Pictures that tell 1000 words

The tree house

A/N Hey people, sorry this is up so late - it's quite a long chapter and took me longer than I thought it would to write. Either way, I hope you enjoy xx

23rd February 2034

"DOT I'M BACK!" Joe yelled through into the house as he made his way back through the door from after doing the school run that morning. The widest smile strew across his features as he reminisced about the story he had just retold. A story which was so simple and in reality nothing more than him pressing a 'post' button 16 years ago; but a story which had changed the rest of his life in more way than one.

"I'm up here!" Joe heard the sound of his wife's faded Australian accent coming from up the stairs, and followed it until he made his way through the door to their bedroom to find her sat cross legged on top of the bed, looking over a large book, with the remainder of the coffee Joe watched her sip earlier still in her hand. The mug no longer steaming however, and the bitter smell no longer lingering in the surrounding air.

"You know, every time I hear you talk you sound less and less Australian."  Joe said from his position in the doorway - causing Dianne to look up with a confused glance and furrowed eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" She questioned as if she had just been given the highest of insults. "I'm still and Aussie girl."

"Oh yeah don't get me wrong you are definitely still Australian, I'm just saying that you sound so much less Australian then you used to."

"I have no idea what you're on about Joseph."

"Di the other day I heard you say 'oh bollocks' when you got paint on the floor when you were helping Alex with his project."

"Alright fine maybe I did say that," She began whilst rolling her eyes slightly. "But if you remember correctly, I also told you to rack off when you told me to clean it up." She retorted with a proud smile.

"True, but that was not a good idea to say in front of Alex - now he's worked out he can say that to everyone in his class without getting in trouble because Mrs... whats-her-face"

"Watersmith." Diann interrupted, correcting him.

"Yeah, Mrs Watersmith doesn't know what it means." Joe said with a gentle laugh as he watched the ever increasing guilt show up on his wife's face.

A soft silence enveloped them as Dianne gave no reply or statement for her previous actions, other than a gentle shrug of her shoulders. In that moment, Joe couldn't help but look at her. Her hair was still the same characteristic red that it had been when they first met - her olive skin still smooth - her hazel eyes still shining out like honey coloured orbs that made his heart beat faster after every time he looked into them. If you asked Dianne, she would say that she wasn't the same as she was all those years ago. That now at the age of 45 her skin was dry and wrinkly - that grey roots were beginning to poke through the red - that she wasn't as beautiful as she used to be.

But to Joe, she was as perfect as ever.

"What are you looking at? Joe?" Dianne questioned, ripping Joe out of his thoughts.

"Nothing..." He said softly, "Just you."

Dianne smiled softly in thanks, a small blush rising on her cheeks at his words, before she turned back to the book before her. "What is that you're looking at?" Joe questioned as he made his way over to his side of the bed to take a look.

"Oh just that photo album that Alex and I were looking over yesterday. "You know he's really invested in this now." Dianne said as she placed a gentle hand on his knee.