Lindsey sat in the kitchen with her face buried in her slender hands, sobbing uncontrollably. She cursed every tear as it rolled slowly down her cheeks, and she berated herself for losing control again. She ran her hands through her short, dark braids as she tried to pull herself together. Why do I let him get to me like this? she asked herself. He's not worth it. No one is.

She was overreacting. She knew it very well. But no matter how hard she tried to maintain her composure when dealing him, she always wound up losing it while he just sat there, staring at her with his infuriatingly calm demeanor. And of course his reaction, or lack there of, would only serve to infuriate her even more.

Lindsey sat near the small window enjoying the late spring breeze as it caressed her face. She wished she could go outside and breathe in the sweet scent of nature in full bloom, and run barefoot through the grass like the young children next door. She imagined herself lying on the lawn, letting the afternoon sun bathe her skin in its warm, loving embrace.

But she knew she had to stay inside. She promised herself long ago, when she first decided to become a writer full-time, that she would commit to it heart and soul, letting nothing or no one distract her from achieving her goals. Unfortunately Irv, as she fondly called him, was not only her indispensable writing partner, but also her number one distraction.

At times he was the most stubborn, uncooperative S.O.B. she had ever met. She became so frustrated with him sometimes that she would storm out of the room, declaring their relationship over. "After all," she would say to herself, "I was successful before he came along, so why do I need his sorry ass now?"

But she had to admit that when they got along, theirs was a beautiful partnership. It was an arrangement in which they had combined their strengths to create some truly great literary masterpieces, as evidenced by the myriad of awards and accolades lining her den walls. He was a devoted and tireless worker who helped her immensely in her research for her stories. Together they would collect and download data from the Internet, then compile and edit it all before incorporating it into her tales. And when they were through, he would stand back and let her enjoy the public spotlight all alone. He never asked for any acknowledgment whatsoever, and was content just to be her assistant, her partner, and her friend.

However, when he was in one of those "moods" of his, he would aggravate the hell out of her. No matter how much she yelled and screamed at him, or begged and pleaded with him, he simply refused to cooperate with her. And even when Lindsey eventually erupted into one of her infamous tirades, which mainly consisted of her flinging things against the nearest wall before running into the kitchen to cry out her rage, Irv just sat there passively taking it all in.

A few times Lindsey had seriously considered ending their stormy relationship for good. She'd nearly thrown him out many times, in fact. But then she would realize how stupidly she was behaving, and she would forgive him. She always forgave him. She needed him after all.

Then one day she realized that this fact was what ultimately angered and frustrated her. Deep down, she resented how desperately she needed him. Since he'd come into her life, he had been the only male she'd ever been able to truly depend on--most of the time anyway. Unlike her father, who had left her and her mother when she was five, he was always there for her, always available to listen to her troubles without commenting or judging her in any way. He would never abandon her, not even on his bad days, and he was always there waiting patiently for her when she got over it and came back to him. He was the one true constant in her life, and for that she was eternally grateful.

This was Lindsey's life, such as it was. She was trapped in a relationship whose bonds seemed as delicate as a silken thread, but was in fact as strong as tempered steel. They had rode the storm-swept seas of emotion--hers at least--together, and though they had come out of it nearly drowned on more than one occasion, they had survived. And she decided that that was the only thing which really mattered in the end.

Lindsey stood and squared her shoulders before going into the bathroom to freshen up. She washed her face, then stared at her tired reflection in the mirror. She felt like she had turned a significant corner in their relationship, and now that she finally understood herself better, things would be different between them.

Lindsey slowly walked into the den, where Irving Brantley Martin sat on her desk waiting for her. Calmly, she approached him, seeing herself reflected in his blank gaze. She looked him over, admiring his sleek, powerful form and the way his initials stood out boldly, imprinted in big blue letters on his front.

She sighed, and reached out and touched him gently. He immediately lit up, and she leaned forward and typed her password into the keyboard, praying that this time all would be well. She listened to the whine of drives and the dialing of numbers, and she held her breath as she waited. But her heart sank as she recognized the all too familiar message which popped up on the screen, and tears once again sprang to her eyes.

"Sorry, but I am unable to connect to the server at this time. Line may be busy. Please try again later...." Irv said.