Elliot climbed up the wooden steps and rang the doorbell. It was still all so surreal, that this was no longer his home. He remembered how proud he had been to finally be able to put a down payment on a home. How ecstatic he had been when he finally paid off his mortgage. When Dickie thought he was a good enough at rollerblading to jump the steps and ended up breaking his leg. When he and his now ex-wife carried two new born babies up these very same steps and through this very threshold. He could still remember the night he finally realized that this was his home. When he could hear the soft snores of his children in their beds and his wife's warm breath against his chest as she slept beside him. Now it's as if it were all just dream, because now that he's awake, this was no longer his home.

"Elliot. Come in," Kathy said, stepping back to allow him to enter the home.

"Dad!" Maureen called excitedly. She ran up and wrapped her arms around him and held him close. "I'm glad you made it."

He held her back. "I missed you too, sweetheart." He kissed the top of her head.

Elizabeth came down the stairs and was surprised to see her father in the living room. "Dad! Dickie, Dad's here!" The young girl quickly bounded down the steps and into her father's arms. "Where have you been? We've missed you."

"I've been busy, but I promise that I'm never going to disappear like that again."

"Dad!" Dickie called as he came rushing down the stairs. He tripped down the last two and stumbled a bit, but he didn't let that stop him from reaching his father. He hugged him while his sister immediately began to catch him up on what had been going on in his life. As did his sisters. In the midst of the commotion Maureen made her way in and proceeded to help her mother set the table while her siblings talked to her father.

"Dinner's ready," Kathy announced.

"Great, I'm starved. What's for dinner?" Elliot asked.

"Your favorite: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas, and gravey."

"Can't wait. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Nope. I have everything covered. Just waiting for Kathleen to come back from work. Go, spend some time with the kids. They've missed you."

He headed back into the living room and took a seat beside his son on the couch. "So what else's been going on with you?"

"Nothing much. Same ole, same ole."

"Sports?"

"Oh! I have a basketball game tomorrow. Can you come?"

"Of course. I'll be there, cheering the loudest."

"Maybe we should leave the cheering to Lizzie. Seeing how she is the cheerleader and all."

"What's wrong with my cheering?"

"There was a reason Kathleen stopped inviting you to her games."

"Fine. I promise. Olivia and I will be on our best behavior."

"Olivia and you? You guys back together?" Lizzie asked as she came around the couch to sit on the other side of her father.

"Yup."

"So you're going to be there with her? Baby and all?" Dickie asked.

"Yes. Unless…Are you guys uncomfortable with them being there?"

"No. It's just…weird."

"Why?"

"Because we never see them." Lizzie answered. "We haven't even met Kayla."

"I know, and that's my fault. I wasn't trying to keep her from you guys. Things were just…complicated. But I still want her to get to know you."

"Sounds ok to me." Dickie shrugged.

"What about you, Liz? What have you been up to?"

"Mostly cheerleading, but the gymnastics coach saw me perform and said I'm really good. So we've been training and now I'm on the gymnastics team!"

"Congratulations…Just be careful ok?"

"K. Will you come to some of my meets?"

"Just let me know when and I'll do my best to be there."

"Ok," she grinned up at her father.

"Dinner's ready!" Kathy called as soon as Kathleen walked through the door.

Elliot stood and helped Kathy clear the table while the rest of the kids went to get ready for bed. He started loading the dishwasher while Kathy stored the leftover food and cleaned up the kitchen. They worked in a comfortable silence until the kids came back down to say goodnight.

"Want something to drink?" Kathy asked as she pulled a beer out of the fridge.

C'mon. Have a drink with me. Let's catch up.

"Um. No, I think I'm just gonna head home."

"Home. Is that your apartment, or Olivia's?" He starred at her. "I overheard you telling the kids that you two are back together."

"We are."

"Elliot how could you take advantage of her like that? She has no memory of who you are."

"Kathy, why are you so concerned about this?"

"Because I thought you were a better person than that, Elliot."

"I am. Olivia has her memory back, and I would never take advantage of any woman in a vulnerable situation. You know that."

"I know… I'm sorry. But… What about us?"

"What about us? You wanted a divorce. We got one."

"What about that night?"

"Kathy that was a mistake. We both had too much to drink and we slept together."

"Was it a mistake, Elliot? Maybe we still had something. We never really had a chance to explore it or even talk about it. You just ran out of here like it never happened and then the next thing I know she's pregnant."

"Don't. Kayla had nothing to do with that so don't bring her into this."

"I'm sorry… I just felt that we…"

"We what Kathy?"

"We had another chance. That if we slept together you would change your mind."

He eyed her skeptically. "Kathy… did you plan that night?"

"Elliot, I missed you. I wanted you back. I still do."

"Did you. Plan. That. Night?" Elliot starred at her with a steely gaze, his focus unwavering.

"Not the way you're thinking." she answered, staring back at him with tear-filled eyes.

He turned around and braced himself against the counter. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What happened that night?"

"We were drinking and having a good time talking. It was just like before. Before all the kids and the job. You… started off with beers, and then I suggested some wine instead. We got out the cards and played a little poker. By the time we were finished you were pretty drunk so I suggested you sleep it off in our bed. One thing led to another and…we made love. It was just like the old days when everything was good between us. I thought maybe we could have that again."

"Why? You knew I was with Olivia, why would you do that?"

"Because I missed you! And it wasn't like you didn't want to. I didn't coax you into anything. I could see it in your eyes that night. You wanted me and our family back and I wanted you back too. I missed you. We got divorced and it was as if I no longer existed. You were all wrapped up in Olivia, the kids, and the job. You practically forgot I existed. I was still in love with you and I wanted you back, and I still do. So when the opportunity presented itself I took it!. I figured that if we slept together you would remember what we had and come back to me. But then she got pregnant, and all that flew out the window."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing. It's like I'm living in some kind of fucking soap opera."

"Elliot, admit it. If Olivia hadn't gotten pregnant we-"

"No! Don't bring my daughter into this. I love Olivia and I was in love with her then and that's why you and I never got back together."

"Please. You did the same thing when I got pregnant with Maureen."

"No. I stuck by you because you were pregnant with Maureen. I married you because I loved you."

"Elliot."

"I need to get out of here."

"Elliot wait," she reached for him, but he shrugged away her touch.

"Don't. Touch. Me." He quickly grabbed his coat and headed for the door, but stopped just short of stepping through. "I'm going to Dickie's game tomorrow. I'd appreciate it if you weren't there."

A big thank you for reading.