Chapter Twenty-Three: Goodbye For Now

The day had finally come. For five glorious weeks, the Baker family had stayed in the big house on the shores of Lake Winnetka. Now, box by box, suitcase by suitcase, the thirteen children and one son-in-law loaded their belongings into the vehicles.

Liz could feel her eyes water a little as she stood in the front room of the house and looked around at the structure that housed so many wonderful memories. True, Bud and Nora owned it now and the family was free to visit whenever they chose, but it was highly unlikely that the whole family would ever be there together again. Liz and Calvin were going to live in New Haven, Connecticut until Calvin finished his schooling at Yale; Charlie was moving back up to the lake later in the year to open his own garage; Lorraine was going to New York; Bud and Nora were living in downtown Chicago; and Henry had one year left of high school before he was planning on going to school in California. One by one, the family would spread itself thinner and thinner, all over the country as the Baker children began to find their own ways in the world.

"Liz?" Charlie's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Her twin was standing in the doorway, an understanding smile on his face. "Time to go. The Murtaughs are here to say goodbye."

"I'll be a minute," she replied gently. "Tell them I'm coming."

Charlie nodded and left. Liz walked slowly back to her room, picked up her purse and her phone and turned off the light. Making a quick check through the house, she made sure all the lights were off before picking up the keys to the door and going outside, turning to lock the door behind her.

"Hey, honey," Tom greeted her at the bottom of the stairs, "did you get the place all locked down?"

"Yeah," she said, tossing him the keys. "It's all set for the next time we come through here." She saw the rest of the family standing with the Murtaugh's, saying goodbye, and she skipped down the steps, depositing her purse in the front seat of Charlie's car before joining them.

There were many tearful farewells. Eliot and Sarah were standing inches apart, talking earnestly, while off to one side, Charlie held Anne tightly in his arms and kissed the top of her head. Daniel and Lorraine were standing together, talking, and as she watched, he bent slightly and placed a kiss on her cheek. "All right, Bakers," Tom announced. "Finish your goodbyes and get in the car, we need to get going." Mark and Kenneth talked earnestly in low voices as they approached the Baker van and Mark climbed in. Liz smiled at that. They were probably planning how to get into mischief next time they were together. More hugs, and slowly the families separated and the Baker children piled into the van. Lorraine went up on tiptoe and kissed Daniel's mouth briefly before climbing into Charlie's car.

Now, Liz decided to say her goodbyes. She went first to Sarina and collected her hug. "We'll hear from you soon, okay?" the older woman whispered. Liz could only nod mutely.

Next came Jimmy, who pulled her into a firm hug and kissed her cheek. "I look forward to having you in the family, Lizzie."

"Thank you," Liz murmured into his shoulder. She broke away and collected a hug each from Lisa, Robin, Kenneth, Becky, and Eliot, then she turned to the oldest Murtaugh kids.

Daniel hugged her briefly and said, "It's been fun."

Anne stood waiting, Charlie standing behind her. When Liz broke away from Daniel, she opened her arms to her future sister-in-law. "Take care, okay? Will I see you at Harvard?"

"Maybe," Liz said, trying to keep her voice light. "I'll probably do a couple more semesters there and get my Bachelor's before the wedding. And I'll be doing classes online to get my Master's." She hugged Anne a little tighter. "Miss you already, Anne. You'll take care of Charlie when you get back out her for art school, won't you?"

Anne laughed shyly. "Of course." She kissed Liz's cheek and then turned her to face Calvin.

This was the goodbye that Liz was really dreading. As she walked up to him, she could already feel salty tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. Calvin took her hands. "I'm going straight back to Yale tomorrow, but you can call me. Anytime, for any reason. Just call. I'll be there. I'm planning on stopping by your folks' house sometime around Christmas to say hi and help make some wedding plans. Will you be there?"

Feeling her tears start to flow, she immediately affirmed, "Of course I'll be there." Taking his face in her hands, she pulled him close and kissed him. His arms went around her waist and pressed her against him as he kissed her back, long and hard. For several breathless seconds, Liz was swept away, oblivious to her family or his as they clapped and cheered. She thought only of the man holding her. And she never wanted it to end.

At length, they finally broke apart and Calvin rested his forehead against hers. With his eyes still closed and their faces only centimeters apart, he whispered in a low, husky voice, "I love you, Liz."

"And I love you, Calvin," Liz whispered back, trying to fight back her tears. "I look forward to the day when I'll be your wife." She gently caressed the hair at the nape of his neck and reached up to kiss him again. He responded readily with a quick, firm kiss before placing his hands on her waist and pushing back slightly.

"It's time for you to go, now," he mumbled softly, a single tear betraying his feelings as it slipped down his cheek. Liz brushed it away affectionately. He smiled gratefully and kissed her hands. "Think of me," he implored gently, his hazel eyes searching hers.

She nodded. "Every day."

He pursed his lips, satisfied. "Until December, then." He was about to turn away, but thought better of it and pulled Liz back into his arms in a powerful embrace. Her arms went around his neck and he could feel the dampness of her tears through his shirt. She looked up into his eyes and kissed him hard, trying to convey to him what a million words could never say. Finally, she let him go and stepped back, leaving his lips tingling from the pressure of her kiss. As she got into the seat beside Charlie and her brother pulled away, Calvin involuntarily brought his fingers to his lips, touching the place where hers had been only seconds before. Man, he thought, I can't believe how much I love that girl.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned to find himself looking into Sarina's blue eyes. On impulse, he hugged her. "Thank you for helping bring us together," he told her. Then, pulling back, he looked into her eyes and added, "Mom." As his stepmother's eyes filled with tears at the word, he slipped an arm around her shoulder and they walked back to the dock, where the family boat was waiting to take them back to the Boulders. Calvin helped Sarina get in, then chanced one last glance back at the lake house where he'd first fallen in love with a remarkable girl from a remarkable family. Her name was Liz Baker...

Author's Note: Well, it's over now. I'll probably end up writing a one-shot of the wedding, but otherwise, this is it! So, be sure to tell me what you all thought of it!

Many thanks to Donny304 foryour faithful reviews every chapter. Also thanks to CheekyBabe101 for recommending me in her story. I recommend her story "Sarah Baker" as well. It's a good read. Thanks to lil cwick for the good comments and congratulations on winning my little challenge. You'll have a gift fic coming soon. PM me about your preference (events, chars, etc.) okay? Also thanks to madison blanche, clena, crystallized chaos, northern ranger, rising-phoenix07, summertime201, and donny for putting me on their favorites list.Thanks to everyone who had me on their alerts list, too. And to all my non-reviewing readers, thanks to you, too! Don't be afraid to drop a review anytime!

If anyone's interested in any of my other stories, just go to my profile page. I highly recommend my story Bush Pilot if anyone's seen and liked the movie Eight Below. I'm still working on that one, but it's pretty close to being done.

THANK YOU ALL!

Elena