"You what? A divorce? Elliot, why?" Olivia's mind raced, a divorce? Why would Elliot and Kathy get a divorce, they couldn't have had a disagreement that bad. Could they have?
"To make a long story short, I found out she was cheating on me."
"She was cheating on you? For how long?"
"Doesn't really matter does it? But, that manila folder, it was Kathy contesting the divorce, and the phone call, she wanted to talk me out of it."
"So, that's why she was being so rude this morning." Olivia mused. "What do the kids think about this?"
"In truth, I haven't yet told them. And, I don't know if their mother has either."
"You need to tell them, Elliot. They deserve to know. Go tell them."
"Now?"
"Yes El, now. You can always come back here when you're done."
"I really don't feel like facing Kathy at this moment."
"You're going to have to sooner or later, El. If you really want this divorce, and she thinks there's some way to fix it, she needs to know that there isn't. And, furthermore, El, you're children need to see you, have you seen them at all in the past few days?"
"Not since I walked in on Kathy."
"You walked in on her?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, God. El, I'm so sorry."
"It's better that I found out, rather than thinking my marriage was going smoothly, my long work hours notwithstanding. I always thought that we had a happy marriage, but I guess she had me fooled huh. You know, she thought that I was having an affair, as well."
"Really? With who?"
"You."
"Me?"
"Well, think about it, I do spend most of my time with you."
"Yeah, but El, that's for work."
"Come on Liv, you know that, I know that, but Kathy doesn't see it that way. She sees it as, I spend most of my time at work with you, and then some. To her there must be something going on."
Olivia shakes her head, "Albeit it El, that doesn't make up for what she did. Even if she thought that you and I were, well having an affair, that doesn't make up for the fact she actually did, whereas, you didn't. Now, as I said before. You need to go see your children. And call Maureen. Lord knows what Kathy has said to them, if she's mad enough."
"Ok, I'll come back afterwards."
"Alright. And, you can bring some extra clothes, how long are you planning on staying?"
"As long as you'll have me."
"I wouldn't not let you stay El, where would you go?"
"A hotel?"
"You shouldn't have to pay for a hotel because of something that your wife has done, that's not fair. I have an open bed, you need a place to stay, it's only logical. But, if you keep this up, I'm going to start charging…per night."
He chuckles, "I'll see you later Liv."
"Yeah. Bye. Good luck."
"I'm going to need it." He says as he walks out the door.
~**~**~**~
'Should I knock? Or go on in?' Elliot thought standing outside of his house, 'What if Kathy answers? What do I say?' Finally, he just knocks. There's shuffling from the inside then the door opens to Maureen.
"What are you doing here?" He asks.
"What? I can't be at home?"
"Shouldn't you be at school?"
"I've got the week off."
"Oh."
"Why didn't you use your key?"
"Uh…maybe I should just come in."
"Alright."
She moves aside so that he can walk in and he sits down on the couch, "Maybe you should go wake everybody up."
She stares at him for a second, confused. "Ok. I'll be right back."
A few minutes later everybody's filing downstairs, including Kathy. 'Maybe I should have told Maureen not to wake her mother.' He thinks as Kathy glares at him, then sits down on the couch furthest from where he's sitting. Maureen sits next to him. The twins next to their mother, and Kathleen next to Maureen.
"What's going on dad?" Dickey asks.
Elliot takes a deep breath, "This might sound bad, coming so late at night. Hell, this would sound bad even if it was 3 in the afternoon. Kids, your mother and I are getting a divorce."
Kathy stays quiet. Staring at a imaginary spot on the floor. The children look at there mother.
"Mom, is this true?" Maureen asks.
"It's not what I want, but your father filed for divorce the other morning. There's not to much I can do except not sign the papers."
"Why?" Kathleen asks.
Elliot thinks for a moment, 'Should I tell them what they're mother did? Will that lower the way they think of her? Do I even care?'
"It's complicated." He states. "We'll tell you when you're all ready."
"I think I'm way past ready." Maureen says.
"But your sisters and brother aren't yet. I'll tell you later."
"That's not fair," Dickey says, "I deserve to know."
Elliot looks at Kathy, she nods. "Alright. But, I think your mother should say this."
She closes her eyes, then with a shaky voice states, "I was having an affair. Your father caught me."
There's an eerie silence in the living room, all the kids looking at their mother, Kathy trying hard to avoid eye contact with her children.
"I just came to talk, and get some clothes. I didn't want to stir up trouble." Elliot says, "Kids, I don't want you thinking bad of your mother because of this, everybody makes mistakes, some can't be fixed, but that is between your mother and I. You four have absolutely nothing to do with it. I'll just go get some things, then I'll leave you all to talk." He makes his way up into his bedroom and grabs a few things to wear, some for work, some for sleeping, some for regular days. When he walks downstairs it's still quiet. Kathleen comes up to him and hugs him, then the other three do.
"I'll come by tomorrow." Elliot says, "If I can. If not, I'll call." He kisses Maureen on the forehead and leaves out the front door.
As he takes off he notices the light in the living room go out, then the bedroom lights turn on one after the other. He sighs.
~**~**~**~
Olivia was nodding off when a knock woke her back up. She yawned, pushed the throw blanket off of her, and made her way to the door. After looking out her peephole--although she already knew it was Elliot--she opened the door and let him inside. "How'd it go?"
"I really didn't stick around long enough for the whole reaction, I figured their mother should be the one to deal with it, not me."
She nods, "I guess you're right. But, they know why you're getting divorced right?"
"Yes, I wasn't going to. But, Kathy gave me the go ahead."
"So, she's still contesting it?"
"As far as I know. Yeah."
"What are you going to do about it?"
"Really the only thing that I can, I'm going to take it to court."
She nods, "Good luck with it." She yawns, "As much as I'd love to stay up and chat, I'm extremely tired. I'll see you in the morning." She gets off her couch and makes her way into her bedroom, when she reaches the doorway she turns back, "Night El."
"Goodnight Liv."
~**~**~**~
A/N: well, since that chapter had absolutely none of the case in it, the next will be an all case chapter. Please review.
"To make a long story short, I found out she was cheating on me."
"She was cheating on you? For how long?"
"Doesn't really matter does it? But, that manila folder, it was Kathy contesting the divorce, and the phone call, she wanted to talk me out of it."
"So, that's why she was being so rude this morning." Olivia mused. "What do the kids think about this?"
"In truth, I haven't yet told them. And, I don't know if their mother has either."
"You need to tell them, Elliot. They deserve to know. Go tell them."
"Now?"
"Yes El, now. You can always come back here when you're done."
"I really don't feel like facing Kathy at this moment."
"You're going to have to sooner or later, El. If you really want this divorce, and she thinks there's some way to fix it, she needs to know that there isn't. And, furthermore, El, you're children need to see you, have you seen them at all in the past few days?"
"Not since I walked in on Kathy."
"You walked in on her?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, God. El, I'm so sorry."
"It's better that I found out, rather than thinking my marriage was going smoothly, my long work hours notwithstanding. I always thought that we had a happy marriage, but I guess she had me fooled huh. You know, she thought that I was having an affair, as well."
"Really? With who?"
"You."
"Me?"
"Well, think about it, I do spend most of my time with you."
"Yeah, but El, that's for work."
"Come on Liv, you know that, I know that, but Kathy doesn't see it that way. She sees it as, I spend most of my time at work with you, and then some. To her there must be something going on."
Olivia shakes her head, "Albeit it El, that doesn't make up for what she did. Even if she thought that you and I were, well having an affair, that doesn't make up for the fact she actually did, whereas, you didn't. Now, as I said before. You need to go see your children. And call Maureen. Lord knows what Kathy has said to them, if she's mad enough."
"Ok, I'll come back afterwards."
"Alright. And, you can bring some extra clothes, how long are you planning on staying?"
"As long as you'll have me."
"I wouldn't not let you stay El, where would you go?"
"A hotel?"
"You shouldn't have to pay for a hotel because of something that your wife has done, that's not fair. I have an open bed, you need a place to stay, it's only logical. But, if you keep this up, I'm going to start charging…per night."
He chuckles, "I'll see you later Liv."
"Yeah. Bye. Good luck."
"I'm going to need it." He says as he walks out the door.
~**~**~**~
'Should I knock? Or go on in?' Elliot thought standing outside of his house, 'What if Kathy answers? What do I say?' Finally, he just knocks. There's shuffling from the inside then the door opens to Maureen.
"What are you doing here?" He asks.
"What? I can't be at home?"
"Shouldn't you be at school?"
"I've got the week off."
"Oh."
"Why didn't you use your key?"
"Uh…maybe I should just come in."
"Alright."
She moves aside so that he can walk in and he sits down on the couch, "Maybe you should go wake everybody up."
She stares at him for a second, confused. "Ok. I'll be right back."
A few minutes later everybody's filing downstairs, including Kathy. 'Maybe I should have told Maureen not to wake her mother.' He thinks as Kathy glares at him, then sits down on the couch furthest from where he's sitting. Maureen sits next to him. The twins next to their mother, and Kathleen next to Maureen.
"What's going on dad?" Dickey asks.
Elliot takes a deep breath, "This might sound bad, coming so late at night. Hell, this would sound bad even if it was 3 in the afternoon. Kids, your mother and I are getting a divorce."
Kathy stays quiet. Staring at a imaginary spot on the floor. The children look at there mother.
"Mom, is this true?" Maureen asks.
"It's not what I want, but your father filed for divorce the other morning. There's not to much I can do except not sign the papers."
"Why?" Kathleen asks.
Elliot thinks for a moment, 'Should I tell them what they're mother did? Will that lower the way they think of her? Do I even care?'
"It's complicated." He states. "We'll tell you when you're all ready."
"I think I'm way past ready." Maureen says.
"But your sisters and brother aren't yet. I'll tell you later."
"That's not fair," Dickey says, "I deserve to know."
Elliot looks at Kathy, she nods. "Alright. But, I think your mother should say this."
She closes her eyes, then with a shaky voice states, "I was having an affair. Your father caught me."
There's an eerie silence in the living room, all the kids looking at their mother, Kathy trying hard to avoid eye contact with her children.
"I just came to talk, and get some clothes. I didn't want to stir up trouble." Elliot says, "Kids, I don't want you thinking bad of your mother because of this, everybody makes mistakes, some can't be fixed, but that is between your mother and I. You four have absolutely nothing to do with it. I'll just go get some things, then I'll leave you all to talk." He makes his way up into his bedroom and grabs a few things to wear, some for work, some for sleeping, some for regular days. When he walks downstairs it's still quiet. Kathleen comes up to him and hugs him, then the other three do.
"I'll come by tomorrow." Elliot says, "If I can. If not, I'll call." He kisses Maureen on the forehead and leaves out the front door.
As he takes off he notices the light in the living room go out, then the bedroom lights turn on one after the other. He sighs.
~**~**~**~
Olivia was nodding off when a knock woke her back up. She yawned, pushed the throw blanket off of her, and made her way to the door. After looking out her peephole--although she already knew it was Elliot--she opened the door and let him inside. "How'd it go?"
"I really didn't stick around long enough for the whole reaction, I figured their mother should be the one to deal with it, not me."
She nods, "I guess you're right. But, they know why you're getting divorced right?"
"Yes, I wasn't going to. But, Kathy gave me the go ahead."
"So, she's still contesting it?"
"As far as I know. Yeah."
"What are you going to do about it?"
"Really the only thing that I can, I'm going to take it to court."
She nods, "Good luck with it." She yawns, "As much as I'd love to stay up and chat, I'm extremely tired. I'll see you in the morning." She gets off her couch and makes her way into her bedroom, when she reaches the doorway she turns back, "Night El."
"Goodnight Liv."
~**~**~**~
A/N: well, since that chapter had absolutely none of the case in it, the next will be an all case chapter. Please review.