A/N: Thank you all for your patience, I hope some of you are still with me on this. I've decided that instead of a three month hiatus to get ahead on chapters, which doesn't do well putting pressure on myself or my anxiety, I will just chill and write what I can, when I can. And due to this approach, you lovely readers get a little more content than my usual of 3000 something word chapters.

I don't know when the next one will be ready but I'm hoping soon :)

Chapter Eleven

Tuesday lunch times were always particularly busy and it was this particular Tuesday that Jane found herself helping Charlotte at the bakery. Customers, old and new, were piling the queue out of the door continuously between midday and two in the afternoon before Jane could stop serving customers and cleaning tables to head back to the office to finish her paperwork. It had been a stressful weekend. Between Lucy being given her autism diagnosis the previous Thursday after months of assessments and meetings, it was just another diagnosis to add to what seemed like a never ending list of conditions her daughter had been labelled with by medical professionals. Chromosome deletion. Epilepsy. Autism. Developmental delay. Speech disorder. All of it caused because her daughter was missing a tiny portion of genes in her chromosome and affected her so massively.

She'd also had to arrange for someone to collect the twins from their last day of preschool today. It was official, both of them had now started their summer holiday and would have their first day of 'big school' in the second week of September. This was another big fight for her to deal with. The Local Authority had finally agreed to amend Lucy's EHCP funding for the unit and provided her with an additional five hours of support on top of the twenty they had offered to begin with and while it still wasn't enough, Jane had to take it but was now pursuing a case for the tribunal court and prayed that when the hearing occurred in a few months that she would win the case and get Lucy into a more suitable setting for her needs. After asking her parents a few times if they could get the twins from preschool whilst she was working, and after many times her mother had argued with her father on the matter, Lydia had gone to collect them instead; luckily it was her day off and had the time to do so.

Just as she was about to head back into the office to finish up the paperwork and the last of the summer shift schedules, she heard a familiar voice call her name. Turning around, she found herself smiling brightly at the man she had decided to give a chance. His bright blue eyes seemed even brighter than before and she had only just noticed that when he smiled at her that he had two little dimples in his cheeks.

Jane walked out on to the dining area and hugged him in greeting. The smell of his aftershave, not overpowering to the senses, filled her nostrils and she released him, still smiling.

"Hey, I didn't know you were working today." Charles said brightly.

"Charlotte asked me to come in to help her out." Jane explained.

"Well I'm glad I caught you. I wanted to invite you to a housewarming barbecue I'm having on Saturday. My house is finally sorted and my last box has been unpacked so I thought that I'd throw a little celebration."

"Oh…I'd love to come…but I don't think I can get a babysitter-"

"Bring your children, I'd love to meet them."

His gesture that he wanted to get to know her and her children, the fact that he invited her and wanted her to celebrate his milestone with him touched her. It was thoughtful. But on such short notice it wasn't exactly doable. Lucy was hard to predict even during her well managed routine day-by-day. To take her daughter to a house full of strangers where they would no doubt be strangers – and a lot of them – music, loud chatter of different conversations, no way for her to calm down if she needed some time out and in a place where she couldn't regulate her emotions or feel safe wasn't ideal. There was also the fact that Lucy would only eat a select amount of foods which Jane would usually have to package for her whenever they went anywhere. She would have loved to attend Charles' barbecue but she didn't think it was possible without some way to give Lucy some notice and time to prepare. Even if she could prepare her daughter.

"I would love to but I don't think it's possible." Janes said regretfully.

Charles' face fell.

"Oh…I understand…too much too soon…maybe some other time. Anyway, I won't keep you. See you soon." He said quickly and rushed out the door.

She felt a pang of guilt. It was evident he had been hoping that she would say yes and now she had hurt his feelings. She hadn't meant to. But she had to think of her children. At the same time, she knew that she couldn't leave things awkward between her and Charles. Before she could even process that she was supposed to be finishing her paperwork, she rushed out the bakery door and rushed after Charles.

"Charles, wait!" Jane called.

He stopped on the street, moving over to the side to avoid getting in other people's way. Jane caught up to him, panting as she tried to catch her breath.

"Jane, it's fine," Charles smiled sadly, "I understand that it's too soon for you and the children. We aren't dating, we've only known each other for a little while so I get that there needs to be some boundaries."

"Well, there is that," Jane agreed, "But there's a little more to my life than I've already told you."

Charles frowned.

"Don't tell me. You're an undercover spy and the children are really robots?" he joked.

Jane laughed a little.

"Not that insane. Can you come back to the bakery? I can take a break and I'll try to explain."

As if he didn't need any time to think over her request, Charles nodded and the two of them walked back to the bakery.

ooOoo

"I don't understand, Ms Bennet, as your solicitor it's my job to ensure that you get a fair settlement out of the divorce."

It was the third time her solicitor, Ian Forster, had stated he didn't understand her statement that she didn't want anything from her divorce.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself?" Elizabeth questioned tiredly.

Her solicitor frowned, taking a finger to scratch an itch on his balding head.

"Ms Bennet…"

At least they had finally established that she was reverting back to her maiden name and already signing off forms as if she were unmarried. During their first few meetings when the proceedings had been started he had been calling her by her married name.

"I've been a solicitor for just under twenty years and you are the first client I've ever represented who didn't want any of their spouse's money." Ian sighed.

"Well I'm not materialistic. The money that David is offering would be enough to see me through the next five years if I was careful spending it. What would I even do with that money?" Elizabeth ranted.

"Invest it. Buy your own property. Buy a car. Go on holiday. Or ten. Or travel the world. Or spend it on family-"

A lightbulb flashed in her head at the mention of spending the money on family. David wasn't rich rich, certainly not from old money, but he didn't particularly believe in spending money on luxuries. He was a surgeon, a well paid one, and most of his money after the mortgage on their London flat had been paid, and all the bills and necessary extras were paid, the rest of his money went into savings accounts and left untouched. But her solicitor's idea about spending the money on family, or giving the money to her niece and nephew to be saved and used for their futures did appeal to her.

"Do you know what? I don't want to argue with you on this subject any more. Tell David I accept his generous offer he's presented to me and want the divorce sorted in the new few months. I'm ready to move on to the next chapter of my life." Elizabeth requested politely.

Smiling, Ian Forster rose from the kitchen table and shook her head. He gathered up his brown leather suitcase, straightened his aging suit and opened the kitchen door; only for Fran to stumble forward in the kitchen doorway.

"Mum you shouldn't eavesdrop!" Elizabeth scolded.

Her mother cleared her throat and the solicitor exited the house, the front door slamming to a light shut.

"Well…how else am I supposed to learn anything? You don't exactly keep your father and I in the loop with what's going on!" her mother chastised.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and took a glass out of one of the cupboards, closing the little door and took the glass to the sink. As she turned on the cold tap and waited for the glass to fill, her mother had decided yet again to deliver the same old speech she was growing tired of.

"You were married to David for five years, Lizzy. We thought you were happy and god, I had prayed you two would have at least given us a grandchild by now-"

She still hadn't told her parents the truth behind her and David's divorce. She hadn't told her mother that she wasn't able to conceive a child. As she stood at the sink, forgetting about the water filling her glass as it was now pouring over her hand like a small waterfall, she toned out her mother's ramblings and her mind and thoughts drifted back to her last day as David's wife.

"David, you've been quiet all day. Avoiding me where you can. When I walk into a room you walk out of it and when I sit down, you stand up. What's the matter?" she asked softly.

Her husband took a few minutes before he finally turned his attention away from his book to look at her. And when he did look at her, she noticed the cold expression on his face, the hurt that filled his eyes as he stared at her as if staring at her through cracked glass.

"I can't do this anymore, Liz."

She frowned in confusion. The last few days he had been avoiding her where he could. When he was at work, he refused to answer her text messages and would only message her to let her know that he would be working overtime or going to the pub or the gym after work and not to wait up. On his days off he would busy himself by going out to do errands and not come home until she was getting ready for bed. Whenever she tried to talk to him he would either leave the room, busy himself with housework or shut her down by stating he was too tired to talk to her. Was he talking about his cold treatment of her lately? She knew things were strained between them, what with all the fertility tests they had to do recently and their attempts to conceive a child were often brought with f rustration.

"Can't do what?"

"This. Us. I want a divorce. There is no point to a marriage when we can't have a future." David said with a deep sigh.

"What do you mean we can't have a future? We can go to counselling-"

"No. Counselling won't help us. I received the results from the fertility experts we saw. They've confirmed that we can't have children."

The news stunned her.

"W-who…"

David sighed, refusing to look at her.

"You can't have my child, Liz."

"Lizzy? Are you even listening to me?"

Her mother's voice brought her back to the present, only realising that her hand and wrist were wet as she looked down at the glass in her hand that was pouring water over the rim. Turning off the tap and setting the glass down, she grabbed the tea towel and dried her hand, turning back to face her mother.

"Sorry. What were you saying mum?" Elizabeth asked.

Her mother made that tutting sound that Elizabeth had always hated.

"I was asking you why you and David hadn't even mentioned having a child? I was saying that by now I thought you would have given your father and I a grandchild." Fran said with annoyance.

Elizabeth could feel her heart beating quicker in her chest, she felt as if an invisible rope was squeezing around it and felt a little sick in her stomach. The dread, the hurt, the anger that she couldn't have her own child was threatening to rush out of her.

"You have a grandchild. Two actually." She reminded her mother through gritted teeth.

"Oh yes. Two grandchildren born out of wedlock. Jane couldn't even be bothered to get George down the aisle. Perhaps if she had he wouldn't have left so easily and forgotten his duties as a father. You never know, maybe one day they'll find a cure for Lucy's little problems."

Elizabeth threw the tea towel at her mother so angrily that it hit her mother in the eye.

"OUCH!" her mother shrieked.

"You have no frigging clue about anything do you?! Lucy's 'little problems' don't need to fixed. It's not her fault or Jane's or Peter's that Lucy is missing tiny pieces of DNA in her chromosomes that have caused her brain and body to act differently to other people's. She's a lovely little girl if you actually bothered to see past her challenges. But just because she's different you don't want to get to know your granddaughter. And George was hardly the model father when he and Jane were together. It was Jane who had to do all the night feeds and nappy changes and hospital visits with Lucy and potty training Peter in those first two years. George couldn't handle and didn't want a disabled child. Jane is doing her damned best to bring up the twins by herself so give her some bloody respect and help. And as for me, well, I know I'm a big disappointment for you. Do you really want to know why my marriage ended? It wasn't for lack of trying. But my marriage was one sided. It was always about David, never about me. And we struggled for two years to conceive a child before we went to see a fertility expert who confirmed that I couldn't have children and that was enough reason for David to divorce me!" Elizabeth shouted.

Her mother stared at her, evidently stunned. The tea towel lay forgotten about on the floor as did any little pain her mother felt in her eye where the tea towel had hit her. Elizabeth felt her heart pounding even faster now, the blood rushing throughout her body, her hands were shaking. Neither mother or daughter said anything to each other, the only sound was the ticking of the kitchen clock on the wall. After a few minutes had passed, Thomas entered the kitchen with a concerned look on his face.

"What's going on?" her father questioned.

Elizabeth was the first to recover.

"Nothing. I have to get back to work." She answered quickly.

She made to leave the kitchen, only to have her upper arm grasped by her father's hand.

"Lizzy-"

"Dad. Please. Leave me be."

Pulling her arm out of her dad's grasp, she stormed out of the kitchen and grabbed her bag and keys, hearing the volcanic argument start as the door slammed behind her.

ooOoo

Jane sat opposite Charles in the bakery office, trying not to fall off her chair as she waited nervously for Charles to say something. Anything. She had just given him an insight, a minor one, into why she didn't date or why she didn't go out much and she knew that it was a lot to take in.

"So…" Charles began, clearing his throat.

"So…." Jane repeated, her heart beating fast.

She knew it was a lot to take it, after all it was her everyday life. But the only way she could envision Charles having a part of her life would be to tell him about Lucy.

"The reason you don't have a life isn't just because you're a single mum. You're a single mum to twins, one of which has a disability?" Charles questioned, making eye contact with her.

Jane nodded.

"Yes." She confirmed.

"Wow. Tell me more about Lucy."

She wasn't expecting that. She had been expecting him to say that it was too much to handle and bolt out the door.

"When the twins were born, it was obvious just how different they were. Lucy didn't sleep much, she had seizures, she didn't meet milestones that Peter did. Everything that a baby should learn, Peter did first and Lucy did it much later. She didn't sit up until she was a year old and didn't crawl until eighteen months old. She never copied sounds, she couldn't clap, point, speak. When she was two she was referred to many specialists who deal with development delays and part of that was blood testing. The results came back that she had a rare chromosome deletion which means she's missing a tiny portion of DNA in her chromosome and it affects how her genes work. It has caused her epilepsy, her delays, her sleep problem, and they assume it's the reason why she has now been given her autism diagnosis." Jane explained.

Charles nodded, not taking his eyes off her and indicated that he wanted to know more.

"She needs structure, routine, familiarity. She is a challenge, she only learned to walk a year ago and still uses a pushchair when we go out somewhere. She uses picture cards and Makaton sign language to communicate as she can't speak. And for two years all she has ever known is it being just the three of us, my dad and sister pitching in where they could. She's now used to her nurses that come during the night to give me a break and she's going to go to a respite centre in the summer so I can have some time with Peter. She doesn't know you, she doesn't do crowds or loud noises so that's the reason why we won't be able to come on Saturday. Hell, she has only recently started allowing Elizabeth to do things with her. I just don't want to put my daughter in a stressful situation. I'm sorry."

"Jane, never apologise for your child. I understand why you can't come." Charles said quickly.

"I understand if this is too much for you to handle. But if I want you and you want to be in my life, then you needed to know why sooner rather than later. My life is not rosy and it's not easy. My children are my priority." Jane said firmly.

Charles nodded, as if taking in what she was saying once again and for several minutes the only sound that she could hear was the clock ticking on the wall and the sound of her staff moving about the kitchen and the front of the bakery as they dealt with fresh pastries and serving customers. Jane could feel her heart beating nervously against her chest until he finally looked at her and gave her a small smile.

"I'm not saying this isn't a lot to take in, it is. But it doesn't change the fact that I want to get to know you." He said warmly.

Jane couldn't stop herself from grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"You do?" she questioned, her heart filling with hope.

Her stomach was doing somersaults with glee in her stomach and the butterflies were making her feel giddy. For the first time since she had met Charles, her insecurities regarding whether or not to trust a man and let a man into her life and that of her children's had gone to the back of her mind. All she cared about in that moment was gaining Charles' word that he wasn't going anywhere.

"I do." Charles confirmed.

"Because if you want to know me then you need to understand completely that I come with my children, I won't give them up for anything and they will always come first." Jane reiterated.

"I do understand. Jane, I'm not going anywhere. We can take this friendship at your pace."

Standing up from their chairs, they hugged each other tightly, with Jane hoping that she would have the strength to trust him more than she had ever trusted George.

ooOoo

The school bell rang and a flood of children of different ages and heights ran out one-by-one as the teacher called their names to indicate their parents were there to collect them. Elizabeth waited outside with the other adults, placing the thin strap to her t-shirt back on her shoulder as it began to fall down her upper arm. She could feel the sun scorching the back of her neck, wishing that she could just fast forward to tomorrow morning and put this day behind her. But she still had to look after Mia and then she prayed that once her workday was finished she could go home, have a bath and avoid her parents for the rest of the evening. She wasn't ready to go into more detail about her infertility and the problems it caused for David.

Eventually all the children from Mia's class had been handed over to their parents whilst Mia's teacher Mr. Moore, a tall man with greying hair and glasses that magnified his eyes, gestured for her to enter the school building. As soon as she stepped in the building, she saw the look of concern on the teacher's face and instantly knew that they would be having a conversation that didn't express Mia's good behaviour.

"Is something wrong?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Mia will be along in a moment. I know that Mr. Darcy has entrusted you to care for her so I thought I would speak with you and then Mr. Darcy this evening. Have there been any changes at home for Mia?" Mr. Moore asked.

Elizabeth shook her head.

"No. It's been the same as always as far as I'm aware. I feel we've bonded quite well in the eight weeks I've been in Mr. Darcy's employ." She replied.

Mr. Moore frowned.

"Over the last week we've noticed a change in Mia's behaviour. She's usually a well behaved child. She's very bright and positive. She's kind and thoughtful. However, over the last week we've noticed that she refuses to engage in guided reading or any group work with members of staff. She's 'forgotten' her homework too. Today she hasn't really wanted to participate in class discussions and whenever I've asked for her input to answer a question she's merely shrugged her shoulders and refused to make eye contact." The teacher said, his voice full of concern.

This was a complete different child that Mr. Moore was describing compared to the one she had gotten to know over the last eight weeks. Mia was always completing her homework and talking about her participation during the school day. As far as Elizabeth knew, there hadn't been any changes to Mia's home life that would have affected her this way.

"Has Mia complained of any incidences of bullying?" Elizabeth queried.

Mr. Moore shook his head.

"I've spoken with Mia's friends and they've confirmed that nobody has been nasty to Mia. Nor has Mia claimed to being bullied."

"Well…I guess I can try and gently approach the subject with her before her father finishes work. But I will speak with Mr. Darcy this evening and see if he can get to the bottom of it."

As the conversation ended, Mia entered the reception area and greeted Elizabeth with a small smile which caused Elizabeth to frown. Mia usually greeted her with more enthusiasm and more energy. But now, Mia looked exhausted and withdrawn, the complete opposite to the chatty child she had dropped off at school this morning. The two said their goodbyes to Mr. Moore and left the school, starting their walk to the community centre for Mia's trampolining class.

"Lizzy, I don't want to go trampolining today." Mia said quietly.

"Are you alright?" Elizabeth asked with a frown.

Mia nodded lazily.

"I just don't feel like it today."

"Are you sure? You like trampolining."

Mia nodded lazily once more, saying nothing as they carried on walking under the hot sun. In a few minutes of silence that followed, Elizabeth studied Mia as closely as she could. It was apparent that something was bothering her charge, due to the change in behaviour and spirit and her reluctance to participate in an activity that she had chosen and usually enjoyed.

"Mia, I hope you know that you can talk to me about anything." Elizabeth said reassuringly.

"I know." Mia said simply.

"Your teacher said that you've been out of sorts. Are you alright?"

Mia shrugged her shoulders and carried on walking, clearly preferring to remain as silent as she could.

"Mia?" Elizabeth pressed hard.

"I don't want to talk about it." Mia insisted.

"Mia, if something is wrong then you need to be brave and talk to me. I want to help but I can't if I don't know what's wrong."

"I'm just tired."

They crossed over the quiet road, with Mia running ahead to knock on the front door to the Darcy's house. Alice opened the front door and barely got to ask Mia how her day had gone as the little girl rushed up the stairs and into her bedroom.

"Is everything alright?" Alice asked with a frown.

Elizabeth sighed heavily.

"Her teacher has expressed concern. Over the past week Mia has refused to engage or participate during school hours." She replied.

"Oh dear. That's unusual for Mia, this is the first time they've ever expressed concern for her. Have they spoken to William yet?"

"Mr. Moore said that he would speak with him, I guess I can touch base with him once Mia goes to bed."

"Good idea. Are you staying for dinner tonight, Lizzy? I've got a shepherd's pie cooking."

It was a usual ritual, eating dinner with the family and tonight it was more welcome than it usually was. The thought of going home to face more questions from her mother and now her father, she wanted to prolong her return home tonight for as long as she possibly could. Nodding her head and smiling at Alice with gratitude, Elizabeth ascended the stairs to sit with Mia for a little while.

ooOoo

After dinner and her employer's request to sort Mia out for bed, Will sat down in his study and switched on his computer. The day had taken its toll on him, demanding clients who wanted his firm to sort out their mistakes without landing them in too much hot water, a phone call from Mia's teacher spouting about concerns about Mia's behaviour in school and on top of that he had Richard texting him asking if Elizabeth still had his number and he hadn't received a call from her yet. The last thing he needed was to persuade Elizabeth to give his cousin a chance and the last thing he wanted was to see Elizabeth in Richard's arms when he wanted to do that himself.

As he typed in the password to logon, there was a light rapping of knuckles against the open door to the study. He looked up through tired eyes and instantly smiled as he saw Elizabeth leaning against the door frame. Her wavy brown locks were loose today, falling down her back just past her shoulders. Her legs were on show, she wore a pair of denim shorts that showed off the curves of her thighs and backside. She was smiling at him awkwardly, her green eyes showing that she too was tired after a long day.

"Did you get the chance to speak with Mia's teacher?" Elizabeth asked.

It was clear that this was the first time she had ever brought up the subject of a child having trouble at school and she was unsure of how to sort the subject out.

"I did," Will confirmed, "I'm taking tomorrow off to have a meeting with Mr. Moore about it. It could just be that she only has two weeks before the summer holidays start and she's getting a bit fed up."

"Has she acted this way before?" Elizabeth asked.

Will shook his head. Hearing his daughter's teacher express concerns about his child surprised him. Mia was a good girl, it was very rare for her to act out. Even when she was upset she didn't usually shut people out, she usually sought comfort and reassurance from a loved one.

"I've tried talking to her about it and she insists that she's fine. I'll see how she is for the next two weeks and keep a close watch over her during the summer holidays and try and work out a pattern." Will replied.

"I know I don't know her as well as you do, but I'm worried something is bothering her. The child I've come to know the last eight weeks is different to the one I've seen today. Something is definitely wrong." Elizabeth sighed.

Will rose from his chair and walked around to the other side of his desk, leaning back against it. She continued to stand against the doorframe, her arms were now folded across her chest. All he wanted in that moment was to take the two steps that stood between them and press her up against that doorframe and kiss her. He wanted her body wrapped around his as he kissed her hotly, that long neck that he wanted to taste, those green eyes looking at him with want and need. He wanted to run his fingers through that soft looking hair. He wanted to make her his. But he couldn't. And it took that little voice in the back of his head reminding him of what his father had told him weeks ago to stop him from acting on his desires.

"I'll have another talk with her in the morning and see what I can do. I'm hoping this just a phase and she'll be alright. How did your meeting go with your solicitor?"

Elizabeth sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"I've accepted the money that David is offering but I don't want any of it. So, I've decided to give it to my niece and nephew for their futures."

His eyes widened in surprise.

"Wow…that's generous…does your sister know?" Will asked.

"Not yet. It's been a long day. I'll tell her next time I see her, I haven't even received the money yet so Jane has time to object if she wishes to." Elizabeth replied.

"That's a really nice thing for you to do." Will commented admirably, smiling warmly at her.

She blushed slightly and looked away briefly before meeting his gaze again. Her feet shuffled as if she were nervous or something.

"I want to do it. They need it far more than I do and it's not like I have children of my own to see their futures are secure. At least this money will pay for Lucy's adult care if she needs it or Peter's university if he chooses to get a degree." Elizabeth mumbled.

"You care a lot for them don't you? I've seen how much you care for Mia and I never thought it was possible to have someone care for my child like she was their own." Will said.

He noticed the pained expression on her face but it quickly faded before he could ask if she was okay.

"Anyway…I wanted to thank you for the time off today to attend the meeting. My solicitor charges a lot for weekend meetings." Elizabeth said gratefully.

"It's no problem. Anything I can do to help and of course, I will be paying you for the time off."

"Oh no you can't do that."

"I can."

"But it was a personal errand-"

"And if I want to pay you for a full day even if you had to do a personal errand than I will."

"I don't want a full day of pay when I haven't done a full day." Elizabeth argued.

"And I don't want to keep arguing about this. I choose to pay you for a full day and that's it." Will argued back.

"I'm not some money grabber you know, I'm not going to take a full day of pay when I've had to do something personal during my work hours!" Elizabeth shot at him.

"You don't have to prove yourself to anyone you know. You are good at your job and you're a remarkable person, Elizabeth. Take the gesture. Save the money for your own place and carry on doing an amazing job with my child. Carry on with your strength and determination to craft your own chapter in life." Will said softly, rubbing his eyes.

Elizabeth's face softened slightly after their debate regarding money.

"This is new…for me…" she mumbled.

"Having a generous boss?" Will joked.

"Well that…I meant working for someone full time and having a relationship the way we do…during my marriage I didn't get to have these experiences." She clarified.

"If it helps…this is new for me to. For so long, it was me, Mia and Alice. Alice has always looked after us since my wife died so having a childminder who I have come to enjoy spending time with and trust with my child is new to me." Will responded.

He didn't know what to do when she stepped between them and hugged him briefly before thanking him in a whisper. The softness of her voice in his ear sent a sensitive tingle down his neck before she stepped away, bidding him goodnight.

"Elizabeth?" he called.

She turned in the doorway, looking back at him through curious green eyes.

"Yes?" Elizabeth answered.

"I've been invited to a friend's barbecue on Saturday to celebrate his housewarming. Would you like to come with us?"

Nodding her head, Elizabeth smiled and left the room. Will heard her footsteps continue down the stairs and heard the goodbye she said to Alice before shutting the front door behind her. Letting out a sigh, wondering just what he was going to do about his daughter's troubles and his growing feelings for a woman he shouldn't have them for.

ooOoo

Elizabeth closed the front door behind her quietly, leaning back against it she closed her eyes for a few seconds and inhaled deeply. The day was coming to a close and it had been one of her most stressful since her split from David. All she wanted was to run herself a bath and then jump into bed and sleep. But a low cough in front of her made her open her eyes and the image of peace went out of her mind.

"How was your day?" her father asked quietly.

"Stressful. Yours?" Elizabeth replied with a defeated sigh.

Her father shrugged, he too had a look of stress upon his face.

"Your mother has gone to stay with your Uncle Ed for a few days." Thomas informed her.

Elizabeth nodded, taking note of the awkwardness between her and her father. She knew that he wanted to discuss what he had overheard when she and her mother had been arguing this afternoon but she wasn't ready to mourn with her family about her infertility. She wasn't ready to open up and discuss the two years of trying, the invasive tests, the experts who informed David she wouldn't be able to have his child. She wasn't ready to discuss the last few days of her marriage before David pulled out the divorce statement to her. All she wanted was to put this day behind her and start again tomorrow morning.

"Well I suppose we'll both have a few days of peace without her shrieking the house down." Elizabeth joked.

Her father chuckled lightly and twiddled his thumbs, making eye contact with her.

"Well…I should get to bed…work tomorrow…" Elizabeth mumbled.

Her father nodded but just as she was about to climb the stairs to head to the bathroom, her father pulled her in for a tight hug, squeezing her tightly that she found it difficult to breath at a regular pace.

"Dad…tight…"

"Lizzy, I hope you know that I love you no matter what." Thomas whispered.

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her dad's shoulders and hugged into him, feeling as if a weight had been slightly lifted from her. In that moment Elizabeth knew that Thomas understood that the subject was hers to talk about in her own time, that she had to come to terms with it before sharing her struggles with her family. Without going into the subject, Thomas was telling her in his own words that it didn't matter to him if she couldn't give him a grandchild, that her infertility wasn't a condition for his love and acceptance of her. And in that moment, Elizabeth shed a few tears on her father's shoulder after bottling up the grief of a dream she once had that had now shattered; feeling for the first time in weeks that she would be okay in the end.