Epilogue

Elizabeth sat back in the chair as Sara fussed around her, asking her if she needed anything or if she could do anything for her. John and Violet had taken Charlotte and Lucy out for ice cream and a walk, the two of them being quite taken with the young girls and Violet finding herself wondering what she would be like as a mother whenever she was with them.

She hoped that she would have a daughter when she gave birth. She didn't mind, of course. She would love her child so much. But when she saw Elizabeth with Charlotte, acting with her as a mother would a daughter, she wanted that. She wanted that close bond and a true family where she would find herself belonging. In a sense, she identified with Elizabeth. The young woman had often stated that she had never felt like she had a place until she married Laszlo. And now, she knew exactly where her place was.

Sara had insisted on being with Elizabeth when she saw the doctor, not wanting her to be on her own, but knowing that it might be for the best for Charlotte and Lucy to be elsewhere. John had agreed, not prying into what Sara or Elizabeth were doing. He would find out in time if they wanted to tell him.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Elizabeth said as Sara placed a cup of tea down in front of her on the table.

They had returned home, sitting in the parlour after Stevie had taken them back home. Elizabeth had sat on the couch, kicking her shoes from her feet and leaving them on the floor. She had curled into a ball, hand going to hold onto her stomach as she leaned her head back against the couch. Sara settled down besides Elizabeth once she had made the tea.

"What happens now?" Sara asked from Elizabeth. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Elizabeth said with a shake of her head. "I'm still early on in the pregnancy. It's going to be another few months before I start to show and I…I know that if I only told Laszlo now then he would come back. He's only been gone for about a week. He won't even be in Vienna."

"You want to keep this from him?" Sara asked, her brows arching together and her head tilting to the side as she folded one leg under her body and turned so that her upper body was fully facing Elizabeth. She draped an arm over the back of the couch and watched her, trying to decipher the emotion on her face.

"The first few months of pregnancy are always the most risky," Elizabeth said to Sara. "If things go smoothly then I will tell him. I will write to him and tell him that I am…by then…three months pregnant."

"Do you think that he will be upset?" Sara wondered.

"He'll be annoyed that I kept it from him," Elizabeth said, unable to deny that. She knew Laszlo. "And he'll probably be annoyed and broody for quite some time, but he will come around eventually."

"And if things do not go to plan?" Sara asked. "I do not want to think that, but what if that was the case? What would you do then? You cannot go through that on your own…and Laszlo…if you kept it from him-"

"-What am I supposed to do, Sara?" Elizabeth interrupted her, knowing that she was trying to make her see sense. She knew that she was trying to persuade her to do the right thing and Elizabeth knew that. Deep down she knew that Laszlo had a right to know that she was pregnant again.

But she knew what his knowing would do. It would bring him back here when he had the opportunity of a lifetime. He had been given it and had been so excited to go and study with likeminded people. Elizabeth couldn't take that from him, not when she was able to cope on her own for a few months. She knew that he would want to be by her side throughout the pregnancy, helping her and being there to ensure she was well. But realistically there was nothing he could do. That was what she kept telling herself. But she didn't know what to do for the best.

"I don't want him to leave Vienna when he has just gotten there," Elizabeth said. "Give him a month or so…and then I will tell him. I will tell him and insist that he stay there, despite the fact I know he'll ignore me."

"I would expect nothing less," Sara said. "In the meantime, I insist on staying with you. You're going to have your hands full with two children and a pregnancy. I can help in the evening when I am not working…take care of Charlotte…help with Lucy."

"Sara, I will be fine," Elizabeth promised her with a sad smile and a shake of her head. She didn't want to feel that she was a burden on anyone. She had spent too much of her life in the past feeling as though she was a burden, particularly on Laszlo. "I managed through my first pregnancy just fine."

"Yes, but I do not want you just to manage," Sara said to her. "I want to do this. Please, it would make me feel better to know that you are not rattling around inside the house alone at night when the girls are sleeping."

"If I say no, I imagine that you will just turn up with your suitcase anyway, won't you?" she checked with her and Sara's own lips quirked at hearing her. She nodded her head.

"I am going nowhere, so you should get used to it."

…

"I would say that the morning sickness is quite something, but I believe I have seen worse after my night's out while at Harvard," John commented to Sara as he sat across from her in her office.

While they had gone their separate ways, he knew that their lives were always going to be entwined. Their friendship ran too deep and they were still friends with Laszlo and Elizabeth, alongside being godparents to Lucy. And, ever since Laszlo had left, John and Sara had agreed that they had to be there for Elizabeth and the girls. And so they would meet, on occasion, in Sara's office. They would talk about things of importance and then things of no importance. And, on this morning, they found that the conversation had turned to morning sickness.

"I confess that I was taken back the first morning I heard Elizabeth in the bathroom," Sara said, recalling how she had rushed into the room and tugged her hair back from her face as she heaved over the toilet. "Apparently, she is suffering particularly badly with morning sickness during this pregnancy. It has knocked her off of her feet."

"And she still refuses to inform Laszlo?" John asked.

"She has the letter written and ready to send, but she has yet to send it," Sara said with a shake of her head. "And I can understand her reluctance, of course I can, but I just wish that she would tell him."

"She is quite stubborn when she wants to be," John said, recalling the number of times Laszlo had butted heads with his wife when she had refused to back down on something. He often found it quite interesting when most people backed down whenever Doctor Laszlo Kreizler argued with them. "And I don't doubt that she would feel guilty for taking him away from Vienna."

"Guilty?" Sara questioned the word. "I believe that Laszlo must have also been involved in this pregnancy."

"I did not mean it like that," John defended himself and Sara sighed, nodding her head and leaning back in her chair, head rolling against the leather seat. She picked her glass up from the table and took a sip.

"I know," she said to him. "I did not mean to be argumentative."

"Oh, you always mean it," John said and Sara was about to snap at him, but she saw the look on his face, a teasing expression with his lips pinched upwards. "Anyway, it seems that we both have our handful with pregnant women."

"I suspect so," Sara concurred with him on that point. "And work at the Times? I heard about your promotion. That was wonderful news."

"Indeed," John concurred, picking up his water and drinking it, not once eyeing Sara's bourbon with longing. He kept the glass in his fingers and shrugged his shoulders. "But Hearst was not entirely pleased with my choice to stay where I am."

"I am certain he'll get over it," Sara assured him. "And you made the choice that you felt was the right one. You should always do that."

"Should I?" John questioned. "Because I sometimes wonder if I made a mistake."

Sara wondered if he was talking about the job, but the way he was looking at her told her something else. Her gaze softened as she watched him and she felt her mouth dry out, wondering if he was going to elaborate. But did she want him to? Did she want him to say anything more? No. She wanted him to keep quiet. She wanted him not to say it because she spent many evenings thinking the same thing.

"We cannot dwell on the past, John," she said to him. "We make certain decisions for a reason and we must stick by them. We do what we think is right."

"Even if it might not be the one we want," John responded.

"John-"

"-I know," he interrupted her, knowing what she was going to say to him when she spoke in that deflated tone. He shook his head and finished his water off, placing the glass down. "I will not go there."

Sara was relieved on that point. He stood up and looked over to her, shrugging into his coat and reaching for his hat. He nodded down to Sara and smiled. "I will speak with you on Sunday, yes? I assume you will be there when Violet and I pick Charlotte and Lucy up for lunch?"

"I will be there." Sara confirmed and John tipped his head in her direction and left, leaving her watching the back of him and wondering what the future held for both of them.

…

The weather was pleasant in Vienna. Laszlo had often wondered if he might find it too hot when they had arrived in the summer months, but it was similar to New York. But summer was slowly disappearing and autumn coming. Laszlo had been gone for four months and in those four months he had learned more than he had ever thought possible. He had met with people who had been so likeminded to him. He had enjoyed lavish dinners and intellectual debate. He had visited galleries and museums. It was a different life compared to that in New York and he had to admit that he loved it.

He loved the different lifestyle and the work. But there was, of course, a family waiting for him back in New York.

He thought of them and if they would enjoy life in Vienna. Laszlo had found a cake shop that could rival that of Lucille's next to Delmonico's. He thought of Charlotte instantly. He walked through the parks and saw families having picnics, sat on the grass on blankets and laughing with each other. He would see children playing together in school yards and he knew for certain that there were some well renowned schools in Vienna.

But Elizabeth had a life in New York. Charlotte had friends and a school. Lucy was still so young that Laszlo knew she would no different if they were to leave. Perhaps they could travel for a few months and see how they liked it? If they did not enjoy it then Laszlo would return home with no complaints. But, of course, he knew that Charlotte was unable to travel just yet.

Yet, Karen had come to him and told him that his contract could be extended to twelve months. They wanted him to stay longer and then, potentially, see if he wished to stay indefinitely. Laszlo had written back to Elizabeth and told her of the news, wondering how she would take it. He had told her that he didn't think he could go a year without seeing his family, needing to know if there was any chance Charlotte could travel yet, telling Elizabeth that they could come to Vienna, just for a month or so and see what happened then.

He was waiting for her to write back to him, finding himself sat working in the study of the apartment that he was renting. It was just down the street from Karen's apartment and she would often drop by for a drink or dinner, the two of them discussing work and their lives that they had left behind.

She had come by that morning, sat across from Laszlo at his desk and drinking a cup of coffee as he finished writing notes. She had a folder open in her lap, her eyes set down on it before she peered up and saw that Laszlo's pen was hovering in mid-air. He hadn't written anything in over a minute. His gaze, however, was set on the photo frame on the corner of his desk. Karen would often find him staring at that one or the one in his dining room that he had placed on the bookshelf.

His apartments were spacious and lavish, filled with delicate furniture and expensive artwork. He had his own study, a large dining room and sitting room overlooking the park across from the apartment block. There were three bedrooms and two bathrooms and Karen wondered why he needed so much space, but she suspected it was just in case he had guests or, more likely, he decided to stay here and brought his family out to Europe.

"Has she written back?" Karen asked and Laszlo snapped out of the daydream he had been in, his gaze moving from the photo of Elizabeth on his desk.

"Not yet," Laszlo said, shaking his head back and forth. He knew that post took time to travel, he was well aware of that. But he had worked out the average amount of days it took in between him sending his letter and her writing back. Five days had passed since that average amount of time.

Glancing back to the photo on his desk, he looked at Elizabeth's face, her eyes glimmering and her lips curled upwards slightly. She never had been one for remaining neutral during a photo. Her wedding dress sat on her body and her hair hung over her shoulders.

"Perhaps there is a delay? You know how long these things can sometimes take," Karen said, not wanting him to worry over the lack of correspondence.

He sat back in his seat, dressed in a patterned green waistcoat over a white shirt with a green tie. His jacket was draped over the back of his chair and he laced his hands together on his stomach, slouching in the leather chair. He looked to the floor length window to the side of the room, seeing how the sun was streaming in, patterns dancing on the beige carpet.

Karen placed her cup of coffee down on the edge of his desk that was covered in papers and books, numerous notes sat there that Laszlo continued to refer to. She smoothed out the green skirt she wore tucked into her black high collared shirt and leant forwards, folding her arms on her lap.

"It's bothering you, isn't it?" Karen asked from him.

"What if I overstepped?" Laszlo said to her. "What if she doesn't wish to come here? What if Charlotte is still too ill? Or she feels that I am forcing her here? I don't want to do any of that. Writing things down in a letter is so much harder than talking to her and telling her how I feel."

"I understand that," Karen promised him. "But I suspect it might have come as a shock to her, Laszlo. She thought that this was simply a six-month contract, but now there is the possibility for it to be much longer and…well…she has friends in New York. Her entire life is in New York."

"I know. That is why I would not take the extension if she did not want to come here, but I wonder if my letter just made her feel pressured?"

"I doubt that. She knows you, Laszlo. She knows that you would never do that to her."

"I know, but I still worry," Laszlo said. "I want to see her. I just want to see her and talk to her about this, but she is on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. She is so far away."

"I am sure all of this worrying will be for naught, Laszlo," Karen said, trying to offer him reassurances and knowing the relationship between the two of them. They were open. They were honest with each other. There was no chance that Elizabeth would feel she couldn't talk to her husband. But she understood what he was saying. Talking in person was so much easier than writing a letter.

"Perhaps," Laszlo said, but he didn't know if he truly agreed with her. "Or…perhaps…I could take time to return back and see her."

"That is quite the journey, Laszlo," Karen said, recalling how tedious the journey had been for them coming to Vienna. Yes, it had been comfortable, but it had still been one that she didn't want to make again anytime soon. "And it is quite a rash decision to make when you might receive a letter today or tomorrow. Why not give it another week or so and then decide?"

"I know you are being logical," Laszlo said to Karen, appreciating her attempt to comfort him. "But, I confess, that since I have received that news, I have wanted to see her even more than before. I have to talk to her…talk about this…such a big decision cannot be made on a whim."

Karen smiled sadly and tilted her head to the side. "You miss her," she said simply to him and he wasn't going to deny that. He did miss her. He missed her more than he could possibly comprehend and he didn't know how much longer he could go without her. He was supposed to return home in just under two months. And he knew that he could cope with that, but the idea of any longer was too hard.

"I miss all of them," Laszlo said. "I often wonder how much Lucy has grown and changed without me there. I wonder how Charlotte is recovering. I just want to see them."

"You want to go home, don't you?" Karen asked him. "How long have you felt like this?"

"Ever since I was asked to stay for longer," Laszlo confessed.

"I fear that nothing I say will change your mind, will it?"

"I hope that I shall return," Laszlo said, "but if I do then it will be with Elizabeth, Charlotte and Lucy. I hope you understand."

"I understand completely," Karen promised him. "And we will be waiting for you back here to continue our work."

"I appreciate that," Laszlo said and glanced to the photo of his wife and Karen smiled at seeing his eyes flicker over to her, knowing that this was what he needed to do.

…

Elizabeth had agonised over what to say to Laszlo when he had sent her the letter informing her that they wanted him to stay for twelve months instead of six, hoping that he might decide on staying indefinitely in the end. She had written on numerous pieces of paper at the dining table, screwing them up and tossing them off to the side. He had asked her if Charlotte was well enough to travel to Vienna, hoping that they might come and visit him if she were.

And Charlotte was well enough to travel. The problem was that Elizabeth had been advised against it. And now the moment had come where she couldn't put it off any longer. She had laid her left hand against her small bump, feeling the baby kicking inside of her as she struggled to find the words she needed to write. She had finally gotten them out, wishing that she could talk to him instead. She wished that he was there so she could simply say everything that she wanted to say to him.

Sara had told her that she wouldn't find the right words. She would always find an excuse not to send the letter, claiming that it was not perfect or did not express what she wanted to say. And so she had posted it, telling Laszlo that she couldn't travel because she was pregnant, suffering with acute morning sickness months into her pregnancy.

Waiting for him to write back had been agony, but finally a letter came in the post with his delicate scrawl. With shaking hands, she had pulled the letter from the envelope and looked at his words. She frowned. He didn't mention anything about her pregnancy. He told her how he was sorry for sending his previous letter, knowing that it must have come as a shock. He told her that he had written this letter two days before he intended to return home.

Her eyes widened at that. He was coming home. The details of when his ship was to dock were in the letter. It was in three day's time. He was going to be back in New York in three days. He mustn't have received her previous letter. He had to have left before it came to him.

"Are you certain you want to go and wait for him?" Sara questioned as Elizabeth stood up, shrugging into her coat and leaning back slightly. Sara noted how she was pale, having just been sick again that morning before insisting that she meet Laszlo at the ship.

"I have to," Elizabeth said. "Stevie will take me and I'll wait for him…and I want to see him…he has no idea that he is coming home to this," she looked down at the bump and Sara's gaze fell to it. Elizabeth was just over five months pregnant and that much was apparent now.

"You are certain he didn't read your letter before he left?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "He couldn't have," she said. "There was nothing in his letter that gave any notion of that."

"Then I suspect he will have quite the shock," Sara said.

"I suspect as much too," Elizabeth agreed with her on that point and she pulled her hair from underneath the collar of her coat. "I will be back soon. Tell Charlotte that we won't be long."

"Of course," Sara said, knowing that Charlotte was excited for Laszlo to come back home. Ever since Elizabeth had told her she had been running round, completely thrilled with the news, particularly since he was going to be home for her birthday too.

Elizabeth left the house and climbed into the carriage, smiling to Stevie as she waited patiently, her leg tapping up and down against the floor. She kept both hands over her stomach and leant her head back as they headed towards the docks. Elizabeth smelled the salt in the air as they approached, hearing the hustle and bustle from the port as the carriage drew to a halt and she climbed out, Stevie helping her down. Looking up and over to the ship that had just docked, her eyes widened in awe as she saw boxes being unloaded, passengers disembarking. The road up to it was littered with carriages, clearly waiting for people.

Luggage was being carried back and forth, families arguing and complaining over where to go. Elizabeth looked at the sea of faces and knew she had no chance of finding Laszlo. Stevie seemed to agree with her on that point, moving a hand out to her arm and holding it softly.

"Let me go and seek him out," he urged from her. "You wait here."

"You're sure?" she checked.

"He's never going to find us," Stevie said and Elizabeth nodded at him.

He took off, able to handle himself amongst the commotion around him. Elizabeth remained where she was, stood by the carriage and stroking the horse at the front, keeping him calm and still, despite Stevie having secured the reins around a wooden post. Elizabeth let her eyes flicker around, waiting to see any sign of Laszlo as she heard the ships horn blow, startling her with the noise.

She straightened out the red dress she wore underneath her red coat, pulling at the collar of the dress and feeling particularly warm. She played with the lace on the cuff of the dress as she waited patiently. She didn't know how long she had been stood there before she spotted Stevie. He was leading the way, carrying two suitcases in his hands. And then she saw him.

Laszlo was walking behind Stevie, dressed in a grey waistcoat underneath his suit jacket and large coat. His hat was perched on top of his head and he carried his cane in his hand, talking to his ward as they advanced closer to the carriage. Stevie said something, a wry smile on his face before Laszlo looked up and over in Elizabeth's direction.

He smiled widely as he saw her stood there, looking over her face. But she didn't return the smile. Instead, she looked nervous and Laszlo wondered what was wrong before he let his gaze lower and he noticed it. It was clear as day and his own face fell in shock, eyes widening and lips parting. He didn't know how he continued walking forwards, Stevie taking the lead and whispering to Elizabeth as he passed her by:

"I think you might have given him a fright," he said.

Elizabeth nodded, agreeing with that as Laszlo stood before her, his gaze settled down on her baby bump and his eyebrows knitting together.

"You…Elizabeth…" Laszlo stammered, unable to form the words that he wanted to say.

She nodded her head once and placed her own hand on her stomach. "I know," she said to him and he looked up, the confusion still clear on his features as his gaze met hers and he saw her smile sadly.

"You're pregnant," he stated the obvious, his mind clearly trying to comprehend what he was seeing as he glanced back down to her stomach, analysing her as he rested his cane against the side of the carriage. "Elizabeth…you're…you look so far along."

"Five months," she said to him. "Or just over."

"Five months?" he checked with her, clearly doing the math and looking up at her, shaking his head back and forth, trying to work out exactly what he was hearing from her. "Why did you not tell me? You never said in your letters…or before I left…did you know before I left?"

"Not for certain," she admitted and she saw his gaze meet hers, almost as though he was asking her how she could have kept it a secret. She reached for his upper arms, clinging onto him tightly. "And I knew that if I told you then you would never have left for Vienna and I wanted you to go, Laszlo. I wanted you to go and I knew that I could cope. I knew that you would be back before the baby was born and you would have had the opportunity that you deserve."

"Did I not deserve to know you were pregnant?"

"Of course you did," Elizabeth said, holding him tightly as he looked at her and she tried not to cry. "But I wanted you to go, Laszlo. You have done so much for me. You have looked after me…encouraged me to be happy…given me everything I could ever want and I wanted you to have the same. I wanted to encourage you to do something you wanted and if you knew that I was pregnant then that would never have happened."

"My God, Elizabeth," Laszlo whispered her name and moved his own hand up to her cheek, stroking it softly and brushing her hair behind her shoulder as he watched her intently, seeing her eyes were watering. "Why do you have to be so infuriatingly stubborn?"

"I wasn't being stubborn, I was just trying to keep you from abandoning what was an experience you couldn't turn down," she responded. "And if you had stayed in Vienna then you would have received my letter where I told you that we couldn't come to you because of this."

"I didn't want to wait," Laszlo said with a shake of his head. "I wanted to come and see you and discuss this, but it seems there are more important things we need to discuss."

"You're…you're not mad?" Elizabeth asked and Laszlo's lips picked up at hearing her. He shook his head at her, still stroking her cheek as he lowered his head, forehead brushing hers.

"Infuriated with your willingness to put me above everything else? Yes," Laszlo said to her. "Do I wish that I had known? Of course. But do I understand why you did it? Yes…I understand because you're selfless, Elizabeth. You've always been selfless…and despite the fact I wish you had been selfish and kept me here, I know why you didn't."

"I missed you," Elizabeth confessed to him. "I did miss you."

"And I missed you too," Laszlo promised her, seeing her close her eyes and he noted relief course through her as he shook his head against hers. "My selfless, stubborn, loving, wife." He commented and he saw her smile as he chuckled moved his finger under her chin, tilting her face upwards slightly as her eyes opened once more.

"Another child," Laszlo mumbled.

"Another child," she concurred with him on that point. "You're not upset, are you?"

"Why would I be upset?"

"Because we didn't plan for this to happen, Laszlo. We should have been more careful because-"

"-We didn't plan for Lucy either, but she turned out to be the best thing that has happened to us…her and Charlotte," he said and Elizabeth nodded. That was true. "And this one right here," he said, a hand dropping down to her stomach and resting against it. "Will be no different…because…you're pregnant, Elizabeth."

He said the words, almost as though he couldn't believe that he was saying them. He shook his head once more and looked up from her stomach and kissed her for the first time in five months. His lips moved over hers and he felt her wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her and he realised just how much he had missed her.

She pulled back after a few moments, her fingers toying with the hair at the back of his head as he pressed one final chaste kiss to her lips. "We should go home," Elizabeth said. "There's two girls waiting for you."

Laszlo smiled at that, nodding his head and agreeing with her. He picked his cane up and climbed into the carriage besides her, letting her tell him everything that he had missed. She told him how Lucy had grown and was now crawling everywhere. She told him how Charlotte was back at school and recovering quite well. She told him about the pregnancy and how she had suffered morning sickness quite badly. He had listened intently, asking questions and alternating between holding her hand and stroking her cheek, kissing her whenever he had a spare moment.

Pulling up outside of the house, he helped Elizabeth down. He had no time to pick up his cane before the front door had opened.

"Laszlo!"

Charlotte was dressed in a floral blue dress, a white ribbon around her waist and her hair pulled back by a similar ribbon, courtesy of Sara's help. She ran down the stairs without thinking and Laszlo saw that her bandage had gone, her hair having grown back to cover the spot. He had no time to react before her arms were around his waist and she was clinging tightly onto him. He chuckled as his own arms went around her, feeling her cheek press just beneath his chest.

"I missed you so much," Charlotte said.

"And I missed you too, my darling," Laszlo said as Sara remained stood on the top step, Lucy in her arms as the little girl tried to escape, enjoying nothing more than crawling around and trying to stand up.

"What was Vienna like? Was it nice? Did you enjoy it?"

"Charlotte, I think we should let Laszlo into the house before you start questioning him," Elizabeth said to her and the little girl nodded.

"And I will tell you all about Vienna," Laszlo promised her in a gentle voice and he pecked her on the forehead before she turned around and bounded up the steps. Elizabeth followed her, giving Laszlo a knowing smile before she came before Sara.

"Laszlo, it's good to see you," Sara said to her friend.

"It's good to see you too, Sara," he responded and gave her a smile as Elizabeth took hold of Lucy in her arms.

"Lucy, who is this?" she asked her daughter, holding her up so that she could see Laszlo. His daughter had grown, he could not deny that. She had distinct eyes that were wide and focused on Laszlo, her hair having grown slightly longer down her head and her arms flailing around. "Is it dada? Lucy? Is it dada?"

"Dada," Lucy managed to spit out.

"That's right!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Dada."

"She…she learned her first words?" Laszlo asked as the little girl reached for him and Elizabeth handed Lucy to him, letting him hold onto her as he kissed her forehead and Charlotte remained by his side, looking up to him as he held Lucy.

"Dada was, unfortunately, her first word," Elizabeth conceded defeat. "Mama came not far after and now all she likes saying is 'no' to everything."

"I can't get her to say Charlotte yet," the girl next to him complained.

Laszlo chuckled and looked down to her. "I think that might be a bit too complex for her at the moment, Charlotte."

"I'll keep trying," Charlotte nodded and Laszlo bounced Lucy in his arms, his smile not once leaving his face and he wondered how he had gone for almost four months without this. He didn't know, but he didn't know if he could do it again, especially with the news that he had received.

"Come on, I'll make a pot of tea and then I'll leave you alone," Sara said, moving into the house and to the kitchen.

Laszlo carried Lucy in his arms while Charlotte stuck by his side, Elizabeth closing the door behind them. Looking to the scene in front of her, Elizabeth saw Laszlo move to sit down on the couch, Charlotte next to him and Lucy in his lap. Charlotte was telling Laszlo everything that she could remember that she thought he should know and Elizabeth watched him humour her, conversing with her and telling her how he had also missed her terribly and answering every question she asked him about Vienna.

It was at that moment when Elizabeth knew that she didn't think she could handle Laszlo leaving again, not without them.

…

The day had gone by quickly, but Laszlo had enjoyed it. He was tired after his long journey, but he wanted to stay awake for as long as possible. He had sat on the floor and watched Lucy crawl around, shrugging out of his jacket and throwing it to the side before catching her as she tried to stand up. He played chess with Charlotte and found the doll he had bought her from a toyshop in Vienna, watching her marvel at it and then thank him with another large hug he returned.

He had insisted on being the one who tucked Charlotte into bed when she almost fell asleep on the couch. He carried Lucy to her nursery and also kissed her goodnight on the forehead before returning to the parlour, finding Elizabeth just finishing off tidying up the chess set from the floor where Charlotte and Laszlo had been playing.

"They're both fast asleep," Laszlo informed his wife and she nodded.

"I'm not surprised," she said to him. "It's been a busy day for both of them…and particularly emotional."

"I didn't think that Charlotte would be quite so as excited to see me as she was," Laszlo admitted to his wife who shrugged back over to him and he sat down, holding his hand out towards her. She moved to him and he took her hand, pulling her to sit down next to him, her back pressed to his front and side as he wrapped his arms around her waist, hands resting on her bump.

"She's missed you," Elizabeth said. "We've all missed you and that's why we had a discussion while you were gone."

"Oh?" Laszlo asked from her, kissing her neck as she laid her head back against his shoulder and his chin sat just by her forehead.

"When you sent that letter asking us to come to Vienna, I was apprehensive. I was nervous about leaving behind everything that we know here…everything that is so familiar…and I know you said we didn't have to stay there if we didn't like it, but I told Charlotte that they wanted to extend your contract."

"And what did she say?"

"That she would willingly go to Vienna. In fact, she was excited more than anything. Apparently she has been taking books out of the library and reading about the city," Elizabeth said and Laszlo chuckled. She was quite an astute child. "And she told me that she would go…that she would want to go."

"And you?" Laszlo asked.

"You want the truth?" she asked him.

"Always," Laszlo said, kissing her temple.

"It scares me," Elizabeth said to him. "Leaving behind our life here scares me. New York is all I have ever known. It is the only place I have lived. I grew up here…I don't know what living in another place would be like, let alone another continent. And there are our friends here too. Sara has been a blessing to me, Laszlo. John and Violet too…and Marcus…all of them are friends I never thought I would have and I would miss them if we left."

Laszlo nodded. He could understand that much.

"And then there is this one," she said, her hands going to rest on top of his. "I can hardly travel so far into the pregnancy. The doctor has advised me against it…and then uprooting our life scares me, especially with another newborn."

"Then we-"

"-But," Elizabeth interrupted before he could continue, squeezing his hands. "I realised that these were all things that I never had before. I never had friends…not really…and I will miss them all, but they could come and visit. They could come and see us and we could come back here. It doesn't have to be permanent, does it? We don't permanently have to say goodbye?"

"Of course not."

"And in your letters I read, I saw how much you loved Vienna. I could almost hear the excitement in your voice…how you felt you belonged…had a new purpose in your work…and I was happy for you. And I want you to be happy. I want that for you, Laszlo, and if you do go back to Vienna then we will come with you because I don't want to be apart. I don't want us not to be together."

"I don't want that either," Laszlo said. "And I am not leaving again, not without you, but I don't want to make any brash decision. I don't want to jump into anything. Whatever we decide…we will make that decision together and it will be one where we keep our family together too."

Elizabeth smiled and turned her head up to look him in the eye. "I want that," she said to him with a nod of her head. And she did want that.

"As do I," Laszlo whispered to her too and moved to kiss her softly, his beard running against her skin before he pulled back from her and looked her in the eye. "I love you."

"I love you too," she replied, kissing him chastely. "And we'll get through anything."

Laszlo chuckled. "I think we've proved that to be the case," he told her and she laid her head back against his shoulder once more and his chin sat on top of it, closing his eyes and whispering softly. "So long as we have each other, everything will be fine."

"You'll always have me." She whispered and he nodded, kissing the top of her head.

"Just as you have me," he promised her, knowing that would be true.

They sat there quietly, content in each other's company and relishing in the peace and the prospect of a future together; the thing that they had spent years fighting so hard for. It was now theirs.

...

A/N: THE END. And we're finished - it's been quite the journey and I hope you enjoyed the ending and was satisfied with it. I don't know if I'm totally ready to let go of these characters and writing about them and so I have been considering a potential sequel sometime in the future with original cases etc. Would love to know what you think. Thanks so much for sticking with me through this - your reviews have kept me going! Love to know for one final time what you think and if you'd want to see anything in the sequel!