look over Lindsay shoulder at his dad in the kitchen and proudly proclaims-
"She knows how to do it like mom, dad." Noah grins then turns to Lindsay, maybe seeing her for the first time, and whispers to her, "you should teach dad. He sucks at cooking."
Elliot smiles at his son and his belief that making a grilled cheese sandwich is cooking. He can't help but notice the beautiful woman kneeling and now tickling his boy. He had never spent the time to notice her before but now he can't help but notice her beautiful smile, bright green eyes, shoulder length blonde hair and flawless skin. Not to mention that long smooth neck leading to the peak of skin through her cleavage. Elliot shakes his head, he can't go there. He can't think of Lindsay like that. He is just horny afterall it's been eight month since he kissed a woman much less- well anything else. He is so caught up in his internal conflict that he misses his daughter staring at him, while he stares at Lindsay. He is startled out of his trance when Lindsay suddenly is standing before him and speaking to him. Speaking word he didn't hear.
" What?"
Lindsay touches his arm and leans in. "Are you ok?" Elliot's nods. " Ok. I was just saying...problem solved."
"Thanks for that." He responds, still staring in her eyes.
Cali looks between the two adults who appeared to be in some kind of trance. She knows that look! It's the look her parent use to have only less intense. She has to stop this before it becomes just like her parents.
"Dad, it's time for soccer!" she yells as she pushes her way between the two. Elliot looks down and comes face to face with his wife, only in miniature, complete with folded arms and angry snarl. Suddenly the current state of his family is all he can think off. He steps away from Lindsay.
"Umm... We have soccer and piano lessons so..aww-"
"You need to leave!"
"Cali! You need to-"
"No, it's ok. I should leave." Lindsay interrupts and starts for the door.
Elliot's reaches for her arm, "thanks again and I am sorry for Cali's behavior"
"It's no problem. Thanks again" she reassures and holds up the container ofsugar, smiles and leave the apartment.
He watches her go then turns to Cali. "What was that about?"
"What?"
"Cali, you were rude to our guest!"
"She was not my guest. I didn't want her here." Cali pouts.
"And you made it obvious! Young lady you can not talk to people like that. She was my guest and you were rude. That's not how your mother and I raised you."
"Oh NOW you remember my mother! You know your wife, I thought you forgot with all the gloggly eyes you were making before." Cali huffed as she storms off and heads towards the room she shares with her sister slamming the door.
Elliot sighs. 'that was this whole mess is about?' he says to himself. He makes his way to the room and knocks on the door. "Cali sweetheart, can I come in?" When he doesn't receive a responds, he opens the door. What he sees reminds him that despite all her lip, Cali is still only seven. She is curled up in fetal position holding 'Mr Buttons', a stuffed bear she has had since age one. He crosses the room, sits at the feet of the bed and rubs her back. It is only then that he notices the long tears flowing down her cheeks. He reaches out and wipes them away. "Sunshine what's wrong?" A shrug of the shoulder is the only answer he receives. "Please talk to me, darling."
"Are you ever going to come home daddy?" She gets out between sobs.
"Sweetie we ARE home."
Cali sits up in bed and turns to her father. " I mean home home, daddy."
"Calliope I don't know that I am"
"why?"
"There is a lot of things that your mom and I have to work on before that can happen."
"That's not an answer! You guys never answer the question. One moment we are a happy family and the next you live here and we go back and forth like one of Noah's toy yoyo."
"I know you don't understand, heck I am not sure I understand. But I do understand that whatever happens- "
"You love me the same." Cali interrupts. "I know, daddy. I love you too."
Elliot reaches for and kisses Cali on the forehead. "Come on, we have to get you to soccer and Noah to piano." He gets up from the bed and starts for the door.
"Dad?"
Elliot turns as he is about to exit the room and faces Cali. "Yeah"
"You should just say sorry."
"Huh?"
"Whenever I do something wrong, you and mom make me apologize and usually everything is better after that. You guys say that if you say sorry and mean it then sometime people will forgive you. So maybe you should say sorry and maybe mommy will forgive you and let you move home."
Elliot steps back into the room and approaches her. "Sweetie, I don't think that's going to work"
"You can try though."
Elliot smile at her innocence. "Ok, I'll try" He grabs her in big hug. "I'll try anything for you!
Authors note: please review! Let me know if I should continue or not.
