Chapter 41
The Mikaelson's arrived in front of the Asylum within seconds. Niklaus growled, his eyes flashing yellow as the smell of blood drifted to his nose. Most of it was unknown to him but taking a second to breathe deeply when a familiar scent hit him.
It was Caroline's blood.
His siblings cursed as the smell hit them moments later as Niklaus ripped the door open. Uncaring that it was broad daylight bypassing the fence, uncaring about the boundary spell he had the witch cast so long ago. Then was when he forced himself to a stop right in front of Caroline.
She was at the lead with Katherine and Bonnie to her left and right, an unknown woman taking the rear. He could hear Caroline's blonde male human friend coming up from behind weakly asking, "Care?"
"I'm fine, Matt," Caroline answered her friend while not taking her eyes off of Niklaus. Within milliseconds the vampire had pushed her back into the house, his hands caressing every inch of her. Sensing that the wolf was at the forefront, Caroline stood still, allowing him to make his inspections.
Rolling her eyes at the scene, Katherine nodded towards Freya. "Freya, I'd like for you to meet Elijah Mikaelson. From the stories, he was the one Esther was pregnant with when your bitchy Aunt decided to collect your bitchy mother's debt."
"Katherine" Elijah's eyes were on the brunette for any severe injury. Other than her hair being slightly out of place, the vampire looked perfectly herself.
"Don't Katherine me, Elijah. You haven't met her yet. Elijah meet Freya, your future sister-in-law decided we needed her like today" The brunette rolled her eyes, "you lot really need to fill me in on how Caroline is suddenly omnipresent."
Freya offered Elijah a smile looking over at the others until her eyes were met with the latest footsteps, "Freya?"
"Finn" Freya's ordinarily stern and suspicious voice turned into what Katherine has suspected would be as close as her womanly body could imitate of the voice of her childhood. Finn flashed away from Sage, who looked startled at the sudden show of emotion from her rather solemn partner as he took the woman into his arms, swinging her as one would a lover or beloved child.
Or sister, Sage silently amended, turning her attention to the blonde woman of the group. "Not the only female Mikaelson anymore, Rebekah."
Rebekah's blue eyes watched her eldest brother finally place down the blonde-haired woman. Excitement etched into his face, "so it would seem," the vampire answered softly.
"Freya, how?" Finn looked at his sister up and down. He knew without a doubt that this was Freya, the sibling whose loss he had mourned for longer than either of his parents would care to admit.
"Dahlia was a dark practicing witch," Freya shrugged, "made me follow in her footsteps. She stays alive by sleeping for a hundred years at a time. Slows the aging process."
The witch looked over at Rebekah and smiled, "Rebekah, it's nice to actually meet you up close."
Rebekah paused, "you've met us before?"
"I ran from Dahlia around a hundred years ago. When I heard of the Mikaelson's greatest achievement, I had to see it for myself. So I came to see my family that remained. You were beautiful in your dress."
Rebekah was speechless; their sister knew that they existed and had seen them. But the question was, why didn't she speak up? It was then she recalled just what they were like a hundred years ago… Noise inside the cottage alerted them to the fact that an enraged Niklaus had pushed Caroline into the house.
The vampires flashed into the house, relaxing slightly at the sight before them. Niklaus was on his knees forcibly moving Caroline this way and that inspecting her for more injuries. "I'm fine. It's just the head wound, nothing serious."
Niklaus growled in rage as he stood to his full height as he turned the woman to face him. His thumb touching the bloodied scratch on her head. Bonnie had strayed to stand next to Kol as the witch informed Kol of what had transpired.
"Brother," Kol called his irritated brother's attention back onto him, "apparently our little Bennett witch was able to undo the boundary spell by herself. She and our newly returned sister managed to defeat a bunch of power-obsessed witches that taken to torturing the rest."
Katherine held back a laugh seeing the way Elijah's creases around the eyes narrowed. It was the sole visible sign that the man would be feeling a headache in the future. The lone human looked over at his witch friend exasperated and muttered, "I need new friends."
Rebekah snorted, "Matt, my dear, you should be used to this by now."
The tension in the room had begun to ease as Niklaus held Caroline in his arms, despite her protesting that she was fine. Yet, she didn't attempt to move away from the man, sensing that the wolf side of him was very prominent right now. Looking into the eyes of his siblings, Caroline knew that she should not aggravate him any more than she had.
Caroline looked up at Niklaus, whose attention had been taken up by a noise he had heard. Her lips moved into an "oh" shape as those who had arrived with her realized he had listened to the remaining witches. Within minutes, they were surrounded by hazard-looking witches who had been trapped by their own kind until this morning.
"Sweetheart, I believe you just gave me a wonderful idea," Niklaus murmured, kissing her on the forehead before taking a deeper breath to allow his voice to echo to the large group assembled.
"Greetings, New Orleans witches. You have my family to thank for your freedom, as the boundary spell is now broken" Niklaus grinned at the narrowing of Bonnie's eyes. Kol had clapped a hand on the witch's shoulder, discouraging her from speaking out at the moment.
"Elijah, I'm sure you can handle it from here," Niklaus announced as he lifted Caroline off the ground over his shoulder. One hand holding her mid-back, the other under her ass, keeping the woman in place.
As he walked out, Katherine took one look and snorted, "Looks like Red Riding Hood got caught by the Big Bad Wolf."
Caroline's middle finger rebuttal only resulted in laughter.
XXX
Enzo walked out of the Mystic Grill with the brunette walking silently by his side. They paused just outside of his car that he had liberated from its parking space in the car lot of a dealership. He made sure to leave a note to say to bill the vehicle to Elijah Mikaelson.
The idiots left him there; they may as well buy him a bloody car.
"Well, that was fun," He said sarcastically.
"Will you warn Katherine?" Nadia asked, making it clear who was her priority.
Enzo chortled, "How can you be so loyal to a woman who did not raise you? You do know she is known as the most selfish woman on the planet."
The vampire winced as the brunette pushed him against his car and hissed, " I've searched for 500 years. I've used every angle I could. I'm not about to lose her just because she has developed some attachment to a blonde who can't keep herself out of trouble."
"That blonde managed to wretch your mother free from being on the run for the same amount of time" Enzo cocked his head to the side, wheezing out. The plus side of vampirism was the ability to be an ass and not truly suffer the consequences.
"The Travelers are not to be messed with, Enzo," Nadia hissed. "The travelers have been nomads for a long time. They are hunting down the last doppelgangers. They only need to keep one pair alive. They want Silas found in order to take the cure. They already have the original of the Petrova line."
"You mean the girl isn't dead after two thousand years?" Enzo said skeptically.
"Let's say the witch Silas cheated was a bit vengeful. Now warn them about the traveler's, " Nadia ordered before letting go of Enzo's throat.
"They just told you this?" Enzo's skeptical gaze was met with hard brown eyes. She watched for a second as he rubbed his throat thoughtfully.
"I know how to survive. It helps that I have traveler blood even if I was raised on the outside. It allows me access, but they never fully trust me. I wasn't raised the way they were. Not as cursed."
As the brunette walked away, Enzo shook his head. Petrova women clearly were scorching, but damn they were also gifted with crazy. Quickly he grabbed his phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Hello?"
"BonBon!" Enzo said joyfully, "I hope this is not a bad time. I have some rather important news."
He could hear a bit of commotion on the other end of the call, yet nothing was distinctive enough to give him a clue. "It's as calm as it ever is," Bonnie sighed, "you might as well tell me before Caroline gets lose from Klaus."
"What don't tell me, Little Blondie went and pissed off the Big Bad Wolf," Enzo joked.
"I'll tell you another time. What's going on back home?"
He could tell that Bonnie was a bit exasperated from his experiences with the mutual blonde friend of theirs who said to him that Caroline dragged her into something. For a girl who managed to save his ass, she certainly managed to get herself into a lot of shit.
"Don't hold back on me now, love," Enzo tried teasing it out of her. He knew of New Orleans there was bound to be some mischief in the city known for-well just about everything.
"The travelers are sending more than just some goons after you. The entire tribe is coming to New Orleans."
"Why?"
"According to the Demon Spawn, they want to ensure Silas is dead and to collect the remaining Doppelgangers."
"Elena, Katherine, and Stefan."
"Nadia says that they need only one pair" Enzo rubbed the back of his neck. "Bonne, doesn't Katherine have a thing with the suited guy? If so-"
"The Mikaelson's would use Elena as a bargaining chip for Katherine. That's a big if. The two hardly can be in the same room," Bonnie's voice was stressed.
"Don't shoot the messenger, love," Enzo joked, "you are the one who told me that Elena was also your friend. I might not have met the girl, but I'd hate for you to have to choose between two of your best friends. From the stories, you lot have been through a lot together."
"I know. I know. I'm sorry, Enzo. I know you're just trying to help."
"You need to be careful. These travelers their magic is not like yours."
Enzo heard hustling from the phone, "Bonnie?"
"Enzo, how fast can you be in New Orleans?" Bonnie's voice was strained, but there was something in her voice that gave him hope. His witch was not going to give up.
"Five days tops."
"Good. I need you to do something before you leave."
XXX
Caroline raised her neck just in time to see the smirking faces of the Mikaelson siblings; well, Freya was more bewildered than anything. Her friends held open mouths before shaking their heads. Katherine, as usual, had a sly smirk on her face with the perfect snarky comment on her lips.
The woman indeed had a talent.
Not that Caroline would ever compliment the doppelganger after this. Niklaus was holding her over his bloody shoulder! Curiously she tried to maneuver herself only to find his grip was iron tight.
"Don't think this is the end of your punishment, sweetheart," Niklaus chuckled as his voice drifted in her ears.
His laugh only boomed when she tried to kick him in the family jewels. Quickly grabbing her foot away from the intended target, Niklaus growled, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Caroline made a hissing sound, which only caused Niklaus to grin as he continued to flash about the city. The humans so caught up in their own dramas or technology that not a soul spotted a flash bouncing across the city. It took only seconds for the duo to make it back onto the plantation, where the vampire only placed the blonde down once he locked the two into their shared bedroom.
Caroline's blue eyes were pure ice when they looked at him, "Did you really have to do that?"
Niklaus pressed her into the door, his hands trapping her between them, "I will ask the questions now, Sweetheart."
Caroline watched as his eyes flashed to amber and back repeatedly. She could feel as her blood began to pump around her body at a faster pace. Her heart was practically running a marathon at seeing the genuine threat Niklaus Mikaelson posed at the moment.
"I went to collect the last Mikaelson sibling. You are about family, after all," Caroline could tell that her argument was not doing anything to sway her captor.
"Do you know exactly what you did, Caroline?" Niklaus whispered in her ear, enjoying the way the blonde shuddered underneath him. A part of him soured at the idea of spending this alone time teaching her instead of the more enjoyable activities he had planned earlier.
"I went to where I knew your sister was; I was unsure if she'd be awake, but-" Caroline stopped feeling her lover take a deep breath. One of his hands left its spot on the wall to come under her chin, forcing Caroline to look in his blue eyes.
"In an attempt to reunite our sister with her siblings and most likely to solve our Aunt Dahlia problem," His eyes narrowed at the guilty look on her face, all the proof he needed to know this had happened before. "You put yourself into a barricaded house with witches you knew were put there because of insanity. Without any back-up."
"I had Bonnie and Katherine!"
"My apologizes, you had a self-taught infant witch and a toddler of a vampire with you," Niklaus corrected himself sarcastically.
"We were fine," Caroline snapped at him only to press herself further into the door as Niklaus pressed against her. His eyes once again flashing amber, "You put yourself and our children in unnecessary danger."
"I had Bonnie and Katherine. I didn't know they had a bunch of crazy witches controlling the place!" Caroline defended herself. Inwardly groaning at the weakness of her own argument.
"You were lucky that Freya had found you. Bonnie, by her own admission, was struggling. As a vampire, you could take a lot of damage without much concern. Your no longer a vampire Caroline," Niklaus growled as his forehead crashed with hers. "Your body is no longer yours alone either."
Hearing his voice, Caroline was struck by the pain that it held as his words echoed in her mind. The blonde closed her eyes as the feeling of guilt hit her. In her hurry to fix the constant problems that plagued her, Caroline had forgotten something. She wasn't pregnant with twin witches as a vampire anymore.
She was human and very pregnant with Klaus Mikaelson's child. A man to whom family was everything. Her determination in getting to Freya sooner had indeed placed her and the children she carried in danger. She had Bonnie and Katherine, both in her memory were very capable.
Yet Nik was right… she was human, a pregnant human who could get hurt in a crossfire.
"Nik" Her voice broke as her hands came up to touch his face. He growled low, brushing his lips against hers, the pressure enough to bruise. Immediately Caroline opened her mouth, allowing him access to her. The sudden pressure on her hips alerted the blonde to the fact the only thing holding her to the door was Niklaus's grip.
Several shared kisses left her breathless as Niklaus switched to her neck, biting her softly, causing her to wince. His mouth barely lifted off of her skin, "you will have a Mikaelson escort from now on."
Irritation flared under her skin but meeting her lover's amber gaze, Caroline understood this was non-negotiable. Caroline tilted her head in a sign of submission. Knowing with his wolf so close to the surface, it would be better not to resist this particular demand. Niklaus sighed, kissing her pulse, "I don't want to chain you up and lock you in this room. If you continue to put your life in unnecessary danger, I will."
"You'd murder the entire planet to keep me safe," Caroline sighed, pressing a kiss to his lips.
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Niklaus grinned cheekily at her, "We have to talk about your constant urge to throw yourself into danger."
Caroline nuzzled her head into his chest, "it's a difficult change. Going from being a vampire to…"
"You are not helpless" Niklaus kissed her head. "You are anything but helpless. Reckless and stubborn but not helpless."
"Just in need of a damn bodyguard," Caroline mumbled.
"When it comes to hostile supernatural beings while you are human, I won't apologize for your hurt feelings. Nothing can happen to you, Caroline" Niklaus pulled away, tilting her head so that she leaned up to stare up at him.
"What use are these memories of a changing timeline if I can't do anything?" Caroline's eyes tried to keep the tears she felt at bay.
"Have you thought about I don't know telling me? Or Elijah? Or Finn. Any sibling would do. Allow us to handle supernatural's while your…" Niklaus chuckled at the way her eyes narrowed, daring him to finish that sentence.
"I was going to say indisposed" He grinned.
XXX
"I can't fucking believe her," Tyler growled to himself even as a part of him was unsure, which her Tyler was furious at. Caroline for dumping his ass for the egomaniac that started the majority of their troubles. Fucking killed her boyfriend, turning him into a hybrid, then tosses him for the killer? Or perhaps he was angrier at Hayley. The she-wolf, who he trusted only for her to turn around and murder his pack to help a wacked out college professor for information for long-abandoned family members.
Welcome to Mystic Falls
He was home; Tyler breathed a sigh of relief as he drove past the sign that all youths in town dreamed of never seeing again until homesickness set in. After all, it was a small town, and most of the town's families had stayed in it for generations. Only now, he understood that the reason was far from just loving the small-town life.
He quickly pulled into what remained of the Lockwood estate, still a relatively large portion of land. Still, it was not as large as it used to be. Every founder, sooner or later, found their land stripped away as the years passed. Yet the Lockwood's remained on top, keeping the top jobs and keeping their generational wealth growing. Tyler sighed as he cut off the engine; the fact that Klaus, the very reason he ran from his home, was the sole reason he was allowed to return rankled him.
Taking his duffle bag, Tyler shook away the thoughts that troubled him. The hybrid skipped two steps at a time and unlocked the door of the giant mansion. He checked the threshold and held his breath as he was still allowed in.
"Mom?" He hollered.
"Tyler? Is that you?" Carol Lockwood called out to her son, her heart rate increasing at the thought of her son home. He shouldn't be here, she thought, racing out of her late husband's office towards the foyer where she was enveloped into her sons' arms.
"Oh, Tyler," She sighed happily, wrapping her arms around her son's neck. "You shouldn't be here. What if they find you?"
"Klaus, let me go," Tyler growled, "I found him in New Orleans, but he wasn't the one who killed my friends. Apparently, that was Hayley all along."
His mother gasped, her hands raised to stroke his cheek, "Sweetheart. I'm so sorry. I told you that girl was trouble."
Tyler rolled his eyes at the slightly pleased expression on his mother's face. Her eyes expressed sympathy for her son, but they both knew she was glad that his connection to Hayley was severed. "Enough about me, Mom. How have you been?" He asked, offering her his arm.
His mother gingerly took his arm, "I'll have you know that our city council is, in fact, mostly just a city council now. Hardly any vampire council business."
Tyler knew better than to snort, "I'd imagine as all the vampires are gone now, aren't they?"
Carol Lockwood's nose twitched, "One remains at the behest of Caroline and Bonnie, it would seem. Honestly, Tyler, your generation…" Her voice dove down an octave, "I feel like we've failed you all."
"Mom-"
"Don't you Mom me, Tyler Lockwood. First, your uncle kept this secret from both you and your father… Honestly, the nerve of that man! But then we managed to keep the secret of vampires from you. We thought it would keep you safe now look at you all. Almost every single one of you has died," His mother cried, brushing her face against his chest as Tyler held her.
"You didn't know, Mom. You had no idea that the Salvatore's had vampires in the family, nor did you know about Elena being a doppelganger or that ancient vampires were after her. You had no idea what would happen. You tried to protect me" Tyler kept his voice low, soothing despite the anger he felt at Klaus Mikaelson. At the Salvatore's who introduced his bloody friends to the supernatural in the first place.
"Tyler, promise me that you won't keep chasing after revenge. He let you go, my boy. You don't have to run anymore you can stay with me. At least until you need to start aging" Carol smiled, "It's been lonely since you left."
"it would be good to catch up with Matt."
"Dear, Matt isn't here," Carol told her son, her expression uneasy.
"What? Where did he go?"
"He went on a road trip with Bonnie," Carol informed her son, "I didn't know they were a thing."
Tyler shook his head; there was no way Matt would date all three of that particular trio. Carol looked at her son as they finally reached their most used living room. She smiled as he led her to the couch, allowing her to sit first.
"Tyler, I'm sure Matt will be back soon. That boy would never leave Mystic Falls for good." The fact that he couldn't afford it was left unspoken.
"I know, Mom. I just… it's been a long summer."
Patting her son's hand, Carol smiled, "Your home now that's all that matters. You are home and safe. You will, of course, need to attend college, it's a bit late for Whitmore, but I'm sure they can make an exception-"
"Mom," Tyler groaned hadn't he barely just survived high school? He just got home…. For the first time in months, was free from running. She wanted to talk about college?
"Tyler, you are a Lockwood. We have an image, a reputation to maintain. Out of all the Founding Families, we alone have kept much of what was once ours at our peak! You may not want to be mayor. I don't blame you, but you will do your part to uphold our family name," Carol scolded before her eyes softened.
"Tyler, I love you more than my own life. I feared for your safety every day while you were gone. But the largest threats are gone, you may not be how you used to be, but that doesn't mean you can't do good."
"I won't be able to stay here forever," He pointed out.
"That's why it's so important that you stay while you can. When it's no longer safe for you here, you may go, and I will visit you wherever that is" Carol smiled when Tyler made to object.
"Mystic Falls is my home. I won't leave it. Someone has to ensure the people at least know what dangers look out there."
XXX
Elena Gilbert pressed against the fabric of her red dress to press out the wrinkles. She twirled around, looking in the mirror. When Tom had asked her to dinner after talking for a few hours, Elena couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty. Tom looked exactly like Stefan! But she felt his hand; it was warm his heart was pumping blood through his veins.
Damon was downstairs drinking his sorrows away, irked when she had informed him that she was going on a date. At first, he thought she was going out on a date with Stefan; the dark-haired Salvatore had turned to his brother, saying, "Finally got her to change her mind, huh Stefan?"
His brother furrowed his brow, "Damon… I'm not the one she is going out with."
Damon had turned towards her and asked, "You haven't even started school yet. How the fuck are you going out on a date that isn't with my brother or I?"
"I went outside into the world and was not kidnapped," Elena retorted with an eye roll touching the staircase.
Elena huffed at the memory, her eyes grazing over to the clock. The brunette smiled; she was due to meet Tom at the restaurant in half an hour, more than enough time to meet him. She grabbed a black jacket and picked up a matching purse.
"Alright, I am going!" Elena called.
Stefan peaked out of his room, "Elena, promise me you will call if you feel even the slightest bit uncomfortable."
Elena smiled at her ex-boyfriend, her friend really. She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She didn't let go until she felt his arms wrap around her. "Thank you for looking out for me. And at the very least, understand why I am doing this," Elena expressed her thanks.
"You deserve happiness, Elena. I never wanted to bring you into the supernatural world; if living a normal life is what you wish, I will do everything to ensure it."
XXX
Liz Forbes sat on the annoyingly crinkly thin paper that covered the patient bed in the patient room. She had to take the day-off, but she had promised her daughter months ago that she would take better care of her health. Her daughter had said that about two weeks ago, right before she left with the Mikaelson's to New Orleans.
Sighing softly, Liz missed having her daughter in the house. It was so quiet in the house without Caroline's constant rambling about her projects, the lists to said projects, constant reminders for Liz to do something. Typically, about her health. Liz let out a chuckle even she had to admit this check-up had been a long time coming.
What she didn't expect was her hometown doctor gingerly suggesting that they refer her to a specialist after some abnormal results with her blood work. The nurse had smiled softly, handing over the referral, explaining this was standard procedure.
So here she was two weeks later, waiting for the doctor with the final blood results. A buzzing sound alerted the sheriff to her purse, where a phone lay on top.
Caroline: Hey, Mom! Sorry I haven't checked in lately. Call you tonight?
Liz smiled at the unexpected text from her daughter, typing a quick reply. The blonde looked up when she heard the door close softly. The doctor was a female who stood at 5'7 with long dark hair. When she turned towards Liz, the doctor offered a smile.
"Hello, Sheriff Forbes. How are you feeling today?"
"I'm feeling fine. Thank you for asking," Liz answered, looking over the doctor who had flipped her file open.
"I see here you were referred to us based on some abnormal test results," The doctor read off the file.
"Yes. If you don't mind, I really would like to cut out the small talk. I have a department to get back to," Liz said with her usual grace and bluntness not so different than her daughter.
"In that case, I won't be around the bush. We rerun your blood panel and did a few new tests of our own. Mrs. Forbes, I'm sorry to inform you that you have cancer, a rare one, but we've caught it early, which is very good. Rare as this cancer is finding it early is always beneficial we have more avenues to look into."
Cancer?
Liz Forbes took a deep breath; it was shaky when she breathed out. Her years as an officer of the law having trained her to handle challenging situations. The training helped her when Bill had finally come clean about his affair. Had helped her find her footing as a newly minted single mother, while her husband decided to fulfill his dream of being with the man of his. Liz only wished it had helped more when finding out her daughter was a vampire.
Turning towards the silent doctor, "What happens next?"
"You have Adult T-cell leukemia," The doctor answered, "it's not a cancer we specialize in. However, when reaching out to other specialty hospitals, there was one hospital that said they would take your care pro-bono."
A small bout of hope-filled her heart. Perhaps she wouldn't have to leave her daughter so soon. Her police instincts began to kick in, "Pro-bono? For a rare and difficult cancer to treat. What hospital?"
"St. Anne's in New Orleans."
"I live in Virginia," Liz answered, "I have a job that I love and would prefer to keep. You are referring me to a hospital in New Orleans?" The fact that is where her daughter was left unsaid. Her heart began to pound. Liz believed in coincidences; however, rarely they happened. This is was not one of those times; somehow, the family that had enveloped Caroline into their fold had been keeping tabs on her.
"They offered to pay for temporary housing; the doctors there were especially interested in your case. They are some of the leading specialists. I would highly recommend accepting their offer," The doctor insisted, giving her a card, "this is their number. Let them know when you are ready. I will send your files over to them and your general doctor in Mystic Falls."
"Thank you," Liz said more to be polite than general gratefulness. The woman had informed her of something that would change her life. She was just grateful that the woman's information would allow her to make choices that she could live with. Walking out of the doctors' office, Liz Forbes quickly dialed her deputy.
"Sheriff Forbes?" Her deputy answered on the first ring.
Liz laughed; her deputies still managed to be deathly afraid of her. So much so they were extra careful when even answering the phone. "Deputy, I hate to do this to you on short notice, but I am going to be taking extended leave. You will be Sheriff during my absence."
"Is anything the matter Ma'am?"
" It's a family matter. I do not know for how long I will be gone for a few weeks at the very least. I'm going to be entering the paperwork by the end of the week. I just wanted you to know" Liz unlocked her car door as she spoke.
"Ma'am, are you sure everything is okay?" Her deputy asked once again, earning an eye roll from his Sheriff.
"It will be Medical leave, Deputy. Do you think you can handle that?"
"Of course, Ma'am. I… I will keep this between us until you wish to share." Liz smiled at the thoughtfulness of her deputy. The best part of being a part of such a small town was that when things were down, everyone pulled together. Even if privacy was rarely respected, at least her co-workers were among the few who did.
"I would appreciate that."
A.N: Hello Everyone!
My Beta-reader has been having tech difficulties for the last week or two. She was able to get a chapter or two back to me but that was why we had such a large delay. Hopefully her tech issues get solved soon, so I have been taking my time editing my chapters I currently have written so I can update until things are fixed on her end.
Thank you so much for your concern and love for this story!