They were laying in bed naked wrapped around each other and Ava was dreading looking over towards the table seeing what time it was. It was dark when she first woke up and by the time they finished making love the sun was already shining brightly outside. The impeccable insulation at the Beacon kept her from hearing the birds or the rumble of motors from below but nothing could keep out the knowledge that their time was running very short. Today was the last of their romantic holiday and tonight she'd fall asleep alone. Tomorrow she'd wake up only to her son and maybe her mother and sister but that didn't make the loneliness she would feel any less unbearable. If anything it made it seem worse. Everything and everyone she loved was here except the love of her life. "I don't want you to go" she whispered to herself as she felt tears springing. Against all odds Ava had gotten the girl that by all rights and quite a few laws should have been unapproachable. That should make her happy. It should make her fucking ecstatic but at the moment it only made her feel like bawling her eyes out. "Why can't you stay here with me?" she implored again to the sleeping body underneath her weight.

"If I could I would. You should know that sweetheart" she heard and felt the soft kiss on her head but refused to look up. "Don't do this please. I don't want our last hours together to be filled with tears. Please Ava" Diane asked rolling them over and looking into her eyes before Ava turned away. "It can't be that bad can it?" Diane tried again but upon further silence began to gently run her fingers up and down Ava's ribs but not to arouse.

"Stop. Stop it" Ava yelled pushing Diane further away and moving to get out of the bed.

"I'll stop, I'm stopping just don't get out of the bed" Diane begged holding up both hands. "I'll do whatever you want just don't get mad"

Ava turned towards her and then barked "I want!" before shaking her head and drying her eyes and trying to gather herself before continuing. "I want you to stay here with me but I know that you can't"

"You're right I can't" Diane replied now no less upset but without the tears. "I wish I could but sweetie I have patients and obligations I have to get back to"

"Your life you mean" Ava said glumly moving again to get out of the bed.

"No my patients and my practice and my house and my car and my memberships and my refrigerator and my doorman and plants" Diane listed before she took Ava's head into her hands and gently brought the sad face to her own "but my life is with you and your son. And it always will be. For as long as you want it sweetheart"

During their four days they had left the room to go to the farmhouse and to Jeffery's new apartment but besides a few trips to pick up a favorite ice cream or a deck of cards to play strip poker they'd spent the time within the confines of the spacious suite. They made love of course, often and enthusiastically but most of the time they just talked and touched. The weekend was spent trying to convince themselves that the months living for phone calls and web cams weren't in vain. There was something real between them regardless of what anyone else thought or said. Leaving that safety behind was killing them both Ava knew but she worried still that Diane wasn't as in love as she. Her entire life she'd either been chasing or was chased and she was scared that this was more of the same. Maybe Diane's just needed the thrill of fucking me before she could let it go? She's never crossed that line before maybe she just needed this weekend to work out that fantasy and now she's looking forward to going back to her normal life. Maybe I should just

"Would you stop that I can hear the cogs scrapping against each other from here. Talk to me and tell me what you're thinking about. Please"

Looking away Ava couldn't get the hard and hateful words past her tightening throat "Nothing"

"Its not nothing. I can tell by the way you're not looking at me and by the way you're holding your body that"

"Would you stop that! I'm not your fucking patient anymore. I don't require anymore of your psycho babble I have a perfectly good therapist on retainer for that" Ava shouted finally leaving the bed and moving to the large windows that were furthest away from Diane.

"You're right you don't" Ava heard before she heard foot steps coming up behind her so close she was tempted to lean back into the other woman's warmth. "I'm sorry I wasn't trying to analyze you but I can't help it. I'm a psychiatrist and I do it automatically. You should hear how my friends and family react when I slip and let my training out when they're talking to me. I'm sorry"

"Its okay" Ava whispered knowing that she should have been the one to say sorry and was on her way to saying just that when she heard a sigh from behind and then heard a deep inhale.

"Was this a mistake Ava?"

Whipping her head around Ava almost knocked them both silly Diane was standing so close but at the moment a skull fracture was the least of her worries. "No it wasn't. It's not. I couldn't bare it if you felt that way. Tell me you don't feel that way"

"Of course I don't but something's wrong. Something's changed and you won't talk to me. So I thought maybe you were regretting what we did or" but she didn't let the other woman finish and pushed Diane back towards the bed while her lips marked the blond's body. It was several more hours before coherent thought or speech were capable by either woman. Laying on her side spooning Ava tightly from behind Diane tried again to figure out what was troubling her love. "Can you tell me now what's bothering you?"

"I don't want you to go" Ava said turning away. "I can't tell you how much love and contentment I feel when I wake up in your arms. I love the idea of coming home and hearing about your day and sharing my own with you while we take care of Max. I was looking forward to this weekend for the entire month and now that it's over I can't bare going back to just hearing your voice over a cell phone. I want more than that"

"Sweetheart"

"I know. You have your things in Chicago and I know you can't just pick up and relocate here but"

Again taking her love's face Diane kissed Ava softly and tried her best to explain. "I want you to know that you aren't the only one feeling this way. I am dreading getting on that plan as much as you are"

"Then don't"

"Sweetie I have to but that doesn't mean I won't be back. Or that I don't dream of having the same things as well because I do" Eventually it was time to get Diane to the airport but as Ava looked at the woman and thought of watching her fly away didn't become less painful but much less overwhelming. Neither of them wanted this to end but they had already planned for their second and third meetings over the next two months. If it were anyone else Ava would have thought she was being played and strung along but she knew how busy Diane was. To be honest she hadn't expected the woman to be as eager to continue.

They sat in the airport lounge sitting beside each other silent and not being particularly affectionate but it was obvious to everyone they were in love. Ava seemed to melt into Diane's touch and the other woman was molded to Ava's sleek frame. "I'll come again next month for a long weekend and the month after you come spend four days with me"

"I can stay longer than that" Ava said not bothering to look around. She didn't have to see her face to know Diane's expression and felt a lingering kiss to the back of her neck.

"Yes I know but I can't take that much time off from work and I don't want you sitting in my apartment waiting on me to get off from a long day"

"Afraid I'll poke into you're unmentionables" Ava tried to laugh

"More afraid you'll see what a workaholic I am and tell me to bugger off"

"You should know that this weekend was a freebie" now Ava did need to look into Diane's face to see her fleeting emotions. "but next time"

"Excuse me? I didn't think you were that kind of girl but if I have to pay for it then" Diane leered.

"As if you could afford it" Ava laughed before she started again seriously. "Next time Max will be with us. Every time for the whole time" she warned.

"Do you think that bothers me?" Diane asked pulling away. "Did you think that I would have a problem spending time with your son?"

Ava said "No I just" then paused refusing to look up until slim fingers tilted her head. "I wanted this weekend to be special about just you and me but that's not my life. I mean Max doesn't normally spend the entire weekend away from me"

"I think I should know that better than anyone. Remember I'm the one on the phone you when you're feeding him and changing him and playing with him and putting him to bed. Of course you'd bring him. Let me make my intentions perfectly clear to you since obviously there's some confusion"

"No don't I don't want you to be mad at me"

"I'm not mad" Diane stated and then had to close her eyes and modulate her tone before continuing. "I'm not mad. I promise. Sweetheart I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to grow old with you and be everything you could possibly need or want. That would give me no greater joy. You say you don't want me to leave but to tell you the truth I have to keep reminding myself of all my obligations just so I make it to plane. I know that you have a lot of help with your parents and Max's father. More help than most but I want to be the one beside you sharing each day with him I want to be the one that takes turns with you when he's sick or picks him up from practices when he gets older. I want to be the one that tells him to drive slow when he picks up his dates. I'm sorry if I'm rushing you but" but there wasn't anything more that was needed to be said as far as Ava was concerned and they spent the rest of the wait in a far corner booth.