A/N: Hello lovelies! I'm really sorry that I haven't posted in nearly five months! Life has been very up and down and very crazy since I last posted. I won't go into the details but I have struggled mentally and have been very stressed but I'm in a place where I'm feeling much more motivated and hope to start posting again on a regular basis. I hope to finish up this story by the end of 2021 (it's been three years since I first started writing this) but life gets in the way sometimes and at the moment I have to finish uni and get my kiddos sorted out.

Please forgive the lack of length and the quality might be poor but I wanted to get something out there.

I hope to have twenty-nine up soon.

Enjoy! :)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

It had been four weeks since Elizabeth had last spoken to her parents. The past four weeks had flown by, with many of her parents attempts to reach out to her going unanswered. The pain of their lies and their betrayal still stung Elizabeth to the point where the only thing that took her mind off it was to keep herself distracted. She had unpacked the rest of her belongings that Jane had brought over from their parent's house and had found new places for them in her new home.

The concept of calling Will's house now being her home was something she was still getting used to. Despite having stayed with Will for most of the time in the months prior to officially moving in with him, it was still strange to her that this was where she was starting her family. It might have felt strange, but it also felt exciting. It was a new adventure which only made her smile in the moments where the pain did not remind her of what her parents had done. But moving in with Will had not been the only big change in her life over the past four weeks.

Elizabeth was now officially running her own business: ED Childcare. The old community centre had been fully renovated, decorated, and approved with the right licences to open for business. Elizabeth had involved Mia with the colour schemes of each room and she and Will had hired catering staff for the onsite café. Elizabeth had extensively interviewed and carried out background checks on the other childminders she had hired for the business. She had also hired a receptionist and an admin assistant to help her keep organised with the paperwork side of running a business. They had officially opened a week ago and already had a good handful of customers and the children she was currently taking care of were energetic and delightful. Elizabeth was already planning on how to increase their intake of children and gain more business from potential customers, but she knew that this would be an ongoing process. Will was every bit involved in marketing and advertising and Charles even offered financial advice due to his expertise within his job field. The business was becoming a reality instead of a dream for Elizabeth, but it was not the only thing that was making her happy these days.

She was now twelve weeks into her pregnancy and was sat in the hospital waiting room listening to the various sounds around the room. All she could hear was the sounds of various chatters throughout the room from the many couples who were waiting for an ultrasound. Looking to her left, she smiled nervously at Will who gave her hand a light squeeze.

"I'm sorry that this is how we're spending your birthday." Elizabeth whispered.

Will smiled at her reassuringly.

"Don't apologise, this is important and the fact the scan falls on my birthday which makes it even more special." He uttered.

"What do you want to do after?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

She grinned as Will leaned closer to her and whispered, "Celebrate." In her ear in a raspy tone that sent a shiver down her spine. But before she could respond the midwife called her name and she and Will rose from their seats and followed the midwife into one of the examination rooms that adjoined the waiting room. Following the same instructions as she had for her earlier scan, Elizabeth laid down on the bed and pulled up her t-shirt and adjusted her jeans before the sonographer squeezed some cold gel onto her abdomen. A few minutes later, the couple were watching the screen as the sonographer was showing them the different parts of their baby's body and taking measurements. They were officially given a due date of the nineteenth of August and once the scan was completed, they were handed some photographs of their baby and left the hospital.

"I suppose we should tell Mia now that we have a confirmed due date?" Elizabeth asked.

"We should tell her tonight over dinner, it will be nice." Will replied.

"I was hoping we could make it a little more unique than just a typical announcement." Elizabeth said with a smile.

"What did you have in mind?" Will asked, an eyebrow raised quizzically.

Elizabeth grinned as she told her partner her idea and with Will in agreement, the couple walked back through the carpark and drove away, heading to the various shops they needed to go to carry out Elizabeth's idea.

ooOoo

Ever since she had skipped out of school that afternoon, Mia felt that her parents were acting weird. For starters, the pair of them could not stop grinning and every time she questioned why they were acting so weird, they both replied that she would find out later. The moment they got home, she completed her homework and changed out of her uniform and headed downstairs for dinner. Tonight, they had ordered a pizza for dinner and once she entered the dining room, Mia noted how her parents and Alice were already sitting at the table waiting for her.

"Why is everyone being so weird today?" Mia questioned, pulling out her chair and sitting at the table.

"Mia, we have a present for you." Elizabeth said happily.

Mia frowned; it was not usual for her to get a present on her dad's birthday. But she watched curiously as her dad picked up a small giftbag coloured in pink and blue stripes.

"Have a look sweetheart." Will encouraged.

Raising an eyebrow, the nine-year-old tucked a stray curl behind her ear and lifted the bag from the table and placed it into her lap. Inside the bag was a folded white t-shirt which she pulled out.

"Close your eyes and put it on." Elizabeth instructed.

Mia complied, closing her eyes as her dad helped her put the t-shirt on the right way. Whatever this was, it only made her feel that her parents were acting weirder than they were when they picked her up from school.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Mia asked impatiently.

"Yes. But look in the bag, there's something else in there for you." Will smiled.

Opening her eyes, Mia turned her attention back to the bag and pulled out another piece of folded white clothing. She unfolded the garment, holding it up to the light. It was a small baby vest, with the words 'Little Darcy' printed on the front in blue and pink lettering.

"What does this mean?" Mia asked curiously.

Her parents chuckled as Alice started tearing up happily.

"Look down at your t-shirt." Elizabeth said softly.

She turned her head down to the shirt she had put on. Reading the words 'Big Darcy' written in the same-coloured lettering as the words on the vest she held. Mia took a few moments as she thought about what she was being told. She was the big Darcy and someone who could fit into the baby vest would be the little Darcy….

"Am I getting a little brother or sister?" Mia asked, looking between her parents.

Both Will and Elizabeth nodded. The next thing that Mia knew, her dad was showing her some black and white photographs of a tiny little blob.

"You're becoming a big sister in August." Will announced.

Mia grinned, jumping up from her seat and running around to hug Elizabeth tightly. A brother or sister. She never felt happier than to learn that her family was going to be bigger.

"When will it be born?" Mia asked happily, her arms still around Elizabeth.

Elizabeth laughed happily.

"Well…the baby is due on the nineteenth, so ten days before your birthday. But…sometimes babies do not come when they are due. The baby could be early or be late." Will explained.

"It would be cool to share my birthday with the baby, I wouldn't mind!" Mia squealed.

"You never know, that might happen." Alice chuckled.

"This is the best news ever! Right after Lizzy agreeing to be my mum." Mia declared.

"So…you're okay with being a big sister?" Will asked carefully, "Because it's okay if you're unsure about it…"

Mia shook her head, letting go of Elizabeth and turning to hug her dad reassuringly. She loved her dad but sometimes it had been lonely over the years. Since her mum had died when she was little, it had only been her, her dad and Alice living in the house. And while she had her friends at dancing, at her other clubs and at school, she had always been a little jealous that her friends had a brother, a sister, or several siblings when she missed out on that bond. So, to be told that she was finally getting a sibling right around the time she would be adopted by Elizabeth only made Mia more joyful.

"It's fantastic dad! I have always wanted a brother or a sister. A sister more than a brother. Boys are stinky." Mia laughed.

"Well…we don't get to choose what the baby will be…" Will said nervously.

"A boy might not want to wear my leotards, dad. But I cannot wait to teach them how to dance and how to play with my nerf guns. I can't wait to have cuddles with the baby or to have a mum again." Mia beamed.

"We can't wait for you to be a big sister. You will be so loved." Elizabeth whispered, wiping a stray tear from her eye.

"Now all we need is to dad to make you a proper Darcy." Mia replied cheekily.

With the happy news now shared, the family shared a laugh before the doorbell rang and the dinner was delivered. Mia continued to wear her t-shirt as she helped Alice set the table for dinner and even asked more questions about baby names, if she could help decorate the baby's bedroom, if they had told anyone else in the family yet.

For Will, this had been the best birthday in his living memory. Not only because he got to see his and Elizabeth' s baby developing and moving about on the ultrasound, but the fact that Mia was so excited about gaining a sibling made his heart soar. He had been worried that Mia might feel that she would be pushed aside for the baby or that Elizabeth might not be interested in adopting her any more now that she was pregnant, but his daughter had proved his worries were silly. A part of him had always wondered if she felt lonely because she was an only child and he had always been a little reluctant to have another child with Natalie so soon after having Mia. But now he had no doubt that once Elizabeth gave birth to their baby, Mia would be a natural sibling.

ooOoo

"Caroline? Are you there?" Charles called out.

Entering the room completely, Charles left the door open, allowing the light from the hotel hallway to fill the room. He looked to the wall on his right, noting the light switch which he flipped up and the lights instantly came on. Closing the door to the hotel room behind him, he stepped into the room and heard his sister's hushed sobs come from one side of the bed.

"Caroline?" he called again, this time a little more softly.

His sister continued to sob as he stepped further into the room, his eyes widening as he found pictures of his best friend and Elizabeth pinned to one of the walls. There were pictures of Will and Elizabeth in the park with Mia, pictures of Will and Elizabeth in the car, pictures of Will with his daughter. Pictures of Elizabeth with her eyes scratched off. Pictures of Elizabeth with Mia. All the pictures were of the couple taken at a distance, since his best friend had been granted a restraining order against his sister after the incident with Alice.

It had been a difficult time for his family. His father had completely written Caroline off, but Charles always felt a tinge of guilt when it came to Caroline. He had been paying her hotel bill when her money from their father had run out. He would not have Caroline stay at his house anymore after she had upset Mia so severely, but he had always been a firm believer in not turning back on your blood. He did not check in with Caroline often, he had been busy with work and spending time with Jane and the twins; especially helping where Lucy had not long ago started a new school which appeared to be the right fit for her now.

He had also always been aware that his sister carried unrequited feelings for his best friend and had done since they were teenagers. But he had believed to have firmly put Caroline in her place years ago when Caroline had invited Will out for dinner not long after his wife had died and had tried to make a pass at him when he had walked her home for the night. Will had been under the impression it was a dinner amongst friends, but Caroline always had other intentions. It had been years of cringey flirting, suggestive comments, and a little 'slip' of the hands. But seeing the pictures of Will and Elizabeth pinned to the wall in Caroline's hotel room, it nerved him.

"Carrie?" Charles said quietly.

The sobs stopped briefly before Caroline poked her head up from the side of the bed from where she sat on the floor. Her eyes were red and puffy and fresh tears streamed down her face. Her red hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in days, maybe weeks and she wore a worn-down grey t-shirt and matching bottoms. He had never seen his sister wear anything like it in his entire life.

"W-what…are…y-you…d-doing…here…" his sister said shakily.

"I came to check in on you…what is all this?" Charles demanded, gesturing to the wall.

Caroline took a shaky breath before sobbing again.

"I-I-I…j-just w-want h-him t-to l-l-love me!" his sister shrieked.

Charles crossed the room and held his sister tightly to his chest as she screamed and cried into his shirt. For years he had suspected a harmless infatuation on his sister's part but now, seeing her like this, along with her stalker tendencies, he was genuinely worried about his sister and what might happen next if he didn't do something.