Note: I got the idea for this while working on another fic. I wanted to show a darker side to Jim's drinking. This fiction kinda follows a "what if" Kerrigan remained human idea but it doesn't dismiss anything that happens in HOTS and in later chapters I might use the events of HOTS. Obviously set in some crazy future where everyone isn't at war with each other anymore.

Jim opened the door to their house and staggered inside.

"Welcome home," Sarah said as she stood from the sofa with a concerned looked on her face. She tightened the tie on her green satin dressing gown.

"Evening, darlin'," he said as he kicked his shoes off.

"Where were you?" she asked, willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

They'd played this game before. He comes home late, she knows exactly where he's been but asks anyway, he lies, she gets angry, they fight, she storms off to bed while he gets the sofa.

"Working," he lied.

She looked down to his white t-shirt and noticed his sheriff badge was missing; the big give away he'd not come straight home from work. "Robbery at the bar was there?" she asked sarcastically.

He glared at her and said nothing. He hated that she'd even bother to look for his badge when she could tell just from his thoughts exactly where he'd been. Not to mention the smell of his breath and his overall disposition.

"I made you some dinner," she said kindly. "But I threw it out when it got cold," the kindness in her voice vanished.

He hoped she was reading his thoughts now; 'probably would have tasted like crap'. He sat on the sofa and laid back.

She heard what he thought of course. She hated it when he did that. He would bait her with something he was thinking then accuse her of invading his privacy when she confronted him with it. She sat on the opposite end of the sofa and looked at him. "Do you want something to eat now?" she could make something 'crap' for him.

"I ate at the bar," he said as he picked up the book she had been reading.

"I thought you said you were working?" she asked innocently.

He glared at her again and dropped her book back down on the sofa. "Robbery at the bar and all that," he answered sarcastically. He stood and walked towards the kitchen.

Sarah wasn't sure if she should follow or not. This whole routine was getting old. The first time it had happened was a shock to them both and they had soon made up the following morning. But once became twice, and twice became a few times, and a few times became occasionally, occasionally became often, and often became almost every night. She knew Jim had a problem with alcohol when she married him but it was under control. But now the problem was back and far from under control. She decided to follow the routine through and followed him to the kitchen.

Jim was busy opening one of the small cupboards in the corner of the room. He pulled out a green bottle of whisky and set it down on the counter.

"What is that doing in our house?" she was shocked to see the bottle.

Jim ignored her and went to another cupboard to get a glass.

"Jim, answer me!" Sarah raised her voice gently to make him listen to her.

"Want one?" he asked as he reached for two glasses, hooking his fingers inside them and pulling them out.

"No," she stormed towards the bottle and picked it up. She started to unscrew the lid as she walked towards the sink with it.

"Give that back," Jim quickly grabbed her arm as he realised she was going to pour it out. He put the glasses down and pulled her towards him.

"Let go," she said seriously, resisting his strength.

He stared at her. He knew he could have easily overpowered her and gotten the bottle back, but he wasn't prepared to cross that line and get physical with her. He released his grip and let her go.

She looked away from him and emptied the bottle down the sink.

"You spoil all my fun," he said dully.

"This isn't fun, Jim," she added as the last of the whisky ran down the sink. She put the empty bottle on the counter and looked back at him.

"I only wanted a drink," he said.

"You're an alcoholic. You can't just have a drink," she showed concern in her voice.

"If I'm an alcoholic it's because you made me that way," he pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat at the table.

"I made you that way?" she asked bemused by his statement. "You were the one who chose to bury himself in a bottle instead of tackle and get over his feelings."

"I should have gotten over you? Left you to carry on terrorising the universe?" his voice was laced with anger.

"That wasn't me," Sarah quickly shot back. Jim used to be the one who told her that; that she wasn't herself. Now their roles had reversed; she had come to accept she wasn't really her back then and now Jim didn't believe her.

"Yeah, you're all innocent in this, darlin'," he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Wasn't like you killed millions."

"Are you going to keep reminding me of that every time you have one too many?" she asked with a raised voice. "Besides, it was the Queen of Blades that killed millions," she added softly.

"What about before and after that?" he asked coldly. "How many people have you killed? Bet you couldn't even remember."

"It was my job," she defended herself. "You aren't an angel either; you killed beside me."

"At least I show some type of remorse at the things I did," he took a puff of his cigarette.

She shook her head in disbelief, Jim knew her better than that and he knew she still suffered for her past.

"You continue to kill me a little bit each day," he said blankly as he put his cigarette out on the table, ignoring her gaze.

"I am killing you?" she asked sadly. If anything he was killing them both with his alcohol addiction.

Jim continued to push his cigarette against the table. "You aren't the Sarah I fell in love with."

Sarah had felt it for a while now that Jim was growing more distant from her but she hadn't realised to what extent."You don't love me?" she asked softly.

"Don't ask a question you don't want an answer to," he raised his voice slightly and looked at her.

She paused. Did she want to know?

"You can carry on pretending everything is alright, but we both know it isn't. When was the last time you even let me touch you?" he glanced down to her gown covered body.

She felt embarrassed and avoided his eyes. "I'm not ready for that yet," she said softly.

"Some perfect life for us together this is turning out to be," he said sarcastically.

"I'm trying," she said loudly.

"Not hard enough," he shouted.

"You're not even trying at all," she shouted back at him.

He slammed his first against the table and yelled, "I wish I'd never brought you back."

His outburst woke the sleeping baby in the adjacent room and it started to cry.

"I'm sure I'd be a lot happier if you had left me with the Zerg," she told Jim as she left the room to attend to their child.