They sat in the car. Simply that; they sat, neither said anything they never did after events like that. Lotte stared out the windshield. Albie would have said something if he had known what to say, but he kept quiet; deadly so, not wanting to pull Lotte out of her thoughts prematurely. "I don't want to go back there." Lotte's voice broke the silence.

"Yale? I think that's going to be pretty hard seeing as how that's where you're going to be going to school next year."

"No; not Yale. His home." It was blunt she didn't need to tell Albie who 'he' was, Albie knew. Nothing more was said for the rest of the ride. They entered the city and slowly made their way towards his apartment. Lotte stepped out of the car, she watched as she placed her foot on the ground, so gently as if she was treating it like a crystal vase. Albie took the blanket out of the trunk and walked around the car to see what was wrong with Lotte; she had gotten out of the car and was now staring up at the building. In an almost inaudible whisper Lotte said: home, before walking into the lobby of the apartment building. Albie hadn't heard the whisper and continued after her, they passed the pieces of his neighbors' lives that they could see from their 'white house tour' of them. Lotte stopped before the door almost bracing herself for what was to come, even though she knew what was going to be on the other side. There in the living room would be the chair outdated chair that she had found while in the Village, the refrigerator door coffee table, the sleeper couch that was given to Albie's aunt as a wedding gift, then passed the rest of the living room furniture would be his desk that was constantly covered with photo negatives and test strips. On the other side of the room was the coat closet, which Albie had transformed in to a very small darkroom, for the times when he couldn't get in to work. Passed all of that was the bedroom with the persistently unmade bed, sheets bundled at the bottom of the bed, clothes about the floor and every which way, then the bathroom one of the few places – the other being the kitchen – that Albie kept remarkably clean. Albie stood in the door way slightly confused as why Lotte hadn't moved from her position. Shaking out the fog, Lotte walked in to the apartment; leaving behind her life from before, she shut the door behind her not letting her life follow. Albie was in the kitchen that had not been updated since the fifties, his head in the fridge.

"You want anything? Water, beer, juice?" Albie withdrew his head from the fridge to see her answer, Lotte just shook her head. Albie pulled out with a beer in hand and walked over to the couch where Lotte had settled herself, as he passed he placed a kiss on the top of her head and continued on to his desk. Lotte sat there still unmoving; she looked so out of place even though she knew this was the place she was supposed to be. A china doll that had been put in and amongst the much beloved rag dolls. Her bag made a small tune; she knew that tune, that was his tune. She still didn't move.

"Hmmm. She isn't answering her phone."

"Is that normal?"

"For Lotte? Yeah, I wouldn't say it was completely out of the ordinary."

"It would have been nice to meet her today. But I guess I don't really set what day we meet; she does." Rory paused as she noticed Logan glancing at his watch. "Well, I should let you get going I've taken up all of your time…Would you look at that, it's practically dinner time. Well call me when she decides if she wants to see me."

"Do you have plans?

"What?" Rory stopped half way out of her chair.

"Do you have dinner plans?"

"Uhhhh. Actually no, I don't. I was just going to go back to the hotel…"

"Come eat dinner with me." Logan pleaded up at Rory, his eyes betraying him.

"Okay."

"She sounds so interesting. Oh, now I have to meet her." Dinner was coming to an end, and Rory now knew just about everything that she could possibly know with out meeting Lotte.
"I've told you everything about mine and Lotte's life, now tell me about yours." As Rory enlightened about the years in which she had disappeared. She felt as if the time they had spent apart was now slipping away and they were old friends just telling the days events. This felt right to her. Rory felt completely herself at that moment. There was no playing a game, there was no pretending; she could just be.

Lotte stared at the ceiling. The window was open and it rippled the sheets; she rolled away from Albie's arms and sat up, she let the sheet slip slightly before she grabbed it and pushed her self out of bed the curtains in the bedroom blocked the blue light from lighting her way, but she didn't need it she knew her way she knew where each piece of clothing had landed and where each piece of furniture was located. She needed no map, she needed no light. Stepping to the closet in the room she took out a robe and dropped the sheet. Shuffling to the living room Lotte looked around this was now her place to be, this was her only place now; she needed no clearance from Albie to call this home, he had started to expect as such the year before and at that point told her his home was hers and had given her the key.

"Lotte? Is that you?" Albie stood in the door way he was naked and didn't really seem to notice.

"Yeah, it's me." Albie began to make his way closer to her, but she stopped him with a firm hand motion.

"Are you okay? You've been acting strange all day, is there something wrong? Are you sick? Are you…?" Albie stopped himself on the last one; hoping that if he didn't finish the sentence it wouldn't be true.

"Pregnant?... No, I'm not pregnant." Lotte could almost feel the breath that Albie exhaled in relief. She sniggered at his relief. "Well now I know what kind of reaction you'll have if I ever am." Albie held out his hand.

"Come back to bed. I've gotten cold." Lotte didn't move. "What's wrong? Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to guess?" Lotte turned to face him a small smile on her face him. Her eyes full of a sadness that had been growing behind them over time and had chosen now to reveal it's self.

"I'm coming."

Note: So I've written another chapter, it took me a while. 'Why?' you ask because I have discovered that I only like to write at midnight and can only find time for this when I really don't want to do homework ( like tonight). I would like feedback on the story format: is this nice, is it confusing? I'd really like to know what you like to read, also any suggestions on the next events ( I do have a way that Rory is going to meet Lotte – the next chapter – but I'd also like to know how you think it should go). As usual, please read and review and if you have any questions I would be more than happy to answer them.

Mavis

P.S. The 'white house tour' is from the episode where Luke takes his boat back.