COVER ME UP.

-

In all honesty, Olivia was not ready, nor did she want to have a conversation with Andy. If had been up to her, the papers would have been sent, he would have signed, and the two would have gone on their happy way. Assuming he was back, to become a part of Beckett, and now Teddys’ life, Olivia knew she would have to make an effort to a least be a good co-parent. Although, trying to become a parent was hard on its own, not as if she had great parental figures growing up, and she didn’t even know where to start with co-parenting. Her thoughts were broken when she saw teddy crying, presumably because he was hungry. Liv had almost forgotten about Andy until his voice broke the silence. 

A sigh escaped her lips because this had not been how or when she wanted to have this conversation. Olivia was about to explain Teddy, but before she could Beckett ran to Andy and grabbed his legs. Olivia gave a soft smile at the sight. Perhaps if Andy had been a better man, she wouldn’t have run, and they could still be a happy little family. Those times were long over, and Olivia didn’t miss the thought of it. 

“I was going to tell you, but I hadn’t found the time or words.” She tried to explain, as Teddy lay in her arms. “This is… Um, my - I guess our son. Teddy.” 

--

Andy’s head was spinning so fast he could barely keep up. That seemed to be the new norm for him ever since he was released from jail. It was as if his entire world had stopped spinning, but everything beyond those iron bars never even skipped a beat. He didn’t know how to bridge the gap between then and now. So much had changed and Andy wasn’t sure where he fit anymore— if he fit anywhere at all. That was made even more apparent to him as he glanced down at the baby boy in his ex’s arms. Shaking his head, Andrew staggered back a step, only to have one leg met by a bear hug from Beckett.

Snapping out of his haze, he glanced down at the little boy and grinned wide, “Hey, buddy.” Crouching down, Andy tugged him into a gentle embrace and chuckled softly, “Gettin’ big, kiddo.” It was astonishing just how much he’d grown in ten months…and Andy had missed all of it. Swallowing hard, he eased back from Beckett and climbed to his feet, eyes landing on the newborn again as Olivia tried to offer him an explanation. "Our son?” He repeated just for good measure. How was it that he had another child and was only now learning of him? Blowing out a hot breath, Andy stared at Olivia, his features twisting in disbelief, "Liv, I been in a jail cell for ten months…ya couldn't find a single moment in all that time to let me know I had another son?" He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Lowering his voice the slightest bit, he leaned in, "Had time to ask me for a fuckin' divorce, but not this?"

⛰

LJ wasn’t one for sticking his nose in others’ business, but…Well, Andy wasn’t just anyone.  Andy was the man that after almost 20 years, knew what thoughts lingered in all those dark nooks and crannies in Levi’s mind, and LJ was fairly sure he was the person that knew the same of Andy.  So he understood why Cal’s was the safe haven he had chosen to waste away the hours of the day in.  But that didn’t mean he thought it was a good idea.  “If it was really my call we’d be drinking  o you getting your ass off this bar stool, and doing literally anything else to keep your dumb ass out of trouble.” Levi replied dryly, his chin resting on his knuckles, while he tried to look as disapproving as possible, but being horribly out of practice.  He figured if he couldn’t win the man over with logic, perhaps he could guilt him into making good choices.  

--

When Andy had first hitched a ride to Eureka all those years ago, LJ Lewis had become the first friend the man ever had. To this day, he was the one person Andy trusted above all others. And so perhaps there was some part of the man that should have heeded his friend’s words, but instead, Andy gave a soft snort and cut a narrow eyed look over at him, “Whaddya mean?” He drawled, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth, “I’m behavin’.” But the day was young, he added as a private afterthought as he raised his drink to his lips and drained a sip. “You my babysitter now or somethin’?” Andy asked, resting his forearms down on the bartop, “I ain’t gonna do nothin’ dumb. Just wanted to unwind a little,” he explained, giving his drink a little swirl.

-

It was hard to believe that in front of her stood the person she had once known better than herself, but now all she saw was a stranger with a familiar face. It took everything in her not to slam the door in his face, and lock the door - however, even she knew better than that. If he was out and truly trying to be a better version of himself for Beckett at least, Olivia knew how persistent Andy could be. Olivia’s eyes looked over his figure, trying to determine her next words. “Andy, I sent you divorce papers 10 months ago.” She stated, trying to take the conversation away from Beckett. At least for now. 

“I don’t think now is a good time. How long have you been home? I - I need some time to at least prepare him. He finally stopped asking about you.” And some time to explain Teddy to him. Also, she didn’t quite trust that he had changed, considering he was just released from prison. Olivia had left that same night he had been arrested, and the next week she had met with a lawyer to send the divorce papers. Their marriage hadn’t been what it was before the birth of their first son, and there in the end - their marriage had almost all but disintegrated aside from the paper that bound them by law. Olivia turned her head to look back at Beckett, before letting out a soft sigh and turning back to face Andy. Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, a cry rang out from the living room coming from Teddy, and Olivia immediately turned and headed toward the infant. 

--

Andy’s expression, kept mostly even and neutral, dipped and curved at the edges the moment Liv mentioned the divorce papers. Scoffing quietly, he gave an exaggerated nod, “Yeah, I was there– I remember.” He would have had to have been dead in order to forget that– and maybe not even then. The way those papers had settled in his hands like a deadweight was a feeling that Andy would never be able to shake, right along with the utter humiliation that had twisted his stomach into knots. Shaking his head, the man let out an exasperated sigh and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t there looking to get angry or let his bitterness see the light of day. Andy was there to see his son and figure out what the fuck his life was supposed to look like now that he’d gone and torn it all to pieces.

Swallowing hard, he lifted his gaze back to Olivia’s face and rolled his lips into a thin line. Would there ever be a good time? “Long enough,” he muttered, shifting his weight between his feet. No, he hadn’t been home long, but he’d gone ten months without seeing his son– the thought of waiting any longer hadn’t sat well with him. “Prepare him to see his father?” He parroted back, eyes widening to the size of saucers on his face. “Jesus Christ, Liv. What does that even mean?” He fell silent then, reminding himself to slow down, take a breath, take a beat. But before he even had a chance to gather up his thoughts, his head snapped up at the sudden cry erupting from her living room. As Olivia turned, Andy instinctively followed. Light blue eyes fell upon the infant and his steps faltered, bringing him to stutter-step stop behind his ex. “What–?” He began under his breath, head knocking in a quick shake, “Who’s that, Liv?”

Olivia took in the sight of him, as she stood at the entranceway. Her hand clenched the door as she held it open, and as he spoke she turned her head to get a glimpse at the boys. Beckett’s attention never faltered from the TV, and Teddy was sound asleep. Olivia turned her attention back toward the man, and for a moment she was speechless. It had been ten months since the last time they spoke, and part of her felt as though they never would have to. Olivia had done her part. She moved, got an attorney, and sent over the divorce papers for him to sign. However, here both of them stood - unsure what to say to the other. 

“Are you sober?” She asked after a moment as her eyes watched for any sign that he might be anything but before she let them meet his again. “Beckett’s in there, and I don’t want him to get upset overseeing you.” Olivia was being honest. The first couple of months after they moved into the new apartment had been the worst. Becket constantly asked where his father had been, and Olivia tried to figure out ways to explain the situation to her son without making it worse. Also, the fact that Teddy lay in there beside Beckett, and she hadn’t found a way to tell Andy about their second son. 

--

At one time, conversation between two of them had felt as easy as breathing— if not easier. But now, no matter how hard Andy tried to coax out anything useful, he only ended up slamming the tip of his tongue against the backs of his teeth, letting his silence stretch on. He’d thought about this conversation from the moment he’d first read the divorce papers, but now that he stood in her doorway, every rehearsed line went dead before it ever had the chance to hit the air. He knew their marriage was over, and so he hadn’t come to try and salvage it. What he had come for was even harder to talk about, and that was why the man shifted his weight between his feet as he lingered in the doorway, tongue tied for what felt like the first time in recent memory.

He’d come for the chance to be a better father.

But he didn’t have long to linger on the details of how that might happen once her voice caught his attention, pulling him from his thoughts. Andy let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-scoff, seemingly offended by her question even though he knew Olivia was well within her rights to ask it. "Yes." It wasn't a lie. At the present moment, Andy was sober. But the same couldn’t be said for twenty-four hours ago and likely twenty-four hours from now. "I just wanna see my son, Liv," he murmured, head knocking in a loose shake, "Please."

@andyxsawyer​

Location: Liv’s apartment, Bayview. 

Since returning home from the hospital, Olivia slowly found her grove in all the new changes. Teddy was a seemingly happy baby, which was one thing Olivia was happy about. Beckett had been more challenging, but with Teddy, he was simply happy to just be there. He ate and slept with no problem. It was getting easier and easier day by day and of course, the overflowing list of support and help from her brothers and friends made it so much easier. 

Teddy had been happily dozing off in his swing, as Beckett was focused on the latest episode of Paw Patrol. Olivia took this chance to catch up on cleaning that she had been neglecting for the last week or so. Just as she was about to start washing the dishes, a knock came from the front door. Liv had been expecting James to stop by, or even Rafe, so she made her way to the front door to unlock it and let the person in. 

At the sight of Andy, however, Olivia stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes widened. Her ex-husband (Pending his signature) had been the last person she ever expected to see, and she could feel her heart attempting to jump out of her chest. The last time the two of them had spoken had been right before he was arrested, and this was not the time nor did she have the energy to discuss the failure that was their marriage. 

“What are you doing here Andy?” 

--

When Andy had first been served the divorce papers, he hadn’t known what to do with them. Now, months later, he still didn’t. They sat like a deadweight in the pocket of his jacket as he slowed to a stop outside of his soon-to-be ex-wife’s new apartment. Still unsigned, they’d been collecting more wrinkles than signatures and Andy intended to keep it that way until he had a chance to look Olivia in the eye. He paused for a moment, a lump gathering in his throat as he raised a hand to knock on her door. He wasn’t angry, not really. What he really felt was something more along the lines of humiliation, and he had no one to blame but himself.

When Liv answered the door, it took everything within Andy not to falter at the sight of her, but he managed. His back remained ramrod straight despite the ever present slight slump in his shoulders, and his hardened expression never wavered. But his eyes, safely hidden behind his shades, told a different story. Guilt swam in their stormy blue depths as it often did whenever he thought about her, Beckett, and all the ways he’d failed them. A soft scoff rattled in his throat at her question. Wasn’t it obvious what he was doing there? “Got a lot to talk about, don’t ya think?” He prompted, lifting a brow at her. He figured the divorce papers needed no introduction and so he left them in his pocket. “Can I come in?” He asked as he tugged his shades down and hung them from the collar of his shirt.

Only a handful of days had passed since Andy’s release and rather than venture out into the world and attempt to reconnect with it, he found himself sitting at the bar with an untouched bottle of beer in front of him. Of his collection of vices, alcohol had always reared its ugly head the loudest, and Andy had yet to figure out how to turn away from the noise. Picking at the frayed edge of the bottle’s label, the man eased out a long sigh and shook his head. Naturally, he recognized that the bottle nestled between his hands was the very thing that helped land him in his most recent predicament, but right now, he wanted to forget about all of that, or at least dull the sting of it. He rolled his shoulders, hoping to shrug off the weight of the still unsigned divorce papers tucked into the inside pocket of his jacket, and lifted his beer from the bartop. “Alright,” Andy drawled, finally breaking his silence as he turned to the person beside him, "What're we drinkin' to this fine afternoon?" He asked, boasting a small, yet roguish grin as he raised his bottle in a mock toast, “Your call.”