Disclaimer: I don't own it or get paid for it : ) I don't own the characters and therefore have no hope of making any money off this.

CHAPTER 41: "REALITY"

A special prosecutor was appointed to look into Robert Quinn's activities. It didn't take long to find evidence supporting his smug confession. Once the evidence was gathered, prosecutor's moved quickly. Within a few weeks of Terri's "resurrection," Robert Quinn was officially charged with Treason. Considering the magnitude of the case, everyone was eager to get to the truth. Because several CIA officials, including Tom Gage and Carl Reese, were scheduled to testify, the courtroom was closed due to the highly sensitive nature of the case. The only thing the public ever new was that Quinn was leaking information to a hostile country and that Gage was considered complicit because it happened under his watch.

As soon as Kara found out her boss was handling Robert Quinn's case she made herself available. She put her career on the back burner the past year building her relationship with the man she planned to marry. The latest turmoil created a vacancy in her life she was eager to fill.

Although her boss spoke with the appropriate people, including Quinn's attorney about it Kara came close to recusing herself from the case when she learned who Quinn was to her. She attacked the case with renewed vigor when she learned that Quinn and his attorney tried to have her removed from the case. That man ruined her life and she was going to pay him back by making a career case out of his prosecution.

As far as the judge was concerned, Kara's past relationship with Stiles gave her no inside information-she and Stiles weren't involved or even acquainted when Quinn's alleged treason was committed and they were no longer engaged. Strike one of many for Robert Quinn

The stress of the impending trial and Stiles' relationship with Kara, though over, among other things, were taking their toll. By the end of Terri's first month home, she and Stiles had spent more time arguing than anything else. Stiles was used to having the house to himself—everything where he wanted when he wanted it there. Lately, he had been tripping over toys and high heels. Terri was used to taking care of herself and making all of the decisions about the children. She was irritated with Stiles' parenting style. According to her, he didn't know how to control the children; he was too easy on them when they needed discipline and too hard on them when he should have let things go.

Although he and Terri had been together for four months before her "death," one or both of them was traveling or they were at home just enjoying being newlyweds. Now, after four years apart and two kids, things were different. Stiles spent more time sleeping in the guest room than he did in the master suite and he and Terri began avoiding each other just to keep the snide remarks and nasty looks at bay.

One night after a relatively calm evening, Stiles joined Terri in the bedroom after reading to the kids and tucking them in bed. He was tired and all he wanted to do was to climb in bed and hold his wife for the night. Irritating as he found her lately, he was going to miss her while she was in Andros for the week.

AS soon as he entered the bedroom, Stiles' jaw clenched; Terri was sitting on the bed reading a report and there papers all over the bed. The clothes he had been wearing were lying in a pile in the chair. He couldn't imagine what she was working on in the bedroom; there were another three or four piles of papers in other parts of the house, including her office. He snatched the report from Terri's hands and waved it angrily as Terri stared at him, stunned

"Terri, can you at least attempt to clean up after yourself? You've been complaining that I don't get after the kids about their toys yet you have stuff all over the house! How can you expect the kids to pick up their toys when their mother leaves a trail?"

"I spend all day picking up after two three-year-olds. If I leave a few papers around from time-to-time, so what? I'm exhausted, I have an early fight tomorrow and all I wanted was to finish this report and crawl in bed. Instead, I get another inquisition."

Stiles just sighed as he looked at the disgusted look on Terri's face. He too was tired and in no mood to argue with his wife—again! "If it's that big of a deal, hire a maid or a nanny or both."

The veins in Terri's forehead constricted as she mulled Stiles' words. She was reminded of the ex-Marine she met in the training room almost six years earlier; he was smug, overconfident and condescending. She didn't say anything for several moments as she got up and walked away from him. She finally turned back to him when she reached his closet. "That's your solution? Hire a maid? What about my husband, the children's father helping? I had a nanny before we came here, but I didn't think I'd need one now that I have my husband! Instead, I'm living with three children, one of whom is supposed to be a grown man! You're really this upset about a few papers on the bed? If I didn't have to clean up after the three of you all the time, perhaps I'd have time to clean up after myself. I can't believe what a slob you are."

"Oh, you think I'm a slob, do you? Have you taken a look at our bathroom lately? It looks like a cosmetics counter exploded in there. I was nearly late to work this morning because I had to hunt for my razor under all that stuff! And my closet is full of YOUR clothes. How is it you suddenly have twice the wardrobe? Every day more of my stuff gets pushed out; it's gotten to the point that I can't even find my own underwear!"

Without a word, Terri opened Stiles' closet and began throwing Stiles' clothes into the hall.

"What are you doing?" Stiles asked as he grabbed her arm.

Terri snatched her arm from Stiles' grasp and turned to face him. "I'm proving you right. Since you think I'm pushing you out, we might as well get it done now. You hate being in here with me so much you can just move downstairs—permanently!"

"Fine!" Stiles grabbed the clothes Terri had in her hand and stormed out of the bedroom yelling at her over his shoulder as he went by, "Maybe I should have just left you on that island and married Kara!"

Stiles slammed the bedroom and door and left Terri standing in the middle of the room in such shock over his last comment that she couldn't move; his words hurt her as much as if he'd punched her. When she finally felt her legs again, she fell onto the bed and cried. She was sick of crying and she was sick of being miserable. This was not what she expected and certainly not what she wanted.

Stiles' last words confirmed her worst fears—he didn't really want her back. Not only had she heard Stiles' conversation with Kara, she'd heard him tell his father that part of him was still in love with Kara. Though only subconsciously, Terri was purposely picking fights with Stiles to test him. She wanted to know that he really would stay with her no matter what, that she was the one he loved and wanted to spend the rest of his life with.