Mad Mothers Are Hell

They went to dinner at the cafe to celebrate their marriage. Ethan sat across from his bride and held her hand smiling the whole time. He was also using the time to get used to the wedding band that now circled the third finger of his left hand. He looked down at it and at the new band that now graced Emily's hand with her diamond.

"So I suppose we should tell your parents firsts, huh?" Ethan asked his new wife.

"I guess since we're here. Then we only have to deal with one set at a time." Emily said, looking up from cutting her pork chop. She took a bite and smiled at him.

"Well I guess that makes sense." Ethan said. He didn't say anymore about it because he really didn't want to think about what was going to come crashing down on their heads. As glad as he was the he and Emily were finally married he also knew how disappointed and angry their families were going to be. The wouldn't be angry with them for getting married, that wouldn't be the issue with them, no it would be due to the fact that they felt that they had been dishonored because they had went and got married and not invited any of them to join in with them.

After they finished dinner they drove to the Munch household and Ethan let out a groan. So much for telling Emily's parents tonight and his tomorrow, because there sitting in the yard was his father's buggy. Oliver and Louise were there too. They were probably all celebrating the news of Oliver and Louise's new baby. He looked at Emily and she was white as a sheet. "Well I guess so much for well laid plans." he said, a weak smile crossing his lips.

Emily grabbed his hand and said, "It will be ok, sweetheart. What can they do besides get angry? They'll get over that eventually."

"I appreciate your optimism darlin' but if I know my mother they way I think I know my mother, she is going to be mad until I turn thirty." Ethan said with a small chuckle.

Emily laughed too and then said, "No her first grandchild will soften her up."

They walked up to the front door and both were careful to keep their left hands hidden from the sitting room full of people when Emily's father opened the door to them and everyone stared. "Where have you two been?" John asked.

"We've just been out Papa. Now what is everyone doing here?" Emily asked, with a nervous laugh.

"Well Elliot and Olivia and their children stopped by to visit and then they got to join in on the celebration with us." John explained.

"What are we celebrating?" Emily said, keeping her left hand tucked behind her handbag. Ethan had his securely placed at the small of Emily's back, away from John's view.

"Oliver and Louise's baby. Why don't you two come in, instead of standing out on the front steps?" John said turing and going back into the house. Ethan ushered Emily in ahead of him and pushed the door shut, shoving his left hand into his pants pocket.

When they reached the sitting room Emily took a seat and Ethan went to stand behind her, left hand still firmly in his pocket.

"So where were you two at?" Olivia asked from her spot sitting next to Elliot.

"We were out driving." Ethan said as casually as possible.

Emily decided that Louise and Oliver had probably already given everyone their news so she said, "Ethan, could I speak to you in the other room please?"

"Sure." Ethan said. He followed Emily out of the room, hands in his pockets. They went into the kitchen and then out on to the Munch's enclosed back porch.

'We have to tell them." Emily said. "I mean we might as well just go back in there and tell them, instead of beating around the bush."

"Your right." Ethan said. "But can I have a kiss before we have to face the firing squad?"

"Of course." Emily said, fulfilling her husband's request.

They walked back in to the sitting room, hand in hand to face what Ethan had rightly described as a firing squad.

Casey was the first to notice that something was different about the two when they came back into the room and her eyes instantly went to her daughter's hands, tightly clutched behind her handbag. "Emily, honey is there something wrong with you?"

"No Mama. Why are you asking?"

"Well you've got a death grip on that handbag is all?" Casey said.

"Uhm, everyone." Ethan decided to get it over with and just tell them. "You've all been wondering where Emily and I were at earlier this afternoon." He looked at Emily then and she smiled at him, so he continued on, "Well we've been at Pastor Wilkins place."

"What were you doing at Pastor Wilkins place, son?" Elliot asked.

"We-we were getting married Pa." Ethan finally said.

"What!?" came the outraged voices of both Casey and Olivia.

Olivia jumped up from her seat then and came towards her son, "What are you talking about Ethan Elliot Stabler? You did not and I repeat did not just say what I think you did."

Ethan only nodded and took Emily's left hand with his own left hand, holding them up. "That's what I said Ma."

Casey broke down and cried and Olivia went to comfort her, leaving the two children to face their fathers. "Emily what were you thinking, running off and getting married?" John asked.

"Papa we were getting married anyhow. We just decided to do it a little ahead of schedule." Emily tried to explain.

"You couldn't tell any of us though?" Elliot asked, directing the question towards his son.

"We are telling you Pa. We just didn't want to wait anymore to do it."

The ladies then drug Emily and Louise into the other room and John, Elliot and Oliver took Ethan to the kitchen.

The ladies were livid with Emily. Her mother cried and cried, causing her to cry and Olivia to cry and then due to hormone Louise decided to join into the water works as well.

In the kitchen Ethan wasn't fairing any better. His father was pacing around, looking like he could hit something, John was sitting at the table with his head in his hands and Ethan was simply sitting. "Ethan, I can't understand what you and Emily were thinking. What were you thinking?" Elliot asked.

"Pa what do you think I was thinking about?" Ethan asked, looking at his father and hoping that his eyes could convey his message so that he didn't have to say what he had been thinking when he had decided to go along with Emily's urge to get married.

Elliot picked up his son's meaning right away and understanding that it was something that shouldn't be said in front of the girl's father; he stopped pacing and simply nodded at his son.

"I don't care what kind of excuse you two have." John said, lifting his head and looking at his new son-in-law. "What you did is inexcusable and irresponsible."

"Yes sir." Ethan said, still sitting straight and tall in his chair.

After the ladies dried their eyes, Casey looked at her daughter, "Emily, dear what was going through your mind when you decided to run off and elope with Ethan?"

"Mama you are making this out like I run off with town drunkard or something!" Emily said, rising from her chair and moving over beside the counter.

Olivia felt the same way; there wasn't anything wrong with her son. She looked at Emily and then at Casey. "Casey, I think we need to look at his rationally."

"Thank you Olivia." Emily said. "Mama, Ethan and I planned on getting married anyway we just moved it up a little."

"Emily you moved it up 7 months!" Casey nearly shouted at her daughter.

"Ok, I will give you that, but Mama Ethan and I love each other and we decided we didn't want to wait."

A look of horror crossed Casey's face before she asked her next question, "Emily, your not pregnant are you?"

The look of horror then passed over both Emily and Olivia's faces. Emily was the first to speak. "No Mama. I am not pregnant! Goodness you know that both Ethan and I are more responsible than that."

"No I don't." Casey said to her daughter. "You ran off and got married without telling any of us, that wasn't responsible. Certainly there is a reason why you got married in such a rush, isn't there?"

"I don't know, Mama. We wanted to be married and so we got married." Emily said, giving a small shrug.

"Well, what's done is done." Olivia said. Then she went to Emily, "I'm going to hug you dear but please know that we are all still terribly upset with both you and Ethan." Olivia embraced her new daughter-in-law. "Now go get your husband and go home."

Emily hugged her mother-in-law and then her mother and went to the kitchen to get Ethan. "Ethan, let's go honey."

Ethan looked at her from his seat where he was still sitting rigidly. "What? Uhm, I don't know if we can go." He said then looked back at his father and John.

Elliot looked at his son and daughter-in-law. "Get out of here." He said.

John didn't say anything, not even when his daughter came in and kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She said to him, "I love you Papa." Emily went and hugged and kissed Elliot next. "Please don't be angry at us to long, ok." She said to him.

Elliot hugged her back and gave his son a stern look. "I don't want you two to ever do anything like this again ok."

"Yes sir." Ethan said before he ushered Emily out of the room.

Once they were wrapped up and in the buggy headed home, Emily with a carpet bag at her feet, Ethan said to her, "Well that went better than I thought it would."

"Yes, I guess it could have been worse than it was."

"Do you want me to come back tomorrow and get your things?" Ethan asked.

"No, uhm, Oliver and Louise plan to come and visit so they'll bring everything with them."

"Oh." Ethan said. "I'm sorry that things happened this way."

"It's not your fault dear." Emily said, scooting closer to Ethan on the seat.

It was dark and cold so Ethan urged the horses to go faster and soon they were home. It was the start of the rest of their lives.