His hand quivered as he got a better grip on the pen he was holding and stared down at the mumble jumble the attorney's called a divorce decree. He couldn't believe it had come down to this. He was furious with her for breaking his heart, for lying to him all these months, for settling for him because she couldn't have the one she really wanted, and yet even after his signature is on the papers, he still loves her. She sat next to him with her hands crossed her lap, just waiting for that moment he signed her release papers. This to her was way to freedom, freedom from a marriage neither of them wanted to be in, freedom from all her obligations to him and the life she had with him as his wife, freedom from the man she once want to spend her life with, and yet even after he signed the paperwork, she still loved him in some way, though not the way he wanted her to. She felt the tears well up in her eyes as he signed the dotted line and made it official. They both knew the marriage was over long before this, but signing the papers made it final.

Her saddened eyes looked over the wire brim of her glasses as she took the signed papers and placed them back in the manilla folder in front of her. "I'll file this tomorrow, the divorce will be final in a few weeks." Alexis stated as she looked at the lost look in both sets of eyes that looked back at her. She sniffled back the tears and grabbed her belongings in her hands as she stood up from the burgandy leather chair. "Thanks Alexis." she replied as she turned and walked out the door of Alexis' office. Not saying a word to her soon to be ex husband, the door slammed and he jumped in his chair. Alexis saw how this hurt him even more. "I'm so sorry this happened to you two." she said trying to give him some consolation. "Yeah well, things like this just happen, Alexis. It's no one's fault and now I have to try to live my life without her." he replied as he stood from his chair and put on his jacket. "Thank you for helping us with this. You've been a great help." He hugged her lovingly and she broke a tiny smile. "You're very welcome. If you need anything, your father and I are here to help." He smiled in return and then turned towards the door. "Hey, why don't you have dinner with us sometime this week. I know your dad would love to see you." Alexis asked before he left. "Yeah, sure. Anytime." Were his last words before the door closed.

Alexis left out a heavy sigh and removed her glasses. She laid them down on the desk and took her hands and rubbed her face hoping that he wouldn't do anything drastic now that the papers were signed. She thought they would work through this rough patch in their marriage, but she was wrong. A marriage only last 6 months, and it took a toll on both of them. She was sure that they would soon find their way back to each other, they always did.

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She left Alexis's office and found herself walking aimlessly on the docks. She sat down on the bench for a few moments to gather her thoughts before heading home. She had tried her best to keep the facade going as long as they were married, but the emotions just became to overwhelming to resist. She began to sob as she sat alone on the bench. The cold winter air brushed her face as she could feel the tears she cried seemed to form icicles against her skin. She took her hand and wiped away the moisture with her mitten. "Now stop that!" she said to herself as she tried to pull herself together. "It's over, there's nothing you can do about it now. He will never trust you, at least not in this lifetime. Pull yourself together, you need to stay strong, don't let them see you cry." She wiped her tears and stood up from the bench. She adjusted her coat and grabbed her things in her hand. Sniffling back the tears and trying her best to stay strong, she began to walk down the docks towards home. She protected her bulge underneath her coat and thought about what it would be like to be a family, to watch him rock their child to sleep, to feed their child in the middle of the night. The tears began to fall once more as she turned the corner on to 4th Street. She guessed she'd never know what that would be like. "It's just you and me kid." she said to herself as she caressed her belly.

He had left have the loft that overlooked the bay and he moved into the cottage that he rented from Ned. It was something they had both agreed on and she was thankful for it. The loft was in town and close to the hospital, he knew she wouldn't have the access to that while living by herself at the cottage. He thought of her needs right up until the end. She smiled at the thought of them being a family as she unlocked the door to the loft and stepped inside. She dropped her bag and her coat on the chair by the door and went to the kitchen for a drink. "You hungry?" she asked as she rubbed her belly once more. It became a habit after a while, especially now since she was showing so much. She was in her 5th month, it didn't take long after they were married till she got pregnant, and it was something they both wanted. She peered into the refrigerator and took out the orange juice. "Well, not much here to eat, how bout we call Grandma? See what they're having for dinner." She poured herself a glass of orange juice and picked up the cordless phone laying on the kitchen table. She dialed the number and waited for someone to pick up. "Quartermaine residence." the voice answered. "Reginald? Is my mother at home?" she asked as she rubbed her belly once more, missing him with every stroke. "Mom? It's me. What's for dinner?" she giggled as she heard her mom giggling with her. "Your father and I are going to the PC Grille, wanna come with us?" her mom suggested as she got a huge smile on her face just thinking of the PC Grille's cheesecake. "Sure! I'll see you there shortly." She quickly hung up the phone and went for a shower.

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He unlocked the door to the cottage and stepped inside. It felt so empty. They spent quiet weekends here a few times over the past 6 months and now all it was was a bunch of memories. He hung his head as he stepped down into the living room, the door closed behind him. He collapsed on the sofa and placed his hands behind his head for support. "Okay, now what?" he asked himself hoping to know the answer. As he lay there contemplating what to do with his life, the phone rang. He reached for the phone that lay on the coffee table and answered it. "Hello." he answered. "What are you doing for dinner?" the voice asked. "Nothing that I know of, why?" "Meet Alexis and I at the PC Grille in about 30 minutes." He couldn't turn down a free dinner with his dad. He and his father had found some kind of understanding, and were working on reconnecting. He hung up the phone and jumped up off the sofa. He headed upstairs for a quick shower before he went to meet them at the Grille.

All he could think about was his child. He was hoping that they could work out something so he could be a part of his life. He didn't have worries about her allowing him to see the child, it was her family that he worried about. The family had caused such a mess with Alexis and her child, he didn't want to go through the same thing with his. As he drove into town, he wondered just how he was to go on without her. He turned up the radio to drown out his thoughts and turned the corner to head towards the restaurant. He parked about a block from the Grille and got out. He began walking towards the front door of the hotel when he noticed his dad's SUV pull up out front. The valet asked for the keys as Cameron got out and went to open the door for Alexis. She stepped out looking beautiful as always. She saw him standing on the sidewalk by the door and rushed to him. She gave him a loving kiss on the cheek and embraced him. "You doing okay?" she asked with concern. "Yeah, I'm doing okay all considering." he said as he hung his head and glared at his shoes. Cameron came upon them and extended his hand to him. He shook hands with his father as he pulled him into a fatherly hug. "It's good to see you. I'm sorry about all this ...." he began as they walked into the hotel. "Yeah me too." he replied as his dad pulled him closer to him by wrapping his arm around him as any father would trying to console him.

The hostess walked them to their table, they all took their seats and she handed them a menu. "I'll be back in a few minutes." she stated and she walked away from them. He placed the menu on his place setting and removed his jacket. His ears perked as he heard a familiar giggle coming from behind him. He turned around and noticed her beautiful smile from across the room. A smile came across his face, both Cameron and Alexis noticed and looked in the direction of his stare.

She sat with her parents and her brother for a nice evening of conversation and dinner. She could sense someone staring in her direction as she looked up and saw him from across the room. Her smile had caught his eye, he smiled in return. All she felt was an urge to run into his arms, but she resisted. He stood still and then turned to sit down in his seat without saying a word. The look on his face was enough, words weren't needed to tell those he was with just how he felt at that moment.

"So, what's everyone having for dinner? I'm starved."