Erica heard Daniel's small feet pitter-patter around upstairs, and quickly through on a tshirt from the pile of unfolded laundry nearby.
"Kevin, we need to talk."
"When this is over." He said pushing her away again.
Erica took the remote from Kevin's hands, and turned off the television. "Now."
Kevin sighed, and looked at his wife. "What?" he demanded.
"What's wrong with you lately?"
"For one, you turned off the television."
"I'm trying to have sex with you and all you want to do is watch television!"
"I don't want to have sex right now."
"Obviously." Erica said. "I want an honest answer. Don't bullshit me."
"What?" Kevin asked.
"Why are there pictures of women without clothes on your phone?"
"You want snooping through my phone?!"
"No, you gave it to me to call my mother the other day; while it was still in my hand…some girl named Holly called you, and you're the idiot that put her naked picture as her ID."
"I'm not talking about this."
"You talk to me or I'll take Daniel, and you'll never see either of us again."
"I'm a lawyer, I know the rules. You can't do that. I can file for custody."
"Only if you can find us."
"You'll go to Rebecca and Henry, I'm not an idiot."
"You must be, if that's the first place you think I'd go."
"Erica. I'm not talking about this right now." He said turning back on the television.
"Fine." She said.
Within a few minutes, she had a bag packed; and Daniel by her side, with a bag in his hand.
"Kevin, last chance."
"Dad, come on. Whatever it is. I'm sure it's not bad enough to wreck our family."
"Your mother wrecked our family."
"Daniel, I want you to ride your bike to Rebecca's; I'll come and get you in a little bit, okay?" Erica said.
"Is everything going to be okay?"
"It'll be fine. Just go."
Once Daniel was out of earshot; Erica looked at Kevin. "How exactly did I wreck our family?"
"Rebecca and Henry."
"What about them?"
"Stop spending so much damn time with them and start spending time here. Maybe, after I've dealt a case all day, that I had no chance of winning, I want to spend time with my wife and my son; but I can't, because you two are always with Rebecca and Henry."
"I spent a ton of time with Rebecca and Henry, before they decided to move out. What's the difference?"
"The difference is, when they lived with us; I still got to see you. I love Rebecca; like my daughter, but like my daughter, doesn't make her my daughter."
"Kevin, we adopted her."
"A piece of paper doesn't mean shit since the moment she turned eighteen."
"To a girl; who's only successful relationship with a man before Henry was the rape that created her Son, and to a girl who's Step mother beat her to a pulp for breathing, and to a girl who's father sold her to the man that raped her. That piece of paper means everything."
"It might have meant something when she was sixteen. I doubt it means much now that she's twenty-six."
"Have you asked her?"
"Of course not."
"Then how do you know?"
"How about the fact I'm not an idiot?"
"I never said you were."
"You're treating me like one."
"Kevin, you're overreacting."
"Maybe. That still doesn't change the fact I want you to spend less time with Rebecca."
"If you loved me; you would never make me choose."
"Maybe I don't love you." Kevin said. "After fifteen years of marriage; some of romance naturally goes away."
"I think the pictures on your phone prove that you no longer love me."
Kevin sat silently for a moment. "Let's try and rekindle."
"The time for that passed the moment you accepted those pictures."
"Let's at least give it a shot, hm?"
"No. If our entire relationship is based on sex. That's not much a relationship."
"You tried to seduce me just a few minutes ago!"
"First off, it's not seduction if you're married. Second, I wanted sex less than you. I was testing you."
"Fine; leave."
"Kevin. I love you. Daniel loves you."
"And I love Holly."
"Will you at least tell me how you met?"
"She's my favorite stripper." He said with ice dripping from his tongue.
"Of course she is." Erica said, grabbing her bag, leaving the house; and slamming the door, as she did so, a family picture of Her, Kevin, and Daniel fell off the wall, shattering.
Erica arrived at Rebecca and Henry's a few minutes. She found Rebecca sitting with Daniel on the porch, in the same place Rebecca sat with Benjamin the previous day.
"Hey buddy;" Rebecca said. "Why don't you go play with Benjamin?"
"Mom?" Daniel asked.
"Do what Rebecca said, please."
"Just remember what I said, okay?" Rebecca said, ushering him inside; as he nodded.
"What did you tell him?" Erica said.
"He told me what happened, well; what he thinks happened. I imagine being ten, he didn't really understand. I told him, none of it was his fault."
"I did confront him about the pictures."
"And?"
"He said he's in love with Holly."
"Who is she?"
"His favorite stripper."
"Oh."
"I left him. At least for now."
"Do you really want to go back to a man who so outwardly cheats on you?"
"No. But Daniel loves him. Do you think Daniel and I could stay here until I figure things out?"
"Sure. Benjamin and Daniel will have to share a room though, and I'll have to move Whyatt and Montgomery to the basement."
"Thanks."
