A/N: I am so, so sorry I disappeared on you guys. I've had to focus all my time and energy on finding a new job and I had to study for this major exam (that might possibly get me a new job) these past few weeks, so I couldn't even think about writing. Also, writer's block decided to strike, so I had to battle through that too. Anyway, thank you for you continued support and I hope you guys like this one.

At the end of the tunnel

Chapter 17

"Jake, hi." Kate said slowly and he felt his anger kick up a notch.

He should have known. Of course his bitch of a wife would bring the goddamn wife-stealing writer into her home and let him be near his children. Of course. She just didn't seem to get the picture, did she? Even when he had already very specifically told his kids that they were forbidden to be anywhere near this guy ever again.

But she just had to defy him. What the hell was she thinking?

Taking a deep breath, he tried to reign in his hatred for the man and for what Kate was doing. She was just trying to get to him, provoke him to do something she could use against him later. Why couldn't she just understand that she was his goddamn wife and he was not going to let her go?

"Hi." He said coldly, against his better judgement. Because this was just too much for him. He couldn't make himself play nice in front of them.

"Why don't you go say hi to daddy, Alex?" She said and he watched as his son tightened his hold on the man's neck, refusing to leave his arms. "Alex, come on, baby bear. Say hi to your dad." Kate insisted, touching the boy's back soothingly.

His son looked at him and he thought he could see fear in his hazel eyes as he whispered his greeting and hid his face in the crook of the writer's neck.

Okay, so maybe he did overdo with the rugrats last weekend. But he'd had to try, hadn't he?

"Come on, Alex, aren't you going to give your old man a hug?" Jake tried with a light voice, but Alex just wouldn't budge.

With a sigh, he entered the apartment and passed right by his cheating wife and the writer, without even acknowledging their presence. Whatever, he could deal with the brat later. Now he needed to win back his daughter. If Olivia was on his side, she could easily sway Alex back into his team. He found her on the couch across the spacious living room, playing with a cat, apparently, and talking to a redhead teen he had never seen before. Gorgeous too. Huh. Maybe she was a sitter?

"Olivia" he managed to put a smile on his face when the young girl looked at him. "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

He waited for her reaction and was surprised to see a shadow of doubt cross his daughter's eyes. She looked down for a moment, scratching behind the tiny animal's ears, before looking back into his eyes, not even a hint of a smile in her expression.

"Thank you, dad." She nodded at him and her attention returned to the cat on her lap.

"Hey, come on. Let me give you a hug, Liv. It's your birthday." He tried to go for a light tone, but she still looked at him so seriously. Nevertheless, she stood up, handed the kitten to the redhead and dutifully let him hug her quickly. "I got you something." He handed her the wrapped box in his hand.

She accepted it and sat back down, carefully unwrapping her present. When it revealed a shining new Ipad, she smiled for the first time since he arrived.

"This is really cool, dad. Thanks." She smiled at him and he sighed in relief. Progress.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend." He raised an eyebrow and Olivia nodded with a small smile.

"Oh, sure. Dad, this is my friend Alexis. Lexie, this is my dad, Jake Caldwell." She introduced quickly, setting the Ipad aside, much to his dismay, in favor of the cat.

"Nice to meet you, Alexis." He said warmly. She really was gorgeous. How old was this girl, anyway? Hopefully 18 already, he thought with a grin.

"You too, Mr. Caldwell." She nodded at him politely. "Liv, I'll be right back, alright?" She excused herself and left. Jake turned around to see where she was going and was surprised to see her talking to the writer. Interesting.

"I'm glad you came to my birthday, dad." He heard Olivia saying and tore his eyes away from the cute teen.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, kid." He placed a light kiss on her temple and had to refrain from pumping his fist in the air in victory when she relaxed against him.

"At least he didn't make a scene."

Kate sighed, leaning against the kitchen door with a sigh. Rick made his way to her after pouring soda into a dozen plastic cups sitting on the kitchen island.

"Thank god for small favors, right?" He offered a smile and touched her cheek lovingly. "Maybe he realized just how badly he screwed up last weekend." Rick said with a shrug and she nodded, leaning forward until her weight rested on his body. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pressed a kiss to her hair. "We'll get through this, Kate. Maybe this is the beginning of the end of this thing.

"I hope you're right." She leaned back just enough to look up at him. "I just want this to be over, for their sakes. She's been having nightmares this past week. I don't know what to tell her anymore, how to comfort her." She sighed and felt that wave of sadness that had been lingering this past weekend take over her. "I'm so tired of fighting, Rick. I don't want to fight with him anymore."

"I know, babe. I know." She felt his hands rubbing soothing circles on her back and relaxed into his embrace again.

"How was the tour? Did you have fun?" She asked quietly, placing a light kiss to his neck. Just being here, close to him, made her feel better.

"Yeah, it was good. I brought you guys a few things, now that you mention it." He told her and she smiled, looking up at him again.

"You didn't have to." She narrowed her eyes at him playfully and he shrugged with a grin.

"What, I was already buying stuff for Alexis and my mom. Had to bring something for the rest of the family, right?"

"What did I ever do to deserve you, huh?" She asked him teasingly, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring his lips to hers.

"Someone up there must like you very, very much." He murmured before deepening the kiss. Kate felt her lower abdomen tighten deliciously and a moan escaped her when he pressed their hips together. "I so wish we could finish this right now." He said breathlessly, trailing down a path down to her neck with his lips.

"You have no idea." She sighed, biting her lip to keep a moan in when he sucked her pulse point gently. "Later. Will you stay tonight?"

"Absolutely." He stole another kiss before letting her go. "Hey, buddy." He greeted and Kate turned around in time to see her son entering the kitchen.

"I was looking for you." The boy told Rick with a smile. "Did you see the kitten Grandpa gave Livie?"

"No, I didn't."

"Come on, I'll show you." Alex grabbed his hand and started pulling him to the door. Rick looked at Kate, who nodded, saying it was okay. "She's really cute, Rick. And she's so small too, you'll see!" The boy told him excitedly, making him chuckle. Kate watched them interact with an amused smile.

"Alex, tell your sister we're singing happy birthday soon, alright?" She called after them and the boy turned around to nod at her.

"Okay, mommy! I'm just going to show Rick the..." Kate looked up from what she was doing to see her son looking up at his father with wide eyes. Jake looked murderously at Rick.

Well, it had been too good to be true, hadn't it? It looked like he was going to make a scene after all, she thought, when he clenched his fists tightly, glaring at her boyfriend.

"Go ahead and show Rick the kitten, baby bear. I'll be there soon." She told him and nodded when Rick looked at her questioningly. Watching them leave, she returned to the task at hand - arranging the plastic cups on a tray to serve to the guests - and waited.

"You just don't learn, do you?" She heard his quiet, icy voice, right before he closed the kitchen door. "I already told you I don't want that son of a bitch anywhere near my kids." He hissed at her and Kate sighed, tiredly.

"Yeah, you very specifically told your children that. Did you know that your daughter has been having nightmares ever since you threatened to take them away from me and forbade them to see Rick?" She looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "Do you have any idea what your idiotic attitude is doing to Olivia and Alex, Jake?"

"I didn't do anything wrong. They are my children and I can say whatever I see fit to them. I'm their father, not that writer guy." He exclaimed angrily and she closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.

"And no one is taking that away from you, Jake. But do you see what your actions are doing to them? Alex is afraid of you because you spent all day last weekend yelling at him. Is that really what you want? Do you want them to be afraid of you?" She asked calmly, running a hand through her hair. "Because you have succeeded."

"I just can't accept that guy around them." He said, a little quieter, but the anger still evident in his tone.

"Well, you have to accept that Rick is a part of my life now." She shrugged and almost regretted saying it when he saw his face flushing, a vein pulsing angrily on his temple. "Keeping the kids from seeing him is not really an option. I love him and so do Alex and Olivia and you'll just..."

The blow came without warning. Kate just felt the impact of his hand on her cheek and it took a few seconds for the searing pain to register in her brain. A few seconds that she felt like time had stopped as she watched, stunned, as Jake breathed hard in front of her, hatred evident in his eyes.

"Get out." She hissed, bringing a hand to her cheek, as she tried to breathe through the pain.

"Kate..." He started, seeming to realized what he had just done.

"Get the hell out of my apartment." She said, louder this time, and he seemed to listen because he turned on his heels to hightail out of her kitchen. He stopped in his tracks, though, making her see red. "Jake, get out!" She yelled and finally saw what had made him freeze.

Olivia was standing at the door, fresh tears escaping her eyes.

A/N: Please don't kill me.