He had left the house within minutes of the phonecall. He looked a mess, but he didn't care, he just wanted to find her and know that she was okay. His shirt was crumpled, his trousers were splashed with mud, from walking to the bus stop, and his tie was thrown casually around his neck. He carried his jacket out with him and headed towards the hire car outside his flat. He realised now how lucky he was that he highered it that evening rather than in the morning.

Once inside the car he put the key in the ignition and turned the radio on. He hated driving in silence. His anger showed through with his impatient driving, he just couldn't understand why Owen would ever want to hurt someone as perfect as Diane. Obviously, he hadn't seen her the way Ric had, or he wouldn't have left her. Ever. Ric had noticed recently she had lost her shine, she didn't seem to smile as much anymore and her laugh seemed so put on. He had seen the change come about her so rapidly after the abortion, she had seemed to go into herself more and more frequently, like a hedgehog curling into a ball from danger.He had tried to be there for her, but every attempt failed, she didn't seem to realise how much she meant to him. She was his world, his everything, and she was out there somewhere, hurting. He wanted to get her quickly and hold her until every fear and upset left her. That he was sure of, but he wasn't sure of what he actually wanted to say to her, he'd never been good with words. The only time he managed to really express what he felt was when he proposed to Diane, and that hadn't actually gone entirely to plan, since she said no. He shook his head and tried to concentrate back on the road. When he had said he knew where she was he wasn't being entirely truthful. He had an idea of where she might be, but it was no more than that.

As far as he knew, however, it was the only place that meant anything to her. She had once called it 'The forest of her dreams' for its picturesque qualities, plus it was where he first told her he loved her. It seemed a little sentimental but Diane was like that once, and the old Diane shone through sometimes. That was when he loved her the most, when she forgot everything and became who she was inside, the person who he fell for all that time ago. The one who stood out in a crowd, who meant more to him than any other woman on the planet.

He missed her, he really did, he missed her touch, her smile, her laugh and her tender kisses. She made him feel so alive when she was around and he needed her. He needed her more than he let on. Though, right now she needed him and he was determined not to stop until he found her. Never would he stop until he had her in his arms, feeling her breath on his neck. He longed for that moment.

He saw the forest drawing near and parked up behind a red car, that was hers alright. Ge peered inside to find she wasn't in there, all that remained in the car was an old magasine, a pack of polo's and a pen, that was very like her. He smiled remembering a time when she used to leave things like that in his car, it's funny how the little things seem to have the biggest effect.

Beside the forest was a lake, at this time of year it was slightly frozen over and the leaves from the trees were scattered over it, it reminded him a lot of how it was when he first went there with Diane. The slightly frosty ground beneath his feet, the partially frozen lake and the trees covered in orangey leaces. It really was a beautiful spot. Just inside the forest on the lake side was a small clearing, and that is where he found her, sitting on an old bench, shivering from the cold.

"Diane!" He exclaimed, throwing his coat around her shoulders and crouching on the floor infront of her. "I was so worried about you." She looked down at him, her eyes filled with sorrow and he just wanted to throw his arms around her and chase away all of the sadness. He took her hands between his own and warmed them with his breath, despite being desperately cold now himself. "Owen called..." he explained, as if that cleared up everything. She nodded gentlu and cast her eyes in the distance behind him.

"How did you know I'd be here?" she choked, without looking back down at him. He stood up and sat on the bench beside her, putting his arm around her to keep her warm. She didn't seem to object but he suspected that could have been due to the cold.

"I don't know... it's the only place I could think you would want to go... I didn't know really..." he faltered.

"I guess it probably is." She paused and finally looked round at him, "you didn't have to come," she commented. Really she was relieved that he had come, she needed him there by her side, he'd always been there for her when she needed him. Now she needed him so much, she felt more alone than ever, everything had gone wrong for her and instead of running to Ric she had tried to deal with it herself and pushed him away.

"I did," he nodded. He wanted to tell her he did because he cared about her so much, because he was afraid of loosing her, of leaving her with her heart broken and not trying to save her. He was no knight in shining armour, he knew that, but he would have gone to the end of the earth to make sure she was okay, and he guessed that was the best he could do.

He kissed the top of her head gently, by way of comfort, as she began to cry. Moving back around to the front of her he caught a tear with his finger and wiped it away.

"Why did I bother with him, Ric, after all he'd done to the other women?" she sobbed, wiping the tears away with the back of her shirt sleeve. Ric had been telling her for so long that he was bad for her and she'd put it down to jealousy, when really he was just being a good friend. After she'd lost Jack she had blamed Owen, but he was there for her, told her he loved her and she'd believed it. She'd always thought women like that were so pathetic.

"Because..." he started. His eyes grew saddened but he tried to shake himself out of it, "because you loved him, and love, well, love is blind". He had tried to tell himself for so long that Diane never loved Owen, but now it seemed impossible to lie to himself. Diane had loved him, and she probably still did.