"Hey," Nick said softly, walking into the kitchen where Katelin was studying. "It's late. Why don't you come to bed?"

She glanced up at him. "I can't honey. I need to finish doing this."

"But I just got home," Nick whined, ignoring the guilt that plagued his heart. He would push it away for now. He was home with his wife and the rest of the world was far, far away.

Katelin sighed. "I know you did, Nick. But the rest of the world hasn't stopped."

Nick walked behind her and began to carefully rub her shoulders. "Just for tonight? Can it please stop just for tonight? Let it just be you and me." Katelin tried to ignore what he was doing to her. He was pretending that every thing was perfect. She knew it wasn't perfect. She wasn't that blind. He had been gone for six months and they had barely talked, let alone see each other, in those six months. They talked like they were barely friends, much less husband and wife.

"Nick." Katelin jumped up, away from his wandering hands. "You can't do this."

"Do what?" Nick asked, clueless. "All I want to do is make love to my wife. The wife that I haven't seen in six months. What the hell is so wrong with that, Kate?"

"You just said it yourself," Katelin explained. "The wife you haven't seen in six months. That's where the problem is."

"Whose fault is that, Katelin?" Nick angrily responded. "You're the one who was too busy to see me. How come Leighanne could find the time to see Brian? And Kristin to see Kevin? Amanda and Claudia? How come all of them were able to get out on tour for a little bit? All of them except you!"

"You know how busy I've been, Nick," Katelin told him, quietly. She didn't want to fight with him. That's the last thing she wanted to do. She dropped her head and stared at the floor, trying to blink back the threatening tears. She just felt that she was the one causing all of the problems lately. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, her eyes staying on the ground.

"You don't need to be sorry, Kate." Nick's expression softened and he pulled her into his arms. "That's not what I want. I just want you."

"I want you too," Katelin whispered, her lips meeting his in an intense and passionate kiss. "You're all I've ever wanted."

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Three months later:

Katelin opened the front door of the house and dropped her books in the hallway. The house was strangely quiet. No sounds of kids. No sounds of her husband. Nothing. "Hello?" she called out to the seemingly empty house. She kicked off her shoes and began to walk up the stairs. She could've sworn Nick's car was outside. "Nick?" She walked down the hall to their bedroom and stood shocked in the doorway. "Wh…what are you doing?"

Nick looked up from pulling his clothes out of the dresser and his heart almost broke. "I'm leaving," he whispered.

"You're what?" Katelin was thoroughly surprised. "What do you mean, you're leaving?"

"I can't do this anymore, Kate," he explained, sadly. He could've sworn he felt his heart shatter as her blue eyes began to fill with tears.

"Do what, Nick?" she cried. "Where did this come from?"

"It's been coming for months, Kate," Nick replied. "Almost a year, actually. I can't pretend that there's nothing wrong, Kate. It's like we're not even married anymore. You don't want to touch me, you don't want me to touch you, you don't want to talk to me. I can't do any of that anymore."

"But…but what about your kids, Nick?" Katelin was completely bawling at this point. "What do I tell them when they ask where their dad is? What do I tell them when they ask if he's coming home? We've got to be able to fix this, baby. What do you want me to do? I'll do anything, Nick, just please. Please don't leave."

"I have to." Nick was trying hard to control the tears that wanted to slide down his face. "I can't continue like this. This isn't a marriage anymore, Kate. It hasn't been in a while. You've been too busy for it."

"So this is my fault?" Katelin looked straight at Nick, her face stained with tears.

"Partly, yeah," Nick answered, feeling extremely guilty. He knew that he was just as at fault as she was. But he couldn't stand to tell her that right now. "I'm sorry, Kate. I never planned on this happening. But I can't do this anymore. I just can't." Nick zipped up the last of his bags and picked the rest of his stuff off of the ground.

Katelin watched, her heart breaking in a million pieces, as he moved towards the doorway. "Where are you going?"

"To a hotel," he replied, softly. "I left the number downstairs just in case….Just in case the kids need me." Before he completely disappeared from the room, he turned around one last time. "I'm sorry."

Katelin listened as he ran down the stairs and slammed the front door. She listened until she heard the engine on his car start and as he drove out of the driveway, before collapsing, face-down on their bed and bawling her eyes out.

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