Title: Adjustments
Author: Listabets
Rating: PG13 may end up R but I'm not sure
Category: Robert and Elizabeth romance
Disclaimer: I do not own Robert or Elizabeth. I'm just borrowing them for a little bit for my own amusement, and hopefully for the amusement of those reading this.
............................................................................ .........................................
Lizzie couldn't remember ever having been so flustered in her life. She had driven home on auto pilot-not really sure which route she had taken. The late summer shadows stretched long across her front garden as she manipulated the key in the lock. From inside she could hear Ella squealing with laughter.
Opening the front door wide Elizabeth called out to Kris and Ella.
"I'm home!! Where is my angel?" Her call was answered by additional squealing and the pounding of toddler feet across the hardwood floors from the living room.
"Mummy!" Ella ran into her mother's arms and hugged her tight. "Mummy Home!" Ella repeated.
"Yes. Mummy is home sweetheart. Did you and Kris have a good day?" Elizabeth smiled at Kris as she lowered Ella to the floor. Scampering off to check out what was playing on Noggin, Ella disappeared from view.
"Good day?" Asked Elizabeth as she dropped her loaded briefcase to the floor. She straightened and rubbed the back of her neck as Kris recounted the days activities at the park and the local pool. Elizabeth was so grateful to have Kris. She had been with them since Ella was a tiny baby and had known Mark. Somehow that had always been a comforting link.
"Are you OK Dr. Cordey?" Kris was looking at her strangely and Elizabeth realized that she had been deep in thought for a bit and probably lost the tread of conversation.
'Yes, I'm fine. It has just been a very long day." Elizabeth smiled at Kris reassuringly. She headed for the kitchen to check the master calendar where the schedules were written. Elizabeth was glad to see that she and Ella would have a weekend together. No On-call. No interruptions. "I'm so glad I have some time off. I'm exhausted." Elizabeth ran her fingers through her hair. "Do you have any exciting plans Kris?"
Kris grinned and excitedly explained that she and her boy friend would be seeing Coldplay in concert and going to a party. As Kris packed up her things Elizabeth felt herself envying the energy and enthusiasm of youth. Elizabeth tried to reach back to a time when she had been open to all the possibilities the world had to offer. To a time where fear and past hurts had not made her too frightened to take chances.
"Would you like me to drop these boxes off at Goodwill, Dr. Corday?" Kris gestured toward the neat stack of boxes by the door. She knew what was in them but she didn't want to make a huge deal about it. "I'm going that way anyway so if it saves you a trip I would be happy to do it for you."
" That would save me having to do it tomorrow, thanks." Elizabeth smiled at her trusted Nanny and knew that Kris wanted to make the job easier for her.
After loading the car, and good-byes to Ella, Kris headed off on her weekend adventures and Elizabeth and her daughter were able to begin theirs.
"Hey Munchkin, what do you want for supper?" Elizabeth poked through the fridge and found some left over macaroni and cheese she had made for Ella the other day. Not from a box but from scratch with good English cheese. The boxed convenience foods were OK on occasion but Elizabeth preferred for Ella to have as few processed foods as possible. Besides, it was fun to cook with Ella and something they could do together in the few precious moments they had together.
"How does Mac and Cheese sound?" Ella didn't really respond so Elizabeth peeked into the Living room and found her completely absorbed in Oobie.
Returning to the kitchen Elizabeth warmed up Ella's dinner and set the table for her daughter. Somehow the afternoons events, and how riled Elizabeth had gotten, left her with no appetite for food. Calling Ella to the table she chatted and laughed with her sweet little girl through dinner and the clean up afterwards. As a two year old Ella didn't see much of a reason to make sure the Mac and Cheese stayed out of her hair or off her clothes.
"Bathtime for a certain girlie I know." said Elizabeth as she scooped Ella into her arms and headed for the stairs. Ella adored being bathed but loved it most when it was her mother in charge. Elizabeth was always generous with the bubbles and didn't seem to mind when Ella flicked them at her. For a half and hour Elizabeth lost herself in the joy of her daughters laughter and the wonderful smell of soap and clean baby.
After stories and cuddles Ella was tucked into her cot clutching this weeks favorite toy. For months and months Ella had clutched onto a stuffed red bull that Mark had found someplace in Hawaii. The soft toy was lovingly named Snort and went with them everywhere but Ella had lost her need for Snort and seemed to be rotating through her rather large collection of cuddly toys for sleeping companions. Her latest favorite seemed to be a pink stuffed unicorn sent to her by Rachel. Elizabeth stood in the doorway for a few minutes and watched her little girl settle into sleep. Quietly closing the door Elizabeth allowed her girl to rest unobserved.
The boxes by the front door had been a good beginning to finally sorting through Mark's belongings. The were things that Elizabeth felt important to keep for his daughters, but the process of sorting through it all was arduous and painful. Elizabeth headed to her bedroom to continue the process. If she kept up with her pace she could have most of his things sorted and boxed by the end of the night. Already the closet was cleared and she had sorted through his books and momentous in the livingroom. Now it was the final bit left in the bathroom, his dresser and his bedside table. It seemed funny but Elizabeth had never gone through Marks bedside table-it felt like snooping.
Deciding the bathroom was easier she headed there first. Taking a trashbag from under the sink Elizabeth opened the cabinet and began gathering all the things that Mark had left behind. There was some medications that reminded Elizabeth of how sick he had been but mostly all that was there were toothpaste's he preferred, deodorant, skin preparation and a bottle of shampoo that was supposed to grow back hair. Elizabeth smiled to herself.
"Why are men so afraid of hair loss? It's the guy that tries to hide it that looks unattractive!" Elizabeth caught her reflection in the mirror and realized that hair loss didn't seem to be a barrier to attraction for her.
Finishing in the bathroom Elizabeth moved to the bedroom and began the job of emptying Mark's drawers in the dresser. The girls would obviously not want to hang on to old undershirts and boxers so they immediately went into the Goodwill pile. The T-shirts were a harder choice so Elizabeth decided to divide them in two and make sure both of his daughters got a small collection of old concert shirts and some of the goofy T's that Mark had collected over the years. Ella's were put in a storage box and Rachel's were set aside to go into her bedroom downstairs. Besides a few cufflinks and two sets of glasses there wasn't a whole lot there. Elizabeth placed those things to the side. She had an idea of what she wanted to do with them but needed to complete her task before she could put more thought into it.
The bedside table was the last area to tackle.
"When this is done then he is really gone." Thought Elizabeth, focusing more on her daughter then anything else. He won't be here in our lives, but a memory. Elizabeth felt the weight of sorrow for her daughter.
Opening the drawer on the nightstnd Elizabeth was dissapointed to find nothing of real interest. There were a few books, some note paper to take messages and a half used tube of hand cream. Elizabeth rocked back on her heals in disappointment.
"What did I fucking expect!?" Elizabeth wiped unexpected tears from her eyes. She knew what she wanted. A last word, a final goodbye.
"How stupid can I be" she thought to herself. "He said goodbye. He gave us all a transition. A stupid note can't mean more then that."
Gathering the last of the things to go to Goodwill, Elizabeth boxed and carried them down to the door and piled them neatly. Returning to the bedroom she laid Mark's two good suits out on her bed. She then gathered the two sets of glasses and the cufflinks she had found and put them with the suits. Rummaging through her own drawers she found the name tags that Carter had returned to her after cleaning out Mark's locker. Elizabeth studied her collection. She had read about a woman who made custom Teddy Bears from the apparel and keepsakes of relatives that have been lost to death and suddenly it seemed like a very good idea to create something like this for her daughter and stepdaughter.
Feeling exhausted Elizabeth needed to sleep. Looking at the clock she saw that it was only 10pm but she could not go on another minute. Swiftly brushing her teeth and stripping out of her clothes Elizabeth finally sank into bed. Sleep claimed her quickly and she drifted off into unconsciousness. As she slipped deeper into sleep she was joined by a sharp faced man who was dressed in an impeccable tux. He held out his right hand and silently asked her to dance. Elizabeth glanced down at herself and to her surprise found herself dressed in a spectacular gown of rose colored crushed velvet, cut rather too low for her normal standards but she felt beautiful . She took his hand and they danced into the night, never tiring of the way their bodies moved together and the waves of music washing over them. Elizabeth smiled in her sleep and enjoyed the freedom of the dream.
Rating: PG13 may end up R but I'm not sure
Category: Robert and Elizabeth romance
Disclaimer: I do not own Robert or Elizabeth. I'm just borrowing them for a little bit for my own amusement, and hopefully for the amusement of those reading this.
............................................................................ .........................................
Lizzie couldn't remember ever having been so flustered in her life. She had driven home on auto pilot-not really sure which route she had taken. The late summer shadows stretched long across her front garden as she manipulated the key in the lock. From inside she could hear Ella squealing with laughter.
Opening the front door wide Elizabeth called out to Kris and Ella.
"I'm home!! Where is my angel?" Her call was answered by additional squealing and the pounding of toddler feet across the hardwood floors from the living room.
"Mummy!" Ella ran into her mother's arms and hugged her tight. "Mummy Home!" Ella repeated.
"Yes. Mummy is home sweetheart. Did you and Kris have a good day?" Elizabeth smiled at Kris as she lowered Ella to the floor. Scampering off to check out what was playing on Noggin, Ella disappeared from view.
"Good day?" Asked Elizabeth as she dropped her loaded briefcase to the floor. She straightened and rubbed the back of her neck as Kris recounted the days activities at the park and the local pool. Elizabeth was so grateful to have Kris. She had been with them since Ella was a tiny baby and had known Mark. Somehow that had always been a comforting link.
"Are you OK Dr. Cordey?" Kris was looking at her strangely and Elizabeth realized that she had been deep in thought for a bit and probably lost the tread of conversation.
'Yes, I'm fine. It has just been a very long day." Elizabeth smiled at Kris reassuringly. She headed for the kitchen to check the master calendar where the schedules were written. Elizabeth was glad to see that she and Ella would have a weekend together. No On-call. No interruptions. "I'm so glad I have some time off. I'm exhausted." Elizabeth ran her fingers through her hair. "Do you have any exciting plans Kris?"
Kris grinned and excitedly explained that she and her boy friend would be seeing Coldplay in concert and going to a party. As Kris packed up her things Elizabeth felt herself envying the energy and enthusiasm of youth. Elizabeth tried to reach back to a time when she had been open to all the possibilities the world had to offer. To a time where fear and past hurts had not made her too frightened to take chances.
"Would you like me to drop these boxes off at Goodwill, Dr. Corday?" Kris gestured toward the neat stack of boxes by the door. She knew what was in them but she didn't want to make a huge deal about it. "I'm going that way anyway so if it saves you a trip I would be happy to do it for you."
" That would save me having to do it tomorrow, thanks." Elizabeth smiled at her trusted Nanny and knew that Kris wanted to make the job easier for her.
After loading the car, and good-byes to Ella, Kris headed off on her weekend adventures and Elizabeth and her daughter were able to begin theirs.
"Hey Munchkin, what do you want for supper?" Elizabeth poked through the fridge and found some left over macaroni and cheese she had made for Ella the other day. Not from a box but from scratch with good English cheese. The boxed convenience foods were OK on occasion but Elizabeth preferred for Ella to have as few processed foods as possible. Besides, it was fun to cook with Ella and something they could do together in the few precious moments they had together.
"How does Mac and Cheese sound?" Ella didn't really respond so Elizabeth peeked into the Living room and found her completely absorbed in Oobie.
Returning to the kitchen Elizabeth warmed up Ella's dinner and set the table for her daughter. Somehow the afternoons events, and how riled Elizabeth had gotten, left her with no appetite for food. Calling Ella to the table she chatted and laughed with her sweet little girl through dinner and the clean up afterwards. As a two year old Ella didn't see much of a reason to make sure the Mac and Cheese stayed out of her hair or off her clothes.
"Bathtime for a certain girlie I know." said Elizabeth as she scooped Ella into her arms and headed for the stairs. Ella adored being bathed but loved it most when it was her mother in charge. Elizabeth was always generous with the bubbles and didn't seem to mind when Ella flicked them at her. For a half and hour Elizabeth lost herself in the joy of her daughters laughter and the wonderful smell of soap and clean baby.
After stories and cuddles Ella was tucked into her cot clutching this weeks favorite toy. For months and months Ella had clutched onto a stuffed red bull that Mark had found someplace in Hawaii. The soft toy was lovingly named Snort and went with them everywhere but Ella had lost her need for Snort and seemed to be rotating through her rather large collection of cuddly toys for sleeping companions. Her latest favorite seemed to be a pink stuffed unicorn sent to her by Rachel. Elizabeth stood in the doorway for a few minutes and watched her little girl settle into sleep. Quietly closing the door Elizabeth allowed her girl to rest unobserved.
The boxes by the front door had been a good beginning to finally sorting through Mark's belongings. The were things that Elizabeth felt important to keep for his daughters, but the process of sorting through it all was arduous and painful. Elizabeth headed to her bedroom to continue the process. If she kept up with her pace she could have most of his things sorted and boxed by the end of the night. Already the closet was cleared and she had sorted through his books and momentous in the livingroom. Now it was the final bit left in the bathroom, his dresser and his bedside table. It seemed funny but Elizabeth had never gone through Marks bedside table-it felt like snooping.
Deciding the bathroom was easier she headed there first. Taking a trashbag from under the sink Elizabeth opened the cabinet and began gathering all the things that Mark had left behind. There was some medications that reminded Elizabeth of how sick he had been but mostly all that was there were toothpaste's he preferred, deodorant, skin preparation and a bottle of shampoo that was supposed to grow back hair. Elizabeth smiled to herself.
"Why are men so afraid of hair loss? It's the guy that tries to hide it that looks unattractive!" Elizabeth caught her reflection in the mirror and realized that hair loss didn't seem to be a barrier to attraction for her.
Finishing in the bathroom Elizabeth moved to the bedroom and began the job of emptying Mark's drawers in the dresser. The girls would obviously not want to hang on to old undershirts and boxers so they immediately went into the Goodwill pile. The T-shirts were a harder choice so Elizabeth decided to divide them in two and make sure both of his daughters got a small collection of old concert shirts and some of the goofy T's that Mark had collected over the years. Ella's were put in a storage box and Rachel's were set aside to go into her bedroom downstairs. Besides a few cufflinks and two sets of glasses there wasn't a whole lot there. Elizabeth placed those things to the side. She had an idea of what she wanted to do with them but needed to complete her task before she could put more thought into it.
The bedside table was the last area to tackle.
"When this is done then he is really gone." Thought Elizabeth, focusing more on her daughter then anything else. He won't be here in our lives, but a memory. Elizabeth felt the weight of sorrow for her daughter.
Opening the drawer on the nightstnd Elizabeth was dissapointed to find nothing of real interest. There were a few books, some note paper to take messages and a half used tube of hand cream. Elizabeth rocked back on her heals in disappointment.
"What did I fucking expect!?" Elizabeth wiped unexpected tears from her eyes. She knew what she wanted. A last word, a final goodbye.
"How stupid can I be" she thought to herself. "He said goodbye. He gave us all a transition. A stupid note can't mean more then that."
Gathering the last of the things to go to Goodwill, Elizabeth boxed and carried them down to the door and piled them neatly. Returning to the bedroom she laid Mark's two good suits out on her bed. She then gathered the two sets of glasses and the cufflinks she had found and put them with the suits. Rummaging through her own drawers she found the name tags that Carter had returned to her after cleaning out Mark's locker. Elizabeth studied her collection. She had read about a woman who made custom Teddy Bears from the apparel and keepsakes of relatives that have been lost to death and suddenly it seemed like a very good idea to create something like this for her daughter and stepdaughter.
Feeling exhausted Elizabeth needed to sleep. Looking at the clock she saw that it was only 10pm but she could not go on another minute. Swiftly brushing her teeth and stripping out of her clothes Elizabeth finally sank into bed. Sleep claimed her quickly and she drifted off into unconsciousness. As she slipped deeper into sleep she was joined by a sharp faced man who was dressed in an impeccable tux. He held out his right hand and silently asked her to dance. Elizabeth glanced down at herself and to her surprise found herself dressed in a spectacular gown of rose colored crushed velvet, cut rather too low for her normal standards but she felt beautiful . She took his hand and they danced into the night, never tiring of the way their bodies moved together and the waves of music washing over them. Elizabeth smiled in her sleep and enjoyed the freedom of the dream.