Infinite

"Arch, you have to go to school," I argued with the boy, "You'll be able to spend time with Ronnie later before he flies out." I dragged the five year old from Ronnie's lap, pulling his arms from around the singer's neck, and set him on his feet on the other side of me, using my body to separate them. "Shoes, now."

Ronnie chuckled and nodded for Arch to do what he was told. Arch scowled and lazily sauntered around to the other end of the couch where he left his shoes the night before. Ronnie had carried him into the house and dropped him on the couch before dropping down beside him.

I'd nominated myself to be in charge of getting Ronnie fed. On the way home from the airport, he pointed out almost every fast food restaurant we passed, but I argued, claiming that he hadn't eaten a real meal in three months. So as the boys retired to the couch with an excited Charlie, I headed into the kitchen to make a full blown dinner in the middle of the night.

Amidst seasoning steaks, Ronnie came walking into the kitchen in just his socks and without Arch. He nodded back towards the living room. "Kid's out," he said. He walked over and leaned his elbows on the table. He'd slipped out of his hoodie and into a t'shirt when we got home and I couldn't help but spare a glance at him every few minutes to make sure he was really there, looking at me in the same way.

As I plated our food, he sauntered around to my side of the kitchen and leaned his chin on my shoulder. "It smells great," he murmured, peaking at me out of the corner of his eye.

"I figured you should at least get one decent meal while you're here. There isn't going to be much time for lunch tomorrow."

He took his plate from me and grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't come home for the food, Att," he muttered, taking my hand as we headed back out to the living room, "I'm just glad that I got to see you. I wish it was under different circumstances, but it's great either way."

"Hang on," I said, standing in the living room. I handed Ronnie my plate and then moved to lift Arch from where he laid, spread across the entire couch with Charlie laying between his legs. I lifted him in my arms like I did every night, ignoring Ronnie's protest, and carefully carted him up the stairs. Ronnie pushed Charlie off the couch and watched us until he couldn't see us anymore.

I pulled back Arch's racecar blankets and laid him down on the pillows I'd ordered for him along with a bed that was much more his size. One was the image of Ronnie and the other was full of child-friendly Falling in Reverse lyrics. Arch had become a staple in our lives, but at the same time, we'd managed to become a huge part of his.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," I whispered, pressing a kiss to his hair. I pushed the blankets in around him and swept his outgrown hair from his eyes before clicking off the light and going back downstairs.

Ronnie was seated on the couch with normal TV playing. His feet were up on the coffee table and his plate was in his lap. Charlie laid underneath, between the table and the couch. "Hey, sorry," I murmured as I sat down beside him and took basically the same position, "He slept on the couch earlier, so I figured he should get a little use out of that bed tonight."

Ronnie nodded while taking another bite. "He seems like he's doing pretty well, considering," he said, turning slightly towards me.

"Yeah, I didn't tell him the extent of everything, but he knows what tomorrow is about and he's doing okay. He said he doesn't want to see her, so that definitely makes me feel more confident about arguing against her tomorrow," I said, setting my plate on the coffee table.

Ronnie nodded. "I wish he was just a little bit older so he could really consider it before everything becomes official, but we'll talk for him tomorrow and straighten it all out." He finished eating a little while later and dropped his plate on top of mine. I tried to cover my grin as he slid across the couch and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me into his side.

"Gosh, I missed you," I muttered, leaning back against his chest, "Three months is too long." We stretched out on the couch while the TV played idly. He leaned back against the cushions and I turned to face him, my cheek on his chest and his arms holding me from rolling right off onto the dog.

The clock on the wall said it was almost close to four AM. We needed to be up in three hours and leaving the house soon after and neither of us had gotten any sleep. As we chatted softly about what each of us had been doing these last three months, we were so comfortable that we drifted off before we had the chance to move to bed.

In the morning, we weren't woken up until Arch was shoving on my shoulder. "Atticus!" he complained, shoving me again, "Ronnie, wake up."

I rolled over in Ronnie's arms and blinked awake, peering at up Arch as he stood over us. "What time is it?" I questioned, still not fully aware of my surroundings.

"I don't know but your phone won't stop beeping." He thrust the little machine towards me, dropping it between Ronnie and I. The former groaned and dropped one arm over his eyes, using his forearm to block the light from the windows and the lamp that Arch flipped on.

I sat up and pulled out of Ronnie's arms, grabbing the phone from between us and checking the time. It was already fifteen minutes past the time I set on the alarm. "Ronnie, wake up," I demanded, shoving his arm away from his face, "It's quarter after seven. We have to get ready. We have to leave in forty-five minutes."

Leaving stubborn Ronnie on the couch, I lifted Arch up and he wrapped his legs around my waist as we hurried up the stairs. At the top, I shouted again for Ronnie to wake up and Charlie echoed with a couple of loud barks from the living room. "Get up, Ronald!" I demanded, wishing I had something I could throw at him from the balcony, "Forty minutes and everyone needs a shower!"

I forced Arch into the bathtub and cleaned him up quickly, dousing him in shampoo, conditioner, and body wash before rinsing him off and lifting him out, wrapping a towel around his little body. "Can you dress yourself?" I asked, knowing that Ronnie hadn't moved from his spot on the sofa, "Your clean uniforms are folded in your bottom drawer. Don't mix and match," I told him, warning him again although he already knew.

He rolled his eyes at me and stepped around and out of the bathroom into his own bedroom. I sighed at Arch's playful annoyance and hurried back down the stairs to wake Ronnie up. He needed a shower more than I did after his night on stage. I took the stairs two at a time and bounded around the couch, practically stepping on Charlie. "Ronald Joseph Radke," I muttered frustratedly, "Wake up! We have a half hour and your hair takes longer than that!"

"Atticus, stop yelling," he muttered groggily, finally waking up enough to speak, "Five more minutes." He tried to find something to pull over his eyes, but I yanked the quilt from his body and tossed it over the coffee table behind me.

"Time to get ready," I said, pushing him with my foot as I kept my arms crossed, "If I get in the shower now, you'll still be sleeping when I get out, so you first." I grabbed his tattooed hand and tried to yank him into a sitting position. He groaned loudly and used his weight to keep himself laying down.

He laughed at my frustration and finally sat up. "Okay, shower?" he stood up and we were so close that we were chest to chest. He wrapped his arms around my waist. "We could shower together and save time," he added.

I leaned in and kissed him lightly. "Arch is here," I reminded him, knowing that neither of us wanted to have that conversation with him. I pushed his shoulder and he stumbled away, trying not to step on my toes or Charlie's tail. "Go."

He grinned over his shoulder at me and took off towards the stairs. When he was up them, I followed, keeping distance between us to keep him from getting distracted. He went into the bathroom and shut the door. I followed quickly and he grinned.

"Change your mind?"

I plucked the smallest blue toothbrush from the rack and waved it at him. "Arch's dental health," I muttered, watching his face fall. He pulled his shirt over his head and I closed the door, wishing I could go back inside and count every tattoo that colored his skin.

Arch walked back out into the hallway balcony, staring at me as I stood in front of the bathroom door. I checked his outfit, making sure that the receptionist wouldn't make me take him home and change him. He donned a little suit jacket with the school's seal, his dark-black slacks that looked a little too much like skinny jeans, and his school blue t-shirt underneath. I handed him the toothbrush and toothpaste. "Use the kitchen sink," I said and he took it from me, "Your stool is under the island."

He headed down to the kitchen and I went into my room to grab what I was going to wear to court. My closet ranged from t-shirts and jeans to fancy dresses that were more appropriate for nights out with the band rather than official, mature problems. I'd gone out a couple of days ago and bought myself something that expressed the point I was trying to get across in court.

Arch had curled up in one of the dressing room chairs and watched me model each outfit for him. His hand on his cheek, he told me that each and everyone looked "beautiful". His charm was vast, but in the end, tiredness won over that day.

Ronnie sauntered into the room when I was dredging my classic black heels from the bottom of the closet. With just a towel wrapped around his waist, he pushed the door shut and wandered over to his small suitcase. "You're beautiful," he said, catching me off guard.

I turned around and tossed the shoes on the bed next to my clothes. "You're crazy," I muttered, pushing a few fallen strands of hair out of my eyes. It was tied up in a bun and overnight had managed to fall most of the way out.

Ronnie shook his head, but didn't argue with me. He began getting dressed and I left to shower. I rushed through and hurried back to the bedroom to get dressed so that Arch wouldn't walk up. Over the balcony railing, I saw him sprawled out on the couch watching TV. His toothbrush sat unused on the coffee table. "Go brush your teeth!" I shouted down to him, satisfied as he scrambled up and raced into the kitchen where I couldn't see him.

Ronnie and I switched places again. He went to dry his hair and I got dressed, joining him in the only bathroom so I could do mine too. Ronnie grinned and pointed the blow-drier at me, blowing strands into my face. "Give me that," I muttered, grabbing it from him. His hair was mostly dried so he pulled it all into place on the correct side of his head and stepped back so I could use the mirror. His arms snaked around my waist.

"If you're done you can go check on Arch," I suggested, grinning at the disappointed look on his face. "Being an adult isn't so fun, huh?" I asked.

Ronnie replied, "Having a trouble-maker in the house..." he trailed off, playfully shaking his head. He stepped away and turned, headed back downstairs to double-check that Arch was completely done.

"Ronnie," I called.

He turned back and caught the hair brush that I tossed his way, the sleeves of his blazer-jacket riding up just slightly. I nodded to the left, meaning Arch. "His school doesn't find 'unruly' hair acceptable."

He nodded and went downstairs, leaving me to finish up on my own. I dried my hair the best I could, managing to straighten it with the hair dryer and a brush, and then switched to do my make up subtly. I was wearing a grey suit-type outfit. Light grey slacks that were high-waisted, a black partial-vest that stayed unbuttoned, a white button-up with black buttons and a grey jacket over.

I grabbed my shoes and slid them on before getting the keys to the Escalade, the paperwork from my bed, and meeting the boys downstairs. They were both sitting on the couch, Arch in Ronnie's lap as the singer quickly brushed out the younger boy's blonde locks. Ronnie's dog sat between the couch and the coffee table, staring at them with his head cocked to the side like he couldn't understand what Ronnie was doing to Arch.

When he saw me coming, Arch settled back into Ronnie's lap, making it impossible for Ronnie to reach his head at a decent angle. The brush was dropped onto the cushion and Ronnie wrapped his arms around Arch's waist.

"I don't want to go!" Arch complained, holding Ronnie's hands in place, "I want to stay and play with Ronnie!!"

After arguing with Arch and getting his shoes on his feet, the three of us headed out to the car, Arch holding Ronnie's hand as they walked down the path. Ronnie turned back as I followed them after locking Charlie on the other side of the door as he whined.

"Give me the keys," Ronnie demanded, holding his free hand out in the air.

"I can dri-"

"You gave my car to the valet last night," he cut me off, "You are grounded from driving the Escalade. You're restricted to your piece of crap." He pointed to the front of the driveway along the house, where my car sat, since Jacky's was still parked in the narrow garage.

I rolled my eyes and dropped the keys into his outstretched hand. "You're leaving tonight so it's not like you'll be able to keep me 'grounded' tomorrow."

He ignored me and unlocked the car. I lifted Arch into the backseat and then walked around to the passenger's side to climb in. Ronnie started it and following my instructions, drove us down to Arch's playschool. He was honestly surprised by the size of it and how nice it seemed.

"Now the uniform makes sense," Ronnie said, pulling into the parking lot and turning off the car in one of the spots along the sidewalk. "Alright, everyone out," he said, pushing his own door open before opening the back for Arch.

For the first time, the three of walked into the building together. Arch pointed everything out to Ronnie as he looked it over. Ronnie leaned over Arch's head without him noticing and whispered to me, "I see what we're paying for." He motioned to the building. The exposed upstairs, fancy architecture, and the obvious upgrade from public schooling.

"Atticus, Arch, welcome back!" Ms. Caty greeted from behind her desk. She looked slightly surprised as she looked over Ronnie, taking in his dark clothes, face and hand tattoos, and lopsided, unusual hair cut.

I chuckled at her slight reaction and introduced the man. "Caty, this is my fiance, Ronnie. He's home from tour for the day," I said. Ronnie stepped forward to shake her hand.

"Nice to meet you," he said.

She smiled and nodded. "It's good to meet you too," she replied, "I knew Atticus was engaged but I never really thought about where you were," she admitted, chuckling lightly to herself, "But I'm sure it's nice to be home. Even for such a brief time."

"Yeah, it's good to visit home," he agreed, "I finally get to know what they're both talking about when they tell me about school."

Caty held her arms out to motion to the place. "This is it," she said, "We really love having Arch come here. He's such a great addition to our school. So well-behaved and such a sweetheart."

Ronnie put his hand on Arch's shoulder. "Yeah, he's a great kid," he agreed, pulling the little boy into his side. He quieted to stop the conversation since we were on a strict time constraint. I said goodbye to the receptionist and we walked Arch down to his morning meet up.

Whenever Arch went in this early, his group met up in the cafeteria for breakfast and games along with a couple of the other classes in his age group. Ronnie held my hand as we maneuvered through the back halls and up the stairs to the "cafe" where other kids were already settling in, along with some of the parents who could stay.

I wasn't surprised to see Jadeen seated at a round table with her three. Camilo and Silvi sat on their own chairs and Iker was holed up in Jadeen's lap, his little arms on the table as he fiddled with a child's plastic fork. They were facing away from us, so they didn't see us walk up to them. When we got close enough, the two older kids looked up and Jadeen turned around, a grin on her face automatically.

Unlike a few of the other parents and many of the kids, she wasn't shocked by Ronnie's appearance. I'd told her enough about him in the time we'd known each other that she'd probably been expecting someone who looked similar. Although I wasn't sure that she could've pictured his facial tattoos.

"Atticus, I didn't think I'd see you here this morning," she said, motioning for us to sit down, "Camilo, sit with your sister," she advised, opening up a third chair.

Ronnie shook his head so the little boy wouldn't move and sat down with Arch in his lap. "No, it's fine," he replied, leaning back against the white chair.

Jadeen looked at me and raised her eyebrows before she turned back to the man and grinned. "You must be Ronnie," she said, nodding eagerly, "I've heard so much about you in the last couple of months. I didn't know you were coming home this soon."

"Just stopping by for a visit," he said, confirming what she thought, "Figured I should see Arch's school while I had the chance. And you are?"

I answered for her. "Ron, this is Jadeen. I told you about her," I said.

He nodded, wrapping his arms around Arch's waist. "Definitely. I remember. You were the first friendly face that they met here." He smiled. "Thanks for making them feel comfortable."

She shrugged. "It's no problem, Atticus and Arch are among the few who I actually enjoy seeing and talking to here," she said, flattering us both, "But, I definitely pictured you differently. Blonde and blue eyed for sure." She motioned at Arch, who had both those features. "And a baby face."

Ronnie glanced at me, obviously wondering why I hadn't explained the situation we were in with Arch, but Arch spoke up before either of us could and he sounded more confident than ever before.

"They're not my real mom and dad," Arch said, surprising the older woman and her daughter, who understood also, "Ronnie and Atti just take care of me because no one else wanted to."

"Arch, that is not true," I cut in, slightly upset that he thought of us situation that way, "We take care of you because we love you and have known you longer than anyone else who would want to." I caught Ronnie's glance and then smiled at Jadeen. I wasn't going to apologize for not telling her that Arch wasn't truly mine. He felt just like my family and I didn't see the need to correct her assumptions.

Jadeen just smiled. "Well, that explains it," she said, taking the news well and covering up any surprise she felt over the news. She turned and gushed to me, "But my gosh, you are so lucky to have a blue eyed one."

I chuckled and nodded. Arch was one of the most gorgeous children that I'd seen in my life time. His light hair and eyes went perfect with his pale skin, rosy cheeks, and round face. While Jadeen's children were certainly some of the cutest, Arch had a delicate, angelic look to him that was rare.

I glanced at the watch on Ronnie's arm by pulling his wrist over to me. "Arch, baby, we have to get going," I explained, thankful that there was someone familiar to stay with him and make him comfortable, "We're going to be late if we don't head out now."

He just nodded and let Ronnie slid him off his lap and onto the chair instead.

"I figured something important is going on," Jadeen said, "You always look gorgeous, but you both look sophisticated and fantastic today."

"Court," I replied, grasping Ronnie's hand as he slipped his fingers in mine, "We have to be there in about a half hour, so we should definitely get going." I turned to Arch and pointed a strict finger at him. "You eat something," I ordered, "I know how you are about breakfast, but I'll be checking in later to make sure."

Jadeen scoffed as if that wasn't necessary. "I'll get him something," she offered, grinning.

"Thanks," I replied with an easy smile, stepping away with Ronnie. I looked back at Arch again and promised to pick him up in a few hours. We weren't sure exactly when we were going to be done, but I wanted to make sure that Arch knew we were coming back. Every time I left him here I gave him an exact time I would be back to get him and today was the first day that I was unable to do that. We'd been given a relative time as to when the hearing would be over, but I kept it to myself, not wanting Arch to be waiting and watching as that time came and went.

"I love you, we'll pick you up later," I promised, leading Ronnie around the tables.

"See you later, Little Man," Ronnie said also, taking the lead and pulling me out of the cafe and down the stairs. I looked back as we left the room, and I hoped that I would return with good news to tell him. I couldn't imagine having to explain to him that he was being forced to see the woman who took a break from being his mother, and worse, if she got permission for visits, she was one step closer to getting fully custody.

I stiffled the way I felt about Abigail Drewry and sat in silence as Ronnie drove us to the Los Angeles County Superior court house.