The Center of My Universe

::31::

"Hi dad," ellen said, hugging him as he walked into the door. He hugged her and kissed her head, before grabbing his bags and walking in further. Her stepmother had decided not to come, as she didn't feel that she had a place in this monumental family gathering. He greeted Alex, who was holding the small baby and sitting on the couch, with Elvis sleeping on the floor next to him.

   "Hi Mr. Reed," Alex said.

   "Hello Alex. Is this my grandson?" He asked, though it was clear what the answer was. Alex shifted the baby and handed him over to the man as Ellen started to cook dinner. They talked about the news and economy. Alex promised Ellen that he would try to stay away from the topic of politics, so he tried to steer the conversation away from it as often as possible. He also gave him a tour of the house, and set his bags in the guest bedroom.

   "Dinners ready," Ellen said, walking in. They sat down at the table and began to eat. Eventually, they all went to bed. Alex and Ellen sat on their bed, holding Jake and talking quietly.

   "That went well," Alex whispered. Ellen nodded in agreement. They looked down at their son with wide smiles on their faces. Alex set his hand lightly on his head. Jake looked up and smiled.

   "Look," Ellen said. "He's smiling."

   "Hey Jakey," Alex said. "How ya doin buddy?"

   "I love this," Ellen said, lightly leaning on Alex. He kissed her head lovingly.

   "Yeah. I do too," he said. They dragged the crib into their bedroom so Jake wouldn't wake Ellen's dad, and they laid him down.

   "There," Ellen said, leaning down and kissing his forehead. "Mommy loves you."

"Come here," Alex said, holding his arms out to her. She laid down and cuddled close. He pulled his hands through her hair soothingly.

"Are you going to sleep?" She asked him.

"I'm gonna stay up a little while. Make sure he doesn't wake up," he replied. Ellen smiled lightly.

"Okay. Goodnight. I love you," she said.

"I love you too," Alex replied as she dozed off. He watched the crib and let his thoughts wander. He held Ellen tightly, knowing that his biggest accomplishment was not his straight As in school. Not the college he went to, or the job offers he received. It was his family. His wife and son, his sisters and brother, and his parents. The people he loved more than anything. And Alex thought to himself, that he had changed.
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"Hi mom," Alex said, kissing his mom's cheek as they walked into their house.

"Hi guys," Jennifer said, holding her arms out for her nephew.

"What's going on?" Andy asked, jumping onto Alex's back from the couch. Alex shifted him so he was higher on his back.

"Nothing much," Alex said.

"Alright, we're gonna take off," Steven said.

"Foods in the freezer," Elyse said. She hugged her kids and daughter-in-law, before leaving the house. They shut the door and Alex gave them a mischievous look, before pulling a football out from the closet.

"Oh you're on," Andy said, standing up. The two passed the ball around, yelling at each other. Ellen, Jennifer, and Mallory sat on the couch talking.

   "So everything's in place for the wedding?" Ellen confirmed with Mallory. She nodded eagerly.

   "I'm so excited," she said. "Third tries the charm."

   "Oh Mallory," Jennifer said, shaking her head with a laugh. Jake started to cry and Jennifer handed him to Ellen, who grabbed a bottle of milk from her bag. She began to feed him and he quieted down.

   "He's so cute," Mallory said, and Ellen smiled.

   "That is, until you've gone four nights in a row without sleeping," she said, and Mallory and Jennifer smiled.

   "Nick's great at teaching his students. He loves kids," Mallory said, thinking about having kids of her own one day.

   "He'll be an amazing dad one day," Ellen said.

   "How does Alex do? Hasn't brainwashed him yet, has he?" Mallory asked, and Ellen giggled.

   "There can be no talk of politics in the house," she joked. Suddenly, they heard glass break. They looked over and saw Alex and Andy looking guiltily at a broken vase.

   "Oh no," Jennifer said, standing up.

   "Oh they're gonna kill us," Alex said. Ellen turned to him.

   "Alex Keaton you are a grown man. What are you doing?" She said. He looked down.

   "Sorry," he said, and Mallory snickered.

   "It's okay. It's fixable. We've done this before," Mallory said. She grabbed some super glue and they began to piece it back together.

   "That could've been much worse," Jennifer said, setting it back on it's stand. They all nodded at their work.

   "Well, glad that's over," Alex said.

   "At least you didn't turn the house into a hotel," Mallory said, and Alex cringed.

   "I was dumb. I admit it," he said, holding his arms up in surrender. Everyone laughed loudly.

   "Was?" Andy said. Alex looked at him, before tossing him over his shoulder.

   "They're gonna break something else, aren't they?" Mallory said, and Ellen and Jennifer nodded.