Madeline walked into the apartment around 8:00 after having dinner with her father a week later.  She sighed as she set down her backpack.  She hadn't been home since before school.  Her mother came storming down the hallway.

"Where have you been?!" she demanded, one hand on her hip.

Madeline furrowed her eyebrows.  "Good to see you too."

"I asked you a question," she told her daughter.

Madeline scoffed a bit at how demanding she was being.  "I told you.  I was at the library with Janet."

"That's interesting, because I was at the library and I didn't see you anywhere," Kate accused her daughter.  Lin was working in his office and overheard the beginning of the argument.  He closed his laptop and carefully made his way out.

Madeline sighed and rolled her eyes.  "I didn't know I was being spied on."

"You lied to me," Kate said, her voice terse.  "Where were you?"

Maddie took her shoes off and kicked them aside.  She was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed.  Her mother had been so uptight lately.

"I was with Dad," she responded in an equally terse voice.  "I didn't tell you because I assumed you'd freak out."

Kate was silent for several long moments as Maddie got a glass from the cabinet and poured herself some water.

"You were with your father?" she repeated softly, feeling a little betrayed.

"Yes," Maddie said, not really wanting to elaborate.  "It's my decision if I want to see him or not."

Kate scoffed and started angry cleaning the living room.  "That's your choice, I suppose."

Maddie had had a long day, and she was sick of the tension between her mother and father.  Didn't they know the trauma they were putting her through by being at odds with one another?  She knew her mother was still hurt from the whole kidnapping mess, but that was over 10 years ago now.  She needed to move on.

"Mom, I'm getting really tired of your passive-aggressive comments," Madeline accused her mother, crossing her arms.  Kate met her eyes and they glared at each other.

"How am I being passive-aggressive?" Kate countered, walking back over to the kitchen.

"Whenever I mention Dad, you make some bitchy comment."

"Well I'm sorry, I have a lot of strong feelings towards him," she reminded Maddie.

"So why do you have to unload your feelings on me?" Maddie raised her voice.  "It's not fair!"

"I'm allowed to have my own opinion," Kate growled back.  "I will not have my daughter telling me what I can and cannot say."

Maddie was seething and felt she was about to snap.  "Such a bitch," she muttered under her breath, but her mother heard her.  In a flash, Kate was in front of her and slapped her on the face.

Lin rushed out to the kitchen.  Madeline was holding her face, and both mother and daughter looked shocked.  Kate moved her hand up to her mouth, not believing she had just slapped her daughter.

"Kate!" Lin yelled as he rushed over to Madeline.  He tried to pull her to him, but she pushed him away.  Without another word, she stormed off to her bedroom, her hand on her red cheek.  The door slammed.

"What the hell is the matter with you?!" Lin demanded of his wife, crossing his arms.

"I-I don't know what happened," she explained, looking dazed.  "I just snapped."

"Madeline's right," he told her.  "She has a right to a relationship with her father and you're just making it difficult.  She should be able to see him or talk about him without you making her feel guilty."

Kate glanced at her husband and saw how angry he was at her.  She'd really blown in.  Without another word, she stepped around him and went to their bedroom.  Lin breathed out noisily, resting his hands against the counter.  Kate and Madeline's relationship had turned volatile lately. On top of the regular teenage daughter/mother dynamic, Jason was thrown into the mix.  He felt badly for Madeline.  This was more than she needed to deal with.

Lin cleaned around the kitchen and living room, giving them time to cool off.  He knew he was turning into moderator between the two.  Kate kept letting her feelings towards Jason cloud her judgment with Maddie, and now she'd actually slapped her.

About half an hour later, Lin gently knocked on Madeline's door.  He heard a faint 'come in', so he walked in and closed the door.  She was sitting on her bed, working on her laptop, her face resting in her hand.  Lin came to sit on her bed.

"You okay?" he asked her gently.  She shrugged and kept her cheek hidden.  "Let me see."

She sat up and turned her cheek towards him.  It was still a little red.  Lin frowned and sighed.

"I'm sorry she did that," Lin told her.  "I think your mom's letting her emotions get the best of her."

"She's being completely unreasonable," Maddie accused. 

"I agree," Lin said, though he tread lightly.  He didn't want Maddie thinking he and her mother weren't a team.  Usually they backed each other up as a parental unit, but they all knew Kate was in the wrong.  "She's got a lot of hard feelings towards your father."

"Believe me, I know," she said as she looked back at her screen.  Lin gently squeezed her knee.

"I'll talk to her," Lin assured her.  "She certainly shouldn't have slapped you."

"Can you tell her to stop pouncing on me?  I feel like I can't breathe," she told him.

Lin nodded.  "Well, some of that is just her being a mom, but yes, I'll talk to her about giving you some space.  Do you have much more homework?"

"No," she told him.

"Good," Lin said, looking at his watch.  It was almost 9:00.  "Get to bed soon.  I'll be back to say good night."

Lin left the room and then went to the master bedroom.  Kate was laying on her side, facing away from him.  He climbed onto the bed behind her, resting his head in his hand, propped up.  He gently squeezed her hip and rubbed with his thumb.

"Hey," he told her.

"Hey," she said, in a defeated voice.  Lin gently pulled on her hip so she was on her back and he could see her face.

"What happened back there?" he asked gently, not accusingly.

She sighed and closed her eyes.  "I lost it.  I took it too far."

Lin nodded and let her continue.  "I just...I can't stand the thought of her spending time with him.  He caused us so much pain.  Plus she lied to me."

"She lied to you because she was afraid of how you'd react.  She's right, you make passive-aggressive comments whenever she spends time with him."

She sighed, hating that he was right.  She was being completely ridiculous.

"Is she pissed at me?" she looked at him finally.

"She's upset," Lin told her.  "Rightfully so.  You slapped her."

She looked away at the reminder.  "I'll go apologize," Kate told him. "I was in the wrong."

"If you keep trying to tighten the leash, she's gonna resist more," Lin told her, knowing enough about their kid that this wasn't a good approach to keeping her in line.  "You need to back off."

"I will," she told him, pushing herself to seated.  "Is she still awake?"

"Yep," he said, sitting up himself.  Kate swung her legs over the side of the bed and paused, sighing out loudly.  Lin gently rubbed her side and gave her shoulder a kiss.  "You're doing the right thing."

Lin went to the bathroom to brush the teeth while Kate made her way down the hallway to Maddie's room.  She knocked and was told to come in.  Maddie was now laying on her bed, messing around on her phone.  Kate pulled out her desk chair and sat down, looking repentant.  She gave her daughter a small smile as she sat down.

"Madeline, I'm so very sorry I slapped you," she began.  "I should never have done that.  I hope you can forgive me.  I just...I saw red and I lost it."

Maddie sighed and put down her phone, turning on her side.  "I'm sorry I called you a bitch."

"Thanks," Kate said.  "But...I was being a bitch."

Maddie was surprised that her mother was admitting to it.  She didn't say anything, not knowing the right words.

"You're right.  If you want to spend time with your father, you should be able to without me making you feel guilty.  He's your father after all."

Maddie nodded a little bit.  "Thanks," she said softly.

"I don't want you to have to lie to me about where you're going so you can spend time with him.  That's not right."

It was quiet for a few moments before Kate continued.  "If I'm ever making you feel uncomfortable about your father again, just tell me okay?  I'll try to be more honest with myself.  Okay?"

"Okay," Maddie whispered.  Kate nodded and patted her thighs before getting up.  She walked over to her daughter and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you.  Good night."

"Love you too," Maddie said.  After her mother had left, she turned onto her back again.  She hoped her mother's words had been genuine.  Her life would be so much easier if she didn't have to tiptoe around her mother.  It's not like she was going to talk about her father with her all the time.  She just wanted to spend some time with him.

Maddie got out her cell phone again and texted her father thank you for taking her out to dinner.  He replied saying you're welcome and asked if he could treat her to a movie that weekend.  Maddie smiled and confirmed.  They set a movie time.  She climbed under the covers and turned off her light.  Maybe things would be okay now.