I don't even know where this came from... Like most of my works, actually. I started this back in August when I got back from America because the film was on whilst I was on the plane but I know if I don't post this soon I'll never do it. The title comes from Avril Lavigne's song Slipped Away. Please read and review xx

For a while, Kelly didn't know why Benjamin was taking Spar's death so much to heart. Sure she loved the tiger and missed him terribly - as if she'd lost a child of her own, but she couldn't figure out why Benjamin cared so much.

He was a very nice man, very compassionate, but to him this was probably still just a zoo. He'd only just bought it, and seemingly on a whim.

So why did he care? Why so much?

She thought back. It took quite a while but she remembered some of the comments Benjamin had shouted when they'd first found out about Spar's illness. When he'd said he couldn't watch it again.

That implied he'd already watched it happen once.

What had happened?

For a moment she wondered about it - feeling sorry for intruding on whatever was troubling him, but too worried to care. After a few minutes the obvious answer - the only answer - came to her in a flash and she berated herself for being so oblivious before.

She needed to speak to him about his wife.

'This was a disaster waiting to happen,' she thought as she failed yet again to mange to get Benjamin to talk. He had started avoiding the mere sight of her and her temper was building, even though she knew he didn't owe her any kind of answer. She couldn't help her curiosity - or her concern.. She tried to discretely bring his wife up in casual conversation but Benjamin seemed to actively avoid all mentions of her, giving credence to Kelly's theory. It was after six days of avoidance that Kelly finally decided to be upfront with her queries.

She waited until he was in the pen with the tapirs so he couldn't easily escape and the kids were both at school so that they didn't catch any of this by accident. That wouldn't be fair.

"What happened to your wife?" she started.

Having not heard her come up behind him, he stilled. He then redoubled his efforts, ignoring her once again.

"What happened?" she repeated.

Benjamin sighed slightly and then turned his back further on her. Kelly didn't ask again, merely perching on the fence, waiting. She didn't know whether he'd answer but for some reason she thought he might. Maybe he needed someone to talk to. It didn't seem like he had yet and she knew something about keeping stuff close to the chest. He'd want to talk - eventually, even if it wasn't today. All she needed was a little bit of patience.

"She died." Kelly didn't say anything but the blunt suddenness of what she was hearing almost startled her off the fence. She thought he might talk but she hadn't expected an answer as upfront as that, never mind so quickly. She shook of the thoughts quickly and repositioned herself on the fence to prevent herself from falling backwards. Benjamin seemed to notice she was no longer giving him all of her attention but rather than clamming up, he gave her a chance to reseat herself before continuing with his train of thought.

"She died of cancer."

Kelly still didn't speak.

"I watched her drift away. Until she was barely more than a shadow of what she used to be. She spent the last weeks of her life on a hospital bed, not in her home at the grand old age of ninety six. She didn't have the strength to do anything, to move, to speak. It was an effort for her to tell her she loved us. Rosie barely remembers her."

This time Kelly simply didn't know what to say. What did you say to something like that? Beyond the public condolences and expected social customs, what did you do?

"Why did you ask? What did you want to know? Why did you want to know?" Benjamin sounded as close to distress as she's ever heard him, not in hysteria or panic, but sadness. He sounded close to tears and Kelly didn't know what to do about it.

"I...I...Spar..." Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly, probably looking like a goldfish but right now she didn't care because she didn't know what to say. She didn't know what she had expected when she'd come down here, even though she'd had her suspicions. This was more than she'd expected, far more.

Benjamin gave her a look emotioneless look before putting down the bucket, ignoring the crash it makes when it clattered to the floor, and strode out of the pen, away from her, until he was just a spot on the horizon. He didn't look back.