Disclaimer: Nope, still Dick's.
Author's Note: Uhm, well, is anyone else not getting their story alerts? It's pissin' me off. Anyways, here's my story! Hope you love!
"A...Al...Alex?" I sturtered, staring at the smiling blonde in front of me.
"No. Hilary Clinton." She answered and rolled her eyes, laughing.
"Oh, shut up!" I said and laughed, pulling her into my arms for a hug. I then noticed Elliot still hadn't said anything. "Uhm, El? You okay?"
"Wha? Oh, yea, yea. I'm fine. It's just...God! I never thought we'd see you again, Alex!" He finally found his voice and pulled her into a brotherly hug and smiled.
"Well, you're stuck with me now. I'm out of WPP. They found Zapata last week." She said walking into our living rooms with us,
"Wow! That's wonderful! Where is he now?" I asked.
I saw her smirk and raised an eyebrow. "Uhm...how do I say this with two toddlers around..." She looked as if she was contemplating something for a mintue then smirked and continued, "He's uh...let's say six feet under."
I snorted involutarily as did Elliot. The twins looked at us and Alex in confusion. Bryce, as always, decided to speak first. Always the curious one. "Mommy? What's a Zapata?"
"Oh, buddy Zapata was a very bad man. You remember how we told you that Daddy works to make the bad men go away?" He nodded and I continued, "Well, he is one of those bad men." The twins looked satisfied with the answer and Breanna finally spoke up.
"Momma? Who's she?" She asked pointing a tiny finger at Alex.
"Do you remember me and Daddy telling you that you were named after after Aunt Casey and a very very good friend of mine and your Daddy's named Alex?" She nodded excitedly. I laughed inside at how excited she got when we mentioned her name. She loved being the only person in her preschool class that could spell her whole name and that she had two middle names. It was adorable. "Well, this," I say, turning to Alex, "Is our very good friend, Alex." Her mouth opened in an "O" and I knew both she and her brother understood.
"Hi you guys. I'm your uh..." Alex trailed off not knowing how to adress herself to my children.
"This is your Aunt Alex, guys." Elliot finished for her and I nodded, smiling.
Her face lit up and she looked towards Bryce and Breanna. "Can I give you guys hugs?"
"Ah course!" They both yelled and jumped on her, hugging her. It was so funny how they both automatically loved anyone that they knew their parents loved. God, I love my children.
Suddenly a phone rang and I looked towards Alex and Elliot. It wasn't my ring tone, that I knew. Alex shook her head and Elliot sighed. He reached over to hid jacket and pulled out his Krazr that I had gotten him for Christmas. "Stabler." A pause. He sighs. "Okay." He almost looks like he's going to cry and I know he's got to go in to work.
I also know how bad he feels for never being home. The kids never get to see him. They get up at 7:30 in the morning. He gets up at 6 and leaves at 7. They're at preschool from 8:15 to 3 and here, with Dickie and Lizzie, from 3 to whenever I get home. Which is normally around 5 or 5:30. Then, if I know he's going to be late, the 5 of us (me and both sets of twins) go get supper and dessert. He normally doesn't get home until around 7, they're badtime is 8:30. If he's on a hard case, he doesn't get home until after they're in bed. And, like now, he gets called in at all hours of the night for cases. I've lived that life, I understand. Dickie and Lizzie have lived with that life since they could remember. But, Bre and Bry don't understand why Daddy isn't ever with them.
About two weeks ago, I got home late, I think it was about 6:30, and they came to me with tears in their eyes. They asked me if I was going to start not being with them like their daddy was. I cried right then and pulled them to me and held them for almost two whole hours. To make it worse, Elliot worked an over-nighter and they didn't see him for almost three days straight. I never told Elliot that they asked me that, or that, just a few weeks before that, that they had asked if their daddy really loved them or not. I knew it would break his heart.
Sometimes I get mad at him for spending more time at work than he absolutely has to. In fact about a month ago, Don called me at 9 at night, asking for Elliot. He wasn't home. When I realized that Don thought he was, therefore he could've been, I was down right pissed. It doesn't help anything that his partner is barely old enough to drink, a blonde with blue eyes, and every straight man's dream, either.
After three years with this life, I finally know why Kathy Stabler hated living like this.
I finally refocus on my surroundings again right when Elliot's hanging up. "Hey guys, I'm so sorry. That was Holly. She says we got a case. I'm so so sorry. I really wanted to be with you guys on your birthday."
Breanna and Bryce just nod their heads sadly and I see tears gather in their eyes. I smile at him sadly and move to give him a hug and kiss goodbye and goodnight. I know he won't be home until tomorrow, if then, and will most likely miss the twin's birthday party. We'll have to postpone. Great. Yeah, they're gonna love that.
He walks out the door and I sigh heavily, Bryce crawling into my lap and Breanna, surprising Alex, crawled into hers.
Alex looks at me, confused and says, "So, who's Holly?"
"She's his partner. I moved to Computer Crimes when the twins turned one." I explained.
"Oh. Wow. So, I take it he's not home much?" She asked, smiling sadly.
"Nah. He leaves at 7, they get up at 7:30. He gets home at any given time, but normally around 7 or 7:30. They're bedtime is 8:30. It isn't the best situation, but it brings in the money." I answer sadly.
"Well, couldn't he move to Homicide or something. The hours are better and the pay's the same. I mean, you moved." She says, thoughtfully.
Ha! Like I hadn't thought of that. I just chuckle unhumorously and answer, "Al, you know how much he loves that job and the guys are like his brothers. I wouldn't ask him to do that."
I stand and motion for her to do the same. We make our way upstairs, half asleep twins in our arms and still cotinuing a conversation.
"Liv, you shouldn't have to ask him. He should volunteer." I give her a warning glare but she brushes it off. Same old Alex. "If he really wants to see his kids more then he should transfer." We walk to the twin's respective rooms and lay them down for bed, they're already in their pajamas.
I wait until we're going back down the stairs and sigh. Finally I answer. "Alex! I know that! You know that! Hell, Don knows that! But, Elliot loves that job too damn much too quit. I know how working there goes and I know it was hard for me to quit and I quit very voluntarily. So, I can just imagine Elliot having to quit! He wouldn't be able to take it!" We've reached the living room again and I collapse onto the couch in tears. She takes me in her arms and just holds me while I cry. Damn PMS and over worked husbands.
Suddenly I spill it all out. I tell her about how I absolutely hate my life right now. I tell her how my kids are the only good thing in my life. I tell her how I really feel about Elliot working so much. I tell her how I hate him working with some busty, twenty-something blond thing. I tell her how Lizzie came to me two days ago and told me she lost her virginity to a twenty four year old at seventeen. I tell her how Elliot took it. Which was awful. She got a month and a hlf of grounding from him. I'm pretty sure she hasn't come out of her room, except for school, since then. I know for sure that they haven't said two words to each other since. I tell her how Dickie did drugs last year and lost his virginity to a nineteen year old. Elliot hardly even yelled at him and he only had two weeks of grounding. I tell her that I think that was sexist of him. I tell her something I just found out last week and am scared to tell Elliot. I literally spill everything from the last four years out to her in barely an hour.
God, it feels great to have a female to talk to again. I mean, I know I have Casey but she and Munch have been together for about six months and they're getting pretty serious. I missed Alex. I really did. We could always talk to each other. I'm close to Casey but she and I could never be as close as Alex and I.
Alex asks me for a spare room for a couple weeks until she gets an apartment and I give it to her without one thought. We get her into the biggest of the spare bedrooms and settled in. I take a shower and call Elliot to tell him goodnight. Of course I get his voice mail. A little after midnight I finally get to bed and as soon as my head hit the pillow I break out into sobs again. How am I ever going to tell Elliot I'm pregnant again?