Jodie gazed down the length of the table, watching her wife. Di was acting perfectly normally, if you didn't know... and that was a nagging in the back of Jodie's mind, what if she had been committing adultery before this? What if Di'd been sleeping  with other guys and girls in Jodie's bed while she'd been gone before? Just because you're honourable and loyal Jodie, doesn't mean every-one in this world is, Skye had said. And she'd been right. She got up smoothly.

"More wine my love?" Jodie asked.

Di smiled up at her as she smoothly poured the wine into her glass, planting a kiss on Jodie's neck as she leant over.

"I was thinking," Jodie replied as she circled back to her seat. "That perhaps we ought to get a new house, somewhere closer to town where you'd have your old friends and I could be so much closer, you must get lonely out here by yourself."

"Oh no!" Di smiled, a touch too fervent for her liking. "I love it here, and anyway, I'd hate to put you to the trouble."

"Are you sure you're not lonely?" Jodie asked, gazing at Di carefully.

"No," Di smiled radiantly, sipping her wine with those brilliant red lips.

"Of course, because you have Ritchie coming over so often don't you?"

"Yes... no..." Di's big blue eyes widened, realised that she was caught out. "Jodie-baby, it's not what you think, I swear."

"Oh?" Jodie asked, carefully spearing her food with her fork.

"I love you, you know that," Di's winning smile had lost much of its wattage. "Ritchie and I just talk..."

"When you find time?"

"Jodie!"

Jodie raised her eyes devastatingly to Di's face.

"I thought I knew you Di. I thought you loved me. I thought a whole load of stupid things I guess," her voice was so sad and so pained Di couldn't meet her eyes. "But it has to stop Di. You have to stop seeing them. Let me have your word and I'll buy a townhouse, like you wanted, I can afford it now. Just tell me you'll stop seeing them."

Di stood up, fists clenched on her napkin in her hand. She took a gulp of her wine and glared at Jodie.

"Damned if I will!" She snapped, the refined accent falling away. "Damn you Jodie! If you had been home more often, this would never have happened!"

"And could you have lived this comfortable rich life you wanted if I hadn't?" She asked sharply. "Could you have afforded the dresses you swan around in? The posh accent? No. You never loved me did you? You just loved the idea of me, and the money."

"All I wanted was you!"

Jodie snorted. Di drained her glass, then staggered upright, her face red.

"I wanted you Jodie. But you don't have time for me, so I slept with them, because they did. They wanted me. You never did. I don't know why you even married me!"

"I married you because I loved you," Jodie said softly.

"Well you're a fool!" Di stormed past her to the door, skirts ruffling.

"Yeah," Jodie murmured. "I am. But I was a fool for you."

Di struggled with the door, then staggered back, shivering, the world spinning. She stepped towards Jodie, then nearly fell. Jodie sprang up and caught her, cradling her in her arms.

"Something's wrong Jodie... something's wrong..." Di whimpered.  "Jodie, get the doctor..."

Jodie swept her up, skirts and all, and laid her gently on the divan, sitting next to her and pulling her onto her lap, arms around her, one hand stroking her hair softly.

"Shush now..." Jodie murmured, stroking her hair, leaning over her. "Shush..."

"Something's wrong..." Di protested in a weak voice.

"No," Jodie kissed her forehead gently, tears welling in her eyes. "Everything's alright."

Di opened her mouth, but nothing would come out but irregular breathing. Her legs and arms twitched, but she couldn't move them. Jodie closed Di's mouth with the gentle touch of her fingertip, caressing the cupid's bow of her lips with the pad of her thumb, tracing it tenderly, her arms gathering Di's slim form and the voluminous dress to her.

"I love you Di," Jodie murmured. "I love you, I always did and always will, but you are my wife, mine forever, not until you meet some-one better. I'm sorry my angel. If I can't have you, he can't either. I'm sorry, I love you."

She held Di gently as her twitches faded and she lay like a warm, breathing doll in her arms, motionless save for the rise and fall of her breath and the beat of her heart. Jodie stroked her wife's hair, her face, kissed her neck, her cheeks, her forehead, but never her lips. Slowly her breathing regulated and she lay as if she were asleep, save for her big desperate blue eyes.

"Sleep now my love," Jodie murmured, closing those eyes with the lightest brush, sealing them with a kiss. "Sleep, and dream of me."