Brenda was surprised how fast the evening had gone with Fritz. They'd had a nice time, but Brenda had found herself thinking about Andy more often than not. Her mind definitely wasn't on Fritz and he knew it.

"What's on your mind tonight, Brenda? It certainly isn't on the two of us." Fritz finally said as the dessert was being brought out to them.

Immediately she covered up though. "Just this case we've been working on. Can't seem to get it off my mind."

"So, nothing new then." his tone had a hint of exasperation in it. "Can't you put work behind you for one evening, when we're trying to work on saving our marriage?"

Brenda said nothing, in fact, she didn't know what to say. She couldn't admit that it wasn't work she was thinking of. She was caught between a rock and a hard place. She felt in the wrong, and this put her on the defensive. What did it say about her that she wanted to be elsewhere than with her husband?

"You knew when you married me that my job was part and parcel of me. You said that you knew what you were getting when you married me. Why is this changing now? Why is everything changing now?"

"Because I thought you loved me, Brenda. That the job would eventually take a backseat to us. But it hasn't changed. The job still comes first, and lately, I've been feeling like someone else is coming first. That you don't care about making this marriage work. You've moved on and you're trying to cover it up."

Brenda remained silent. She'd tried to change, to become the partner that Fritz had wanted. Apparently she'd failed at it. And this failure on her part had made her turn to someone who didn't ask her to change.

"So what do we do, Fritz?" Brenda felt badly, like she was leading him on. She realized she had changed.

"I don't know anymore, Brenda. If you're heart isn't in this anymore, maybe it's best we make a clean break of it."

"So, you think it's the end of us?" Brenda felt bad, but not devastated.

"I think it just might be." Fritz took a sip of his water. He loved Brenda, but realized she had pulled away from him. It would be easier to let go of her than to have her end up hating him eventually. Even if his heart was being torn up.

They drove home in silence, Brenda accepting a kiss on the cheek from him before she went to her room. She sat on the bed, not knowing whether to cry or not. Seven years of her life, and this was it. Tonight had been an acknowledgment of goodbye between them. And for the first time in a long time, Brenda was scared. Anything with Andy was a big unknown. Fritz had always been her safety net and now it looked like that was gone. She could only hope the whole thing with Andy was not just a flash in the pan, or she'd feel like a fool for taking the chance. She fished her phone out of her purse, remembering her promise to phone him. Soon she heard his familiar voice.

Keeping her voice low, she said hello to him.

"How are you, Andy? Feeling any better?" She'd known he was upset but had done well to hold it in. She couldn't believe how well he was trying for her.

"I've had better days. But I'm doing alright." he said quietly. He'd felt a bit ridiculous at his behavior that day. He'd always thought of himself as more in control, more able to weather things. He wasn't one to wear his heart on his sleeve, but she was bringing that out in him. He'd never thought that things would change like that between him and her. He needed her more than she needed him. That bothered him. "How'd your date go?"

"It was alright. I think he's come to the realization that things aren't going to work out between us. It scares me. I don't like the unknown. I'm not good with the unknown."

"You're fine, Chief. You're a strong woman."

"Andy, in case you didn't notice, I'm a mess in my personal life. I manage to screw everything up. And it scares me. A lot."

"I'm scared too, Brenda. This is a big step for me. I've never been so scared of losing someone. And the problem is, you aren't even mine to lose. I don't know where I stand with you."

Brenda went silent. She didn't know what to say once again, to a man who was telling her how he felt. It wasn't that she was unfeeling. She was just confused about everything, too many changes that she'd brought upon herself.

"Listen, Andy, I'm going to turn in for the night. I'll see you in the morning." She couldn't comfort him when she didn't know how. Her feelings for him had been the catalyst for her leaving Fritz, but she was hurting him and she knew it. And she didn't know how to make him feel better about it.

"Do you want to meet for breakfast?" He had to see her again, to make her see that things could work between the two of them. Because he was fast coming to the realization that he'd fallen for her, that Andy Flynn, tough guy, was turning into a big softie when it came to one small southern blond. And his feelings were growing strong enough that he felt like he'd sacrifice anything for her. If she did want to be in a full-fledged relationship, he'd do anything for her. He just wanted her to know that he would do that.

Brenda thought about it and finally agreed. Things would be better in the morning, once she got some sleep. Maybe then she'd figure things out.