It was Wednesday afternoon. Rafe and Mattie had left early to get home in time for their marriage counselling appointment, but Tobias didn't know that. All he knew was that he was single – dumped, because two cats didn't think he was up to scratch – and that something iffy had occurred with his brother earlier in the week. He knew, because Vicky had a Big Mouth, because Rafe was his brother and he had a sixth sense about those things, and because Vicky had a Big Mouth. Mostly because of Vicky's Big Mouth. In truth, he wasn't a very intuitive person at all. He wouldn't have known were it not for Vicky's Big Mouth.

Said mouth had let slip in the form of a phone call where he'd contacted Vicky to ask why he couldn't get hold of Mattie (he wanted to update her on the status of his relationship with Monica and Joan). Vicky had promptly referred to "Rafe totally losing it and smashing the glass wall". When he asked for further details, she'd realised that her oral cavity was oversized and had promptly shut it. Thus, all Tobias knew was that Rafe had totally lost it and smashed a glass wall. He did not know why. He did not know if his brother had "found it" after he had "lost it", and he did not know how Chris's heart had taken the shock. He also hadn't been able to find anyone to whinge to about his separation from Monica and Joan.

The remedy to this was, of course, to hot-foot it to the Paxton and Colville office as soon as the school bell rang for the afternoon. Thus, he was stood outside Rafe's empty office, wondering where his brother was. Wondering how quickly they'd managed to replace the glass wall; where glass that big came from. He supposed it helped that they were a firm of architects and therefore in the know when it came to walls and windows. He spun on his heel, faced the opposite direction, and noticed that there was no Mattie, either.

Once upon a time he'd have assumed that they were having a shag somewhere, but now he thought it unlikely. But the meeting rooms had glass walls and he could see that they were devoid of Rafe and Mattie also. He was flummoxed. He couldn't even ask Vicky, because she was on the phone! He did the most sensible thing he could think of. He went to find Lydia.

'Hi,' he said, knocking on her open door. It swung open even further and she looked up at him in irritation.

'What?' demanding, accusatory.

'I just wondered if you knew where Raffey is?'

'You do realise that it's still the working day. For those who can and don't have to teach, at least.' He scowled.

'I can do lots of things. I chose to teach.' He straightened his spine. 'Anyway,' he said dismissively, 'where is Raffey?'

'Gone home. Why?'

'Did he lose it again?'

'Excuse me?'

'Vicky mentioned that he lost it on Monday. Wouldn't say why. I wanted to check on him.'

'I'm sure he'd appreciate your concern,' she told him with an insincere smile, before turning her attention back to her computer.

'Do you know where Mattie is?' he tried.

'Gone home.'

'So, it's obviously not still the working day for all of those who can and don't have to teach!' he declared triumphantly.

'What do you want? More woman trouble I presume, if you're looking for Mattie. Nice cover story with concern for Raffey, by the way. It would have been more believable if you hadn't shagged his wife for four years, but what can you do...?' she said with a small smile.

'Hey!' Tobias grumbled. 'That was low.'

'No, what you did was low. I'm merely stating fact.'

'I can see why Raffey rates you so highly,' Tobias sighed, ceding defeat.

'Toughen up!' Lydia snapped, when she saw Tobias's body sag. 'You may as well spout your lovelorn nonsense and get it off your chest. I've heard enough about your girlfriend's cats and spirit animals to follow the gist of whatever you've got to say.' Tobias bit his lips, eyeing her in assessment. He supposed he had already asked her for advice once. He might as well off-load on her again.

'I told her about Bianca. And Kate – Rudy's ex; Evie's mother.'

'I didn't know about Evie's mother,' Lydia mused. Tobias nodded contritely.

'It was after I broke off my engagement to Mel; that's the woman Mattie's former fiancée cheated on her with. The one he was going to marry.'

'I know who Mel is. Raffey and I designed her house for her.'

'The one with the grass-roof?' Tobias enquired. She nodded. 'That place was awesome. That's... impressive.' And she seemed strangely pleased with his praise. 'Anyway, I didn't know who Mel was – about her history with Mattie – so that was an accident. I don't count that at all. There was no affair or anything; just another shit where you eat kind of thing.'

'You Paxton men are quite eloquent, aren't you?' Lydia drawled, although her lip was twitching at the corner. 'How did it go then; your confession?'

'Oh, Emily was pretty cool about it. Unimpressed, obviously, but quite nice, all things considered. She told me she'd have to speak with her spirit animal – who visits her in dreams – so she called me the next day with her answer. She dumped me over the phone. Well, I guess her cats did; her cats and her spirit animal, but yeah, she couldn't get past it. I have malignant energy, apparently.'

'Are you disappointed?' Lydia asked gently.

'Well, not so much about Emily. It was very casual. She was a bit weird. But I am a bit gutted that I came clean and it ended things. I'm going to have to keep coming clean, aren't I? Every time I meet someone new. It'll probably keep ending things, too,' he sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

'Perhaps date someone who already knows, then?'

'Someone who already knows? Like who? They're all family or they're taken; married to my male relatives, and I'm not fool enough to go there again!'

'Well, yes, it does limit your options slightly.' He looked crestfallen, staring at his feet. She took pity on him. 'Would you like to get dinner?'

'You and me?' Tobias asked, glancing up at her in alarm.

'Yes.' He looked at her; clear skin, pleasant hair; kind of nondescript. An angular face; her jaw was square without being wide. Her eyes were green. Her brows were brow-shaped. Not clown shaped and drawn on with crayon.

'Yes please,' he nodded.

'Good. When?'

'When would suit you?' Tobias asked. Lydia looked at him with a slow, lingering gaze and a smirk stole across her lips.

'Good answer,' she said, in a voice which did not sound professional at all.

While Tobias was securing himself a date with a sane, intelligent, decent woman, Rafe was sat on what he suspected was an Ikea sofa. It was thinly stuffed. A bit boxy. The fabric wasn't luxurious. Beside him on the narrow sofa – all Ikea sofas are narrow; mercifully in this case, because he wanted to be close to her – sat Mattie. They didn't touch, but they were close. They could have easily held hands if they'd wanted to.

They didn't want to. They were having marriage counselling, after all. Marriage counselling which Rafe was certain had been dragging on for hours.

'So,' Miranda said, crossing one leg over the other. 'How did it make you feel?' Mattie shrugged.

'At the time, I thought it was really romantic,' Mattie mused, 'but in hindsight, I sometimes feel pissed off. I do know that he was trying to be nice when he bought the old church, but when I think about it now, I get stuck on the fact that he completed the sale without consulting me. What if I hadn't wanted to live there, y'know?

'And when did you begin to feel this way?' Mattie didn't really know. She presumed it was after her dad died. She hadn't really thought about it before.

'Perhaps once I was annoyed with him,' Mattie admitted. 'After my dad...'

'And do you still feel annoyed. Now, today?'

'Well...' She moved her head in a so-so attitude. 'Not really, because I can see the gesture for what it was. But I do think that I'd be unhappy if he did it again. Now that he knows how I've felt lately. Does that make sense?'

'All feelings make sense,' Miranda assured her, to which Rafe snorted. 'Because all feelings are valid,' Miranda stressed, giving Rafe a warning look. 'Now,' she continued, turning back to Mattie with an encouraging smile. 'You had other examples of things that have been troubling you lately?'

'There was my dad; putting off going to see him. Raffey did veto seeing him before Christmas; inviting him to his mum's.'

'May I speak?' Rafe asked.

'Not yet,' Miranda told him. 'This is Mattie's chance to say how she feels.' He nodded calmly, but inside he was seething. Who the f*ck was Miranda and why did he have to do what she said? Because you want Mattie to forgive you. You want her to love you...

'No, it's fine,' Mattie said. 'Go on,' she added, looking to Rafe.

'No.' He shook his head. 'You have your say.' Mattie scowled.

'I don't think it's fair to tell him he can't speak. I certainly wouldn't like it if I couldn't defend myself.'

'Rafe will get his chance in a moment,' Miranda assured her.

'But what if he's got a valid point? What if I go off on a tangent and his valid point may have stopped me?'

'But what about your valid feelings?' Miranda returned.

'Well, yes... They are valid.' She bit her lip. 'Unless they aren't. My best friend – Vicky – sometimes I think she's batshit crazy. I love her like a sister and I totally get her, but sometimes I just think nope! And I'm sure she thinks the same about me at times, as well. You must occasionally, too?' she asked, looking at Rafe.

'Well, yes, but not in a bad way.' She smiled.

'So yeah. My feelings are usually perfectly valid, but sometimes I think not.'

'Well, I'd like to hear them – and I'm sure Rafe would like to hear them – even if they're not completely valid.' This last said as an instruction to Rafe, rather than as a casual observation.

'But you just said her feelings were valid,' Rafe questioned.

'They are.'

'But, –' he began, before Miranda cut him off.

'It's Mattie's turn.'

'Of course,' he said contritely, wondering if she had any friends. He thought it unlikely, considering he found her so obnoxious.

'Well, after vetoing seeing Dad before Christmas, Raffey came up with excuses not to see him in the New Year. I get that he had reasons, but I think he could have tried harder. I know I could have gone without him, so I don't blame him for the fact that I didn't go – I've worked past that with James – but I do think he let me down.'

'Anything else?'

'He had cancer recently. Testicular cancer. He didn't tell me. He had surgery before I found out, and I only found out because of work complications; because he felt he had no alternative but to tell me. I know things were very difficult between us at that point, but he's my husband. To not tell me; to take away my right to support him...My choice... It really hurt. It felt like a betrayal.'

'That's understandable,' Miranda agreed, 'but it happened at a complicated time in your relationship. We'll need to talk through it together slowly. It's not something we can gloss over, for both of you, I'd imagine.' Mattie nodded her agreement. 'Anything else?'

'Well...' she mused. 'He did sort of fire me a few years ago. That was really horrible, but he apologised. He explained why and I understood. I got my job back and we moved on, but the way he did it; the lack of communication. It wasn't handled well. Not considerately, like it should have been.'

'And do you feel that Rafe is inconsiderate in general?' Miranda asked. 'Or just occasionally?'

'In general,' Mattie nodded calmly. 'To other people, all the time. But he's very caring towards me.'

'And what's your main concern in the relationship? What change do you want from him?' The killer question. Mattie wasn't really sure. She liked a Hell of a lot about him, after all.

'He could...' She stumbled. Think! 'He could talk to me about what he's thinking or feeling. He could trust me to understand. That way he wouldn't feel the need to just decide things on his own. I think he tries to protect me from things. From bad news or from getting hurt. From letting me see weakness in him.' Was that right? Probably. She thought it was. 'I just want more communication. I think we usually work well when we understand each other.'

'Are there any other areas to work on?' Miranda asked.

'No. I don't know. I guess I want to hear what Raffey thinks.' She looked at him apprehensively, and it was a natural reflex for him to take up her hand, press a kiss to it, and keep it held in his own.

'Shall I talk now, or not?' Rafe asked, waiting for permission from their master.

'Yes. Go ahead. Let's start with any response you might have to the points Mattie's raised.'

'Okay,' he nodded. 'Well, the house. I do understand that I took away her choice. It was supposed to be a surprise and I'd put a lot of thought and effort into making sure it was a nice surprise – that she'd be happy – but I can see that it was too large a decision to be made on my own. I shouldn't have done it.'

'But I do love the house!' Mattie insisted. 'It's literally my dream home.' Rafe smirked at her.

'I tried my best.'

'But you got lucky,' Miranda interjected. His brow dipped.

'Luck implies it was left to chance. It wasn't. I know Mattie better than anyone. I listen to her; to the little off-hand comments she makes. I took into account where we work, the commute, where my mother lives, the school we'd chosen for the boys. I checked the local amenities. I travelled to almost every church or chapel for sale in southern England before I chose that one. I may have had no right to choose on my own, but it's not down to luck that Mattie likes it. We designed the whole thing together. It's been done to her exact specifications.'

'He's an award-winning architect,' Mattie said, with obvious pride.

'Right,' Miranda nodded, seemingly unimpressed. 'Any other thoughts on what Mattie's said?'

'Yes. About her father. About not visiting him before Christmas. We did discuss it. I thought we'd reached an understanding. If Mattie felt coerced or dissatisfied with the outcome of that conversation, she should have told me. She didn't.'

'Is it possible that she felt unable to?' Miranda asked, playing Devil's advocate.

'Unable?' Rafe repeated in confusion.

'Frightened, perhaps? Or, –'

'No!' Mattie gasped. 'Raffey's never frightened me. He's not like that.'

'Not even in words?'

'No!' Mattie insisted once more. 'He's loving and protective. Besides, I give as good as I get. Probably far worse, when I'm angry.'

'With violence?' Miranda asked with concern.

'No, with sulking and nagging and swearing and things.'

'We'll come to that,' Miranda promised. 'But it sounds as though there was a breakdown in communication with regards to seeing your father before Christmas?'

'Not really,' Mattie admitted. 'Only that I understood Raffey's reasoning and it all made sense to me. I just didn't like the reality of the situation. But I do sometimes rely on him to be the pragmatic one. I get emotional. I'm not as calm and rational about things. I guess I sometimes find that irritating, that's all.'

'Okay, so Christmas shows us that perhaps you ought to have voiced your displeasure with the decision. It's possible that doing so may have changed Rafe's opinion, no?'

'I don't know,' Mattie shrugged. 'But it was probably the right decision. It definitely was, actually, because Christmas Day at his mother's house had a massive argument between his God-cousin and his partner's family, and his aunt got totally pissed. Not an ideal venue for an alcoholic.'

'I see.'

'The, er... The cancer; my cancer,' Rafe corrected. 'I just felt that I couldn't talk about it. That our relationship was too strained for me to be able to say what I wanted to say. To burden her, and to rely on her. To risk making her feel guilty. If we'd been together as usual, obviously, I'd have told her. She'd have no doubt found the lump herself, but...' He tossed one shoulder apathetically. 'She hadn't wanted to speak to me in months. It was hard for me. It took its toll and I just couldn't...'

'You were suffering in your own way, and the diagnosis must have been frightening, but you did tell Mattie, and we'll work on things from there. Can you tell me about this issue with work? She said you fired her?'

'I'm an architect. I have my own business alongside my business partner, Chris. Mattie is my P.A. After we got married, she began to have input in our business decisions. I wanted her input, but it wasn't fair on my business partner. It became two against one. It just... I wasn't being fair. A proposal was made to cut down to one P.A. between the pair of us. Chris didn't want Mattie as his P.A. She'd worked for him before and they didn't get on professionally. I felt I needed to make a gesture; to show him that I could do what was best for the business without prioritising Mattie. I let her go, and the way I handled it – not warning her first – was wrong. But frankly, I didn't know how to tell her. I just... felt caught in the middle. I apologised and we talked things through. I know where I went wrong and how I hurt her; how I could have done things differently, and I've worked on it. I don't think I've made more mistakes like that with work?' he asked, turning to look at his wife.

'You haven't,' she told him.

'That demonstrates positive communication. Really effective communication and resilience, as well,' Miranda smiled. 'I'd like to just get an overview now, of any concerns you might have, Rafe?'

'Concerns?'

'Are there aspects of your relationship which have troubled you?'

'No.'

'That's not true,' Mattie whispered.

'What?'

'You said I sulk. That I hold a grudge. Remember?'

'Well...' He frowned. 'You do, but it's not a problem for me.'

'Can you give me an example of Mattie having held a grudge?' Miranda asked, because it was clear that he'd give "yes" and "no" answers, otherwise.

'When I fired her. She went to stay with my mother for a week. Took our son with her. Wouldn't speak to me on the phone.'

'We all need space from time to time, and sometimes we need to go no contact, but it's not a helpful way to resolve a disagreement. Communication is key to overcoming challenges together.' Obviously. What were they paying her for?

'When Mattie's father died... Obviously, she asked me to leave. She wouldn't have a meaningful conversation with me. It's only this week that we've really started talking. I know she was grieving and she didn't feel well, so I'm not trying to imply that it was stubbornness on her part, but I do believe that if she'd been willing to speak to me, we could have resolved things already.'

'And nagging? Mattie feels she nags you? Is that merely her perception or yours?'

'Hers,' he replied immediately.

'What about the baby?' Mattie asked through gritted teeth, as though hoping that Miranda wouldn't have noticed the prompt. Of course, she did.

'Baby?'

'Mattie would like another baby. I'm fifty-two. I love our boys but I'm not a young father. I feel as though I'm too old to have another child. That the risk of me dying before a third child is fully grown is too high. For their sake, and for mine. We discussed it many times. It's something we both feel strongly about.'

'And how do you feel you've nagged him?' she asked Mattie.

'I knew talking about it upset him. That it felt like I was emotionally blackmailing him,' Mattie winced. 'But he's always been so strong and healthy, and he's such a good dad. He hardly seems to have aged since I met him, and I really did want another child... I guess I struggled to accept his decision. I hoped that if I kept asking, he'd eventually change his mind.'

'And do you still feel that way? I noticed you used the past tense.'

'I don't,' Mattie sighed. 'Raffey's cancer diagnosis; it kind of made me realise that he's not invincible. And if I'd been pregnant – like I wanted to be – when my dad died, or when Raffey found out about the cancer... If I think about how much harder things would have been; how much I'd have needed him and he'd have needed me...' She shrugged. 'We have two beautiful boys. I've only got one ovary anyway. He's only got on testicle.'

'I'm not infertile,' Rafe assured her. 'Besides, I had my sperm frozen before the surgery, just in case.'

'Did you?' Mattie asked, agape.

'I didn't want it to be impossible; not if it was that important to you.'

'That's... that's really lovely.'

'I do still feel too old, though,' he warned.

'I think you are now, too,' she lamented. He tried not to feel offended.

'This is all really interesting,' Miranda nodded. 'We've got some good communication happening here, but Raffey – may I call you Raffey?'

'No, you may not,' Rafe told her.

'Rafe then,' Miranda smiled, a tad insincerely, he thought, 'I worry that the communication between yourself and yourself, is lacking.'

'Sorry, how would you like me to communicate with myself? Masturbation?'

'Raffey!' Mattie hissed, mortified.

'What? I'm not schizophrenic. I really don't see how I can communicate with myself.'

'I meant with regards to you being honest with yourself,' Miranda explained, 'but if it would make more sense to you, we can say that I'm referring to communication between you and I. You seem reluctant to share your true feelings.'

'I've got nothing to share,' Rafe said deadpan. 'I don't have complaints or concerns. I've always been very happy in our marriage. We're here for me to understand Mattie and what she needs from me. She knows how I've felt of late. Prior to that, there's never been a problem for me.'

'But Mattie did say that she "gives as good as she gets". That she swears? Can we talk more about this?' He shrugged.

'We both swear.'

'What sort of swearing?' Miranda asked.

'You want a list of swear words?' Rafe snorted, with one arched brow.

'Swearing in general, or swearing at one another? Swearing where both parties are comfortable with swearing isn't a problem, but abusive language – directed at one another – is disrespectful.' Rafe looked at Mattie from the corner of his eye. She swore at him all the time. She insulted him. They bickered, and she resorted to name calling. It didn't bother him.

'I do have a tendency to insult him. He insults everyone, but he doesn't insult me. If he does, it's rare, and I know by the tone that it's never said in anger. But I think I do...'Mattie winced. 'Am I very disrespectful?' she asked, looking at her husband beseechingly.

'Jesus Christ,' Rafe groaned. 'Don't let her get in your head!'

'But –'

'No!' he insisted. 'You're mouthy and I love it. I love you. We bicker. It turns me on. You know I love you just as you are. Don't apologise and don't change.'

'We should discuss this, though,' Miranda interjected.

'There's no need,' Rafe snapped, putting his arm around Mattie's shoulders. 'We don't need you putting thoughts in her head, making her doubt herself. You're making her feel guilty and she's felt guilty enough recently about her Dad. Back off.'

'You don't need to take that tone, Rafe,' Miranda consoled.

'I'm not taking a tone.'

'He's not,' Mattie agreed.

'Do you usually try to dominate conversations in this way?' Miranda challenged.

'Have you always enjoyed the sound of your own voice?' Rafe said drolly, but as Mattie scowled and interjected with, –

'How is he trying to dominate anything? He's disagreeing with you, that's all!'

'And he's initiated physical contact. He's placed his arm around you in a domineering manner,' Miranda supplied.

'In a protective manner, because you're making me feel bad!' Mattie hissed.

'If she's making you feel bad, why don't we just go? We can find someone else, or you can talk to James?' Rafe urged, his voice lowered in supplication. He pulled her close. 'Don't feel bad. I love you. Remember how rude you were on my first day in the office? Remember the "wanker" mug you gave me? All of that, and everything that came after; I fell in love with you. With everything about you. She doesn't know us. She doesn't understand. Her opinion is meaningless.'

'I hate to think that I've disrespected you, though. That I've been abusive.'

'You haven't,' Rafe insisted. 'Not to me. We understand each other. We always have. We can say whatever we like to one another. We always know how it's meant, and it's never meant badly.' She smiled. Miranda smiled too.

'Good stuff,' she sighed; long and slow. 'My work here is done.'

'Only because we're not coming back!' Rafe scoffed.

'No,' Miranda corrected. 'Because you won't have a word said against Mattie, and because although Mattie was able to list things which had bothered her, when you defended yourself, she was in agreement. You've overcome a lot of your issues together. You struggled with Mattie's bereavement and your cancer diagnosis because you were apart. You're much stronger as a team than you are as individuals. Look how quickly you both turned on me when you felt I was attacking your partner.'

'Did you...' Mattie knit her brow. 'Did you deliberately try to wind him up? Did you deliberately try to get us to defend each other?'

'Everything I say is deliberate. That's why I'm so expensive,' she smiled. 'But on a serious note, it was clear to me that Rafe is only here for you; that he didn't have anything he wished to discuss himself, which meant he either had no complaints or that he simply wasn't willing to talk. I think it's a bit of both. And a man who has no complaints and no desire to see a counsellor but sees one anyway, is a desperate man. A man tends only to feel that way when he has something worth fighting for.

'It was a surprise that you were so keen to stick up for him – initially – because you seemed to have a list of complaints, but it's clear that none of them are serious enough to pose a threat to your relationship. I think it's interesting to note, Mattie, that you're far more confident and imposing when defending Rafe than you are when talking about yourself. That's something we should work on. "We" being either you and myself, or another counsellor. James may be able to help you with that.'

'I've not met James, but I think I'll put my faith in him. There's no way I'm inflicting you upon my wife again. I find you quite irritating and this sofa is very uncomfortable,' Rafe informed her.

***

'Was it awful?' Mattie asked, as Rafe handed her a mug of tea and settled beside her on the sofa.

'The session with Miranda?' he asked, his head reclined on the back of the sofa; eyes closed as his face pointed to the ceiling, his Adam's apple prominent on his exposed throat. Mattie watched it bob as he spoke, undulating seductively. He's so f*cking sexy, she mused, whilst sipping her tea.

'Yes,' she nodded. 'Was it as bad as you thought it would be?' He shrugged, before turning his face and meeting her gaze.

'She was bloody irritating and I think she did a half-arsed job, but at least she knew when to quit; I'll give her that.'

'But do you think it helped?' Mattie asked, because she felt as though reeling off her laundry list of complaints and having him listen and acknowledge each one had been cleansing.

'I think it's highlighted that you want me to be more forthcoming with my emotions, which I can try to do, but only when we're alone together,' Rafe said seriously, before he reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind Mattie's ear. 'I think it also shows that you need to have more confidence in yourself. That you need to stick up for yourself and be honest about when something bothers you. Or when you have those feelings, that you don't talk yourself into dismissing them.'

'How do I do that?' Mattie asked, wincing. Rafe smiled at her sadly.

'I'm not sure,' he admitted, in a low voice. 'But I'll do my best to help you; to show you what I see when I look at you...' His words trailed off as his eyes tracked across her face, his lips parting with a slow exhalation. 'Perfection,' Rafe murmured. 'I see perfection. Beauty, passion. Intelligence, humour, affection. I see a talented woman full of potential, but one who's so giving and nurturing that she focuses on her family instead of on herself. I see a woman who deserves to be worshipped,' he said thickly, wetting his lips. 'Work and building this house, the kids and everyone else's drama, life and probably a bit of complacency, have meant that I haven't worshipped you enough to show you how wonderful you are, but we'll change that. I'll change,' Rafe told her earnestly. 'If you give me a chance and promise to love me – to give me the benefit of the doubt – I'll worship you and help you to grow. I'll make you happy, I promise.'

'You don't have to promise me,' Mattie told him, cupping his jaw in her hand. 'I believe you. I trust you. Always.'

'And you forgive me? For your dad and the cancer and everything else?' he asked, in a small voice which told of his vulnerability.

'Completely, not that half of it really needed much forgiving; not in hindsight.'

'Please,' Rafe pleaded, his face open and flushed with emotion, and it was that raw emotion she'd wanted to see. She'd needed to see, in order to know the secrets of his heart.

'Darling,' she sighed, setting her tea on the coffee table and pulling him into the crook of her neck, his face buried against her warm skin. 'I'm so sorry I hurt you. That I was selfish. I didn't know how to stop being selfish.'

'I'm sorry,' Rafe stuttered, his body shuddering with suppressed emotion, as he clung to his wife's tiny frame, face hidden in her neck. 'I'm sorry.'

'I am,' Mattie insisted with resolution, as the powerful man in her feeble arms fell apart, whilst she felt determined and protective. 'I'm sorry,' she told him, repeating the words softly as a shushing mantra, whilst his body trembled until his tears dried up. Her own cheeks were wet at the sight of his suffering but she knew that they were stronger for it.

*** Author's Note ***

Tobias has got a date! Are Toby and Lydia a match made in Heaven? Predictions for their date?

And Mattie and Rafe have made up. Finally! Up next is Xander... parenting.