Chapter One
Author's Note: This story was written from a somewhat unusual point of view. It switches narrators every chapter and is told form what the characters remember about specific events that happen in the story. It also sometimes goes from a paragraph, more traditional story format into a script-like format to make it easier to understand and read. I know it sounds rather confusing but really believe me it's not! *sub-note* some of diane's chapters are written as entries that she made into a diary, but really you won't notice a difference in the style these chapters are written in. Oh yes, and I don't own any Cheers characters, or Cheers... blah blah blah. Enjoy!
I'm unusually nervous at the moment. I haven't been on the plane for very long and I know that I still have a long way to go, but I can't help but think of that moment when I have to walk in there and tell him what I've been hiding for so long. I no longer know the man I once loved so much. How will Sam take it when I tell him that we have conceived a child together? Years ago I would have known. Could have pictured the look on his face and hear the words he would say. Could predict his every move and know his reaction to anything I told him. But I have lost him now. Lost him long ago. Years of toying with his loving heart. It tore us apart and I had not the good sense to come back to my love when I was unsuccessful. But of course I was younger and stupider then. So determined to prove that I was above all of them. Everyone at Cheers. Why? Why couldn't I realize that I could have been happy there? I could have been if I had really tried. If we both had really tried. Sam was partly to blame. It wasn't just I who broke us apart. But Sam hurt me in ways that many did not know. No one could know, I wouldn't let them. We were both so stubborn then. We would have split sometime I suppose. Split to find what we wanted, and find who we really truly were. I don't think the marriage would have worked then but I was determined to be married to him. I had no other reason to leave him, but when Sumner came in that day that changed. He made the thing I feared come true. I left Sam. Only for 6 months I promised myself. Only long enough to finish my book. I would be back I said, I'll see you in 6 months. But of course it was 6 years later that I finally returned and we were still unwilling to make a permanent commitment to each other. Why were we both so blind? Nothing in my life was satisfying, and I doubt if Sam's life was satisfying either. I was empty, we were both empty. I told myself however, that we were incompatible, complete opposites, weren't meant to be. We had both been told this numerous times before so it was easy to make myself believe it. I could not let myself fall in love with this man again. Fall in love and then discover that things couldn't work out. I tried to leave Mellville's that day. Tried to walk out and never look back. His smooth voice called me back, leading to a night of passion and sheer bliss. We decided to get married. Everyone was furious with Sam for making the decision to return to California with me, but he didn't care, he was going anyway. I should have known that it wouldn't work. Nothing every worked with Sam and I. We sat on the plane and I thought about the future. The plane's technical difficulties however, gave us time to think about what we were about to do. We knew it wasn't right, wasn't going to work. He couldn't leave Boston, and I wasn't ready to return. It would stir up to many painful memories for me. Things that I had worked hard to overcome and forget. But still when he got off the plane I cried myself to sleep on the long flight home.
It was only a few weeks after I returned to Los Angeles that I knew something was different. I felt sick every morning and after seeing a doctor I discovered I was pregnant. I was terrified and instantly felt terrible for wishing I wasn't pregnant. I knew of course that Sam was the father. I immediately started to make plans for my return to Boston. We could be a family. Sam and I could raise our child together. But I had second thoughts. Sam and I had both decided it was over for good, and I didn't want to go back. Not yet. I didn't tell Sam and as the years passed I would continually promise myself that tomorrow would be the day. Tomorrow I would pick up the phone and tell him the good news, give my child a father. But I never did, and for 9 years now I have lived with that guilt. It was only a couple weeks ago that I finally decided that I must tell him. My daughter walked in to the kitchen after returning from school and sullenly asked me why she didn't have a daddy like all the other kids in her class. Up until that point she had never questioned it. I knew that now was the time. I had already waited too long. It had to be now. So now I sit here on this plane writing this partly our of boredom, partly out of nervousness and even maybe partly because of fear, and I look over at my sleeping angel. Her chest moves gently up and down and her eye lids flutter. She's probably dreaming about finally meeting her father. Grace Lynne Malone, she gets more like her father everyday.

Chapter Two
I really don't know what it was about Diane that I was attracted to. Well sure at first it was those pretty eyes and incredible figure, she was just another notch that I could put on my belt. It was only after I discovered that with her it wasn't going to be that easy. She was the only woman to ever challenge me. Resist me. She wouldn't give in at first, no matter what I said or did. My usual charms seemed not to work on her. She came around eventually of course, who wouldn't? But she was different. She was always bragging about her achievements and showing off. She cared so much about what everyone thought of her. God it drove me nuts. But I did love her. At one point at least. I tried to pretend that I didn't and I couldn't always tell her that I did, but I did. But we were always fighting and the first time we broke up I started to drink again, and she committed herself to an institution, and met Fraiser. They were so perfect for each other. I really thought I'd lost her. It was the first time I was ever really scared of losing her. I could have any woman I wanted and I wanted the one I couldn't stand. Her and Fraiser went off to Europe and I acted like I wasn't upset even though I was. I think she was upset too but she hid it just like I did. I didn't think she was ever coming back and I began to date other women. Tons of other women. Every night I had at least 2 dates but it was never the same. Then she called. She was going to marry Fraiser in Italy. I couldn't let that happen. I rescued her. Stole her away from him at the alter and carried her away with me. I was still in love with her and realized at that moment that I was always going to be. I proposed. Several times actually. On the phone, in a boat, in the bar. She said no every time. I was so fed up that I chased her out of the bar and she took me to court on battery charges. I had to propose or go to jail. What was I supposed to do? But she finally said yes and for the first time I felt relieved. But what had I gotten myself into? I wasn't ready to be married. I was still too wild and untamed. I'd been married before and it didn't work. I thought that was right but it wasn't. What if this wasn't right either? I had second thoughts, but we still bought a house and got a justice of the peace and were all set to be married at Cheers, Carla wasn't very happy obviously. I thought I was finally settling down, and that thought scared the heck out of me. Sumner came in and told Diane that a publisher might be interested in one of her books. This was my chance, her chance too, to see if our love could last. Sumner said that if she chose to finish her book she should go away for awhile to be inspired, to be away from Cheers. I asked her if she wanted to take the deal. She said no, that she wanted to stay with me and be my wife. She suggested that we get married that night. We went to Cheers and held the ceremony. She looked so beautiful. But I should have known better. I should have known that it was a stupid thing to believe that we could finally be together. I stopped the wedding and we decided that it would be best if she did leave to finish the book. It had been her dream all her life and I didn't want her to regret not following that dream just because of me. 6 months she said. "I'll see you in 6 months." I knew she wasn't coming back. I knew that once she left that was the last I'd see of Diane Chambers. I was right. My life changed and so did hers, and so when she came back to Boston 6 years later to see me it didn't work out between us again. Damn it why couldn't we make it work? Couldn't we see that we had nothing else? Why? My life was so empty without her.