Title: A Bloom in Age

Fandom: Little Women/ Jo's Boys

Pairings: future Laurie/ Jo, present Jo/ Fritz, Amy/ Laurie

Rating: PG-13

Chapter: 2/?

A/N: This story has been designed as a way to believably get Laurie and Jo togther. It takes place after Jo's Boys, and adheres reasonably to the morality of the time, and I have tried to get the author's style to an extent. Neither Amy nor Fritz Bhaer are made hate figures.

Summary: Love does not always have to bloom in youth and beauty. There are other types of love, slower and deeper, and Jo and Laurie find such love. Set a year after Jo's Boys. Adhers to canon

"Jo," the tall handsome man hailed the slender figure leaning over the rail. Jo turned and smiled at Laurie, her cheeks whipped pink by the fresh air, and slight wind until they seemed almost healthy. Her dress and wrap both in a peculiarly becoming shade of blue were blown by the wind, and in one small gloved hand she was holding a book which she had obviously abandoned for the more entrancing spectacle of the waves.

"Laurie," she replied breathlessly, "oh do look at the waves," and with her free hand she pointed to the beautiful sight beneath them, white froth stirred up by the ship's passage.

He smiled affectionately at her excitement. "It is truely beautiful," he agreed. "Perhaps Amy is not the only artist in the family."

Jo smiled up at him- tall for a woman though she was, Laurie was taller still. "Alas not Laurie," she chuckled. It was one of the family jokes that Jo's skills extended only as far as the pen she wielded, not to the brush and pencil that were Amy's favourite weapons. "But tell me," she asked, as she turned away and took his arm. "What were you looking for me for?" She shielded her eyes with her book as she gazed up at the seagulls.

"I merely wanted to ask how Bess was feeling, and whether she is well enough to dine at the captain's table tonight. He has enquired anxiously after her welfare, and offered several times to send the physician down." Laurie said, laughing heartily at the memory, yet with genuine appreciation in his voice for the kindness of those around him.

"She is very much better. Now the sea is a little calmer, she is quite recovered, and indeed she took a promenade with me around the ship's deck not an hour ago. She would be charmed I am sure to dine tonight." Jo replied with a bright look, for Bess's welfare had worried her very much, so unaccustomed was the Princess to sickness such as had overcome her on entering the ship.

Smiling with relief, Laurie guided Jo to the chairs. "I am heartily glad neither of us are prone to sea-sickness," he said with humour. "That prospect would have been daunting indeed if so." He turned and surveyed Jo's countenance. "You look much better," he said with perfect truth. The pink colour in her cheeks, the brightness of her eyes and smile alleviated the thinness of her form, which the blue dress also helped disguise. She still looked much younger than her age; the bones in her wrists childlike, but she no longer looked next to death's door. She smiled at him.

Then looking at the time she shook her head. "I have been out here so long," she said in wonderment. "It is time to be dressing for dinner indeed. I should help Bess also." Rising, she looked down at Laurie. "I shall see you at the table I presume," she said, a smile hovering around her mouth, and on receiving his nod of assent moved towards the exit from the deck.

Down below she came upon Bess struggling with her hair. Jo, stooped and picked up the hairbrush, rather amused to see her niece in such a temper; it was so rare to see Bess out of countenance about anything. "Shh dear," she calmed the younger girl, and plying the hairbrush with skill she easily had the hair as silky as it was wont to be. Bess relaxed, and smiled gratefully at her. Jo shook her head. "Why did you not call the maid?" she asked.

Bess's smile dimmed, and she swept her lashes down. "I didn't want to," she said quietly. "The only reason I have a maid at home, is because mother wanted me to. But I am so tired Aunty of having someone comb my hair, and dress me and pick up my things, as though I am nothing more than a doll, a beautiful doll to be arranged on a little chair and looked after." She looked up with eyes full of appeal, in colour so like her mothers, yet in expression so similar to her fathers, and with all the will in the world Jo could not have resisted them, even if she hadn't believed Bess was in the right. "I am old enough that I should be at least thinking of making my way in the world. After all what if I hadn't a rich father?"

Jo stooped and kissed her on the forehead. "I understand you," she said softly, and she did. As she brushed Bess's soft golden hair, and helped her twist it back in the pretty style she so often wore, she realised she had done the girl a disservice. In seeing Amy's golden hair and blue eyes, she had simply assigned her younger sister's personality to her as well, and yet gazing at Bess's face she could see as many traces of Laurie within it as Amy, and surely it must be the same with her personality. As at the beginning of the journey, she resolved to try penetrating deeper into her niece's mind, already heartened by the confidence given. She shook out a soft white dress and left it on the bed- Bess's figure was good, and Amy did not believe in corsets, and went into her own stateroom to change. That was a simple enough matter- a crimson merino dress, that she knew she looked well in, high collared with white lace at neck and wrists, then back in to help Bess with her ribbons.

The captain greeted them both personally with many compliments- an amiable grey haired man who insisted Jo sit at his left. Laurie ever mindful of Bess and her shyness with strangers, allowed her to sit between him and Jo. The dinner was as good as could be expected two weeks out to sea, and the captain in honour of the ladies had uncorked a good vintage of wine, and insisted that both Jo and Bess try a little to aid their convalescence. Laurie's promise to Meg only barred him from strong drink not wine, and he joined them in a toast to the voyage. More than one of the officers could not take their eyes from the elegant figure of Bess

Both Bess and Jo were still weak- one from her bout of pnuemonia, the other from seasickness and after dessert, resolved to retire early to their stateroom there to read out loud until sleep came to them. Mindful of Bess's wishes, Jo told the maid her services would not be required that evening, and helping Bess with her dress, managed gently to get the younger girl into her bunk. Then sitting down she withdrew her copy of Shakespeare's sonnets, and sat down to gently read out loud. Bess sat up a little to listen better, and drew a deep breath at the end of the first one. "Please could you read some of my Blake to me?" she begged.

Jo smiled at her eagerness, "of course my dear," and replacing the Sonnets, she drew down Songs of Innocence and Experience, while Bess sat ready with her pencil and sketchbook. Turning to 'Earth's Answer' she began to read it quietly, not raising her head until the last verse.

'Break this heavy chain

That does freeze my bones around

Selfish! Vain!

Eternal bane!

That free love with bondage bound.'

Setting it down she glanced at Bess, and was astounded to see two solitary tears trickle down the beautiful face. "Why what is the matter?" she exclaimed, rising instinctively.

Bess made a heroic effort to stem her tears, and suceeded. "I'm so sorry," she managed. "It's just that's what I want. I want what Blake has."

Jo came over and took her hands in her own. "My dear," she said quietly. "I am your aunt, your mother's sister and your father's friend, and I care for you who are my flesh and blood more than I can express. Anything you say to me, will remain with me. If you can open your heart do, to release pain and sorrow is good, lest it withers you from inside."

Bess looked up at her with renewed hope. "Oh please," she breathed and her heart was entirely in her eyes. "I want to be an artist, I want it with such a passion and such a need, that I feel almost sinful, I want it in the way that grandfather wanted to be a musician, that you wanted to be an author, that Aunt Meg wanted to be a mother. I want it almost as much as father wants..." she stopped, and pressed her lips tightly together as though to punish them for indiscretion. "I need to let my art be free. I don't want to copy grand statues, or sketch pretty pictures of cottages, and I feel as though I'm dying so slowly from inside myself." She clutched Jo's hands so hard that it hurt.

Jo gazed at her bewildered. She had never suspected such a fund of passion and vehemnance from her beautiful niece. "I see," she uttered. "Can you not tell your mother?"

Bess released her hands in a gesture of despair. "Never. Mother thinks art is what she and I do pottering in a studio, creating pretty pieces for friends and neighbours to admire and love, and art critics to sneer at. She would be horrified if I told her that far from prizing my best piece of work, I wished nothing more than to smash it to the ground and grind it to pieces. She waits until a young, handsome artistic man comes, who will make me a trophy to show off- his beautiful artistic wife. For her this is not something I could earn my bread by, it is play."

"What about your father?"

"Perhaps father will understand me, but I am only a girl, a weak girl. If I was a man I could run away, or be sent away like Nat to nurture my talent, but I am so used to beauty and comfort that I am lazy. Besides if I did run away I could not survive in any sort of manner. It's just so many things are denied. Life classes, indeed any sort of classes apart from watercolouring and that sort of thing. In Paris, Vienna, Rome and London there are girls in the art academies, but in America with our middleclass morality, and our prudishness girls are considered either only as wives and mothers, or as bluestockings like Nan who will never wed. There is no section of society where art and music are accepted."

Bess was so fevered as she spoke on her subject that Jo feared for her health, and bringing her a glass of water she said soothingly. "We shall talk more in the morning. I swear I shall try to help you, but you must let me talk to your father on the matter, he is wise and he loves you greatly." On recieving Bess's assent, and observing the girl's eyes were already drooping, Jo retired to her own bed greatly disturbed in mind. So many new sensations were flooding back to her that it was troubling her. From the spirit of youth and adventure that now ran through her veins since Laurie had proposed this trip, to remembrance of the wilfulness of her youth, the wildness to be left to go her own way. She seemed to see in Bess, the girl she had once been.

Rising early she made her way to the library she spent part of each day in, working on the manuscript of her new book. Yet this morning as she sat down to read it, it seemed empty and ponderous, the writing stilted, the characters unnatural and goody-goody, with none of the freshness of thought and mind behind it that she prided on there being in her work, and putting herself in the position of being eighteen again, she knew with certainty that her eighteen year old self would have laughed at the very idea of writing such a thing. It was nearly finished- but a chapter to go. She made some notes on a piece of paper, then ignoring the breakfast bell, she wrote on through until lunch. Twice Laurie and Bess peeped in, but seeing her so engrossed in her work, they left her to write on. As she messily finished it with a scrawled The End, and scratched off a letter to her publisher, she sighed a sigh of relief, and made it up into a parcel, the captain having already obligingly said he would be more than willing to take back any post they wished on his return journey.

As she left the library she met Laurie on his way to inform her lunch would soon be ready. He was struck at once by her cheerful aspect, and the air of lightness that surrounded her, and instantly inquired as to why she was so lighthearted. Jo smiled at him. "I've finished my book," she said, and continued instantly with, "and I've vowed not to write another word until I've found something actually worth writing about, something that calls to me to write it."

Laurie looked at her quizically. "I've never doubted your work before," he said in answer.

"Thank you for the compliment kind sir, but I have decided to stop writing for the sake of it. Though I must speak to you, and soon on Bess." She would not listen to a word of his entreaties about what, judging the lunchtable an unsuitable place for such a delicate business, and waiting until they were on the nearly deserted deck before enlightening him, by which point he was nearly dancing with impatience. "Laurie what are you going to do with Bess?"

The question nonplussed him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean do you intend to let her be an artist, or are you going to keep her in captivity?"

Laurie was totally bemused. "I don't understand Jo, she's never said a word about properly being an artist, and surely she is of an age where she should start to be thinking about marriage. Keeping her in captivity? Surely that's a bit of an overstatement?"

In the briefest and most succinct way she could, Jo related the events of the night before to his horror stricken face, and ended with concluding that Bess was too high spirited and free willed to be denied her way for long, and mindful of her promise to Bess she pleaded her niece's case. "Bess is so talented, and she loves you so very much Laurie. It's why she has never mentioned it to you, she thought it would sadden you."

"And her mother?" Laurie's face scarcely changed expression- perhaps only Jo could have noticed the slightly tightened lips, and the drawn skin around his eyes.

Jo stared at the horizon dreading having to answer. "Bess doesn't want to tell Amy. She believes her mother can not understand what motivates her decision, and cannot bear the idea of telling her that marriage shall have to wait until her ambitions have been fulfilled. But this is something you should discuss with Bess. It is too important to leave until another time, not when she has finally felt confident to tell us her heart's wish." She looked back at Laurie, and remembered something Bess had said. "Laurie Bess told me she wanted this chance almost as much as you wanted... and then she stopped. If it is not breaking a confidence would you tell me? I care for you so much that I wish you had everything you wanted. If it is to do with retrieving Amy's love..."

She got no further, because Laurie's eyes suddenly blazed with passion. "It is nothing to do with Amy. Jo my dearest friend, can you understand that Amy never loved me? I cannot retrieve it as I never had it." He seized her hand convulsively. "Do not ask me what I want. It is wrong, too wrong to be put into words, and yet if you asked me I couldn't help telling you, despite the rift it would bring down between us inevitably." His eyes were filled with a tormented fire, and squeezing his hand Jo vowed silently with her eyes to ask him no more, though her curiousity was raised to its peak point.

Well chapter two finished. Feedback very welcome and I hope I've managed to build up a bit more plot!

A.W.