Chapter Nine: A Family Broken

The kids were growing, and Elenna was aging.

Her unhappiness was taking it's toll on her beautiful face. It was growing long and starting to wrinkle. Her hair had grown longer over the years, and she kept it high in a tight bun, away from her face. She looked more frigid than anyone ever imagined she would. It was clear that family life and motherhood were not for her. At least, not any longer. She wished she had stayed with Arlo. Why, oh why did she marry Cooper? Seventeen years later, she still constantly questioned her feelings about him. He really was the perfect man. She believed she truly loved him at one point... back when he was a thrill. A fling. A dare. An affair.

Not when he was hers, to have and to hold.

Stephen continued to work on his schoolwork. He wasn't quite sure what he'd want to do with his life, but he was incredibly smart, and loved math and science. He would talk about his father often and looked up to his musical aspirations greatly, but knew he couldn't go down that path. He started applying for colleges his senior year, finally settling on the idea of becoming a surgeon.

Cooper was continuing to advance in his music career. His name was now the talk of their town, and word about his musical talents was slowly spreading throughout the state. His workplace was begging him to come back to work full-time. Cooper wanted to, too... but his home life needed to be fixed before he could advance his career. Family, to Cooper, was always the top priority.

The stress from his parents was taking a toll on Stephen, too. He was staying up late at night helping his siblings and doing whatever he could around the house, then napping here and there during the day. He encouraged his siblings to spend time away from home when they could, so they wouldn't have to see Cooper and Elenna interact.

Lucy took his advice, and took up jogging, cooking, and fishing for hobbies.

She loved going for seaside jogs. It gave her time to herself (which she loved), and allowed her space to think and just be herself. She was feeling the tension at home. A sweet and simple soul, she knew it wasn't Cooper's fault, and instead remained optimistic about their relationship. From day one, she knew Cooper was a great man. She had a lot of faith and comfort in knowing he'd do whatever it was to protect her and her siblings. 

She remained happy and carefree. School never seemed to stress her out, yet she was in the top ten percent of her class. She was a good-girl to the extreme, and much preferred a night-time fishing session over partying with her friends. Cooper had taught her better than that.

Little Ava was a bold beauty. There weren't many babies with her looks. She had a very defined face, with jet-black hair (it had darkened as she grew) and sparkling aqua-like eyes. Cooper knew she'd be a stunner as an adult, and often laughed, knowing he'd have to keep the boys off of her. She was a smart child, and had a lot of cunning. 

It's always the young ones, Cooper smiled to himself.

Edison's personality issues shined through most when tensions at home were high. His erratic behavior was a worry for Cooper, yet he didn't want to put him on medication, nor send him to therapy. Cooper used to hope Edison would outgrow that mental damage... but now, he didn't mind it. The more time he spent with Edison, the more he realized Edison was just an insane genius. He reminded Cooper of some sort of manic scientist. Edison was still excelling in school, so he chose not to change the personality his son had grown into.

Though it did get frustrating for Stephen now and then to sit through his brother's outbursts, he didn't mind it, either. He learned fast not to do his homework at the kitchen table. He hadn't a clue why, but Edison despised it when people did homework at the table.

Cooper shielded little Ava from her mother. They were starting to lean toward a divorce... but no one had really used that word just yet. Elenna was spending more time out of the house. Cooper was never sure of what exactly she was doing, but it was getting to the point where he didn't care as long as his kids were safe.

He taught Ava to walk, talk, spell, count... everything he couldn't do when he was working full time while Edison was young. He wouldn't let Elenna near little Ava, for fear she might emotionally or mentally scar his little girl. 

Lucky for him, Elenna didn't want much to do with Ava anyway.

But to Cooper, she was the light at the end of his tunnel. All of his kids were. They were his inspiration for a brighter future.

One night, Cooper received a phone call. Not recognizing the number, he let the answering machine pick up the call. He'd assumed it was for Elenna, who was out... doing whatever it was she was doing. He continued cleaning the dishes, keeping an ear open for the answering machine, just in case it was for him after all.

"Elenna, this is Harold. You need to return my e-mail. Your reports are late. If this gets to corporate, it's my ass they'll be kicking. Not yours. Get your shit together. Also, I got a lead on the Harvey case. I won't tell you what's going down until you get that damn paperwork in. Call me."  *click*

Cooper was now fully focused on the machine, staring at it long after the caller stopped speaking. What... what was that? Paperwork? Reports? Corporate?...

But... Elenna didn't have a job. Not to his knowledge, at least. But, if she did, shouldn't he have known? Maybe she just got the job and neglected to tell him? No, that couldn't be it. The way this Harold guy spoke, it sounded like she had been at this for a while... and if she was working, where was the money? Cooper worked day and night to build the lives they all had right now. He worked extra shifts so Elenna could have a little spending money here and there. What in the world was going on?

He kept quiet for most of the day. Elenna came home that night and went straight to the bedroom to change into her nightgown. Cooper scooped Ava up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He knew she was sleepy, and as he put her in her crib, he knew she would be in dreamland soon enough.

Cooper turned to talk to Elenna, who was sitting at the computer, checking her e-mail.

"Elenna, we need to talk."

Silence.

"Elenna, seriously. We NEED to talk."

Nothing.

"Harold called today."

He could sense the change in Elenna's body language. She became stiff and rigid at the mention of her co-workers name.

Damnit, he knows., she thought. She turned to face him.

"What did he say?" she asked nonchalantly as she stood to face him. Cooper sighed.

"That's it. I can't do this anymore, Elenna. First you neglect Edison. Then you favor Stephen. Then you agree to letting Lucy into our home, and decide not to act as her mother. Then you feel nothing for Ava. And this whole time, you haven't talked to me in the least! And now this?!"

He continued, incredibly fed up with Elenna's blank stares and lack of regard for him and the family.

 "This whole "you need to hand in your reports"?! What is that?! Tell me what's going on Elenna. Seriously. I can't take this anymore. Our family doesn't deserve it. I don't deserve it!"

Cooper stepped back and sighed. He had never felt legitimately upset with anyone in his life before, ever. And now he was upset. He was disappointed. He was saddened. He felt lost. He eyed her carefully, setting deep eye contact. She was going to talk. She had to.

She began to get mad, too. Her built up frustration was ready to let loose.

"How could you be so stupid, Cooper?", she hissed, leaning toward him.

"I haven't been happy since the day Edison was born. I loved him. I really did. But living this way, I can't do it." Cooper was confused. They lived a wonderful life. She never had to work if she didn't want to. She could stay home with the kids. He let her spend half his income on things for herself. Granted, it wasn't always much, but he didn't see how he could work so hard to provide a comfortable life and hear her say 'I can't live this way'.

"What are you saying?" Cooper questioned, furrowing his brow.

"I'm saying something needs to change," she snarled, voice low, a brow raised.

"Elenna, I have tried so damn hard to make things work with you. You never talk to me. You've never told me what was wrong. None of this is making sense. I've tried to change. I think the thing that needs to change is you!"

She took a step forward, an upset, distraught look upon her face. Cooper stepped backward. Was she really going to get physical with him?! What the hell was going on?

"First of all, I run this house! The kids wouldn't be alive and well if it wasn't for me being locked up with them every single day!", she yelled, a finger raised. "Second of all, maybe I don't want to be here anyway!"

He could tell she was getting heated. Maybe he needed to calm down. It was like a switch flipped inside of her. He'd never seen her like this, but part of him wasn't surprised. She never shared her feelings, and here they were, coming out almost 20 years of marriage later.

"Elenna, calm down..." he whispered, remembering Ava was asleep in the room. "We can do this civilly."

"Maybe I don't want to do this civilly," she laughed. It seemed she had dissolved into a mad, manic state. Part of Cooper wondered if maybe that's where Edison had gotten it from... but he stayed glued to the conversation.

"I've regretted marrying you for years! Your dashing good looks and mediocre job could never give me what I really wanted. I want luxury! I want fame by association! With you, I am a housewife! A mother! I love my Stephen boy, but was any of this ever what I wanted? NO!"

Cooper stood back, shaking his head. She'd lied to him all this time. How could he not see this?

But he knew it wasn't his fault. He couldn't blame himself. He was sure he'd done all the right things... it was her. It was Elenna that lied to him. He took a step forward.

"Elenna, I am truly sorry I couldn't give you that. But it was never my dream to have my wife live in luxury. It was never my dream to spoil a selfish woman. It was never my dream to love someone that could not love me back! It was never my goal, nor was it my intent, to marry a woman and shower her in fame!! To think anything opposite of that is ABSURD! I just wanted to be happy. I just wanted a family!!", he growled.

"What are you saying, then, Cooper?! Tell me now, it's now or it's never!", she pleaded. She wanted to hear it. She didn't want to be the one to leave. Some deep, insecure part of herself wanted her to be the one that was left.

"I am saying we're done. That's it. No more. I know you've been working a job behind my back. That's fine, so be it! I haven't seen a single cent of that money go toward this house and the kids, so you need to take whatever you're earning and get the hell out of this house, because I know you can afford to do so. We're done, Elenna. I'm sorry, but we're done."

She looked away for a moment, and with one quick, swift mood, swung around and smacked him straight in the face. 

"You're right, Cooper. We're better off apart," she muttered. She turned and left the room. The next morning, she packed her things and called a taxi. She was leaving, and she was leaving for good. 

But she wasn't going alone. She wanted to take Stephen with her.

Stephen knew he was the only thing that was keeping his mother sane. He didn't want to leave, but at the same time, a big part of him didn't want his mom to be alone. He was too kind and caring of a boy to say no.

It broke Cooper's heart to see them leave... but mostly to see Stephen leave. It upset Edison and Lucy, too, who had grown quite attached to their older brother. Stephen was Edison's best friend, and Lucy's mentor. Stephen was leaving with a heavy heart, but vowed to keep in contact with his siblings. He knew his mother would probably care less about them.

Stephen knew that moving in with her wasn't the smart thing to do, but at the same time, he had hoped he could talk her into some sort of therapy. Just like his real dad, Arlo, he had a deep compassion for people. To move in with his mother, who was clearly going through a hard time... that was Stephen's tribute to his father. That was the only way he could honor Arlo... and he would honor Arlo.

Even if it meant leaving the family he so deeply loved.

He knew Cooper would be fine without them.

Chapter Eight: And The Years Flew By

He couldn't afford to waste another minute of his life hoping things would get better. He was going to take a stand. 

He was going to make things right.

Over the next few years, Cooper did just that. He furnished his new home with nice things. He spent more evenings home with his boys. He took Elenna out to fancy dinners. He got promoted to a musical talent scout, so he was able to spend more time at home, and more money on his wife. Elenna seemed back to her old, happy self, and if she was happy, Cooper was happy.

Well, mostly. 

She seemed to be a little more on the... well, diva side lately.

She spent his money on designer clothes and worked out a lot more. She seemed to be very concerned with her personal appearance, but at least the boys were being taken care of.

Was this how it was supposed to be?

Again, Cooper was happy that she was happy. But some part of him, some little piece of him, was raising the red flag. The two spent more time together, which Cooper enjoyed. Their sex life was back, and long mornings in bed while the kids were at school seemed to be keeping their relationship afloat.

Cooper made sure to give just as much attention to Stephen as he did Edison. He was proud and happy to be the father figure in Stephen's life. He was a hard working and thoughtful little boy. Cooper couldn't have asked for a more considerate and happy son.

Edison, now a wild and curious toddler, was keeping his parents constantly on their toes. He was into everything he saw, and, as a result of the neglect from his baby years, was incredibly insane. Cooper didn't know that Elenna was the cause of this, however. He just believed Edison was... exuberant. Yeah, that's the word.

Though Cooper and Elenna already had their hands full with the boys, they couldn't help but feel a void. They wanted a daughter, and decided to adopt. Cooper was thrilled to give an unwanted child unconditional love and a happy home. It reminded him of his own childhood... he felt like he was meant to do this. The two were happy with their decision, and filed papers to adopt a young girl from the local adoption agency.

However, as a few months passed by and the adoption was being finalized, Elenna once again came down with morning sickness. With a twist of fate and a change in the cards, another Baron baby was on the way.

Stephen, the neat and thoughtful boy he was, tended to his mother's every whim. He even cleaned up after her when she was sick, and took over some of her homely duties without being asked.

Four children? It seemed like a lot, and Cooper was unsure of how they could handle two school-agers, a toddler, and a new baby... but he wanted this more than anything. He loved being a dad. He loved loving someone else unconditionally. Though having four children was unexpected, he was ready to embrace the challenge.

Though he refused to pick favorites, it was always clear that Edison was Cooper's pride and joy. Though Edison had a few behavior issues, he truly was a sweet and intelligent young boy.

Edison was Cooper's first child. There was no denying the bond the two shared.

It was also somewhat of a relief to look at his son and only see himself and Elenna. It may have been egotistical, but Edison was a good looking boy. After all these years, Stephen seemed to be an exact copy of Arlo. To look at Edison and see no trace of another man was somewhat comforting to Cooper. Edison was his. All his.

Late into Elenna's pregnancy with their soon to be 3rd child, the adoption was finalized, and a social worker brought their new daughter home.

She was a sweet tempered, quiet girl that loved the outdoors and was thankful for her new family. She spoke with Cooper about what she had been through... the neglect, the hardship, and the court rulings that put her into foster care.

But more than anything, she was happy to be in a new home, especially with Cooper. The two had an instant bond from the start, and little Lucy was clearly happy to be in a welcoming home with her new brothers.

Edison, a growing boy, was quite playful and mischievous. 

He loved hiding in his toybox and scaring people as they walked by.

Cooper was thrilled for the new baby, and spent his time pampering Elenna and listening to her belly.

Stephen spent most of his time with his younger brother.

They were the best of friends, and had a bond like none other.

Cooper hired a construction crew to build a new room for Lucy. He painted it pink and applied little flowers to all of the walls, installed wooden flower art, and hung up pictures of giraffes, her favorite animal.

She felt like a princess, and she was: She was Cooper's little girl, and wanted her to feel nothing less than royal after such a rough childhood. Lucy took none of it for granted.

He also had the boys' room expanded, making more room for when the two of them would reach their teenage years.

When he needed some time away from home, Cooper went and performed free shows with his guitar in the local park.

Passersby often threw tips into his guitar case, stunned at his performances, asking for encore after encore.

With the tips he accumulated, he bought new things for his kids. After all, they were his priority. He wanted to make sure they had a good, comfortable life. He didn't spoil them, but he definitely provided for them what he could, when he could.

Days before their new child's birth, Elenna began to wear a sour face. The feel of the new house had worn after a few years. The designer clothes, she knew they'd only provide temporary happiness. Reality began to set in once more. A fourth child would really take a toll on their income. She could no longer put herself first. 

She wasn't sure if she was ready for that.

As a result of her new way in thinking, her relationship with Cooper began to slip. She was more argumentative. Less talkative. Less loving. She was finally beginning to realize once more that she wanted out of this relationship, and she wanted out fast.

A bubbly baby girl was born soon enough. Cooper picked the name Ava Simone, and his little angel weighed 7 pounds even. She had lighter hair and icy blue eyes. She was beautiful in every way.

Leaving the hospital, Cooper took notice in Elenna's nonchalant attitude. She wasn't overjoyed. She wasn't nurturing. Her face looked worn and tired, and though that was common after labor, he could tell she just wasn't interested in their newborn.

Cooper shook his head. How could she be like this? This was the final straw. He couldn't take it anymore. If she didn't say something about this soon, he'd confront her.

This was his angel. He couldn't do to her what he was sure she did with Edison. Not on his watch.

Every time he tried to talk with her, she'd turn and walk away. He went part-time at work and spent more time home than he ever had, trying to fix things again. Trying to make things work. 

But she wanted nothing to do with him. It got to the point where she was literally disowning Edison, Lucy, and Ava right before Cooper's eyes. He couldn't take it anymore. As he tucked Ava into her crib each night, he knew it was getting down to the final straw. If Elenna wasn't taking care of the children, if she wasn't talking to him, if she wasn't bringing in any income... it hurt for Cooper to think about, but really, did she have a reason to even be there?

The frigid environment with his mother began to take it's toll on Stephen, too. He could tell she was unhappy. He could tell that she would neglect Lucy and Edison when Cooper wasn't around. He could tell that he was being favorited by his mother, and he didn't care for that... but there wasn't anything he could do.

Soon enough, he was a teenager. Cooper and Elenna were clearly falling out of love, and tensions were high... he suspected they were in the process of getting a divorce, or maybe going through counseling. He began to look after Lucy, Edison, and Ava when his mother would not, and took on a leading role in the household when Cooper was away at work.

He attempted to make meals. He let Lucy eat ice cream for breakfast now and then, because he wanted to be the "cool" older brother. He helped Lucy and Edison with homework, and changed and fed Ava when he needed to. He was a good multi-tasker with a strong business sense; he maintained not only his home life, but an honor roll record at school and a decent part-time job as well.

He became very protective over his younger siblings. He shielded them from the arguments between their parents, comforted them when needed, and encouraged them any moment he could. He knew Cooper was making a big effort to always be there for them, and he appreciated it. It wasn't like the kids were taking a back seat through this whole ordeal. Stephen could sense his mother was the cause of most of this hostility. He wasn't sure when it would end, but he knew that, as any older brother should, he'd take the brunt of the discomfort as he could in order to keep his siblings happy.