Elizabeth woke the following morning in Charlotte's bed. She was dressed in her nightgown and had hardly slept. She had been dozing loosely all night after going to stay with Charlotte for the night. Laszlo had stayed in their room with Lucy in the crib by his side. The morning sun was peeking through the curtains and Elizabeth gingerly sat up in bed, swinging her legs over the side of it and standing up. She tugged her hair over one shoulder and stepped forwards, leaving Charlotte to sleep for another hour or so after seeing that it was still early as she checked the clock on her way out. Closing the bedroom door, Elizabeth moved down the hall towards her own room.

Yawning loudly, she pushed the door open and found Laszlo already awake and dressed in his shirt and trousers. His waistcoat was sat unbuttoned, his pocket watch chain dangling against the material. Lucy was in the crib still, gurgling softly. Elizabeth shut the door behind her and Laszlo managed to offer her a small smile. She moved towards Laszlo and he held his arm out for her. Settling down across his lap, she moved her own arm around his shoulders.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, bending to kiss her chastely.

"Not well. You?" Elizabeth responded.

"Fitfully," Laszlo admitted to her. "I tried to sleep, but I kept on waking. Lucy, on the other hand, slept all through the night."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. She turned to peer down into the crib, moving a hand to curl around the wooden material. "Well, that does make a change," she said, looking down to her daughter. "You never sleep all the night through, but as soon as I'm gone you do? You really do favour your father, don't you?"

"Jealous, my dear?"

"Never," Elizabeth said, looking back to her husband and leaning in to kiss him again. She kept her lips attached to his for a few moments, enjoying the languid movements and the way his beard scratched her skin, causing her to shiver involuntarily against his body. His arm remained around her waist, firmly holding onto her before he pulled back after one final peck.

They lapsed into silence for a moment, Laszlo keeping his chin on the top of her head as she burrowed against his shoulder, her warm breath tickling against his neck. Her hands went to her lap and he saw her play with her wedding band, twirling it around her finger.

"Do you want to talk about last night?" Laszlo asked, knowing that it was the unspoken question between the two of them. They would have to bring it up eventually, unable to pretend that it hadn't happened. How could they?

"I don't really know what more there is to say," Elizabeth admitted to Laszlo with a shrug of her shoulders. She was unsure of what more there was to add on the matter, but she knew that she was still uneasy. "We don't know who could have been watching the house, but we know that we have upset a lot of people. We know that my mother was murdered…Markoe knows that you won't let the Napp case rest…"

"I know," Laszlo agreed on that point. He knew what she was trying to tell him. He understood entirely what she was saying to him, but he wanted to believe that it had been nothing. He wanted to believe that it had been Charlotte's overactive imagination after waking from a vivid dream. He didn't want to believe that it was anything more sinister because he wanted some semblance of peace for his family.

"Perhaps we could tell Sara?" Elizabeth suggested and her fingers went to play with the collar of his shirt, running along its sharp edge. "She is a detective now, Laszlo. She might have a suggestion? Or she might be able to help?"

"Do you think so?" Laszlo asked. "Because we don't have much to go on, Elizabeth. We only have Charlotte telling us that she saw a figure outside the house and watching it. She didn't know if they were male or female. She didn't see anything."

"And if they come back?"

"The house is securely locked," Laszlo said. "And I can keep checking out of the window…but…perhaps Sara might be able to spare a girl to keep an eye on things in case I have to work late or in case we are not here."

"I think that would make sense," Elizabeth said to her husband. "And do you think that you will be working late?"

Laszlo remembered the conversation that they had the previous night. He remembered how his wife had been sat in the same position she was currently in, draped across his lap and bearing her heart to him after bottling up her thoughts and her feelings. He closed his eyes for a few brief moments and let out a deep breath.

"I will do everything I can not to," Laszlo promised her. "And I will see about hiring someone to help around the house."

"Perhaps we can hold off on that?" Elizabeth asked, picking her head up and looking Laszlo in the eye, holding his gaze. He picked his hand up and ran it along her cheek, his thumb roaming her cheekbone and his fingers pushing into her hair, tucking it behind her ear. "I know it might be me overreacting, but I don't want anyone new in the house…not after last night…if someone was watching us then I would prefer for us not have a new stranger here."

"If that is what you want then I can agree to that," Laszlo assured his wife in a gentle voice. "But I doubt whoever we hire would be the same person outside."

"I doubt it too," Elizabeth agreed, "but we've had enough bad luck that I wouldn't rule it out."

Laszlo kissed her forehead, keeping his lips there and wondering just how much more his wife could take. He knew of the horrors that she had suffered. He knew what that had done to her not just physically but emotionally. Her husband had hurt her more than Laszlo could comprehend and he had hoped that she would be safe and out of danger when she moved in with him, but that had not been the case. Yet, she was right. He could not wrap her in cotton wool and protect her forever. All that he could do was to be there when something happened.

"I should get dressed," Elizabeth said, but she made no move to stand up from his grip. "Charlotte has school and I have agreed to meet Libby this morning with Lucy for a walk."

"Are you sure that is safe?"

Elizabeth nodded. "I have finished probing her," she said. "She didn't know anything, not really. I just think that it would be nice to spend time with her…she's been kind…"

"If you're sure."

"I'm certain," Elizabeth nodded her head. "Besides, it would be nice to leave the house for a little while after last night."

Laszlo nodded. "So long as you're sure," he said. "I will call Sara and see if she can help…if not…well…we will cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said. "And what are your plans for the day?"

"To try and talk to Doctor Markoe," Laszlo said. "Whether it will work or change anything, I doubt it, but I have to try and find out what he is hiding and what he knew about Martha Napp. However, I do believe that the midwife is due to visit at three p.m., is she not?"

"She is," Elizabeth said.

"Then I shall be home in time for her visit," he promised.

Elizabeth shook her head. "You don't need to."

"I want to," he reiterated. "If she is causing you to feel concerned or stressed then I intend to be here to relieve some pressure on you."

"You're too good for me."

"I doubt anyone would ever be good enough for a woman like yourself, my dear Elizabeth," Laszlo said.

She saw the honesty in his gaze and the way his lips picked up at the corners. His cheeks were slightly tinged red and his thumb continued to move along her cheekbone down to her jaw, tilting her chin up so that her face was angled up towards his.

"And you said you didn't know how to woo women," she responded.

He chuckled gruffly. "Luckily, there has only ever been one woman I've ever wanted and she accepted me despite my failed attempts at wooing her."

Elizabeth's lips picked up at that and she swore she would never get tired of hearing him speak like that. She would never get tired of him telling her how much he adored her and he loved her. She suspected it was all she wanted to hear for the rest of her life. She wanted nothing else but that. She leant forwards and dropped her lips back to his.

"Well, I don't think they entirely failed, did they?" Elizabeth responded and Laszlo looked down to her hand where her wedding ring sat and he shook his head, own lips arching.

"I suppose not," he said in a whisper.

…

Elizabeth pushed the pram through the park, keeping herself to herself. The sun was beating down and Elizabeth was half tempted to remove the jacket she wore over her long, green dress with pleats in the skirt and a high neck. She had her hair tucked behind her ears and could feel herself begin to sweat slightly as she moved off and towards the bench where she usually met Libby. Lucy was looking to the sky, her eyes wide and almost full of wonder. Her arms occasionally stretched above her body and her lips parted to make gentle noises.

"Looks like we might be early, Lucy," Elizabeth said to her daughter, seeing that the bench was empty. There was no Libby. Elizabeth sat down on the edge of it and rocked the pram backwards and forwards gently, moving it to her and then away from her.

She did tug her jacket from her body then, leaving it over the handlebars of the pram. She pulled at the collar of her dress and sat back, folding one leg over the other. Leaning her head back slightly, she felt the sun shine over her face and she hummed contently at the feeling of the warmth.

"I'm so sorry I'm late."

Elizabeth looked over to the woman's voice and she saw Libby approaching. Her hair, as always, was neatly tied into a bun at the back of her head. She wore a black shirt tucked in a black skirt and a straw hat was neatly tilted on her head. She sat down on the bench next to Elizabeth.

"It's no bother," Elizabeth smiled at her. "I've only just gotten here."

"Oh, good," Libby said, returning the smile. "I hoped that you would wait. I didn't want to miss you."

"I'm in no rush to return back home, believe me," Elizabeth said and Libby's eyes widened, head tilting to the side. Elizabeth realised how that must have sounded and she shook her head back and forth, holding a hand up. "It's fine," she said. "It's just that…last night…well, we had a bit of a strange night so I've been looking forward to getting out of the house."

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"We're all fine," Elizabeth promised her with a nod. "It was a long day yesterday, what with Martha's execution and then I told Laszlo some things that I had been bottling up. Emotions were running high and then before we went to bed we heard Charlotte screaming from her room. She said that she saw someone outside watching the house."

Libby gasped. "How ghastly," she said with a shake of her head.

"I don't know," Elizabeth admitted. The more she thought on it, the more she wanted to persuade herself that she had been mistaken. She wanted the girl to have been mistaken. "It might have been nothing. Charlotte had just woken up so her eyes might have been playing tricks on her."

Libby sat back on the bench as Elizabeth reached for Lucy, the little girl beginning to gurgle loudly. She rocked her in her arms, patting her back and wondering if she had wind. She continued her motions as Libby spoke back to her.

"Why do I get the feeling that you don't believe that is what happened?" Libby wondered.

Elizabeth sighed and Libby could see that she was tired. There were bags under her eyes and her face looked paler than usual. There was no longer a glow around her. Libby had noticed the glow when she had been pregnant. Most new mothers had it, especially those who had no stresses. And Elizabeth had no stresses. She had a husband who would take care of her and love her. Money was no issue for them. Libby imagined that Lucy Mary Kreizler had everything that she could ever want. But did she have a mother and father who loved her as much as another could?

From what Libby had heard, Laszlo Kreizler was a man who loved his work. Elizabeth had told Libby that much. She claimed never to begrudge him for putting his work first, but she seemed to moan about him doing just that often enough.

"I don't know," Elizabeth admitted and she sounded exasperated, her hand running up and down Lucy's back and patting her occasionally, the baby in her grip seemingly content in her mother's grip. "After everything that has happened, I don't know if I can believe that. I don't know if I can believe that it was nothing…I mean, my mother was supposedly murdered. Laszlo has been working on the Martha case and making enemies…and after what happened at the Lying-In Hospital, I just think the worst."

"But who would it be?" Libby asked her. "Do you not have any suspicions?"

"None at all," Elizabeth said with a firm shake of her head. "Laszlo is going to speak with Sara to tell her what happened to see if she can maybe investigate…send one of her girls to the house to keep an eye on things."

"Perhaps that is a good idea," Libby said.

"I think it might be," Elizabeth echoed. "Anyway, I am sure everything will be fine. How are things with you, Libby? Are you well?"

"As well as I can be," Libby said. "Things at work have been fraught with Doctor Markoe testifying at Martha Napp's case, but we are hoping that we can put that behind us and continue with out work with no distractions."

"I hope so for you too," Elizabeth replied, wondering if Libby might be keeping something from her, but she didn't push her on it. She chose to keep quiet. Leaning back in her seat, Libby looked to the sky and she almost wanted to laugh loudly if she knew that she could get away with it.

"It's quite warm," Libby suddenly said. "Would you like an iced tea? I saw a small hut selling drinks just down there."

"That would be lovely," Elizabeth said and she reached into the pocket of her jacket that was over the pram. But Libby stood up and shook her head, holding her hand up.

"Don't worry about it. I can pay for these," Libby assured her. "I will be back in a moment. You just wait here."

Libby moved off and towards the booth. She clenched her teeth together as she went, her hands clasping into her skirts. She knew that her plan had been ruined. She knew that the little girl had seen her the night before. She had been careless. She had been looking for a way into the house that no one would discover, but it was difficult. The only way she could find was through the back, but the doctor had locked that door while his wife had been upstairs.

And so Libby knew that she needed an alternative. She wouldn't be able to get into the house. She looked at Lucy in Elizabeth's arms and she thought about how the woman didn't deserve that little girl. She didn't even know how to wind her properly. She had no idea how to feed her and form a connection. Libby could give Lucy everything she needed. She could give her so much more.

Libby had her alternative planned out and had been in luck when the woman had gone to the same park she was meeting Elizabeth in. As she stood in the queue for iced tea at the Tea House, she saw the Spanish woman sat at a table, sipping on her own drink. Her daughter, Ana, was in her pram in front of her. The woman had her hair piled high in a bun and wore a dark red dress, the skirts of it ruffled in front of her.

Isabella Linares had been at the Lying-In Hospital weeks ago and Libby had fallen for Ana. The little baby had besotted her the same way that Lucy had. In her mind, she knew that the two girls would be perfect together. But could Libby have two children? Would that even be possible for her? She had no idea, but all she knew was that she had to give Elizabeth space. If she was running to Sara Howard then she would keep Lucy in her gaze constantly. She already knew that the new mother refused to leave her daughter in her newly decorated nursery just yet, preferring for her to sleep by her side.

And so Libby had to change tack. Looking to Isabella Linares, she swore the woman caught her eye before she quickly looked away. She didn't want to be seen. She moved in the shadows. It was how she got away with everything that she got away with.

…

Laszlo sat by his wife's side as the midwife spoke to them and checked on Lucy's health, ensuring that she was growing well and was fine. Laszlo kept a hand on Elizabeth's back. He had to admit that he felt slightly out of his depth. He had almost been late to the meeting, but when he had walked in, he could see the way Elizabeth visibly looked more relaxed. He was still amazed that his presence had such an impact on her.

The midwife, a stern middle-aged woman with greying hair and pointed features, told Elizabeth that she just needed to persevere when feeding Lucy. She was stern, Laszlo couldn't deny that. He could see why his wife had felt the way she had with her. He was almost beginning to feel the same way, but he held the woman's gaze evenly.

"I told you she was a taskmaster," Elizabeth informed her husband once she had gone and he had shown her out.

"I can see why you were not enamoured with her," Laszlo said, trying to be diplomatic about the matter. But, he had to admit, that he was almost tempted to try and find someone else. "She has quite a strict demeanour and almost reminds me of my first nanny when I was a child."

"What was she like?" Elizabeth questioned, leaning back on the couch as Laszlo dropped down to sit next to her, sighing as he made the movements. He leant back and adjusted the tie underneath his collar before he felt his wife lean against his side.

"Strict, almost painfully so," Laszlo said. "I understand that children need discipline, but they also need to be shown tenderness and care. Helga, my nanny, had none of that. She was constantly criticising me and telling me I could do better…I don't remember her ever taking me out for ice cream or treating me to anything."

"She sounds like a barrel of laughs," Elizabeth said in a dry tone.

Laszlo chuckled darkly. "I suspect not," he agreed with her on that point.

"You don't really talk about your childhood," Elizabeth said.

"I prefer not to think about it too much. It was not a terrible childhood despite everything that happened and what I have told you. In fact, it was a better childhood than most people could hope for…especially the children who come to the Institute."

"How is the Institute?" Elizabeth wondered, knowing that she hadn't been there as often as she would have liked.

"Doing well, but I miss seeing you there," Laszlo said. "I know that you have other things that occupy your time, but I do miss seeing you…wandering the halls…reading to the children…I confess that I used to watch you quite often and I knew that you would make a great mother. I just never dreamt to imagine that I would share the journey with you."

"You charmer," Elizabeth muttered. "But I can't say that I never felt the same."

"You did?" he asked, looking down to her.

"Of course," Elizabeth said. "I saw how you were with the children. You care so deeply for them and then I saw you with Charlotte and how you adored her…cared for her so much…and I knew that you would make a great father to Lucy."

"I try my best."

"And that is all either of us can do," Elizabeth responded.

"Indeed, it is," he concurred with her, kissing the top of her head at the same time the doorbell rang in the hall.

"Are we expecting company?" Elizabeth asked.

"I called Sara and she said that she would come and see us today," Laszlo said and uncurled himself from his wife's side. She nodded and leant forwards to take hold of Lucy from the crib, holding onto her and standing up. She could hear Laszlo open the door and let Sara into the house, stepping back and giving her space.

Sara came into the parlour, pulling her gloves from her fingers and leaving them in her jacket pocket. She wore a white shirt and a checked, grey skirt. Her pocket watch chain was visible against the outfit and her hair was in a tight bun at the nape of her neck. Elizabeth didn't even get a chance to ask her how she was. She was already moving towards her and reaching for her.

"Laszlo told me what happened. How are you?"

Elizabeth wrapped one arm around her as she continued to hold onto Lucy. Sara pulled back and moved a hand to Lucy's cheek, bending down and kissing her on the cheek softly.

"We're fine," Elizabeth promised Sara with a soft nod. "Well, we're concerned about who could have been here, but we don't know for certain if it was anyone."

"It is better to be safe than sorry and that is why I am staying here for the evening."

"You do not need to do that, Sara," Laszlo promised her.

"Nonsense," Sara said, shrugging out of her jacket and moving to leave it to hang over the back of the dining table behind the parlour room. "I would hardly delegate this job to someone else. You're my friends and Lucy is to be my goddaughter. If it is nothing then we can all relax, but, as I said, I would rather be safe than sorry."

"We don't want to put you out if it is nothing," Elizabeth continued to speak.

"I would be more put out if you kept this from me," Sara retorted and folded her arms over her chest. "Now, when is Charlotte due back from school?"

Elizabeth checked the clock on the mantelpiece. "I told her that I would go and meet her tonight. I should set off in ten minutes."

"I will go," Laszlo replied. "You should stay here and with Sara and Lucy."

"Are you certain?"

"It is no imposition," Laszlo said. "And I agree, I would prefer for her not to walk home alone for the time being until we are completely certain about what happened last night."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said, catching her husband's eye. He nodded once to her and gave her a tight smile before leaving the room and getting ready to go and bring Charlotte back home to them.

Elizabeth went into the kitchen with Sara, preparing something for dinner. Sara held onto Charlotte in her arms, soothing her while Elizabeth peeled vegetables and dropped them into pans. The two women talked to each other and tried to keep the tone light, not wanting to discuss why Sara was there. Laszlo returned half an hour later with Charlotte, the little girl practically bowling Sara over as she moved to her and wrapped her arms around her midriff.

The evening was relatively pleasant, Sara insisting that she stay in the parlour despite Laszlo telling her the guest room was free. Elizabeth took Charlotte up to bed as Laszlo laid Lucy in her crib. The night was well and truly upon them and Elizabeth had to admit that she had begun to feel uneasy in the darkness. She moved down the steps with Laszlo behind her, his hand on her back and silently promising her that he was by her side.

"I think that it would be for the best for us to act normally," Sara said to the two of them. "If we were to act differently then whoever was watching might know."

"What do you suggest?" Laszlo questioned, leaving it to Sara to decide what course of action they should take.

"Hopefully, whoever was watching has no inclination that I am here," Sara said. "And I will stay and keep watch in the dark…but you two should go about your normal routine."

"Would that not look even more suspicious?" Elizabeth questioned, standing in the doorway with Laszlo next to her. Sara remained perched on the sofa, a glass of bourbon in her fingertips. "Whoever was watching the house must have seen Charlotte spot them. Do you not think that it would be strange for us to go back to normal?"

"Not entirely," Laszlo said. "They might believe that we thought Charlotte imagined what she saw…which is still possible."

Elizabeth turned to her husband and shot him a look as he shrugged back to her. He knew that she believed Charlotte, but a part of Laszlo still hoped that it had been the darkness playing tricks on her. He would much prefer that outcome.

"Regardless, I think that this is the best course of action," Sara said. "And we can see what happens, but I am here to keep an eye on everything for you."

"We appreciate it more than you can know."

"I can imagine," Sara promised them.

Elizabeth bid Sara a goodnight, telling her to help herself to anything that she might need or want. Laszlo also waved a hand in her direction, bidding her a good evening. The two of them returned to their own rooms and Elizabeth began unchanging, Laszlo tugging on the strings of her corset for her, kissing her softly on the neck as she tilted her head back against his shoulder, her hair falling down his back. He ran his nose up and down her neck, an arm wrapping around her waist as her corset fell to the ground.

"You're stressed," Laszlo informed his wife, knowing her tell tale signs. He saw her chew on the inside of her cheek and he watched her drum her fingertips against her side. Plus, there was the fact that she was failing to loosen and relax in his hold, despite the fact she wanted to.

"Just anxious," Elizabeth mumbled back to Laszlo and he kissed the space in between her shoulder and neck.

"Understandable," Laszlo told her. "I would be lying if I said that I did not feel the same way."

Elizabeth arched her brow and he let his chin stay on her shoulder, his arms around her waist and fingers flattening against her stomach. He saw the indentations in her skin as he lowered his gaze down her back from where her corset had been tightened around her body.

"I thought that you were on the fence?"

"That still doesn't mean that Charlotte was mistaken," Laszlo reaffirmed to his wife. "But I just hope that she was."

"Do you think we'll be able to sleep?" Elizabeth asked from him and he moved a finger to her back, running along a line in her skin on her back that poked out from her chemise. He felt her shudder under his touch, his fingertip simply brushing along her back.

"I doubt it," Laszlo mumbled, his finger moving to her hair and twirling into a lock, toying with it. He spun it round his finger before releasing it, Elizabeth remaining with her front pressed to his back, her cheek leaning down and resting on his shoulder. "But we should try."

He gave her one final kiss on the top of her head before she picked her head up and finished changing into her nightgown. Laszlo let her help him remove his boots and undress, shrugging into his pyjamas and pulling the quilt back on the bed. Elizabeth kept her bedside lamp on, the soft light glowing and shadows flickering against the wall. The two of them lay on their backs, engulfed in silence and uncertain of what to say to each other. Elizabeth didn't even bother to close her eyes. She turned her head to the side and saw Lucy's crib, but her daughter was not bothered with her parents. She was sleeping soundly, eyes shut tightly and firmly. Laszlo looked to Elizabeth as she stared at Lucy and he moved his hand out to rest on top of her arm that was by his side. He gained her attention then and he forced a small smile onto his face, his fingers slipping down her arm to take hold of her hand.

He didn't know how long passed by, Elizabeth having moved so that her front was pressed to his side, a hand on his chest and his arm around her shoulders. It was later in the night when he heard the familiar ringing of the phone. Elizabeth startled at its noise, Laszlo remaining more composed, but his pulse racing for a moment.

"Who could that be?" Elizabeth questioned and Laszlo shrugged, moving to sit up.

"I don't know," he said to her and swung his legs out of bed, reaching for his own robe that hung on the outside of his wardrobe. Elizabeth watched him shrug into it and move from the bedroom. He took off down the steps to the phone in the entrance hallway, but Sara was already picking it up.

"Kreizler residence," she answered. "Bitsy? Yes…I'm fine…what is it?"

Laszlo came to the bottom step, Elizabeth on the step behind him, holding tightly onto the bannister.

"Yes, inform her I shall be there as soon as I can."

Sara hung up the phone and looked to the two of them on the stairs. "Bitsy was working late in the office when she received a call. She informed me that Señora Linares called…the wife of the current Spanish Ambassador-General."

"What has happened?" Laszlo questioned, voice husky and low.

"Her baby has been taken," Sara said and Elizabeth's eyes widened, a hand going to hold onto Laszlo's upper arm. He felt her grip and he wondered if she was thinking what he was thinking. A child had been kidnapped the night after someone had potentially been watching their house…their house where they also had a newborn babe with them.

"You must go," Laszlo said with a stern nod. "We will be fine, Sara."

"You are certain?"

"Of course."

Sara reached for her coat that she had hung up on the coat rack. She shrugged into it and looked back to Elizabeth and Laszlo, seeing how Elizabeth clung onto her husband, her grip tight on his arm. He moved his hand up and over his body, letting his fingers rest on top of hers.

"I am certain that whatever has happened to Señora Linares is not connected to what Charlotte saw last night."

"Do you believe that, truly?" Laszlo asked and her silence alongside her uneasy expression told him that she did not. Elizabeth felt her stomach sink and uneasy. "Because we also have a newborn baby, Sara."

"I know," Sara said, well aware of her sleeping goddaughter upstairs. "But this is just a coincidence. It has to be."

"We can but hope," Laszlo said, but a part of him had a feeling that this was something else. This was something deeper than that. He had thought that Charlotte might have been imagining things, but perhaps she might not have been. "I can ask Stevie to take you to the Ambassador's home."

"No bother, I can find a cab."

"I insist," Laszlo said.

He moved down the hall and towards the back of the house to find Stevie, hoping that he wasn't asleep yet. Coming back to the entrance hall, he found Sara with a hand on Elizabeth's arm, stopping her from trying to worry. He informed Sara that Stevie would be outside in a moment with the carriage and she bid them a goodnight, encouraging them not to worry. Laszlo looked to Elizabeth and he saw that she was rather pale.

"You are thinking what I am thinking, aren't you?" Elizabeth asked.

"I do not want to," Laszlo responded in a low, deep voice.

"But too much has happened for us truly to believe in coincidences," Elizabeth responded and he nodded his head. He could agree with her on that part to an extent.

"Sara is on the case and she is an excellent detective," Laszlo assured his wife, moving towards her and taking hold of her, wrapping her into his arms and letting her burrow her face against his neck. "And Lucy will be safe, Elizabeth. Both Charlotte and Lucy…we will protect them…look out for them…because they're our children."

Elizabeth nodded, wanting to believe that. She wanted to believe that no harm would ever come to them. She just knew that they would have to do everything in their power to stop that from ever happening.

...

A/N: Thanks for reading. Would love to know what you think and hopefully I'll be able to update soon!