Didn't expect to write this so quickly! Enjoy!

When he got back to the apartment, Ben found himself irked that Evelyn wasn't there waiting for him. The two hour drive back from Hartford had done nothing to calm his temper and he wanted to discuss the events of the evening with her. Finding the apartment dark and cold was not ideal. Moving around, switching on lights and uselessly lifting things and placing them somewhere else, also didn't help and, suddenly wondering if she had decided to go back to her own apartment, he lifted the phone and dialled her number. Her machine picked up, but he put the phone down again without leaving a message.

Unsure what to do, he flicked the television on and started making a pot of coffee. As the scent filled the air, he took a deep breath and tried to relax, but he couldn't get the image of Peter's face out of his head. He had looked so hurt, and Ben wasn't sure if it was because he had discovered he had been going to have a sibling and hadn't been told, or whether it was the fact he had been going to have a sibling at all that had clearly caused him the most upset.

As he was pondering this, and what he was going to say to his son next time he saw him, the apartment door suddenly opened and, making his way from the kitchen to the living room, he saw Evelyn close the door and turn to hang her coat on the rack. "Where have you been?"

She turned to him, clearly surprised at his question. "I was out with Sarah."

"I know that, but I just thought you would have been home before now."

"We had dinner and then went for coffee..." she trailed off at the look on his face. "I'm guessing it didn't go well then?"

"You guess right," he replied shortly, "and it might have been nice for you to have been here when I got back."

"I didn't realise I had a curfew," she replied, her voice tight. "How was I supposed to know when you would be back? You might have still been there. So, what happened?"

"Oh, well there's nothing going on between her and Mark that need concern me, you and I have clearly been filling the kids heads with talk about Edward and, in any event, they won't want to come and live with me now that they know you were pregnant."

Evelyn stared at him. "How did they...?"

"What, find out? Well Laura only blurted it out when she knew Peter was standing right behind me, didn't she?" He turned back into the kitchen and started slamming cups down onto the counter. "Just when I thought our relationship had taken a turn for the better she had to go and stick the knife in."

"How did Peter react?"

"How do you think he reacted?" Ben snapped. "He looked at me as though his whole world was ending then took to his heels and ran!"

"You don't have to shout at me," Evelyn said quietly.

"Well I don't have anyone else to shout at, do I?!" He slammed the cupboard door, causing her to jump, and instantly felt remorse. "I'm sorry..." he sighed heavily. "None of this is your fault and I shouldn't be taking it out on you." Moving to her, he slid his arms around her and pulled her close, ignoring the way she stiffened at first before relaxing in his embrace. "I've just...spent the whole car journey home going over and over it in my head. Things just seemed to be falling into place and now this..."

"So, what are you going to do?" she asked, her voice muffled against his chest.

"The only thing I can do," he replied. "I'm going to have to file papers applying for custody and ask for an emergency hearing."

"Are you sure that's wise? Maybe Laura's right and the kids will have changed their mind."

"So I just leave them in a potentially dangerous situation?" he pulled back from her. "You were the one who pushed me on this!"

"I know...but after what happened tonight...?"

"Peter's angry, I can understand that. But it doesn't change the fact that something is going on in that house and it's not right that my children should be in the middle of it." Ben shook his head. "I'll go into the office in the morning, get the damn thing typed up and then drive back up to Hartford and lodge it with the county court there. Maybe, if I ask nicely, I can get a hearing within the week." Evelyn didn't say anything. "I'm sorry, but...I don't think we should go away anywhere this week. I feel as though I need to be here."

"Of course," she said. "I wasn't expecting..."

"I mean, I am their father..." he continued, moving away from her over to the couch. "I could just go and pick them up from school tomorrow and bring them here."

"I don't think that's a very good idea."

"Why not? There's no court order in place just now and I'd be well within my rights."

"Yes, but then Laura's going to call the police and it's not going to look good for your application if her lawyer can stand up in court and say that you kidnapped them."

"It wouldn't be kidnapping, I'm their father!" he said, unable to believe that she couldn't see the truth in what he was saying. "I've as much right to have them as she does!"

"So what are you going to do, drag them into your car kicking and screaming?" She sat down beside him. "You need to go about this through the proper channels. Who are you going to hire anyway?"

"I'm not going to hire anyone." She blinked. "I can handle it on my own."

"But when was the last time you practiced family law?"

He paused, "Never, but..."

"I bet you haven't even looked at a statue since you were in law school."

"Oh, and you have I suppose?"

"No, so if it were my kids, I would be hiring whoever I knew could do the best job for me. It's not as if we don't know people."

"Yeah, well they're not your kids are they?" he replied pettily. "I'm more than capable of putting together an application for custody and representing myself at a hearing. I'm a member of the New York state bar and an Executive Assistant District Attorney. That has to count for something."

"Fine," she said, getting to her feet. "You've obviously made up your mind about it all so there's little point in me saying anything else, is there?"

Instantly, he felt bad again and got to his feet, "Evelyn..." but she moved past him and went into the bathroom, closing the door purposefully behind her. "Damn it," he swore softly to himself and went back into the kitchen to finish making the coffee. There were two cupcakes sitting in a container on the shelf, left over from the previous day, so he plated them and then carried everything through to the table. A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom again. "Peace offering," he said ruefully, gesturing to the table, "not to mention another apology."

"It's fine," she said, sitting down and sliding one of the cups over to herself. "It's not like I'm not used to it."

He felt her words pierce him and he was about to say that the conversation they had just had could not be considered anything akin to what she had gone through with Edward, but suddenly thought better of it and focused on his own coffee instead. For a few moments, there was a tense silence. "I never asked you how you got on with Sarah," he said finally.

"It was good," Evelyn replied, biting into one of the cupcakes. "We talked about a lot of things and she apologised so I feel better about it."

"When does she fly home?"

"Tomorrow night. She left me with a lot of things to think about."

"Like what?"

Evelyn paused. "Like going back to therapy...maybe asking my mother to go with me, that kind of thing."

"I've been telling you to go back to therapy for weeks," he said. "Do you think your mom would go?"

She shrugged, "Hard to tell. I was thinking I might give her a call tomorrow, not about therapy but just in general."

"I guess it can't hurt."

"Guess not." She licked the last of the cupcake icing from her fingers and drained her cup. "I think I'll go to bed if you don't mind. It's been a long day."

"Sure," he replied. "I'll be there in a minute."

She got to her feet and crossed the room towards the bedroom before stopping and turning back. "I was thinking...maybe I should go back to my own place tomorrow."

He looked at her, surprised, "Why?"

"Well...I'm pretty much able to take care of myself and, well if the kids are going to be coming here, you'll need the space."

"True..." he mused. "We might have to think about getting a bigger apartment." She didn't say anything. "I don't want you to go, though. I like you being here. After all this time, the place wouldn't feel the same without you. Bathroom would be a lot tidier but aside from that..." she smiled and shook her head before turning and heading into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

He pottered around for a while, cleaning up the dishes, wiping down the kitchen, rearranging the cushions on the couch and generally returning the place back to a teenage-free environment. As he did so, however, he couldn't help thinking that he wouldn't care if Peter and Pamela had the place looking like a pig sty as long as they were happy and safe. By the time he went into the bedroom, Evelyn was in bed, the covers pulled around her, her eyes hazy with impending sleep. He undressed quickly and slid in beside her, moving close to her and gently kissing her. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I've been an asshole tonight, I know I have. It's just..."

"It's ok," she said softly. "I understand."

"I don't want you to go."

"Then I won't. Not if you need me."

He kissed her again, then again and again, trailing his mouth down her chin, her throat, her neck, her collarbone and then lower, pulling open the buttons on her nightshirt and caressing each of her breasts in turn. Then lower again, down her ribcage and stomach to her thighs, feeling her shudder underneath him and hearing her moan softly above him. Her body jerked as his tongue found and worked her until she was on the brink and thrashing against him as he moved back up to take advantage of her pleasure. As he pulled her legs around his waist and sank inside her, he couldn't help but think that needing her didn't even begin to scratch the surface.

XXXX

"Monday?"

The reality of what he was saying slowly started to sink in.

Ben nodded, his expression pained. "I'm sorry, it was the earliest hearing they could give me. I wanted something this week but they said the calendar was full. I know it's not ideal, for either of us, but...I had to take it."

"Of course," Evelyn said, quickly recovering herself. "Of course you did. I wouldn't have expected you not to. I guess I was just...hoping that you would be there, that's all."

He stepped forward and took her in his arms, "And I wanted to be there, of course I did. If there was any other way around it..." he paused. "The hearing's at noon. Maybe I could come with you for the first hour or so and then go up..."

"No," she shook her head. "No, that's a silly idea. You need to be up there in plenty of time and there could be traffic or an accident or...anything and you can't miss it." She pulled back and met his gaze. "I'll be fine, Ben, really I will."

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "I know you will and you'll have Jack and Claire...did you talk to your mom?"

"Uh no, not yet," Evelyn stepped back. "I called her earlier but I only got her machine. I was going to try again later this evening."

"Good. It's important that she's there for you," Ben said. "She is your mother after all."

He moved into the kitchen and Evelyn sat down on the couch, the full impact of the situation hitting her. Ben had spent the morning at the office preparing his custody application and had then driven up to Hartford to lodge it and request a hearing. She had never imagined, for one minute, that it might conflict with the first day of Edward's trial, or that he might not be able to be in the courtroom with her while she gave evidence. But Peter and Pamela had to come first, she knew that. She was a grown woman after all, able to take care of herself.

"I take it nobody called while I was out," he said, coming back into the living room.

"No," she replied. "Well, not while I was here anyway and there were no messages. Were you expecting someone?"

He made a face, "I guess I'd hoped that the kids might call but...maybe that's just wishful thinking. Anyway, Laura should get notification of the hearing tomorrow so they should find out pretty soon that I'm at least trying to keep my word."

"You just need to give them some time."

"I know...but it's not easy sometimes." The phone rang suddenly and he dived for it. "Hello? Oh, hello Susan." Evelyn got to her feet, feeling her heart rising into her mouth. "Yes, she's here, hold on." He held out the receiver to her.

"Hi Mom," she said, trying to keep her voice as level as possible.

"Hello yourself," Susan replied, "You called me earlier?"

"Yes, I did..." she wandered over towards the window, her heart hammering in her chest. It was so ridiculous, feeling stressed about talking to her own mother and yet, she couldn't help it. "I'm sorry that I missed you."

"I was having lunch with Patricia. She's very upset about Sarah and the family going home today."

"Oh...well she must have always known they were only staying a short while."

"Yes, of course she did but it's obviously hard for her, having her daughter so far away." Susan paused. "So, was there something in particular you wanted to talk to me about?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Evelyn saw Ben make his way into the bedroom and close the door, tactfully giving her privacy to talk. "Oh...well I just wondered how you were."

"I'm fine. You?"

"Fine." Evelyn paused and decided to just take the hit. "Actually I wanted to apologise for what happened at Thanksgiving last week. I was a little upset and some of the things I said weren't perhaps the things I should have said."

"No, they weren't," Susan replied. "But I suppose you're not the only one at fault. I could have chosen my own words better. I certainly didn't mean to imply that I consider what you went through with Edward to be trivial...or that any of it was your fault." She paused. "I'm sorry for that and...and for many things, I suppose."

Evelyn felt a lump form in her throat. "Many things?"

Susan coughed. "I'm not saying that I was the perfect mother, Evelyn. I liked Edward and you always seemed to be having a good time..." she paused again. "Obviously I know now that the reality of your life was very different."

"You know now..." Evelyn repeated, sagging a little, her dream of her mother finally admitting her wilful blindness starting to shatter.

"Well, yes... I mean, how could I have known at the time? You always seemed...so happy when I saw you and, well, when I didn't see you, I just assumed that you were busy enjoying yourself."

Tears pricked at the corner of Evelyn's eyes and she willed herself to stay calm when, in reality, all she wanted to do was scream at Susan that she must have know something was wrong!

"But I suppose there's little point in dwelling on the past, is there?"

"Oh, on the contrary," Evelyn said, taking a breath. "I wanted to ask you if you would do a couple of things for me, Mom."

"Such as?" Susan asked suspiciously.

"I'm...thinking about going back to therapy. I had some before the...the shooting and I think it might be beneficial for me to have some more, you know, to help process everything and...well...I was hoping you might consider coming with me."

"Well, I...I don't really see what my being there would do to help you get over everything. I mean, surely I would just be sitting there listening to you talk."

"You might find that you have something to contribute," Evelyn pressed. "Maybe it might help...improve our relationship now and...and stop incidents like Thanksgiving happening again."

Susan sighed, "Well I've never really been one to extol the virtues of therapy, but if you think it would do you some good to have me there then I don't see the harm in coming at least once. You'll organise it and let me know the date? Only, not a Wednesday if possible as you know I have my book club that day."

"I'll try and avoid Wednesdays."

"What was the other thing you wanted me to do?"

Evelyn took a breath before speaking. "I was hoping that you would come to court with me next week." There was a long silence at the other end of the phone and, for a moment, she thought the connection had been lost. "Mom, are you still there?"

"Yes, I'm here," Susan said. "I'm sorry, Evelyn, but I can't."

"Oh...you have something else on?"

"No..." Susan sighed. "I can't sit there and listen to you tell everyone about Edward and what he did to you. No mother should have to listen to her own daughter give evidence in court about anything let alone...that. It wouldn't do either you or me any good for me to be there."

Anger and hurt coursed through her as, once again, Susan demonstrated that she was thinking only of herself. "I appreciate that it would be difficult for you, Mom, but I could use your support. It's not going to be easy for me."

"I understand that, but you don't need my support, Evelyn. You'll have Ben there. He's all the support you possibly could need or want. I'm sorry," she said decisively. "I have no issue in coming to therapy with you if that's what you want, but please don't ask me to sit and listen to a litany of horrors because I just can't."

"How did it go?" Ben asked a few minutes later when she came into the bedroom.

"Oh...fine," she said, sitting down on the bed beside him. "She said that she would come to therapy with me, at least once. I'm not sure what she'll make of it but at least she's willing to make the effort."

"That's good, and she'll be at court for you next week?"

"Yes," Evelyn lied, biting the inside of her cheek as she spoke in an effort to curb the anger and tears that were threatening to break through, the emotions she had managed to conceal from her mother as they had said their goodbyes and ended the call. "Yes, she'll be there."

"So, it was a call worth making then," he rationalised, leaning over and kissing her gently.

"Yeah," she agreed, kissing him back. "Something like that."