Kate sank exhaustedly onto a bench in Central Park. Charlie plopped
down next to her and rested his chin on his hand, thinking. Stuart paced
nearby, his hands clasped behind his back. Charlie's hair was matted with
perspiration, and Kate just breathed deeply, her eyes flickering slightly.
"How far could a man from 1876 go in NYC?" Charlie reasoned, puffing his cheeks and blowing out in frustration. Stuart and Kate looked despairingly at him, and Kate's eyes filled with tears. She swallowed tears down, but Charlie shifted over and put his arm around her. "Kate? It's gonna be OK. We'll find Leo. He's a smart guy, and he loves you a lot. He couldn't have gotten far. He wouldn't…" He tried looking confident, but his eyes wavered uncertainly.
"We've looked everywhere, Charlie! Central Park, museums, all the carriage rides, elevators…lets just go home, OK? We'll think things over there." Charlie nodded silently and stood, taking his sister's hand. Stuart's head shot up suddenly.
"Kate! You're a GENIUS!" Stuart practically yelled. Kate and Charlie looked at him, surprised. "Look, if you were a duke from 1876, transported to 2001, and had a rough time, where would you go?" Stuart took in his companions' puzzled expressions. "Here, say a child gets in trouble, where is he most likely sent?" Silence. "His room!" Charlie and Kate looked blankly at him. Stuart waved his arms, catching the attention of passerby's. "HOME!"
It clicked. Kate grinned happily through her teary eyes. "Stuart! YOU are the genius! Leopold went back to the mansion!" Charlie's jaw dropped, and his face split into a grin. Kate got up and threw her arms around her surprised ex-boyfriend. "Come on! What are we waiting for?!"
After impatiently trying to hail a cab, Kate grabbed Stuart and Charlie and bolted across the street, coming to a stop in front of a carriage. "We gotta get to the old mansion…you know…the one where the D…" The driver held up a hand and motioned for them to hop in. With a snap of the reins, they were off.
Kate rested her head against the plush interior of the carriage, smiling. "I miss this already," she said wryly. Charlie and Stuart smiled and shrugged. The carriage slid to a stop in front of the mansion, and Kate leaped out. The other two scurried quickly behind her.
Kate raced past the ballroom and dining room, noting how bleak it looked without the vibrant colors and laughter of 100 years earlier. Charlie, jogging to keep up, grinned teasingly. "You really seem to know where you're going, Kate!" Stuart hit him lightly.
Kate slowed to a walk at the top of the stairs, and peered into the bedroom. Leopold sat, completely still, on a plastic covered chair. "Leopold?" Kate whispered softly, stepping lightly into the room. Stuart gestured to Charlie, and the two men walked quietly back downstairs.
Leopold jumped up at the sound of Kate's voice. "Katherine…I apologize," Leopold began demurely, crossing the room to take Kate's hands in his. "I acted like a fool. I saw JJ was obviously affecting you, and I couldn't just watch him verbally hurt the one I love. I know I acted as an idiot would, as I did once before. I suppose…I suppose I was afraid that he would offer more to you than I could. I feared he could easily sweep you off your feet and I'd lose you. I.."
Kate held a finger to his lips to silence him. "In response to this, Leopold. I'm slightly hurt that you doubted my love for you so much. I was…scared today, Leopold. We searched for hours to find you, and I was so scared that I'd lost you." Her voice trailed off. Leopold's eyes were placid as he took this in. He then took Kate in his arms, and rested his chin on her head.
"Look at our beautiful home, Kate," Leopold whispered. "Empty, dusty, lifeless. No lively chatter, or clattering of pans. The only thing that is the same is right now, with us in this room." Kate tilted her head thoughtfully, in breathed in.
"Leopold," Kate said gently. "I do love you, with all my heart." Leopold looked down to her and smiled, his heart in his eyes.
"And I you, Katherine," Leopold answered warmly. Kate, floating on air, took Leopold's hand and led him downstairs to Stuart and Charlie, who greeted him enthusiastically.
"Leo!" Charlie exclaimed. "You OK? You kinda just…disappeared. Stuart and Kate…they were scared. They needed me to kinda needed 'ole Charlie here to get them through it all!" Stuart raised his eyebrow questioningly at him, and Kate flashed him a –yeah right- look. Charlie grinned sheepishly, and shrugged.
"C'mon you big lug," Kate laughed and ruffled her brother's hair. "As Duke and Duchess of Albany, my husband Leopold and I wish to see the sights of this strange, technology filled city." Leopold grinned awkwardly at her, then slid into his regular routine as Duke. Bowing deeply, he helped Kate into the carriage, who curtseyed gracefully.
Leopold eyed Charlie and Stuart in amused disdain. "When a lady enters, you are to bow from the waist, look her in the eyes, and act courtly. And when a Duke as myself enters, you are to bow as well, and wait until the Duke and Duchess are safe and comfortable in the carriage. Then you may enter." Leopold turned and eased himself into the carriage, smiling and talking animatedly to Kate.
Charlie looked pointedly at Stuart. "Operation 1876? Mission: Backfire. Great job, Einstein." He rolled his eyes and hopped into the carriage. Stuart grinned and shook his head, and helped himself into the carriage. Charlie nudged Stuart and nodded to his sister, whose head rested on Leopold's shoulder, eyes half closed, Leopold's arm wrapped protectively around her. His head was bent and he was murmuring who knows what into her ear.
"How far could a man from 1876 go in NYC?" Charlie reasoned, puffing his cheeks and blowing out in frustration. Stuart and Kate looked despairingly at him, and Kate's eyes filled with tears. She swallowed tears down, but Charlie shifted over and put his arm around her. "Kate? It's gonna be OK. We'll find Leo. He's a smart guy, and he loves you a lot. He couldn't have gotten far. He wouldn't…" He tried looking confident, but his eyes wavered uncertainly.
"We've looked everywhere, Charlie! Central Park, museums, all the carriage rides, elevators…lets just go home, OK? We'll think things over there." Charlie nodded silently and stood, taking his sister's hand. Stuart's head shot up suddenly.
"Kate! You're a GENIUS!" Stuart practically yelled. Kate and Charlie looked at him, surprised. "Look, if you were a duke from 1876, transported to 2001, and had a rough time, where would you go?" Stuart took in his companions' puzzled expressions. "Here, say a child gets in trouble, where is he most likely sent?" Silence. "His room!" Charlie and Kate looked blankly at him. Stuart waved his arms, catching the attention of passerby's. "HOME!"
It clicked. Kate grinned happily through her teary eyes. "Stuart! YOU are the genius! Leopold went back to the mansion!" Charlie's jaw dropped, and his face split into a grin. Kate got up and threw her arms around her surprised ex-boyfriend. "Come on! What are we waiting for?!"
After impatiently trying to hail a cab, Kate grabbed Stuart and Charlie and bolted across the street, coming to a stop in front of a carriage. "We gotta get to the old mansion…you know…the one where the D…" The driver held up a hand and motioned for them to hop in. With a snap of the reins, they were off.
Kate rested her head against the plush interior of the carriage, smiling. "I miss this already," she said wryly. Charlie and Stuart smiled and shrugged. The carriage slid to a stop in front of the mansion, and Kate leaped out. The other two scurried quickly behind her.
Kate raced past the ballroom and dining room, noting how bleak it looked without the vibrant colors and laughter of 100 years earlier. Charlie, jogging to keep up, grinned teasingly. "You really seem to know where you're going, Kate!" Stuart hit him lightly.
Kate slowed to a walk at the top of the stairs, and peered into the bedroom. Leopold sat, completely still, on a plastic covered chair. "Leopold?" Kate whispered softly, stepping lightly into the room. Stuart gestured to Charlie, and the two men walked quietly back downstairs.
Leopold jumped up at the sound of Kate's voice. "Katherine…I apologize," Leopold began demurely, crossing the room to take Kate's hands in his. "I acted like a fool. I saw JJ was obviously affecting you, and I couldn't just watch him verbally hurt the one I love. I know I acted as an idiot would, as I did once before. I suppose…I suppose I was afraid that he would offer more to you than I could. I feared he could easily sweep you off your feet and I'd lose you. I.."
Kate held a finger to his lips to silence him. "In response to this, Leopold. I'm slightly hurt that you doubted my love for you so much. I was…scared today, Leopold. We searched for hours to find you, and I was so scared that I'd lost you." Her voice trailed off. Leopold's eyes were placid as he took this in. He then took Kate in his arms, and rested his chin on her head.
"Look at our beautiful home, Kate," Leopold whispered. "Empty, dusty, lifeless. No lively chatter, or clattering of pans. The only thing that is the same is right now, with us in this room." Kate tilted her head thoughtfully, in breathed in.
"Leopold," Kate said gently. "I do love you, with all my heart." Leopold looked down to her and smiled, his heart in his eyes.
"And I you, Katherine," Leopold answered warmly. Kate, floating on air, took Leopold's hand and led him downstairs to Stuart and Charlie, who greeted him enthusiastically.
"Leo!" Charlie exclaimed. "You OK? You kinda just…disappeared. Stuart and Kate…they were scared. They needed me to kinda needed 'ole Charlie here to get them through it all!" Stuart raised his eyebrow questioningly at him, and Kate flashed him a –yeah right- look. Charlie grinned sheepishly, and shrugged.
"C'mon you big lug," Kate laughed and ruffled her brother's hair. "As Duke and Duchess of Albany, my husband Leopold and I wish to see the sights of this strange, technology filled city." Leopold grinned awkwardly at her, then slid into his regular routine as Duke. Bowing deeply, he helped Kate into the carriage, who curtseyed gracefully.
Leopold eyed Charlie and Stuart in amused disdain. "When a lady enters, you are to bow from the waist, look her in the eyes, and act courtly. And when a Duke as myself enters, you are to bow as well, and wait until the Duke and Duchess are safe and comfortable in the carriage. Then you may enter." Leopold turned and eased himself into the carriage, smiling and talking animatedly to Kate.
Charlie looked pointedly at Stuart. "Operation 1876? Mission: Backfire. Great job, Einstein." He rolled his eyes and hopped into the carriage. Stuart grinned and shook his head, and helped himself into the carriage. Charlie nudged Stuart and nodded to his sister, whose head rested on Leopold's shoulder, eyes half closed, Leopold's arm wrapped protectively around her. His head was bent and he was murmuring who knows what into her ear.
