Sorry for the delay; the last week has been very busy.

Della arrived in Los Angeles some hours later. She knew that traffic in that area would be atrocious regardless of the time of day so she had given herself plenty of time. Mason had tried to stop her from leaving that morning, hoping that she'd at least stay long enough for them to talk more about it after he returned home from work that day. For Della, she had long since tired of talking for it seemed that Mason never heard her anymore or if he did, he failed to really listen or understand where she was coming from. She needed him to show her he still cared, not just tell her. She had left him with that as she walked out of the house, suitcases in hand. She hadn't even let him assist her with those and he'd stared dumbly after her as she got in her car and drove off. That hadn't surprised Della honestly. Like most people, the same held true for Mason that it was easier to advise others on what to do than it was to know how to help oneself. The career minded judge needed time to think and plan; time Della was content to let him have.

Della arrived at the Burgers' home at about three that afternoon. She was greeted by Hamilton's wife, Alexandra with a mixture of excitement and concern. The two women talked on the phone often, though they didn't see each other in person but maybe once or twice a year now when Della and Mason traveled down to Los Angeles to see their daughter, Diana who was in law school. Ironically, Diana and the Burgers' youngest son, Warren were the same age and attending the same school. And were dating to their parents'surprise. Della was anxious to visit with her daughter and find out how that was going.

Burger and Alexandra had been surprised with the arrival of their fourth child. They had married very young and their first three children had been born during their early to mid twenties. Three had been comfortable for them and they hadn't anticipated adding to their family, certainly not with the older three almost raised and out of the nest. They couldn't deny that there had been mixed emotions about the unexpected pregnancy, but with Della and Mason's child due to arrive the same year, there were lighthearted jokes about the two youngsters growing up as playmates and eventually opponents in the courtroom like their fathers someday.

"Hamilton still hasn't hung it up yet," Alexandra grumbled jokingly as she helped Della with her second suitcase. "He swears he's not a workaholic and will retire after Warren finishes law school. I'm not sure I believe him."

"I've been having the same problem with Perry," Della nodded as she followed Alexandra back to one of the spare bedrooms. If Della remembered right, this room used to be Hamilton and Alexandra's oldest daughter, Helen's room. Helen though, had long since moved out and had a family of her own now. The room was fully furnished and comfortable, owing to Alexandra's warm touch. Leaving the unpacking for later, Della and Alexandra moved to the kitchen. Della was a little tired from the drive from San Francisco, but since Alexandra had gently (and jokingly) acknowledged the elephant in the room already, Della took the opportunity to discuss some of it before Hamilton joined them from work and gave them the man's point of view. It wasn't that Della had no interest in hearing things from that perspective, but she craved some understanding from another wife who was married to a workaholic herself.

Taking a moment to sort through her feelings and gather her thoughts, Della helped Alexandra put on some tea. That Whitney Houston song she'd heard in her car during the drive down earlier kept playing in her head.

And I... will always love you, ooh Will always love you

"I still love Perry," Della said after a long moment. "But it's been lonely since he got the bench. I knew he worked long hours because I'd worked those hours with him for several years. I guess it took his judgeship to make me realize that those long hours hadn't bothered me before because I was working right alongside him. In some ways, I feel less like Perry's wife now that I'm legally married to him than I did back then when we had practically every meal together at the office. Now, he gets home so late most nights, I don't even bother cooking like I used to."

Alexandra nodded at that last. "I fee like I use the microwave more than anything else now that all the kids are out of the house. I was used to feeding a small army and then one day, there wasn't one anymore. Just me and Hamilton, whose arrival home I could never predict with any certainty."

Alexandra pondered Della's situation. She wanted to be helpful to both her and Perry somehow. "How is it aside from his work hours? Does he still remember anniversaries, birthdays?"

That actually made Della smile happily as she recalled some fond memories of their most recent anniversary. An anniversary that Mason had arranged to take off months in advance. They'd gone on a short cruise filled with excellent food and dancing; and for that time, Della had forgotten she rarely saw her husband the rest of the year. It had felt like old times and the memories came back unbidden. She'd almost forgotten about that trip and was grateful that Alexandra had brought that up. Mason's aging former secretary needed and wanted to remember happier times, but she still wasn't certain if those were going to be enough to sustain her the rest of her life, with or without her husband.

Bittersweet memories – That is all I'm taking with me. So good-bye. Please don't cry: We both know I'm not what you, you need

Della fervently hoped Alexandra could help her decide that or help her find a way to make Mason see that memories of better times weren't enough, especially now that they were getting older and should be making the most of the time they had left.

"I just want Perry back, Alex. The Perry I can work for or the Perry I can sit on the porch with and hold hands. I need and want to be with him. Really with him and doing things with him. Not just legally married to him."

"I know, Della," Alexandra said with an understanding smile. "We'll get this figured out, I promise."