That day drug on very slowly. Robert had kept checking on Barb until she was forced to tell him to get lost. Throughout her whole day, Barb had been very distracted and distant Sometimes it had been as if she wasn't in the present, and it was like talking to a wall. She couldn't focus on the stack of papers infront of her on her desk.

Every so often she would glance at the clock, and breath a frustrated sigh. "four o'clock, only a bit longer until I can leave." she told herself. She looked around the office "I need to tidy this place up." she said to herself. She closed her eyes for a moment. She heard the squeek of hinges indicating that her door had just opened. She gradually opened her eyes and gasped.

Peter was standing in the door frame. His face was badly bruised and cut. His clothes were tattered and looked furious.

"P-Peter? wha-what are you d-doing here?" Barb stuttered. He just stared at her with angry eyes. She swallowed, and stood "Peter say something" He didn't speak. Instead he slowly turned and walked out of the office. Barb fallowed him out, but when she got into the hall he was gone.

Barbara looked around. There were a few students who still hadn't left for the day, but Peter was nowhere. "Barb" she whirled around. Jude was standing infront of her, smiling.

"Jude" Barb breathed "what are you doing here?"

Jude's smile dropped "we were supposed to be going for dinner remember?"

"oh yes right" Barb looked around once more. Jude furrowed her brow

"Barb are you alright?" Barbara looked at her.

"yes I'm fine" she gave a weak smile "come on then, lets go" Jude nodded and fallowed her down the hall.

"I just want to say goodbye to Robert"

"alright, I'll meet you in the parking garage" Barb noticed the slight bitterness in they way she spoke. Her and Robert were going through their latest breakup, and now they got bitter at the mention of eachother. The fight that ended it had been particularly nasty. It had been something about Jude wanting to get back together with Clive, after he came crwaling back to her. She had said that he was Morgan's father and she wanted to give it another try for him. In the end it had really been Robert who ended it. He said that he was tired of this game of "musical chairs" she was playing between himself and Clive and that it was over. Barb had witnessed the whole thing.

She rounded the corner and stopped infront of Robert's office. She knocked and entered. Robert was sitting behind the computer. He turned to face her.

"Robert, I'm going to leave now. I just wanted to say goodbye."

Robert stood "why are you leaving so early? you usually don't leave until after five"

"I'm going out for dinner" she stated simply. Robert nodded

"alright, well I'll see you later then"

"yes. I'll call you"

"are you going back to your place?"

"yes"

"is that a smart thing to do right now? what if he comes back?" Barbara's eyebrow rose. She shook her head

"he wont" she said "when he takes of he's gone for days, weeks even" She didn't tell him about seeing Peter, beacuse she wasn't quite sure she had seen him herself.

Robert looked skeptical, but nodded

"alright, but if you need anything you know my number."

Barb stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Robert's neck. He stayed stiff for a moment, but eventually hugged her back.

"thank you Robert" Barb whispered "thank you for everything" when she pulled away he suddenly found himself missing her warmth, like when the blankets are pulled off of you in the morning and that first chill of air hits you. She said bye once more, and he watched her walk away.

He had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew that feeling very well. He had felt it when his eyes had first fell upon Jude. When he had first held his son and all the days fallowing. He hadn't truly felt it in a long time, and now it was returning. It was love. Robert was falling in love with Barbara.

He had been feeling this way for some time now. He had just never quite come to terms with it, until now. He never realized, until last night, how much she truly meant to him. If she had been hurt more seriously he didn't know what he would have done. It had nearly killed him to her in the state she had been in. And that had all been because of Peter.

Robert hated the man with every fiber of his being for what he did to her. All she had ever done is love him and he thought that she was disgusting for it.. She wasn't disgusting. No he was. Everything about him disgusted Robert, from his dirty greasy head, to his filthy feet.

Sighing Robert sat back down at the computer and continued his work.

Barbara had made it half way out of the university, when she realized that she had forgotten her purse, with her car keys and money, in her office.

"oh what is the matter with me today?" she mutterd to herself as she walked'

When she stopped in front of her office, the first thing she noticed through the glass was the dull glow of her computer screen. He eyebrows knit together in confusion. She didn't remember leaving it on. In fact she didn't remember having it on today at all.

Slowly turning the knob, she opened the door and entered. The room had an eary silence to it, and it was unusually cold.

Barb slowly made her way to the computer and sat down in front of it. The screen was opened to a news site. The picture in the middle of the page was of a car wreck. A very bad car wreck. The car looked vaguely familiar, but it was so badly damaged Barb couldn't tell if she recognized it or not. Her eyes travelled to the text below. It read:

Last night at approximately 11:00 pm the car above spun into a ditch, completely destroying it. It was discovered this morning by a couple out for a jogg. A liscence identifies the driver as 41 year old...

Barb gasped at the name she read. She shot up out of the chair and ran out of the office, all thoughts of her purse and dinner forgotten.

Before she knew it she found herself in Robert's office once more. Robert stood

"Barb, I thought you were going..." Barb interrupted him

"He's dead! He's dead!"

"who is?"

"Peter, Robert! He's dead!" Robert's eyebrow rose

"well I wold be lying if I told you I was completely grief stricken"

Barb Shook her head "No Robert. Don't you understand? I've been seeing him! I've been seeing him and he's dead!

A/N: There you have it! Chapter four. R&R!