"Can we get this over and done now?" Alex chuckled sweetly and rested her hands in her lap. The sooner someone got annoyed and kicked her out of the room, the better. She just wanted to go home or school or anywhere but here.
"Alexandra..." Quinn warned
"Because I'm missing like heaps of school and I have a math test this afternoon"
"Allie..." Sam growled softly.
"Now that's interesting" Dr Walker commented
"Interesting that I have a math test? It's only algebra" Alex chuckled confused.
"No, it's interesting how your parents call you by different names. Allie is a shortening of your name yes?"
"Beats saying the whole thing now that it's another name longer"
"Humour me?"
"Alexandra Addison Fabray-Evans"
"That's quite a mouthful; you wouldn't want to say that five times fast" Dr Walker chuckled "Why do you think your parents call you different names?"
"Because my mom hates Allie" she chuckled before mocking her mother "No respectable woman's name is Allie"
"Alexandra..." Quinn warned once again. She just wanted her outspoken daughter to be quiet for once in her life. Alex was becoming more and more like her father with every day.
"That's my name, don't wear it out" she giggled only to look up at her mother who was glaring daggers at her "Oh come on, it's funny"
"As much as it is funny, we're here to talk about your parents"
"Oh 'cause that story is the next box office hit" Alex mumbled under her breath and slouched down in her seat. Both her parents glared at her once again before turning their attention to Dr Walker.
"Please excuse my daughter, this divorce is hard for her" Quinn apologised with a fake smile. She was ready to ground the twelve year old as soon as they were finished.
"No, it's good to hear what Alex has to say, this is family therapy. She is affected by this divorce just as you two are. Not many parents include their children in the therapy process"
"There's the reason why you're here Allie" Sam chuckled
"Sam..." Quinn sighed "I apologise for him too, he's just as much of a child as Alexandra"
"Oh don't even get me started on what's wrong with that sentence Q" Sam snapped thankful that their daughter was sitting between them in that moment. He hated that Alex had to act as a shield between them but she was the only thing keeping them together now.
"There is nothing wrong with that Sam"
"You're calling me the child? Who ran off to god knows where with your best friend to... I won't finish that sentence in front of my daughter"
The whole reason the three of them were sitting in that office was because Quinn cheated on her husband with her best friend and co-worker, Rachel Berry.
One weekend, Sam went home to visit his family who had just moved to Arizona and took Alex with him. Quinn, still performing in her latest play couldn't get away from the theatre long enough to go with them. Neither of them anticipated walking in on Quinn 'working' naked on the living room floor, limbs entangled with another woman's. Seeing something like that scars a kid. Alex felt like her whole belief system fell to pieces as she watched her Mom and Rachel spring apart and try to re-dress themselves.
Quinn spent that night and every night from then on in a hotel room til she found a house back in Lima, Ohio. She wanted to be closer to her Mom and get back to her roots... or that was the excuse she gave to cover up the fact that she was just running away.
Sam handled the situation as any concerned father and hurt husband would and kept Alex away from her mother for a while. It was the right thing to do in his mind but that only fuelled Quinn's anger. She made a mistake but taking Alex away from her was no way to punish her. The blonde didn't understand that Sam was trying to protect their twelve year old who was still confused about why that night happened.
"No need to hold back, I saw it" Alex added slyly knowing how much that hurt her mother. She loved her mom and hated that her parents were splitting but how can you forgive someone for that? Growing up with Christian parents, the young girl always thought that cheating was wrong. Divorce was a sin too but the adultery kinda cancelled that out.
"Alex, do you understand what's going on?" Dr Walker asked while Quinn and Sam fumed silently at each other.
"Mom for some reason cheated on my Dad. I was always taught that you marry one person and that's it. You're with them for life but I guess stuff happens" she shrugged "My parents don't love each other anymore and I've gotta learn to live with that. Most kids I know have divorced parents. It's not like I'm alone"
"Alex, you know that I will always love you no matter what happens" Quinn assured her daughter and rested her hand on her knee. Using the preferred shortening of the twelve year old's name in the hope to comfort her slightly.
"Yeah but you don't love Dad" she sighed
"Your father will always have a place in my heart just not like before. Can you understand that?"
"Can I go sit in the waiting room or something? I'm sick of this" Alex asked Dr Walker before she stood up. Nodding, Dr Walker recognised her discomfort and would recommend a solo session later on with the twelve year old.
"Please stay" Quinn pleaded
"Let her go..." Dr Walker insisted as Alex walked out into the waiting room and sat cross legged on a comfy chair "This is how she copes. As performers, I'm sure you both pick up a guitar or immerse yourself into a character when you're upset, am I right?"
"I usually sit down and work on scripts I've been writing for years but yes, that's how I cope" Quinn nodded
"I play whatever instrument is closest, and sitting quietly by herself with her iPod in her ears is how Alex copes. She's been doing it a lot lately" Sam added.
"She has?" Quinn asked, shocked. Ever since the split, Alex had spent most of her time at home with her Dad. She had only spent a few days with her Mom in the three weeks since everything happened. Quinn had tried to take her daughter shopping or to Broadway shows to keep her happy, she never recognised the young girl's behaviour. She soon realised that she had spent too much time thinking of herself and not of her daughter.
"I am to understand that Sam has prime custody as you are moving to Ohio, Quinn?"
"That's right; I want to spend some more time with my Mom"
"Is this okay with Alex?"
"She seems fine with it, she'll spend holidays, part of the summer and long weekends with me and my family in Lima while the rest of the time in New York with her father. She asked for it to be that way"
"Her friends are here in New York, moving to a new state will just upset her even more" Sam insisted. After what happened, he knew Alex wouldn't stay with her Mom. She'd always felt more comfortable with her father and now, she would probably throw an uncharacteristic tantrum if forced to go to Lima.
"As difficult as it will be for you Quinn, that is the best thing for Alexandra. She's upset and working through this divorce just as you are. It's best not to suffocate her but also to give her the support she needs" Dr Walker advised as the pair nodded "This session is about you both just as it's about your daughter. What kind of support systems do you both have?"
"My mom and my friends..."
"My parents, a brother and a sister and friends..."
"Do they all know the reason as to why your marriage is ending?"
"Yes" Sam answered truthfully. He was the type to talk about his problems rather than bottling them up so when he needed to talk, his friends and family where there. He was embarrassed as to why he was getting a divorce but no-one would understand his problem otherwise.
"No..." Quinn answered honestly. She was embarrassed as well but she wasn't quite the same as Sam in vocalising her feelings. This was a painful subject for her so the less people knew about it the better.
"Quinn, do you have someone you can talk to about issues such as this? A friend? Family member?"
The blonde looked over at her soon to be ex-husband and sighed knowing he was the one person she would have turned to. They told each other everything from the minute they were friends 15 or more years ago. Quinn and Sam had always been each other's shoulder to cry on... they were barely speaking now. Now they just traded Alex back and forth.
"I have my Mom" she nodded "I've been calling her a lot, it'll be good to see her again when I get to Lima"
"Neither of you mentioned each other as part of your support network. Where are you in terms of a relationship?"
"At the moment? We say no more than two words to each other when we pass Allie between us" Sam shrugged "We haven't really gotten to the stage of asking questions yet"
"Is there one question in particular you'd like to ask Quinn about all this, Sam?"
"Yeah. Why?"
Your thoughts?