Bree awoke early the next morning from the bright sunlight which emanated through her window. She was not a particularly light sleeper, but this was an exception. The redhead slowly sat up and massaged her temples. She had an excruciating headache, and a few scattered stomach pains as well. She could have just lied out on the couch all morning, but did not want to start a habit. Although it took her a few minutes, Bree soon mustered up the strength to make her way into the kitchen.

"Well, you're a vision this morning." Lynette joked.

Bree just shook her head. "Don't even start." her voice, however, was not stern. She appreciated Lynette's humor. She approached the cupboard, assuming she would prepare breakfast for herself and Lynette.

"Already taken care of."

"Lynette, you didn't need to do that. I'm quite capable of making my own meals." Bree sounded irritated, though she did actually appreciate her friend's gesture.

The blonde ignored Bree, taking a seat next to her. "First we've got an appetizer." Lynette slid two painkillers in front of her friend, causing her to let out a soft but sincere chuckle. "These are the best. Trust me- I've got four kids." She then brought her a small plate of eggs which she managed to scrounge up.

Bree graciously accepted Lynette's concoction…and slowly, her stomach pains began to ease. She did not focus on the awkwardness she felt between herself and the woman next to her- she concentrated only on the plate of food in front of her.

"How are you doing." Lynette broke the silence.

"I'm fine."

Lynette nodded sadly. As much progress as the two had made the previous night, Bree still tried to convince herself that she was fine. Though she knew her image of perfection was shattered, she clung to it nonetheless.

"I dreamt about him last night, you know." Although Bree did not actually specify that 'he' was Rex, Lynette knew exactly who she was talking about. "He looked…perfect." she added solemnly, sliding her fork across the plate.

Lynette returned a sympathetic smile, placing her hand over Bree's- causing her to immediately pull her hand away from the table.

"Please don't comfort me anymore. I'm sorry, I just -"

Lynette backed off. "You don't have to explain."

"Thank you." Bree quietly responded, flashing a small but appreciative smile.

Meanwhile, at the Mayer house, Susan was preparing to walk Danielle back to her home. Although it was literally a 10 second walk, she didn't want the girl to be alone. Susan had gotten a call from Lynette earlier in the morning, and was relieved to hear that Bree made it home safely. Needless to say, Lynette left out the details of Bree's condition.

"Ready?" Susan asked.

"Yep, you really don't have to walk me home…" Danielle responded.

"Oh please, it's the least I can…." Susan stopped herself once she opened the door to see Andrew Van de Kamp camped out on her front steps.

"Um…hello, Andrew. Hi." Susan nudged the boy.

"Huh."

"You're um…well you're on my porch." Susan was clearly confused.

"Oh! Wow, hey Mrs. Mayer." Andrew realized where he was. He had snuck out before dawn to avoid seeing his mother.

"Were you here all night?" Danielle asked.

"No, just for a little while this morning. Um, listen. Just pretend I was here all night, okay?" Andrew explained.

"What did you do…because I can't be held responsible, you know." Susan assumed he must have done something wrong.

"I didn't do anything." Andrew appeared agitated. "Just say I was here." He saw a glint of curiosity lurking in his neighbor's eyes "…for my mom's sake, okay?"

"Fine." Susan agreed, all the while giving Andrew a very strange look. "No one ever tells me anything." she mumbled, walking ahead of both Andrew and Danielle.

"What's going on?" Danielle asked her brother.

"Mom had a breakdown last night, and I don't want her to know I was there for it. That's all." Andrew answered his sister's question honestly.

Danielle was taken aback. "What do you mean, breakdown."

"Break. Down." he annunciated. "Do you want me to spell it out for you? She was screaming, crying, you know…typical breakdown." Andrew continued, as if this were anything but an ordeal.

"Mom was? Is she okay? How could you just leave her!" Danielle became concerned.

"Relax! Lynette was there the whole night."

"Whatever, Andrew." Danielle quickened her pace to catch up with Susan.

The three approached the doorway and were immediately greeted by Bree. She had freshened up beautifully. Andrew and Danielle simply brushed past their mother, barely even saying hello. Both were still slightly annoyed that she even left them to begin with.

"Guys…" Susan began, trying to get Andrew and Danielle's attention.

"Don't worry about it." Bree responded, leading her friend inside.

Susan immediately pulled Bree into a tight embrace. "I was so worried about you!" she exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

Bree was sick and tired of hearing the same question. 'Are you alright, are you okay…' of course she wasn't okay. "I just had to clear my head. I'm so sorry for putting you through all of this. Thank you so much for taking care of Andrew and Danielle for me, Susan. I'm grateful, I really am."Her response sounded as if it had been rehearsed.

Susan shook her head. "Of course, Bree. Don't worry about it." As she made her way through the house she saw Lynette who approached her as well. She looked tired…more-so than usual. "Rough night?" she mouthed to her friend.

"You have no idea." Lynette mouthed back.

"Can I get you anything, Susan? Coffee, tea…" Bree was playing perfect homemaker once again. Yet Susan could tell that Bree wanted to be alone. She, of course, was too polite to ever actually ask someone to leave.

"No, thanks. I've actually got a few things to do. Call me or stop by if you need anything, okay?"

Bree nodded, leading Susan out of her home. Lynette followed, squeezing Bree's forearm. "I'm proud of you…and I love you." she quietly commented.

Bree smiled back at her friend. What else could she do? Somewhere inside of her, she wanted to cling to Lynette- she didn't want her to leave. Susan, she couldn't deal with right now, but Lynette seemed to be the only person able to provide her with a sense of comfort. Another part of Bree, however, was glad to see Lynette leave. Part of her wanted to push Lynette out of her life. Bree was embarrassed of how she collapsed in front of her…ashamed that she had allowed her emotions to be on public display.

The day slowly passed…hours seemed to stand still. Bree wondered how long it would be like this…how long she would face such agony. Although she felt better than she did the day before, Rex was still the sole focus of her mind. Nonetheless, she knew she needed to somehow manage to take care of the two members of her family who were still with her- for if she lost her children, she would have lost everything.

"Andrew…Danielle…" she began, approaching the couch which the two-of-them were sharing. "I'm so sorry I ran out yesterday. I don't know what I was thinking. Please understand that I didn't want to hurt you. I just needed to clear my head."

"It's fine, mom." There was actually a hint of sincerity in Danielle's voice. "I probably would have done the same thing." She nudged Andrew.

"Yeah. I definitely would have walked out on my kids the day after they lost their father." Andrew added. Internally, he hated himself, but yet he still derived pleasure from bringing about pain.

Bree simply nodded. "Well, I'm going to make you both something very special for lunch." she seemed relatively satisfied as she left the room.

"You're such a jerk." Danielle glared at her brother.

"Yeah, well…we can't all be perfect." he added.

Bree found herself reaching for a variety of different seasonings and spices. She didn't even know what exactly she was going to prepare for lunch, but she knew it had to be something exquisite. Andrew's harsh words kept running through her mind. She knew she was wrong to leave her family, but it wasn't like she completely abandoned them. Bree then started thinking about Lynette's rant the previous night…when she asked her how she would have gotten home. The truth was, Bree didn't know how the answer to that question. Maybe she would have decided to drive drunk. She hated herself for it. No, hate was an understatement. She despised herself. How could she have been such a horrible mother…and such a burden on her friends?

Bree reached for a few different bowls, trying to find the appropriate size. She grabbed one, but didn't have a strong enough grip. The bowl immediately shattered into pieces on the floor. "Damnit!" She yelled, much louder than she would have preferred. Danielle entered the kitchen within a few seconds, only to find her mother bent over picking up pieces of broken glass, all the while her hands were beginning to bleed.

"Mom, what are you doing!"

"I need to clean this-"

"No. Mom, you're bleeding." She gently approached her mother, helping her to stand up. "The bowl can wait. Sit down." she led her to the nearest chair, examining the two fresh bruises on her mother's right hand. "Doesn't look too bad. Hold on okay?" Danielle went upstairs to get a few band-aids, returning promptly. She started taking care of Bree, gently bandaging her wounds. She suddenly felt a drop of warmth on her palm- a fresh tear. "Does this really hurt?" she asked, even though she knew that wasn't the cause of her mother's tears.

"No, it isn't that."

There was an awkward moment of silence. "It's okay to be upset about Dad…" Danielle began.

"It isn't that either."

"Then what?" Danielle seemed perplexed.

"I'm just so glad that you don't…" Bree lowered her voice. "hate me. I'm relieved you don't hate me." she repeated herself.

Danielle looked down at the floor for a few moments, and then pulled a chair in front of her mother. "Of course I don't hate you. I never hated you. I was mad at you, and I had the right to be mad. But…that doesn't mean I don't love you."

Bree couldn't even respond. She just looked down and covered her face with one hand. She wasn't crying, just overcome with emotions. She didn't want her daughter to see her in such a fragile state.

"It's okay, Mom." Danielle moved closer. "It's okay."

Bree uncovered her face, slightly embarrassed. She reached out and embraced her daughter….And even for only a moment, Bree found happiness.