It was a bit odd for Nick, going next door. From the time they were children, Jen would always come over to his. She would come join him in the treehouse, they would sit at his mother's kitchen table doing homework in bad weather, she would come to his so they could watch over his little sisters. The only time he ever really went over to hers was when they were teenagers and her mother was working and they could sneak upstairs to have sex.

But now he was spending the weekend at his mother's house. She was lonely, he knew. Jill and Tara had moved away long before. Jill was living in a flat in the more urban part of Melbourne, not too far from Nick's place; she was a hairdresser in a posh salon and had designs of owning her own place one day, so she was attending business school at night. Tara had moved all the way to Sydney where she had become a nurse in a cardiologist's office. Nancy had confided in her son that she thought Tara's boss was having it on with her. Nick did his best to persuade his mother that there was nothing to that, but Nick knew his sister well enough to know that the odds were that Tara was in fact having some sort of inappropriate relationship with Doctor Nelson.

In the midst of catching up and discussing what the twins were up to, Nancy did happen to mention that Marlene Mapplethorpe next door had wanted to see him. "Go bring her some of those lamingtons we made this morning," she told her son.

For Nick, it was the absolute strangest experience of déjà vu. The day the Mapplethorpes had moved in, Nick and his mum had made lamingtons to bring over to the new neighbors. That was the first time he'd ever seen Jennifer. He hadn't realized it then, of course, because he was just barely seven years old, but he fell in love with her at first sight. She was pretty, even as a little girl. And she was fierce and clever. She had always entranced him from the very first. He practically begged her to be his friend and share his treehouse. He had been equally as sure and as awkwardly nervous when, many years later, he had practically begged her to be his wife and share the rest of his life.

"Oh Nick, it's so nice to see you, dear!" Marlene greeted warmly. She pulled Nick into a big hug.

He returned her embrace happily. He had not seen his mother-in-law in quite some time. They went inside and, as far as Nick could recall, the house looked exactly the same as he remembered. "You're looking well, Marlene," he complimented, getting a good look at her for the first time. She was more dressed up than he could recall having seen her in quite some time. "Mum and I made lamingtons. Thought you'd like some."

"Aren't you sweet? Thank you so much. I'll make us a cuppa and we can share some, if you'd like," she offered, leading him into the kitchen.

They sat across from each other at the old kitchen table. Much smaller than the one at the Buchanan house. But then again, the Mapplethorpes were always just Jen and Marlene. The Buchanan home housed five, at one time. Now it was just Nancy on her own. No wonder she'd been hinting at the possibility of selling it.

"I'm glad you came over, Nick," Marlene began, pouring tea for them both. "I wanted to talk to you, since you're here."

"Sure. What can I do for you?"

Marlene smiled at that phrasing. How very like Nick, always wanting to offer to help, always thinking of others. "That's what I wanted to discuss. What you can do."

He frowned, unsure of where this was going.

"You heard from Jenny lately?"

Nick took a sip of his tea as he tried to think about his response. "Off and on. We were doing phone calls pretty regularly for a while, but her schedule's been really irregular since she started doing more field work. We email at least once a week, though. She told me she had some additional training a couple months ago, got a really good promotion. I think that means she might be able to take some vacation time soon, maybe come back home. Has she said anything to you?"

The way Marlene looked at Nick just then might possibly have been the most direct indication of his heartbreak. She pitied him. Plain and simple. She heard his optimistic words about his wife and knew he was being foolish. And in that moment, Nick realized it, too. It was clear as day on Marlene's face.

"She's not coming back, is she?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know. She hasn't said anything to me one way or the other, not for certain. And I can tell whenever I speak to her that she doesn't want to say anything for certain. Which is why I thought we should talk."

"Oh?"

"Jennifer is living a whole new life, Nick. It's not just a new job, it's a whole new career in a whole new place. She's standing on her own two feet and finally doing all that she's capable of. But she's still got one foot back here because she doesn't want to leave you."

He scoffed, "Feels like she already has."

"Maybe for you. But not for her. She's still trying to hang on, in her way," Marlene explained.

Nick stared into his teacup, trying to keep his voice level. "You know I haven't seen her since the day she got on that plane to go to Canberra for training?"

"I know. I haven't seen her since she left, either."

"But I'm her husband!"

"Please don't shout, Nick," she scolded.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

They were both quiet for a little while. Neither quite knew what to say. Nick was still reeling from the abrupt realization that he might not ever see Jennifer again. And if he loved her like he had always claimed, maybe he needed to let her go. She deserved this, this new life with SIS. She deserved to do all the incredible things he'd always known she could do. After all, he was the one who had convinced her that she should apply, that she should search for more in her life if she was unhappy with the State Police. But he honestly hadn't thought it would take her away from him for good. Hadn't Jen said that if it were him applying for SIS, she would have tried to stop him, because she wouldn't want to let anything take him away from her? She always had been a bit possessive and maybe a bit selfish. Nick had been the one to put her first, to insist that what was best for her would be best for them both because he couldn't be happy if she wasn't. That was still true. He knew it was.

The doorbell rang, interrupting Nick's thoughts. Marlene swore quietly. "I didn't think he'd be here so early," she muttered.

"Who?"

Marlene stood up and started to clear away the tea things. "His name is Robert. I've been seeing him for a little while. First decent bloke I've been out with in a really long time. I really like him, and if his eagerness to arrive before he's supposed to is any indication, I think he likes me, too."

Nick got up from the table and helped with the clearing away. "That's great, Marlene. Honest, I'm really happy for you. I hope he treats you right." He didn't want to make blatant reference, of course, but Nick was fairly certain that Marlene was aware that he knew about her past with Jennifer's father. She never had given him all the details, but he knew enough about the abuse that man had committed to his wife and child before Marlene had been able to pack Jennifer up and take her away from it all. And, come to think of it, Nick wasn't sure if he'd ever seen his mother-in-law date anyone in all the years he'd known her. But with Jen out of the house and Nancy Buchanan talking about moving, it was good for Marlene to have someone in her life.

"I'm glad we got a minute to talk, and I wish we could have a bit more time, but maybe come see me tomorrow before you go back to your place? If you've got time? You don't have to, of course, but I can't help but feel like maybe I bungled all this," Marlene babbled.

"No, you're fine. It's fine. I've…I've got a lot to think about. I'm headed back to mine early tomorrow, anyway. You have fun with your Robert, and I'll see you the next time I'm back in town," Nick insisted. He gave Marlene a kiss on the cheek and headed out the back door and through the yard to his childhood home.

Nick had been entirely correct when he'd told Marlene that he had a lot to think about. He honestly had thought that Jen wanted to come home to him, that she was just bogged down by the new job like she had been when she first made detective. Back then, she'd worked such long hours, he barely saw her for about three months straight, except when he woke up to her getting into bed late at night or getting up with her early alarm in the morning. But she'd evened out eventually, and their lives had gotten back to normal, seeing friends and having fun together and shagging like no other.

But everything was so different now. He must have been naïve to think that she wouldn't be lured away from him by the exciting spook life. They hadn't seen each other in eighteen months. They hadn't even spoken on the phone in about six weeks. Maybe he should have pushed harder, tried to get her to meet him for a weekend somewhere. Christ, maybe he should have just begged her to come home for Christmas at the very least. Though, to be fair, Jen had never asked anything of him. She had not asked him to come join her in SIS. She had not asked him to come visit her. She had not asked him to give up everything and follow wherever she led. Would he have done that, if she'd asked? Would he really have been able to give up everything for her?

It felt like a silly question to even ask. Because of course the answer was yes. Nick would not have hesitated to drop his whole life and be by her side if she wanted him there. After all, he only became a cop because it had been her idea. He had told her when he was sixteen that she was the most important thing in his life, that she was his future. And Nick had never stopped believing that. He would do anything she asked of him. If only she had asked.

Nick slept fitfully that night, after a quiet and stilted dinner with his mother. He didn't enjoy being in his childhood bedroom, not when there were so many memories there and his mind was so caught up in his troubles. He needed to get back to his flat and back to work. He could focus on his own life and put such worries aside.

When Nick did return home, however, he was unable to escape his marital troubles. Quite the opposite, in fact. There was a large envelope addressed to him and waiting in the mailbox. Curious, he opened it. It was a packet of four pages. Official forms from the Commonwealth Court. His and Jennifer's names and information were all filled in on the first page beneath the angry black letters spelling out Application for Divorce.

He finally had his answer, then. Jen wouldn't be coming home. She had finally asked something of him. And how could he claim to love her if he did not say yes?