Holy crap! Ok, so this is the infamous update, you know the one I promised about a million times and never delivered on…sorry! But I hope its worth the wait, it was kind of hard getting back into the swing of writing this again so I hope this isn't too bad! I'm sure you'll let me know either way!

Thanks for being so patient with me and a special thanks to all those people who were kind enough and dedicated enough to this story to send me constant PM's asking me when the next chapter was! Well, here it is: enjoy :)

"Peter Matthew Dunham!"

The man in question winced painfully, trying his best to prepare himself for the verbal onslaught he knew was coming.

"I am sick of having to pick up after your bloody mistakes! You're 29 years old for Christ sake, when are you going to start acting your age and keeping a reign on your life?"

Moira Dunham slammed the coffee cup she was holding down onto the counter top, not in the least bit concerned when the liquid sloshed over the sides and onto her hand.

"Mum," Pete shook his head. "I didn't come round here for a lecture, alright?"

"No," she shot back. "No, its not alright. You have got to realise that your marriage involves two people,"

"Yeah, him and his right hand," Steve sniggered from the sofa.

"Oi!" Pete frowned, getting up from his place on the floor.

"Sit back down, you bloody idiot!" Moira snapped before turning to point at her older son. "And you can keep your mouth shut n' all. Last thing I need is to be worrying about how to get your blood out of his clothes,"

"As if he'd get that far," Steve rolled his eyes.

"Steve, go make yourself useful and buy some biscuits will you?" Moira sighed. "You can't have tea without biscuits and those weird vegan wafer things your wife buys are a bloody disgrace,"

"You're kicking me out of my own house?" Steve snorted. "Can't you take him and go have your little pep talk somewhere else?"

"Steve!" Moira shouted.

"Fucking hell, alright!" he put his hands up and narrowed his eyes to where he could see his brother making obscene hand gestures to him over their mother's shoulder.

"I know what he's doing," Moira snapped as she watched his mouth open in protest. "Pete!"

The snigger of childish laughter followed Steve moments after he had gracefully flipped him the finger before strolling out of the door.

"So what now?" Moira shrugged as she turned to face her youngest son. "What are you planning on doing about this?"

Pete felt the smile drain off of his face as he met her eyes, trying to force his brain to put a sentence together. To say something, anything to get her off of his back.

"Its just a barney," he croaked out eventually. "You and dad had them all the time,"

Moira shook her head and came to stand in front of him before lowering herself down and sitting cross legged opposite him.

"Your dad was no bloody picnic," she sighed. "He was inconsiderate, selfish, daft…"

Pete snorted.

"But through it all I loved him," she continued. "I would have done anything for him,"

"See, so…"

"No," Moira stared at him hard. "You have to understand something he didn't. Love is limited. I know how awful that sounds but it is…we're all human and there's only so far we can be pushed before we start to question things."

"You think Allie's questioning our marriage?" Pete snapped at her.

"I think you need to start considering the possibility that one day…"

"No!" Pete shouted, standing up and stepping around her, pacing Steve and Shannon's kitchen the same way he had been in Benjamin's living room all morning. "No, that's bollocks! You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yes I do!" Moira shouted back. "You want to know something? The only reason I never left your father is because I had nothing else to go to."

Pete stared at her, watching as tears gathered in her eyes, tears she fought so hard to keep inside.

"If I thought even for a split second that there was something better out there for me I would have taken you and your brother and been out of that door before he could blink!" she sobbed. "But I didn't have that. I was working as a cleaner, I had no qualifications and a mountain of his debt on my back. There was nothing else for me…but Allie…"

Pete felt something clench in his chest as his mother lowered her gaze to the floor and shook her head.

"She's smart, beautiful, successful, she comes from a good family…that girl can have anything she wants."

"Alright, I get the fucking picture, mum," Pete hissed at her. "I struck gold, I got lucky…"

"No," Moira shook her head vehemently. "That's not what I'm saying."

Dropping her chin to her chest for a short moment, she willed herself to lower her voice before standing up and coming to stand beside her son.

"Pete," she spoke softly. "Pete, you're a wonderful man. You are, you're an amazing father, you're good to Allie, she knows that, we all do but you and Allie were kidding yourselves if you thought marriage was going to be easy. It bloody well isn't, especially when you two come from such different back grounds,"

"We're not some fucking after school special, Mum," he snapped.

"I know that," she snorted. "But you aren't exactly peas in a pod, either. You have to work a little harder than most people…" she met his gaze and held it sternly. "And sometimes that means sacrificing the things you don't want to,"

Pete knew in that instant that his mother was talking about the firm. She wasn't naïve, she knew damn well that the GSE had a pull on him. Just like his father. Just like Steve.

"She won't speak to me," Pete mumbled eventually.

"Well then just make her listen to you," She pressed. "Make the first move, Pete. Before its too late,"

Patting him on the shoulder, she moved back to the table and picked up her coffee, smirking into the steam drifting up her nose as she heard the door close gently a second later.

"The blue one,"

Allie spun around and raised an eyebrow at the blonde lounging on her bed.

"The blue one?" she questioned. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Poppy nodded vehemently, swishing one of Allie's silk pashmina's around her neck and adjusting the oversized sunglasses she was wearing. "With the black and red shoes,"

Allie blinked as her daughter pointed to the Louboutins at foot of the bed. The kid was getting far too good at this.

"When you're away can I stay up late?" Poppy grinned toothlessly.

"No, you can't," Allie laughed.

"Can I drink coffee?"

"No,"

"Can I wear lipstick?"

"And cover up that pretty little face?" Allie mock glared. "Never."

"Can I eat McDonald's every day?"

"Only if I get to keep the happy meal toy,"

Allie jumped and turned to see Pete leaning against the door frame, looking everywhere but at her.

"Daddy!" Poppy squeaked, climbing clumsily off of the bed and practically running into his stomach.

"Oomph," Pete grunted as she grinned up at him, lifting her arms and wiggling her fingers.

"You're starting to get heavy."

He smirked at her as he hoisted her up with one arm and nuzzled her neck, making her giggle.

"Am not," she squealed.

"Well how about you go and play with Uncle Harry for a sec while I talk to mummy?" he asked her.

"Can I play x-box?" Poppy grinned.

"As long as you beat Uncle Harry, you can play whatever you want," he laughed as she wriggled down and ran out of the room, tripping over the scarf as she went.

"No playing Call of Duty!" Pete shouted after her, knowing damn well what she and Harry were like.

Clearing his throat, he looked back up at Allie who merely stared back at him for a millisecond before turning her attention back to her closet.

Sifting through the rails, she forced herself to stay strong, knowing that he was obviously here to apologize to her but hell if she was going to make it easy on him, not after-

"The blue one,"

She froze, her breath catching in her throat as she realised he was right behind her, his hand brushing against her bare arm as he reached past her to pick one strapped blue gown off of the rail.

"Your arse is ridiculous in that dress,"

Against every fibre of her being, she laughed, closing her eyes and biting the inside of her cheek to keep quiet.

"Don't do that," she whispered, taking the hangar out of his hand.

"Do what?" Pete frowned.

"Come in here and just pretend everything is normal and fine," Allie sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Its not and you know it,"

"That's why I'm here," Pete shrugged, taking a step back from her and sitting on the edge of their bed. "To clear the air,"

"Clear the air?" Allie raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you clear the air?"

"You're not gonna make this fuckin' easy, are you?" he breathed.

"And why would I do that?" she smiled sweetly.

"Look," Pete shook his head, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped under his chin. "Cards on the table, I don't want you to go. I don't trust this Nathan bloke and I'm not just being a jealous prick,"

"Pete…"

"I know how important this is to you, I know how much you want to go," he looked at her, meeting her eyes pleadingly. "But I'm asking you, as your husband…as your best mate…"

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Don't go,"

Allie stared at him for a moment, a look of disbelief on her face.

"How can you say that to me?" she hissed. "How can you sit there and tell me what I can and can't do when there's a ticket to a football game on the nightstand?"

"Allie,"

"No!" she pointed at him. "No, you don't get to come in here, making me feel guilty for wanting to further my career when you're planning on going out with the GSE,"

"Its not like that!" he shouted back. "For fuck sake, the GSE is done, you know that!"

"Really?" she laughed. "Done as in actually done or done as in I'm-about-to-get-my-head-kicked-in 'done'?"

"Alright, you know what?" Pete snapped, standing up and snatching the ticket off of the dresser. "See this?"

He pushed it at her face and then ripped it into two, letting the pieces fall to the floor at their feet.

"There, I'm taking the first step, I won't go."

"And?" Allie shot back. "You think that makes us even?"

"Makes us even?" Pete frowned. "What are you? Fucking 12?"

She went to storm past him but he grabbed her arm.

"No, you don't get to storm out every time the shit hit's the fan," he met her eyes head on. "I'm not storming out," she shook her head. "But I'm not caving in either,"

"Caving in?" Pete laughed. "Why are you trying to fight with me?"

"Because its all I've ever done, Pete." she shouted, her temper finally snapping. "For the last seven years all I've done was make exceptions, excuses, turn my head, hold my tongue,"

"Well if I'm that much of a fuck up then why did you marry me?" Pete shouted back, not letting himself pay attention to the fact that their bedroom door was still very much open and Harry and Poppy were only down the hall.

"Because I love you," Allie hissed. "But that didn't make it any easier for me, to sit at home wondering where the hell you were, if you were even alive,"

Her voice cracked on the last word and she took in a deep shuddering breath, trying to calm herself before continuing.

"I know you want me to stay, Pete but I can't…" she bit her lip. "I don't want to,"

Pete's heart stopped momentarily, the blood in his veins turning to ice and stabbing at his skin as he tried to process her words.

"You don't want to be here…with me?" he stumbled.

"God, its not about you, alright?" She laughed. "Its about me, Pete. Its about what I want, what I need to do. For me."

She reached up and touched his face gently.

"You have to understand that,"

He met her gaze, his blue eyes cold and unreadable.

"I get it," he shrugged her hand off. "You need to go. Nothing I say will change that,"

"Pete…"

"Nah," he shook his head and took a step back from her. "Don't bother, Allie. I got the message loud and clear…I know where I stand,"

He walked towards the door and stopped with his hand on it, gripping the wood tightly and closing his eyes, fighting the anger coursing through him as best he could.

"You know I always put you first," he told her, his voice calm and even. "If I had to make the decision…and I did…it was you, every time."

"This isn't the same," Allie scoffed. "You were putting your life in danger, you were in a coma! I just want to go on one work trip and its like the world is ending."

"Its not the world ending I'm worried about, Allie," Pete told her, stepping into the hallway and leaving two words echoing through the room and tears burning in her eyes as she realised what he was implying.

"Its us."

Not the happy ending you were expecting? Well...you'll just have to wait and see how it pans out, won't you? I promise it won't take MONTHS this time though! I hope you're kind enough to read a review. :) And remember, I said be nice! Its been a while since I've got my Intervals on so I'm still settling back into it! :P