A/N: Sorry this took so long to update. I've been crazy busy and I didn't even get to add everything I wanted to in this chapter because of it. I had most of it written and then it got deleted and I had to start over. The chapter was suppose to continue into the next day and their trip/first night in NY, but I couldn't add it so that will be next chapter.

Chapter Six

Sharon sat in front of her vanity, pulling her robe over her bare skin, not bothering to actually close it. The fabric just covered her breast, but left a rectangle of flesh down her torso exposing her cleavage. The robe had puddled in her lap. She looked into the mirror, and watched Brenda dressing herself in the reflection. Her bed was once again tossed due to the activities that had taken place in it. Brenda hummed softly as she buttoned her blouse. She leaned down to her bag on the floor and pulled a small blue gift bag out of it. She walked over to Sharon and set the bag down, and placed a soft kiss on Sharon's neck.

"What's this?" Sharon wondered, turning slightly to look at Brenda.

"A present. I know your birthday is soon, and I don't know exactly when so I am givin' it to you now," Brenda replied.

"You didn't have to get me anything," Sharon replied, almost horrified. "I hate my birthday, and I NEVER celebrate it. Hence why you don't know the exact date."

"We aren't celebrating, I just got you somethin'. Can't you just take it?" She pushed.

Sharon sighed, knowing she was defeated. She reached over to the bag, set it on her lap, opened it, and pulled the small box inside of it. Sharon swallowed harshly at seeing it was a jewelry box, and looked up to Brenda. Brenda nodded slightly, urging her to open it. Sharon pushed the top of the black velvet box open, and found a ring inside. The ring was that of a black opal with green flecks inside it. The gem was surrounded by small diamonds and encased in a silver band. Sharon looked up to Brenda speechless.

"It reminds me of your eyes," Brenda explained. "Do you like it?"

Sharon shook her head in awe. "I love it, but I can't accept it."

"Why not?!" Brenda retaliated in defense.

"For multiple reasons. One being, how much did this cost you? I couldn't have been cheap!"

"It wasn't, but I don't care. I wanted to get it for you. And whatever the other reason is, it doesn't matter. I got it for you, and I refuse to return it," Brenda argued.

Sharon sighed, and pulled the ring out of its case. She looked at it even closer. "It really is beautiful." She turned her gaze to Brenda, who was now leaning against Sharon's vanity. "Why this ring, opal isn't even my birthstone?"

"The black opal symbolizes a changin' soul, but only in a way of seein' who they truly are and all they can be. It shows good, self-strength, being whole. I see that with you, when I am with you. I see who you truly are, and not the person you portray for everyone else. And I want this ring to be a sign of that, for you not to forget that person. That no matter what happens between you and I, you have a part of me and I will always have a part of you." Brenda rubbed her lips together, and brought her eyes to the floor.

"I don't know how this is goin' to end between us, and it scares me. I want to be with you but I can't, and I don't want to lose you either. I'm stuck, and I just want this to show you that though I don't what I can do, that I…" love you, she almost added. But refrained from those words. She rubbed both index fingers out the outside of her nose, bringing them to her forehead, then running both sets of her fingertips down her temples to her cheeks. "I need you to know how much I care and need you. That I will never let go of you."

Sharon stood, and wrapped her arms around Brenda's waist. She rested her head on Brenda's shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you," Sharon whispered. "Ever," she added. "I will never let you go, and I will always be here."

"Do you promise that?"

Sharon lifted her head, looking Brenda square in the eye. "I do," she said firmly.

"No matter what?"

"Yes." Sharon shoulders dropped. "Why are you so unsure of us all of a sudden?"

Brenda sighed, and pushed past Sharon to the bed. She sat on the edge, and pushed her hair behind her ear. She looked around, and landed on Sharon.

"It's Charlie," she said giving half of the truth.

"Your niece? What does she have to do with you and I?"

"She has decided to switch to Berkley, and stay out here."

"And?" Sharon pressed on.

"She knows about you and I," Brenda explained. "I am not sure what she knows, but she senses somethin', and I'm worried."

"Do you really think she would say anything?" Sharon wondered, moving close to Brenda with the ring still in her hand.

"I don't think just on a hunch she would. But if she can see it, who is to say others don't?"

"I don't think you should worry about it too much right now. If she questions it again, then maybe we should be concerned. But we don't even know if she thinks we are having an affair. If we act like we think she knows, then it is almost certain people will start realizing." She sat down beside Brenda, and rested her hands on top of her thigh. She rested her head on Brenda's shoulder. She opened her left palm, which still had the ring in it, and lifted it into Brenda's view. "Can you put it on?"

Brenda smiled lightly, and lifted the ring with her thumb and index finger. She lifted Sharon's right hand, and carefully placed the ring on her index finger. Sharon lifted her head, watching Brenda put the ring on her. The ring fit Sharon's finger perfectly. Brenda turned to face Sharon, and enclosed on her mouth. It was a sweet kiss, gentle, and kind. It was right, everything was right in that kiss. Nothing mattered. Not even the possibility of being caught.

It was something neither of them could ever get over. How each kiss felt like the first. How each kiss washed away every worry. How both would feel like they could die happy in it, and could die without it.

Sharon pulled back, and wrapped her arm around Brenda gazed lovingly into Brenda's eyes. She wanted so badly to tell Brenda that she loved her, but was scared. Worried that if she said the words out loud that it would curse it. She opened her mouth, feeling it slipping out mouth.

"I love…" She began. She chocked, and dropped her eye's from the other woman's. "This ring is beautiful," she covered.

"What were you goin' to say?" Brenda insisted, hoping for the best.

Sharon shook her head. "That I loved the ring," Sharon lied. She cleared her throat, and looked at her clock. She saw she would have to leave soon to pick up Rusty and Gav from school. As Gav was staying the night so it was one less person to pick up in the morning. "I should get dressed, and you should be going."

Brenda stood and fixed her shirt. Sharon walked past Brenda and began placing her clothing over her body. Brenda waited for Sharon to finish putting on her pants before she began making her way to the living room. Sharon followed in pursuit of Brenda, and grabbed her jacket in the process. She began pulling it over her arms, and she turned to Brenda.

"Do you want me to pick you up tomorrow?" She asked Brenda.

"If you would, that'd be great! Otherwise Fritz will have to drop me off, and I don't want that."

"Nor do I," Sharon stated bluntly. She grabbed her bag and keys, and opened the door. She let Brenda exit first, and she followed locking her door in the process. They walked to the elevator, and were silent going down. Brenda's hand holding Sharon's lightly. "I will pick you up at around 5," she told Brenda as they stepped off the lift.

"Sounds good," Brenda agreed. They walked to the entrance of the building. "I will see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Sharon agreed. She gave Brenda a swift kiss, and parted way with her and to her car in the parking garage.

Brenda headed to her car, and drove home. On the way home, all she could think of was Sharon and how she was about to start a week long with her. The thought alone made her smile uncontrollably. She pulled into the driveway of her home, and was caught off guard by seeing Fritz's car. She got out quickly, and rushed inside.

"Fritz!?" She called out, but received no reply. She began checking from room to room, and found him in the bathroom sitting in the bathtub. A bottle of rum in his right hand. "Fritz! What the hell are you doin' in here?!"

He looked up to her, and squinted his eyes. "What does it look like I am doing? I'm drinking."

"In the bathtub?" She pointed out. He sighed and stood. His hair was thrown about, and his eyes had dark circles under them. "Why aren't you at work?"

"Suspended," he said, without a hint of hesitation.

"Why!?"

"Reasons," he replied. He pushed past Brenda, and walked to the living room. She huffed, aggravated not getting a real answer and knowing he wouldn't tell her. He never told her anything anymore.

"Give me the bottle," she said, going after him. She could only assume his drinking was the reason.

"No," he said, chugging the rest.

Brenda tried to get the bottle from his hands before he could, but he pushed her back into the wall. Her breath momentarily escaped her lungs. She sunk down to the floor. She didn't want to fight with Fritz, not today.

"Charlie is comin' over for dinner, I want you to be sober when she does."

"What's the point?" He asked as he set the bottle down.

"Do you really want everyone to know that you are a drunk?" She threw at him.

Rage spread across his face. He reached down, and picked up Brenda by her arms lifting her a few inches off the ground so she was directly at his eyes.

"I am not drunk!" he yelled.

"Fritz, please your hurtin' me," she begged. He let go of her arm, making her fall to the ground. He didn't intend to hurt her, but it seemed as though he kept doing exactly that. He wanted to blame her, blame the alcohol, but deep down he knew he was to blame. He turned away from her, not wanting to see the hurt or fear he had caused.

"Where were you?" He wondered. "When I got home, you weren't. You told me you took today off to finish packing."

"I was with a friend."

"A friend?" He asked in an accusatory tone. "What friend?"

"Sharon. We… we were talking about the trip. Polishin' some of the rough edges, like transportation," she lied. He could hear tears in her voice. "She is goin' to pick me up in the mornin' so you didn't have to drop me off." She carefully pulled herself off her hands and knees.

He turned around, and helped her off the ground. "I'm sorry, Brenda." He slumped against the wall. "I hope this week will help both of us… the time away from each other."

"I hope so, because I don't know how much longer I can take this Fritz," she replied. She knew she was going to leave him, but hoped that the terms of her leaving would be better than now.

"I don't blame you."

She turned to him. "I love you, but you aren't the same. I am tryin' so hard to be strong for you."

He reached out and touched her face gently. "I know; thank you. You shouldn't have to put up with this. You should have already left. I know I've hurt you, both emotionally and physically… You don't deserve that. You've done nothing wrong." Brenda swallowed hard, because she knew that wasn't true.

"I need to try and help before you destroy yourself… But Fritz, we are never going to be the same," she told him. "Even if you stop drinkin'."

"But we can try. I promise I will let you help and I will try to quit, because I can't live without you."

"I will believe that when I see it." She didn't believe him, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him that even with trying to be the same, they wouldn't.

He gently grabbed her head, and kissed her softer than he had in months. She let him, even as his hand began to roam as it had on many account. She fell into her old ways, but a part of her was gone. A part of her heart was with Sharon, even as he began taking her against the wall. Guilt swelled in her, as it had anytime she had sex with Fritz. She had promised Sharon she wouldn't, but yet here she was again. This time had been different though, he was soft and kind. She felt it odd how guilty she felt having sex with her husband, but not a single once of guilt while in her mistresses arms. But what could she do? Refuse him? Though she had promised Sharon, she found that sometimes she couldn't refuse him. This was one of those times.

They both new the end was drawing for them, but they couldn't help to hold on as long as they could. She couldn't help but feel that was why she still allowed him to touch her. It was as though she was scared of moving forward. She was scared of leaving him, and of the life she would have to face. They both were still in love, but they were to broken. Things had gone so far, and neither was strong enough to hold on for the length written in their vows. It was only a matter of one of them actually declaring it out loud.

Brenda knew why they hadn't said it, because there was still a glimmer of hope somewhere in Fritz. Hope that this trip would give them enough time away from each other for him to try straighten things out. She couldn't bring to leave him alone once he hit rock bottom. Neither knew the trip to come would only separate them further from each other.