Ellen was waiting for him when he came home. It was four in the morning when she finally heard him drive up. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Why was he doing this to her? Did he not love her anymore? She hadn't wanted to believe Micky when he told her that he had seen Mike dancing in some bar with a blonde. Then she had confronted Mike and he had told her it happened, but he didn't apologize.

She jumped slightly as he slammed the door. Luckily they were alone. He didn't say anything, didn't even look at her. He shrugged out of his jacket and sat down in the chair opposite her. He looked down at the floor, unable to look at her.

She wanted to go to him and make him look at her, to kiss him, but she couldn't shake the mental image of him with another woman. If he would at least apologize, tell her why he did it, then maybe they could move on, but he hadn't said anything, at least not to her. He had been like this ever since the doctor told them that she might not be able to have anymore children. At the time she needed him the most, he was pushing her away. "Please say something," she pleaded.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked, still looking down at the floor.

"Something, anything. Tell me what you're feeling. We need each other the most now," she told him.

"I don't know why I did it," he said, finally looking up at her. "I was stupid and I was drunk." He took a deep breath. "When you lost the baby and the doctor said we might not be able to have anymore, I felt like I was being punished for what I did to you."

"It's not your fault, Mike," she said, trying to hold back the tears. "It just wasn't meant to be. We lost that baby, but we still have Sam. Do we still have each other?"

"I'm not sure," he said and stood up. He grabbed his jacket and walked out again.

She watched him walk out, debating whether or not to follow him. There had been a time when they could work through anything. Now it seemed like those times were behind them. Maybe he didn't love her anymore. No, she didn't even want to think about that possibility. Of course he still loved her.

Didn't he?

He hadn't so much as touched her in weeks and she was going crazy with need. There had been a time they had made love almost everyday. Then she had gotten pregnant again and that had been the beginning of their problems. It had been too soon, he had told her. He wasn't ready for another baby, one was enough for now. Then she lost the baby and the doctor had told her that she might not be able to get pregnant again. She had been devastated and needed Mike more than ever after that, but he left on tour the day after she got the news.

She couldn't hold back the tears now as she thought about that terrible day. Burying her face in her hands, she grieved for the loss of her child and her marriage. She never heard the door open.

~*~

Mike stood in the doorway and watched her cry, unsure if he should approach her. He had seen her cry many times, but this was the first time he felt like he couldn't help her. It didn't help

knowing that he was the reason she was crying. He had been a first class jerk towards her lately, but he was hurting. So much had happened, he wasn't sure he could keep up with it.

There were times like now that he wished he could go back in time and do things differently. He had once said he didn't need fame and fortune as long as he had her. Both together would be great. Now he had fame, but it had cost him the only woman he had ever loved. He wasn't sure things could ever be the same between them.

He had betrayed her trust in him. How could she forgive him when he couldn't forgive himself?

He had been prepared to leave, had even started the car, but her words kept echoing in his mind. "We still have Sam," she had said. She knew how to get him where it hurt the most. He had promised he would never leave Sam, but he had. He hadn't even seen the boy in over a week. He still remembered well the pain of his parents divorce, his father leaving, and he didn't want to do that to his own son.

He didn't know why he had danced with that girl. He couldn't even remember her name. Hell, as much as he had to drink that night he could barely remember his own name. He had been hurting. He was away from his family. The tour was going great and for a few hours a day he was able to forget his problems. Then some stupid reporter had asked him if it was true that Ellen was pregnant. He hadn't said anything, just stormed out. He could hear Peter calling out to him while Micky explained to the reporter that Ellen had a miscarriage.

He ended up at a bar where he hoped he wouldn't be recognized. He was on his fourth shot of whiskey when he noticed the blonde. She asked him to dance and he didn't resist. They danced a bit and then she kissed him. He started to kiss her back when suddenly he saw the reflection of his wedding ring in the jukebox. He pulled away from the girl, threw some money at the bartender and walked out. But it was too late, Micky had seen him.

Micky confronted him when he got back to the hotel, told him he had called Ellen and told her what he saw. He didn't deny it.

Now he saw how much he had hurt Ellen. He still loved her, had never stopped loving her. He was just hurting. They both were. There was a good chance that Sam would be their only child. He blamed himself. He hadn't wanted another baby and had told her so. Now there would not be another baby, maybe not ever. He had been a jerk. He didn't deserve her love, not now.

But he still loved her, still wanted her. She was his wife, the mother of his son, the only woman he had ever truly loved. They had come through too much to throw it away because of one moment of stupidity. Could she forgive him?

He needed her. She was the most important thing to him, more important than his music. They could work it out.

He sat down beside her on the couch and put his arms around her. He held her close, feeling her tears soak through his shirt, wetting his chest. And he was surprised to find himself crying almost as hard as she was.

~*~

They held each other for a few minutes and then she pulled away from him. "I want a divorce," she said.

He was stunned. "W-Why?" he stammered.

"Because you deserve better," she said. "I can't have any more children and you deserve to be with someone who can give you more children."

"The doctor never said you couldn't have children. He just said it was possible you might not have more. Besides, we have Sam. That's enough for right now. Maybe in a few months or a year we can try. Or maybe we're meant to have just Sam." He reached for her hand, but she pulled away.

He hadn't really thought about how not having more children would affect them. They hadn't planned Sam, he just sorta happened. He had loved it when she was pregnant with Sam. He remembered well everything about her pregnancy. It had been a roller coaster ride, that was for sure.

The first few months had been anxious, he thought, remembering that terrible day when he had almost lost them both. He had been lucky that time. Then there was the time a month later when he felt the baby move for the first time. That had been a magical day, surpassed only by the day Sam was born. He remembered well the first time he held his son. He was a beautiful baby and he loved him from the first time he saw him.

Now Ellen was telling him she wanted a divorce because there might not be other children. He couldn't let her do that to him. They needed each other. "Please, don't do this to me."

"Why were you with that other woman?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"Do you love me?"

He didn't hesitate to answer. "Yes, I've always loved you."

"Then prove it," she said.

"How?"

"Just do it."

"I love you," he whispered as he kissed her.

For a few seconds he thought she was going to pull away from him, but then her arms went around his neck and she returned the kiss. For once they were taking things a bit slow.

His hand cupped her breast. "How far do you want me to go?" he asked her. He was prepared to take things as slow as she wanted him to.

"As far as you want," she answered.

Smiling, he took her hand and led her outside to the beach. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see a blanket spread out on the sand. "You know I've always wanted to make love to you on the beach," he said. "I was hoping we could now." He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. "Ellen, I know I've been a real jerk lately, but I really do love you. I've always loved you, from the first time I ever saw you. You are the most important thing in the world to me, you and Sam. Fame and fortune mean nothing to me as long as I have you with me. Say you'll take me back and I'll be the happiest man in the world. I don't care if I ever record another song because I need you more than my music. Without you, I'm nothing."

"Of course I'll take you back," she said. "I know you didn't mean to do what you did. We were both hurting. That's the past and like you've always told me, you can't change the past. But the future isn't written yet and I trust you enough to not let it happen again and I won't give you any chance to do it again. I love you."

He kissed her then and they made love as the sun rose over the ocean as a new day began, a day full of love and hope and a future together.

Six months later
Ellen stood in the doorway of the bathroom, smiling at the scene before her. These were the things she missed the most when she was gone, these quiet family moments. She was getting to see a side of Mike few people ever got to see, the gentle, loving father.

Water splashed onto the floor as Sam played with his toys in the bathtub. Mike knelt beside the tub, gently washing the boy's hair. He was talking to him, telling him that Mommy would be back soon. He didn't know she was already there.

Mike washed the shampoo out of Sam's hair and then reached for a towel to dry him off with. He lifted the boy out of the tub and wrapped the towel around him. Sam saw her and pointed, saying, "Mama!"

"Tomorrow, Sam," Mike said. He still hadn't seen her standing there.

"No, Mama now," Sam said. The boy was as stubborn as his father. Ellen hated to think how they would interact when Sam became a teenager.

"Silly boy," Mike said and turned around. Then he saw Ellen standing there. "Okay, Sam, you're right. What are you doing home a day early?"

"We finished early," Ellen replied. She walked up to him and gave him a soft kiss and then took Sam. "Did you miss Mama?" she asked the boy.

Sam nodded and hugged her. "Mama home," he said.

"Yes, Sam, Mama's home," she said. "Mama missed you and Daddy."

They made their way to the living room. Ellen watched as Mike dressed Sam for bed. He was a wonderful father, so patient and loving with Sam. She hoped it wasn't because he thought Sam would be their only child. No, he had been a good father before that. She closed her eyes to stop the tears. She didn't' want to think about the miscarriage or their problems afterward. They hadn't fought since that night on the beach. They were happy again.

They put Sam to bed and then sat down on the couch, happy to be together again. "How was the movie?" he asked.

"The usual," she said. "The director was really nice, though. His name is Bob something. I never could remember it. A really nice guy. We had a good cast. There's talk that this will be a big movie."

He gently kissed her temple. "That's great, Sweetheart. It was a good script. I wish I could have been there with you, but we were recording."

"I understand. How did that go?"

"Pretty good. The reviews are great. Peter's turning into a really good songwriter, Micky too. Since the Beatles broke up, we have a chance of this going number one."

"That's good." She turned to him and looked into his eyes. "I have something I need to tell you."

"What?"

"You're a very good father to Sam and I hope it's not because you think he's the only child we'll ever have."

"You know that's not true. I'd love Sam no matter if he was the only one or if we had a dozen."

"Do you believe in miracles?" she asked him.

"I never really thought about it. Why?"

"I'm pregnant."

His eyes got wide and for a second she thought he was going to faint. "You're sure?" he asked. "The doctor said-"

"I know the doctor said I probably couldn't get pregnant again, but I did. I'm due in October, probably sometime around Halloween."

He laughed and hugged her, holding her close. "Another baby," he whispered. "We did it, we beat the odds. This just proves it."

"Proves what?" she asked.

"That love really does conquer all. I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," she said.

He kissed her, knowing that this time everything would be okay. This was meant to be.