Charred Promises

1 : For Old Times Sake..

Caitlynn couldn't be happier, With Matthew Eric Cambell being born, they need more space and Gregory's mother missed being with her grandkids so they shifted back to their hometown and brought the house Caitlynn had grown up in. She had the most perfect life, the most perfect husband, the most perfect home for her children. She couldn't ask for more.

But things were a little different for Gregory, unlike Caitlynn, he hated this small town. He only shifted back to make her happy, but he was compromising much more than he had bargained for. Things and his priorities had changed, deep within he knew he couldn't keep compromising just to bring a smile on Caitlynn's face, he could have been the best surgeon if he had stayed in Westminster and so he had made a choice, he started juggling from Kirkwall to Westminster and Caitlynn got too busy to notice how they were drifting apart.

On their tenth year anniversary Caitlynn Cambell was determined to bring the old spark back into their obsolete marriage. She had hired a baby sitter to stay at the house for the weekend and they were to take a road trip to Scotland, they had been putting off for ages. When Caitlynn went snooping around in his study area to find out if he had any prior appointments for the weekend, that was when she found out what surprise he had planned for their tenth year anniversary.

D.I.V.O.R.C.E

Caitlynn read and re-read the papers, she couldn't believe this was happening to them. They might have been married for ten years but had known each other and were partners since forever and now he didn't want any thing to do with her. He wanted to leave her and the kids. Tears fell from her eyes when she thought about them, Ian their third child was almost two and Matt and Violet were seven and ten respectively and he loved the kids, she wouldn't doubt it for a second.

"You sure you don't want to give it a last try?" Gregory asked her, Caitlynn had announced in front to the kids about the trip they were going to take that weekend, but there was a slight change of plan, they were taking the kids along and not going alone as she had initially planned the surprise.

"You want to cancel the trip all together?" Caitlynn asked frustrated. Gregory gave her a questioning look and laughed, years had passed but she was still the most short tempered woman known to mankind. "Look Greg, I too have a life, if you haven't noticed, I have a deadline to meet, I'm supposed to finish at least two chapters and send it to my editor, but this trip is also equally important for me, I have to be back by Monday and I have been putting this off for the last six years, you out of all people should know how much we want to get done with this trip, so that we can all sit down and talk." Gregory knew for a fact that "talk" was never a good thing. She turned towards the kids who were having their lunch and said "Your daddy and I have something important to tell you guys."

"Are we going to have another brother or sister mum?" Violet asked ready to throw a tantrum if it was true, she was okay with Matt but when they had said she was going to be a big sister again she went all "Elsa" and wanted to ice everything in her way. Caitlynn smiled at the memory and looked at Gregory who was also waiting for an answer.

"Not in a million years sweetie! You guys have to wait and be patient till the trip is over, I bet its something you guys can never guess." Caitlynn said and walked off. Gregory was on his heals right behind her and caught her arm to stop her. He had never seen her so furious, he let go of her arm and asked.

"Caitlynn what's wrong with you?" He asked trying to keep his voice down.

"What do you mean hon? The sooner they know, the better for them." she said in a mock seriousness. "We live in a small town, sooner or later someone is going to stand on their face to find out what really happened between us, or rather what did not happen between us from the time Ian was born." Caitlynn muttered bitterly getting closer to Gregory being careful that the kids don't hear her.