David pulled up to Bill and Heather's home with a full car and an empty heart. He took a deep breath in to gather himself and collected all of his bags. As he turned to secure his car he saw Fiona tearing up the road in her mini. When Bill invited David over for Christmas, he told him that Fiona would there. Apparently, Heather and Bill were holding a drop-in centre for the dumped and divorced.

David could not go skiing with Emlyn as he had on calls to complete between Christmas and New Year. Emlyn booked to go with a group of his friends from work. There was a spare bed which he thought would be great for David.

It would have been ideal, spending Christmas focussed on nothing more than standing up in the snow. So much better than the thoughts and feelings churning inside him.

David waited until Fiona parked the car and walked over to help her with her bags. She looked flustered. Strangely, the car looked to be rocking from side to side. He hoped she hadn't brought that young stud he saw her with last time.

That was at Richard's 40th birthday party. She looked as good as ever. Suzie clung on to David for most of the night, as she had found out about Fiona and Oliver's split.

Richard's party was great. Held at The Ivy in Chelsea. The topic of the night was Fiona's newfound cougar status. Suzie was agog as Nikki informed her that the athletic young gorgeous man at the bar was Fiona's man of the moment. David found it amusing. He could see that Fiona was deep down miserable. They only spoke briefly, understanding that a long conversation would mean Suzie erupting.

The continued rocking of the car snapped David out of his revelry. He was unsure how to check it out. Then he saw a flash of what looked like a dog's tail.

David tapped on her car window and Fiona nearly jumped out of her skin. "Fuck Boston I nearly wet myself!" As she spoke a large boxer dog lunged at the window and pawed at David.

"Hey, buddy! Who are you?" David laughed as the dog turned the car into complete chaos. Presents and bags of food were strewn over the back seat as the dog jumped to greet him.

"He is what I got in the divorce! Bailey for fuck's sake calm down!" Fiona shouted, grabbing bags away from the chaos as quickly as she could.

David laughed heartily as he watched Fiona struggle. He walked around to the passenger side and let the offending animal out. Fiona passed him the lead as she collected herself.

"You got the dog for you?" David asked. he could not recall Fiona ever saying that she was a dog lover. Looking at her now, she was barely coping.

"Oliver got the dog when we were going through 'the issue' to keep the kids happy. I was dead against it. Then would you believe that the idiot loves me? When Oliver moved in with Alice and Sebastian, the dog would not settle. Pined for me. So believe it or not now I am lumbered with the idiot. By that, I mean the dog, not Oliver. "

"I got that, shit time huh?" David sympathised. He patted Bailey. He took in Fiona as she bent over to retrieve her things. She looked great.

"Shit for everyone really, worse for the kids to be honest. They cried their hearts out this afternoon when I handed them over for the Christmas break... " Fiona looked away to gather herself. She inwardly scolded herself for tearing up.

"Well if we are sharing shit Christmas stories three weeks ago my wife left me for a stable lad who is only twenty. Today, I found out that the reason. She is pregnant after 10 years of trying with me and only once with the stable lad, who looks after her horses at her parents' place."

Fiona looked at David incredulously and promptly burst into giggles. He looked so upset at telling her. He looked crestfallen at telling her the most ridiculous thing she had heard for a long time.

David stared back open mouthed in shock and then joined in. It sounded ridiculous. Cool calculated Suzie, dropping her knickers for a quickie with a boy. In a barn.

"We are a fine pair, aren't we. Having to be invited to our married friends on Christmas Day to make sure we aren't drinking bleach." David helped Fiona out of the car by taking her bags.

"I have several bottles of fizz and a bottle of gin before we need to resort to Domestos David." Fiona took the dog from David and walked to their house. "You need to go first and take all of the luggage. I will stand back hold the dog back until Heather gives me the nod and then I can let Bailey in."

"Is he that bad?" David looked at the dog straining at the lead. He nearly pulled Fiona over in his haste to get the door.

"Just stand back and watch the mayhem." Fiona nodded.

Heather opened the door and laughed at them both. "Bill the strays have arrived!" She bellowed behind her.

David took all of the luggage into the house and watched as when given the signal, Fiona brought in the wild beast she was restraining. As soon as she let the dog off of the lead the house descended into chaos, with the dog jumping on everyone and everything.

"Christ Fiona control him!" Bill bellowed from the kitchen. The dog, at that point, had jumped up on him, floored him and was licking his face.

"I can't! I have taken him to every puppy and dog trainer in London. He is officially nuts. Give him twenty minutes and he will be good as gold."

"It's waiting for that and the damage he will inflict until then." Heather sighed. "Merry Christmas you pair of miseries. Have you cried today?"

Fiona nodded, David looked at the floor.

"Good, no tears in here though. A total ban on crying, moping or general maudling. This is an O'Reilly Christmas and you all have jobs. Fiona, you are on sprouts. David, you are on the Christmas Pudding. Me? I am on refreshments."

"Great. Can I put the dog in the garden? He seems to want to kill someone." Fiona asked.

"Come here, boy," David said quietly.

The dog bounded over to David. David dropped down to his knees and quietly whispered to him and patted him calmly. The dog sat down and then lay down next to him.

Fiona and Heather exchanged an astonished look.

"Are you the dog whisperer mate?" Bill asked whilst righting himself.

"No, I have always just had a good way with dogs." David smiled. "Here, give him to me and I will take him for a walk whilst you guys get Christmas Dinner sorted."

David snipped on the dog's lead and Bailey bounced along next to him happily without even a backwards look.

"Can you believe that." Fiona laughed pointing to the door. "£100 an hour I have spent on bloody trainers and he just clicks his fingers."

"I remember him having the same effect on you." Heather ribbed Fiona.

"It's the happiest I have seen him in a long while." Bill sighed."He hasn't been the same for weeks you know. I saw him for a pint last week. He was crushed."

" I know how that feels." Fiona nodded. She recalled how she felt the knife in her guts when Oliver left the house.

"You should talk about it to him. I think you are the only other person he knows who has been through it." Heather patted Fiona's hand.

"By 'it' you mean your spouse creating a baby without you. Yes, I thought I had a unique set of circumstances and here David had to go and upstage me." Fiona agreed.

"What!" Bill and Heather cried in unison.

"Oh, I thought you knew! David told me out there when he scared the living shit out of me. He found out on Christmas Eve that the reason she left was that she was knocked up by the stable lad."

Heather went straight to the fridge and brought out the Champagne.

"Well, lets celebrate that she is gone for ever." Heather set out four glasses and filled them all.

"Poor fecker. At least he knows why now. I am sure he told you knowing that you will tell us. Imagine having to tell people that on Christmas Day. She is a heartless bitch." Bill took the massive turkey out of the oven and wrapped it in tin foil.

Heather handed Fiona a glass of champagne which Fiona eagerly took.

"Where are my favourite boys?"

"Oh don't go near them. They are on the new PlayStation killing something in a game we bought them. It's the quietest the houses has been in 10 years!" Heather laughed." I see you are wearing your Christmas jumper as directed."

"It's so much better than trying to out dress you on any occasion H. You are always so glamorous and I dress like a homeless person if I don't have to dress for work."

Heather ushered Fiona into the living room where Fiona placed all of the presents she had brought with her.

"He still looks great doesn't he?" Heather motioned outside at David.

"You mean heart broken and bereft he still looks hot? Nearly 40, and he is getting better looking with age? Then yes Heather he really does." Fiona looked out of the window at David schooling her unruly dog in the park.

"It would be good for him to talk to someone. He hasn't really opened up to anyone about it."

"No," Fiona let out a large sigh. "It's so difficult to come to terms with. You feel such a failure. I know it was me who left Oliver in the end, but Christ it was horrid. It was telling everyone that was so hard. To be fair to David when he told me about the baby I laughed."

"Fiona you heartless cow!" Heather laughed throwing down the champagne and filling up Fiona's glass.

"I know! It just doesn't make sense does it freezer knickers having a quickie with a stable lad and getting up the duff. Poor David, he wanted kids so much and hasn't had them."

Bill walked in wiping his hands on his apron and extending a glass for Heather to refill. "Well, he is still fit enough to find a new woman, isn't he? I saw him at the Christmas do at the hospital and he was batting them off with a shitty stick. Some lovely daft young fillies."

Heather raised her eyebrows.

"I am really attached to my knackers Heather. I can look but I am never ever going any further than that..no offence Fi, but you have really cornered the shagging the young ones."

David came into the room with a very well behaved Bailey. He took a glass from Heather and sat next to Fiona. The dog sat as his feet yawned and fell asleep.

"Whatever you are selling, I am buying David. What magic have you got with that dog?"

"Always been the same. Dogs just like me." David stated factually.

"My head hurts with all the responses I could give you to that statement, however, as it is Christmas I am going to let that one fly for now." Fiona clinked her glass off of David's. "Merry Christmas David. I have a present for you."

"You do? You have me at a disadvantage as I haven't brought you one."

"You have on two accounts. One you are the sadder person here and two you have tamed my dog."

Fiona went under the tree and handed out presents to everyone. They were all given superhero pyjamas. David had Captain America. Bill The Hulk. Heather had She-Hulk and Fiona had Elasta Girl.

"These are great! Are we wearing them tonight?" David asked.

"Well mate, I will be wearing mine to bed and then as we are married and only have conjugal relations at Christmas and Birthdays these won't be on for long."

"Bill don't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I am angry." Heather laughed.

After a hearty Christmas dinner, Fiona went up to the spare room she was allocated and called the children before bedtime on speaker phone as she changed into her Christmas pyjamas.

"Mummy I am having the worst time. Daddy is sad. Henry is very bored as Alice won't let him play with his DS. She is making us play games mummy and they are rubbish. She won't let us win."

"Mattie darling she is trying her best and so should you. Everyone here is missing you both especially the dog." Fiona laughed. She had to. She couldn't cry and make the children feel worse than they did.

"Mummy we both love you and we can't wait to come home and see you." Matilda giggled at Fiona.

"That means you can't wait to come home, play on the Wii and DS." Fiona laughed.

"Mummy it's me Henners. They are making me go to bed at eight mummy it's Christmas."

"It's their rules darling. You have to do what they say. Then you can come home and be wild. I love you both. Now go on and have a lovely time." Fiona could not hold back the emotion for much longer. She missed the children like she had lost a limb.

"Bye mummy, see you in two days." Henry and Matilda shouted together.

"Bye my darlings, I love you, Merry Christmas." Fiona finished the call. She felt the raw sob escape her. She let it take its course wondering how her life came to this. She heard a soft knock at the door expecting it to be Heather she managed a squeak.

"Fi, I couldn't help but overhear." David stood in his Captain America pyjamas with a glass of champagne extended to Fiona.David took in Fiona's pyjamas and then looked at his and laughed. He sat next to her on the bed and put his arm around her. She looked as low as he had ever seen her. Her big blue eyes were full of tears.

"Now you are the saddest person here. That makes me sad. So then again I am the saddest person here..." David consoled her. He could never stand her tears.

"Stop trying to win at everything David. Stop being so fucking perfect." Fiona managed a small laugh in between her tears.

Fiona looked up at David. Her eyes full. He caught one with his thumb and brushed it away. Fiona gently kissed Davids hand, then his face.

Their kisses grew stronger and needier. She pulled him on top of her. His weight, his body finding the positions they had years before. It was like dancing. The rekindled their partnership. They did not miss a beat.

David needed to feel something other than heartbreak, Fiona needing to feel something other than failure. Together, the healed the part that was broken in each other.

Heather was clearing up the kitchen when she heard them upstairs. She grabbed Bill from snoozing in front of the television and shushed him pointing to upstairs.

"Are they....?" Bill woke from his slumber and raised his eyes to the ceiling.

"Sounds like it to me...." Heather confirmed, sitting on the couch next to Bill.

"Good for him and her. Does he know that she has only been shagging boys under 25 for the last year and all of them personal trainers?" Bill stated.

"Well, Bill knowing what a bloody old fishwife you are with gossip then I am sure you told him or if not then the rest of the lads." Heather placed his arm around her.

"Me? A fishwife? I will show you that I am all man. Now drop your knickers whilst I put a heavy chair behind the living room door. You lady are going to have the quickie of your life!"

Upstairs David banished all thoughts of Suzie and the baby. He found instead a familiar and wonderful physical experience that stole any rational thought from him.

Fiona felt wanted and needed. A million miles away from how she felt earlier that day.

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