When I was newly married, seeing two in the morning on the clock in the bedroom meant we could probably go at it for another few hours. Later on, it came to be getting back into bed after a case of morning sickness. Eventually, it meant deciding which one of us would get out of bed and lull a baby back to sleep. Looking back, any of those things would have been preferable to what was happening at thirty-six.

Sitting up, alone, waiting for him to come back from wherever the hell he was.

At first, it was pure worry, because I was completely in the dark about what he could be doing. He would come home, and I would just cry and tell him how happy I was just to see him alive. But "working late" was not an excuse for slurred speech and alcohol on one's breath.

My reason for staying up was worry, yes, but at the forefront of my mind was how I would let him know just how angry I was. What he had become...

I was just about to give up and turn off the light when the door suddenly opened. My eyes narrowed and I clenched my fists just at the sound of him coming home. While I wanted more than anything to jump out of bed, race to the front door, and scream at him, I didn't. I would wait there for him.

He was walking slowly, confirming my suspicions that he was at least somewhat intoxicated. And when he first entered the room, he didn't seem to notice me. He just set down his bags and started to undress. My mind wandered at that point; he still was gorgeous on the outside. I mentally slapped myself for being so shallow.

At that point, he turned around, and once he caught sight of me, he damn near fell over, cursing while he did so.

"You're awfully late again," I spat. "Do you have any idea of what time it is?"

"No," he admitted. It was obvious he was trying to keep his sentences short.

"What do you take me for?" I asked, getting out of bed. "I'm not stupid. I can tell you're drunk."

"I didn't drink a damn thing," he said. "I'm just...tired." I decided to test him.

I walked quickly up to him, and kissed him, tongue and all, before he could get a word out. After a bit, I pulled away from him.

"You're not mad?" he asked.

"I am mad," I replied. "Though I'm glad you're not a snob when it comes to drinking, because that whiskey is even cheaper than what I drank as a kid. I hope they didn't overcharge you." I started to walk away. "So who were you with this time? I know you've been working on Claws of Terrable's new record, but then again, the guys in Summon know all of the best places."

"Befriending the bands is part of my job," he said.

"Yeah,'befriending,'" I scoffed.

"Don't mock me," he growled. "I work all day long with people that I don't necessarily like so I can provide for our family, and I think I deserve an occasional break from the stress."

"A break from the stress?" I repeated, raising my voice. "Look, I understand that you work, but some people are going through unnecessary stress because of your outside-of-work ambitions!"

"Don't you think that's a little self-centered of you?" he asked.

"I'm not talking about me," I told him. "I'm talking about our children, Gunie." I looked away, my eyes suddenly tearing up. "What do you think it does to them?"

"I haven't noticed any changes," he replied.

"That's because you're never around!" I cried.

"You know why I'm never around, Arianna!" he shouted.

"Apparently because you're off drinking!" I shot back. "And now that I think about it, you've probably started drinking alone!"

"What does that even matter?" he asked.

"Why does it matter?" I shouted. "You...have...chronic...depression! You knowbetter than to screw around with the sadness!" The tears finally spilled out. "And...I don't want to lose you..." I tried to look him in the eyes, but he just averted them. "Look at me!" He still didn't acknowledge me.

"I can hear you out there," he said, looking over at the open door.

"What?" I asked.

However, my question was soon answered by shuffling footsteps in the hall, and my heart sank as I realized that he had been talking to our kids.

"We tried to be quiet," Caleb said, not looking at Gunie or me.

"How long have you been out there?" I asked, trying to hide the fact that I was crying.

"Not too long," Audrey replied. Her eyes looked as though they could set something on fire. "Around when you started having your little makeout session. Real classy, by the way." Normally, I would have told her to use a more respectful tone of voice, but I was embarrassed on many levels. That, and she was right.

"Why is all this happening?" Hayley whimpered, tears streaming down her face. "Daddy...do you really feel like we're stressful?" Gunie bit his lip, but didn't say anything. "What...could I do to change that? I don't want to make you unhappy!" And shy little Trae, standing right behind her as usual, was trembling so much that he obviously couldn't speak.

I heard Caleb mutter something about "splitting up," so I walked over to them and gave all of them a hug.

"Listen," I said. "All parents fight from time to time, and you know that. It's nothing to be worried about." Caleb and Audrey didn't look convinced, and even Hayley had some doubt in her expression. "It's really late. You all should go back to bed. We won't yell anymore, and we're so sorry." I looked at Gunie for some sign of agreement, but I didn't get any.

The four of them trudged back to their rooms, and I looked over at Gunie again, tears in my eyes.

"How could you not say a word to them?" I asked.

"I didn't know what to say," he replied. I shook my head, finally letting the tears out. "I'm going to bed. See you in the morning." He climbed into bed, and I didn't know what to do other than get in bed as well, facing away from him as I turned off the light.

Yeah, I decided to repost the whole story, because apparently you can't review twice for the same chapter, even if it's a replacement.

So what do you think of the changes so far, or the story in general? Let me know~