Fic: The Day After Tomorrow - pt. 1 [Eli Stone]
Title: The Day After Tomorrow
Fandom: Eli Stone
Spoilers: Episode 1.05 (Matt's ex-girlfriend's custody case) and it draws on some events in my previous story Waiting for that Day
Pairings: Matt/Taylor, Eli/Maggie
Summary: Matt Dowd's life takes a very different turn.
"Cigar?"
The legal secretary took it with a puzzled frown.
"Cigar?"
The next recipient, one of the male associates, was much more appreciative of the offering.
"Cigar?"
Taylor stood before him, her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes narrowed but she tried to hide her smile.
"I take it things went well at the hospital," she said.
Matt grinned. "Eight pounds two ounces. Liam Matthew Benson, born yesterday at 3:20PM."
"Matthew?"
"Of course. Named for his godfather. Cigar?"
Taylor took it from him. "Are we going to have to suffer through Brando impersonations from you as well?"
Matt handed out the rest of the cigars as they walked to his office. He puffed out his cheeks and began scratching his chin, but she didn't give him a chance to finish his Godfather impression.
"How's Jessica?" Taylor asked.
"Over the moon," he replied as he walked around behind his desk. He smiled with the memory. "I've never seen someone light up the way she did when she held him for the first time."
"You were there?"
"Yeah. Jess asked me to be there just in case there were any… complications."
"How was Donna?"
Matt started checking through the messages his assistant had left him. "Okay, I guess. She didn't want to even see him after he was born. Jess tried to talk to her but her parents were there and they kept her out."
"What about the birth certificate?" Taylor asked, always in lawyer mode. Despite the judge ruling in Jessica's favor to allow her to co-parent their son, Taylor knew how important it was that their client's name was included on the birth certificate.
"The pre-birth order was in place and Donna didn't try and contest it. Only Jessica's name was listed."
"Really? I guess Donna's going through with it, huh?"
"Yep. She goes back to Ohio in a couple of days."
"I suppose Jessica got everything she wanted then," said Taylor.
Matt looked up. "Not quite. She's still pretty upset about Donna leaving. Even after everything's that happened I think Jess was still hoping that she'd change her mind after he was born. That she'd still want to be with her."
"At least she got the baby."
"Yeah."
"Even if she has bad taste in godparents."
Matt's face showed mock hurt. "Hey, that kid is lucky. He doesn't have a father to teach him all the important things in life - this is a big responsibility. There's teaching him how to ride a bike, how to shave, how to act with the ladies..."
"All of which his mother is quite capable of showing him, I'm sure."
"Yeah, you're probably right. But the least I can do is take him to his first strip club when he turns 21."
"Pig." Taylor walked towards the door.
"Enjoy the cigar," he called out after her.
"Oh, I will."
He didn't miss the glimmer in her eye when she threw him a swift glance. His good mood grew even better.
"You busy later?" he asked.
"I'm in court this afternoon."
"I mean later."
Taylor hesitated at the door for a moment.
"I've got a bottle of scotch at my place that will go perfectly with these," said Matt. He held up the cigar Groucho Marx-style and grinned at her.
"Stick to Brando." Taylor pushed open the glass door and disappeared. Matt was still smiling to himself when she reemerged a few seconds later.
"What kind of scotch?" she asked.
0 0 0 0
That was how it was with them from then on. But Matt didn't care if things were undefined with Taylor. He'd given up seeking any sort of approval from Jordan when it became apparent that he didn't need it to keep seeing her. It had been that way for months - random hookups that they didn't bother discussing. After Eli's operation she'd kept her distance for a while. But then, just when Matt thought she was going to try and reconcile with her ex-fiancé, Taylor had slept with him again. After losing a case that she had brought him in on, they'd gone to a bar and ended up back at his place, just as they had the first time.
After that he decided she only wanted him when she needed cheering up. Not exactly the healthiest of responses, though Matt wasn't one to complain. But the next time they slept together was after a case where he won and won big - big enough that both Jordan and Martin Posner went out of their way to congratulate him. It was the kind of win that got you back on the junior partner path. Matt was looking to celebrate that night but the other senior associates all declined. He knew it was mostly out of jealousy - if the situation were reversed he'd make up an excuse too. Only Taylor offered to take him out to dinner. Once they were in the cab she suggested they go back to his apartment instead. Matt didn't protest.
The time after that he surprised her by asking to come to her place. They were working on another case together and were going to have to pull an all nighter. She had deflected the request at first, saying his apartment was closer, but in truth she was uncertain about having Matt Dowd in her home. Somehow that was more intimate than the few nights they'd spent together. In the end they had worked at her place, and woke up in bed together after an exhausting night of poring over depositions. It was the first time they had early morning sex that had them both smiling for the rest of the day.
Beyond that, there was no description for their relationship. Neither of them even thought about it as a relationship, a fact which Jessica repeatedly needled him about.
"You like her," she said as she fed four-month-old Liam his bottle.
"Yes," Matt confirmed, finishing off the last egg roll from their evening meal.
"You have sex with her."
"Occasionally."
"You don't have sex with anyone else."
"Not at the moment."
"And you think you're not having a relationship?"
"No. We're not like that. She doesn't want to date me - I'm not exactly her idea of a boyfriend. Besides, I have a sneaking suspicion she's still hung up on her ex."
"How do you know?"
"Male intuition?" he offered hopefully.
"There's no such thing."
"Perhaps it's the way she avoids any conversation vaguely related to what's going on between us. If she wants to keep it casual I'm down with that," he said.
"How can you be okay with that?"
"Let's see, sex with an incredibly hot woman without any strings attached? I'm just a selfless human being, I guess."
Jessica shook her head. "Matt, you should be out enjoying yourself. It's Friday night and once again you're sitting on my living room floor eating cold take out."
"So?"
"So you're never going to meet anyone if your social life is limited to Liam and me."
He shrugged. "A social life is overrated. Unless… if this is your way to get me to stop coming over..."
She laughed at him. "Stop it. You know I love having you here. But I don't want you to miss out on anything just because you don't want me to be stuck home alone with a baby. It's sweet but unnecessary, okay?"
Jessica shifted Liam onto her shoulder and rubbed his back.
"I like hanging out with the two of you."
"Yeah, this is much more exciting than going out and meeting gorgeous women."
He smiled at her. "You could be doing that too, you know. I've offered to babysit."
"No thanks. I've got my hands full."
"You sure you're not just hiding yourself away to avoid being hurt?"
Jessica frowned at him, then concentrated on Liam who was falling asleep. She nestled him closer to her.
"It's been six months since you and Donna broke up," Matt reminded her gently. "She's not coming back."
"I know that."
"So, isn't it about time you allowed yourself to meet someone else?"
"I thought we were talking about your pathetic love life, not mine," Jessica said dryly.
"We're both pathetic," he replied to make her feel a little better.
"Maybe. But I don't need anyone else in my life right now. I have Liam. And a wonderful best friend."
"Likewise," he said. "Although, the offer is still there if you're thinking Liam could do with a little brother or sister. Being an only child isn't much fun - you know that."
"I thank you and your boys for the offer. Right now one baby is plenty," she said, gazing lovingly at her son. Liam was asleep but she didn't put him in his cot, contented to hold him for while longer. She glanced over at Matt. "Are you busy tomorrow?"
"Changed your mind so quickly?" He grinned like the Cheshire Cat.
"Ha ha. No, I have a doctor's appointment in the morning and I was going to take Liam with me, but if you wouldn't mind watching him…"
"Of course I can. I think I've mastered the bottle and diaper scenarios. There's nothing else to it, right?"
"Right," she replied sarcastically. "I should only be gone an hour."
"Everything alright?"
"Just a rash that hasn't cleared up in a few weeks. I probably just need a cream."
Matt made a face. "Okay, if you're going to get graphic I may have to leave while my male naïveté about such things is still intact."
"Funny man. Not there, creep. It's on my boob, if you must know."
"Now boobs I don't mind hearing about."
Jessica rolled her eyes at him. "Actually I think it might be mastitis, which is kind of ironic seeing as how I missed out on the breastfeeding side of motherhood. Seems kind of unfair to get the shitty side of breastfeeding without getting to do the rewarding part."
"Yeah, you're heading into girly parts talk again, so I'm gonna call it a night." He got up and bent down to kiss her cheek. "Much as I'd love to sit here and listen to you talk about your breasts, they hold no allure for me anymore, remember?"
She laughed soundlessly when he tried to peek down her shirt anyway, and slapped him away.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he made for the door.
Fandom: Eli Stone
Spoilers: Episode 1.05 (Matt's ex-girlfriend's custody case) and it draws on some events in my previous story Waiting for that Day
Pairings: Matt/Taylor, Eli/Maggie
Summary: Matt Dowd's life takes a very different turn.
"Cigar?"
The legal secretary took it with a puzzled frown.
"Cigar?"
The next recipient, one of the male associates, was much more appreciative of the offering.
"Cigar?"
Taylor stood before him, her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes narrowed but she tried to hide her smile.
"I take it things went well at the hospital," she said.
Matt grinned. "Eight pounds two ounces. Liam Matthew Benson, born yesterday at 3:20PM."
"Matthew?"
"Of course. Named for his godfather. Cigar?"
Taylor took it from him. "Are we going to have to suffer through Brando impersonations from you as well?"
Matt handed out the rest of the cigars as they walked to his office. He puffed out his cheeks and began scratching his chin, but she didn't give him a chance to finish his Godfather impression.
"How's Jessica?" Taylor asked.
"Over the moon," he replied as he walked around behind his desk. He smiled with the memory. "I've never seen someone light up the way she did when she held him for the first time."
"You were there?"
"Yeah. Jess asked me to be there just in case there were any… complications."
"How was Donna?"
Matt started checking through the messages his assistant had left him. "Okay, I guess. She didn't want to even see him after he was born. Jess tried to talk to her but her parents were there and they kept her out."
"What about the birth certificate?" Taylor asked, always in lawyer mode. Despite the judge ruling in Jessica's favor to allow her to co-parent their son, Taylor knew how important it was that their client's name was included on the birth certificate.
"The pre-birth order was in place and Donna didn't try and contest it. Only Jessica's name was listed."
"Really? I guess Donna's going through with it, huh?"
"Yep. She goes back to Ohio in a couple of days."
"I suppose Jessica got everything she wanted then," said Taylor.
Matt looked up. "Not quite. She's still pretty upset about Donna leaving. Even after everything's that happened I think Jess was still hoping that she'd change her mind after he was born. That she'd still want to be with her."
"At least she got the baby."
"Yeah."
"Even if she has bad taste in godparents."
Matt's face showed mock hurt. "Hey, that kid is lucky. He doesn't have a father to teach him all the important things in life - this is a big responsibility. There's teaching him how to ride a bike, how to shave, how to act with the ladies..."
"All of which his mother is quite capable of showing him, I'm sure."
"Yeah, you're probably right. But the least I can do is take him to his first strip club when he turns 21."
"Pig." Taylor walked towards the door.
"Enjoy the cigar," he called out after her.
"Oh, I will."
He didn't miss the glimmer in her eye when she threw him a swift glance. His good mood grew even better.
"You busy later?" he asked.
"I'm in court this afternoon."
"I mean later."
Taylor hesitated at the door for a moment.
"I've got a bottle of scotch at my place that will go perfectly with these," said Matt. He held up the cigar Groucho Marx-style and grinned at her.
"Stick to Brando." Taylor pushed open the glass door and disappeared. Matt was still smiling to himself when she reemerged a few seconds later.
"What kind of scotch?" she asked.
0 0 0 0
That was how it was with them from then on. But Matt didn't care if things were undefined with Taylor. He'd given up seeking any sort of approval from Jordan when it became apparent that he didn't need it to keep seeing her. It had been that way for months - random hookups that they didn't bother discussing. After Eli's operation she'd kept her distance for a while. But then, just when Matt thought she was going to try and reconcile with her ex-fiancé, Taylor had slept with him again. After losing a case that she had brought him in on, they'd gone to a bar and ended up back at his place, just as they had the first time.
After that he decided she only wanted him when she needed cheering up. Not exactly the healthiest of responses, though Matt wasn't one to complain. But the next time they slept together was after a case where he won and won big - big enough that both Jordan and Martin Posner went out of their way to congratulate him. It was the kind of win that got you back on the junior partner path. Matt was looking to celebrate that night but the other senior associates all declined. He knew it was mostly out of jealousy - if the situation were reversed he'd make up an excuse too. Only Taylor offered to take him out to dinner. Once they were in the cab she suggested they go back to his apartment instead. Matt didn't protest.
The time after that he surprised her by asking to come to her place. They were working on another case together and were going to have to pull an all nighter. She had deflected the request at first, saying his apartment was closer, but in truth she was uncertain about having Matt Dowd in her home. Somehow that was more intimate than the few nights they'd spent together. In the end they had worked at her place, and woke up in bed together after an exhausting night of poring over depositions. It was the first time they had early morning sex that had them both smiling for the rest of the day.
Beyond that, there was no description for their relationship. Neither of them even thought about it as a relationship, a fact which Jessica repeatedly needled him about.
"You like her," she said as she fed four-month-old Liam his bottle.
"Yes," Matt confirmed, finishing off the last egg roll from their evening meal.
"You have sex with her."
"Occasionally."
"You don't have sex with anyone else."
"Not at the moment."
"And you think you're not having a relationship?"
"No. We're not like that. She doesn't want to date me - I'm not exactly her idea of a boyfriend. Besides, I have a sneaking suspicion she's still hung up on her ex."
"How do you know?"
"Male intuition?" he offered hopefully.
"There's no such thing."
"Perhaps it's the way she avoids any conversation vaguely related to what's going on between us. If she wants to keep it casual I'm down with that," he said.
"How can you be okay with that?"
"Let's see, sex with an incredibly hot woman without any strings attached? I'm just a selfless human being, I guess."
Jessica shook her head. "Matt, you should be out enjoying yourself. It's Friday night and once again you're sitting on my living room floor eating cold take out."
"So?"
"So you're never going to meet anyone if your social life is limited to Liam and me."
He shrugged. "A social life is overrated. Unless… if this is your way to get me to stop coming over..."
She laughed at him. "Stop it. You know I love having you here. But I don't want you to miss out on anything just because you don't want me to be stuck home alone with a baby. It's sweet but unnecessary, okay?"
Jessica shifted Liam onto her shoulder and rubbed his back.
"I like hanging out with the two of you."
"Yeah, this is much more exciting than going out and meeting gorgeous women."
He smiled at her. "You could be doing that too, you know. I've offered to babysit."
"No thanks. I've got my hands full."
"You sure you're not just hiding yourself away to avoid being hurt?"
Jessica frowned at him, then concentrated on Liam who was falling asleep. She nestled him closer to her.
"It's been six months since you and Donna broke up," Matt reminded her gently. "She's not coming back."
"I know that."
"So, isn't it about time you allowed yourself to meet someone else?"
"I thought we were talking about your pathetic love life, not mine," Jessica said dryly.
"We're both pathetic," he replied to make her feel a little better.
"Maybe. But I don't need anyone else in my life right now. I have Liam. And a wonderful best friend."
"Likewise," he said. "Although, the offer is still there if you're thinking Liam could do with a little brother or sister. Being an only child isn't much fun - you know that."
"I thank you and your boys for the offer. Right now one baby is plenty," she said, gazing lovingly at her son. Liam was asleep but she didn't put him in his cot, contented to hold him for while longer. She glanced over at Matt. "Are you busy tomorrow?"
"Changed your mind so quickly?" He grinned like the Cheshire Cat.
"Ha ha. No, I have a doctor's appointment in the morning and I was going to take Liam with me, but if you wouldn't mind watching him…"
"Of course I can. I think I've mastered the bottle and diaper scenarios. There's nothing else to it, right?"
"Right," she replied sarcastically. "I should only be gone an hour."
"Everything alright?"
"Just a rash that hasn't cleared up in a few weeks. I probably just need a cream."
Matt made a face. "Okay, if you're going to get graphic I may have to leave while my male naïveté about such things is still intact."
"Funny man. Not there, creep. It's on my boob, if you must know."
"Now boobs I don't mind hearing about."
Jessica rolled her eyes at him. "Actually I think it might be mastitis, which is kind of ironic seeing as how I missed out on the breastfeeding side of motherhood. Seems kind of unfair to get the shitty side of breastfeeding without getting to do the rewarding part."
"Yeah, you're heading into girly parts talk again, so I'm gonna call it a night." He got up and bent down to kiss her cheek. "Much as I'd love to sit here and listen to you talk about your breasts, they hold no allure for me anymore, remember?"
She laughed soundlessly when he tried to peek down her shirt anyway, and slapped him away.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he made for the door.