Author's Note: I got a lot of feedback and e-mails asking for a sequel to "Struggle for Control"…so, like a bad girl (but an author who wants to give people what they want – hee hee), I abandoned other things and I started to work on this fic. Now, for an explanation:
If you didn't read "Struggle for Control" slowly back away from this fic and read it. Why? Well, this may not make sense without reading it. O.K., next item of business. This fic is based on the "happy ending" of "Struggle for Control." And this means what? Well, Shooter was never around, thus Amy, Chico, and Ted, and everyone else, are alive and well. Well, Tom Greenleaf was old and could have died of natural causes…but I digress. No Shooter, got it? Good. Everything that happened in Mort and Alex's relationship that didn't involve Shooter still happened. So, yeah, there was still a "break" that Alex needed to take, and there was still much sexual tension…anyhoo, remember everything Shooterless still happened.
All that being said, I now must say that this chapter holds a bit of a recap, just in case there are people that either forgot what happened, or didn't read the first fic and are confused. O.K., are we ready to go?
Ooo, and reviews keep me going, as you found out with the last story. They make for fast updates and more chapters! And I really really appreciate them!
Ready…Set…Read!
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Alex let out a soft moan around three A.M. on a Saturday night. Right away, Mort's ears perked and he sat up. "Everything all right?" he asked gently.
Alex smiled in the darkness. "Sweetheart, I'm fine, I swear." She shifted herself the best that she could and reached up for his face. "There's no reason for you to be so 'on edge.'"
"I'm sorry, baby, but you're due so soon…"
"And I'll tell you when it's time, I promise." She kissed his lips. "Back to sleep?"
Mort settled himself onto his back again. "Back to sleep." He placed one hand on Alex's stomach, then closed his eyes. Sleep had just begun to settle in on him when the ringing of the telephone cut through the tranquil silence. Mort jolted again, his brain not fully registering what was going on. He felt around for the cordless phone on the nightstand, finding it on the third ring. "Hello?"
Silence.
"Hello?" he asked again. He heard someone breathing, then the phone disconnected. He put the phone down and yawned.
"Nobody?" Alex asked.
"It was somebody," Mort yawned. "They just didn't care to say anything."
"I hope that didn't wake…"
"Daddy!" Julia's voice came over the monitor next to Alex's side of the bed.
Mort didn't groan in the least. Instead, he lovingly kissed his wife and rolled out of bed. He made his way to Julia's room and found her sitting up in her "big girl" bed. "Hey there, angel," he said softly. Normally, Julia smiled at the sight of her father, but, being the middle of the night, the toddler had a groggy look in her eyes.
"Daddy," she whined. "No seep."
"I know, honey, that mean phone woke Daddy up too." Mort sat on Julia's bed and tried to coax her to lie down. Julia's second birthday was…well, since it was now technically Sunday, it was today. Thinking about this, Mort said, "You need to get back to sleep – your birthday party is today."
Julia smiled at him. "Gamma!" she said excitedly.
Mort nodded. "Hm mm, Gramma and Poppy will be here, but only if you go to sleep."
Julia furrowed her tiny eyebrows. "No seep," she said, repeating her earlier statement.
"Want Daddy to stay?" Julia nodded happily. "O.K., sweetheart." Mort pulled his legs up onto the bed and stretched out. Julia immediately cuddled into him. Very gently, Mort stroked her soft curls and, his voice almost in a whisper, began to sing her to sleep. "Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful? Isn't she precious? Today she'll be two years old…" Julia was already fast asleep.
Mort didn't leave right away; he was far too content at the moment. He looked at Julia, curled up next to him, and let his mind drift off.
A fender bender changed my entire life…
Being rear-ended by Alexandra Leidy gave Mort another chance at having a truly fulfilling life. The moment that they saw each other, a connection had been made. Mort never would have gone to a hospital looking for a stranger, but something inside had told him to go to her…he hadn't looked back since.
Falling in love again wasn't exactly the easiest thing for either of them, but after a slightly rough patch of fear – more from Alex than Mort – things couldn't have felt more natural.
Mort not only fell in love with Alex, but with her daughter, Julia, as well. He spoiled her as much as he could and, eventually, took care of her while Alex was at work. Then something unexpected and truly wonderful happened: Alex became pregnant. Beyond thrilled with the news, Mort proposed, and the two were wed in a small, simple ceremony. He officially adopted Julia afterwards.
A husband, a father, a new baby on the way, and a new book due to hit the shelves any day now. Life was as good as it could get.
When Mort had first found out about Amy's affair, he was convinced that certain aspects of his life had ended. At thirty-five, he thought that his family should already have been established – instead, he had moved out of a house that he loved and left a woman that he felt he no longer knew. Scared, he started over, convinced that, perhaps, he was trying to live a life that was not meant for him. Only after meeting Alex did he realize that he had the right life all along, but Amy happened to be the wrong woman.
Mort hadn't given Amy a single thought since meeting Alex. He had thought about she and Ted often when he was alone, but now, they simply didn't matter. He didn't let Amy know about his second move (to Alex's house) or about their nuptials. He chuckled at the thought of Amy possibly seeing his new book on the shelf and reading his updated biographical blurb on the dust jacket – as well seeing as a much happier looking picture.
He looked at Julia one last time before sneaking out of her bed. He went back to his room and slid beneath the covers. Closing his eyes, he heard Alex say, "I still don't think you sing off-key." He smiled and rolled over to kiss his wife before falling asleep.