Title: Sentimental Tune

Rating: M for language.

Characters: Diana, mainly.

Summary: "And it was that moment that she understood she had to leave."

'My whole world is the pain inside me,

The best I can do is just get through the day.'

--

"It's because you're forced to watch my pain being spread out in front of your miserable faces. I am so sorry that I happen to be putting a burden on your life, Dan." The lines on his face seemed to be carved into stone, so perfect with clear exhaustion as he listened to his wife cuss and spit as though he deserved nothing but. For a moment, she felt an emotional ache deep within her heart. True, this conversation had turned for the worst and her words cut deep into his soul, but Diana was overwhelmed by pure hatred.

"That's not what I meant. Di, take your pills, please." Again the man gestured towards her with an orange bottle of prescription medication. "You know how you get when you don't. I'm worried about you. Please." He was begging, practically groveling on his knees for her to take the damn medicine.

"How I get?" She repeated, gripping tightly to the cloth of her dress. "How do I get, Dan? Huh? Hysterical? Angry? I'm beginning to think that's just because I married you!" She stepped forwards with the intensity of her words, hoping for a reaction, hoping to see pain written on his face.

"Sweetie…" Dan lowered his voice in response, holding up both hands to signal defeat on his end. "You get hysterical and angry because of the disease…please, take the pills, Di. It's all I'm asking. Why are you so against them?"

"They don't help! Why can't you get that through your head? They do nothing but give me horrifying side effects-"

"We can go back to the doctor, get you a new prescription, something that will work." He interrupted her, suddenly hopeful. "Together we'll be able to fix this, fix you. Get you back to who you were before he die-"

"Fuck you, Dan." Diana hissed, all color drawn from her face as rage filled her mind and soul, sickening her deep in her stomach. Turning, she ran her way up the stairs and into the sanity of their bedroom. No, not their bedroom, his bedroom. The pictures on the wall were his idea, the comforter was bought by him, picked by him. The paint, the walls, the everything. It was his domain.

At first, Diana grabbed every item of his clothing that she could hold and tossed them down the stairs. It didn't help, that wasn't enough. Everything she could lift needed to go. The comforter and pillows, the vase of flowers… Together they fell, the flowers rolling across the steps in a bundle of glass, water and decorative rocks. Finally Dan appeared at the bottom, ducking as picture frames fell into the heap of destruction.

"Diana, stop it, now!" He yelled; face red with anger and annoyance.

Instead of a response, Diana threw down three books that had been sitting on the nightstand, followed by his shoes that had been resting harmlessly in the closet. Natalie, just arriving home, joined her father in staring up at the stairs where Diana appeared and disappeared from.

"What the hell is she doing-" Nat began, cut off by another flying picture frame. It struck her against her right shoulder, stopping both Diana and Dan in their tracks.

"Jesus Christ! What the fuck were you thinking, Di?!" Dan yelled, grabbing Natalie and leading her towards the bathroom. Her shoulder was bleeding, possibly a wound that would need stitches. Wouldn't be the first time.

Diana sat on the cleared bed, staring at the doorway. Any minute and Dan would come in, screaming at her for hitting Natalie, the poor, defenseless daughter. Wonderful.

--

Hours of silence had passed in the Goodman household. Dan slept on the couch, Natalie in her room, neither speaking to Diana, or each other. They hadn't even bothered to pick up the mess left at the foot of the stairs.

Curled up on an empty bed, bare of a pillow or comforter, Diana hugged the image of her grown son. It was warm, loving in his embrace. "I love you, Gabe." She murmured and he whispered back but she barely heard him among the buzzing in her ears. She never heard him anymore…never saw him until she forced the hallucination out.

When she woke, Dan had left for work, Natalie for school. Neither left a trace of them even waking up that morning.

It was then that she realized, despite every horrible emotion, she felt ultimately alone without them.

And it was that moment that she understood she had to leave.