Joey leant up against the car, anger and frustration with his wife rolling over him in waves. If anything over the years they had been together she had gotten even more stubborn and pig headed and once her mind was made up about something he knew that there would be no changing it. But that didn't mean that he wasn't going to try his hardest.

He unlocked the car and he got in and started the engine as it started to rain. He hated that she was so stubborn. That she was so pig headed, that she wouldn't listen to reason. That she wouldn't even consider his feelings in this whole situation.

He started the engine and then hit the steering wheel, what he really wanted to do was shake her until she saw sense, saw things from her perspective, until she realised how terrified he was of the prospect of spending the rest of his life without her.

He rested his forehead against the steering wheel, closing his eyes, he was a coward. His wife was crying her eyes out in the living room and he was just planning on driving away, to where he had no clue; only that he wanted there to a lot of alcohol involved. He raised his head and he reversed the car off the drive, he looked towards the house and a pang of guilt gripped him, Lauren needed him. He knew that he needed to go back inside and step up but he was furious with her and he couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't end up having another row. She didn't need that, she didn't deserve that. He sighed and he saw the front door open, Lauren stood there looking at him. She stepped out into the rain. Joey frowned and drive back up the drive and he turned off the engine, but made no move to get out of the car. She crossed the drive and she opened the car door and she crouched down.

'Joey' she whispered softly 'Please don't leave'

'If I don't we're only going to end up fighting and I don't want to fight Lauren' he told her

'I know me either' she said putting her hand onto his thigh

He sighed and he took her hand in his 'I don't know what to do, what to say' he said to her 'Lauren you don't understand how terrified I am… I've been through this once before when you had the car accident. You don't understand how I feel in all of this. How the kids will feel'

'The kids will still have you'

'And what about me? Who will I have?' he asked her 'and don't you dare say the kids, because you know that's not what I mean'

Lauren licked her lips 'Please come inside' she asked him

'I just want to go out and get drunk'

'And what will that solve?' she asked him 'what's ever been solved by going out and getting drunk?'

'Hangovers' Joey replied half seriously

'We have alcohol inside' Lauren suggested and he sighed

'I just want to go out, get away from here' he told her

Lauren pulled her hand out of his 'Away from me' she said and she stood up

'No Lauren that's not what I meant' he called after her as she headed back towards the house,

'Yeah well that's what it sounded like' she replied, 'If you can't bear to be around me now when things are okay what is it going to be like if things get bad?' she frowned as she spun round to look at him 'If you're going to go then go' she told him as he got out of the car

'Babe don't' he shook his head as he slammed the car and locked it and walked towards her 'you just need to try and see things from my point of view' he told her 'Let's get you inside before you get a cold' he told her and he put his arm around her and he led her back into the house. He shut the door and guided her to the lounge in front of the fire. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of towels and rushed back to her side 'let's get you out of these wet clothes' he said as he started to peel her shirt off. He soon had her stripped to her underwear, he pulled the blanket off the sofa and wrapped it around her and started to rub her hair with the towel.

'You got wet too' she said and Joey looked at her

'I'm not worried about me' he told her and he draped the towel around her neck and he poured two scotches, he handed the small one to Lauren and then drank his down in one. 'Sit in front of the fire' he told her 'Get warm and I'll run upstairs and get you some dry clothes' he paused by the drinks cabinet and poured another generous helping of scotch and took it upstairs with him, he was only gone for five minutes but when he came back the glass was empty. He had a towel around his neck and had changed into a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, he put some clothes for Lauren on the sofa before he poured another scotch.

'I didn't know that you still had that t-shirt' Lauren said as she looked at the shirt she had given him on their first Valentine's Day.

'Yeah course I have. You gave it to me'

'I know that. You haven't worn it for a while'

'I don't want it to fade' he told her

'Joey I'm going to be okay' she told him, he didn't look convinced 'I got through the accident didn't I?' she asked him

'Barely. You died on the operating table' he reminded her 'you were in a coma for a month'

'I know that, but…'

'But nothing, I was the one who sat by your bedside every single day, who spent every single night with you'

'I know…'

'I thought you were going to die Lauren' he said to her 'and yes okay you survived even when the doctors said that you wouldn't, what if this time you don't?' he asked her 'I can't imagine spending the rest of my life without you'

'Then you find someone else' she told him

'You don't get it do you?' he frowned at her 'I don't want anyone else' he said to her 'I don't want to spend the rest of my life with someone else, I want to spend it with you' he told her 'Why is that so hard for you to understand' he asked her 'You just think that I'll get over you and move onto someone else?' he said as he poured another scotch. Lauren's hand covered the top of the glass as he started to raise it to his lips.

'What if I do get rid of the baby and they run their scans and tests and they tell us that it isn't cancerous, that it's just a tiny tumour and that all I need is radiotherapy?' she asked him 'We've already lost three babies, I don't want lose another one, and I don't want to make the decision to terminate this pregnancy' she looked up at him 'Please Joey….'

He sighed and he put the glass down 'You are supposed to be getting warmed up by the fire' he told her, he turned her round and guided her back to the fire, she turned around in his arms

'This could be the last chance that we have to have another baby' she said 'What if I can't get pregnant again or if I have more miscarriages, I'm 39 years old…'

'So another baby is more important that being with me?'

'No that's not what I'm saying. I want both' she told him fresh tears rolling down her cheeks 'I can have both'

'Don't cry' Joey pulled her into his arms 'Ssh babe don't cry' he kissed the top of her head gently, he rocked her gently and after a while she pulled away to look up at him

'You know that I don't want to leave you Joey' she told him' 'I've been in love with you from the first time that I saw you. I'm stronger than I look, you told me that once do you remember?'

'I remember but…'

'No buts' she shook her head and her eyes fell to his lips and she moved forward and she pressed her lips against his softly 'I'll be okay, promise'

'You don't know that, you can't know that' he murmured

'I could get hit by a bus tomorrow' she said to him 'Does that mean that you are not going to let me leave the house?'

'No of course not' he said to her

'Look I'm just asking you not to look at the worst case scenario that's all. Try to see things from my point of view' she told him

'I do see things from your point of view' he told her 'but it's not going to be the end of the world if we don't have another baby, we already have four children and I can live without having another child Lauren' he told her as he tucked her wet hair behind her ear, 'but I can't live without you. My world would end if you died' he whispered '16 years isn't enough time' he shook his head 'I want more time with you' he said 'I don't want to wake up without you beside me, I don't want there to ever be a time when I am not able to kiss you, to hold you, to tell you that I love you, to hear you tell me that you love me, to never be able to make love to you again' he told her, his tears rolled down his face, Lauren swallowed, Joey didn't cry often, his child hood with Derek taught him that it wasn't a manly thing to do, he tried not to cry when he was upset, she could count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times she had seen him cry.

'I'm sorry' she whispered quietly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, her blanket fell to the floor 'I'm sorry' she repeated as he returned the embrace 'I love you' she turned her face to his neck and pressed soft kisses to it, along his jaw line and then finally to his lips. The kiss grew deeper and he pulled her closer to him, clothes were pulled off and discarded as they moved onto the floor in front of the fire, kissing each other hungrily.

Joey moved over her and sank into her in one swift movement, causing them both to moan in unison, he began a relentless pace as Lauren's nails dug into his back hard enough to draw blood. He groaned as she arched up against him with a tiny cry.

Joey lips moved against her neck, sucking the skin hard, nipping it with his teeth.

Just as Lauren was close to her peak he rolled them so that she was on top and his hands moved to her hips guiding her movements, slowing her down.

'Joey..' she whined

'Not yet babe' he told her, she knew that he wanted them to reach their peak together so she slowed her movements, they held each other's gaze as they moved in a perfect synchronised rhythm, Joey groaned loudly 'Like that Lauren… fuck… just like that' he said. He slid his hands down to her thighs and 'that's so good …. Fuck Lauren that is so fucking good' he closed his eyes and he felt her hands on top of his, they threaded their fingers together and then she tugged gently and he sat up, their movements stopped as they kissed, tongues duelling together, they broke their hands apart and Lauren's hands fisted in his hair and Joey's hands moved back to her hips as he started to guide her movements again, her breathy moans and soft groans told Joey that she was close and he turned them again and he pounded into her.

'Lauren baby!' he cried out as she exploded around him, setting off his own climax.

He collapsed on top of her spent and exhausted and she held him tightly as they both caught their breath.

'Wow!' Joey exclaimed 'We haven't done that in a while' he said

'No we haven't' Lauren replied 'and I know that's been my fault I haven't felt like..'

'That's not what I meant' he told her 'You haven't been feeling well' he said and he brushed her hair away from her face and he smiled down at her 'we've both been busy and tired after a long day at work' he said and he kissed the tip if her nose softly

'I've missed you..this with you'

'Me too' Joey nodded told her 'We're so good at this'

Lauren giggled 'We've had a lot of practice over the last 18 years or so'

'Yeah we have' he grinned back at her, he grew serious suddenly 'I love you so damned much Lauren' he told her

'I love you too Joey' she replied softly and she drew him into a brief kiss. Joey felt himself growing hard again, even at 42, the woman beneath him could make him feel like twenty year old again, he wanted her again and judging by the surprised grin on her face, she wanted him again too.

He was more than happy to oblige.

AN: Thanks for all the reviews, thank you for reading. Glad that you like this story.

R&R as always