I am posting this on another site but I thought I'd add it here as well. Fanfiction Support have added a couple of characters to the list for me, so a shout out to them for that!

CHAPTER ONE

Imogen drove slowly into the car park, staring up at the hotel that was the destination of her long journey. And her every instinct told her to turn around and go back the way she'd come. In truth, she was dreading the weekend that lay ahead. Mainly because she suspected she'd have to spend it answering questions from people who didn't keep up with gossip or Facebook updates about where Daniel was.

She was Imogen Willis, the family's golden child. School captain. Ace student. Fast-tracked through a law internship and highly respected in her field. The one black mark on her record: Before the age of twenty, she got married to a guy she'd been with for less than a year (and still managed to break up and get back together with once, or was it twice?), the only person she'd ever slept with, who would have married someone else a year earlier if he hadn't decided to go and explore a well instead of turning up to their wedding. A dreamer with his head in the clouds who'd probably be more at home in a hippy commune than as the husband of a lawyer.

And somehow she'd thought it would work out.

As a result, as a single/divorced woman, she was now attending the wedding of her younger sister to a long-term boyfriend. Not only that, but the groom was someone Imogen had once had feelings for herself. And so was his brother.

Imogen sighed and parked the car. She couldn't just abandon Piper because the weekend would be difficult for her. She needed to go to the wedding and support her. In short, she needed to suck it up.

She unpacked her suitcase from the car and wheeled it into the hotel. A part of her had hoped she'd make it to her room without seeing anyone she knew. No such luck.

"Imogen!" Piper was near reception with a crowd of friends and quickly came bounding over on seeing her sister. She looked as pleased to see Imogen as she ever had done, but maybe marrying your true love did that to you. She gave Imogen a quick hug. "I'm so glad you made it!"

"This is like totes amazing." That was Xanthe of course, Piper's best friend and Imogen's fellow bridesmaid. "We're just going for drinks in the bar, you should come."

"Maybe later,"Imogen managed. "I'm surprised Tyler isn't with you."

Piper rolled her eyes. "We're not joined at the hip, you know."

"At least not usually,"Xanthe interjected.

"We're spending our last night apart."

Imogen managed a smile. "Piper Willis doing things the traditional way. Never thought I'd see it. I'll just drop my case off, then I'll be down, okay?"

Imogen was extremely tempted to stay in her room, but she knew she had to get out there and support Piper. Leaving her cases unpacked with a resolve to attend to them as soon as possible, Imogen went back out into the corridor and headed towards the lift. However, she was stopped in her tracks by loud voices from a nearby room. Voices that sounded worryingly familiar.

"Well, why did you come then?"demanded a female voice.

"I'm beginning to wish you hadn't!"retorted a male one.

"I'm here for my sister, not for you."

"Well, go and be with her!"

"Fine, I will then!"

Imogen stayed still as someone emerged from the room: Her half-sister, Paige. Paige hadn't noticed her and was starting to head off towards the lift. Imogen considered staying quiet but politeness caused her to call out "Hey, Paige!"

Paige turned round and painted a smile on her face. "Imogen, hi!" She nodded towards the lift. "I was just going to go down and check on Piper. You coming?"

"I'll be down in a bit,"Imogen found herself saying. "Tell her I'll be there later." She waited until Paige had disappeared out of sight, then went to the door Paige had come out of and knocked on it.

"Not now!"called the voice from inside.

"It's me,"Imogen called back. She waited a moment and was rewarded with the door being pulled open to reveal Mark, Paige's husband and Tyler's brother. He stepped aside and indicated with his head for Imogen to come in. Imogen obliged. "I just wanted to check on you."

Mark let the door swing closed, then went to a table and poured a glass of scotch. "You want one?"

"Just a small one,"Imogen agreed, sitting down on the bed.

Mark brought her glass over and sat down on the bed, swinging his legs up so he was virtually lying down. "You hear all that?"

Imogen perched on the edge of the bed, taking small sips of the glass. "Some of it. You having problems?"

Mark shrugged. "I dunno. I kind of always thought we complimented each other and in some ways we do. Maybe if we hadn't lost the baby we'd be all right. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Gabriel, he should be enough… Maybe it's just us. It seems like all we do is argue."

"Yeah, but you've always been fiery,"Imogen pointed out. "Passionate. I kind of envy that about you."

"I love her,"Mark confirmed. "I'm just not always sure that she's exactly what I want or that I'm exactly what she wants."

"Well, marriage is about compromising, meeting in the middle." Imogen sighed. "That's what I was told, anyway."

Mark nodded. "So, are you here on your own then?"

Imogen gave a tight smile. "Nice swerve. I take it you know about me and Daniel."

"Yeah." Mark smiled back. "No offence, but I always thought he was a bit…wimpy for you."

Imogen couldn't help but laugh at his directness. "Yeah, apparently I was supposed to 'challenge him'. Constantly nag would have been a better description. I'd think he'd have been happier with a wife who was as passive as he was. As it is, he's currently living in the most desolate spot he could find, getting back to nature and deciding that some tree hugger is the real love of his life. He was so determined we'd be exactly like his parents he didn't really see us." She sighed. "I can't blame him entirely. I was caught up in the romance of it all, that big Anna of Green Gables wedding. I didn't really give enough thought to the marriage that would have to come after it."

"He was lucky to have you,"Mark told her. "Anyone would be."

Imogen shot him a sceptical look. "Yeah, I don't remember you thinking that when I was practically throwing myself at you. What was it? If you were going to date again, you'd go for someone your own age. Like my sister. And my baby cousin."

Mark laughed in acknowledgement. "Okay, yeah, maybe I'm an idiot too."

Imogen gave him a grateful smile. "It's nice of you to say so."

Mark sat up, moving up onto his haunches so he was closer to her, his expression suddenly serious. "No, really. Think about it. Imagine I'd thought more about what was in front of me then. Imagine the two of us had got together. How do you think that would have gone?"

Imogen put her glass down and pulled her legs up onto the bed so she was kneeling in front of him. "I don't know. Maybe it would have worked out?"

"I think so." He leaned in towards her, slowly, giving her the chance to move away, yet she found herself staying and even moving her head to invite it, and then he was kissing her and she was wrapping her arms around him as he pulled her closer and she wanted it, even though everything logical in her was telling her it was mad she wanted it.

Continuing to kiss each other with quiet intensity, they fell back onto the bed.