#pixie original

"Come on, Arlo!!" she cheers her son on as she looks at the time, "late again!" she hisses under her breath, she claps as he comes second in the sack race. She could see Arlo searching too, she couldn't believe he had let him down again, she pulls out her phone calling him, it rings and rings.

Finally, he answers, she moves away from the group of parents, "where are you?!" she hissed, "what do you mean?" he asks, confused "you're late! Sports day started forty three minutes ago!" she groaned, "w-what do you mean it started forty three minutes ago? You told me eleven o'clock?!"

"What? No, I didn't! It was ten!" she hissed down the phone at him, "no, you text me eleven!" she pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at the text, she did text him eleven. "Oh, I-I..er, I'm sorry, it's my mistake!" he chuckles, "it's fine, I'm on my way!"

"Ok, I'll see you when you get here!" she hung up, she wandered over to Arlo, he looked down at his feet, "Arlo?" he looked up, she stooped down to his level, "Mummy, where's Dad?" he looks at her with pleading eyes, "Arlo, it's my fault I sent him the wrong time, but he's on his way!" Arlo's face lights up, "you promise?"

She kisses the top of his head, "I pinky l promise!" she holds out her little finger.

Ten minutes later...

"Hey!" he says as meets Dana on the school field, "hiya, he's over there!" she points over to where Arlo is, Arlo waves smiling as Ellis waves over. "Sorry, I must have hit one instead of zero!" she begrudgingly admits, "it's ok! Don't worry!" she sighed, "he has another counselling session tomorrow, he doesn't want to go. I don't suppose you could talk to him?" he nods silently.

"Thank you, he should be up again soon!" Ellis looks round at the other parents, "great, how comes you aren't standing with Amelia and Grace?" he questions her, Dana rolls her eyes, "have you girls fallen out?"

"Amelia's boy Freddy teased Arlo about us splitting up, I guess kids pick things up from their parents. I overheard her slagging me off to the other parents saying she never understood what a guy like you saw in a uptight bitch like me!" he clenches his jaw, which she notices, "she realizes she's no oil painting in looks and her personality, right?" Dana lets out a snort. 

"So how's working for your Dad going?" she asks, he lets out a low sigh, "not great actually, but I may have something else lined up"

"Really? Like what?"

"This time, it's for real. I'm working for Shane in sales and the head of the finance department." she narrowed her eyes at him not quite believing him, "I know that look, but this time I'm telling the truth, I'm trying to be better!"

"I just hope you can stick to it, oh and congratulations on the new job!" she grins, "thanks!" he returns the smile, "Arlo's up!" she nods over to the track, "COME ON ARLO!!" Ellis cups his mouth to yell, Arlo is beaming as he stands next to Freddy, Dana sends him a knowing wink.

Their teacher, Mrs Wright blows the whistle signalling the race starts, Arlo starts sprinting ahead of his five other classmate, "Go Arlo!!" Dana squeaks as Ellis claps for his son. Soon Arlo crosses the Finish Line in first place with Leo in second and Noah in fourth place, Dana jumps up and down proudly, while Ellis gives him a thumbs up.

He leans over to her, "am I a bad parent for thinking that win was even sweeter because both Amelia's or Grace's boys came last?" she laughs, "well if you are I am too!" the pair laugh.

An hour later...

After all the races were over the kids got to have a picnic with their parents on the field, Arlo picks a spot near the edge of the field, Dana had packed a few extra bits just in case Ellis did show up, "hey do you mind if we sit with you guys?" Tommy's Mum Emily asked, "yeah, sure!" Dana smiles.

"Thanks, how great did these two do! Both got first place!" Emily smiles at the boys, "they did do brilliantly!" Dana replied, "oh, sorry Emily this is Arlo's Dad, Ellis. Ellis this is Tommy and Emily," she introduces them, "nice to meet you both! Is this Tommy the kid that shot me on Fortnite at the weekend?" Ellis asks with a smile, Tommy goes shy, "I'm messing, but I want a rematch!" Ellis teases, Tommy nods.

Emily looks over her shoulder, "hey, I know it's not a competition and it's all about the taking part, but anyone else cheered on the inside when Amelia lost in the Mum's race?" Emily winked at Dana, who came second, "I think you've been hanging around with this one for too long!" Ellis says to Emily as her nods at Dana, "hey, I resent that! She was that evil before we started hanging out!" Dana throws an apple at him "ouch!" he groans as it hits him in the stomach.

"Mum, they have the ice lollies out! Can I go get one?" Tommy asks making the three adults look over, "I'll get em!" Ellis gets up, "you girls want anything?" he looks down at them, both shook their heads "you boys coming?" Tommy and Arlo get up and follow Ellis across the field to Bill the caretaker selling ice lollies.

Amelia smiles as Ellis and the boys approaches, "Ellis how are you?" she flutters her eyelashes at him, "Amelia! I'm alright, actually there was something I wanted to speak to you about. Boys go and pick an ice lollies you want" the boys rush off, Amelia looks at him with a smile, "I appreciate it if you would keep you vile and nasty little comments about my wife to yourself! You know I think your little minion is right you do look like a bulldog chewing on a wasp" Amelia's face drops.

"Anyway, nice to see you again!" he throws her a bright smile before catching up with the boys.

Later...

After the picnic the kids needed to go back to class, "why don't we go out for dinner tonight to celebrate your win?" Ellis asks Arlo, Arlo looks to his Mum, "can I go? Please?" he looks at her pleading, "actually kiddo, I was thinking we could all go?" Ellis looks up at her.

"I-I er...ok, I don't see why not!" she nods awkwardly, "we'll see you later!" she kisses Arlo on the cheek, "ok, bye Mum! Bye Dad!" he says before running off, "I hope you don't mind?" Ellis clears his throat. "No, it's fine! So, I'll see you after school," she starts to walk off out the school gate, "do you want to grab a coffee?" he asks her with a shy smile.

She turns, "I don't think that's a good idea!"

"Why not?! Come on, it's just coffee!"

"But it's what the coffee means!" she sighed, "what? Don't you trust yourself?" she laughs, "fine! Let's go, I wouldn't want to boost your ego thinking I can't handle a coffee with you!" he chuckles, "come on my car is over here!" he leads her to the car park.

In the car park they see Amelia arguing with Grace, "I wonder what that is about?!" she looks to Ellis, who's smiles smugly, "I may have told her Grace said she looked like a bulldog chewing a wasp!" Dana looks at him, "you didn't?" he nodded, "we may not be together, but no one insults the mother of my children!"

She didn't admit it to him, but she was a little touched by his actions.

Twenty eight minutes later...

"When do you start at Dawson's properties?" she asks sipping her caramel latte, "next Monday and I can't wait!" he sits back in his seat, "Dad's place not doing it for ya?!" she knew he hated working for his Dad.

"It pays the bill's which is great, but I hate working with him. Plus never been one for architects" he sighed, "Saturday I was thinking of getting a room at the hotel where the wedding reception is, so I don't have to drive back. I thought if we get a room with two single beds and a double, maybe you and Arlo could take the double and Myles and I could take the two singles?"

She didn't think about getting home and it would be easier for the boys just to head up, "sounds like a good plan actually!" he smiles softly, "great, I'll get it booked! Thank you for agreeing to come, it means my Mum will be off my back now," she laughs, "I was always her favourite even above you" she teases him, he laughs, "I would argue if it wasn't true" she smirks.

"I'll speak to Arlo about counselling, maybe I could take him tomorrow?" she thought his idea over, "would you mind?"

"No, of course not!" she felt relieved.

Later after dinner...

Ellis pulls onto the drive way, they get out and head inside, "Mum can Dad read me a book?" Arlo asks "if that's ok with him and if you brush your teeth" Arlo looks to his Dad, "like your Mum said brush your teeth!" Arlo runs upstairs with Ellis following after him.

Twenty minutes later...

She's making a coffee as Ellis wanders downstairs, "he's asleep two books later"

"He saw you coming!" she teases him, "do you want a coffee?"

"Yeah, I'll have a latte macchiato" she rolls her eyes at him, he knows she can't work the coffee machine, he grins, "I'll do it!" he nudges her out of the way. She jumps up to sit on the counter, shaking her head at him, "you could never work this thing"

"It was you who ordered the damn thing, all I wanted was machine that made black coffee, but you had to get some fancy thing!" she rolled her eyes, "if I remember rightly you love a caffe latte?" he quirks his brow at her, she narrows her eyes at him over the top of her mug, "I did, when you did them now, I have no idea how to work the bloody thing!"

He laughs at her, "come here, I'll show you!" she jumps down, still keeping her distance, he points at the button on the machine, "you press this one, use the arrows, go down to caffe latte and press ok! See it's not rocket science" he teases her, "whatever!" she says playfully.

"Thanks for dinner, I can't remember the last time I laughed so much!" he nods with an easy smile, "it was good night," he leans against the counter next to her, "what time is Arlo's appointment tomorrow?"

"Four thirty, you know the place," he nods, she sighs he could see the worry on her face that made him feel even more guilty, "he will get through it you know!" she presses her lips into a thin line, "I know!" she looks down at her coffee, letting out a long breath, he hooks his finger under her chin, bring her eyes to meet his, "it's going to take time but he will get through it, especially if he's anything like his mother!"

Her lips upturn into a smile, he looks between her eyes and leans in, for a second she's tempted to lean into, but she pulls away, "Ellis, I can't!" he frowns, "sorry..I should go" he places his mug on the counter and walks out leaving her confused....

~~~~~

Two and a half years earlier...

He slams his phone against his desk, his breath quickened, everything around him started to spin, he couldn't hold his angry in any longer.

He threw his phone across the office until it shattered into pieces, grabbing the attention of his fellow DC's.

Jacques rushes over "Ellis, what is it?!"

"He got Dana and Arlo!" the tears roll down his face.

~~~~~