Chapter 11---Court-ing

David waltzed into Ghillie's Rest and wandered towards the bar. He sat himself down on a stool while Gordon offered him a beverage. Low and behold, Paul sat beside David at the bar. It took Paul a moment to see David in deep contemplation, "David Fraser, right?" Paul asked as David faced Paul, "Huh?"

"Paul Bowman, Archie and Lizzie's---?"

"Brother, oh right, hello," David replied simply as he tipped his glass towards him.

"I gather you're having a night?" Paul created small talk.

"Tell me about it. I haven't set foot in a bar in quite some time and now here I am," David tipped his glass and touched it ton his lips to finish off the whiskey, "What brings you here?"

"Long day needed a brew, what brought you?"

"My now empty whiskey did—another Gordon?" David replied as he waved Gordon back over and showed him his empty glass. Gordon filled it up again as Paul exchanged glances with him.

David then went philosophical to Paul, "One finds the perfect someone, they lay pretty much everything on the line, and then it backfires terribly."

Paul laughed, "Well, I've known my perfect someone all my life and on many occasions everything goes haywire and then gets better."

"One would hope." David's mind went bleak when he started to think about Lizzie.

"I assume this is Lizzie we're discussing?"

"Let me ask you a question," David spoke cryptically and nodded his head while starting his second drink, which was already half empty, "If you had to fight for what was right, would you do it?"

Paul answered simply, "I fought for my country. That was right, why?"

"I fear if I don't fight, I'll lose the battle and something special to me with it."

"If this is Lizzie we're discussing about, then if I were you, I'd battle it out," Paul smiled as he finished his pint and gave David a pat on the back. Paul placed his gray cap on his head, paid Gordon and said to David, "Have a good one."

"Thanks for the advice."

"Don't mention it."

Paul strolled out of Ghillie's while David finished his glass and noted Paul's suggestion again in his head. Gordon wandered back over and poured another glass for David and he thanked him.

Lizzie and Graeme wandered out from the main shop to the main stairs that lead to her flat. It was dark outside, Graeme had a hard time keeping his hands to himself and taking his eyes off of Lizzie...as he kept asking her his question over and over again, "Lizzie, Lizzie. Am I moving in or not?"

"Uh well, depends on how good of a boy you are..." Lizzie joked and as their lips brushed together and then she stumbled back, as something shattered at her feet, "What was that?" Graeme didn't answer Lizzie right off. Lizzie switched on the outside light to notice, her favorite brandy, and two glasses, one glass which had been accident kicked off the step and in pieces on the ground.

"I don't know, looks like a gift?" Graeme added with a smile as Lizzie stood stunned while looking over the brandy, the bottle in her hand, year 2000, and her mind ran over a scrapbook of memories, "Yeah, um, you go up and I'll take care of this."

"Are you sure?" Graeme asked as Lizzie nodded, 'yes'. Lizzie snagged up the un-broken glass and with the bottle in tow, walked back into the shop to get a dust pan and broom. The phone rang in the office of shop as Lizzie made way to answer it-setting the bottle of brandy down and the glass on the desk, "Hello?"

"Gordon here, Lizzie? You might want to make way down 'ere. David's..."

"Phished? I see. I'll be there shortly," Lizzie hung up the phone and with the dust pan and broom in her hands she traveled out of the shop, skipped the steps to her flat, "Graeme?"

"Yes?" Graeme opened the door and searched Lizzie's face for a clue to his question—while latching his arms around her, picking her up and scooting into the flat, "You know you still have something important to answer me about...am I moving in or not?"

"We'll discuss this later. I have to get over to Archie and Lexie's. It's important. Just a pregnancy scare, I think. Lexie needs me. I'll be back in an hour?"

"Okay, I s'pose."

"Can I borrow your car?" Lizzie inquired as Graeme held out his car keys to her and then snagged them back, "Kiss first."

Lizzie chuckled, brushed her lips to his and then snatched the keys out of his hands. She journeyed down the steps swept up the glass with the broom and dustpan she left at the end of the steps. Lizzie went to dispose of the glass and she remembered the brandy and the glass...which she assumed David had left her.

Lizzie made it to Ghillie's Rest in no time at all. She walked inside, Gordon nodded out David who was on his fifth glass of whiskey, "Okay, you've had enough."

"Lizzie, darling, nice to see you, where's the husband?" David charmed with a wiry 'I called for you and you came' grin.

"Graeme's at home. You're going home too," Lizzie asked Gordon about the empty whiskey bottle sitting on the bar next to David's glass, "How much?"

"A whole bottle of Malt Whiskey at 20 pounds," Gordon acknowledged as Lizzie gazed at David.

Lizzie sighed as she pulled money out of her purse, "Expensive taste, David."

David laughed, "Sorry, I'll get the next one."

"There won't be a next one, c'mon, let's go," Lizzie nudged him up from his stool. David placed an arm around Lizzie's shoulders walking out of Ghillie's with her.

"You're chipper deary," David slurred his words while Lizzie glanced at him. David darted in to kiss her and Lizzie darted her head away, "I'm not in the mood, David."

"You were last night, sweetheart. What's a matter?"

"David, what the hell are you doing in there?" Lizzie remarked, "I thought you said you quit drinking---became a new man and all that jazz?"

"I thought you said..." David was about to reply back 'I thought you said you were dumping Graeme.'

"I didn't break it off with Graeme, David. It doesn't mean you have to go off the deep end! Over here to the car and no funny business!"

David looked at the car and then his SUV, "You should go home then. I can drive..."

"No, you're not driving. I can have Paul drive your car over to Killwillie's in the morning." Lizzie snatched David's keys out of his hand and he didn't argue with her.

"Where are you taking me lemonade queen?"

"Back to your mother's."

"That's no fun, Miss Fuddy-duddy." David razzed Lizzie.

"I'm no fun, David," Lizzie gave David another nudge, an evil glare, and he plopped himself into the passenger's seat of Graeme's car. Lizzie ran around to the driver's side and hopped in.

"This isn't your car."

"No it's Graeme's."

"What did that drip want anyway tonight? I saw you both in the shop," David asked and instigated matter of factly.

"That drip is moving in with me," Lizzie stated, starting to not like David's attitude or tone when he's had one too many to drink.

"I see."

"Your brandy," Lizzie dropped the bottle on David's lap from the backseat.

"Actually your brandy and I left it because I wanted to drink it with you," David smartly pulled out a flask from his coat pocket.

"Oh no, you don't, look, I'll hang onto this for you until you capable of thinking about your actions in the morning." Lizzie snatched the flask away and then the bottle of brandy, realizing now it was a bad idea to give it to him.

"Lizzie, hang on, I only have water in that! What happened to the glasses?" David noticed there were two glasses missing from when he brought the brandy to her flat.

"I tripped over one glass."

"So now its brandy for one isn't it, since you're not sharing it with me?"

"Stop it!" Lizzie pulled the car over and muttered something incoherent under her breath, "I can't talk to you when you're like this."

"Lizzie, I'm sorry."

"David, you came back here, you've turned everything upside down for me. I know you deliberately planned to sabotage anything I do with Graeme tonight..."

"Lizzie, you told me last night..."

"Forget what I said last night. It's pointless!" Lizzie maneuvered the car back onto the road. The car rode on, down a dusty trail not far from Ghillie's, and past Killwillie and Archie's Fish Farm before turning down another lane and stopping in front of Grace Fraser's house. Lizzie didn't say anything else to David, as she climbed out of the driver's side, ran around the front of the car and opened up the passenger's door, "Go."

"Lizzie darling."

"David, go get some rest and just leave it be. I'm with Graeme and nothing will ever change it. Last night was a fluke, a malfunction, something that I don't regret, but needs to stay in the past."

"Lizzie---damn!" David muttered and then cursed---as he felt a pain in his chest since he now internalized a broken heart.

Lizzie zipped to the driver's side and in hopes to escape anymore of David's questions and comments about them being together the night before. David sighed, dropped his head, tucking his hands in his pockets while watching Lizzie drive away. David loosened his tie and opening the top button of his dress shirt as he tiptoed into the croft. David sighed as he turned on his mobile phone to receive the norm, no signal. David dialed on his mother's rotary phone...a friend's phone number.

"Rory?" David said vindictively as his friend's voice mail picked up, "Ring me when you get in...I need your services."

Two days passed, Lizzie was in the middle of doing shop inventory when the door bell jingled letting her know someone was there. Lizzie checked off a few paintings, did a couple mark downs on some of Molly's water colors and heard, "Elizabeth."

"Rory? You're up from London and visiting David no doubt? Nice of you to stop in—this is my mother's pride and joy—aside from me."

"This I'm afraid isn't a holiday to the Highlands or a social call, even though it's lovely to see you and Marsha sends her regards. I hate to do this to you Liz," as Rory, one of David's close friend and colleague, a lawyer, from when he worked at an investment firm in London, set down a court summons in front of her.

Chapter Twelve---Foolish Choices

Lizzie stood there with the papers as she started to shake. She was completely stunned and at loss for words. Rory walked out of the shop onto the street. Lizzie went after him, "Rory! This is a huge mistake!"

"Sorry, you might want to discuss this with my client."

"No Rory, David's just---this isn't right!" Lizzie retorted while rereading the papers again. "I can not accept these!"

"Elizabeth, a word of sound advice--talk to David---if he will settle this outside of court then it would be in your favor. I know you're not happy."

"I'm upset, Rory! There's a huge difference and my daughter's life at stake! Taking me to court---Scottish Courts are horrible! They take weeks on end to sort things out and suck every penny out of you!"

"I'm sorry Lizzie. There's not much else I can do for you." Rory walked back to his car and drove off. Molly came bounding up to Lizzie with a smile on her face. Molly's smile faded when she noted the tears in Lizzie's eyes, "Lizzie?"

"Mummy, I need to go somewhere and I need your car. Can I leave the shop for an hour? Please?" Lizzie insisted as Molly handed over her keys.

"It's lunch time. I came to relieve you for your lunch." Molly said but Lizzie took off before she could complete her sentence. Lizzie didn't know which emotional wave she should ride first, the despaired, the tormented, the confused, the anger...it was the wave of anger that she sided on as Molly's car took her off to Killwillie Castle.

Hermione hummed a fine tune in her blue sports car heading towards Killwillie Castle. Hermione's tune changed when she was cut off by Molly's beloved station wagon going in the same direction and then a herd of sheep.

Claire's beloved flock of twenty sheep came stomping out in front of her car as Hermione hit the breaks and Claire and Jess nodded and waved at a fuming Hermione. Hermione made another irritated face while checking the clock on her car radio. The sheep were switching pastures since Killwillie had allowed Claire to keep the sheep on his property until the sheep show amphitheatre was complete near the wildlife centre.

"Now these stocks..." David explained to Killwillie the stock market and how his beef stocks were doing. Dorothy interrupted them, "Lunch first and then the talk of business second? I know you're working very hard, David, you must be famished."

"I'm fine really." David replied, as he noted Flora beside Killwillie with a huge grin on her face.

"We're expecting Hermione soon. We should really start lunch." Dorothy eyed David again as he nodded his head, "Oh how lovely. Right, knowing Hermione she's probably just moments behind, got stuck with traffic, maybe a herd of sheep are preventing her from getting here? You know how that is, Dorothea? Glenbogle is quite a drive from Greater London."

Dorothy added with a sly smile and a thought in her head if she were a mere twenty years younger she'd be interested in David, "Oh yes, I do."

Just as Killwillie was about to suggest to Badger to lead them to the buffet in his dining room, Lizzie stormed right on in.

"Elizabeth—marvelous! What a wonderful surprise! Where's Molly? Did you both come for lunch too?" Killwillie boasted as Flora added with a giggle, "Lizzie! Nice to see you..."

"You! You have got a lot of explaining to do!" Lizzie stomped her feet up to David and shoved the court paper work for Martha's custody into his lap. Lizzie jolted out of the parlor and started to pace in the front foyer.

"I'm sorry, excuse her and myself." David stood right up and marched out of the parlor with Killwillie, Dorothy, and Flora bewildered at the scene.

"Liz..."

"Don't dare Liz me! How could you just go ahead and do something like this!" Lizzie retorted in a huff.

"Liz, I had too," David latched his hand around Lizzie's arm and carted her into the office as he noticed Killwillie, Dorothy and Flora listening in on everything Lizzie said, "Calm down, Liz."

"You just had to fight for her? You just had to compete with me about who's the best parent! You competed with Archie, Jamie—childish games---not something like this! You can't take Martha from me! Where are your morals! David? Where are they? You said you changed David. Instead, you're drinking again..."

"That was one night and I have my reasons!"

"What are they? David? What are your reasons for downing an expensive bottle of scotch?" Lizzie glared at David, as if he were a twig, she'd surely snap him in two.

"You, for starters and I wanted to take care of my own for a change."

"That's not taking care of anyone if you can't tend to yourself! Nights ago, must have just thanked your lucky stars that you got what you wanted? Instead, I stayed with Graeme and the tables turned? You felt so sorry for yourself that you drank a whole bottle of whiskey for me? I don't buy it David! I don't buy those papers either! You just assumed we could pick up where we left off!"

"I know about George, Lenny's cousin, Liz and you're the one who wanted to pick up where we left off days ago too." David said roughly with one hand in his pocket and the other holding the court papers as Lizzie's face plummeted to the floor after hearing David mention her mentally unstable ex-boyfriend.

"I know because of Justine and Lenny and what they told me---you were seeing a psychoanalyst, put on meds for, what is it? Oh right, for being bi-polar!"

"David, I---?"

"I just don't want to see you make another mistake with this Graeme bloke! That George guy could have killed you or even Martha for that matter! You got with him after me!"

"Oh you're rich! Mistake! HA! You make them all the time! Running off on Martha and me when I needed you the most---David, you're attached to a past that you can't count on and it has changed! And for your information since you seem to love keeping track of my love life, I was with Gerald after you, and then George!"

"Tell me more of what happened to you when I left you both years ago."

"David…"

"I only know the parts from Justine. I need to hear it all from you. There are people concerned about you Lizzie, concerned about your well being."

"Oh and you're now one of them!"

"I can't talk to you when you're like this!"

"Like what!"

"...when you're overly emotional!"

Lizzie's mind journeyed to a place that she vowed she wouldn't think back too.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

There were incoming patients on stretchers and in wheel chairs zipping by Justine and Martha as they sat in the waiting room. Justine cradled Martha's head with her hands as she embraced the little girl. Martha glanced up at Justine warmly and sensing her safety. Lizzie hobbled out after talking to a nurse, as she was in awful shape. Her right shin throbbed, and her face and body had a few cuts and bruises, "Liz?"

"Hey, nothing wrong with me and thanks for watching Martha. We'll be off now."

"Sit please," Justine led Lizzie to a chair and helped her sit down, "You look horrible."

"Gee, thanks. It looks worse than it feels."

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free

"Martha, why don't you scoot over to the toys while I talk to Mummy," Justine spoke to Martha, giving her head one last pat, as Justine tilted Martha in the direction of a play kitchen. Martha had her hand on her stuffed bear as she walked away looking at Lizzie as she also waved her on, "Go on, poppet."

"You should have told us," Justine replied soundly, "I mean Lizzie--I knew he was messed up in the head and on meds."

"George just had another manic moment, Justine, nothing new and when he skips his meds it happens, hence, it's called manic depression." Lizzie put up her fingers and air quoted the 'manic' part. Lizzie amazed Justine since she still had a sense of humor.

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of dark black night

"He went off the deep end Lizzie...he shouldn't have been near you," Justine's tone became stern.

"It doesn't matter right now, does it? I need to get home now. I need rest," Lizzie replied in denial like nothing ever happened.

"He's in jail Lizzie."

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of dark black night

"Why is he in jail, Justine? There's no reason for him to be there. I'm all right." Lizzie eyed Justine closely, becoming uncomfortable at how much Justine was making a big deal out of George's actions.

"He hurt you. He could have hurt Martha."

"George is okay, right?" Lizzie asked while enabling the situation but Justine wouldn't let her.

"Lizzie, maybe you need to stop being concerned about George." Justine advised as she glanced over to Martha.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life

"Her birthday, her presents, they are ruined," Lizzie said sadly as Justine placed a hand on hers and gave it an empathetic rub.

"Don't worry about that—we'll get her new ones. You tried to save what you could from George smashing it up—thank goodness he didn't mark you with something else than a hammer and it was only your leg." Justine and Lizzie watched Martha play with the waiting room toys and then Justine added sympathetically, "Lizzie, maybe you should consider going home...to Glenbogle."

"Looking like this? No, you know how Archie is, besides he thinks I'm in India and that way we couldn't come home for Martha's birthday. He'd be down here within hours to hang George up to dry." Lizzie changed the subject back to Martha's destroyed party, "So much for Martha turning six."

You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Lizzie rubbed her aching leg, and gazed into space.

You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Justine replied sensibly, "You stick it out, think about going home, and I'll worry about a replacement party for Martha okay--and presents to boot."

You were only waiting for this moment to arise.

(The Beatles' Blackbird)

Lizzie turned away from David and glanced through the tinted window. She dazed out into space, while David strolled up behind her. "You need to explain it to me, Lizzie."

"Read the police reports or the medical records---George and mine—if you want to prove how much of an unfit mother I am. I'm sure Rory will get his hands on them! I don't want to relive it, David. I don't. George is dead. He offed himself a month ago and Justine told me. Don't expect to be seeing Martha any time soon. I mean it."

"Lizzie."

Lizzie ran out of the office, with David right behind her. Lizzie zipped past Killwillie and muscled out the door just as Hermione strolled in.

"David?" Hermione beamed brightly. David forced a smile and responded, "Hello, excuse me just for a second or two."

David ran out to the driveway as his feet came to a halt and he witnessed Lizzie drive away. Lizzie glanced back in the rear view mirror, worried about what she was going to do. David returned to Killwillie Castle as he entered the parlor. Dorothy asked, "Everything all right, David?"

"What was that about?" Killwillie inquired while exchanging glances with Flora.

"Nothing major, complete miss understanding, lunch?" David arched his brow while sweeping the problems with Lizzie under the rug as Hermione beamed, "Yes, I'm starving, just like you are." Hermione took David's arm and they strolled into the dinning area. Flora's face dropped as she watched the display. Flora would never be a match for her cousin would she? Killwillie noted the look in Flora's eye, the deep seated frustration turned to envious gloom. Hermione was smooth at getting what she wanted---even if it was someone Flora wanted too--David.