Pick Up the Pieces !

Matt had barely moved a muscle by the time the boys started to stir. Both of them seemed happy to see Matt, which admittedly made him a bit happy as well. He would always harbor a soft spot for his boys. Or so he hoped. "Cash, why don't you run on downstairs? It smells like your Mom has started on dinner." Cash eagerly climbed down from his toddler bed, hurrying out of the bedroom. River moved to follow him, but Matt stopped the older boy. "No, you stay," he said and River shrunk back into his bed. The look on his face told Matt that the toddler thought he was in trouble again.

"You're not in trouble, Daddy just wants to talk to you," Matt told him. He moved over to sit next to River on his little bed. "So Mommy told me that you asked her why I love Cash more than you." At this, River shrunk back even more. He started to cry, mumbling something that Matt couldn't understand, but Matt hushed him. "You know that isn't true, right? I love you and Cash both the same. I was just mad because I've told you a million times before that you've got to be easy with your brother. He's littler than you and you could really hurt him if you're not careful. You're his big brother, you're supposed to protect him and keep him safe, okay?" Matt paused, scoffing at his words. If he couldn't protect his own little brother, then did he really have the right to expect River to do the same? "But I do love you, okay, buddy? Now let's go see what your Mom is cooking for supper."

Matt lifted River from his bed, shutting off the light and closing the door as he followed the little boy out of the bedroom. He could hear Cash chattering away downstairs to Madelyn, but she seemed to only be offering him short responses. He could tell she'd been crying and even from here, it looked like one of her wrists was swollen. It obviously wasn't broken, otherwise, she wouldn't be using it, but she'd definitely hurt it. Probably when he'd shoved her down onto the floor but surprisingly, he didn't feel bad. If she hadn't provoked him, he wouldn't have pushed her. "What's for dinner?" Matt asked, taking a seat at the island and pulling River into his lap.

Madalyn didn't like the way her heart started to race when she heard Matt moving around upstairs. It was erratic, not the sort of excitement that she used to get when Matt was coming home from a long tour and she would finally have her husband back. Swallowing, Madelyn looked over to Cash and forced a smile to her face as she answered his question. She wasn't feeling up to this but that didn't mean she wasn't going to, her boys were her world and she wasn't going to let them suffer just because she was in a bad mood. That wasn't fair to them.

Jumping when Matt spoke to her, Madalyn shook her head to clear her thoughts. She glanced up to Matt, her eyes meeting his for only a moment before she looked back down to the task in front of her. "Cheeseburgers and fries," she answered. It was an easy enough supper and she thought it would satisfy both Matt and the boys. Already, Cash had told her how excited he was for the 'fwies'. She had laughed and told him that was good.

She hesitated as she looked up to Matt. "Is that okay? I can always make something else with the meat..." she trailed off, just wanting to make sure that it was okay with Matt before she had finished mixing the meat together. If he wanted, she could always finish it as a meatloaf instead. She was sure that the boys' would be okay with that, so long as she wasn't putting any of those gross vegetables (as the boys would call them) in it. Madalyn was exhausted and at this point, she'd do just about anything to ease Matt's mood so that they wouldn't fight again.

At the mention of cheeseburgers and fries, River perked up. It was one of the few meals that both of the boys would eat without argument. "It's fine," Matt said, knowing that Madelyn would change meal plans in a heartbeat if he wanted her to. But he honestly didn't care what they ate as long as he had a little meat to put on his stomach. "Just put the pepper jack cheese on mine instead of American. Makes it a little spicier." Matt let River sit in his lap until the toddler started to become just a little too wiggly and then he lowered him to the floor. "You and Cash go play in the living room until dinner is ready," Matt told him.

For a split second River looked like he might question Matt, but then he shut his mouth and ran off into the living room. Cash followed close behind and soon afterward, Matt could hear the sounds of them playing with something. Matt got to his feet, sliding past Madelyn to grab a beer from the fridge. Maybe if he had enough to drink, it would level out his mood and help him sleep. Alcohol normally did a pretty good job of suppressing the nightmares. Popping the top off, Matt took a sip before he looked over at Madelyn. "You should put some ice on your wrist," he said. He decided not to acknowledge anything else about the situation.

When dinner was finally ready, Matt slowly made his way to the living room to fetch the boys, tossing his now empty beer bottle into the trashcan on his way. "Wash your hands," Matt said, pointing Cash and River over to the sink. He went over to make himself a plate, setting it on the table before he grabbed another beer. He took a seat at the table, waiting until Madelyn had fixed the boys' plates and they were all at the table before he took a bite. "No dessert unless you clean your plate," Matt said, knowing at least one of the boys would ask. They always started pestering Matt and Madelyn about dessert as soon as they sat down for dinner and Matt didn't feel like dealing with it, not tonight.

"Huh? Oh. Um, yeah. I will... when I can," Madelyn answered quietly. She didn't turn to face Matt, almost expecting him to be mad at her for having ended up getting injured. Logically, she knew that it wasn't really her fault and that Matt shouldn't blame her but that was all she could seem to think of when Matt told her to put ice on her wrist. She started a single burger to split between the boys' before starting two for Matt. When the boys' burger finished, she set hers in and pulled out Matt's.

Plating all of the food, Madelyn carried the plates into the dining room. She headed back into the kitchen to grab the boys' sippy cups and her own class of coke. She dropped down into her usual chair, leaning her arms against the edge of the table. She stared down at her food, quiet for a long moment before she finally managed to bring a fry up to her mouth. She wasn't really hungry at the moment but she had to eat, she knew the boys' would ask questions if she didn't.

Madelyn ended up eating half of her burger and most of her fries by the time that both Cash and River had finished their own suppers. She took this as leave to grab their plates and her, heading into the kitchen where she grabbed an ice cream sandwich. As carefully as she could, Madelyn cut it in half before grabbing a whole one to hand off to Matt when she appeared back in the dining room. "Here," she murmured, holding each half out to Cash and River. Glancing over to Matt, she chewed on the inside of her lip. "Do you want yours now? Or do you want me to just put it back in the freezer?" Madelyn asked softly, lingering by the corner of the table closest to Matt.

Matt watched Madelyn as he ate his burger, noticing how she didn't really seem all that hungry. But he knew she wouldn't waste the food because that would only piss him off again. Matt finished with his plate around the same time that everyone else did, getting up to put his plate in the sink as Madelyn was cutting an ice cream sandwich in half for the boys. "I'll take mine now," he said, dropping back down into his seat. He took the ice cream sandwich from her, unwrapping one end before he took a bite. As he sat at the table watching the boys eat their ice cream, Matt heard his phone vibrate on the coffee table in the living room. He all but shoved the rest of his sandwich into his mouth as he got to his feet, going into the other room to grab his phone.

It was a text message from Mark, telling him to delete this message before checking the flip phone he'd been given. Matt knew this meant he had a job and as awful as it was, he was excited. He needed a way to shed some of this tension and this new job of his had done the trick last time. "I'm going out," Matt announced, stepping back into the kitchen. "Don't know how long I'll be gone, don't wait up." Remembering how angry Madelyn had been last time, he didn't want to give her a chance to argue with him. They both hated to argue in front of the boys but Matt wasn't sure Madelyn would bite her tongue on this subject. And with how volatile his temper had been as of late, he didn't want to risk lashing out at her in front of River and Cash.

Jogging upstairs, Matt dug his flip phone from the back of the top drawer of his dresser. His eyes scanned over the message over and over, committing to memory the name and address of his target. Before he left the bedroom, he also grabbed the .38 millimeter pistol he had hidden from Madelyn, tucking it into the waistband of his jeans and covering it with his shirt. Not wanting to give Madelyn a chance to stop him, Matt slipped straight out of the house, climbing into his SUV. He parked his SUV out of sight of his target's house, a block back where he wouldn't be conspicuous but would also be able to make it back to his SUV in a hurry. Climbing out of the SUV, Matt pulled the pistol from his waistband, clicking off the safety as he crept towards the house.

Madelyn looked up from her half eaten burger when Matt all but ran into the living room. She frowned, her brows pulling together as Matt reappeared. A bit had settled in her stomach, one that she couldn't quite shake but she knew that talking to Matt about... well, whatever he was off to do wasn't the best. She would have to approach it later and she could only hope that whatever it was that he was doing wasn't illegal or anything crazy like that.

Letting the boys' play for half an hour after they had finished their ice cream sandwiches, Madelyn decided to just toss her burger away when they were occupied. As long as neither of her sons realized she had wasted food, she wouldn't be considered being a bad mother by doing one thing while teaching them the complete opposite. She bit back a sigh as she trudged into the living room, leaning down to lift Cash up before leading the way up to their master bathroom to start the boys' bath. They would be heading to bed shortly, right after their bath, and Madelyn was hoping that Matt might end up back before then. Both the boys' were accustomed to Matt reading them a bedtime story so she knew if he wasn't here, that putting them down would be a battle.

Madelyn managed to get both of the boys sleeping within an hour after their bath had finished before she headed downstairs to wait up for Matt. She waited until it was nearly midnight before realizing that Matt really wasn't kidding when he had told her to not bother waiting up for him. Reluctantly, she headed upstairs before slipping into a pair of shorts and one of Matt's Marines shirts. She climbed into bed, cuddling up to Matt's pillow. Eventually, Madelyn managed to fall asleep but it was an uneasy rest at best, her dreams filled with images that had her stomach churning. The most logical explanation to Madelyn was that Matt had to be talking to another woman, why else would he disappear from a family dinner and stay out for hours on end?

Just as planned, Matt's target hadn't been expecting him. And even better, the back door was unlocked which made it even easier for Matt to slip into the house. Once he was inside there was a bit of a struggle as he overpowered the other man, tying his wrists together with a tie to make things a little easier. When he was overseas, it had always been a little difficult for him to pull the trigger. But now...now it was surprisingly and terrifyingly easy. He almost felt numb as he killed this man and it was the closest he'd felt to normal since Cash's death. He might not be able to control what had happened back then, but he could control this and the realization was a Godsend for his chaotic mind.

Matt knew well-enough to bury the body deep enough that animals wouldn't be able to dig it up easily. Digging a hole that size took time and by the time Matt finally pulled back into the driveway, his SUV scrubbed clean and his bloody clothes discarded, the sun was peeking over the horizon. He was quiet as he slipped into the house, making sure to lock the door behind him. He headed upstairs, taking a few seconds to peek in at the boys before he continued on to the master bedroom. He was glad to see that Madelyn was asleep, cuddled up to his pillow. At least she hadn't been stupid enough to wait up for him because he could only imagine how angry with him she would have been if she knew what time he'd gotten home.

Matt only tugged off his jeans before he crawled into bed next to Madelyn. He hadn't realized how exhausted he was until now and he was asleep minutes after he laid down. But like little boys were apt to do, River and Cash were up far too early, jarring Matt awake as they crawled in between him and Madelyn. "Fucking really," Matt grumbled, turning to press his face into the pillow. He wasn't ready to get out of bed and he'd actually been sleeping peacefully, no nightmares to haunt him. "Go back to sleep or get out of this bed," Matt grumbled. "Daddy's tired."

"Sorry, Daddy," River whispered.

Madelyn stirred in her sleep when Matt slipped under the covers, blinking her eyes open long enough to look at him for a moment before settling back down into sleep. She rolled over in her sleep, pressing her back toward him in a subconscious attempt to get Matt to hold her. Despite all of their fighting over the past few weeks, Madelyn still loved Matt with her whole heart. She needed him by her side, maybe more now than ever because of their fighting. While she would never admit it to anyone, Madelyn had been afraid of Matt on more occasions than she cared to admit. Hell, she hadn't even realized it herself. She likely wouldn't for a long time because it was a hard thing to admit for anyone. To admit you were afraid of your husband? Life changing.

Shifting when the door was opened shortly after, Madelyn lifted her head on instinct alone because she knew it was the boys. She smiled sleepily, moving away from Matt to create space between them for their sons. This was a routine that she knew so well, hell, that she loved. Cuddling with all of her boys near, Madelyn couldn't think of a better way to spend her morning.

When Matt growled at the boys, Madelny's eyes narrowed as she stiffened beside them. She reached out, wrapping her arm around both of the boys to pull them into her chest. She bit back a huff, using her free hand to brush back River's hair as she leaned to press a kiss against Cash's forehead. "Come on, let's get you boys some breakfast," she whispered, moving to climb out of the bed. It wasn't unusual that they lay in bed together for awhile but with Matt's change in attitude, Madelyn didn't want to risk souring his mood anymore.

She lifted Cash onto her hip, leading River down the stairs by his hand. "Do you boys want cheerios or Reese's cereal?" She asked after plopping Cash into his booster seat, moving to grab them each a small bowl of cereal. Madelyn had slept like absolute garbage the night before so it didn't take long before she had started a pot of coffee to keep her awake. She sighed, deciding to simply grab an apple and have that for breakfast. She didn't want to have anything else because anything else would take far too much energy.

Matt hadn't meant to run Madelyn and the boys off from the bed, he just tended to get irritated when he was woken up before he was ready. If Madelyn had given River and Cash the chance to settle down and go back to sleep, Matt likely would have been more than happy to let them lay in bed. But it didn't matter to him, not as long as he got the sleep he needed. But now that he was awake he doubted he would be able to get back to sleep again, especially with Madelyn and the boys moving around downstairs in the kitchen. Matt turned his head to glance at the clock, groaning when he noticed that it was just after ten o'clock. At this point, it wasn't really even worth trying to go back to sleep. Any other day, he would be up by now, anyway. And he'd operated on far less sleep than this when he was overseas. And after each of the boys had been born.

Groaning again, Matt reluctantly forced himself out of bed. He went over to the dresser to pull on a pair of basketball shorts before he headed downstairs, glad to see that Madelyn had already started a pot of coffee. He was a little irritated that Madelyn hadn't cooked anything for breakfast, but he was so tired that he wasn't all that hungry, anyway. He mimicked what Madelyn had done for the boys and made himself a bowl of cereal, pouring a cup of coffee before he joined the boys at the table. "Me got cereal, too, Daddy!" Cash exclaimed, pointing excitedly to his bowl.

"Yeah, I see that, buddy," Matt said, trying to match Cash's excitement and mostly failing. "Now hurry up and eat." Matt wondered if Madelyn remembered that she'd promised to take the boys to see a movie this afternoon or that Matt had begrudgingly agreed to go with them. He hoped she would forget because even if he'd gotten a decent amount of sleep, Matt wouldn't have been looking forward to the outing. And with his lack of sleep, his temper was likely to be shorter than ever and he knew the environment of a crowded movie theater would do nothing at all to help. Finishing his cereal, Matt stood and took the bowl to the sink, rinsing it out. He refilled his cup of coffee before trudging into the living room, dropping unceremoniously onto the couch.

Matt hadn't meant to run Madelyn and the boys off from the bed, he just tended to get irritated when he was woken up before he was ready. If Madelyn had given River and Cash the chance to settle down and go back to sleep, Matt likely would have been more than happy to let them lay in bed. But it didn't matter to him, not as long as he got the sleep he needed. But now that he was awake he doubted he would be able to get back to sleep again, especially with Madelyn and the boys moving around downstairs in the kitchen. Matt turned his head to glance at the clock, groaning when he noticed that it was just after ten o'clock. At this point, it wasn't really even worth trying to go back to sleep. Any other day, he would be up by now, anyway. And he'd operated on far less sleep than this when he was overseas. And after each of the boys had been born.

Groaning again, Matt reluctantly forced himself out of bed. He went over to the dresser to pull on a pair of basketball shorts before he headed downstairs, glad to see that Madelyn had already started a pot of coffee. He was a little irritated that Madelyn hadn't cooked anything for breakfast, but he was so tired that he wasn't all that hungry, anyway. He mimicked what Madelyn had done for the boys and made himself a bowl of cereal, pouring a cup of coffee before he joined the boys at the table. "Me got cereal, too, Daddy!" Cash exclaimed, pointing excitedly to his bowl.

"Yeah, I see that, buddy," Matt said, trying to match Cash's excitement and mostly failing. "Now hurry up and eat." Matt wondered if Madelyn remembered that she'd promised to take the boys to see a movie this afternoon or that Matt had begrudgingly agreed to go with them. He hoped she would forget because even if he'd gotten a decent amount of sleep, Matt wouldn't have been looking forward to the outing. And with his lack of sleep, his temper was likely to be shorter than ever and he knew the environment of a crowded movie theater would do nothing at all to help. Finishing his cereal, Matt stood and took the bowl to the sink, rinsing it out. He refilled his cup of coffee before trudging into the living room, dropping unceremoniously onto the couch.

Madelyn felt a jolt of... she didn't know what to call it when she heard Matt moving down the stairs. It wasn't exactly fear because she still trusted Matt fully, still knew that he would love her through and through so to her, there was no reason to be afraid of him. Maybe it was apprehension, that sounded far better to Madelyn than the idea of being afraid of Matt. She trusted Matt with her life, with her kids, with her happiness... shaking her head, Madelyn smiled when River proudly scooped up a spoonful of just milk. It had always been a weird sort of pride thing with River, for some reason he thought that it was a sign of being smart and all grown up since he was able to avoid scooping the cereal into his spoon while doing so.

She turned away from Matt, trying to appear busy as she tidied up the kitchen. Really there wasn't anything that needed to be done but still, Madelyn felt like she needed to do something to avoid the awkward tension that had stretched between her and her husband. Clearing her throat as she turned back toward the boys, Madelyn ushered them toward the living room to play once they had finished their cereal. Placing the two bowls into the dishwasher, Madelyn followed after them moments later.

Dropping down onto the other end of the couch, Madelyn glanced toward Matt for a moment before she turned away from him. "Hey, boys. Remember Daddy and I promised we would take you to a movie today but that means you have to be good all day. I don't want to have to yell at you or tell you something twice. Okay?" Madelyn said and the boys were both quick to nod their heads, Cash throwing in an excited 'Minions?!' The series was Cash' favourite and Madelyn couldn't help but laugh as she shook her head. "I don't think so, big boy. There isn't a minions movie out right now," she explained, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "But we'll go see a cartoon, okay? I promise. And if you guys are extra good, we might even be able to get some popcorn, hm?" Madelyn said, settling back into the couch..

She glanced toward Matt, letting the boys resume playing with the legos they had spilled everywhere already. "What time do you feel up to going? I was thinking early afternoon, after their naps. That way it doens't interrupt their nap schedule or anything..." she trailed off, hoping Matt would be agreeable. She didn't want to argue with him and definitely not in front of the boys, surely Matt would feel the same.

Matt had hoped he might have a little bit more time to himself before Madelyn and the boys joined him in the living room but he quickly realized how foolish that idea was. When he wanted to be alone, it seemed like they all insisted on being glued to his side. He sighed as Madelyn started talking to the boys about the movie. Obviously she hadn't forgotten, which meant that Matt would be forced to spend the afternoon in a crowded theater. Of course, he knew he could say no but then he would feel like an asshole. "This afternoon is fine," Matt mumbled, sipping his coffee. He hoped that a matinee show would be less crowded, with most kids still in school and ordinary people at work.

When he was finished with his coffee, he reached forward to set the empty mug on the coffee table before he stretched out on the couch. With Madelyn sitting on one end, he had no choice but to rest his head in her lap. After staying out all last night, he was exhausted, even after drinking two mugs of coffee, and he was dozing off in no time. Due mostly to his exhaustion, Matt didn't have any nightmares but his sleep still wasn't as restful as he would've liked because of the noise from the television and the boys playing nearby. When he finally woke up, it was only because of Madelyn trying to get up from the couch, likely to take the boys upstairs to put them down for their nap.

Matt followed them upstairs but instead went into the master bathroom. If they were going out, he needed a shower. He probably smelled like dirt and sweat, definitely not acceptable if he was going to be out in public. By the time he was finished in the shower, Madelyn had managed to put the boys down to sleep. Matt trudged back downstairs and resumed his seat on the couch. "So I guess we're going as soon as the boys wake up?" Matt asked Madelyn. "Have you even figured out which movie we're going to see?"

"Yeah, of course," Madelyn was quick to say when Matt agreed to the afternoon show. She figured it would be best. Likely the least crowded of the shows and then maybe they would stop by the ice cream shop to treat the boys to a vanilla cup covered in sprinkles. She didn't bother to mention that to either Matt or the boys, figuring it could just be another little treat if the boys behaved themselves. That and she didn't want either of them whining if Madelyn decided that they hadn't been good enough for whatever reason... she was sure them whining would do nothing but set Matt off and that was the last thing that any of them needed. With how upset River had been the day before, Madelyn didn't want her son witnessing Matt angry again any time soon.

Madelyn wouldn't admit it to Matt but when he laid his head in her lap, she had grown stupidly hopeful. She thought maybe things weren't as bad as she worried that they were. Matt was just stressed but he would be okay, they would all be okay. Her heart had swelled and she all but floated up the stairs when she led the boys upstairs to take a nap.

When Matt returned to join her in the living room, Madelyn offered him a bright smile. His question wasn't what caused it to falter so much as it was the tone of voice he used. She looked down to her lap, twisting her fingers together as her heart skipped a beat. "I was thinking the Minions movie. A new one came out and I know the boys would love it," she paused as she looked over Matt's features. "But if there's another movie you would rather see that's appropriate for them, we can always go to that instead. I don't mind, it's totally up to you," she explained. She hesitated for a moment before she shifted around and moved to sit closer to Matt. All she wanted to do was be close to Matt, for him to love her and be as affectionate as they used to be. Madelyn decided to take a chance, reaching out to not so subtlety lift Matt's arm so she could slip under it, letting his arm drop on her shoulder.

"I miss this," she admitted in a quiet voice, brushing her thumb over his arm gently. Madelyn wasn't looking at him so she had no way of gauging his reaction.

"Minions is fine," Matt said. It didn't really matter to him what movie they saw, mostly because he didn't care to see one at all. But changing his mind wouldn't be fair to the boys, so he would suffer through what he personally thought was one of the most atrociously annoying ideas ever put to paper. Well, technically, the big screen. But hell, if he could survive Afghanistan, he could survive that movie. At least, he hoped. Matt wasn't really paying all that much attention so when he felt Madelyn move closer to him it took him slightly by surprise and he jerked away from her for a split second before he relaxed. He knew she just wanted a bit of affection from him and right now, he wasn't opposed to giving it to her.

Matt made no effort to respond to Madelyn's comment. What was he supposed to say? He knew he should just tell Madelyn that he missed it too because a small part of him did. A part of him missed how easy it was to be affectionate with his wife. Hell, it used to be more than easy, that's why they had two kids so close together. Before, he could barely manage to keep his hands off her when they were alone. But now...now things were different. Matt was different. The affection almost felt fake. But he couldn't tell Madelyn that, so he would just play along. So he tightened his grip on her shoulders ever so slightly, brushing his thumb over her upper arm.

The boys didn't take a very long nap, likely due to the fact that they were excited about going to the movie. It had barely been an hour since Madelyn put them down before Matt heard them moving around upstairs. "Sounds like the boys are awake, we should probably go," Matt said, pushing to his feet. "The matinee starts in forty minutes and I'd rather not go to the later show. It'll be too crowded." He headed upstairs, pushing open the boys' bedroom door to find them both sitting up in their beds. "Let's get your shoes on," he told them. River was old enough to put on his own shoes without much assistance but Cash still needed help so Matt fetched the toddlers shoes and slipped them on his feet before lifting him down from the bed. "Alright, go on downstairs to your mom."

Madelyn felt her heart drop when Matt jerked away from her. She had already started to pull away from him, not wanting to upset him more than she had already managed to in the past few days. Only when Matt's arm snaked around her shoulders did she return to his side, relaxing slowly against him. Her eyes fluttered shut and she hummed to herself, content to simply lay here with Matt and enjoy his presence for the rest of the day if she had been able to. It wasn't long before they started hearing noises from upstairs and she couldn't stop the small groan that fell from her lips.

"Why did I promise to take them to the movie today?" Madelyn mumbled, stuffing her face into Matt's shirt. She wrapped her arms around herself, sighing as she pulled away from Matt to let him up. She pouted for a moment as she watched him head up the stairs before she pushed to her feet and grabbed a light hoodie from the hall closet to pull over her shoulders. She slid her feet into her sandals, glancing up when the boys raced each other down the stairs.

Smiling, Madelyn leaned down to scoop River up off the floor as she played with River's hair. "So... if you guys are okay with it..." Madelyn trailed off, pausing to create a moment of suspense for the boys. "If it's okay with you, we're going to go see the new Minio-" she started to tell them the movie that they were all headed to see, only for the boys to start excitedly hammering on about seeing the movie. When Matt appeared, Madelyn flashed him a small smirk before leading the way out to the car. She buckled Cash into his seat before checking that River's was properly secured. Hopping into the passenger seat, Madelyn laced her fingers through Matt's. She lifted their entwined hands, pressing a light kiss to the back of his hand. "I love yo-" she started to say, only to let out a laugh as River started all but screeching 'ew'

Matt followed the boys downstairs, hearing them talking excitedly about going to the movie. Matt was already dreading this but he tried his hardest not to let it show, determined to at least try to make this a fun afternoon for River and Cash. He followed Madelyn and the boys outside, double checking that he'd locked the door before he climbed into the SUV. He buckled his seatbelt, barely having a chance to start the ignition before Madelyn was reaching for his hand. Any other time, River's outburst of disgust would have made him laugh. But now he had to force back the urge to roll his eyes and to snatch his hand back out of Madelyn's grip.

Pulling into the parking lot, Matt killed the ignition and climbed out of the SUV. He pulled River from his car seat and placed him on the ground, taking his hand before he lead his around to the front of the SUV. Thankfully, the theater didn't look crowded. Maybe Matt could survive the afternoon without any mishaps. Stepping up to the ticket window, Matt pulled out his wallet. "Uh, I need two adults and one child for the Minions movie. Little one's two." Once the teenage girl in the booth handed him the torn tickets, Matt quickly handed them back to Madelyn. She could keep up with them better than he could. He'd just shove them to the bottom of his pocket.

"You wanna...split a popcorn?" Matt asked, looking over at Madelyn as they approached the concession stand. "We could get the one with the free refills."

"Want the big bucket, too, Daddy!" Cash exclaimed, tugging on Matt's jeans.

"No, you guys are getting the kid's deal," Matt said. Cash started to complain and Matt opened his mouth to snap at him but closed it, letting out a soft growl instead. "It comes with candy. You want candy?" This seemed to be enough to convince Cash and River both and Matt relayed their order to the teenager behind the counter.

Madelyn had admittedly been a bit tense when they pulled up to the movie theatre, despite how dead the parking lot was. She couldn't be sure because obviously, people could have been dropped off or people could be arriving later or... anything else could happen that could push Matt off the deep end. The last thing she wanted was Matt losing his temper on some poor unsuspecting soul in the theatre because they had done something accidentally to piss him off.

SHe breathed a small sigh of relief, carrying Cash on her hip as they made their way inside. Madelyn ruffled his hair, grinning when the little boy protested. She stood slightly behind Matt, entertaining the boys while Matt bought their tickets. Following after him, Madelyn quickened her steps so she was right beside him as they reached the concession stand. "With extra popcorn, sir," Madelyn's voice dipped over 'sir', hoping it would spark something in Matt. Nothing too crazy, maybe something just to ease his obvious troubles. "Butter's the whole thing that makes movie theatre popcorn go around."

Madelyn's breathe hitchen when Cash started to argue with Matt, grimacing as she gave him a light squeeze to try and bring his attention back to her. She didn't want Cash pushing Matt too far, she was sure that Matt wouldn't hesitate to make them go home and then she'd be dealing with an upset pair of boys for the rest of the day and she didn't exactly want that. Breathing a sigh of relief when Cash settled down, Madelyn lifted up her drink after very carefully handing River's treats to him. "Careful. You don't want to spill any," she offered softly, giving River's shoulder a gentle squeeze as they began to file into the theatre. Madelyn sat on the far end with the boys in the middle of her and Matt so they could easily keep track of them if either of the boys decided to get rowdy. Reaching across the seats, Madelyn nudged Matt's arm gently. She mouthed 'I love you' before relaxing in her seat, turning back toward the previews as they began.

Matt raised a brow when Madelyn dropped the word 'sir'. He knew she was trying to ease his tension and he would be lying if he said it wasn't working, at least a little. He told the boy behind the counter to add extra butter to the popcorn, tossing enough cash onto the counter to pay for their food and telling him to keep the change. Matt passed the popcorn bucket to Madelyn so he could carry his own drink and Cash's food into the theater. He wasn't too sure about River carrying his own tray but he decided not to say anything, trying to make an effort to keep things as smooth-sailing as possible.

Matt settled into his seat and made sure Cash was still before he handed the toddler his food. "Keep your drink in the cup holder so you don't spill it," he said. "Same goes for you, River." Matt jumped just a bit when he felt Madelyn shove his arm, turning to look at her as the lights went down. The boys were a bit rowdy through the previews and Matt felt his anxiety growing despite his best efforts. He was ready to snap at them and tell them to quiet down but once the movie started they seemed to settle down. It was rare for Cash to ever be this still but Matt knew how much he loved the Minions and it dampened his surprise.

Under normal circumstances, this would've been close to a perfect outing. The theater wasn't crowded, there was no fussing or fighting between the boys, no anything really. But Matt still felt anxious just from being out in public and by the time the movie was over, he was more than ready to just go home. But as soon as they were in the lobby Cash was prattling on about ice cream and Matt vaguely remembered that Madelyn had promised the boys. "We're getting it to go, I'm ready to go home," Matt said gruffly.

When the boys continued to bounce and twist in their seats throughout the previews, Madalyn couldn't help that her shoulders pulled together. Dread filled the pit of her stomach as she was already anticipating Matt snapping at them. And it wasn't htat she thought she would be angry but she knew she would be embarrassed because her kids weren't behaving and Matt would undoubtedly be mean. She sat with baited breathe, only beginning to calm down when the movie began and the boys started to settle. She exhaled slowly, allowing herself to begin actually enjoying the movie a few minutes in.

Madalyn held Cash's hand as they left the theatre, following Matt out to the car. River was a few feet in front of them but nothing too far. She shook her head at Cash's words, leaning down to run a hand through his hair. "We're just going to go home. Mommy will make something really yummy for dessert, okay?" Madalyn promised. She could sense how anxious Matt was and his bitter reply to Cash was all that she needed to cement her suspicions.

Giving him a hard look when Cash started to protest, Madalyn shook her head. "If you don't want to behave, I won't make anything and there won't be any dessert at all. Would you like that?" She prompted, keeping her tone even despite her frustration. Cash protested for a moment longer before seemingly realizing just how serious Madalyn was by the way her face hardened. She sighed as she buckled Cash into his seat, reaching across to check that River had buckled himself in properly before heading around to climb into her spot in the passenger seat.

Matt was more grateful than he would let on when Madelyn told the boys they would just have dessert at home. He knew it wouldn't have taken much time to stop by somewhere and grab some ice cream but he would much rather just go home. Especially when Cash started to argue with Madelyn. Matt dropped into the driver's seat as Madelyn buckled the boys into their car seats, pulling out of the parking lot as soon as she had buckled her own seatbelt. He made it back to their house in record time, so fast that if there had been a cop, he was sure he would have gotten a ticket.

When he pulled into the driveway, Matt left Madelyn to get the boys out of the SUV, going on ahead to unlock the front door. He didn't even care about dinner at this point, he just needed to be alone for a few hours. Just until his anxiety had simmered down. As he shut the door to the bedroom behind him, Matt could hear the sounds of the boys downstairs, Cash's voice sticking out above the rest of the noise as he started to ask Madelyn for the dessert she'd promised. A small part of Matt wished he could stay downstairs with Madelyn and the boys, that he wasn't the way that he was. But he knew what he was getting into when he signed his name to that piece of paper and when he watched Cash do that same. And he knew he would never be the same again.

Matt stood staring at the bed for a few minutes before he finally willed his muscles to move again. He only bothered to kick off his shoes before he laid down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to will himself to be tired. He thought maybe a short nap might help his nerves, as long as the sleep was free of nightmares. But as it turned out it didn't even matter because Matt just wasn tired. But he didn't feel like going back downstairs so he stayed on the bed, listening to the sounds of his family downstairs as he continued to stare at the ceiling.