Thanks for all your reviews and support!

Sara- Yep, you'll be seeing a lot more of George, he's Sarah's brother after all : )

et-spiritus-sancti- "Coo Coo catchoo" lol a definite LMAO moment.

I should have another chapter up by the end of the weekend : ) And oh yeah, no Harry in this chapter…total bummer I know : (

Chapter 28

In the short distance from the pier to the car waiting on the street, it took George and me nearly 30 minutes to walk. Reporters were coming at us from every direction, clamoring over one another and yelling questions my way, trying their hardest to get my attention. George held me close and told me to ignore them, but that was more difficult than it sounded.

Finally, after pushing our way through the inquisitive mob, I could see the tall form of my Grandmother standing near a black Renault, parked amidst the crowd of people on the street.

She was Hailey Montgomery and was the epitome of what a well bred Philadelphian socialite should be. Everything she did was perfect, from the way she buttered her bread, to her benevolence to the less fortunate, but to me she was just my Grandmother, my Nan, a name I call her only when it is just the two of us.

Up until then.

"Nan!"

I ran towards her and straight into her arms. She grasped me tightly and both of us began to shed tears. I nuzzled my face into her shoulder and breathed in her scent, which consisted of roses and vanilla, and felt a warm and serene calm come over me.

"Oh my Sarah, my darling Sarah." she pulled away from me and looked me over and began to cry even more. "I thought I had lost you…" she replied through her tears. "…I couldn't bear the thought of it. But you're here, safe…" she placed her hands on either side of my face. "Perfect, you're just perfect. Not a scratch on you…" her eyes peered into mine and for a moment I thought she had been mistake and see a 'scratch'. Her eyes looked me over with question. "…and yet there is something different about you."

I gulped, suddenly realizing that this woman knew me better than anyone else in the world and she knew there was something about me that had changed. Something had, and it was Harry.

"Of course there's something different about her, she's probably had 5 years taken off her life after what happened." George spoke up, breaking the awkward silence that had developed.

Grandmother's blue eyes lingered on me a moment longer, she could see it, but she didn't say a word and turned to my brother. "Yes, of course. Come now, this car is waiting to take you both to your Grandfather's house."

"Us? Where are you going?" George asked.

She looked to another car parked just behind the one we were standing in front of, that I had only noticed now. "Your Aunt needs me now. And after years of animosity between us, I think I owe that to her, we'll be at the Waldorf. You'll join us for lunch tomorrow?"

George nodded and my grandmother looked at me for a moment. She then reached for my hand and grasped it tightly. "I'm so glad you're home and safe."

Through my tear stained face I smiled at her and returned the gesture. George and I then watched as she got into the car and sat in the back with Aunt Ruth. It pulled away from the curb and disappeared behind a corner. George then turned to me and offered me his arm.

I took it and the two of us then got into the other car.

I was quiet most of the way to my Grandfather's house. I couldn't seem to get over the way my grandmother had looked at me. Then there was Aunt Ruth to consider. Because even though she hadn't spoken a word to anyone since everything had happened I still worried she would tell Grandmother something. But my fears about her didn't hold a candle to the ones I had about Cal.

Grandmother may be kind and understanding towards Aunt Ruth right now, but that was only because of what happened. Soon they would go back to loathing one another, but Cal was different. To begin with he knew everything, although I'm still not sure how, and to top it all off my grandmother adored Cal. Obviously she didn't know him that well.

If she didn't believe Aunt Ruth, she would surely believe Cal. I was going to have to tell her before anyone else did and that alone gave me a headache.

I decided that just for tonight though, I was going to forget about all of that. I need just one night of peace, although it would have been a whole lot better if a certain someone was here with me.

From my spot in the car I rested my head against the cold window and thought about him. I wondered what he was doing, if he was thinking about me. I missed him so much, and it hadn't even been an hour since we parted.

"Are you alright?"

I turned to my brother and saw the concern in his face. We had always been close; we didn't really have any other choice, being orphans and all.

"Just a bit uncomfortable…" I told him about my injury to cover up what I was really feeling. Being a medical student, his doctor instincts went to work immediately.

"How did it happen? Is their any swelling? What…"

"George, I'm fine, just…uncomfortable. I told the doctor on the Carpathia about it and he said it will heal on its own."

"Still I would feel better if you went to see Dr. Boyer when you get back to Philadelphia."

"I will, don't worry. Speaking of doctors, shouldn't you be in school right now?"

"My professors gave me a week of family time."

"That was gracious of them."

"I thought so…" he trailed off an for a minute or so was silent, then from out of nowhere he looked at me and asked. "Was it horrible?"

I shifted my gaze. "More than you realize."

He shook his head. "If I had been there…"

"You would be dead, so don't even say that."

"What makes you say that…Cal is just fine. What makes me any different from him?"

"What makes you different is that you have refinement and Cal doesn't!"

George looked taken aback. "Sarah, why would you say something like that?" Cal and George knew one another, they weren't best mates or anything like that, but they had shared a brandy every now and then.

I shook my head no wanting to start anything. "I'm just tired. I'm saying things before I even think about them."

Thankfully our Grandfather's house came into view before he could question me any further. The driver stopped at the front doors, which were immediately opened by two maids, wearing black dresses and white aprons. Grandfather ran his home with very strict, very Victorian customs.

The driver opened the door for me and helped me from the car just as my Grandfather's housekeeper, Mrs. Fitzpatrick, appeared in the door way. She was a cold woman, having worked for my Grandfather since before I was born. She had to be, at the most, 50, but the unpleasantness that she had dealt with over the years made her look much older.

"Master Wilkes, Miss Wilkes…Mr. Wilkes is awaiting your arrival in the salon."

"Thank you, Mrs. Fitzpatrick." George said stepping up beside me and putting his hat on.

Mrs. Fitzpatrick nodded and stepped aside to allow us to walk in. George took my hand and together the two of us walked into the looming dark mansion in front of us.

The house was always dark. I couldn't remember a day in my life when it hadn't been. Candles lit on their sconces were the only light in the hallway, even though a huge chandelier hung from the ceiling in the foyer. My Grandfather was still reluctant about the idea of electricity.

George and I made our way down the hall and into the salon. We found him sitting in a high backed dark chair, reading a thick book and smoking his pipe. A cloud of smoke surrounded him and he looked up when we entered.

At one time, most certainly long ago, Grandfather had been a handsome man. This was still evident in his facial features, but he was always so stern that I found it hard to see him that way with just a simple glance. His hair was completely gray, but nicely groomed, and his dark eyes were very deep and mysterious, but his jaw was firm and the wrinkles in his face all formed a picture of man; cantankerous and unpleasant.

"You're later than I thought you would be."

George took his hat off. "Yes, I expected to be earlier as well. The crowd was…"

"Well I imagine it would be boy." he shut the book and set it down, along with his pipe and approached us, his hands clasped behind his back. He eyed me.

"You're a ghastly mess. Did they not take care of you on that rescue ship?"

I swallowed back before answering. "Yes sir, they did. I just haven't been taking care of myself the way I should have been."

He nodded, accepting my answer, only because of the circumstances.

"Mrs. Fitzpatrick has seen to it that you have clothes and the proper items in your room, since I believe all of your things to be lost."

I nodded, thinking of everything that I had lost. "Yes, they were." I said softly.

"You'll be in New York for a few weeks I imagine, what with the inquiries and all."

"Inquires?" I asked.

"Yes, a group of senators are looking into the disaster. It was announced in the evening paper. They'll be subpoenaing passengers I imagine and given the fact that you are my granddaughter I'm sure they will want to speak to you."

I perked up at this. We had heard nothing of these inquiries on the Carpathia, but maybe they would want to speak to the crew as well, which meant Harry wouldn't be going back to England as he thought he would be. I nearly smiled, but held myself back.

"Where will the hearings be held?"

"The Waldorf."

That was the same hotel my Grandmother was staying at!

We talked to Grandfather for a few moments longer, before I excused myself to my room. Grandfather came up to me and gave me an awkward embrace before I left the room, "I am pleased that you are home safe."

"Thank you." I replied, feeling just about as uncomfortable as he looked.

Then I saw something in his eyes that I had never seen before. Warmth, and…could those have actually been tears? I looked at him with question, but he went back to George, quickly hiding his eyes from me.

I shrugged to myself and then left the room and headed upstairs to try and sleep.