END 2
AN: It should be warned that I don't intend to give away any answers until much later. The idea is that as we near the end all of the chapters should start to come together and you should start to see how the things in the 'end' link up with the 'middle' and 'beginning'. The identities that you don't know yet should stay quiet until the very end, but by then they should be pretty obvious anyway.
Disclaimer (coz I forgot it earlier): I don't own the recognisable characters or situations, they belong to Tribune Entertainment and the rest, but I do own the storyline and writing, as well as Rachel, Amy, Emily (you don't know her yet), Sandra, Adrian, Tammy, Kelly, Daniel, Shazné, Liz, Sarah and David. (don't think I've missed anyone :s) I'm not making any money out of this writing, I do it just for fun.
David placed an overstuffed duffel bag beside the door, on top of his sister's neatly packed one and his mother's over-packed two. Holding on tightly to a small bag of hand-luggage he headed into the kitchen for breakfast.
A few minutes later the doorbell rang and Liz leapt down the stairs, throwing the door open and standing for a minute, soaking up the picture that was her girlfriend. Her long black hair had been pulled back into a tidy plait and she wore jeans and a t-shirt. A suitcase in one hand and a laptop bag in the other she struggled to keep hold of the dress bag that Liz knew contained the black outfit that she would wear for the funeral.
"Do I get invited in, or are you just going to stand there and stare?" She asked wryly.
"I'm sorry." She exclaimed, stepping aside so that Sarah could get past and drop her bags beside the pile that was already forming in the hall. Hands free, Sarah pulled Liz into a hug.
"How are you doing?"
"Better now that you're here." She whispered, feeling tears welling again. Sarah cuffed her gently on the shoulder.
"You soppy fool." They laughed together softly. Sarah released Liz as Sandra walked down the stairs. "I'm very sorry about your mother." She offered. Sandra smiled softly.
"I'm glad you were able to come, Sarah. I'm going to need someone sane to talk to on this trip." Sandra had been very much against their relationship the first time Liz had brought Sarah home - two years older then her young daughter, silver adorned ears, eyebrows, nose, dark coloured clothes and makeup and heavy boots. But after one warning to stay away from her daughter Sarah had reappeared, all adornment removed and clothing suitably adjusted, and told Sandra exactly why she wanted to date Liz. They had been best of friends ever since.
"It wasn't as if my parents would miss me." Sarah joked. "I swear one day they're going to turn around and say 'daughter, what daughter?'."
"I'm afraid this isn't going to be the most interesting way to get away from them." Sarah smiled sympathetically.
"Not at all, I have to maximise my time with Liz before I go off to Uni. It's going to be odd being so far away."
"You're only an hour away." Liz assured. "Soon as I can drive you won't be able to keep me away."
"You're going to have to survive an hour's flight and a few weeks with our family first." Sandra joked and Liz was reassured to see a small spark of humour in her mother's eyes. It was a shadow of what normally dwelled there, but it was a start. She was right. If they could survive this, recovery could begin as they wished her grandmother a fond farewell and started back on their own journeys.