A/N

There is a ginormous time jump from the end of Problem Solving to this chapter, 16 years to be exact. There will be time jumps back and forth to tell the story of what happened in those 16 years. I'm trying an experiment with the flow, there will be flashbacks within flashbacks. I'll mark the dates in the hopes it doesn't get too confusing.

Read, review, let me know if its working...

I own nothing but the mistakes.

May 10, 2033

"Emma, please go find your sister and," Rolling her eyes, Lauren knows what the next words out of Emma's mouth will be, "do not ask which one. You know."

"But Ren." Sixteen year old Emma whines; Charley is not her responsibility, not today.

"Go." Is all Lauren says as she points down the hall to Charley's favorite place at Riverrun. "Your mother will be here any minute and we need to be ready."

Sent on a mission, Emma wastes no time huffing her way to the room made of glass, "Charlotte Elizabeth Dennis!" ringing through the house as she goes.

Emma calling her whole name reaches Charley's ears in record time, but she ignores it. She is lost in thought, running the lock Ren gave her to ease her worries, back and forth on its chain. On this big day, this important day, all she can think about are the choices she's made to get here, to get to this point in her life. Did she make the right ones? Was she ready for this next step? Was she ready for this life she chose?

"Charley, you'd better be ready or Ren is going to throttle both of us ." Emma yells out as she enters the room made of glass only to find it empty. Mumbling "Dammit Charley.", under her breath, she beelines straight for the stairs to the second floor, stomping as she goes. Heading towards what used to be her Momma's studio, Emma finds Charley standing at the floor to ceiling windows, hands on her hips, head tilted back, eyes closed, biting her bottom lip. If Emma didn't know better she'd swear she was seeing her Momma 20 years ago. Plopping down on the couch in the corner, "Charley? What are you doing up here?"

Turning to her sister, Charley smiles sadly, "Just thinking."

Rolling her eyes as she kicks her feet up on a nearby table, "Well you'd better hurry up your thinking. Ren is on a rampage. You know how she gets if there is even the hint of being late."

Moving away from the windows to sit beside her sister, Charley throws her arm around Emma's shoulders, "I know, but it's my day and if I want to be late, I'll be late."

"Be sure to tell Ren. I don't think she got the memo."

Before Charley can respond, Bo arrives in a rush popping her head in the studio door, raising her eyebrows at her daughters, "What are you girls doing? Are you ready?"

Caught, they nod in unison, "Yes Momma."

Waving her hand in a hurry up motion, "Come on then, let's go. Ren and Maddie are waiting."

XXXXXXX

Bouncing in the hard fold out chair, much like her 6 year old self would have, Charley is ready for this ceremony to be over. Enough talking already, give me my sheepskin and let me out of here, the only thought running through her head. Looking around the auditorium, she spots her parents, all three of them, her Momma, Ren and Dyson, all with proud smiles on their faces. She sees Emma looking bored and eleven year old Maddie sitting so close to Ren she was practically on top of her, waving her heart out. Waving back, as a slow smile creeps across her face. Even when she was feeling blue or anxious or uncertain, as she was today, Maddie always brought a smile to Charley's face.

Thinking back to that Christmas morning all those years ago when she heard Emma's heartbeat for the very first time, she relives the wonder of that moment. She had been working towards this day ever since: today she was graduating from the Perelman School of Medicine, Penn's medical school. Charley was finally a doctor just like her Ren…. well, almost. She had several long, hard years ahead of her before she could even begin to think she was in the same realm as Lauren and she was having doubts. Doubt she was smart enough, strong enough, dedicated enough to be a doctor in more than name only; physicians as talented as Dr. Lauren Lewis, her Ren don't grow on trees. Doubt was what had her thinking this morning, thinking maybe it wasn't too late to go to law school and be a lawyer like her Aunt Kenzie. Momma wouldn't be too upset. Ren though, she'd be devastated.

Sighing as she hears her name called, Charley rouses herself from her thoughts and crosses the stage to receive her reward for four long years of hard work and perseverance. Standing with the rest of her class, reciting the Declaration of Geneva, the oath graduates of Perelman Medical School recite on the day they become members of the medical profession:

I solemnly pledge myself to consecrate my life to the service of humanity;
I will give my teachers the respect and gratitude which is their due;
I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity;
The health of my patient will be my first consideration;
I will respect the secrets which are confided in me, even after the patient has died;
I will maintain by all the means in my power, the honor and the noble traditions of the medical profession;
My colleagues will be my brothers;
I will not permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics or social standing to intervene between my duty and my patient;
I will maintain the utmost respect for human life from its beginning even under threat and I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity;
I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honor.

Charley sees Lauren mouthing the words along with the class and remembers that cold day in February more than 15 years ago when she had breakfast at Tiffany's for the very first time, declaring she would one day win the Breakthrough Prize for Life Sciences, as Lauren had the evening before. The memory of Lauren's tears making the hard work of the last 8 years as an undergrad and med student almost worth it…..almost.

XXXXXX

Charley didn't want a big party to celebrate her graduation from medical school, just a small gathering at Riverrun with her moms, her sisters, her Dad and her family's closest friends. She was watching Tamsin, Vex and of course her favorite aunt, Kenzi, affectionately dubbed AK when Charley was little, sit around the outdoor tables by the pool, talking animatedly and sipping cocktails. As she anxiously waited for Byron Stein, her best friend since she was six to show up, secretly hoping he'd bring his older sister, Dana along, Charley checked her phone for the millionth time, hoping to see a text or something from Byron. Dana being Charley's biggest and longest crush, she wanted to be properly prepared if she was coming; she wanted to squeal with delight at a text, not Dana's face. Charley had been longing for more than a casual friendship with Dana since coming back to Philadelphia from Geneva more than ten years ago, but Dana was clueless. Charley wanted to change that, but in the proper way, not by squawking like a silly schoolgirl at her arrival. She was a doctor now after all, not an adolescent.

It was warm for the end of May in Pennsylvania, turning Charley's graduation gathering into a pool party, much to her delight. As Charley lay in the sun, feeling its warmth on her face, a shadow falls across her. Opening her eyes, she wants to see the lithe figure of Dana Stein in a bikini top and board shorts, but instead sees Lauren with a smallish, rectangular box in her hand and a nervous look on her face, "Hey Ren, What's up?"

"Come inside with me a minute Charley." Indicating the box in her hand, "I have something for you."

Curious about the rectangular box and the anxious demeanor of her Ren, Charley stands and follows Lauren inside, trailing behind her as they head for the room made of glass.

Sitting on the couch next to each other, Lauren lays the box in Charley's lap, "Your graduation present."

"I told you and Momma both, no presents. Having you as my cheerleader through the last four years is enough." Despite her protest, Charley opens the box, her mouth dropping open when she sees what is inside.

Taking the item out and holding it up, Charley hears Lauren explain, "I had the tubing replaced with your favorite color, purple and the ear pieces are new, and I had the bell engraved, but this is the stethoscope my parents gave me when I graduated from medical school. The stethoscope I used to listen to your heart the very first time we met."

Lauren trails off as she watches tears spring to Charley's eyes as she handles the stethoscope.

"Oh Ren, I don't know what to say. I…", Charley rubs her finger over her name engraved in the bell, Charley Dennis MD.

Looking anxiously into Charley's eyes, "I didn't know if you'd want a brand new one or…."

Throwing her arms around Lauren, Charley sniffles against Lauren's neck, "I love it. Thank you Ren, I love you so much."

Hugging her special girl to her chest, this unexpected and delightful daughter, all grown up and ready for the world, "I love you too, Charley."

Leaning back, still holding the stethoscope, Charley chuckles as she looks up and into Lauren's eyes glistening with tears, "What if I hadn't made it? What if I had failed?"

Placing her hand on Charley's cheek, "The thought never crossed my mind. You're a brilliant woman Charley and you'll be a brilliant doctor."

Leaning in for a hug and laying her head on Lauren's shoulder, "I hope you're right."

Squeezing Charley tight, "I am. Haven't you heard, I'm never wrong."

Hearing her hero, her Ren say she'd make a brilliant doctor washed away all of Charley's doubts, the worry and uncertainty from the morning gone in a rush.

XXXXXXXXX

Back in her lounge chair by the pool, waiting for Byron to show up, Charley's mind wanders, taking a walk through her childhood memories…..

May 10, 2022

"Charlotte Elizabeth Dennis what are you supposed to be doing at the moment?" Standing and tapping her foot, arms crossed, Bo was at her wit's end with her 14 year old. Usually a model child, Charley was giving her mothers fits the past few months as their time in Geneva drew to a close.

Rolling her eyes like a pro, "Packing."

"Then why are you laying on the floor of your sister's room?"

Rolling onto her back as she shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I guess I don't want to pack."

Piping up with her two cents, 5 year old Emma closes a box of books and in her best big girl voice, "I'm packing Momma," reaching for the list Lauren gave her and handing it to Bo, "See, I have my list all checked off." Pointing to each item, "Books, done. Stuffed animals, done. Experi-" sounding out the word in her head before saying it, "Experiments, done. Assorted toys, done. Drawings, done." Looking at Bo expectantly, Emma waits for her Momma's approval.

While Charley looked as if Bo spit her out, Emma was a different story. The reddish blond hair she had been born with morphed into honey and was as straight and smooth as Charley's was curly. Early on it was apparent Emma had inherited the Lewis family's brains, reading the newspaper with her Ren by the time she was 3; Emma had Lauren's eidetic memory and knack for science. If it wasn't for her artistic talents, one would think Lauren had been the birth mother. Bo's talent lay in the abstract but Emma was all about the details. At five she was already copying human anatomy drawings from Lauren's books with pinpoint accuracy.

Smoothing her hand over Emma's blond hair as she takes the list, Bo thanks her youngest, "Good job Emma. Why don't you take a break and go downstairs. Ren is in her office and I feel certain you can convince her to get you a snack. Momma needs to talk to Charley."

Nodding her head and tucking her favorite book, There's No Place Like Space under her arm, Emma waves at Charley and goes off to find her Ren.

Kneeling down and reaching her hand out to tuck a strand of Charley's unruly curls behind her ear, "I know you are not happy about leaving and going back to the States, but Ren's time here is done Charley. She is going back to Philadelphia and we are going with her, as a family."

Sitting up and running her lock back and forth on its chain nervously, "I know Momma, but I don't know any of those Philadelphia kids anymore."

Sitting on the floor to be on her daughter's level, "Yes you do. What about Byron? He's your best friend even though he's in the States. We're going to be in the same building, same apartment, same neighborhood, all of that is the same as before we came here. The kids will have grown up, just like you did but," Holding her arms out, "It will be alright Bear."

Crawling into her Momma's lap, even at 14 Charley needs the reassurance of her mother's arms, "I guess. If you say so."

Holding Charley tight and kissing the top of her head, Bo sighs, "I know so baby. I know so."

One Week Later, May 17 2022

Directing the movers with utmost precision, Lauren stands in her empty living room, spreadsheet in hand, checking to make sure everything was loaded and accounted for before moving to her office. Her eyes moving from the spreadsheet to roam the empty room, she sees Bo through the window talking with Tamsin on the front lawn. Tamsin had come with them when they moved to Geneva, serving as Lauren's assistant; slash anything and everything Lauren or Bo needed.

Sighing, she makes her way to her office. If truth be told, she was about as thrilled as Charley to be moving back to Philadelphia. She accomplished what she set out to by coming to Geneva and she was being sent back to the States to run their counterpart program; she was looking forward to the science, but not the politics. All she wanted to focus on was the project and she'd have little time to do that in the States with all the red tape and regulations associated with genetic research. Particularly her research: genetic engineering.

Sitting at her empty desk, the files and paperwork had been packed for days, she kicks her feet up as she ponders this latest move in her career. She had become the preeminent authority on genetic engineering over the last five years. She and her team had made great strides, solving complex problems as if they were equations a second grader could handle. She was proud of herself and her team, but success had come at a high price, a price she didn't want to pay. She was hoping the move back to the States would prevent her from having to pony up the cost and she was, simply, terrified it wouldn't.

Knowing someone is a workaholic and actually living through it are two completely different things. A lesson Bo learned shortly after they arrived in Geneva. She was used to Lauren spending long hours at the lab, but Geneva was a whole new story. She'd go days without seeing her, sometimes at particularly crucial moments in the testing process, weeks. There were times Lauren had been gone so long when Emma was an infant, she would stare at her as if she were a stranger, crying when Lauren would pick her up.

Recalling their most recent fight, the one that prompted this move Lauren hears Bo's words of ultimatum ringing in her ears.

December 2021

As soon as she said the words, she regretted them, but much like a science experiment gone bad, she couldn't take them back or erase her error. All she could do was take what Bo had to dish out and then try again.

"It may be," making air quotes with her long fingers, Bo was having a hard time keeping her cool, "just art' to you, but to me it is my life's work and I need your support right now. Not next week or next month or whenever your," using her long fingers again for air quotes, "project' is done or at a point where you can be spared," closing her eyes to suppress the hot tears she feels forming, "I need you now. I need you," tapping her finger on the island between them, "here, today, or we, Charley, Emma and I won't be here," again tapping her finger on the island, "tomorrow. It's that simple." Turning on her heel, Bo walks away leaving Lauren to consider life without her wife and children.

Yelling at Bo's back, "You are so frustrating!"

Spinning at Lauren's words, jabbing her finger at her own chest, "I'm frustrating, I'm frustrating?!"

Closing the gap between them, "Yes. Everything is black or white with you. Either I'm in or I'm out. Nothing in between. When did that happen?" Lauren reaches out to take Bo's hand, thinks better of it and lets her arm drop, " When did being us become so hard?"

Not giving an inch, Bo crosses her arms, "I don't know, I guess it happened while you were at your lab."

Hanging her head, "Real funny Bo." Looking up and into Bo's eyes," Everything I do, I do for you. I work hard for you and Charley and Emma. So I can…"

Bo cuts her off, "Don't you dare. Don't you dare say you spend days away from us…. for us. To provide for us or whatever you were going to say. I don't buy it Lauren." Shaking her head and frowning, "Not for a minute." Shrugging her shoulders, "I can provide for all of us. My career has taken off since we've been in Europe. My work is in greater demand now than it ever was when we were in the States, which is why I need your support. If I wanted to be a single parent, I would have been. You know I don't like leaving Charley alone with Emma at night, which is why I am asking you to stay home with them while I meet with a client." Tapping her foot, Bo sees the conflict in Lauren's eyes, but she has no sympathy. Lauren better make the right choice.

Hesitating as a plan forms, she has to be at the lab tonight, absolutely has to, "How about Tamsin? She'll come stay with them, no problem. She's right down the street."

Sighing as she shakes her head, "Wrong answer, Lauren." Bo turns and walks away as Lauren reaches for her, coming away with nothing in her hands but air. Lauren feels the burn of tears as they form in the corners of her eyes, she couldn't tell Bo why she had to be at the lab tonight, they had fought about that too. Seems like all they did of late was fight. If Lauren said the sky was blue, Bo would say it was green, that's how far apart they had grown. She had to fix it, she had to fix them and the answer was at her lab.

Shaking her head as she hears the movers clopping down the hall towards her office, Lauren stands from her desk, ready to direct traffic. She ended up following Bo as she walked away after their epic fight, quickly rearranging things at the lab so she could stay with the kids; the thought of not having her family too much to bear. Only buying herself an extension, not really resolving the problems she and Bo were having, but it was enough to give her hope.

What she didn't tell Bo, the secret she was holding back, the reason she had to be at the lab that night: She had succeeded where so many others had failed. The reason she was brought to Geneva had come full circle, she had successfully brought a gorilla fetus to term using three genetic parents: two female and one male. She had scheduled the delivery for the night in question and she desperately wanted to be there when the fetus was delivered, re-scheduling the delivery was the right answer, the hard choice.

It didn't occur to her to wonder why it was such a hard choice; it should have been an easy choice. Too caught up in the science to see.

Readying herself to head upstairs to continue directing the movers, Lauren is lost inside her head, going over the details of the results of her research. Something she's been doing more and more the past few months…

A healthy infant gorilla, female in fact was delivered without complications the day following her big blow up with Bo. The only difference between this infant and her older siblings was she was the result of two female parents. She had no genetic abnormalities, no disease, no issues of any kind: she was perfect.

Six months later, the infant gorilla was right on schedule with her development as Lauren and her family prepared to move. Flower, the name given her by the veterinary care taker assigned to her case, would be staying in Geneva as Lauren was leaving with a secret. A secret she wasn't sure she'd be able to share with Bo.

As always, thanks for reading.