"Hi mom!" Nick said into his phone, the following weekend.

"Hey honey." Jane Carter grabbed the last of the bags and carried them out to the car. "What's up? I'm on my way out."

"Where you headed?"

"Dad and I are taking Aaron, Brian, and Kayleigh to Disney for the weekend. Didn't Kate tel you? I know she tried calling you last night."

"I was out pretty late last night," Nick replied. "I haven't gotten around to calling her back." The truth was, the two had not spoken to each other since that night at Howie's club. "Anyway, I'll let you go. Tell my children I love them."

"I will sweetheart," Jane responded before hanging up the phone.

Katelin looked up from her Constitutional Law book when she heard the doorbell ring. It was ten thirty at night. Too late for it to be anyone she knew. Opening the door, she was shocked to see her husband standing there. "Ni...Nick? What are you doing here?"

"I don't know, really." He looked past her into the house. "Can I come in?"

Katelin stepped aside. "Sure. I mean, it is still your house."

Nick laughed, nervously. "Yeah. I guess it is."

They walked into the kitchen and Nick noticed her books scattered all over the table. "I'm not interrupting you, am I?"

"No," Katelin answered. "I was just finishing up, anyway. You want something to drink?"

"Sure. I'll get it." He got up and walked over the cabinet, pulling a glass out. After pouring himself a glass of Pepsi, he sat back down at the table with her again.

Katelin watched as he moved around the kitchen. Their kitchen. He almost seemed nervous about something, although she had no idea what it could've been. It also occurred to her how natural it still felt for him to be there. It had only been two months since he had left but it seemed like an eternity. Having him back there again, sitting at the table with him, it seemed as if nothing had ever happened.

"Anyway," Nick began. "I guess I wanted to apologize for the other night. I know I snapped at you and I shouldn't have."

"No. I'm the one who should say I'm sorry,"

Katelin interrupted him. "I guess I had a little too much to drink. I shouldn't have said what I said to Beth. Or to you, for that matter."

"How about we're both sorry," Nick suggested. "And leave it at that."

"Okay." Katelin smiled slightly. She glanced down at her hands, wondering if she should even say what was on her mind. She didn't want to risk getting into another argument with him. Finally, she just decided to go for it. "You know, we need to stop acting like we have been."

"What do you mean?" Nick questioned.

"I mean, the constant fighting," she clarified. "We need to start getting along. Acting like two civilzied adults. For the sake of our children."

Nick looked at her and nodded, noticing, for the first time in weeks, the dark circles under her eyes. Unconsciously, he reached out and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "You look tired."

Katelin shuddered at the feeling of him touching her face. "Nick...."

"You work too hard, Kate," he stated, quietly. He stood up from his chair and walked behind her and began to rub her shoulders. "You need to take it easy."

"What are you doing?" she whispered, as her eyes fluttered shut.

"You're really tense," he responded, leaning down so that he was just inches from her ear. He didn't know what it was, but seeing her tonight had sparked something in him. He wanted, no needed, to be there with her at that moment. To have his hands on her. Touching her, even just a little bit. It had been far too long. Not just in the two months that he had been gone. But in the months leading up to it.

"Nick you need to stop." As much as she enjoyed and missed what he was doing to her, she knew that if he didn't stop soon, she wouldn't be able to resist anything that he tried to do.

"Why?" His breath tickled her ear. And her senses. "Don't you miss this Kate? Don't you miss us?"

"I do," she answered, breathlessly. Suddenly, her eyes flew open in realization of what he was doing to her and she jumped out of the chair. Away from him. "Nick, what are you doing? What about Beth?"

"What about her, Kate?" he asked, his blue eyes boring holes into her. "It's always been about us, baby. You and me. We were always so good together. What happened?"

"You left," Katelin whispered, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. "That's what happened."

Nick's heart broke and he walked towards her, pulling her into his arms. "I always make you cry, don't I?" He pulled away slighlty and held her face in between his hands. "You're so beautiful, baby. Don't you know that?"

Katelin broke their gaze and looked down at her feet. "I'm obviously not good enough. You didn't seem to think so."

Nick sighed, dropping his hands back to his sides. "Katelin..."

"Maybe you should go, Nick," she suggested. She needed him out of her house before this got out of hand. She was so close to succumbing to whatever he was doing to her and she needed to stand her ground. "It's late and I have to get up pretty early tomorrow. Maybe I'll drop the kids off for a few hours when they get back on Sunday. I'm sure they'd love to see you."

"Yeah," Nick said, quietly. She was right. He did need to leave. Because if he didn't then, he had no control over what was going to happen. "I'd really like that." He walked towards the door and stopped, his hand on the doorknob. "Kate..."

"I'll see you Sunday," she interrupted, before he could say anything else. She didn't even want to know what was going to come out of his mouth and she couldn't think straight with him looking at her like that.

Nick sighed and opened the door. "Bye." After the door had shut, he leaned his head on it, cursing himself for acting like that. "I'm sorry," he whispered into the darkness.

Katelin leaned back against the wall, trying to calm her pounding heart. Why did he always seem to do this to her? Give her such mixed signals that she couldn't even think straight? One thing she was sure of, though. She couldn't deny the fact that she loved him. She still loved him with everything she had in her. But she was also sure that he didn't love her anymore. If he did, then why the hell was he ripping his family apart?

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