Fall to Pieces

Chapter Four

Disclaimer: We've done this before, remember?

Authors Note: Ok, I was asked where Elliot's kids disappeared to. I guess I forgot to mention that because Olivia's married with kids in this one, Elliot isn't. So, the roles are sort of reversed. Elliot is the single one, Olivia's the one who's attached with rugrats.

"So? O'Mally's?" Munch asked getting up from his desk.

Elliot and Olivia shared a look, she shrugged, "sure. Why not? Let me call Heather, see if it's ok."

Fin stood up, much like his partner, "who's Heather?"

"A friend, she's watching the girls."

"What happened to Mary?" Munch asked looking over the rim of his glasses.

She shrugged again, "busy."

"Chris?" Fin inquired, Olivia felt like she was being tag-teamed.

"Working," so what, she lied. They didn't have to know all her problems. She made the call and Heather said that it was fine, she thought of ordering pizza for the girls and her son anyway. Olivia told her she would pay her for watching them, and buying them dinner, but Heather refused, saying that it was her pleasure. Olivia guessed she enjoyed the company, since her husband was a pilot and always flying.

They headed off to the bar, Elliot and Olivia in his car, Fin and Munch in Fin's car. Olivia checked her voice mail while they drove; a sour expression on her face, dirty messages filled her machine. What could she have seen in such a horrible man? That was simple, he hadn't been horrible when they met. But, so was the case with most battered wives, the honeymoon like appearance of dating drew them into marriage, then in the minds of their husbands, they owned their wives...and could do whatever they wanted. With Chris it wasn't physical, he liked to get drunk and yell, not that that was any better. But, if he had ever raised a hand to her before she would have left, he knew that, she wondered why he had that time. He wasn't THAT drunk that he would forget something like that, maybe he just wanted an excuse out of their marriage.

"What'cha thinking about?" Elliot asked bringing her out of her thoughts. She stopped listening to her messages prematurely and looked over at him.

"I was wondering why he hit me."

"That's easy, he's an drunken ass." He replied nonchalantly.

"He's been drunk before and never once hit me, never once even made a move to. He knew better than that. I'd seen him much more drunk then he was last night. He always been sober enough to keep his voice down enough that the girls wouldn't wake and know not to raise his hand to me," she laughed bitterly. "Maybe he upset because he wasn't getting any."

Elliot's eyebrows raised and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips, "he must have really been pissing you off."

She gave a slight nod of the head, "he kept getting drunk more and more. He was always sleeping on the couch." The car pulled in front of the bar and Olivia could see Fin's car out of the rearview mirror. The two got out, and a few seconds later so did Munch and Fin. They met at the door and walked inside together, following their little tradition.

They talked of previous cases, past cases, Munch's lack of a sex-life, Elliot's lack of a sex-life, Fin boasting of his surplus of a sex-life, all the while Olivia kept quiet. This didn't go unnoticed by Munch, who, when Fin finally shut up took the opportunity to ask her about Chris. "How's married life?"

She only snorted and took a sip of her beer, which she had been nurturing the whole night, she had limited herself to only one.

"I take it not so well?"

She flashed a forced smile, "things happen."

This caught Fin's attention, "what sort of things?"

"It's nothing."

He wouldn't let it drop, "it seems like something to me."

She sighed and opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again when she saw an unfriendly face walk into the bar and make his way to where they were sitting. She turned in her seat, facing away from the door and towards Elliot, who had also noticed Chris walk in. Munch and Fin, who sat to her left, nearest to the door, hadn't.

'Why me,' she mouthed, her eyes closed in frustration. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again, Elliot was staring intensely at something, or somebody, behind her. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know who it was he was looking at with such hatred. Although she didn't want to, she turned in her seat, facing her husband.

"What do you want?"

He looked at her with fury dancing in his eyes, "where are my children?"

"MY children are not here."

Fin and Munch looked at each other with confusion, then at Elliot. Olivia couldn't see what his response was to their questioning gaze, but it must have not have been good, because their looks changed from confused to the same intense hatred that Elliot's eyes harbored.

Chris seemed to feel the hate coming from the three males, and his wife, because his demeanor seemed to shrink a bit. "I want to see them."

"I can't let you do that."

"You can't tell me that I can't see my children."

"I can't...that's true. But a judge sure can."

"You wouldn't do that."

"Yes, I would."

"You don't have enough evidence to get an order of protection against me."

"I have friends in high places. One of them will grant me one, seeing as you're an abusive drunk."

His eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, Chris...I'd bring it up. It only takes for you to have hit me once, and a nice bruise, which I have," she pointed to her jaw, "see that? Yeah...there are pictures of it too. All I have to tell the judge is that I'm afraid for my children. Who knows whom you'll hit then next time you come home smashed. It sure as hell won't be me, and I'll be damned if it's them."

"You stupid bitch, I won't let you get away wit--"

Olivia could hear Elliot step off of his chair behind her, and she could see Fin and Munch get out of their chairs. Chris seemed to regret his statement, but kept on.

"What? You're friends gonna beat me up? I'd love to see that happen...what is it Olivia, are you too afraid to hit me yourself?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow, "how's the arm?"

He pursed his lips together. "I won't let you take my children away from me."

"I'm not taking them away from you, Chris. You already took them away from you. Don't blame me for you idiot mistakes and drinking habits."

Munch, Fin, and Elliot were still standing, Olivia wished they would sit down. They were just making fools out of themselves, Chris wasn't dumb enough to do anything when they were around. She turned and looked behind her and mouthed the word 'sit' to Elliot. He looked at her confused for a second but when Olivia's look turned stern he sat. By the time Olivia turned back around both Fin and Munch had sat down too.

"You should probably leave, Chris."

"I have every right to be here."

She rolled her eyes, "of course you do. I'm leaving then." Without turning to Elliot to tell him to come with she left. She could hear him get out of his seat when she made it to the door and turned around. Elliot and Chris were having an intense staring match, Elliot being a good 2 inches taller than Chris seemed to hover of him. Olivia could hear Elliot talking.

"If you ever touch her again," he growled, "I'll kill you myself."

"Is that a threat?" Chris asked as cocky as ever.

"You bet your ass that's a threat." He walked away from Chris and towards Olivia, who was still waiting at the door. He pushed the door open and guided her out of the bar with a hand on the small of her back. Olivia turned back to see if Chris was watching them leave, he was.

They got into Elliot's car and Olivia began to direct him to Heather's apartment.

Elliot smiled at something.

"What?"

"Just thinking about what Fin and Munch are doing..."

"Probably scaring the hell out of him, like you probably did."

"You think?"

"Chris doesn't like you in the first place, Elliot. He doesn't admit it, but I know he's afraid of you. With you threatening him like that, I don't know he kept from shaking," she smiled herself. "As long as they don't start up a fight, I don't care what they do."

"You still don't want him hurt?" He asked, surprise in his voice.

"I don't give a damn what happens to him, I care about Munch and Fin, and my children. I don't want them to go to jail...and I don't want my children to see their father hurt, even if he is a bastard. They don't know that. They're too young to understand."

"A lucky bastard is more like it," he huffed.

"Huh?"

"Well...let's look at his life. He married a wonderful woman, had two beautiful children, is a doctor who makes a ton of money, and even though he drinks and hit his wife she still doesn't want him hurt."

"Not for his sake."

"But still, he's damn lucky."

"He won't be when I get through with him."

They pulled in front of the apartment complex that Heather lived in, "how so?"

"Well...he won't have that 'wonderful woman' anymore, that's for sure, and those 'beautiful children'...not until he sobers up and stays that way. Now, I really don't give a damn about his money, but I'd like to keep our house, the girls love it at that house, I couldn't take them away from it."

"When you gonna file?"

"As soon as I can get some time off to go do it."

They knocked on the apartment door and Heather answered it, carrying her son in her arms, who had already fallen asleep.

"Oh, hi Olivia. I was just putting Robbie to bed. Come on in, Becca's fallen asleep on the couch, Cassie and Maia are doing homework in Maia's room. It's the first door on the left when you go down the hallway." She disappeared down the same hallway she was talking about and turned towards the right.

Olivia followed and knocked on the door that had 'Maia's room' on it. A little girl 7 years of age, bright blonde hair and dark green eyes answered. She looked over her shoulder, "Cass, you're mom's here!"

Cassie came up behind her and smiled at her mother, "let me get my stuff." She disappeared back into the room and moments later reappeared with a book bag slung over her shoulder haphazardly. "Ready." She told her mother.

"Alright, let me go wake Becca up then we'll go." She went into the living room and found her daughter asleep on the sofa like Heather had said. She bent down by the couch and gently shoot her awake. "Becca...wake up."

The young girl opened her eyelids to produce sleepy dark brown eyes, "momma?"

"Yes, honey, it's momma. Come on, we're going back to Ellie's."

"Daddy go?"

"No honey," she said picking her up and cradling her in her arms, "daddy won't be there."

a/n: sorry it took so long, I've been practicing for powderpuff, which I should really go get ready now...hope you liked it.