AN: Second update today, please go back and read chapter 20 if you haven't already. Thanks!

"You're right, Tris." I reply evenly. I'm sick of this, so I reach for her recorder and press the pause button. I then remove the battery and slip it into my pocket, "It's a shame the battery just died on your recorder. You really should charge that thing more often."

"Eric." She says firmly.

"I'm getting really tired of putting on a show for your recordings, Tris."

"I know you are. Give me the battery, Eric."

"Are you afraid of committing to someone again?"

"Eric, this is not the appropriate time or place for this conversation."

"I've played nice, Tris. I've abided by all of the rules you've imposed. I want to be out of prison so I can be a father to our son, but I also want to come home to you. Tell me what you want, I need to know where your head is. I've been patient enough, and I need you to tell me exactly how you feel." I press.

"Eric, the parole board is giving me a level of leniency when it comes to you that is unprecedented. They've allowed me to treat the father of my child because of our specific set of circumstances, which are that you did not know we had a child, and that we had no relationship outside of the one encounter that resulted in the pregnancy. If you and I are to get involved before our professional relationship is finished it could mean that all of the work we've done for the past four months was for nothing. They'd throw it all out as bias."

"Tris..."

"Let me finish! We also have an almost ten year old son who is watching our every move. If we cross those lines, they can't be uncrossed. We need to know that the foundation we have built is strong enough to weather any potential outcome."

"I need you to stop psychoanalyzing our relationship."

"I need you to start. I need you to be sure about your place in your son's life."

"I've already told you that my relationship with my son is completely separate than the relationship I have with you, are you saying that you don't believe me?" I ask angrily.

"I didn't say that at all, I just need you to focus on what's important..."

"You are important to me. Our son, our family, that's what is important." I argue.

"Eric, this is bigger than just us! You're acting as if we don't have a child who is practically begging for us to be together, or a parole board who watches and scrutinizes every session we have!"

"You think I don't know that? You think I don't think of our son, and every second of his life I've missed because of my own stubborn stupidity since I've fucking been here?"

"I sometimes wonder if you're thinking clearly at all, you.."

I kiss her. I press her back into the wall and kiss her. I feel her arms wrap around me, and she's kissing me back. I can feel myself hardening, and when I grind my erection against her she moans into my mouth. I begin to trail my lips down to her neck, and I feel her hands move against me.

"Stop," She pushes me away.

"Tris..."

"Are you trying to have your entire case thrown out?" She whispers.

"It's just Hector out there."

"It doesn't matter who's out there, we've seen what happens when he's been called away before, and that's when we did nothing wrong! We also shouldn't put someone we care about in a position where their job would be in jeopardy if they are asked to lie for us! One slip, Eric, one fucking slip and every bit of our work is thrown out. You'll be here for five more fucking years and you will miss another chunk of your son's life!"

"I can't help it, this thing between us is real..."

"You can't help it? That's what you want to go to the parole board with? Or the appeals court? You want to just tell them you couldn't control yourself for a couple more months until you got the fuck out of here? Do you realize how close you are?"

"No, I can't help the way I feel about you. I've been patient, but I need answers because you send me more mixed signals than I can even wrap my fucking head around. I'm not afraid of expressing how I feel, right here and right now. I love Miles, I want our family, and I love you Tris. I am in love with you. I've been in love with you for longer than I can even comprehend..." I reach for her.

"Don't touch me," She hisses, before grabbing her bag.

"Tris..." I put my hand on her arm.

"I said don't touch me! I've let my guard down entirely too much with you. You're in love with a memory, and you're about to fuck your entire case up over it!"

"I'm in love with you. With the person right here in front of me, how the fuck can you say it's some fucking memory? How can you continuously dismiss me?"

"Leave me alone!" She shouts.

"Tell me you don't love me, look me in the eye and tell me that you're not in love with me too." I put both of my arms around her and she balls up her fist and punches me in the jaw. I stumble backwards, and I hear her banging on the door.

Hector looks confused when he comes in, "Everything okay?" He asks timidly.

"We're done here." Tris pushes past him out the door.

"Tris, wait! Please come back!" I shout.

"Eric, we are done!" She shouts, and I watch her walk away.

Hector just stands in the doorway, confused. He looks back at me, "What the fuck did you do?" He pushes me back into the room and shuts the door behind him, "What happened in here?"

"I kissed her. I told her I'm in love with her."

"Are you crazy?" He asks, "She has to turn in a recording for this to the parole board, are you fucking crazy?"

I reach into my pocket and pull the battery for her recorder out, passing it to him across the table.

"She'll need this back."

He looks down at the table and his eyes widen, "She can have your entire case thrown out for this."

"She was talking about us co-parenting and having other partners and relationships. She pushed that shit on me…"

"She did her job!" He shouts, "You are literally months from getting out of here before this stunt today, and you just threw it all away. Think of your kid."

"I do! I think of Miles every day second of every damn day. I missed his entire life, Hec," I feel the tears falling down my face, but I don't care, "I missed his first words, his first steps, his haircuts, his first day at school, I missed everything!"

"Then why would you risk missing even more?" He asks.

I wipe my face with my arm and shake my head, "I don't know. I can't think of missing more with her. I've loved her for so long, Hec."

"I know you have, man." He sighs, "I can't imagine if I were separated from Sara or Leo for that long."

"Can I try to call her?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"Not a good idea. I think you need to give her time and space. See what happens tomorrow with therapy, okay?"

I agree and he escorts me back to my cell.

Hector was right about time and space, but I had no idea how much of each she was going to require. The next day when I showed up for therapy, it was Johanna there instead of Tris. I expected the worst from Jo, especially when she told me that Tris had asked to be removed from my case permanently. Jo explained that while I was in step-down therapy, we would only be seeing each other twice a week for the next eight weeks. I confirmed that we would keep my weekend visits with Miles, and Jo also committed to either her or Pedro being there if Tris could not.

What she couldn't do was get Tris to talk to me.

For almost eight weeks now, I have faithfully called Tris, and each time she's handed the phone to Miles. Our son is very smart, and inquisitive, so he's asked me multiple times if I knew why his mom seemed too busy to spend time together as a family.

I didn't know what to say, but I remembered some of the advice I've gotten from Mike, Jo and even Tris herself, I kept him out of the adult stuff. I explained to him that his mom was incredibly busy with her work, and that since I was so close to being considered for parole she needed to focus on other people who needed her more.

It was a white lie, but he accepted it as fact.

Tyson came by a few days ago to give me an update on where my appeals and pardon requests stood, and he said everything still looked great. He never questioned why my therapy had shifted from Tris to Jo, since I had seen Jo previously when Tris was sick it didn't seem to matter to the team. He informed me I had completed the required therapy as ordered by the court, so any continued care would be by my own choice.

Jo stopped by earlier today and echoed the same. It served as our "exit meeting", satisfying the court order and officially completing our obligated number of therapy hours. She and Tris were writing their recommendations that very evening, and as of midnight tonight she and Tris were no longer treating me professionally.

She stressed that point, repeatedly.

I immediately signed up for a conjugal visit, and it was approved without issue since I've finally earned the time with my good behavior. Next, I talked to Hector, and he had agreed to let me call Tris after midnight. He escorted me to a room that is strictly for the guards, told me I had five minutes, then stood guard outside of the door.

I dial her number with shaking fingers, and thankfully she answers.

"Please don't hang up." I say quietly.

"How are you calling me?" She asks.

"Hector is letting me use the unit phone. I only have a few minutes, can you please come here tonight?" I ask.

"Eric, it's after midnight..." She argues.

"I mean later. I was approved for a private visit from seven to ten tonight. Please." I rush.

"A conjugal? You can't be fucking serious." She replies in an irritated voice.

"Tris, please hear me out. I'm not asking for some cheap fuck, I'm asking for us to be able to talk, alone, uninterrupted and without cameras. I already know that you and Jo are done with my case, there's nothing inappropriate about you being here. Please."

"It's inappropriate, and Miles..."

"I already talked to Jo about it during my personal phone time, you can ask her yourself later. It's allowed, and she said she and Pedro would watch Miles. Please just try. I have to go, but if you can make it just go to the main desk like you always did for our therapy appointments. They'll check you in."

Hector opens the door and I immediately hang up.

"What did she say?" He asks as he chains me back up.

"She didn't answer me." I sigh.

"Well, she didn't say no." He replies.

"I guess that's true. Thank you for that."

"No problem, but don't expect it again. You've got to be on your best behavior from here out, you're so close man." He says and I nod my head.

We make it back to my cell without being spotted, and I lay back down in my cot. I don't know what to expect, because in that brief conversation with Tris it didn't sound like she was too keen on coming up for what she knows is considered a conjugal visit.

All I can do is hope.