"Fiona Bickerton!" Eloise's gasp of indignation drew Fiona back to the reality that she was standing before her mother - whom, might she add, was more than a little prim and proper - in nothing more than Eddie's t-shirt and a pair of shorts. "What on earth was that you are wearing? Surely those are not your night clothes?"

"Mother," Fiona repeated, fiddling with the hem of her, oh erm, hist-shirt awkwardly as she opened the door wider to let her mother in. "I wasn't expecting your visit."

"I decided to drop by after I heard about your little, oh ahem, what did they call it? Oh yes, hostage incident." Her gloves slid off of her hands and hit the table with a light thud. She shrugged out of her coat and tossed the heavy blue fabric over to Fiona. "Do be a dear and hang that properly."

Fiona could only sigh as she hung her mother's coat on the coat rack and hurried to catch up with her before she could find Eddie in the kitchen. She was dashing through the living room when she heard her mother's gasp of surprise and knew it's too late. With nothing to do but face the situation directly, Fiona made her way into the kitchen and idled up beside Eddie, who was caught between glaring regretfully at her mother or grabbing her and making a getaway. While she would love nothing more than for him to pull the latter off, she knew that the latter just wasn't feasible at this time.

"Mother, you remember Eddie Arlette," The introduction was awkward to say the least, for all involved. Her mother's head tilted in confusion as she awkwardly slipped her hand into Eddie's already outstretched hand. "Mother, he's renting this place from you. Remember?"

"Oh yes."

"Eddie, this was my mother, Eloise Bickerton." Fiona shoved her hands toward her mother, unsure of what to do with them. "The woman who you're renting this flat from."

"I wasn't aware you and my daughter were acquainted, Mister Arlette." Eloise's confusion was understandable to both of them but at the same time, the awkward position it put them in was slightly off-putting to say the least. "And Fiona, aren't you supposed to be attending university?"

It was after that question that Eddie chose to make his getaway. It was as smooth as it could be with a confused and slightly indignant Eloise Bickerton in the room but Fiona had to give him credit for trying. That wasn't to say she hadn't felt the comforting hand he slid across her back as he slipped out of the room. She'd love to follow but her mother's confused look - while hilarious - made it clear she had a lot of explaining to do as far as Eddie and her supposed University life are concerned.

"Well, Mother, you see it's like this..." Fiona let her hazel eyes dart around the room as she searched for the proper way to explain the situation to her mother. "I'm not attending University. When I moved out of the house, I moved into this flat."

"I can see that, Fiona." Eloise snapped, glaring at her daughter. "Why did you lie to me?"

"Because I knew that if I didn't, you'd never let me move out of the house." Fiona snapped, already impatient with her mother, who hadn't been there for all of about five minutes. "I didn't want to go to University but also knew that was the only chance I had of getting out of the house so I lied."

"Fiona Elyse Bickerton," Eloise's cold voice quickly alerted Fiona to the coming storm. "I cannot believe you would lie to your mother and father."

"Well it was the only way I could get away from you!" Fiona fought back, quick to defend herself, even against her own mother. "I needed away from you, Mother. You controlled every aspect of my life and I hated it. I wanted out."

"What about your father?" Her mother's dark eyes hardened at the mention of Fiona's father.

"He knew." Fiona shrugged, looking at the floor as if she was a small child being scolded - which, if the hardened eyes of her mother was any indication, in a lot of ways she was just that. "He let me do it."

"I can't believe this.."

"Look, Mother, we'll talk about this later. I really have to get to work. I just started my new job and I don't have any sick days." Fiona rushed out of the kitchen and to her room to get dressed.

She was in the middle of pulling her favorite pink blouse over her head when a knock on the doorframe alerted to the fact that she had left the door open and that Eddie hadn't left for work yet. Leaning up against the doorframe, dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a charcoal blue shirt, Eddie looked concerned and slightly pissed off. If she hadn't of been so distracted by the conversation she had just had, she might have found it funny that her mother could piss off someone she barely knew.

"You okay?" Eddie asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I will be." Fiona shrugged, slipping her feet into a pair of flats. "She's my Mother."

"Okay." Eddie took her at her word, choosing to keep his mouth shut on what he thought of the woman. "You get off at five today right?"

"Yeah." Fiona nodded, twisting her blonde hair up into a simple bun and pinning it in place. "You coming to pick me up?"

"If no cases come in, then yeah I'll be there." Eddie nodded, pushing off of the doorframe with his shoulder as she walked over to him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Eddie." Fiona smiled up at him, leaning up to kiss him quickly. "Have a good day at work."

"You too. I'll see you tonight." Eddie kissed her forehead, "Love you."

"Love you too."

xxx

It was blatantly obvious to Eloise Bickerton that Eddie Arlette had made himself quite comfortable in both the home he was renting from her and her daughter's life. The former she could handle, the latter she was appalled by. The man must have been at least sixteen years older than her daughter and while she was sure he was a nice man, she wasn't sure he was what her daughter needed. She was still reeling from the very fact that her daughter lied to her. She wasn't sure she could handle anything else.

As she meandered around the home her daughter was sharing with the man, the same home the man was supposed to be renting from her not sharing with Fiona, she couldn't help but notice touches of both of them. A single tube of toothpaste yet two distinct toothbrushes. A dark green bottle of men's shampoo and a white bar of men's soap had found their place on the same shelf as her daughter's shampoo and shower gels. Her daughter's bed looked as if it hadn't been slept in, in weeks whereas the room she assumed was Eddie's looked slept in on both sides. There were distinct touches of her daughter in the room such as the pile of hair pins on the nightstand along with the hairbrush and several hair ties.

Her daughter's clothes were scattered haphazardly around the room and she was shocked at the thought of what exactly her daughter and that man had been doing. Actually, correction, she preferred not to think about it. She left the room, horrified at the thought and shocked that her daughter would do such a thing with a man so much older than her.

"Mother," Fiona's voice carried through the house. "We're home. Eddie, take this bag, my arm is numb."

Eddie's amused chuckle followed by the shuffle of a bag being transferred from one arm to another carried through the house. Eloise made her way to the dining room, careful not to examine the rest of the house as closely as she had examined the bedroom, scared of what she might find. Fiona and Eddie made quick work of setting the table and arranging dinner in a presentable fashion. Eggplant parmesan and a variety of side-dishes including a garden salad were set out before her and three glasses of chilled white wine were poured.

"Dinner, Mother." Fiona murmured softly, still awkward around her mother after their spat that morning. "I hope you're hungry."

"Starved." Eloise snipped, taking a seat at the end of the table.

Eddie said nothing as he took a seat beside Fiona, who seemed a lot more interested in her glass of wine than the meal before her. The food was passed silently and if there had been a time when dinner with her mother was any less awkward, Fiona struggled to remember it. Only the sound of forks meeting plates could be heard and the slosh of wine being poured. Fiona resisted the urge to roll her eyes when Eloise refilled her glass for the third time.

"Mother, perhaps you should slow down?" Fiona suggested, trying - and failing - to smile sweetly at her mother in hopes she wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"Why should I?" Eloise snapped, her voice hard and cold. "In one day I find out that not only did my daughter lie to me about attending university but she's also living with the man whom I thought was the only resident of this flat and they're in a relationship -"

"Mother," Fiona sighed, looking over at Eddie who just raised his eyebrows in question and squeezed her knee under the table.

"What, Fiona? Did you think I wouldn't figure it out?" Eloise laughed sarcastically, "That's ironic. Wouldn't you agree? Mistaking your mother for an idiot when you're the idiot in this if you think I'm going to let this continue."

"Okay, whoa!" Eddie dropped his fork mid-bite and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Last I checked, Fiona was twenty-four, which makes her a grown woman both here and where I'm from. I know of couples with a whole hell of a lot more than just sixteen years between them. I don't think we should be on the top of your list of problems, considering your husband is in Paris right now, cheating on you with some French waitress who probably speaks little to no English and couldn't pick her last boyfriend out of a line-up."

"How dare you!" Eloise gasped indignantly.

"How dare I? What did I do?" Eddie barked roughly; the same voice he'd use with a suspect in custody. "I told you the truth. And the truth hurts, Missus Bickerton. The truth is you are nothing more than a bully of a mother and I only did what you won't let your daughter do. I defended her. You've made it blatantly obvious you don't approve of her lifestyle when the simple fact of the matter is Fiona is too stubborn to live her life in a way that doesn't suit her. She'll live her life the way she wants too. Not the way you expect her too."

"Well Mister Arlette - "

"I'm not done." Eddie cut her off with a shake of his head. "You may not approve of what we're doing and I don't particularly care. What I do care about is how much you hurt your daughter by trying to control her. I lost my apetite. I'm going to bed."

With that said, he drained the rest of his wine, stood up and kissed Fiona on her head before disappearing down the hall. Fiona clenched her fingers around the stem of her wine glass and kept her eyes on her plate, only looking up at the startling slam of Eddie's bedroom door. She fiddled with the stem before taking a sip of the cold wine and looking up at her mother.

"He's protective."

"Clearly."

"Mother, you had to have known I'd move out eventually." Fiona pleaded with her to understand. "I was tired of my entire life being planned for me. I didn't want to go to a University or marry some lawyer just to become a reclusive housewife who puts up with a cheating husband. I'd rather be on my own. No, I didn't count on living with Eddie and we didn't like each other at first. But things change. I love him, Mother. Okay? I love him. And I won't give him up or the life I've chosen for myself just because you don't understand or approve of it. I've spoken my peace. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. You're welcome to the guest room."

Nothing else was said as Fiona stood up and carried her dishes into the kitchen, dropping them in the sink to be washed the next morning. She didn't even spare a glance at her mother as she disappeared down the hall and into her room to change. Eloise was left sitting at the table alone with her dinner, everything her daughter had just told her echoing in her mind. She didn't want to admit it but she knew her daughter was right. Fiona wouldn't be controlled by anyone. Not even her own mother.

xxx

"Eddie?"

Eddie looked up at the sound of her timid voice to see her poking her head in the door reluctantly. He just smiled affectionately and motioned for her to come in. She hurried in and closed the door behind her before standing by the bed, awkwardly playing with her shirt. The realization that she wasn't quite sure who he was mad at dawned on him quickly and seemed to set a fire under him as he scrambled out of bed and over to her.

"Hey," Eddie wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her closer. "Hey, I'm not mad at you, alright? I'm mad at what she can do to you. I'm mad at her."

"I know." Fiona nodded, wrapping her arms around his abdomen and tucking her face into his shoulders. "I'm just - "

"Hurt? Angry?" Eddie offered, stroking her hair tenderly. "Sweetheart, I don't blame you for being hurt, angry, wanting to damn her to the very depths of hell. I don't blame you at all. I should be apologizing to you though."

"For what, Eddie?" Fiona looked up at him in confusion.

"For blurting out that your father was cheating on your mother. I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have even looked into it." Eddie shook his head, looking down at her. "I'm sorry."

"Eddie, my father has been cheating on my mother for as long as I can remember." Fiona shook her head, "It's not anything new."

"I'm not sorry I defended you though." Eddie told her, leaning closer to her until his lips were almost touching hers.

"Well you are protective." Fiona let her arms slide around his neck.

"Very, very protective." Eddie finally closed the distance between them.

Fiona moaned into his mouth; opening her own mouth to deepen the kiss. Eddie pulled her closer and moved them toward the bed; gently laying her down on it before crawling on top of her. She gasped in relief when he finally settled himself between her legs and moved in hard, slow circles. When he reached for her shorts she knew she had to stop him. She wanted too. Oh-dear-God did she want too but with her mother in house, she knew it'd be weird.

"Eddie, I want too." Fiona reached for his hands. "I do. But I'd feel weird doing it with my Mother of all people in the house."

"That's true." Eddie sighed, rolling off of her onto his side of the bed. "Damn."

"When she leaves, I'll make it up to you though." Fiona's salacious grin was full of secret promises of things to come the minute her mother was gone.

"I'm holding you too that." Eddie murmured against her ear, sucking on her earlobe slightly.

For now he'd have to settle with having her buried in his arms while they slept. Her head settled on his chest, her ear settled over his heart as she let the dulcet beat lull her too sleep. He was positive he had never had such an eventful day between Fiona's mother and the antics of his Scotland Yard colleagues. Although he was quite certain he'd rather deal with the latter than the former. Eloise Bickerton was almost more than he could handle. The thought made him laugh as he looked down at the woman sleeping on his chest.

Like mother, like daughter.

Good Lord this chapter was so damn easy! I turned on 'She Will Be Loved' by Maroon Five and bam! It just kind of spilled out! The plot bunnies are out of hibernation - so if this story never ends, don't hold it against me. Lol! I'm just kidding. I'm sure this story will run it's course I'm just not sure it'll be anytime soon. Anyway, I hope you like! Leave me some Love, Dolls!

Love ya,

RobertDowneyJrLove

P.S. There's something about that song that just makes writing both Christopher Chance and Eddie Arlette so easy for me.