Colder than ice

'Yeah, you used to call me baby, now you calling me by name.'

Saturday 3rd April

They are back in this room, the drive here was silent, she spent the half an hour drive looking out the window. She's mad at him, at this point he's not even sure what it's about, it could be a multitude of things, the kids, the bins or life generally.

He thinks he's safe to assume it's related to her having to-do this. He feels bad, having never pressured her into anything before. This was different, this was such a big thing. He had to do something, he wanted her back so much it hurt. He notices her walking off, as he locked up the car. In a different world, he would run up behind her and make her jump. She would hit him, and he would laugh. He hasn't heard her laugh in months. Saying that, he hasn't laughed in a long time either. It's like all the life has been sucked out of him, but he has to go on for Maddie and Teddy. They need him, and he needs them as much as they need him. He tries, sometimes he feels like he has to be both parents, the says that Dianne doesn't get out of bed, he makes sure that she's okay, he makes sure that both of the kids go to school with the correct equipment, he makes sure that they have dinner which includes at least one vegetable. Not that he minds, he would do anything for them. He would do anything to make them happy, both the kids and Dianne.

As much as he wants to, he can't resent her. He doesn't have it in him. He loves her far too much, though these days he highly doubts that she feels the same way. He lays in bed at night thinking about it, thinking about them. Everyone tells him that he should divorce her, but he doesn't want to. He doesn't want to be like his parents. They would have been solid, had Ruby not happened. He knows that if it hadn't happened, they wouldn't be here. He wouldn't have to worry about her. His concerns would be surrounding bin day and the old weather. It wouldn't be this. They wouldn't be here, on a last attempt to salvage the marriage they had.

He was realistic, he had thought about what would happen if this failed. He wanted them to have an amicable relationship, he's not sure if she would completely cut him out of her life. The kids were old enough to make their own way to her house, if they had shared custody. He wanted to still be friends, if you could call them friends now.

She grabs his arm, pulling him up from his seat. He had been unaware that they had been called. The walk is silent, they don't really speak to one another during the week, she's not one for exchanging pleasantries, so he's used to the deafening silence.

'Welcome back Dianne and Joe.' She red-head smiles weakly, noticing that the man next to him tapping his fingers on his knee. She's known him long enough to realise that he's nervous. This is the first time she's properly looked at him in months. He's changed, he's a little fatter than when he was a teenager. Not that it's a bad thing, she muses, he looks older, more mature. The whole situation has taken a toll on him, she can see the bags under his eyes. She knows he gets up three times in the night, she can't sleep most nights, and from that she's assuming that he's the same. Maybe if she had got her feelings out when it first happened, maybe then she would have been okay. Maybe she wouldn't have felt this crap. She can see where the cold weather is hitting him. She used to run him a bath, when he got home from work. Now she can't look at him, because when she looks at him, all she can see is Ruby.

It's scary, she doesn't like it. Maybe that's why she was such a bitch, she wanted to rid herself of that memory. She knew it would be hard, she just didn't expect it to be this hard. It wasn't supposed to be this hard, it was supposed to disappear after a while, but all it did was get stronger and harder to cope with. Joe was a catalyst, she couldn't bear to be in a room with him, when her heart was so torn. 'You're quite a different couple', the therapist ponders. 'You've been together since you were children.' They nod, no one thought they were going to last. If they had been honest, neither of them thought it would be that serious. High school romances only last in books or movies. This was neither, maybe that's why they are falling apart.

They didn't think it would last, they didn't think they would have made such a life together, they were the only ones they knew that were together after this long. They didn't expect it to turn out like it did. Most people's relationships didn't work, but by some force within the universe, theirs did. Dianne had always been told by Maddie that she wanted a relationship like theirs, they had seen so many of their friends split up, but they were solid. They always had been, until now. The idea that they wouldn't be together in a year haunted everyone involved. It still felt so raw, she almost felt betrayed. This wasn't supposed to happen, she felt angry. Not the sort of anger she felt when Joe let Maddie cook and they nearly burnt the kitchen. This was different, she couldn't describe it. It made her feel isolated, maybe she should have taken up the offer for some private counselling, but she didn't. Now she didn't know what to do. She didn't want to be sitting here, she wanted to be at home, the way things used to be.

Her thoughts get pushed to one side, as she notices two sets of eyes on her, waiting for an answer. 'Sorry.' She tells them. 'Could you repeat that please?'

'Do you know at what point you fell in love?'

A/N Any guesses on who Ruby is? I would like to hear who you think she is!!!