Disclaimer: I do NOT own Desperate Housewives or any of the characters. I do not own the songs I named the chapters after. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: This episode takes place during the 5-year gap, after latest chapter, One hand, one heart.

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

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Mary Alice's voiceover

The world moves fast. Sometimes too fast. A whole life can change in the blink of an eye. When we find happiness, all we hope for is the Earth to stop turning and time to freeze so that we can stay in the moment forever. But, as they say, even the best things come to an end…

For months, they kept giving each other some of the most magical nights in their lives. All the stress of having to hide from the rest of the world and resisting each other in front of the crowd was worth it just because of the wonderful moments they shared in the bedroom. Sometimes it was romantic and tender, with candlelight and a hot bath. Other times it was wild and passionate and they would take each other against walls or doors. They were not themselves… but they liked every minute of it.

Bree was alone at home, packing a small suitcase, humming and smiling joyfully. Katherine was doing some shopping. The following day, they were driving to the neighbouring city, as there was a conference they had to cater. They were only supposed to spend three days there, but they had also booked a romantic hotel for the weekend. They were both looking forward to it very much.

The telephone woke her up from her daydreams. It was probably Andrew, she thought.

'Hello?' she answered cheerfully 'Who's that?'

As soon as she heard who that was, her eyes widened and a wave of shock jolted her body. She could not see herself, but she was probably looking even paler than she was.

'Y… yes, I'm here' she stuttered 'Thank you, thank you very much. On Monday, then. See you'

After hanging up, Bree had a look at the almost full suitcase. Her nice weekend plans had just been ruined… How was she going to tell Katherine?

'Bree, I'm home!' Katherine shouted as she came in, carrying three shopping bags.

She walked to the kitchen to put the shopping to its place. While she was doing so, she heard Bree coming in.

'I bought some extra strawberries' Katherine informed happily without turning to see her friend 'Thought we could save some for the weekend'

At that point, she noticed the expression on Bree's face and stopped smiling.

'Are you alright?' she asked.

'Sit down, we need to talk' Bree responded.

They both sat down in the kitchen. Bree explained everything about the call she had just got half an hour before.

'So… he's coming back from jail on Monday?' Katherine said once she had finished.

Bree nodded her head.

'I'm afraid we'll have to cancel our weekend trip. You'll need the time to pack your things and move out. I'm terribly sorry'

Except for a sigh, Katherine remained silent for a while, her eyes on the floor. Perfect timing.

'Well… I really felt like spending the weekend with you, but if it's impossible, then there's not much we can do' she finally looked at her, faking a smile, her eyes filled with tears 'I knew this day would come sooner or later. I just thought we would have more time…'

'Katherine, I'm sorry' Bree repeated.

'I'm alright, honey' she caressed Bree's hand 'We both knew it wouldn't last forever. You have a husband to take care of and I… well, my work here is already done. We were just two friends helping each other in times of need. You know what they say… don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. I'll call this afternoon to cancel the reservation'

Bree would have wanted to tell Katherine that she was aching as badly as she was. The days she had spent with her had been some of the most beautiful in her life and she had almost forgotten that they would be over. Deep inside, although she loved Orson, she did not want him back. However, admitting that would only make things even harder on Katherine.

'Thanks for being so understanding' was all she could say.

The days that followed were hell. They spent most of the time together, working side by side, but it felt horrible. Being close to each other and knowing that they could not even hold hands was a torture. They had agreed that, so as not to make everything more complicated than it already was, they would avoid any kind of physical contact and pretend none of what had happened in the past months existed. But it was not easy. Deep down both of them had strong feelings for each other, and the fact that it was impossible was what hurt most.

After those three days, which seemed like weeks, they went back home to start packing Katherine's things. She also slept her last two nights at Bree's home in the guestroom. That was also handy – this way, Bree could not see her crying. On Sunday afternoon, they had already finished and Katherine was ready to move out. Bree helped her carry the last few boxes to her home.

'Looks like there's nothing missing' Katherine looked at the boxes that surrounded her 'Thank you so much for helping me'

'It was the least I could do' Bree responded.

Bree was standing by her front door. For some instants, they just stared at each other, not knowing what to say.

'I still can't thank you enough for all you did for me' Bree said.

'That's what good friends are for' Katherine smiled 'And don't forget that if you need anything, I'll still be here, next-door'

'So… will we still be friends?' Bree asked, afraid of the answer.

'Of course! I told you, you'll never lose me'

Their faces got closer and closer once more. However, in the last second, Bree turned her head to kiss Katherine's cheek. Katherine smiled.

'I never got a chance to say this to you, but… I'm proud of how you managed to get over your addiction so quickly'

'I wouldn't have made it without you' Bree admitted.

'Yes, you would. You're a great woman, Bree. I'm happy to have you as a friend'

Katherine hugged her friend goodbye tenderly. She felt a stab of sadness when she smelled her perfume, knowing that she would not get the chance to have her so close anymore.

'Have a good night, Kathy' Bree said when they broke the hug, walking back home.

'You too'

Katherine had barely closed the door when she broke into tears. She had tried to be understanding and supportive, but she could not kid herself anymore – she was in love with her best friend. And she knew it would take her ages to get over it…

To be continued…