Laszlo couldn't stop watching Elizabeth as she slept that evening. He was sat up in bed, his bedside lamp turned on and a recent paper in front of him on sexual fetishes. They had gone to bed and Elizabeth had been particularly determined not to sleep for as long as possible, the two of them actually being intimate for the first time in many months. Laszlo had taken his time with her, watching as she laid her hands on his chest, her head tilted back in pleasure and he listened to her groan before collapsing down besides him, both of them exhausted.

He had peppered kisses along her shoulder, his arm around her waist before she went to the nursery, pulling her robe onto her body and bringing Lucy back into their room, laying her in her crib. Laszlo had to give it to their daughter, she slept through most things. It was quite the feat. Elizabeth had pulled her nightgown over her head after using the bathroom, cold water dropping down her face from where she hadn't bothered to dry it.

She checked on Charlotte on her way back, finding her still sleeping soundly. Laszlo had also pulled his pyjamas on, passing his wife on his way to the staircase and kissing her once more, whispering how he intended to check that all the doors were securely locked. He had even had the locks changed, wanting to be extra secure in their home. Returning to bed, Elizabeth was already on her side, hand under her pillow and eyes closed.

Laszlo chuckled softly to himself at seeing her sleeping and he climbed into bed after closing the door, but leaving it slightly ajar in case he heard Charlotte in the middle of the night need something. Pulling the quilt back, he climbed into bed and was about to try and fall to sleep, but he knew that he couldn't. And so he went to reading his papers that he had left on his bedside table, his gaze diverted as Elizabeth rolled over in her sleep towards him.

His lips arched upwards at seeing her and he removed his glasses from his face, knowing that he might not be able to sleep, but he was not about to read and take anything in either. And so he turned his bedside lamp off and laid on his back, adjusting his head against the numerous pillows behind him. He sighed and Elizabeth shifted again, a hand going to rest against his stomach as she moved closer to him, her front pressing up against his side.

"Can't sleep?" she asked him, voice a mumble as she remained on the verge of sleep herself.

"Not yet," Laszlo responded, a hand moving to hold onto hers, his fingers taking hers as she hummed against him, her face pressing into the space between his shoulder and neck, kissing the bare skin there.

"I would have thought I'd have tired you out," she muttered again.

Laszlo's lips quirked and she felt him trying to suppress a chuckle against her. "You exhausted me, but I still cannot sleep."

"Is something bothering you?" Elizabeth asked, trying to stay awake. She blinked in the darkness, her eyes adjusting to it for a few moments as her gaze fell onto Laszlo's profile, making out the line of his beard covered jaw and the curve of his nose.

"I know you are not going to like this," Laszlo said to her, but he knew that he had to be honest with her. "But while you were with Charlotte earlier, Professor Stratton called me. She informed me that there is a woman at a club she frequents who has a similar fetish to Libby Hatch. She wondered if it might be beneficial for me to go and speak to this woman."

"Oh," was all that Elizabeth said to him.

"But I can always try and figure out Libby's motives another way."

"No," Elizabeth said, shaking her head and pushing that thought out of her mind. After tonight, she had to try and learn to push her insecurities out of her mind. She would never move on if Laszlo continued to wrap her in cotton wool and she never wanted him to do that when he tried to in the past. She trusted him. She would always trust him.

"No?" Laszlo muttered back to her.

"No," she said. "No, I don't mind and no, I don't want you to look for another way if you think that this will help. The key thing we have to focus on now is finding Libby before she harms the Vanderbilt child. If you think that going to this club with Professor Stratton might help then you should go."

Laszlo's brows arched upwards on his forehead. He had not thought that she would be so relaxed about this. He had suspected that there might still be some caution inside of her, but it turned out that wasn't the case. He nodded his head, thumb running along her knuckles as he held onto her fingers, not wanting to let go.

"She assured me the club is particularly secretive and so there should be no gossip," Laszlo assured her. "And you have to know that I will not enjoy any of my time there. It isn't exactly a place I would frequent."

"I know," Elizabeth promised him, not wanting him to feel that he had to make excuses up as to why he was going about his job. "Besides, you did admit how you felt uncomfortable on John's bachelor party."

"Ah, indeed I did," Laszlo recalled particularly well and Elizabeth's lips picked upwards and she yawned, pulling her free hand up to cover her mouth. "But thank you, my darling."

"Whatever for?"

"For trusting me."

"Laszlo, I told you that it isn't you I trust. It's my own mind playing tricks on me," she replied. "But I'm going to try and stop that. Besides, every time I begin to think of that thing, I'll remember tonight and realise that I really have no reason to worry…and that you're more of a romantic than you let on to be."

Laszlo chuckled once again, rolling onto his side this time, his forehead brushing against hers as he moved his hand up to her cheek, the tips of his fingers brushing into her hair and pushing it away from her face. He continued stroking her hair, finding out the curl he always toyed with and wrapping it around his forefinger. He felt her run her hand down his cheek, her fingers brushing his beard.

"You need to trim this," she said. "It's grown considerably."

"That hasn't exactly been a priority," he confessed to her. "But if you would be so kind then perhaps tomorrow you could assist me?"

"Hmm," she hummed her agreement. "Wouldn't want to send you out to a sex club looking scruffy, would we?"

Laszlo was about to protest that he didn't care where he was gong, but he could make out the faint smile on her face. His own lips quirked before he spoke, voice low and questioning.

"You tease me," he commented.

"I tease you," she confirmed for him and Laszlo kissed her chastely, his lips moving slowly and sensually over hers.

"It's been a long time since you've done that," he said.

"I know."

"I've missed it," he admitted. He was not one who enjoyed being teased, remembering his days from his time at school when he was often picked on for his arm. But Elizabeth's teasing was anything but malicious. It was light-hearted. It was gentle and playful. And, more often than not, it was flirtatious. And Laszlo quite enjoyed seeing the coy look in her eye whenever she did it.

"So have I," she said and leant in to kiss him once more, the movement slightly harsher than Laszlo's previous kiss. She was tugging at the collar of his striped pyjama shirt, as Laszlo's hand bunched her nightgown up at her hip. She moved her leg over one of his and Laszlo moved his lips down her cheek towards her neck, biting softly at the skin and drawing a moan from her.

Before he could get carried away, however, there was a creaking sound on the floorboards down the hallway. Elizabeth looked up, turning her head over her shoulder and glanced to the door. Laszlo pulled his head up from her neck as she removed her leg from his and managed to sit up, looking at least slightly more proper than she had moments before. She reached for the lamp on her bedside table and turned it on before the door was pushed open and Laszlo propped himself up on his elbows.

Charlotte stood there, hair in a long plait down her back and her white nightgown slightly baggy on her thin form. She held onto the door handle and looked between the two people in the bed, her gaze landing on Elizabeth.

"I had a nightmare," she said to her.

"Oh, darling, are you alright? Come here," she urged from her, moving to sit on the edge of the bed and holding her hand out. Charlotte moved over towards her and Elizabeth just about managed to pick her up and take her weight in her lap. She wrapped her arms around Charlotte's waist as she rested her head by her shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it, Charlotte?" Laszlo enquired, shifting across the bed so that he was closer to them and able to look at Charlotte. She glanced to him and he saw that she had been crying, her pale face blotchy and her eyes red.

"She came back," Charlotte whispered. "She came back and she took Lucy."

"It was just a nightmare," Elizabeth promised her in a whisper. "See? Lucy is in her crib and she is sleeping."

Charlotte picked her gaze up and did look over at Lucy then, seeing that she was indeed asleep, her chest rising and falling gently. Laszlo moved a hand out and brushed a strand of hair from Charlotte's face that had stuck to her nose and cheek.

"That is a nightmares that we all have at this moment in time," Laszlo assured Charlotte. "But it is just a nightmare and Lucy will be safe. She has us looking after her and Libby will not be able to hide for much longer. I can assure you of that."

Charlotte nodded. She believed him. She believed everything that he said and Laszlo knew that she almost looked up to him like a child did to their father. And Laszlo often felt more like her father than her guardian. He couldn't distinguish between the love that he felt for Charlotte and the love that he felt for Lucy. He loved them both just as much.

"Do you want me to come with you until you get back to sleep?" Elizabeth asked from her.

"Am I not too old?"

"Not after what has happened," Elizabeth said, checking that the bandage was still secure around her head. "Come on. We can go and read a book until you fall asleep and I'll stay with you."

Charlotte nodded to that and Elizabeth turned her head over her shoulder as Laszlo gave her an understanding smile. She returned it and Charlotte looked to the man.

"Goodnight, Laszlo," she said to him.

"Goodnight, Charlotte," he responded.

"I'll see you in the morning," Elizabeth said to her husband.

"Sleep well," he urged from her and she went back with Charlotte back to her bedroom.

Laszlo heard the door close down the hall and he sat up, looking over to Lucy and checking that she was still sleeping soundly. She was. Their previous conversation and Charlotte's interruption clearly hadn't woken her. Laszlo reached for Elizabeth's lamp and turned it out, bathing the room in darkness once more. Lying down on his side, he placed a hand on her vacant spot, still feeling the warmth from her body. He closed his eyes and knew that he had to at least try and get some rest, even if it was only for a few hours.

…

"You need to just take things steady," Elizabeth urged from Charlotte the following day. She had helped her down the stairs after Charlotte had almost fallen down them, her limbs uneasy and weak. But she also felt uncoordinated. It was almost like she couldn't put one foot in front of the other without really thinking about it.

"But it feels weird," Charlotte complained.

"And it might for a while, but remember that the doctor said that you had to rest," Elizabeth reminded her. "And that it would take a while for you to recover and regain mobility."

"But what if I don't?"

"Oh, you will," Elizabeth said, not letting her have any room for doubt. She was going to recover and she was going to be completely fine. There was going to be nothing wrong with her in the end and she was going to have a normal childhood. Elizabeth wanted that for her. "But I don't know if I should even have brought you downstairs and out of bed."

"I was bored of staying in bed," Charlotte complained.

"Yes, but it's where you're supposed to be," Elizabeth retorted, finally getting her to sit down on the couch, her feet dangling off the floor and her arms flopped by her side. She was still dressed in her nightgown, Elizabeth having managed to brush her hair for her without aggravating the wound and moving the bandage pressed to her scalp.

"Are you supposed to be down here?"

Laszlo's voice suddenly came from the dining room where he was pulling his coat onto his body. Elizabeth remained stood, hip jutted out and looking to Charlotte with a cocked brow and the little girl frowned, arms flapping by her side as she shrugged at Laszlo and Elizabeth.

"I don't want to stay in bed," she defended herself. "And I only had to walk down the stairs."

"And that's as far as you're going until Doctor Phillips says otherwise," Elizabeth informed her and she glanced to Laszlo. "Are you going out?"

"Indeed," Laszlo nodded his head. "I should be back relatively early and I thought it might be nice if we dined together tonight. I also tried to ask if Marcus might be able to come over and keep you company, but he told me that he is relatively busy at work and so-"

"-We'll be fine," Elizabeth interrupted him, knowing that he was not entirely comfortable with leaving her alone with the children in the house while Libby was still out and free. She moved over to Laszlo so that she didn't scare Charlotte or let her hear about Libby. She wanted to shelter her from whatever was going on. "She's taken the Vanderbilt child. She won't come here."

"A chance I would prefer not to take."

"And I know that, but I can cope," Elizabeth promised. "You won't be gone long and I'll lock the doors and windows."

"I don't like it."

"I know, but if you think she has fled to Brooklyn then she is miles away from us. She will be in hiding," she said. "She's drawn too much attention to herself now."

Laszlo had filled her in on what had happened with the development of the case, telling her how he believed the net was closing in around Libby. They had pushed her back to Brooklyn, discovering that was where she had grown up and would be outside of the local police's jurisdiction. He was convinced that would be the case and Elizabeth only hoped that he was right, but she had faith in him.

"Hmm," Laszlo hummed, clearly not enthralled with the idea, but agreeing to it.

"Go," she urged from him.

She gave his shoulder a squeeze and then turned back to Charlotte, a smile plastering itself on her face. But Charlotte knew what they had been talking about. She might still be a child, but she wasn't naïve. She was intelligent. She was so observant and Elizabeth knew that she wouldn't be able to get away with treating her as a child for such a long time.

"Now what do you want for lunch?" Elizabeth asked her. "Because I will cook you anything you want."

"Anything?"

"Within reason," Elizabeth said and Laszlo chuckled as Charlotte clearly wracked her mind for what it was that she wanted to eat.

"Well, I shall leave you to think on such an important decision," Laszlo declared, moving over to Charlotte and bending down, pecking her on the forehead as she hugged him to her, arms around his neck and holding onto him. "And don't exert yourself."

"I will try not to," Charlotte promised him. "But I don't see how I can considering I'm not allowed to move anywhere."

"I hear complaining again," Elizabeth commented and Laszlo stood up, trying to hide his smile. He knew that Charlotte would be quite the bold young woman when she grew up. She was already turning into quite a strong-willed child, but she still respected both Elizabeth and Laszlo. In a sense, Laszlo suspected she was being raised how Elizabeth wished she had been raised. She had love. She had care. But she was still stubborn.

"I will leave you to it," Laszlo said and he picked his cane up from where it rested against the wall. Elizabeth followed him into the entrance hall as he reached for the hat on top of the stand. He placed it onto the top of his head as Elizabeth folded her arms and bit down on her bottom lip. Her gaze looked to the ground and Laszlo saw her nose twitch.

"What is it?" he questioned from her.

"Hmm?" she snapped out of her thoughts.

"I know that face," Laszlo said with a nod of his head. "You're thinking. It's the face you have when you want to tell me something but are unsure of how to."

"I hate the fact that you're an alienist sometimes."

He chuckled at that part and closed the distance between them, his good hand coming to rest on her waist. "What is it?"

"I was thinking that it might be a good idea if you asked Professor Stratton…well…if she wanted to come for dinner," Elizabeth said, speaking the idea quickly. "I know that I was quite rude to her when I met her and she might be used to dining on the finer things in life, but I can cook relatively well and if you're going to be working with her then perhaps I should meet her and set right how I treated her."

Laszlo had to admit that he was surprised at the sudden offer from his wife. But he nodded his head thoughtfully for a moment, brows rising on his forehead as she moved her hands to hold onto his shoulders. "You do not have to go to such effort."

"I want to," Elizabeth responded.

"And I am certain Professor Stratton understands why you behaved how you did."

"That still does not make my behaviour any better," she retorted.

"How about I bring her for a late lunch after we have finished at the club?" Laszlo suggested. "If you so insist? And you don't need to feel that you have to go to a lot of effort."

"It's no bother," Elizabeth assured her husband. "And again, I feel I should apologise."

"Have I ever been one to deny you anything?" Laszlo asked from her and she smiled at hearing him say that, she stood on her toes, her face inches from his as she felt his hand dip into the small of her back, pressing her firmly against his body.

"I'm sure I can think of some particular instances," she teased him and he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her once more, his lips moving over hers for a few moments gently before he pulled back. "So I will see you in a few hours?"

"You will see me in a few hours," Laszlo echoed back and he kissed her once more before she moved from his grip and watched him leave through the front door. Folding her hands into her skirt, she couldn't stop herself from genuinely smiling at the sight of his retreating figure walking out of the door.

Moving back to the parlour, she looked to Charlotte the smile refusing to leave her face. "So, what is it you want for lunch?"

…

Elizabeth knew that she didn't need to make a big effort. Laszlo had told her not to. But she had. She had distracted herself in the kitchen, preparing sandwiches and even baking a cake. She had gone back to the parlour while the cake was cooking and found Charlotte laid on the couch, fast asleep. Lucy was in the crib, also sleeping and Elizabeth couldn't stop herself from chuckling at the pair of them. She took away the glass and empty plate on the coffee table by the couch. She picked them up and took them back to the kitchen before returning, insisting that Charlotte return to bed. She protested, but Elizabeth was adamant, telling her how she needed to rest. She was exhausted.

She stumbled up the steps slightly, Elizabeth managing to keep her upright as she chewed down on her tongue and wondered how long it would take for Charlotte to regain her coordination. She suspected she should confide in Laszlo and tell him her worries, knowing that he might have a better insight than her in such matters.

Moving back down the stairs, Elizabeth knew she had things that needed to be done. She had piles of ironing. The house was also relatively dusty. But before she had a chance to do any of that, Lucy was waking up. Elizabeth heard her crying and she moved to her, picking her up and singing softly to her, despite her terrible voice. She walked through the rooms on the ground floor before she heard the front door open once more. Lucy, thankfully, had calmed down, now just pulling at her mother's hair and looking up at her.

"I believe that this might be more complex than I had first appreciated," Laszlo's voice entered the hallway and Elizabeth moved towards it.

"I think that you are reading too deeply into things. You should accept them for what they simply are," Karen's voice responded and Elizabeth saw the two of them, Laszlo removing his coat and hat, letting his cane rest by the stand too.

"That is a possibility," Laszlo confessed and then saw his wife standing by the staircase, Lucy in her grip. His lips arched as he looked to her. "Elizabeth, darling."

"How was it?" Elizabeth asked from her husband and he nodded his head.

"Enlightening," he chose to say to her and he stood before her, bending down and pecking her on the cheek, his lips not lingering for too long before he stood up tall again and turned to the side. "And you remember Professor Stratton."

"Karen, please," the woman responded and offered Elizabeth a gentle smile. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Mrs Kreizler. And thank you for the invitation."

"Well, it's just Elizabeth," she responded to her. "And it's no bother. Besides, I wanted to apologise for how I behaved the first time we met. I was rude and discourteous…I…I'm not usually like that. I'm truly sorry."

"There is no reason to apologise," Karen promised her, shaking her head and holding up a hand. "I understand-"

"-But that doesn't mean that it was right," Elizabeth interrupted her, not wanting her to defend her. "So there is reason to apologise."

"You've been though quite an ordeal," Karen said. "One cannot blame you for feeling such a way."

"Still, that is no excuse," Elizabeth said.

"Well, let us put a line through it and consider the matter closed," Karen declared to her and she moved closer to her. "And I suspect that this is Lucy who I have heard quite a lot about?"

"You have?" Elizabeth was shocked at that.

Karen chuckled and bent her head, looking down at the babe in Elizabeth's arms, seeing her reach out her small hands. Karen let her wrap her hand around her finger, playing with the ring that sat there.

"Oh, Laszlo cannot stop talking about her…her and Charlotte."

"How is Charlotte?" Laszlo questioned.

"Sleeping," Elizabeth said, not raising her concerns at that moment in time. She knew that it would be for the best to perhaps wait. "She fell asleep on the couch and so I told her that she should go back to bed and get some rest. However, this one woke up as soon as I came back down."

"She is quite adorable," Karen said. "She looks exactly like you, Laszlo…amazing."

"Perhaps I should pity her if that's the case," Laszlo said and there were soft laughs through the group.

"Would you mind taking her?" Elizabeth asked her husband. "I'll go and put some tea on and be back in a few moments."

"Of course," Laszlo took hold of his daughter as Elizabeth handed her over to him carefully, making sure that he had her in his arms before she left.

Laszlo hated that his weak arm made it difficult for him to hold his daughter, but he fought through whatever discomfort he felt to keep her in his grip, not wanting to miss out on keeping her with him. He moved through to the parlour and Karen followed him, looking around at the books in his bookshelf as she studied them, seeing the works. Laszlo moved his eyes up from his daughter and over to Karen, watching the back of her head and he spoke, his voice filled with wonder as he paced the room.

"I've studied these books in the hope of unlocking aspects of the inner life that people cannot or dare not give voice to," Laszlo told her, feeling Lucy tug at a button on his waistcoat, her fingers running over the silver of it and he chuckled down to her before speaking. "Paraphilia, inversion, perversion, urning, dioning…all of these I knew," Laszlo continued talking. "I knew them in the way one knows the features of the moon through a telescope, but we may never know what its surface is like to be touched," he said and Karen pulled a book out, flipping through its pages before placing it back, noting the shelf next to it. There was a stark contrast between them.

One bookcase held medical works, books by famous scholars with their spines all creased from being read, no doubt numerous times. The other bookcase was filled with fiction novels, most of their spines also creased, but not as badly. The shelf was stacked full, her eyes roaming over the number of titles as Laszlo continued talking.

"I understand more from walking into that room than Kraft-Ebing or Havelock Ellis could have taught me in one hundred volumes," Laszlo said. "And I call myself an alienist without having known this or reckoned with it. Perhaps I deserve having my license taken from me."

Karen's face contorted into disbelief and she placed the book back in its spot, turning to glance to him and he had to admit he hadn't expected such a reaction.

"That is your conclusion from the experience?" she checked with him. "I dare say, Laszlo, that your mind may be the most foreign of all. Speaking of, I doubt that these books are all yours?"

Laszlo's lips turned upwards at hearing her ask that and he looked to the bookshelf next to his own in the parlour. He shook his head and glanced over the titles, Karen doing the same with an amused smile on her face too.

"I confess, they are not," Laszlo said. "I bought these for Elizabeth when she moved in here. She told me how she enjoyed fiction and so voila."

"You bought her all of these?"

"Over the course of a few months," Laszlo said. "Before we had Lucy and Charlotte we would spend evenings simply sat together in here and reading by the fire. I know that it sounds particularly mundane, but it used to be the thing I looked forward to the most during the day."

"On the contrary, it sounds rather peaceful," Karen said.

"Sorry it took so long, but I forgot to bring the milk in after it was delivered this morning," Elizabeth said, her voice entering the room and Laszlo saw her place the tray down on the dining table. His lips also quirked when he saw that she had baked a cake too, a tray of sandwiches next to them.

"You needn't have gone to such trouble," Karen reiterated, but Elizabeth shrugged.

"I didn't," she said. "What was it you were discussing?"

"Ah, Laszlo here was just informing me that he found today to be rather insightful, claiming that he had been unaware as to how seeing and experiencing something can be quite different to reading about it," Karen declared and Elizabeth went to pull out her own chair, Karen taking a seat opposite her as Laszlo sat at the head of the table after resting Lucy in her crib.

"Oh, is it like the time you told me how actually being a father and looking after Lucy was completely different to reading numerous papers on how babies developed?" Elizabeth checked and Laszlo nodded his head.

"Exactly that," he agreed with her and she poured them each a cup of tea. "I confess that the club wasn't exactly the kind of place that I would frequent-"

"-I'm shocked," Karen teased him and he chuckled, nodding as he dropped a cube of sugar into his tea.

"But," he continued, "I suspect it is what I needed to do. I needed to see what was happening. The work that we do, I think it can only develop if we take new approaches…innovative approaches…and don't hide behind books and words and theory."

"And that is exactly what Doctor Freud wishes to do in the new department in Vienna," Karen said.

"Vienna?" Elizabeth asked. "A new department sounds quite ambitious."

"Indeed, it is," Karen agreed and she took a small plate, placing a sandwich onto it and taking a bit before lowering it down. "And that is why I cannot turn down an invitation from Doctor Freud himself to go to Vienna."

Elizabeth's eyes widened at hearing her say that, holding onto her own cup of tea. "You are going to Vienna?" she checked with her.

"For six months at least," Karen nodded her head, her face lighting up and Elizabeth could see the joy there. She looked so excited. She clearly had a passion and she was following that. Elizabeth wondered how that must feel. She wondered if she had ever had a passion for something, a true passion.

"That must be so exciting," Elizabeth said and Karen nodded her head, smiling but saying nothing.

And then she looked to Laszlo. Elizabeth picked up on the movement, seeing how he was staring down at the table, his hand holding the handle of the cup sat in the saucer. But he didn't pick it up. He slowly let his eyes lift up and meet Karen's. Elizabeth looked back to the woman who shrugged at him. Sitting back in her chair, Elizabeth tucked her hair behind her ear, a nervous smile appearing on her face before she spoke. Did she have anything to be nervous about? She sincerely hoped not, but the exchanges between the two of them were causing her to suspect something was wrong.

"Have I missed something?" Elizabeth wondered. "Is it not good news?"

"It is," Karen said to her. "It's just…" she trailed off and Laszlo sighed, knowing that he had to tell his wife sooner or later. He had been intending on having the discussion later, but he knew that it was coming now. But he had already made his mind up. He knew what he was going to say. His answer was already evident.

"Karen was asked to suggest other individuals who might suit the department," Laszlo said. "She suggested me."

"Oh," Elizabeth said, nodding her head. It would make sense.

"But I told her that I would not be able to go. It is impracticable," Laszlo assured his wife, looking at her and shaking his head. "I have the Institute here and more importantly our lives are here…Charlotte has just settled in at school, although this time off might be detrimental. I could not upend our lives to go to Vienna."

"And I understand that," Karen agreed with him. "And I confess that I did not think of the practicalities, only that you would be an excellent fit for the team."

"And that is most kind of you to say," Laszlo said to her. "But it is not practical. I am needed here. My place is here."

"Well, you know that you have my services until I have to leave."

"Ah, yes," Laszlo said, looking to his wife. "Karen has kindly agreed to take over the Institute while my license has been suspended. It means that none of the children have to go to an orphanage. Hopefully, I will have my license back soon, but if not then I will find a caretaker to take over when Karen leaves."

"That's wonderful news. Thank you, Karen," Elizabeth said to the woman.

"No bother at all," she responded. "I did not have it in me to see any child be turfed out because of Markoe's vendetta against Laszlo. I'll do what I can to keep it running as well as I can in your name."

Laszlo gave a grateful smile in her direction for her efforts. He picked his tea up and sipped on it as Elizabeth found her appetite had vanished. Looking to Laszlo, she saw him glance over to Karen again and she wondered if, perhaps, a part of him did want to go to Vienna. He had talked about a change in his career. Perhaps this was the opportunity that he wanted and needed.

Before they could strike up another conversation, the phone began to ring. Laszlo insisted he would answer it, hand going to Elizabeth's shoulder as he passed her by. She could hear him talk quickly, saying Sara's name and asking her where she wanted him to meet her. He agreed with her, telling her that he would be here as soon as he could be.

"Sara has news," Laszlo said, already putting his coat on with his hat. "They have tracked down Libby Hatch's mother after discovering her real name. Libby Hatch is an alias. She…Libby was accused of attempting to murder her own mother as a child."

"My goodness."

"Christ."

The two women exclaimed at that piece of news and Laszlo nodded. "I apologise for leaving so soon, but Sara is anxious to travel to Brooklyn and visit her mother."

"I understand, I shall leave too." Karen said.

"You don't have to," Elizabeth urged from her. "Please, at least finish your tea and then you can go."

"I don't wish to intrude."

"You're not," Elizabeth said and Laszlo had to admit that he had thought that the sight in front of him would have been completely impossible a day or two before. He moved to take hold of his wife's shoulder, bending down and kissing her on the cheek before standing up.

"Be careful," she encouraged from him.

"Always," he responded and then looked at Karen. "I will see you again very soon, Karen."

"Of course," Karen responded and Laszlo swept from the house.

Elizabeth waited for the door to close behind him before she looked to Karen once more and smiled at her, shrugging her shoulders and doing her best to think of some topic of conversation. But she didn't know how to start. And she didn't know if Karen would appreciate such mundane conversation. But Karen was the one to speak first, talking in a soft tone.

"So, tell me, Laszlo informed me that you helped at the Institute. Have you always wanted to work in such a place?"

Elizabeth began to speak, answering her question and sipping on her tea. It was as she spoke when she began to feel comfortable in her presence. She was particularly easy to converse with and honest, as well. She was dry witted and no doubt intelligent. But she was caring too. And Elizabeth could see why Laszlo got on with her. She was, without doubt, a charming woman.

…

Laszlo returned home late after working at the Institute with Sara for a little while. He had called Elizabeth at gone eight before leaving, asking Sara if she wished for him to help her return back to John's, but she said that she would work for a while longer. Laszlo had called John then, promising him that Sara was safe at the Institute and was intending on working into the night. But Laszlo was not intending on working late into the night. He had done all that he needed to do.

And so he had gone back home, the lights burning low in the parlour and the dining room. He found Elizabeth curled up on the couch, a book in her fingertips and a glass of lemonade to the side of her. She looked up when she heard him enter the room. He had removed his coat and locked the door behind him, shrugging out of his jacket and leaving it on the arm of the chair by the door.

"How was it?" Elizabeth asked, folding the page in her book and passing it off to the side, leaving it on the table next to her glass. Laszlo moved to sit down next to her on the couch as she turned her body to the side to look to him.

"She was Libby's mother, yes," Laszlo said. "And she was an entirely selfish woman. Libby had her own child…a daughter…her mother sent her away to an orphanage, claiming that Libby could not look after her, but the fact is that Libby's mother didn't want to look after her. Once her husband had died…she wanted her freedom…a life without worrying about others. It was purely selfish."

"She had Libby's child sent away?"

"Yes," Laszlo confirmed. "And she also had Libby sent away. She claimed that her own daughter tried to kill her."

"She did what?"

Elizabeth could hardly believe what she was hearing. Shaking her head firmly, she felt Laszlo's hand take hold of her knee, sitting there as her legs remained tucked beneath her. She placed her own hand on top of his and he shook his head along with her.

"I suspect some women just were not meant to be mothers," he informed his wife.

"I know," Elizabeth said, thinking about her history with her own mother. But she didn't want to dwell on that. It would do no good to think on it. "So…what happened?"

"Nothing, really," Laszlo confessed. "Sara is working at the Institute, delving deeper into Libby's past. But I do not think we should make contact with Libby's daughter. It would do no good. The girl would only be more traumatised."

"Poor thing," Elizabeth whispered.

"Indeed," Laszlo said. "But I think that Sara is working late for another reason."

"To avoid John?" Elizabeth guessed.

"You've seen it too," Laszlo said and she scoffed, giving his hand a squeeze and moving to stand up.

"It's hard not to see it," Elizabeth told him, moving to pour him a drink. Laszlo sat forwards and thanked her for the drink. He took hold of it as she remained stood in front of him and dropped her hands to her hips. "They clearly care for each other and I think that they love each other. I just think that they want different things in life and I suspect that might cause some contention."

"Perhaps, but there is also the fact John is engaged too. He must care for Miss Hayward to some degree."

"To some degree, yes," Elizabeth agreed with him. "But I don't think it is love, not love like it should be."

"Well, perhaps the compromise is impossible to be reached. John has made it no secret that he wants a family and children, but Sara is focused on her career. The two of them want different things and while they might come to an agreement at some stage, I do not know if they will be able to wait for such a time."

"I know," Elizabeth said to him. "But it's sad, Laszlo."

"I agree," he said. "But compromises…relationships…we know that they cannot be easy."

Elizabeth sat down next to him once more, kneeling on the couch with her skirts flowing behind her. Her arm went over the back of the couch and Laszlo took another sip of his drink. Elizabeth had that same look on her face that she had that morning. There was clearly something that she wanted to discuss with him. He angled his upper body to the side so that she had his attention.

"Vienna," she said the name of the city and Laszlo nodded.

"Vienna," he echoed.

"Do you want to go?" Elizabeth asked him and he had to confess that he hadn't expected her to ask him the question straight away. He knew that she would bring it up, but he had thought that she might simply have settled on being relieved that he had said no to the offer, despite it remaining on the table.

Laszlo placed his glass down and reached for his tie, loosening it and shaking his head. "My life is here."

"Yes, but that's not the question that I asked you," she responded and moved her hand from the back of the couch to take hold of his shoulder, running her fingers along it and feeling the material of his suit jacket. "I asked you if you wanted to go."

He was silent then.

"I want our family to be together…I want to keep us safe…raise Lucy and Charlotte…come home to them…spend my nights with you. That's what I want."

"But do you want that here or in Vienna?" she wondered from him and shifted closer towards him. "Listening to you and Karen was quite something, Laszlo. I've never had a passion for anything, not really. I've never had anything that I loved…wanted to do…and I haven't really thought of it because life hasn't given me a chance to. But I know that hearing you talk about your work…the passion you have…I want you to do what makes you happy. I want you to do that and I want you to know that your family…me, Lucy, Charlotte, we all support you just as you support us and want the best for us."

Laszlo considered what she was saying to him and he nodded once, sighing and realising that there was no harm in dreaming. There was no harm in thinking on what could be.

"The department in Vienna sounds fascinating," Laszlo admitted to her. "I confess that being surrounded by people who work in my field would be interesting and it could be challenging and I wonder if I need a new challenge, just for a few months. But then I think of the Institute and I remember what I have built there. And I do love my work there. I love helping children and making a difference. I just feel torn."

"I suspected as much," Elizabeth said, fingers moving into his hair, pushing it back even further from his face. "That's why I called Doctor Phillips today."

"Why?"

"Because I saw how you looked at the dinner table. I know you, Laszlo. I know that you have talked about wanting a change and I figured that perhaps this might be it…but Vienna is a quite the journey and we both know that Charlotte isn't well. I'm concerned for her balance…and her memory…she forgot earlier that she had just read a page from the book we were reading together. And Doctor Phillips assured me that it would not be wise to move her…to have her take part in such a long journey."

"Injuries to the brain can have impacts, but with a good recovery plan and exercise, she can get better," Laszlo promised his wife, moving his hand up to take hold of hers, squeezing it in his own. "And there we have the answer to our question. Charlotte cannot travel and her recovery is all that matters."

"I know," Elizabeth said to him. "Which means that…well…and I've thought about this all afternoon and I know that you're going to say no because that's the kind of man you are, but if you wanted to go to Vienna…if you wanted to go for six months…well…you should."

Laszlo sat up straight at hearing her say that and she moved her thumb over the back of his hand, recognising that she had, indeed, shocked him. She hadn't thought that was possible, but clearly this had taken him off guard. She looked over him for a few moments before he shook his head.

"No," he said decisively.

"And I knew that you would say that," Elizabeth responded to her husband. "But we would be fine here and this is such a big opportunity that I don't want you to miss out. I don't want you think 'what if' because I've done that numerous times in my life and I don't want to do it ever again and I don't want you to do it."

"Six months is a long time, Elizabeth. It might not seem it, but it is. Besides, I would not be comfortable leaving you alone in this house," Laszlo said. "And then there is Charlotte and Lucy. Charlotte is recovering and I know how hard that can be. And Lucy is growing. I do not want to miss out on that. I doubt I would be able to be away from you for so long too."

"Six months is nothing, Laszlo," Elizabeth said to him and she moved then as he wondered what she was doing, one leg moving to the other side of his lap. Straddling his lap, she moved both her hands to his shoulders. "We waited longer than that for us to be together. We waited months…and…six months might seem like a long time, but it truly isn't."

"Are you trying to persuade me to go? Bored of me already?" Laszlo asked, trying to keep the tone light. She smiled, having his desired effect as she shook her head.

"Never," she promised him. "I just don't want that to put you off. There are ways around things…we can have someone help around the house…I could even ask Sara to move in so that we aren't alone. I would manage."

"Do you want me to go?" Laszlo asked.

"I want you to be happy."

"Now you are the one not answering the question," Laszlo retorted and he took hold of her waist, keeping her in his grip as she bent down and kissed him on the lips quickly.

"Because obviously I want you here," Elizabeth said to him. "I want you here with me, but I want that all the time. If I had it my way then trust me, we'd never leave bed some mornings."

Laszlo chuckled, knowing that feeling full well.

"But I can cope with six months apart if you want that challenge…if you need it for your career…and if you want to stay there or if things change then we can take it from there, but Charlotte can't make that journey and I have to stay here for her."

Laszlo nodded and sighed, unable to believe that they were having this conversation, but more than that, he was unable to believe that Elizabeth was being so amenable to the suggestion of him leaving for six months. He knew that she was being selfless. He knew that she was putting him above everything else. And he would be lying if he said he hadn't considered it for a few moments, wondering what life would be like working in Vienna. But then he knew that he would struggle. He would struggle without his wife and children.

"As do I," Laszlo said. "And your words mean so much to me, the fact that you would put me above everything else…but I could not do it. My life is here."

"And your life would be here in six month's time," she assured him. "But, I am not going to force you to go. Just know that if you make the choice, I'll support you and I'd understand."

"Thank you," Laszlo said and she kissed him quickly before pushing herself from his lap, using his shoulders as leverage.

"And on that note, I am going to warm dinner up because I'm starving. Did you want to find a bottle of wine?"

"Of course," Laszlo said and he watched her disappear from the room, her blue skirt swaying behind her. Closing his eyes for a moment, he considered what she had said and shook his head. He couldn't leave for Vienna. He had responsibility at home. How could he simply leave? He didn't think that he could. But his mind, despite everything, was now thinking of what Vienna might actually be like.

...

A/N: Would love to know what you think! The story should be finished by the end of this week as I almost have it all written up. Let me know any thoughts/comments you might have - love reading what you think!