Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I am extremely sorry about the amount of time it has taken to update. I can't promise it won't ever happen again but I can promise to try my best not to let it.

Chapter Two…Time of Regrets

Marco entered the classroom on Friday with a stack of papers in his hand. He was five minutes late on purpose.

"I've read your papers and I must say, you have more in common than you'd even venture to guess. Most were well written, some need improvement and a couple were almost unreadable. So you will see comments written in the margin, please adhere to the suggestions for your next assignment." Marco said as he handed back the papers.

Dylan took his paper out of Marco's hand and looked at it. There wasn't a grade or a single mark on it of suggestion. The only thing written in his husband's patented scrawl was, 'See me after class.' Dylan looked up at Marco in question but only received a blank stare and then his back.

Marco conducted his class without interruption. He discussed their first creative assignment. It was to take a movie plot and rewrite it. He couldn't wait to see what they'd choose and come up with to make it better or worse.

He ended class a little early and watched as eighteen students left the room. Dylan and a cute blonde girl stayed behind.

Marco looked at the blonde girl in question, "Can I help you?"

She smiled shyly, "You don't remember me, do you?"

Marco looked at her, "I'm sorry but no I don't. Help me?"

Dylan was laughing a little behind his hand. The blonde girl turned and looked at him, "Don't think you're off the hook either Dylan Michalchuk."

Dylan stopped laughing abruptly and looked at Marco. Marco shrugged and turned to the girl again.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "Fine, my name is Cristin. I'm James' niece. We met at Six Flags nine years ago and then I went to your wedding. Any of this sound familiar?"

Marco smacked his forehead, "I should've known by the spelling of your name. It's rather unusual."

Dylan was still silent as he looked at the blonde, trying to see the little girl he met all those years ago. "It's good to see you." He said when he recovered.

Cristin looked between the two, "Okay, I've got to go see Uncle James. See you both Monday."

Marco nodded and she headed out the door.

After it closed, Dylan looked at Marco, "You requested a meeting."

Marco nodded, "Yes, I did. It was extremely hard to grade, seeing you only wrote two sentences."

Dylan shrugged, "The song said it all for me."

Marco walked over and sat in front of Dylan again like he had that first day, "What went wrong? Why did you stop coming home?"

Dylan shrugged, "I don't know. Every time I left, it just got harder and harder to come back. I felt like you were continuing with your life, I had hockey and my own apartment, which before you say it was probably my greatest mistake, and it just felt like we were growing but separately. I still loved you with my entire being but seeing you thriving without me was getting harder to swallow. When did you decide coming to the home games was no longer important?"

Marco looked down at his knees, "About two months after your last visit home. It took that long before I let myself acknowledge you weren't coming back."

Dylan reached up and put his hand on Marco's knee, "Why didn't you come to the apartment? You have a key."

Marco half laughed, "I felt like an outsider there. Every time I'd come over, you'd have at least two other players there. It just wasn't somewhere I felt comfortable. It reminded me of a part of your life that I'd never share nor understand."

Marco looked at his watch, "There's another class in here in fifteen minutes. I've got a meeting with James and my advisor in thirty, so I'd better go."

Dylan nodded, "I'll see you Monday."

Marco walked out of the classroom and straight to James' office. He knocked on the door and waited for the acknowledgement. When it came, he entered.

"What's up my semi-colleague?" James asked in jest.

Marco laughed, "Your niece is in my class."

James nodded, "Yes, is there a problem?"

Marco shook his head, "Not really. I'm just a little leery about someone knowing my past with Dylan in my class."

"She won't say anything. I'll make sure of it." James said.

"So, Tess' christening is tomorrow, right?" asked Marco.

"Right. Still agreeing to be her godfather right?"

"I was made for the part." Marco said laughing.

James stood up, "Time for class. I'll see you at 9 tomorrow morning."

Marco laughed, "Time for me to see Mrs. White. My first review…how scary."

James patted his shoulder as the two left the office.

Marco skated through his first review meeting. He left feeling better than he had in a long time.

Marco went home to his empty house and looked around. Almost all traces of Dylan were gone. He'd never noticed that the pieces of their life together were disappearing one by one, replaced by newer memories. Ellie and Marco dancing at Ellie's wedding last year. Paige and Chad's wedding six years ago. Marco's various degrees and awards. Over the last five years, Dylan was being pushed farther into the background. It was disheartening for Marco to realize.

He couldn't face the inevitable demise of his relationship that had been a long time coming, so he picked up a book and went to bed.

Saturday morning came way too quickly for Marco. He'd had a horrible night sleep. He kept tossing and turning, having nightmares about Dylan leaving him again. The weird thing that Marco could not figure out was when Dylan had actually left the first time.

Marco got up, showered and put on his suit for the christening. He met James, Leslie, Tess, and Cristin outside the church.

"Who's the other half of my duo?" inquired Marco, taking Tess away from Leslie.

"Hey, what are you doing? She's mine…" Leslie protested.

"You get her all the time. Let me enjoy my goddaughter." Marco said turning away from her, shielding Tess from Leslie's grasp.

The five entered the church and then Marco realized no one answered his question. "So, anyone going to answer my question?"

James and Leslie shared a look as the door opened again.

Marco turned and looked to see who was entering. Dylan emerged from the sunlight. Marco groaned. "How could you do this to me?"

James shrugged, "We wanted the best couple we know. When we decided this, during the first pregnancy, you were still together and happy."

"It's called a re-evaluation. Especially when said couple is no longer together." Marco said testily.

Dylan watched the display with an odd fascination. He never thought of the impact something like this could have upon them. Hell, he didn't know that Marco was the other godparent either but he wasn't freaking out.

The priest approached, "We still doing this?"

Leslie and James nodded, "Yes. Let's get it done. Marco, Dylan…I hope you'll put aside your differences for an hour and agree to do something that will benefit our child in the long run." Leslie reasoned.

Marco and Dylan looked at each other and then down at the infant in Marco's arms. The both nodded simultaneously.

They got through the christening side by side.

Marco was having mixed feelings. It felt right to be standing so close to his husband, in a church no less. It was also rather upsetting. A real shock to the system.

Dylan was also feeling something he hadn't felt in a long time. He felt love, the same feeling he had on his wedding day. It might have just been nostalgia with the priest and the ceremony and everything but he wasn't sure. He was almost positive though that it was true feelings that he'd managed to suppress for a while.

They went their separate ways at the church steps. Marco went home and Dylan went to James' for a party.

Sunday dawned for a sleepless Marco way too early again. Every time he'd closed his eyes the prior evening he saw Dylan. First it was the christening, then the wedding, then the honeymoon. All his memories of Dylan were flashing on the back of his eyelids.

He went to the school gym to work off some of his nervous energy. He had to do something because any more nights like this, he'd be worthless by Friday.

As he was running on the treadmill, he saw Dylan come in from the locker room. He barely faltered a step as Dylan came over to him.

"Can we talk?"

Marco shook his head no, "Running…talk later."

Dylan nodded, "When will you be done?"

Marco shrugged as he kept running.

Dylan shrugged and turned to walk away, "Fine, I'll be on free weights whenever you want to talk."

Marco just nodded.

Marco made his run longer than necessary to prolong his time before talking to Dylan again.

He stretched out his muscles that were screaming from over use. He couldn't avoid him any longer and seeing he was working out right near the locker room, he'd have to pass him to get out. Marco took a deep breath and walked toward his husband.

"You wanted to talk…"

"Yeah, just a sec. One more rep." Dylan panted as he completed a curl.

Marco watched as Dylan's muscles rippled with each curl. He felt a familiar stirring that he refused to acknowledge.

"Okay. What's going on with us?"

"That's a loaded question."

"Maybe but one that needs to be answered."

"We've got two choices…"

"I know…"

"A divorce or reconciliation?"

Please review. I will try to get out the next chapter sooner.