By the time Miranda had made it to the front door, all that was left of her wife was a cloud of smoke that had ejected itself from the exhaust pipe of the cab she had hailed. Miranda turned back inside to meet with her loyal subjects.

When she returned home it was well past midnight and the whole house was asleep. She closed the door and locked it quietly behind her, before removing her shawl and the stilts she called shoes. She began the slow climb up the flights of stairs to her shared room. She was determined not to awaken her wife, and so slipped into the bathroom that was on the landing, rather than use the ensuite. She had a quick shower, weighed herself and used the bathroom. She would have to use the ensuite in order to brush her teeth. Upon entering the bedroom she discarded her dress and shawl along with her shoes onto the chair in front of her vanity. She leaned over to the large bed two women shared, arms out in order to make contact with her wife-a wife who wasn't there. Upon this realisation, Miranda turned on the main nights in the bedroom and was met with an empty bed. Confused, she turned and left the bedroom and proceeded down the hall to the spare bedroom, where, upon opening the door she found her young wife. Andrea was curled up with her back to the door, Miranda could see the brunettes shoulders shaking as they rose and fell. She switched the lamp on that was beside the door closed circle behind her. Upon realising that her editor wife had entered the room Andrea quickly wiped her eyes and made to sit up. Miranda approached the bed and sat on it facing the young journalist.

"Why aren't you in bed?"

"I am" the brunette answered stubbornly

Miranda sighed "Why aren't you in our bed?"

The brunette mumbled something before dissolving into tears again. Miranda, startled, move forward to hold the younger woman who resisted and made to move out of the way. "Darling" Again Andrea dodged her wife's arms. "Darling, what is it?"

The brunette mumbled into the hand that was over her mouth to stifle her sobs. Miranda was getting frustrated and held the younger woman's arms down on the bed. "I cannot hear you through your fingers."

The brunette sniffed and looked up at the editor "I hit you, I can't sleep in the bed knowing I abused you"

The editor closed her eyes. Damn this girl for being too sentimental. She reached for the brunette who had once again put her hand to her mouth and broken into tears. "Andrea, darling listen...listen" She held the crying woman to her chest and hushed her soothingly. "You did not abuse me; I would not stand for it you would not stand for it"

"But I-"

"You got over excited that is all, besides if I remember clearly - our honeymoon left us both with a week of...discomfort" she smirked.

"It is not the same"

"Oh? And why not?"

"I hurt you"

"Yes." Miranda held tighter as the distraught woman fought to leave her grip. "But you stopped when I asked you to. What is the difference between now and our honeymoon? Or last week, when we used the bondages?"

"I wanted to hurt you."

Miranda let go of the younger woman. She wasn't expecting to hear that

"What?"

The brunette was sitting up fully now and was staring at her lap, her hands clenched in frustration, hit the duvet on either side of her legs, and punctuated each syllable of her speech. "I wanted to hurt you; I wanted you to see what you are doing to yourself, to this family, to me. I wanted you to feel something other than hunger, other than the need to be so damn perfect and skinny. Miranda I wanted to know my wife is still alive!" Suddenly a flip was switched. Andrea lost control as she screamed and cried and called Miranda every name she could think of. She did not move to touch the startled older woman, but she made damn sure she vent all of the frustrations. "And you know what's even worse? Do you? Do you?!" There was not answer from the editor I'll tell you then! You have two wonderful, impressionable female children who not only see airbrushed twiglets in the magazine, but also watch you eat nothing all day. I cannot cope with my three girls dying of starvation!"

Miranda said nothing, she got up off the bed, kissed Andrea on the forehead, turned the light off and left the bedroom; leaving the younger woman to wonder if she'd just blown her whole family to smithereens.