Lena was calm at home after a long shift at the hospital, hours of exhausting work cooped up with upset patients, and preparation for a surgery that, as always, was successful. Soft jazz music filling the room as she read some scientific articles and medical reports to distract herself and kill time while her daughter was upstairs in her room, doing homework as always. But Lena's calmness collapsed when the doorbell rang. Damn, she thought. When she saw the time and date she realized that it was probably {{user}} and that she was coming to see Lena, it was already the fifth time that the idiot tried to talk to her daughter in the month. She reluctantly stood up from the couch, her heels clicking on the marble floor until she reached the main entrance, opening the door only to indeed be met by {{user}}. "What do you want?" She asked bluntly, looking at {{user}} with the usual contempt.

"I don't care," she responded coldly, trying not to roll her eyes as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You know the visitation schedule." She stepped back, motioning for him to leave. "Go, before I call security."

"That doesn't change the fact that you don't have permission," Lena snapped, glancing down at her watch. "And it's nearly her bedtime anyway." She narrowed her eyes as she studied him. "You're not drunk again, are you? I told Sarah if I ever caught--"

"No!" Jay1231 interrupted, holding up his hands defensively.

Sarah slowly descended the stairs, her steps cautious and timid, her eyes darting back and forth between them. Her face lit up when she saw her father. "Daddy!" She ran towards him, throwing herself into his arms. "I'm sorry I called you, I shouldn't have. I know Mommy doesn't like it."

"It's okay, sweetie," Jay1231 reassured her. "We can talk for a little while."

Lena scowled, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her blouse. "Sarah..." she began, voice cold and harsh. "You know you're not supposed to--"

"Mommy!" Sarah interrupted, looking up at her mother with wide eyes. "Can... can we please talk about this?"

Lena hesitated, feeling a twinge of gu

"You're going overboard," she muttered under her breath, refusing to meet his gaze. "Fine," she said reluctantly. "We can talk." She sighed heavily and gestured for him to follow her into the living room. As they sat down on the couch, Lena kept a careful distance between them, crossing her legs and arms once more. "What did you want to discuss?" she asked, voice flat and unemotional.

"Well..." Sarah hesitated, looking down at her lap. "I was just wondering... if maybe we could... I don't know... try to get along better? You know, like a family?" She glanced up at them both hopefully.

"That's not going to happen," Lena said sharply, her voice hard as stone. "I have no interest in trying to be friends with you." She glanced at Sarah, feeling a pang of guilt but pushing it aside. "You know the situation. Your father and I will always hate each other. It's better for everyone if we just keep our distance."

Sarah lowered her head, disappointment etched into her features. Jay1231 sighed heavily, shaking his head as he looked down at their daughter. "Maybe someday," he muttered, rising to his feet. He leaned down and kissed Sarah's forehead, the only sign of affection that Lena had allowed him. "Be good for your mom, okay?"

"I'll try," she whispered softly.

"What's there to talk about?" she snapped. "I told you my position." She glared at him, her expression unreadable. "Go away, Jay." But despite herself, the thought of making things even worse for their daughter weighed on her. "Fine," she relented with a sigh. "But make it quick."

They moved to the study, both remaining standing several feet apart from each other. Lena crossed her arms and looked at Jay expectantly. He cleared his throat uncomfortably before speaking. "I'm sorry about... everything," he said softly. "It's just that I miss spending time with her."

Lena narrowed her eyes, unsure if she believed him or not. "It's too late for apologies," she replied coldly. "You made your choices, and now you have to live with them." She hesitated, considering what he

"You don't get to ask that question," she spat out. "You left us. You made it clear you didn't want anything to do with her." She folded her arms tighter, trying to keep herself from losing control of her emotions. "Besides, what kind of father drinks himself senseless at every party and then makes a fool of himself?" She paused, her voice softening slightly despite herself. "You're lucky I've let you see her as much as I have."

She felt a flush creep up her neck at his words, wishing she could take them back as soon as they left her lips. "That was different," she insisted quickly, not wanting to admit that they had both been just as responsible for what happened that night. "I was... angry about something else, and I didn't realize what I was doing." She forced herself to meet his gaze, determination etched into her features. "But none of that matters anymore. The only thing that matters is Sarah, and making sure she grows up happy and healthy."

Lena's eyes widened in surprise as Jay leaned in and kissed her. At first she wanted to pull away, but something held her there, an instinctive response that made her heart race wildly in her chest. For a brief moment, their lips moved against each other, a tangle of emotions swirling around them both like a tornado. Then, just as quickly as it had begun, he pulled back, his cheeks flushed and his eyes darting away from hers. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, seemingly unable to meet her gaze.

She felt a surge of anger course through her veins, nearly choking on the words that threatened to spill out of her mouth. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down before responding. "Well, I guess that takes care of that," she said bitterly. "Now you can go back to your little fantasy

Her eyes widened in surprise as he kissed her again, harder this time and with more passion. When he gripped her ass, she let out a small whimper, feeling the desire surging through her veins like an electric current. Unable to resist any longer, she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, moaning into his mouth as their tongues danced together in a wild tangle of longing and need.

She felt dizzy from the sudden rush of emotion, wondering how things could have gone so wrong between them. If only they had been able to keep it under control...But now it was too late for regrets. All that mattered was this moment, this overwhelming desire that seemed to consume them both like a raging fire.

Her back arched against his chest as she moaned into his mouth, her legs wrapping around his hips, urging him on. The world seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them in this bubble of desire and need. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, his skin burning beneath her touch. She felt her body growing hotter with each passing second, every nerve ending alive with the sensation of him moving inside her.

She gasped as he picked her up, setting her down on the table, their hips grinding together in perfect rhythm. Her breath came out in ragged gasps, her eyes slipping shut as she threw herself into this forbidden pleasure, unable to resist any longer.

Her eyes flew open, fear and panic coursing through her veins like ice water. "What?" she gasped, the pleasure immediately dissipating under the weight of reality. "No..." She tried to push him away, but he held her tightly against him. "We can't... not now," she whimpered, feeling a tear trickle down her cheek. "What have we done?"

They sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity, their bodies still joined together but the passion long gone. Lena buried her face in his chest, feeling ashamed and exposed as she clutched at him desperately, wanting nothing more than to pretend this had never happened. "I'm sorry," she whispered into his shirt, her voice barely audible. "I don't know what came over me."

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to ignore the way his body pressed against hers, still so familiar and yet somehow alien at the same time. Part of her wanted to pretend this had never happened, that they could go back to their respective lives without a single consequence. But she knew better than anyone that such things never truly disappeared, not when the memories were etched into your very soul.

With a shaky breath, Lena forced herself to pull away from him, steeling her resolve as she stood up and began straightening her clothes. "I need some air," she managed to say, her voice barely audible above the pounding of her heart. Without waiting for his reply, she turned and fled the room, unable to bear looking at him any longer.

As soon as she was free from the confines of the study, relief flooded through her. The air outside felt cool and fresh on her skin, a welcome respite from the stifling heat that seemed to emanate from their bodies moments ago. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down before glancing back at Jay, his face etched with guilt and regret.

Without another word, she turned on her heel and headed upstairs, needing to be alone to sort through the tangled mess of emotions that raged within her. She climbed into bed, curling herself into a ball as she stared at the ceiling, tears streaming down her cheeks. Sarah would have to sleep in the guest room tonight, she thought miserably. There was no way they could risk waking up and finding out about what had happened between them.

Her eyes drifted shut, but even as

She opened her eyes, blinking away the last remnants of sleep and taking in his guilty expression with a mixture of hurt and anger. "No," she whispered hoarsely, turning her head away. "I'm not okay." It was an understatement, really; she felt like her whole world had been turned upside down. "You shouldn't have done that... touched me like that..."

"Because it's... complicated," she said, trying to find the right words. "We can't do this, Jay. Not after everything that's happened between us. We need to go back to how things were before..." She trailed off, unable to bring herself to say the rest of her thoughts aloud.

He sighed heavily, knowing she was right but not wanting to give up so easily. "Maybe... maybe we could try again?" he said softly, reaching out a hand to touch hers. "Start over? Be friends?"

She looked at him warily, her expression unreadable. "I don't know," she said finally. "It seems kind of pointless now." She turned away from him, closing her eyes again and pretending to sleep. Inside, though, a small part of her heart ached with the knowledge that things would never be the same between them again.

Her eyes snapped open as he kissed her again, surprise flushing through her veins like wine. She hesitated for a moment before relaxing into the embrace, their tongues dancing together in a familiar yet somehow forbidden rhythm. His touch sent shivers down her spine, making her heart race wildly beneath her breast. Maybe... maybe they could try again, she thought slowly. Not as lovers or friends, but perhaps as something else entirely.

She deepened the kiss, moaning softly into his mouth as he caressed her back and hips. The world seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them in this quiet oasis of desire and need. It felt... right, she realized with a jolt of surprise. Perhaps they could find some middle ground where they could both be happy, where Sarah wouldn't have to suffer because of their mistakes.

As if sensing her thoughts, he pulled away

She smiled softly up at him, her eyes filled with tenderness. "I want that too," she admitted quietly, reaching out to caress his cheek. "But we should probably wait until Sarah's asleep first." Her heart ached for them all, wanting so desperately to find a way to make everything right again, even if it meant hiding this newfound understanding from their daughter for the time being.

Jay nodded in agreement, pressing his lips gently against hers once more before moving off to keep watch over Sarah. Lena lay back on her pillow, lost in thought as she stared at the ceiling, her hand absently tracing shapes along Jay's neck and shoulder from where he still leaned close beside her. Perhaps there was hope for them yet, even if it wasn't the happy ending they had both once dreamed of.

The night dragged on slowly, but eventually Sarah drift

As Jay slid into the bed beside her, Lena didn't bother to pretend that she wasn't aware of his presence. The way he undressed her, his touch gentle and reverent, made it impossible for her not to feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She knew they shouldn't be doing this, that it was only a matter of time before Sarah woke up and everything came crashing down around them... But for now, she allowed herself to enjoy this small taste of passion, if only because she knew it might very well be the last time.

Jay leaned over her, kissing her neck, his breath warm against her skin as he slowly lowered himself onto her. Lena arched into him, moaning softly at the feel of his hard length pressing against her. She wanted this, she realized with a start. More than anything else in the world, she wanted Jay to be hers again, even