Fall to Pieces
Chapter Eleven
Disclaimer: Ok. Maybe 24 hours is too much, I'll settle for 10! Pretty please, with sugar AND a cherry on top?
XXXX
It had been two months now, two months since she had referred to him as her husband, two months since the girls had seen their father, two months since she had made the biggest and best decision of her life.
The girls had learned not to ask of their father, Cassie understood most of what was going on and Becca just understood that whenever she talked about daddy mommy got sad, and she didn't want mommy sad. They were adjusting well, she thought. It might be the wrong thing to do; keeping them away from their father, but Chris had changed when she left. From what she had seen he was getting drunk more often and had started sleeping around. She didn't want her girls in that kind of atmosphere.
Things with Elliot had slowed down, she had made sure of that. He still came by sometimes and she still brought the girls over to see him on occasion, but they hadn't talked about anything that had occurred in the first few weeks of her divorce. He had tried many times, but she always blown him off, she wasn't ready yet for that talk, not even close. She could tell that it hurt him, but there wasn't anything more she could do about it.
The divorce was going a lot better than she thought it would; it might even be over sooner than expected. She was thankful for that. Chris wasn't putting up as much of a struggle anymore, at most he wanted to take the girls away from her now, but she had everything ready for them. A place to live, a school to go to, a babysitter for when she was at work. Chris had none of those things, except for the place to live. He had no way of getting them to school with his work schedule and Mary was getting too old to watch after a 2 year old all day, not to mention his drinking problem. Things were looking much better for Olivia.
Work was ... well work was work, nothing had changed. Thankfully what was happening between Olivia and Elliot had no effect on their being partners, or if it did they were good at hiding it. People at the station house had finally stopped telling her how sorry they were about the divorce and how they had never like Chris anyhow, but that was because she had asked them not to, it was getting to be a daily thing, and it just annoyed the hell out of her.
"Momma?" Cassie called as the door to Olivia's bedroom creaked open; "Can I sleep with you?"
She sat up in her bed, forgetting her thoughts, "Sure honey, what's wrong?"
"The storm," she said as lightning flashed through her window. Cassie jumped a little and came running towards the bed, crawling up onto it and towards her mother, then snuggled up as close as she could.
Olivia smiled and watched the door, waiting for it to open again. As if on cue a few seconds later the door open slightly and a mass of blonde hair could be seen, then bright brown eyes. "Mommy," Becca whispered, "yooh wake?"
"I'm awake Becca," she said, "you wanna crawl into bed with me and sissy?"
She nodded and toddled over to the bed, then climbed it carefully. She crawled over to where her older sister and mother lay, and cuddled up next to Cassie. "Night, mommy." She sighed as she got comfortable. "Uve yooh."
"Love you, too." She whispered back to her, "Goodnight girls."
"Night momma," Cassie said. And a few minutes later both were snoring lightly. Olivia stayed awake, watching the two as the slept, the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the room and thunder booming. It was the first big storm that they had gone through at the new apartment. If this had been a couple of months earlier one would be snuggled up to their mother while the other was in the protective arms of their father. Olivia snorted to herself; they were doing just fine without him.
She laid back down and closed her eyes, listening to the storm as it died down. After a while the threatening thunder had died down to a light rumble and she could no longer see the lightning through her eyelids. When the storm had passed from overhead she relaxed into sleep, dreams fleeting.
XXXX
She woke up the next morning to cold hands around her arm and a voice gently calling out to her.
"Momma," Becca whispered, tugging on her arms once more. "Wake up!"
She opened her eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the change in brightness. Becca let go of her arm and smiled at her, and Olivia sat up in the bed.
"Where's your sister?"
She shrugged and scooted to the side of the bed, slipped down off of it, and ran out of the room. Olivia pushed the covers off of her haphazardly, running a hand through her short hair. She yawned and stretched out her arms then made her way into the bathroom.
She brushed her teeth then splashed cold water on her face, to wake her up, and ran a brush through her hair lazily. When she ventured into the living room Becca and Cassie were sitting on the couch and watching Saturday morning cartoons. She smiled at the two and started to walk towards the kitchen when there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it!" Cassie called, jumping off of the couch.
"Oh, no you don't," Olivia said, holding her back. "You know you don't answer the door."
"But, you're home, mom."
She shook her head, "Doesn't matter. You don't answer the door, not even if you ask who's there before you open it. You hear me?"
"Yes."
"Good," she sighed. "Now go sit back down."
There was another knock at the door, "I'm coming!" She called out, making her way to the door. She looked through the peephole, it was Elliot. She closed her eyes with a sigh and swung open the door. He smiled at her and she returned it halfheartedly. "What's up, Elliot?"
He stepped inside, without asking. "Nothing much," he shrugged. "I didn't have anything to do so I figured I'd come over and see if you and the girls were busy, maybe we could go to the park?"
Becca jumped up from the couch, "Park! I go!"
Olivia shut the door and walked into the living room, "I don't know..."
"Do you have something planed already?" He asked, following her into the living room.
"Well..." she replied, "no, not really."
"So, then what's stopping you from going to the park?" He looked over at Becca and Cassie, "You guys want to go to the park, right?" The nodded furiously, "Then ask mommy nicely, maybe she'll say yes."
Olivia narrowed her eyes at him and he smiled, shrugging his shoulders. The two girls came running towards their mother and stopped right in front of her, staring up hopefully. "Can we, mommy?" Cassie asked, sticking her lower lip out (a trick she had learned worked every time at a very young age), "Please?"
Olivia sighed and glared at Elliot once again, "Fine. But I have to take a shower first and so do you two." She shooed them off with her hands, "Go get some clothes to wear."
When they had gone Olivia turned to look Elliot square in the eyes, "That's not fair, using my own children against me," she took a step towards him and he took a step back, "I thought that we agreed on this, Elliot. Until my divorce is over minimal contact outside work, whether they're there or not. It's just not safe, you know that as well as I do!"
"Oh, come on," he sighed, "it's the park for cryin' out loud! Tell me, what could possibly go wrong."
She opened her mouth to answer and when she realized she had no reply shut it again. Giving up she pushed past him and walked into her room, grabbing something to wear. Then she made her way into he bathroom and helped the girls with their bath, then got them dressed. After they were done she sent them into the living room to watch some more cartoons while she showered and got ready. Half an hour later she pulled on her shirt and walked out of the bathroom and into the living room.
"Are you guys ready?" She asked as she leaned against the wall, her arms folded over her chest.
The two girls nodded happily and got off of the couch while Elliot came out of the kitchen, a coffee cup in hand. "Let's get going then." He suggested with a smile.
Olivia sighed to herself once more; it was going to be a long day.
XXXX
A/N: Yeah, well. This is a bit shorter than I would have liked it to be, but the next part of the story is going to be too long to add to this chapter. Anyway, let me know what'cha think. Flames are allowed, but not exactly wanted, mind you. So, please be nice!
Chapter Eleven
Disclaimer: Ok. Maybe 24 hours is too much, I'll settle for 10! Pretty please, with sugar AND a cherry on top?
XXXX
It had been two months now, two months since she had referred to him as her husband, two months since the girls had seen their father, two months since she had made the biggest and best decision of her life.
The girls had learned not to ask of their father, Cassie understood most of what was going on and Becca just understood that whenever she talked about daddy mommy got sad, and she didn't want mommy sad. They were adjusting well, she thought. It might be the wrong thing to do; keeping them away from their father, but Chris had changed when she left. From what she had seen he was getting drunk more often and had started sleeping around. She didn't want her girls in that kind of atmosphere.
Things with Elliot had slowed down, she had made sure of that. He still came by sometimes and she still brought the girls over to see him on occasion, but they hadn't talked about anything that had occurred in the first few weeks of her divorce. He had tried many times, but she always blown him off, she wasn't ready yet for that talk, not even close. She could tell that it hurt him, but there wasn't anything more she could do about it.
The divorce was going a lot better than she thought it would; it might even be over sooner than expected. She was thankful for that. Chris wasn't putting up as much of a struggle anymore, at most he wanted to take the girls away from her now, but she had everything ready for them. A place to live, a school to go to, a babysitter for when she was at work. Chris had none of those things, except for the place to live. He had no way of getting them to school with his work schedule and Mary was getting too old to watch after a 2 year old all day, not to mention his drinking problem. Things were looking much better for Olivia.
Work was ... well work was work, nothing had changed. Thankfully what was happening between Olivia and Elliot had no effect on their being partners, or if it did they were good at hiding it. People at the station house had finally stopped telling her how sorry they were about the divorce and how they had never like Chris anyhow, but that was because she had asked them not to, it was getting to be a daily thing, and it just annoyed the hell out of her.
"Momma?" Cassie called as the door to Olivia's bedroom creaked open; "Can I sleep with you?"
She sat up in her bed, forgetting her thoughts, "Sure honey, what's wrong?"
"The storm," she said as lightning flashed through her window. Cassie jumped a little and came running towards the bed, crawling up onto it and towards her mother, then snuggled up as close as she could.
Olivia smiled and watched the door, waiting for it to open again. As if on cue a few seconds later the door open slightly and a mass of blonde hair could be seen, then bright brown eyes. "Mommy," Becca whispered, "yooh wake?"
"I'm awake Becca," she said, "you wanna crawl into bed with me and sissy?"
She nodded and toddled over to the bed, then climbed it carefully. She crawled over to where her older sister and mother lay, and cuddled up next to Cassie. "Night, mommy." She sighed as she got comfortable. "Uve yooh."
"Love you, too." She whispered back to her, "Goodnight girls."
"Night momma," Cassie said. And a few minutes later both were snoring lightly. Olivia stayed awake, watching the two as the slept, the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the room and thunder booming. It was the first big storm that they had gone through at the new apartment. If this had been a couple of months earlier one would be snuggled up to their mother while the other was in the protective arms of their father. Olivia snorted to herself; they were doing just fine without him.
She laid back down and closed her eyes, listening to the storm as it died down. After a while the threatening thunder had died down to a light rumble and she could no longer see the lightning through her eyelids. When the storm had passed from overhead she relaxed into sleep, dreams fleeting.
XXXX
She woke up the next morning to cold hands around her arm and a voice gently calling out to her.
"Momma," Becca whispered, tugging on her arms once more. "Wake up!"
She opened her eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the change in brightness. Becca let go of her arm and smiled at her, and Olivia sat up in the bed.
"Where's your sister?"
She shrugged and scooted to the side of the bed, slipped down off of it, and ran out of the room. Olivia pushed the covers off of her haphazardly, running a hand through her short hair. She yawned and stretched out her arms then made her way into the bathroom.
She brushed her teeth then splashed cold water on her face, to wake her up, and ran a brush through her hair lazily. When she ventured into the living room Becca and Cassie were sitting on the couch and watching Saturday morning cartoons. She smiled at the two and started to walk towards the kitchen when there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it!" Cassie called, jumping off of the couch.
"Oh, no you don't," Olivia said, holding her back. "You know you don't answer the door."
"But, you're home, mom."
She shook her head, "Doesn't matter. You don't answer the door, not even if you ask who's there before you open it. You hear me?"
"Yes."
"Good," she sighed. "Now go sit back down."
There was another knock at the door, "I'm coming!" She called out, making her way to the door. She looked through the peephole, it was Elliot. She closed her eyes with a sigh and swung open the door. He smiled at her and she returned it halfheartedly. "What's up, Elliot?"
He stepped inside, without asking. "Nothing much," he shrugged. "I didn't have anything to do so I figured I'd come over and see if you and the girls were busy, maybe we could go to the park?"
Becca jumped up from the couch, "Park! I go!"
Olivia shut the door and walked into the living room, "I don't know..."
"Do you have something planed already?" He asked, following her into the living room.
"Well..." she replied, "no, not really."
"So, then what's stopping you from going to the park?" He looked over at Becca and Cassie, "You guys want to go to the park, right?" The nodded furiously, "Then ask mommy nicely, maybe she'll say yes."
Olivia narrowed her eyes at him and he smiled, shrugging his shoulders. The two girls came running towards their mother and stopped right in front of her, staring up hopefully. "Can we, mommy?" Cassie asked, sticking her lower lip out (a trick she had learned worked every time at a very young age), "Please?"
Olivia sighed and glared at Elliot once again, "Fine. But I have to take a shower first and so do you two." She shooed them off with her hands, "Go get some clothes to wear."
When they had gone Olivia turned to look Elliot square in the eyes, "That's not fair, using my own children against me," she took a step towards him and he took a step back, "I thought that we agreed on this, Elliot. Until my divorce is over minimal contact outside work, whether they're there or not. It's just not safe, you know that as well as I do!"
"Oh, come on," he sighed, "it's the park for cryin' out loud! Tell me, what could possibly go wrong."
She opened her mouth to answer and when she realized she had no reply shut it again. Giving up she pushed past him and walked into her room, grabbing something to wear. Then she made her way into he bathroom and helped the girls with their bath, then got them dressed. After they were done she sent them into the living room to watch some more cartoons while she showered and got ready. Half an hour later she pulled on her shirt and walked out of the bathroom and into the living room.
"Are you guys ready?" She asked as she leaned against the wall, her arms folded over her chest.
The two girls nodded happily and got off of the couch while Elliot came out of the kitchen, a coffee cup in hand. "Let's get going then." He suggested with a smile.
Olivia sighed to herself once more; it was going to be a long day.
XXXX
A/N: Yeah, well. This is a bit shorter than I would have liked it to be, but the next part of the story is going to be too long to add to this chapter. Anyway, let me know what'cha think. Flames are allowed, but not exactly wanted, mind you. So, please be nice!