A/N: During a late night chat we started thinking about ideas concerning a married AU Chelsie - what if they'd met at university? What if they'd married and had children? What if life didn't turn out like they expected it to... And this story was born. It's the first time we've written together so we're still finding our feet - please do leave us a review to let us know how we're doing.

Chapter 1: How it began

2010

Tapping her fingers frustratedly on the steering wheel, Elsie Carson glanced for the fourth time at the digital clock on the dashboard; the red lights a harsh reminder that she was almost two hours late home.

"Come on, come on, come on," she muttered irritably at the waiting traffic in front of her.

In retrospect, it had been a mistake to agree to meet that last client so late in the day, but at the time she had been focussed on the prospective prominence that securing their company could bring. She was quite aware that her husband would not look upon her late arrival favourably. In fact, it seemed that of late they'd done nothing but snip and snipe at each other – it seemed she couldn't do anything right. Their arguments, though quite often beginning at different places, inevitably reached the same destination; her lack of presence in their home.

When they'd married thirteen years ago, almost as soon as they'd graduated, it had seemed like they'd had a lifetime of possibilities ahead of them – they'd planned to travel, both of their careers had been going well, Charles had quickly established his own accountancy firm, making good, steady money, and she was making headway in events management; finding a position as a junior consultant at a prestigious firm.

So it had been something of a shock to find, following the millennium celebrations, that she was already five months pregnant. She'd had no inkling; she hadn't been sick and her periods had always been irregular during times of stress – and establishing herself in a competitive market had certainly been a stressful time.

Of course, Charles had been over the moon, the idea of raising a family with her had been his dream since not long after they'd first met. In fact, during their first year together he'd proposed no less than three times. Each time she had put him off with sensible explanations as to why they should wait until after graduation. She wasn't averse to the idea but didn't think her father would react too favourably to her getting engaged whilst he was still paying for her education.

She'd been too far along in the pregnancy to have contemplated a termination (not that Charles would have even entertained the idea even if it had been a possibility) and when Mae had arrived, in May 2000, of course she'd fallen instantly in love. Nevertheless, it had meant a pause in her career that she hadn't been prepared for, and while she had had to halt her plans to start her own company, Charles' firm had gone from strength to strength. She didn't resent him for that; his savvy business acumen had meant their income had hardly dropped, even with her at home taking care of the baby.

When Mae was two, she'd started to make tentative plans to return to work and had even contacted prospective employers about positions. Her enthusiasm at the idea of returning to a job she loved had quickly been dashed when she'd unexpectedly fallen pregnant again – despite taking the necessary precautions. The first three months of her pregnancy had been marred by the friction between her and Charles. This time she had the option as to whether to continue with the pregnancy or not, though for Charles the idea of not having the child seemed abhorrent. For a long time, he'd kept his mouth shut, hoping that the shock of the pregnancy was what was driving her indecision and that as the pregnancy progressed, she would come to love the life growing inside her as much as he did.

As she approached the three-month mark, the arguments began. The thought of quitting a job she hadn't even returned to was driving her crazy and the thought of another three years trapped in her role of wife and mother scared her. She was still only young and all of this had happened so quickly, too quickly for her to process. Perhaps Charles didn't understand this. For him, adding to their family could only mean yet more joy and provide the stability and loving, familial unit that he'd craved since childhood. For her, it meant giving up, yet again, on her own dreams.

Very quickly, though, his arguments had swayed her and she put her own indecisiveness down to possible selfishness on her part. He'd also promised her that this time he'd cut back on work and they'd share the parenting duties so she could possibly return to her career, part time at least.

Their second child, Lily, arrived in July 2003 and it seemed their family was complete. Lily was the opposite to Mae, in fact she was her Father's child; with an even, easy going temperament and a love of the outdoors. Mae was very much Elsie; inquisitive, feisty when provoked and not afraid to speak her mind. It had taken Mae a while to get used to sharing her parents' affections, but despite this, and the differences in their personalities, the girls soon bonded and became the best of friends and closest of confidantes, a trait they still, thankfully, held some seven years later. Elsie would never have to worry about her daughters being without a best friend as they would always be there for each other. Something Elsie had never experienced with her own sister.

It would be almost five years (almost 7 since she'd left full-time employment) before Elsie finally had the chance to pursue her own interests. At first, she'd taken a part time position, working three days a week, but within a matter of months she'd been quite certain that her next move was to establish the company she'd always wanted. Charles had had little choice but to support her as the promises he'd made before Lily was born had not come to fruition. Neither of them, though, had quite expected her business to become the success it had in such a short time.

Finally pulling into the driveway, Elsie saw Charles standing at the bay window in the lounge. She almost lifted her hand to wave but then noticed his folded arms and stony demeanour. He was not happy. Steeling herself for the inevitable showdown that was to come, she swung her handbag over her arm and reached for her laptop bag before taking a deep breath and exiting the car.

At the familiar sound of her car tyres on the gravel driveway, Charles automatically glanced at his watch. 19.25. They had been due at the party at 18.00. Clearly she had forgotten, again.

Taking a steadying breath, he watched as she made her way up the drive and couldn't help the small feeing of pride that came as he noted the professional demeanour she now inhabited – the sharp suits, the elegantly styled hair, the success she was having. He'd have been able to enjoy it with her if it weren't for the impact it was having on their family life. He didn't want people to get him wrong, he was 100% behind her and always would be, he'd always be on her side, but the reality was right now he missed her; their daughters missed her.

"Hi," she said brightly, attempting to quell the storm. "I'm sorry I'm late, I got stuck in a meeting. Let me change and I'll make a start on dinner – unless you've already eaten?"

He watched as she put her bag down, hung her coat and slipped her heels off, and automatically moved to kiss his cheek. She noted the fact that even when she leant into him, he didn't remove his hands from his pockets. She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Sweetheart, don't be in a bad mood with me; it's been a long week and at least it's the weekend now."

Charles sighed heavily. "Does it occur to you that it's a little quiet in the house tonight, or have you forgotten completely that we have children?"

She removed her hands sharply from his shoulders and he noted the stoniness of her eyes at his flippant comment. "Do we have to keep playing these games?" she asked, rubbing her aching neck. "If you've got something to say to me, then just say it."

"Alright, I will." He took his hands from his pockets and gestured towards her. "If I'm honest with you I don't know where your head is at the moment… nor your heart… because you're certainly not here with us."

She took a step back, stunned by the harshness of his words. "That's uncalled for. You know the business is still in its early days. I can't afford to let things slip."

"I understand that. I've been there, remember?"

"I remember very well. I was there, I supported you."

"You're making it impossible for me to support you because even when you're physically here, which let's face it is not very often these days, you're not really here with us, Elsie, are you?"

She sucked in a tight breath, her heart pounding in her chest. "Well, I guess there's not much more to say on that, is there?" She stared at him for a moment. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Hang on, haven't you even considered where they are, your two daughters, you do remember them?"

"Oh don't be so fucking sarcastic!" She marched up the stairs, pausing halfway to turn slowly and look back at him as her memory kicked in. "I've missed the party, haven't I?" she said guiltily, realisation dawning.

He gave her only a slight nod in response. "This was meant to be the start of our weekend. We were meant to be able relax there tonight, with our friends and their children and our children. I wanted to spend time with you, without arguing, without the distraction of work. The girls wanted that too."

"Don't do that to me." She pointed her finger at him. "Let's not forget it was you who promised that you'd be there when Lily was born. That my career wouldn't suffer, that we'd share it this time. And yet, I had five years alone in this house, whilst your career flourished."

"You know why it had to be that way. Robert had three children at home and Cora had suffered a devastating miscarriage. You know all the operations she had to go through after that. They're our friends; you're the one who told me that I'd needed to support him."

"Yes, support him, not disappear from my life." She took a couple of steps down towards him. "I needed you here with me as well. Do you have any idea how hard it is looking after two children under the age of five? Staring at the same four walls every day? I felt like I was losing my mind; I certainly wasn't using my brain."

"I was doing the best I could at the time; I was doing what I thought was right. If things were so bad, why did you never say?"

"I tried, but you were always so tired when you got home. I didn't want to be yet another drain on your time."

"A drain? Is that how you see our relationship?"

"You're twisting it." She rubbed a hand over her face. "Do we have to do this now? I'm too tired to drag all this up."

"You seem to be too tired for much these days. I can't remember the last time we spent an evening together – went to the cinema, saw a show, took the girls out for dinner." He paused for a moment, leaning on the bannister to look at her properly. "I can't even remember the last time we made love."

"Oh, so that's what this is about? What all men want. Sex."

"No, and don't you dare think me so superficial! This is about our relationship suffering, crumbling, and dealing with what's happening now. Not harking back to a time when I was trying to be a good friend. Which it seems I'm paying for now… by losing my wife."

The hand that rested on the banister rail not two feet from his curled tightly into the wood; her nails piercing the surface of the veneer. His words, though not entirely unexpected given the nature of their recent arguments, still struck a chord and it took all her might to supress feelings of guilt around her role as a wife and mother. "I don't want to have to keep apologising for wanting something for myself," she said quickly before biting down on her lip as she watched the hurt play across his face. She took a steadying breath to calm her voice as she spoke. "Is that how you really feel, that you're losing me?"

"We do nothing but argue…" He shrugged, "To be honest, I feel I've already lost you."

Three weeks later, he moved out.