Practically Almost

A fill in between LIW and Divorce WGS

"My bag," Laura said, after Manly had kissed her. She started for the departing stage, but Almanzo held her back.

"Forget about your bag," he said, his smile widening. "Let's go tell your folks."

"Well they're in Sleepy Eye for Mary's anniversary."

"Darn, I wanna tell them."

"Well, so do I,"

"Let's go there," he said, still smiling, holding onto her.

"To Sleepy Eye?" she questioned, looking back at him.

"To Sleepy Eye," Almanzo confirmed.

And so here they were, in Sleepy Eye at one of the rooms in the Blind School, man and wife, just as Laura knew it would always be. She turned to watch Manly sleeping next to her. He was so close she could feel his breath on her face. She reached up and found his hand tightly entwined with hers. So it wasn't a dream, she smiled, snuggling tightly against him. She hated to wake him; he looked so peaceful and calm.

Manly," she called softly, not wanting to touch him, not wanting to break the bond. "Manly."

His eyes flew open at the sound of his nickname and he smiled.

"Beth," he whispered, looking into her brown eyes. He picked his hand up and found it still entwined with hers, not wanting to break the connection. "You're still here."

"And just where did you think I'd be, Almanzo Wilder?" she asked playfully, pushing herself up. Not breaking the bond, he brought their hands up to his lips, kissed hers, and then pulled her close. They made love once more, their hands still entwined, their bodies wrapped around one another.

They lay together, their energy spent. They looked at each other, hands still bonded, smiling.

"Beth," he breathed, "I could never have imagined, not in my wildest dreams."

He grabbed for her, kissed her and pulled her close. "I love you,"

"I love you too, Manly," she breathed.

Almanzo smiled and bent his head down to kiss her, when the knock came on the room door.

"Hey you two, time to get going," It was her Pa.

"Be right there," they called together, but there was no answer.

"I can't let you go," he breathed, "I don't want to let you go."

They kissed again, but this time, she cut it short. "Come on, we've got a farm to run."

"You're right, we've got our whole lives in front of us," he answered, smiling. He started off his side and she started off hers, but something held them back.

They were still holding hands.

They turned, each calling one another by the nicknames they gave each other, then laughed together.

"I don't want to let go," she said.

"I can't let go," he said.

They looked into each other's eyes and started to kiss again. Another knock.

"Ready yet?" Charles' voice called out from the other end.

"We're going to have to let go if we have to get dressed," she said, trying to pull away, but Almanzo had other thoughts.

"Maybe we can try to get dressed like this," he smiled, holding up their hands.

"Well," she answered, "you know what Pa says, with confidence and determination, you can lick anything."

Moments later, they had both come downstairs, cleaned, dressed and still holding hands.

"You sure did a good job with breakfast," Caroline said to her eldest daughter Mary. She was getting up to help clear the dishes. She looked at Laura, who was getting the last of them. "Didn't you have a bag with you when we dropped you off at the stage yesterday?"

"My bag," Laura said, forgetting that she let it go to Radnor. "All my clothes are in there."

"It's in Radnor," Almanzo said, "we let it go there yesterday."

"Don't you think that you should go get it back?" Caroline asked.

"Can't we just wire Radnor and tell them to send it back?" Adam suggested.

"It ain't in Radnor, I just been down to the post office," Houston said, walking into the kitchen. "It's in Springfield over at the railroad station. It's on its way back to Walnut Grove on the next stage over."

"Well," Almanzo said, "We'd better go meet that stage."

"Last stage, accordin' to Springfield, left about half hour ago. Should be arrivin' about an hour from now, dependin' on conditions, I expect."

"Well," Charles said, getting up. "What are we waiting for?"

After some tearful farewells between Hester Sue, Adam and Mary, Almanzo, Laura and Eliza Jane squeezed into the seat on Almanzo's rig. Charles and Caroline were behind them.

The rain suddenly started out of nowhere. It had been really cloudy in Sleepy Eye, but the sky darkened and the sound of thunder echoed in the distance.

"Good news is that we're almost home," Charles said to Caroline as the summer shower started.

"The other good news is that summer storms don't last long," Caroline smiled.

And it was true, the storm stopped as soon as it started, but everyone was wet.

Almanzo, Laura and Eliza Jane said goodbye to Caroline and Charles at the fork in the road. Caroline invited everyone over for dinner at the end of the week, a goodbye for Eliza Jane.

After dropping the two women at the school, Almanzo went down to Nellie's to meet the stage. Laura had already described the bag as a large maroon carpet bag that was her mother's. There was one like that sitting by itself when he got there. The driver told him no one had claimed it yet and that was the one he took. Luckily, it turned out to be the right one.

Eliza wasn't surprised to see Albert up in the front of the room teaching the kids, but what she was surprised to see was how well the children were behaving.

Albert's puzzled eyes quickly shifted to Laura's as she walked in behind Eliza Jane. He knew immediately what had happened because she was supposed to be in Ohio by now and nowhere near Walnut Grove. She nodded her head and smiled at him and Albert smiled back.

"Thank you for taking care of the class, Albert," Eliza Jane said, as Laura put their books and bonnets on the desk.

"Class, please come to order," Eliza Jane said, sternly. "I have a few announcements to make."

"I would like to introduce you all to my new sister in law and your new teacher, Laura Ingalls Wilder," she said, which only made Albert smile wider.

"New teacher?" Willie asked, fidgeting with something or another.

"Yes," Eliza continued. "Friday will be my last day here, I will be moving to St. Louis. I will miss all of you."

"Laura's going to be our new teacher?" Willie asked, abandoning whatever he had been playing with. He just looked up at her.

"It's not Laura anymore, Willie," Eliza Jane told him, "You will all call her Mrs. Wilder from now on."

"CLASS!" Laura said, pounding the desk for order, since the entire classroom broke into giggles and laughter. "The sooner you behave, the sooner you can all go home."

"You mean we can leave?" Willie smiled.

"Only for today." Eliza Jane said. "Just be prepared for a long day tomorrow. And just you remember that I'm still your teacher until this Friday. Now, class dismissed."

The children all ran out of the school, except for Albert who ran up to Laura and hugged her.

"When?" he asked, excitedly, releasing her, taking her left hand in his.

"Albert," Laura said, looking at Eliza Jane.

"Was it last night? I thought that…"

"I've got the bag, Beth." Almanzo walked into the schoolroom. "I asked Mr. Miller for the day…"

Albert turned when he heard Almanzo's voice. "Hello, brother in law," he said, walking over towards him, hand extended.

"Hey, Albert," Manly said, pulling him into a big bear hug. "How are you doin' this fine mornin'?"

"You've got to tell me everything, Almanzo. I thought that you two were.."

"We can talk about that on the way back to our place," Almanzo released him and reached out for Laura and pulled her close. "You can hop in the back of the rig and we'll fill you in."

"I've never been upstairs before," Laura said as she followed Manly to his room.

"Well, now you have." He smiled. "This," he said extending his hand "is where I sleep. And from now on," he said, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her close, "is where you're going to sleep."

His kissed her, hard. Now he knew what to expect, now he wasn't as nervous. He let himself go and so did Laura, the both of them feeling comfortable.

"Manly," she whispered, trying to pull him down.

"Beth," he breathed, coming up for air, "I've got my chores; Skip and Barnum need to be unhitched, Bessie needs milkin' and the chickens…"

She was playing with his belt, loosening it up and tugging at his trouser leg.

"Just once," she whispered, kissing him harder. "We may never get another chance like this. Eliza's gone to send a wire to St. Louis and…"

"I should be doin' my chores," he said, in between kisses. "Oh, Beth," he breathed and they tumbled onto his bed, forgetting everything while he lost himself in her arms.

The rain started up again, but it didn't bother Eliza Jane. She had come back from wiring Mr. Williams telling him that she would accept the position in Currie. She would start on Monday and work her way up from there. Radnor was another story, Mr. Williams needed to find someone at the last minute, but he was considering the second highest applicant after Laura for the position. That way it would be fair to everyone.

The only thing she was worried about was how she was going to get there. She was considering telling her brother that she and Harve had a fight and that she wasn't going to St Louis after all, but that she wanted to get out on her own. She was actually leaning toward that solution; she was tired of lying. She didn't know what his response would be, but it would be interesting, now that he was married.

She heard footsteps running down the stairs and recognized them as Almanzo's.

"Sis?" he called out, "You back yet?"

"Yes, Mannie, I just sent that wire to Harve. He'll meet me at the train station on Saturday afternoon."

Almanzo smiled and kissed her cheek. He pulled her close. "I'm gonna miss you," he whispered. "In the last seven years, we've only been apart twice and both times it was me who left. But I think it was good for both us."

Eliza smiled and touched her brother's cheek. "I've never seen you so happy, Mannie," she told him, watching his mouth stretch into the widest grin she ever saw.

"Oh, Eliza, you can't even imagine. I want to be with her day and night, I don't want to lose her. She means everythin' to me and I need her by my side. I can't even imagine ever bein' away from her. I just love her so much."

She didn't say anything, just smiled.

"You and Harve will find that too. What Beth and I have is special. It's a bond that can never be broken. It's been there since we first met and it's only going to get stronger. My only hope is that you two can find the same happiness. I wish you two all the best."

He gave her a last hug and kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry to cut it short, Eliza," he said releasing her. "I've got to get out there." He touched her shoulder lightly. "Laura should be down in a minute. You two can set up your last week together." He smiled, turned and walked out the door, whistling.

It was Thursday night that things heated up. Laura was cleaning up the dishes on the table when she came across two wires. One was from Mr. Williams and the other was to him. Both were about the teaching position in Currie that Minnie Trimble Martin had left vacant. She had brought it to Almanzo's attention when he got back from the Feed and Seed. She brought it out to the barn so that Eliza wouldn't see or hear what was going on.

He looked from the wires and brought his head up to look in his Laura's eyes. "Do you want me to discuss this with her, Beth?"

"I think we should both do it together, unless you really want to take care of it yourself," she said.

Almanzo sighed. He had never known his sister to lie, not ever. Why this time? Did she do it because of what happened with Mr. Gray? Was it because he was so stubborn about Laura accepting the teaching position? Or was it because she knew he didn't her living with the two of them for the rest of his life.

"Maybe I should talk to her myself," he said, looking at his wife. "Would you mind?"

Laura smiled up at her new husband. "Sometimes you need to be alone with your sister. If you need me, just call. I'll probably be out here with the chickens."

He nodded, kissed her lightly on the lips and headed for the house.

"Be back," he whispered.

He brought the two wires with him as he knocked on her bedroom door.

"Eliza? You asleep?"

Eliza Jane opened the door.

"I thought you'd be upstairs with your new bride," she said smiling.

"Can we talk for a little while? You up to it or do you want to wait until tomorrow?"

"What about?" she answered.

"These," he said, holding up the telegrams.

She took it from his hand, read them and then looked up. ""Where did you find these?" she asked, looking up at him. "I thought that they were in my journal."

"Beth found them on the table when she was clearing the supper dishes," Almanzo said. "So it's over between you and Harve or there was nothing between you and Harve?"

"Almanzo, please."

"Why did you lie to me? To us?" he said, closing the door behind him. "You could have told me the truth."

She looked at him and for the first time since the seven years they had been together, she looked as if she was going to cry.

She blurted out the whole thing, the same thing she told Charles Ingalls in the kitchen of the Blind School on the day of their wedding.

"There was never anything between Harve and me," Eliza Jane told him, looking straight at him. "I wanted to do something for you and Laura. It made me feel good knowing that the two of you would take care of the house, would always be here so I can visit. You told me that you thought it was time we lived our lives apart a few months ago. It got me thinking, Mannie, that you were right. So I sent a wire to Mr. Williams and those were the replies I got back. He's looking into a position in Minneapolis for me. I can teach in Currie for a while until the job in Minneapolis becomes available."

Almanzo didn't say anything, he wasn't sure how to respond.

"I know how much you love Laura and I don't blame you for wanting your own place. I was always hoping that you'd find it," Eliza continued. "You were never the same after Laura accepted the job in Radnor and I couldn't bear to watch the two of you not speaking to one another. I wanted you to be happy, Almanzo. I wanted to do something for you for once. You've been with me for seven years. You've helped me with the farm and you've been my constant companion all these years. You have Laura now and that's all that matters."

Almanzo sighed. "Eliza, please."

Eliza Jane shook her head. "No, it has to be this way." She smiled. "I'll be fine, really. I'll write all the time and let you know how I'm doing. I'm staying at Minnie Martin's old house, so things will be fine. We're still close enough to see each other, that's all care about right now. Let me do this one thing for you. Just think of this as my wedding present."

She searched his eyes. "Almanzo, please say something."

"Oh Eliza," he said, taking her in his arms and pulling her close. "I love you and I don't know how to thank you."

"Seeing you and Laura together are thanks enough," she said, releasing him. "Is she upstairs? I think we should share this with her, too."

The three of them had supper at Nellie's the Friday night before she left. Charles and Caroline joined them there. Almanzo told her that he and Laura would drop her in Currie and help get her settled. This time the two of them would be able to stay overnight in Laura's old room at the house. He made her the same bookcase that he had made for Minnie and Tom and promised her that they would visit when they could. Laura and the kids had all chipped in and gotten her a new pen and pencil set that she could use for writing out her lesson plans. And Laura had gotten her another diary so she could keep notes in. Charles had made her a small lap desk to keep her papers in and to write on.

"I know how much you loved the one I got you for Christmas," Laura said hugging her. She released her. "If you ever need us, Eliza Jane, remember that we're both here for you."

Eliza Jane nodded. "I know, Laura and thank you for being my sister in law. All I ask that you take care of each other and keep my brother happy. I love both of you very much."

"And you'll probably need that lap desk," Charles said, "always comes in handy."

Eliza smiled. "Yes, I will, Charles and thank you." She hugged him and then Caroline. "Thank you for everything."

They left for Currie early Saturday morning and got her settled into Minnie's old house with the green and white trim.

"Well, here we are again," Almanzo laughed as he walked into Laura's old room at the old Trimble place. "So this is where you stayed. The entire month I was here, she'd never let me into this room."

"There was no reason for you to be here," she sighed. "It was the same thing at your place. Remember, I never saw your bedroom upstairs, either."

Almanzo pulled her close. "Never thought of it that way," he whispered in her ear. He released her and looked into her brown eyes. "I think Currie will always hold a special place in my heart, but Walnut Grove will always be the place where we first met and fell in love."

"And where we'll spend the rest of lives," Laura said, staring into his blue ones.

He nodded, swaying her back and forth in his arms. "Together, forever, just the two of us, well, practically almost."

She frowned. "Practically almost?"

He nodded again. "Until the babies, anyway," he whispered, waiting for her reaction.

"How many?" Laura asked.

Manly shrugged. "Hadn't really thought about that one."

"Don't think," Laura answered, "not tonight. I just want to be together for as long as it takes. Right now it's just the two of us and I want to leave it that way."

"Practically almost?" he whispered, laughing

"Practically almost," she laughed back.

"Reasonably so," he answered, kissing her. And the world melted around the two of them.