Ohh! Thanks so much you lot! So happy that you're all liking my story :D I am working on the sequel, so far written two chapters. Anyway, enjoy! :D

Sometimes I can't tell where I am, where I leave off and he begins – The Civil Wars, Birds Of A Feather

Blossom

"Do you just not want a second child?" Tim asked, clambering under the covers beside me. It was just gone 10, and it was time to sleep, but Tim was doing an awful lot of talking. On a subject I didn't enjoy talking about.

I'd tried saying this in every possible way I could. Nicely, changing the subject, saying Ruby was enough. But today I was going to try being blunt.

"No, I don't, Tim. I don't, want another child. Ruby is enough to handle on her own, and, I just don't feel ready for another child yet." I said in an aggravated tone. This wasn't necessarily true. The thought of having another child, well I'd love a brother of sister for Ruby. I loved growing up with my sisters, I didn't want Ruby to be an only child. But there was no way I could have a child with Tim. It would be, just wrong. So, I had to lie. To my sisters, as well, whenever they'd mention it, which was a lot, seeing as Bubbles was baby crazy, still trying to conceive.

"But why? Why would you not feel ready, we've been married 3 years? Don't you think Ruby deserves a baby brother or sister? I'm surprised we haven't had another accident since Ruby." He said, switching the lamp on next to him.

There is also the fact that I am on the pill. I have been for about a year, since these types of conversations between Tim and I began. I simply couldn't risk it.

"I don't want another child, Tim. Not now. You're going to have to get used to that fact. I've been telling you the same thing for years." I turned my back on him in the bed and switched my lamp off.

"You do Blossom, I know why you don't want another child now."

"Oh really? Why?" I mumbled.

"Because of work. But you could leave there, we could get by on my wage alone."

"It's not work Bri- Tim. Tim, it's not cos of work." I corrected myself quickly, I don't think he even noticed my slip up though. "It's because of me. I don't want another child. I've got work in the morning, so I need to sleep. Plus I got a work outing in the evening. Someone on the floor above is leaving, something like that." I lied. "So can you turn the light off please?"

He sighed. "Yeah. Good night."

I'd done it. I'd lied. I was going to meet Brick after work. I turned over in bed, shying away from my husband. I suddenly felt like the worst wife in the world. Probably because I was damn close.

Brick

I'd never looked forward to the end of the day as much as I did now. I'd not managed to speak to her all day, she looked mega busy, and I was worried she'd start getting funny about us talking at work, so, I thought I'd keep my distance. Plus, I had quite a bit to do myself.

Not that I'd done much. Blossom had always been right about me and my work ethic. I wasn't suited to working, especially not in an office environment. I couldn't focus on something I didn't care about for too long. I don't care about publishing. I don't care about alphabetizing. I don't care about filing and emailing writers. I barely care about the money I get at the end of the month. When you've always lived like I have done, money is no object; I can get money anytime when I need it.

Obviously not legally. But I can still get it.

But I'd managed to stay here awhile, and now I knew Blossom was here, well it gave me more of a reason to stay.

She looked beautiful today, as always. Her hair was down again, and in a quiff, and she had on tight black trousers and a loose sheer white blouse.

I'd cleared the apartment, and made sure it was clear of ruffs for the night too. Not that I'd even seen Butch. He'd not come home last night. Probably due to the phone call he received from me yesterday. Butch was like a wild, stubborn, insensitive foolish kid. In fact, that is what he was, even at the age of 22. He knew he'd done something to piss me off big time, so stayed out all night. He's probably at home now, with Boomer teasing him about how bad he's gunna get it. And rightly so. I told Boomer everything. He said he kind of thought that was the case. He'd had a feeling Blossom's child was mine from the moment Butch had said she was pregnant. I didn't like that, being the only one who didn't know something that directly involved me!

6 o clock came round and Blossom left her desk and headed for mine. We met in the middle of the office, and she smiled, the most genuinely happy I'd seen her since we were together.

"Glad that's over." she said as we walked past her desk. "I was thinking we could go out for a drink? But I didn't think that'd be appropriate considering your past."

"We can go out to a bar if you feel like having a drink. I told you, I don't drink, so we can go there, I just won't have an alcoholic beverage. Where you thinking?" I asked as we got into the elevator.

"Oh I don't really know many bars. Class of 85? We could go there?" She offered. I didn't expect her to know many.

"Sounds good to me." I smiled, and we shot into the air. I hadn't flown with her in years, it felt good. One place we were pretty well hidden. Well, apart from from my brothers and her sisters. And any passing aeroplanes. But we knew from years of experience, that if we flew a certain distance amongst the clouds, it didn't look like we were flying together. I liked the way we did it naturally, even though almost four years had passed.

Within 20 minutes, we were sat in a shady corner of the club, her with a tall pink cocktail, me with an OJ, chatting about the day that had passed.

"So what does the husband at home think you're doing tonight?" I asked. Her smiled faded then, and her features stiffened uncomfortably.

"Well, I told him I had a work do. Kind of, not a lie? It gives me good reason to get in late though." She said, sipping at her cocktail fervently.

I smiled. "I think you need a night like this. A night for yourself. Seems like everything you do is for someone else?"

She looked down into her drink, twiddling the straw around gently. "I kinda had to, the mess I got myself in."

"Lies have a way of escalating right? In any situation, I mean they did even in our relationship." I said.

"Yeah. If I could go back to that night, where we told my family, I would have done things so differently. I'd have, had a little more guts, maybe told my family to just deal with our relationship. Would have worked out better when and if Ruby was born." She said.

"If's and but's and maybes Bloss. You might not have had Ruby if things worked out differently, maybe think of it like that?" I said, trying to make her feel a bit better.

"We might not have had Ruby you mean." She answered, looking slightly put out.

"Urr, yeah." I answered awkwardly. It still hadn't exactly sunk in. I mean I knew what I wanted, I think. But the thought of meeting this little girl that has no clue who I am, and expecting her to see me as her Dad, well it kinda scared the hell out of me. I'd still do it though, if Blossom will let me…

"I may have swam dirty water Brick, but you pushed me in." She said, a serious look on her face.

I nodded slowly. "I know, I know. So, what's next?"

"What do you mean?" She replied, finishing off her drink with a slurp.

"Are you going to tell Tim? Or you're family…or Ruby?" I asked hopefully. "When do I get to meet her?"

"I have no idea." She sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"You want the truth?" I asked, feeling my stomach tighten a little, awaiting the rejection that would follow my next statement. She nodded.

"I would want you to, leave Tim, let him down gently, tell him what really happened, then tell your family, let me meet Ruby, and well, we'll see how things go from there? And we wouldn't care what anyone said or thought, cos we'd have been honest for once, and we'd be together. And we could do everything we planned as teenagers." I told her, taking her hand.

She smiled, a little awkwardly though. "I, I'd love nothing more than that Brick. But, it's easier said then done. I don't even know if I could do that. What about Tim? What about -"

"What about Tim? He's a big boy, he'll deal with it? Sometimes life deals you blows like this, we'd still be together if it didn't."

She sighed. "I'm going to get another drink, want one?" She sidled out of the booth and headed for the bar. I nodded, raising my empty glass.

Our lives would have been so much easier, if Blossom had a selfish bone in her body.

She'd left her phone sat on the table. I picked it up, typing my number into it, and saving it, and taking her number from it also, saving it into my phone.

A few hours passed, and there was a collection of 6 empty cocktail glasses on the table, 4 empty orange juice glasses. It was safe to say that Blossom was a bit drunk.

"Can we go somewhere else now?" She slurred slightly, grabbing her handbag. I glanced at the time on my phone. It was just gone 10, my brothers shouldn't be in.

"We could go back to my place?" I asked. She smiled, her right eyebrow rising up slightly. I grinned. This was the Blossom I remembered.

"Sure," she said, standing unsteadily. "why not?"

"You are such a lightweight." I cried as we shot into the air outside the bar.

"Lightweight?" she spluttered. "I've only had like 4 drinks I'll have you know."

"Yeah, and a few more!" I said, taking her hand as I passed her. "Come on, you need leading to my place, it seems you've forgotten."

All she did was let out a loud laugh in reply.

We only made it half way up the first flight of stairs before she pushed me against the banister and began to kiss me wildly.

I felt so alive; I hadn't felt like this in years. We molded together just like we used to.

She tore her mouth away for air, and looked me straight in the eye. "Are you sure about thi-" but she had other ideas. Her mouth touched down on mine hard again. Who was I to argue?

We zoomed up to my apartment; our mouths connected the whole time. It was lucky my brothers weren't in, cos we entered my apartment still holding each other. We made our way onto my bed as if it was the most natural thing for us to do.

"Blossom, Blossom." I mumbled as she began to kiss my neck.

"Yeah?" She asked, looking up, panting.

"Are you absolutely sure about this? I mean, you're a bit drunk, and a lot married, I don't want to take advantage or anything…" I said, stroking her face.

"You're not, you're not. I promise. I need you Brick. God only knows why it's taken me so long to let my doubts go. You're the only one that I want." She said, looking serious all of a sudden.

I kissed her in reply, and laid her down onto the bed. I began unbuttoning her blouse, and she pulled the shirt I was wearing off over my head.

Before we knew it we were both naked, and scrambling under the covers. When we locked together, it just felt amazing. Familiar, warm, amazing. I'd missed her so much. And I'm not even just talking about the sex. It was so different with Blossom. It meant something.

We lied entwined under the covers, her head resting on my chest. I had my arms round her tight. I couldn't believe I had her here again. She was half asleep, that or just pretending to be asleep. I wasn't sure. But she was very quiet.

I planted a kiss on her forehead, and it seemed to stir her a little.

"You okay?" I asked.

She smiled sleepily, looking up at me and nodding, kissing me lightly on the lips.

"Sure?"

"Yeah." She sighed blissfully. "I haven't had sex like that in years." She sounded half euphoric half guilty.

I chuckled. "I wasn't exactly talking about that, I knew you enjoyed that. I meant about, us? About what just happened."

She went quiet again and squirmed under the covers. "I'm having an affair aren't I?"

I didn't know what to say. She sat upright quickly, clutching the covers to her.

I didn't reply, just looked down; anything I said would have probably made things worse. "I, I guess so? But what about what you said earlier, before?" I questioned.

"Of course I meant what I said…I just didn't think about the consequences of what I said. The result of my…our feelings, and actions."

"You scared?"

She shrugged. "Scared of hurting everyone."

"Even though you've lived with hurt for years? Just to keep everyone else happy?" I said, sitting up too now.

She didn't say anything. There was a small pause then she sighed. "I've learned to live half alive for them. Maybe it is time to put their feelings aside. It's just Ruby. She is so young."

"I am sure she can… adjust?" Was all I could think to say. I suppose she could see that douche every now and then too.

"She's far too young to really understand any of this." Blossom mumbled, looking down at the duvet.

The sound of the front door opening and closing made us both freeze. My brothers, I'd not even thought about them. They'd obviously been the last thing on my mind.

"Someone's here!" Blossom whispered, panic in her voice.

"I'll go see who it is…" I mumbled, getting up. If it was Boomer, it didn't really matter. I'd already got him up to speed. If it was Butch…

Blossom jumped up too, gathering the covers round her and clambering around for her clothes.

"Don't go, seriously I can get rid of them." I said. But before I got to the door it opened.

"So whose the lucky lady – What the, Blossom? What the fuck? What's going on?" Butch cried, angrily, stood at my bedroom door.

r&r!