Elizabeth finally settled down, calming herself after her nightmare. Laszlo remained sat with her, letting her rest against his side, her eyes closed again and his arms wrapped tightly around her. He kept his chin on the top of her head and Elizabeth ran her hand along his arm, almost as though he could help keep her completely coherent following the nightmare. She remembered that night so well. She always thought back to it and Laszlo would be lying if he said that he didn't think back to it as well. He remembered what had happened and the evidence had pointed towards clearing Elizabeth, but people still whispered.

But, if she had killed Jacob Martins herself, Laszlo would not have blamed her in the slightest. In fact, he would have completely understood it himself. But that was not Elizabeth. Elizabeth was not the type of woman who had it in her to murder. Then again, Laszlo knew how people could be when they were pushed to the brink.

"Your pulse is calming," he whispered down to her, his thumb press against her wrist for a moment.

"I am fine," Elizabeth assured him and she turned her gaze up to look at him. His wide eyes continued to stare down at her and Elizabeth felt that familiar thumping in her chest whenever he looked at her. She did not know how to broach topics of feelings with him, especially when they pertained to her feelings towards him. "Thank you."

"You do not need to thank me."

"And you do not need to do this," she responded, giving his arm a squeeze. "You don't need to look after me like you do."

"I quite enjoy looking after you, Elizabeth," Laszlo admitted to her and she was about to ask him why before Cyrus walked in. Elizabeth was about to move from Laszlo, but he kept his arms wrapped around her, only lifting his head and turning to glance to the door where Cyrus stood.

"Cyrus, what is it" he enquired from him.

"John Moore is here to see you," Cyrus said.

"Send him in," Laszlo said and Cyrus nodded, smiling at the sight in front of him. He had long suspected that there was something going on between Elizabeth and Laszlo. He even had a bet with Stevie and Mary that there was something, but it had never been confirmed. They knew that the doctor was close with the woman he had taken in. Laszlo had a habit of taking in broken creatures and trying to fix them. But it seemed that his duties went above and beyond when it came to Elizabeth. Then again, did he truly see it as a duty?

"I should leave you two to it," Elizabeth said and Laszlo began to move his arms away from her, but not before John walked in, striding into the parlour with purpose.

"Miss Elizabeth," John spoke at the sight of her as she removed her hand from Laszlo's arm and made a move to stand up. She beamed over to John as he entered the room and she moved over to him.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you can just call me Elizabeth?" she questioned from him, hands going to his shoulders before she pecked him on the cheek. John smiled as she pulled back and he gave her forearms a delicate squeeze.

"My grandmother would be particularly unhappy if I forgot my manners," he said to her. "But I suspect it does not matter for she is not here with me."

"She is not," Elizabeth said. She had met John's grandmother numerous times before at various balls that she used to attend with her husband. However, things had most certainly changed since then.

"What brings you here so late into the night, John?" Laszlo questioned from his friend.

"I have it," he said and lifted up the folder that he had in his hand, removing his hat with his other one. Laszlo moved to stand next to Elizabeth in front of John, holding a hand out for John to give him in the file. He held it in his fingertips and John continued talking. "It's the Zweig file," he said to him.

"I do hope that you thanked Miss Howard for this," Laszlo said to him, looking at the papers while John pulled his gloves from his fingertips. Elizabeth looked to Laszlo and spoke in a soft voice.

"I will leave you to it," she said to him and he arched a brow at her. She was usually inquisitive when it came to his cases. She did not pretend to understand what it was Laszlo did, exactly, but she had always shown an interest in the people he helped. Sometimes she would go down to the Institute to read to the children, finding that there was a sense of peace when she was around them.

"You do no wish to stay?" Laszlo questioned from her.

"Do you want me to stay?"

John watched the exchange and wondered just when Laszlo was going to admit how he felt for the woman he had taken in over a year ago. He had witnessed the relationship blossom from friendship into, clearly, something much deeper than that. But still Laszlo was hesitant around his emotions.

"I know how you enjoy reading these cases," was all Laszlo offered and she nodded. She would stay there. He continued flicking through the pages, wandering around the room as Elizabeth stood besides John.

"What is it?" John wondered, seeing Laszlo's forehead scrunch up tightly.

"There's nothing here," he scoffed, head shaking back and forth. "There are no details on the wounds or how they may have been inflicted. There is no information here…there is no evidence here, John."

"Then what does that mean?" John questioned from him.

"Well, if we cannot get the information from this file," Laszlo spoke and handed it back to him, "then we will need to find alternative methods, John. We will have to look at the body."

John's eyes widened at that. "You want to dig up the body?"

"It is the only way we are going to get any information that is worth our while," Laszlo responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

John sighed. "And I presume you know who to ask for this request?"

"I have connections," Laszlo simply said. "But it is late, John. Come, you need rest and we will discuss this tomorrow and continue our investigation."

"Are you certain?"

"Most certain," Laszlo said. "I will walk you out."

John nodded and placed his hat back onto his head. He glanced over to Elizabeth and bowed his head. "Elizabeth, it was a pleasure as always," he said to her.

"I hardly see you anymore, John," Elizabeth said. "You should visit more often."

"I would like that," John said to her with a nod of his head. She moved over and kissed him on the cheek once more, Laszlo noticing the exchange with inquisitive eyes before he led John back to the front door. Heading into the foyer, Laszlo stood by the front door, but John was stood on the spot.

"Have you spoken to her yet?" John asked him.

"Who?" Laszlo questioned.

John chuckled. "For such an intelligent man, you can be horribly obtuse when it comes to certain matters," he said to his friend, clasping him on his upper arm. "I am talking about Elizabeth. Have you spoken with her about how you feel."

Laszlo's brows furrowed. "And how do I feel?"

"Is it not obvious?" John wondered from him.

"I…Elizabeth…it is complicated," Laszlo simply said with a shake of his head. "I need to be delicate with her and I have no intention of pushing her into anything. You know what she has been through."

"I understand that," John promised him, "but I suspect that she might feel the same."

"Do you truly think so?" Laszlo questioned. "I worry that she sees me as some saviour, not someone who she can truly have feelings for. It would make sense for her to view me as such considering everything that I have done for her. Her feelings, perhaps, might not be completely true and I would not blame her for that, not in the slightest."

John sighed. "And you?"

"What about me?"

"Your feelings for her? Are they true?"

Laszlo could only nod his head once. "I considered this," he said to John. "I wondered if I felt the way I did because I pitied her…because I enjoyed the way she looked at me when I comforted her…I liked her needing me. But now, I realise, that it is deeper than that. It s a chemical reaction in the brain, after all, but what I feel is more than just a longing for her to want me."

John chuckled. "Only you could describe love so unemotionally. Love is about the heart, Laszlo."

"I think you will find it is more about the mind," Laszlo retorted. "Either way, this is something that I cannot and shall not rush. Elizabeth deserves better than that."

"Just do not wait too long, old friend," John said and opened the front door, tipping his hat in Laszlo's direction. "Time passes us quickly by."

"Indeed," Laszlo replied. "Goodnight, John."

"Goodnight," John said and moved off.

Laszlo closed the door behind him and went back to the parlour, finding Elizabeth running a hand through her hair, tugging it over her shoulder and letting it hang down her front. "Is everything well?" she enquired from him.

"Everything is fine," Laszlo promised her. "We should get some rest for the evening. It is quite late. Do you require me to make you a tonic of some kind to aid you?"

Elizabeth's fingers stilled in her hair and Laszlo moved towards her slowly, his gaze not once leaving hers. He dared to use his good arm to reach out for her, his fingers running along her cheek as he continued to stare at her. She bit down on her bottom lip, a motion she often did when she was agitated or apprehensive. Laszlo had gotten to know her tell-tale signs quite well over the course of their relationship.

"The nightmare," he broached the topic, "what was it this time?"

"The usual one," Elizabeth informed Laszlo, her voice low and shaking slightly. She hated going to sleep. She despised going to bed, scared of what she would see. Laszlo would sometimes brew her a sleeping tonic to try and aid her, but she did not want to become reliant on them. "He…he's not dead…he's still coming after me. He's coming after you."

Laszlo nodded his head. He moved his fingers to brush her hair behind her ear and she stepped closer to him then, their chests almost brushing. Laszlo felt his breath hitch and he inhaled her familiar scent. She always smelled sweet. It was that floral perfume he had bought her for Christmas after spending hours wondering what scent she would like the most. He looked out of place in the department store, trying to get the right gift for her.

"Elizabeth," he whispered her name softly, not sure what it was he wanted to tell her.

"It's not me who I cry for when he comes after me in the nightmare," she whispered, wanting to tell him before she lost her nerve. "It's you, Laszlo. I can't stop him from getting to you and it reminds me of that night when you came to me…when I thought that he was going to kill you."

She balled her fingers into a fist, moving to rest it against Laszlo's chest. She bowed her head, her forehead pressing to sit just beneath his chin. He looked down on her, his eyes hooded and his lips pursed as she continued talking, her warm breath hitting the bare skin of his neck.

"If you hadn't have come for me, Laszlo…if you hadn't have helped me…"

"Do not think on what could have been," Laszlo urged from her, hands going to hold her upper arms tightly in his grip, thumbs running along the material of the dress she wore, bunching up the sheer fabric. "Those thoughts will do you no good, Elizabeth. The important thing is that he is gone. You are safe."

"Only with thanks to you," Elizabeth reminded him, peering to look up to him and he shook his head.

"You're stronger than you think. You do yourself a disservice by thinking anything other than that," Laszlo informed her.

"Do I?" she questioned.

"You most certainly do," Laszlo promised her.

She went silent then and straightened herself out. She often wondered why Laszlo entertained her as he did. He was constantly there for her. He was constantly looking out for her and she appreciated that more than he could possibly know. She leaned up and kissed his cheek, her lips just scraping his beard and becoming slightly irritated, but she didn't care about that in the slightest. Her lips arched upwards and Laszlo smiled back to her, his own lips pressing to her forehead.

"Come," Laszlo urged from her, "I will walk you to your room."

She looked entertained by that. "I know where my room is after all this time, Laszlo," she informed him and he also smiled, realising that it sounded quite ridiculous. But it meant that he could spend more time with her.

"I know," he said to her, but he still pressed his hand into the small of her back and led her to her room.

….

Laszlo saw her at the opera. He was sat in his box, John to the side after him after his friend accepted his invite to the opera. She was dressed in a soft blue dress, the skirt a floral pattern and the dress coming off of her shoulders. She had her hair in a loose bun at the nape of her neck, long white gloves coming past her elbow. She was sat in the box across from Laszlo's, her husband sat next to her, a hand resting possessively on her knee.

Jacob Martins family was incredibly well off. They were one of New York's top socialite families, constantly attending every ball and event that took place. Jacob was the youngest of three children and worked in the family business in shipping. But he didn't entirely bother with work. He turned up as and when he wanted to. He had been notorious for being a bit of a womanizer before he settled down with Elizabeth Johnson. She had been the one, apparently, that had tamed him.

But Laszlo did not know if that was entirely true.

The man continued to move his thumb over her knee as she sat up straight, her husband's body angled towards her. His black hair was slicked back on his head. He was clean shaven with piercing green eyes and a strong jawline. He was broad, clearly athletic and a fit man.

Laszlo confessed that he was hardly watching the rendition of Swan Lake on the stage before him. Instead, he was watching Elizabeth Martins. The way her shoulders tensed and her spine stiffened under her husband's touch told him all that he had to know. She had her lips pursed and her hands were resting tensely in her lap, fidgeting together.

It was halfway through the second act when she looked to her husband and whispered something. He nodded to her and she pecked him on the cheek before standing up, removing his hand from where it rested on her knee. She left the box and, for some unexplained reason, Laszlo found himself standing up too. He gave a nod to John, indicating that he was well.

Leaving his box, he came to the empty corridor and began to walk around in the direction towards her box. She was moving towards the ladies' room, no doubt needing some time alone. She had her hands on her hips and was looking upwards, taking a deep breath, looking like she hadn't breathed easy since she had been in that box with her husband.

"Mrs Martins," Laszlo spoke her name.

She looked at him when she had heard him speak her name. Her eyes widened and he noted that a strand of her hair had fallen from the bun that it was held in, sitting down by the side of her face.

"Doctor Kreizler," she responded to him.

"How are you faring?"

"Quite well," she said to him with a nod of her head. "I had heard that you had a box here."

"I do indeed," he confirmed for her. "And, of course, your husband's family also has a box, but I have not seen you here before."

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "The ballet is not exactly the kind of thing that I was brought up watching," she said to him and he nodded his head. He had done his research since he had met her. She was not born into the upper classes of New York's socialites. She was, in fact, quite a normal girl.

"How are you finding it?" Laszlo queried, hands behind his back and clasped together, his cane sitting there too.

"Honestly?" she asked from him. "Quite dull."

His lips arched upwards at hearing her. How refreshing it was to hear a woman speak so freely and not feel constrained by what society expected her to say.

"Well, perhaps you just need to find the right performance," Laszlo said to her. "There are certain operas that I personally do not enjoy as much as others. Once you find the right one you connect with…well…it can be quite moving."

Elizabeth's own lips picked up at that and she arched a brow, tilting her head to the side. "You can be moved, Doctor Kreizler?" she questioned from him. "I cannot imagine you being moved."

Laszlo chuckled, noticing her teasing tone. "I admit, I come across as quite a stoic man," he said to her. "But I am known to show emotion."

"I do not doubt it," Elizabeth said to him. "Anyway, what are you doing out here? The performance is not finished."

Laszlo rocked back and forth on his heels and Elizabeth took in the smart, tuxedo that he wore. He always looked so well presented from what she had seen of him in the past. She had to admit that he was also quite handsome. But she knew how people spoke about him. She knew how they questioned his research and his methods. He was quite the public figure in New York.

"Would you be alarmed if I said I came to see you?" Laszlo enquired from her.

He saw her falter then and she ran one hand up and down her other arm. "I told you that you do not need to concern yourself with me," she said to him. "Doctor Kreizler, I really should go."

"You haven't relaxed once this evening," he said to her before she could flee past him. "You flinch whenever your husband touches you. The motion is subtle, but it is clear."

"Doctor Kreizler, please," she urged from him to leave the matter alone. But Laszlo was not the type of man to leave things alone. "I do not see why this bothers you so much. You do not know me."

"And because I do not know someone, does that mean I should allow injustice to continue?"

"Injustice happens all around us, Doctor," she said to him. "Why are you so concerned with me?"

Laszlo didn't know if he could answer that question. He didn't know if he had the answers. All he knew was that he had thought about her every day since she had left his office in a huff. She had stormed off and he had done everything in his power to forget her. She was right. Injustice went on every day. But there was something about Mrs Martins that Laszlo could not shake. It was the way she had looked after her sister. It was the way she had rolled her eyes behind her mother's back. It was almost as though she knew there was no point in her sister being there. It was like she understood.

"I am afraid that I do not, as of yet, have the answer to that question," Laszlo informed her and he noted the way her brows arched on her forehead and all he could do was stare at her. His eyes remained set on her and he noted every small detail, from the way her lips twitched to the jutting out of her jaw. Her gaze almost softened and then her eyes closed when she heard the new voice enter the corridor.

"Darling, I was worrying where you had gotten to."

Laszlo saw her stand up straighter then, her hands falling by her sides as her husband stood next to her, his hand going to the small of her back and he moved his other hand out to brush the loose strand of her hair behind her ear. Laszlo knew that gesture. It was possessive. He was establishing his dominance. The woman next to him was his and his alone.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth spoke. "I was on my way to freshen up when I bumped into Doctor Kreizler. I told you about Doctor Kreizler…he helped my sister."

"Oh yes," Jacob spoke and his eyes flickered over to Laszlo. There was a look there that Laszlo noticed. He had seen it from a number of people. They looked at him as though he was some kind of entertaining figure, as though his work was a joke. And Jacob looked at him like that. "Doctor Kreizler."

"Mr Martins," Laszlo said and bowed his head towards him, making no other gesture. "I apologies for holding up your wife. I just wished to know how her sister fared."

"Well, much better with no thanks to you," Jacob said, a teasing tone in his voice. But behind the teasing there was something else. He was mocking him.

"Jacob," Elizabeth chastised her husband and he chuckled. He looked down to his wife and moved his free hand to squeeze on her arm, holding it tightly in his grip. Laszlo picked up on the movement.

"I am joking," Jacob said to her. "I know that your sister had nothing wrong with her. Your mother was just being ridiculous as she always is."

Elizabeth's lips pursed.

"Often parents come to me with concerns over their children," Laszlo declared. "And most of the time their concerns come from a place of extreme caution and religious beliefs. Mrs Johnson saw that and her daughter is simply at an age where she begins to encounter sexual feelings."

"Indeed," Jacob replied. "Regardless, she has returned to boarding school. She'll be fine."

"I do not doubt it," Laszlo said.

"We should head back inside," Jacob said to his wife.

"You go," she said, "I will just go and freshen up."

He nodded and she moved her arm from his grip and walked forwards. She looked to Laszlo and offered him a soft smile. "Doctor Kreizler, it was a pleasure," she said to him and he also nodded his head.

"As always, Mrs Martins," he said and she headed off towards the ladies room. He remained stood where he was and Jacob stepped closer, looking at Laszlo, hands moving into the pockets of his trousers.

"So…you just so happened to be out here when my wife was?" he enquired from Laszlo.

"A coincidence," Laszlo simply said.

"Coincidence," Jacob repeated the word, testing it on his tongue. Laszlo knew that he didn't believe him. But he didn't care. "You see, I've caught my wife reading up on your works ever since she met you."

Laszlo tilted his head to the side at that piece of information. She had been looking into him? How interesting. He wondered why. He suspected it must be because of their previous encounter. What other reason could it be? He remained silent for a few moments and gathered his thoughts.

"Your wife clearly has an inquisitive mind for my work," Laszlo simply said.

Jacob scoffed. "Elizabeth?" he checked from him. "She does not have the brain cells to comprehend what it is you do."

Laszlo's teeth ground together involuntarily at that comment. And Jacob noticed it. He saw exactly what was going on.

"On the contrary," Laszlo said, "I found her to be quite intelligent."

"You got that from one meeting?"

"You're forgetting my profession," Laszlo said to him. "I can read people."

Jacob was silent at that. His comment had the desired effect that he had wanted it to have. He wanted Jacob to know that he could read him. He wanted him to know that he knew exactly what type of man he was. And then Jacob chuckled. He chuckled at what he had just heard. He was not threatened by Laszlo, that much was clear.

"Funny man," Jacob said and clasped Laszlo on the shoulder, squeezing it tightly in a show of dominance. "I will give you this one warning, and one warning only, Doctor Kreizler," he continued. "Stay away from my wife."

Laszlo shrugged his hand from his shoulder. "And if I do not?" Laszlo asked from him. "Because I know what type of man you are, Mr Martins. You are accustomed to violence. It comes naturally to you, clearly."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"I know what you do to your wife," Laszlo informed him. "I saw the bruise on her cheek."

"I do not know what you are talking about," Jacob drawled, arms folding over his chest. "And I do not see how it is any of your concern, Doctor Kreizler. She is my wife…she is mine…and it would be best if you stayed away from her. Besides, why are you so concerned over her?"

Laszlo remained quiet and Jacob chuckled once more.

"My, my," Jacob said and chuckled, "you met her once and already have taken a fancy to her, haven't you? I do not blame you, Doctor Kreizler. I met her once and knew that she would be mine."

"I do not make such bold claims," Laszlo said with a shake of his head.

"Keep kidding yourself," Jacob said with a hiss, "just stay the hell away from Elizabeth."

And with that, he turned on his heel and walked back towards his box. Laszlo remained stood where he was, completely unaware that Elizabeth had been hiding around the corner and had listened to everything that they said.

…

Elizabeth conversed with Mary over breakfast the following morning. Well, she spoke and Mary signed back to her. Elizabeth had tried to learn the basics of sign language so that she could communicate with Mary. She had learned with thanks to Mary and Laszlo had also helped her too. The doctor had left for work early that morning and Elizabeth had missed him.

But Elizabeth had gone to the Institute. She often went there to read to the children and Laszlo never complained. She found peace whenever she was amongst them and reading, her thoughts completely focused on them and only them. And so she went there that morning, walking to the Institute after Cyrus had insisted that he would walk her.

She spoke to May, the head nurse in the Institute who she had gotten to know quite well. Apparently Laszlo was in his office dealing with business. She said that she would talk to him later and had gone off to find the one little girl who Elizabeth had taken under her wing. The girl had come to the Institute over two months ago. She had been orphaned, her parents both having died in a tragic accident. Her aunt had taken her in, but ever since she had gone to live with her, she was mute. She didn't talk and she didn't respond to anything. Laszlo had numerous sessions with the little girl, but she still didn't talk.

Elizabeth had seen her sat in the corner of the dormitory by the window, legs pulled up to her chest and gaze staring outside. She had tried to talk to her, but Laszlo had informed her that she didn't speak. She said nothing. But that did not stop Elizabeth from talking to her. She reminded her of her little sister. She had the same curly hair and the same sad expression. She suspected that was why Elizabeth had taken a shining to her.

She found her in the empty dormitory while the other children played outside.

"Morning, Charlotte," she spoke to the little girl who simply looked up to her. "It's a lovely day today. The sun is actually shining."

Elizabeth pulled her gloves off and stuffed them into the pocket of the red coat she wore. She adjusted the simple blue skirt on her waist, the white ruffled blouse tucked into it. She left her coat at the end of the bed and sat down, Charlotte crossing her legs and sitting by her pillows.

"I was thinking that we could pick up where we left off?" Elizabeth suggested to the little girl. "I think we were on chapter seven?"

Charlotte reached out onto the bedside table next to her and picked up the book. Elizabeth smiled as Charlotte handed it to her and she opened it up onto the page they had been on that was folded over. She folded one leg over the other and began reading Oliver Twist back to Charlotte who just sat and listened. She didn't know how long had passed before Laszlo's voice entered her ears.

"Elizabeth."

She turned her head over her shoulder to see him stood there and she smiled over to him. Looking back to Charlotte, she finished the sentence she had been reading and closed the book. Handing it back to the little girl, she smiled at her and ran a hand down her hair.

"I will be back soon," she promised her and the girl nodded, opening the book herself and looking over the words.

Elizabeth stood up and moved over to Laszlo. He looked at her with an intrigued expression. "I had not thought to find you here this morning."

She shrugged. "It was a last minute plan," she admitted to him. "I am not intruding, am I?"

"Not in the slightest," he promised her. "I know that I missed you at breakfast…Plus, a woman came to visit me this morning…it has thrown me, I admit."

"Who was it?" Elizabeth asked ad he held his arm out for her. She took hold of it and he began to walk away towards the privacy of his large office.

"Mrs Zweig," he said to her. "The disinterment of her children was necessary for us to know more about the case, but I can understand how hard it must have been for her. I…I told her not to be concerned about her son's longing to wear his sister's clothes and she blamed me for her son's death."

"Did she say that?"

"She did," Laszlo responded with a nod of his head, stepping into his boardroom and closing the door. He let go of her arm and Elizabeth glanced up at him, seeing the look in his face. The fire was roaring on the other side of the room, the table sat covered in papers and files.

"She is mourning," Elizabeth said to Laszlo. "She misses her children. I imagine that it is only natural for her to lash out."

"And rationally I know that," Laszlo said to her and went to stand by the fire. Elizabeth followed him, standing behind him and giving him some space. He shrugged out of the jacket he was wearing, leaving him only his waistcoat and shirt, the green of his tie contrasting with his white shirt. He draped the jacket on the chair next to him.

"Why do I get the feeling there is a but coming?" she wondered and his grip on his cane increased.

"But it still hurt," Laszlo admitted to her. "A mother's grief will never fail to flaw me."

"I understand that," Elizabeth promised Laszlo in a soft tone. She moved behind him and placed a hand on his arm. He turned his head over his shoulder and looked to her. "But you said it yourself that Santorelli dressed as he did because he was a prostitute, not because he had urges like Benjamin Zweig did."

"I know."

"And you cannot blame yourself for the death of those children," Elizabeth continued to push him and he watched her as she moved her hand up and stroked his bearded cheek. "You were not to know what would happen."

"I know," he said to her.

"And you always tell me not to think on the past."

"It seems that I am not very good at taking my own advice," Laszlo said to her.

"You never have been," she responded and he nodded his head as she smiled sadly up to him and leant up, kissing his other cheek. "Besides," she continued, "think about how many people you have saved…how many people you have helped…there are countless numbers, Laszlo."

"I suspect so," he promised her.

"And what you are doing now," she said. "You are working to try and catch a killer. You're a good man."

"You always say that."

"I always mean it," she said with a nod of her head.

They lapsed into silence and Laszlo almost wanted to tell her things that he kept in his mind. But he didn't. Instead, he moved to tuck her hair behind her ear and took a slow gulp, clearing his throat.

"I have Detective Sergeant Marcus Issacson and his brother, Lucius, coming in a few moments. Commissioner Roosevelt is sending them to examine the bodies and perform an autopsy of the Zweig siblings."

"Do you want me to go?"

"On the contrary," Laszlo said to her, "their work should keep them busy for a while and I was hoping that we could go for early dinner considering you are here."

"Oh," Elizabeth said to him.

"You do not wish to go for dinner?" he enquired.

"Of course I do," she said, enthusiastically nodding her head. "I just do not know if I am dressed for dinner."

"You look perfect," Laszlo said before he could stop himself and he saw her cheeks redden with the compliment. She lowered her gaze and he bit down on his tongue for a moment, wondering if he should apologise.

"Well," Elizabeth said, "I should go and continue reading to Charlotte if you insist."

She brushed off his comment and Laszlo nodded. He would let her change the topic. She was quite the expert at doing that.

"You still enjoy spending time with her?"

Elizabeth shrugged, hands lacing together in front of her. "She reminds me of Sally," she admitted to Laszlo. "Besides, perhaps one of these days she might open up."

"It seems more likely that it will now be to you and not me," Laszlo said to her. "You are the one she has bonded with most. You are good with her."

Elizabeth tilted her head to the side. "I don't know about that," she said. "I just feel something for her…I can't explain it."

Laszlo could. She had this instinct to protect people around her. He had seen it with her sister. He had seen how she wanted to help people and she, deep down, probably felt that she could help Charlotte.

"You are loving," was all that Laszlo said to her. "Charlotte can see that inside of you. I think that is why she has taken to you…but you should go to her. Technically, I did take you away from her."

"Come for me when you want to go for dinner?"

"Of course," Laszlo nodded and she gave his arm a final squeeze before turning on her heel and leaving his private boardroom. Laszlo continued to watch the back of her, that familiar feeling sitting in his chest once again.

...

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone reading! Do let me know what you think!