"You grew up with a silver spoon in your mouth, living the high life. I had to work my ass off to get where I am today." Ryan said not caring about the level of his voice anymore, seeing the shocked look in his wife's eyes but he was way too angry to stop now.

"I didn't grow up like you did Alex. We were poor. When my dad left he left my mom with $30 in her bank account, and four kids to raise including a baby. There were some nights when she'd go to bed without food but sure the rest of us ate." He started his voice much calmer as he tells his wife about this part of his childhood years he never really shared with anyone, not even her. Until now.

"My mom worked to jobs. She was a secretary at a local school and at night she'd wait on tables in a small restaurant. She would always come home with brown paper bags in her hand and tell us she brought take out when it was actually leftover food some of the customers didn't finish. There was nothing wrong with it…Just my mother refusing to tell us the truth about where it comes from because she always made us believe that everything is okay." He got up from the chair he was sitting on and walked over to the one side of the porch. "She'd sent us to go wash our hands or show her our completed homework while she dished, and Simone would always ask her when is she gonna eat and she'd say she already did when she was starving but she was so selfless that she never put herself before her kids." He stood with his back to Alex while he spoke and she was glad about it because she quickly wiped away a stray tear from her cheek.

"Why've you never told me about any of this?" She asked softly her voice husky in barely an audible whisper.

Ryan scoffed and shook his head before turning around to look at her. "I didn't want you to pity me, or look at me or my family any differently. I promised myself that my family will never have to grow up the way I did. I will do what I have to give them the best of everything I've never had. You guys are my priority but if my family asks for help I'm going to help them. " Alex got up and walked towards him. "This does not mean that I love you any less. I'm kind of hurt that you didn't trust me enough to open up about this part f your life."

"Do you blame me? A man has his pride, and it took a hell of a lot of courage from me to tell you this." He admitted.

"Why? Because you're afraid that I'd judge you for something you had no control over? Ryan ia m not that petty. I am selfish at times I'll admit that, but I will never judge you, or your family for that matter." Alex said making it clear.

"I appreciate it, but you saying all these things still doesn't mean that you know what it was like. And I don't want to fall into a pit of self pity and depression because of it. I….. I just need to be alone for a while." He said and walked down the steps of the porch towards a foot path that he had no idea where it led to but a jog would help him clear his head. Alex standing on the porch looking at him as he jogged away until she couldn't see him anymore.

Alex blew out a long steady breath and had no idea what to do or what to say when he returned or what she would say. Maybe she'll use this time to come up with an idea of what to say. She looked around in the cupboard certain that she packed some ingredients for baking a cake for Ryan's birthday tomorrow. Before she could start Asher started crying and she walked into the room to see what was wrong before picking him up and carrying him out to the lounge with her, setting him down on the couch with her. "What's wrong? You cannot be done sleeping." She said looking at her son who looked up at her, his blue eyes staring into her brown ones.

"Do you have any idea how amazing your father is? And I have said some pretty rude things to him. Do you think we'll be able to move on from it and still enjoy the weekend?" Alex asked her son and he made a noise that confirmed what his mother seemed was that they will be okay. "And, we're getting some visitors tomorrow s I really need to get started on that cake. Grandma, and Simone, Amorey and Nadia are coming over. And CJ and a few other work friends. But dada doesn't know about it so it stays between us alright?" Asher yawned ensuring his mother that their secret were safe, before he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep. "Then why did you wake up in the first place when you weren't even awake for five minutes my boy?" Alex smiled kissing his head carrying him back to the crib, checking up on Phoebe who was still sleeping before she walked out of the room quietly.

She checked her phone in the process hopeful for some kind of indication from her husband that he wasn't mad at her or that he wasn't upset but who was she kidding. They had some pretty heated words and it's not gonna be solved with a text saying I forgive you. They need to talk about this some more before they can move on. Trying to keep her mind occupied she started working on baking a cake.

Ryan had no idea how far he had been running, he didn't stop until his chest burnt when he reached some cliff, with a waterfall on the far side. At the bottom he could see the lake extending, glistening in the late afternoon sun. Trying to catch his breath he sat down looking out at nature not really thinking about anything in particular but simply basking in the moment. He had no idea how long he had been sitting there before deciding it was time to head back, hoping the kids were still asleep as the two of them needed to talk this through. He ran back down the path and in about half an hour he was back at the cabin, seeing his wife through the glass sliding door with her back turned busy with what seemed like cooking. He opened the door and walked inside the quiet indicating that the kids were still asleep, Alex too occupied to notice his return, it wasn't until she turned to put the cake in the oven that she saw him.

"Can we talk about earlier?" She asked with the unbaked cake batter in her hand ready to put it in the oven. He nodded.

"I'm just gonna go take a shower quickly then we can talk." He said before disappearing into the bedroom, and Alex heard the water running a few minutes later. With the kids asleep and she not having anything else to do she turned on the TV and watched some cooking competition until Ryan emerged from the bathroom and wordlessly joined her on the couch. Neither of them saying anything, both of them sitting in uncomfortable silence until Alex was the first one to start talking.

"We've been together so long why are you only telling me about this now?" She asked looking at him.

He shrugged. "I wasn't gonna tell you when I was trying to impress the hell out of you. And get in your pants before deciding to marry you." He smiled looking up at her as he said the last part and she punched his shoulder playfully.

"Pervert! It's not going to change how I feel about you or how I am looking at your family. Now more than ever I admire your mom more for what she sacrificed. I am just…I am frustrated, with this whole situation." She said running a hand through her hair. "Don't get me wrong I am not blaming you for any of this mess that we're in and I never will,, but this is just one of those arguments I was hoping we'd never have. I know couples who've ended up in divorce court because of financial matters."

"You still not keen on me going to Quantico on weekends?" Ryan asked hopeful that she would have changed her mind by now but Alex still shook her head.

"Do you remember when I was expecting Asher, I got offered a promotion as a Special Agent, and because of the hijacking that happened I had to decline it." She refreshed his memory leaving out the part where he said that if she is going to continue to put their baby's life in danger she has to stop working even if it means losing the promotion. She reached for her phone and showed her the general email that there were two positions open for it again, and that the interviews start on Monday.

"Are you considering it?" He asked after reading it and she nodded.

"It's gonna help, a lot. Should I give it a go?" She asked and Ryan looked at her with an expression on his face that said she might decide against it.

"I mean, you're always worried about people saying that your moving up in the ranks because we're both working in the same department. And Maranda had that grueling talk with us once about you not getting special treatment just because we're married. So…."

"You think it's a bad idea?" She asked all the enthusiasm in her voice she had moments ago gone. "But I can't be stagnant on one place for the rest of my career Ryan, even if it means having to work at another office…" She continued and Ryan started smiling.

"What?"

"I was messing with you." He laughed. "With a bad ass attitude like that you're surely gonna make it." He told her kissing the top of her head as she hit him with a pillow.

"Dada?" A little voice came from across the room, a very sleepy and confused girl looking at her parents. "Hey Pheebs, what's wrong?"

"Where my room?" She asked looking at her father seemingly to forget that they were not at home.

"We're not at home, remember?" Her mother asked as she ran a sleepy fist across her face and made her way over to join her parents.

"I sleep a dada lap." She decided when she stood in front of her father lifting up her hands so he can pick her up, while she positioned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes again soon drifting back to sleep.

Deep down Alex wanted to go to the store because she needed a few things but decided against it. She'll text one of her friends to ask them to bring it along and she'll refund them. Besides now more than ever she needed to learn to safe money, it's gonna be hard but she can do this. She turned around after being busy in the kitchen to ask her husband something only to find both him and his daughter asleep on the couch.

Hey guys. Birthday up next. I will try my best to make it as long and interesting as possible. Thank you for reading.

Lovies-S