A/N: Another update for you all. Enjoy. As always, please let me know what you think. Foul language alert.

Catherine opened her front door to the smell of bacon and eggs. Entering her kitchen, she found Eddie at the stove with Lindsey seated at the table swinging her legs and waiting with a fork in her hand. Upon seeing her mom enter the room she let the fork fall with a clatter and ran over to Catherine. Giving her a hug she grabbed her hand and led her to where Eddie was cooking.

"Mommy, look! Daddy's making me breakfast."

Eddie smiled at Catherine and winked at his daughter. Catherine just shook her head.

"Ed, what are you doing here?"

"What's it look like? I'm making breakfast for my pumpkin." Lindsey giggled at the nickname.

"Eddie, this is my house. You aren't supposed to be in my house" she said quietly.

"Aw, come on Cath. Can't I make breakfast for my little girl? She called me, said she was here on her own so I came over. She's too young to be home alone" he said accusingly pointing the spatula at Catherine's chest.

Catherine took a deep breath, fighting to keep her calm. Confronting Eddie was never easy and his aloof manner irritated her to no end. Her patience was already paper thin; the result of her earlier fight with Sara, and it wore thinner with each passing second.

"Where's Nancy?" she asked, as her sister was supposed to be babysitting.

"Lindsey said she had to go to work. It's after eight already."

"Why didn't she call me?"

"I don't know Cath, did you check your phone?"

Glaring, she reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. The display on the front let her know she had a new voicemail. Her heart sank as she heard her sister's voice on the other end, wondering why Catherine wasn't home yet, and letting her know that she had to leave for work. The end of the message was her sister telling her that she had suggested to Lindsey that she should phone her father.

"Damn" she swore quietly as she placed the phone back in her bag.

"Maybe if you paid more attention, you wouldn't have missed the call and you could have been here earlier, then I wouldn't have had to come over."

"I was driving, Eddie, I didn't hear the phone. And you certainly don't seem to mind being invited over by your daughter!"

"Course I don't mind looking after her. I mind that you aren't here for her."

"Eddie, do not start this again."

Her patience was hanging by a very fine thread now, and Eddie knew it. Lindsey piped up from her place at the table: "Mommy? Can I eat now?"

Catherine turned her attention to her daughter. "Of course you can sweetie. Here, let me get it for you."

She moved to serve Lindsey, but Eddie intervened. "No need Cath, I got it." He gave her one of his famous smiles and reached in front of her to pass the plate back to the child at the table. Catherine stood clenching her fists, inwardly seething. She could feel her nails digging painfully into her palms, but she didn't move.

Lindsey ate her food blissfully unaware of the silent war raging between her parents. As soon as she was finished, Catherine said "Lindsey baby, can you go upstairs and get your things for school?"

Lindsey looked up; finally catching the angry looks Catherine was shooting at Eddie. A hurt look crossed her face and she scowled at her mother before running from the room and thundering up the stairs. As soon as she heard the door slam, Catherine whirled on her ex-husband.

"Get out." She ordered.

"What? Why do you have such a problem with me spending time with my daughter?"

"This has nothing to do with Lindsey! This is my house, and I want you out!"

"I don't even get a thank you for breakfast?" He was successfully baiting her into a fight.

"Fuck off Eddie." She spat at him.

"Great Catherine. That's wonderful language to be using around your eight year old daughter."

For the second time in one morning Catherine was in the middle of a face-off, shouting for all the world to hear. Eddie took his time getting to the front door.

"Nice to see you again Cath, you know I think we could have made this work." He sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Catherine was about ready to deck him in the face. "Really? As I recall it was you who had to get your kicks elsewhere. You never gave a damn about me or your daughter!"

As Eddie swaggered down the drive he turned back towards the house. "It takes two to fuck up a marriage, Catherine" he yelled back at her before climbing into his car and slamming the door shut with such force Catherine was sure the whole neighbourhood heard it.

She was struggling to breathe. She was fighting tears and she trembled with rage. Turning back into the house she saw Lindsey standing on the stairs, backpack in one hand, and a look of pure shock on her face. Looking at her mom, Lindsey burst into tears. Catherine reached for her daughter but Lindsey roughly shook off her hands.

"Lindsey, please don't make this worse."

"This isn't my fault!" she sobbed.

"No, no sweetie it isn't, but baby if I want to hug you?" she was pleading with her daughter. But Lindsey was too angry to be consoled. Glaring at her mom through her tears she yelled "I hate you! You've ruined everything!" Lindsey then ran past Catherine and out the front door.

Catherine's vision blurred through her own tears. But she couldn't cry, not yet. She still had to get Lindsey to school. Pulling herself off the stairs she picked up her purse and her keys. She felt like her feet were made of lead. It took almost all her strength to drag herself out the front door. She found Lindsey sitting on the lawn, knees drawn to her chest, head resting on her hands. At the sound of the car being unlocked, Lindsey picked herself up and flung herself into the backseat.

The entire drive was made in complete silence, Lindsey glowering at Catherine the entire time. Every time Catherine had to check the rear-view mirror, she caught sight of her daughter's face. It served as her reminder of just how messed up things were, and it hurt. Pulling up in front of the school, Lindsey opened the door and exited without a word. Catherine called after her, but Lindsey just kept walking. Catherine watched as her daughter was swallowed up into the crowd of shrieking children in the school yard. Somehow, she managed to drive herself home.

As soon as she got home she flung herself into bed without getting undressed. This day could not possibly get any worse. It had been the most emotionally draining day Catherine had had in a long time. She pulled the covers tightly around her body, burrowing her face into her pillow. She finally fell asleep some time later, completely exhausted.

TBC