"You want some more spaghetti?"

"Huh?" Nathan asked.

"Spaghetti. You want me to fix you another plate?" Meg repeated.

"No. No, I'm fine."

"Okay."

"Thank you, though. Dinner was good, babe."

She smiled. It had been another quiet day at home in Charlotte. The days were slowly becoming easier. Nothing would ever take away the heartbreaking loss of their child but with time, the pain became at least bearable in a sense. The actual Scott marriage was still in a state of limbo.

It was farfetched to say the couple would ever return to the giddy almost glorious state they had enjoyed when they first came together. But the hurtful road to sudden divorce seemed to be just as doubtful. Instead, they were somewhere in the middle, a marriage purgatory, if you will.

They talked, not like happily married couples should, but more like two intrigued yet scared strangers feeling a situation out as they tried to get to know one another. They slept in the same bed, but their bodies barely touched. And despite the lies, the pain, the mistrust and all the turmoil, there was still love there. There was still a bond that would tie them forever.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. It beats takeout."

He smiled.

"It was good", he kissed her forehead.

She flinched then loosened up a bit.

"Thanks", she said as she stood to clear the dishes.

"I'll do it", he volunteered as he was up before she could protest.

She joined him at the sink as together they rinsed and loaded the dishes into the dishwasher. She couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What's so funny, you?"

"Nothing", she giggled.

He liked seeing her laugh again. It didn't happen too often. He had forgotten how pretty her face was when it lit up like that.

"Doesn't sound like nothing. Come on, Meg. Fess up. I want to laugh, too."

"It's nothing…it's just that I wish I had a camera on me right now."

"A camera?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"So I could take a picture and preserve this moment forever…Nathan Scott actually washing a dish. Who would have ever thought?"

He grinned at her.

"I have washed plenty of dishes in my lifetime, thank you very much."

"Really? When?"

"That time, uh…"

"Which time was that?" she teased.

"Um…"

"Bouting with amnesia, are we?"

"Uh…"

"Like I thought", she swatted him with the dish towel.

"Hey, that's assault, you know?"

She crinkled her eyes at him.

"Really?"

"Really."

She hit him again.

"Whoops."

"Whoops?"

"It was an accident, Nathan. I swear it."

"Accident, huh?" he grinned. "Okay. That's cool. I can dig it, Meg but, uh…I can cause accidents, too, you know."

"Is that a threat?"

"I don't know…is it?" he laughed, using the sprayer that had rinsed the dirty dishes to splash her with water.

"Nathan Daniel Scott!" she squealed.

"What?" he played innocent. "It was an accident…whoops…I promise…oh damn, there it goes again…"

And like they hadn't done in forever, they got lost in the giddy playfulness. For a few minutes the cheating and the horrible loss was temporarily forgotten as husband and wife dueled with a sink sprayer and a dishcloth. After ten minutes, they finally called a truce, soaked, grinning and out of breath.

"You suck", she licked her tongue out at him.

"Sore loser", he teased

"Look at us. Look at the floor. We're wet and it's a mess."

"Who cares?" he shrugged. "It was fun, right?"

She bit her lip.

"Yeah…I guess it was fun."

Their eyes met briefly as they stood close to each other. It was an awkward moment. Neither knew quite what to say.

"The mediator called this morning", he finally blurted out.

A marriage mediator had been called in to counsel them on their marital problems as well as their grief. It would be the final and deciding factor of whether they would make it work or get a legal separation and divorce.

"Nathan…"

"I didn't know what to tell her. I didn't know how you felt."

"I don't either…still. I'm sorry, Nathan."

"It's okay", he said softly.

"Maybe, um…I don't know. Maybe we can talk about things. I guess we need to."

"Yeah."

"Over Raisin Rum ice cream, maybe?"

She smiled to lighten the mood.

"Sounds good but…"

"But?"

"But…I ate the last of it last night. Sorry."

She grabbed the sprayer and hit him with the water one last time.

"Now you officially suck."

"I know, I know. I'll make it up to you though. How about I run down to the market and pick up a new gallon right now?"

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

"And uh…we'll talk after that", he said seriously.

She nodded and kissed him on the cheek as he grabbed his keys. She watched him leave their private driveway. When the coast was clear, Megan walked into the spare bedroom Lucas and Brooke had shared during their last visit. They had woken up late and therefore been in a rush to leave. In her haste, she had forgotten her favorite make up kit. But she had also forgotten something else…

Lifting up the mattress to the bed, Megan pulled out the copy of US magazine. She flipped through until she came across the pictures of Haley's baby. It was painful to look at any newborn but particularly so for the one that was a carbon copy of her near estranged husband.

In the hallway was a picture of Nathan taken the year before at one of his practices. It was a close up shot that put into perfect view his eyes, nose, mouth and other features. Sighing, Meg held the two photos to compare. She had been dreading it for months but she had to know. It was time for her eyes to confirm what her heart had known all along.