Sorry for leaving the last chapter as I did, but it's one of my favorite parts in the story. I was eager for this chapter, as I hope you are as well. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.

Thank you Susan, Sophie, Mary, Linnea, Juliet, Julie, Betsy, Ashley and Amy for all your friendship, support and suggestions. You ladies are the best!

Chapter 53

Elizabeth quickly shut her eyes again as the computer screen flashed on. She felt disoriented and her heart was beating madly. What's going on?

Everything came flooding back then. Jane!She listened carefully, and discerned footsteps on the lower stairs. Several tense seconds later, she heard Jane giggle.

"Shhhh!" It had to be Charlie, not being very quiet himself.

Then two pairs of feet were on the steps to the third floor, and Elizabeth, while she could not make out what they said, heard Charlie and Jane's "whispering" voices.

"Shhhh!" Jane admonished, then giggled again.

"Oh goodness!" grumbled Elizabeth, mentally preparing herself to not be upset with her drunk sister, but to merely help her to bed.

She heard a bump in the hall, and Charlie's "Sorry, Janie," then nothing.

Quickly, she jumped out of bed and raced across the room. Her hand was inches from the door knob when she heard Charlie's door shut loudly.

Grabbing the knob, Elizabeth yanked her door open, but there was no one in the hall. She frowned. What am I going to do now? she thought, looking over at Will's door, wishing deep down that he'd appear.

With a heavy sigh, she returned to her bed and sat, pulling her legs up and putting her head down on her knees. Should I try to get her out of there? Would she be mad at me if I did? Or if I don't? Her head began to throb.

Suddenly she became aware of the sounds in the room next door, and her face flushed. Oh God! She could hear them better now than when they'd been in the hall. God I hope they don't freak out in the morning! She shook her head and closed her eyes, wishing she could shut her ears too.

After a couple unsuccessful minutes, she decided the noise was not likely to cease or diminish in volume, and she had to get out. Looking down beside the bed, she noted the large, snoring dog. "You're supposed to have such good hearing, why doesn't it bother you?" she grumbled.

The dog lifted his head quickly and gazed blankly up at his mistress.

"Let's go," she grumbled and grabbed her laptop. "Shhhhh!" she whispered, and they slipped out the room. At the top of the steps, she paused, looking at Will's door, then grabbed Hamlet's collar, muffling his tags, and tiptoed down the steps.

When she reached the front hall, she was surprised to see the door was unlocked, but once she stepped outside, she understood why. Over in the corner sat Georgiana, visible only by the light of the full moon and the small light on the book she was reading.

The girl looked up. "Oh, hi!" She grinned. "Couldn't sleep?" she asked before quickly lowering her eyes and setting aside her book and light.

"Something like that," Elizabeth replied with a small hint of a laugh as she sat down in the chair next to Georgiana. "So, whatcha reading?"

"Becket's Last Stand by Kasey Michaels. Have you heard of her?" When Elizabeth shook her head, she asked, "Do you read romance novels at all?"

"Not really," Elizabeth replied. "Though some of what I read online likely qualifies for the genre." At Georgiana's inquiry, she told her a little about her interest in Jane Austen fan fiction, though she didn't own up to writing her own. They then continued on to other books they had read and made plans to trade a few books when they were back in Pennsylvania, never noticing the time that passed.

Finally, during a short lull, they sensed a calmness in the air. There was a light breeze making no noise of its own, perhaps only helping the soft waves on the beach to be barely audible. The girls smiled at each other, and Elizabeth looked at her watch, 3:15. "Wow!" She felt suddenly compelled to yawn, but fought the urge. "I suppose we should go in and try to get some sleep."

"Yeah," Georgiana agreed with a real yawn. She picked up her book and light and followed Elizabeth to the door. "All things considered," she pointed upstairs with a tip of her head, "I think I'm going to curl up on the sofa down here."

"You sure?" Elizabeth asked, not really able to think of any reason she shouldn't.

"Yeah, I've fallen asleep on it before. It's pretty comfortable... And you know, Elizabeth, even if I were to go back to my room, it's right below Charlie's." She grinned slyly. "I'd never know if you somehow ended up in Will's room."

Elizabeth looked at her blankly. "I... I'll remember that."

They hugged, and Georgiana scratched Hamlet's ears before Elizabeth started leading him up the stairs. Elizabeth was only on the third step when Georgiana added, "Oh, and Elizabeth? I love the colors in your new home office." The younger woman smiled broadly and waved her fingers.

"Uh, thank you," Elizabeth tried not to stammer. "Good night." She continued up the steps, trying to be quiet, and tiptoed along the second floor hallway. Upon reaching the third floor landing, she looked at each of the three bedroom doors. Her heart told her one thing, her mind another.

Finally reaching a compromise with herself, she slowly went to her own door. Opening it, she looked around to find the room dark and uninhabited. She plugged in her computer and returned to the door, gazing across the way. Nodding, she grabbed Hamlet's collar again and crept over to Will's room.

She tapped lightly a few times, but heard no response. Slowly she reached down, and wrapped her fingers around the knob. Closing her eyes, she turned her hand, and the knob went with it. She exhaled softly as she eased the door open and when she gazed upon the sleeping figure of Will, she smiled.

Hershey's tags jingled as he looked up, so she let go of Hamlet. "Go lay down," she whispered, and he obeyed.

Elizabeth then turned and carefully shut the door, holding the knob, then releasing it slowly, so there was no sound at all.

Will had not stirred, so she padded softly to the bed and slipped under the sheet, making as little movement on the bed as possible as she slid her body next to his.

She almost startled a moment later when Will's strong arm suddenly wrapped around her and pulled her closer. "I love you, Liz," she heard, followed immediately by a light snore.

"I love you too," she whispered, though she was certain he didn't hear. It took only a moment for her to snuggle quite comfortably in his embrace. With a smile on her face, she closed her eyes and was instantly asleep.