Avery Crittenden (word_of_law) wrote in marvel_nextgen,
@ 2010-03-15 20:54:00

Entry tags:

The Deal
Thus far, Avery Crittenden had enjoyed spending time with his newfound little girl. Zoey was bright, talented and outright amazing, and it made Avery proud to be able to say that she was his daughter. He called every other night, work permitting, to speak with her and tell her good night and that he hoped she slept well. He still hadn't told his parents about her yet, wanting to ease Zoey into getting to know her extended family, but he hoped that she'd come to call them family in time as well.

Today, he was meeting with Sydney to hammer out and finalize the terms of their custody arrangement. Sydney was indeed with the time Zoey could spend with him, but Avery had in mind to ask for a small something extra. He didn't think it was anything Sydney would mind too much, and their previous discussions on where she would go for different holidays helped him come up with a few other ideas on how to set up a good time with Zoey.

Avery and his lawyer/best female friend,Claire Walsh, would arrive at the office of Sydney's lawyer with their papers and requests to be added to the custody agreement. He didn't think he was asking for very much, about sixteen days each apiece, give or take when one of them had work to attend to. Sydney's schedule appeared more flexible than his, though, so his idea might benefit her more.

"Avery, you're being extremely charitable about this whole thing. Honestly, you've got ground to demand join custody and set some of your own terms regarding this situation where your daughter is concerned. Are you sure you don't want me to file that motion for you?" Alexis asks as they enter the building.

"No, Alexis, I don't want you to. It would only hurt Zoey in the long run, and Sydney and I agreed that we can be adults about this. She could have told me to go hell at the start, but she didn't, and I'm not trying to make waves. Zoey is my priority; I've missed too much already and I'm not going to waste anymore time by starting a custody battle." he says.

"You're afraid she's going to sic her friends on you, aren't you?" Alexis asks. "They're a pretty handy deterrent for a lot of things, you have to admit."

"No, I'm not. She wouldn't do that." Avery counted.

He hoped.

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sydney_ashcroft
2010-03-18 01:13 am UTC (link)

"Holidays are outside of the week and weekend thing. We can split them up and alternate on the big ones. Say for example I have her on Thanksgiving and you get her Christmas Day, then the reverse the following year. I can't think of any other way that would be more fair."

"I don't see a problem with Independence Day. We usually just have a cookout and watch fireworks."

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word_of_law
2010-03-18 01:20 am UTC (link)

"I'm glad we're thinking along the same lines; I thought your idea would be a fair division as well, but again, I didn't know what you two usually have planned." he says.

"I usually get fireworks and go to the park, have a cookout as well." he nods. "Ah, I also want you to know that I've briefed my employers of the situation and I'll do my best to give you and Zoey at least one to two weeks notice if I'll need to go out of town on business." he says.

"And if there's an emergency and you need me to do something for Zoey, like pick her up and bring her home, you've got my number. Don't hesitate to let me know." he says.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-03-18 01:26 am UTC (link)
	Syd nodded. "Thank you. Thankfully my schedule is really flexible so if you are called out of town on short notice, it won't be a problem. Scion doesn't require much from me or much travel. Mr. Stark is good about giving Simon and me a head's up when travel is required." Syd smiled. "I will keep it in mind." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

word_of_law
2010-03-18 02:35 am UTC (link)

"That's good to know. I don't want to inconvenience you or disappoint Zoey." he says.

"Oh. I also had one more question, but it's more like a request, if you don't mind." he says, gathering up his own courage.

"I was wondering if you had any pictures of Zoey you could part with. I'd like one for my desk at work, and for home. Recent ones to start, but...maybe some from when she was smaller too. If you don't mind.

I'd just like to see how she grew, is all."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-03-18 02:38 am UTC (link)
	"Not at all. I have them all scanned, so I can put them on a disc and you can get the ones you want printed out. Sounds okay?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-03-18 02:42 am UTC (link)
	Avery smiled brightly. "That would be excellent, Sydney. I'd appreciate that." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-03-18 02:43 am UTC (link)
	Syd smiled a little. "It's not a problem. Is there anything else?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

word_of_law
2010-03-18 02:49 am UTC (link)

"Just one last thing. Does Zoey have any issues sleeping through the night? Like night terrors or anything?" he asked. His expression was more than curious now, she'd notice. Almost as if he were looking for a specific answer.

He'd started see things when he was about six or seven, things he couldn't explain, but that would happen all the same soon after he saw them. He considered telling Sydney about that, but if Zoey wasn't having any issues, then it would be better not to worry Sydney for nothing.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-03-18 02:51 am UTC (link)
	Syd shook her head. "No. She's a good sleeper, though she does find some excuse to crawl in with me at night." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-03-18 02:53 am UTC (link)
	The relief on Avery's face was visible, and he seemed mollified by the news. "All right." he smiled. "Then that's everything for now. If I come up with anything else, I'll call you." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-03-18 02:56 am UTC (link)
	"Do you want me to have my lawyer put everything in writing and send it to your lawyer?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-03-18 02:59 am UTC (link)
	"Sure, you can do that. Once we get it, I'll sign the papers and send them back." he said. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-03-18 03:02 am UTC (link)
	Syd stood up. "If there's anything else, you have my number. Don't hesitate to call." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	word_of_law 2010-03-18 03:08 am UTC (link)
	Avery nodded. "You've got it. Give Zoey my love, please." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-03-18 03:10 am UTC (link)
	This was probably a really bad idea, but he was Zoey's father. "I will. Until this is finalized," she dug into her purse and pulled out a business card. "This has the address on it if you would like to stop over for dinner one evening." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

word_of_law
2010-03-18 03:13 am UTC (link)

Avery took the card, looked at it, then looked at Sydney before he put it away. He wasn't too keen on meeting people who could kill him by breathing on him just yet...but Sydney trusted them Zoey.

Moreover, Zoey trusted them. These people were part of his daughter's life, so it was in his best interest to at least know who they were.

"I'll call you and we can set up a time." he says.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sydney_ashcroft 2010-03-18 03:14 am UTC (link)
	Syd smiled. "Great. My lawyer will send over the papers. Thanks, Avery." (Reply to this)(Parent)

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