The day Annie brought the children back, it was the first time I had seen her since we had spoken, since she had grabbed me against the back door. My fear and her panic, being the last things I think of now that we haven't spoken since. I don't want my lasting images of her to be bad ones. I want to look back with a sense of calm and see the good times, to appreciate the decade of love that we did have. I didn't want us to go down in a fiery wreck, and nothing to be salvaged. We had three children, and they needed us so survive and thrive as parents. We would never get rid of each other in our entirety, not when we had children we shared. A fact.

As the car appears on the driveway my lips spread to a smile. My babies returned after two long months, unbearable days, torturous nights and a lot of weeks that felt like hell.

"Mom" Gage calls excitedly running toward me so fast his little legs look they may send him flying with one ill timed step.

I bend down and lift him up into my arms as we collide, and his little arms wrap around my neck. I inhale his sweet scent as more little hands wrap around my thigh. I look down to find Asher there. I lower my hand from Gage and ruffle his hair, his head pressed to the side of my chest "my babies I missed you... I missed you so much" I say as a tear falls down my cheek. Just one. I wouldn't let them see just how much I missed them. It was so much I felt like I could succumb and perish from the loss. That distance. My maternal instinct fighting everyday like a flight or fight response to go to them, find them, and bring them home with me... into my safety, my arms, where my heart needed them to be.

"Mom did you hug Otto like I hugged Mo" Gage asked.

I look into his watery eyes, my littlest baby and I smile and kiss his nose "every night my love... every night" I promise.

He smiles, and he has a tooth missing. I frown "Gage where is your front tooth" I ask.

He laughs "it fell out last Wednesday" he says proudly.

I smile and admire my babies newly gappy smile but inside my mind whirls. "I fell off of a swing and it knocked right out" he adds.

I turn and look to Annie who is helping Jamie get the bags out of the trunk "mommy never told me you had an accident" I say under my breath. I shake my head. It had already started, she had held that back from me. If I had done that to her she would have been livid. I should think she went home so furious with me last weekend that when that happened she did it in her way to get at me, knowing today I would find that out. Something happened to my child and I didn't know about it. Fuck. I wasn't about to rise to the bait today, not with my babies here.

I bend down and look to Asher, his deep blue eyes creasing up "hi buddy" I greet.

"hi mom" he says a little more hesitantly to show his affection. He had got a little older now, and felt like a little man and not my baby boy. "Did you miss me" I ask.

He half smiles and gives in, wrapping his arms around me, his face buried in my hair "I missed your smell" he confesses.

I smile and wrap my hand around the back of his neck affectionately, Gage still on my knee and holding me too. "I missed your smell too Mom... you smell like home" Gage says sniffing me and inhaling dramatically.

I let out a laugh "I should send you both off with a bottle of perfume next time" I suggest.

I stand as Jamie approaches. Why has my daughter shot up a foot since I last saw her "My sweet girl" I say holding out my arm.

She smiles coyly and walks into my arms "I missed you so much" I say closing my eyes and inhaling her too.

"You too Mom...and I've told mommy I'm not going to leave you again" she whispers.

Annie appears beside us "and I told her she will have to since you don't ever want to return home" she adds.

I narrow my eyes at her as I slowly release the children "will you take them inside a moment Jamie I will be right behind you. I just want to speak with mommy"

Jamie looks to us both concerned "you're not going to fight about that are you" she asks worried.

We both pretend to look friendly to each other "no of course not" I deny.

She doesn't look like she believes us but she takes Gages hand and they go inside. Asher was keen to get back to his console and his games.

I wait until the door clicks and I turn back to Annie "don't ever say that in front of our children again... you are making out like I have left you all, and it's not the case... I left our marriage not our children"

Annie raises her eyebrows at me "you left your family... not just our marriage. We come as one package and as far as I'm concerned you have broken us all up... so yes it's your fault they miss you and have to go without you because you could stop that and return to us at anytime Morgan...but you clearly don't want too"

"You are going to go that low are you... to suggest I am putting my children through that pain of having to be without me... You know every time you say these things I wonder how I ever loved you... and it helps me let go" I say honestly.

"Im sorry...I don't mean to hurt you Morg... I love you. I just hate that you are doing this to us... I can't sleep. I can't eat. I can't fucking function since last weekend. I'm so sorry for grabbing you like I did, it's triggering to hear you say you are not mine when I still want you to be"

"Annie" I argue.

She reaches out and softly strokes my hair at my cheek "Morgan I understand I fucked up and I've made mistakes... I should have always let you know I loved you, that you were it for me, and clearly you didn't know that enough, or feel it enough but Morgan you are it and you are enough. I will come back if I have to... I will do it... I will come back and travel back and forth between Arizona and New York"

I shake my head slowly as tears fill my eyes and they fall so fast my shirt is wetting at my collar in mere seconds "I asked you for this a year ago Annie... an entire year... and this right here is all I wanted to hear back then. I wanted to have you finally join me on a dream, have you live life with me as a team, and yet you forced me to come alone and share the children. You me feel like my dream was a joke and have done nothing to make me feel anything but a failure for so long. So long now that these words I've been waiting on... they just don't mean anything anymore... they just fucking hurt because it's all I wanted once. Why didn't you say this when I needed it most" I beg.

She looks remorseful for once.

"I thought you would come back" she says honestly.

"Well I didn't, and now it's too late because there is no walking this back. I just don't feel it anymore. Annie we are over and I'm sorry it hurts because I know that pain. I know what it is to not eat or sleep as it suffocates you. How do you think I've been feeling for an entire year. I've been grieving you for much longer, you never did though, because you thought I would be back... but I knew I wouldn't. We may be at different places in our acceptance, but you will get there, because the right woman is out there somewhere. I am telling you though, it's not me" i say trying to say it softly and with empathy.

She backs up and looks at me as if I've just punched her in the stomach "I won't ever find anyone else Morg... you are perfect...and fuck" she says turning around and beginning to cry. I reach out for her but she shrugs away "Morgan how can I ever see you with anyone else. It makes me want to hurt them and they don't even exist yet. I still don't want anyone else touching you, and I hope you respect me enough to not be dating people in our house or around our children" she says as if it pains her badly to say it.

"I wouldn't have anyone here with the children, but this is my house and I have to move on one day Annie. I haven't had anyone here though" I inform her.

She makes a comment "I know" under her breath that I don't hear at that moment, but if I did perhaps I would have realised sooner that she was watching me from far away. She was keeping tabs on me through the cameras we put up years ago for security, because our home was a rather expensive one in a wealthy community. Annie had been keeping tabs on me for much longer than I knew, invading my privacy, watching me, obsessing over me, and making sure I wasn't making moves with anyone else, a violation.

"I am happy to find my own home now that this is progressing" I offer.

She snaps back "no" before standing tall and wiping her eyes dry "no stay here .. please" she says.

"Okay... well should I expect the papers to be signed soon" I ask "I know we can do this amicably"

"If you want this divorce you can have it Morgan... but I won't lie... I'm not going to make this easy for you. I don't plan on missing a single day of my children's life... just so you know". She says looking at me fiercely "I didn't want this to end... you did. I don't see why then I should not have my children"

"Our children" I correct her. "And you would put them through that pain just to hurt me" I ask. I shake my head and take a deep breath because my anger is boiling up and rage is building in my fists that squeeze tightly.

"I'm not putting them through anything.. you are" she returns, and she walks away leaving me behind the line drawn in the dirt. Battle lines. This was about to become a war, a war I didn't want, and the victor won my babies. My children were the prize. I have never felt more sick in my entire life.

I hoped Annie's words were just daggers thrown in anger... because I didn't want our children to go through this mess.

Battle lines...