We pulled in front of our home twelve days after leaving Netherfield. It was well after dark and we were exhausted. I carried Georgie up to her room and her crib but just before I laid her in it, I noticed the distinct layer of dust that covered everything. Heaving a sigh, I did a hasty shake and wipe down of her crib and blankets before laying her into it.

By the time I made it downstairs, Darcy already had all of our luggage in the house and was just about to lead the horse around to the barn. I began hauling the bags upstairs and started the tedious process of dusting down all of the immediate surfaces, such as the bed and table in Darcy's room.

I looked around Darcy's room and realized that I had only been in it once, and that had been so long ago. I then crossed the hall to my old room, and decided to unpack my clothing in there so that there would be more space for everything. I stripped the top blankets from each bed and carried them downstairs so I could properly shake them out. The thought of sleeping under that much dust was horrific.

I reached the bottom of the stairs just as Darcy was coming inside. He gave me a weary grin and bent to pick up the last bag and bring it upstairs. I made quick work of the blankets, and then returned to the bedroom. When I pushed open the door of Darcy's room, he was already half undressed. He took the blankets from me and threw them over the bed before beginning to undo the buttons on my dress.

"We are both exhausted," he murmured in my ear, and I felt a thrill go through me. "The rest can wait until morning. Let's get some sleep."

I managed a nod, suddenly too tired to try to speak. I wiggled out of my dress and flopped down onto the bed. Darcy climbed in after me and tucked the blankets around us before curling his body around mine. I snuggled into him and thought how good it felt to be home before I drifted off to sleep beside my husband.

Epilogue

Boom!

The fireworks danced in the sky for a few seconds before fizzling out, only to be replaced by the next explosion of color. Georgie clapped her hands delightedly, and we could hear the squeals from the other children around us.

It was the 4th of July, and the sea side town in Manhattan was ablaze with celebration. There were fairs, bands, food, fireworks, and flags. I had truly never seen anything like it, and was thrilled by the experience. It seemed the entire state had turned out to celebrate Independence Day.

I had another reason to celebrate. It had been almost a year since we had returned to America, during which time I hadn't seen any of my dear friends, although we wrote to each other often. As a belated first anniversary gift, Darcy had surprised me by announcing his plan for us to visit my family in England, and the ship was to leave early the next morning. I could not wait to see Jane and everyone else, even Mrs. Bennet.

Just then, the fireworks show ended with a brilliant finale before the sky went dark. Everyone clapped and began to get up to fold their blankets and gather their children. Darcy and I stood, and Darcy picked up Georgie before taking my hand. We made our way through the crowds and down the street to the inn we were staying at. It was the same one we had stayed at the first time I left for England, and I took a small moment to bask in the sentimentality of it. We climbed up to our room, and I took Georgie from Darcy. She was getting so big and heavy! Long gone was the peaceful child who slept through the night. Now, she was always full of energy, never wanting to go to bed or take naps, yet always seeming to wake up wanting a drink of water or having to visit the outhouse.

And the excitement of the day and the prospect of a different bed had only made her even more energetic.

"Georgie! Georgie!" I said, laughing as she bounced up and down, still hyped up from fireworks and sugar. "Georgiana! Stop for just a minute and let me get your dress off," I ordered. "William! How much sugar did you feed her today?" I asked exasperatedly, but still laughing.

Darcy looked sheepish, "She wanted the taffy so . . . ."

I mockingly gave him a stern look as I pulled Georgie's nightgown on over her head. And finally, just as I knew she would, she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. I had learned a few months ago that the trick was to actually get her into bed, and that then she would fall asleep fairly quickly. The problem was actually getting her to lay down.

I closed the curtain that divided the room in two, and turned to Darcy. I wrapped his arms around him and kissed his chin.

"Hello, Mr. Darcy," I murmured softly.

"Hello, Mrs. Darcy," he replied, before kissing me softly.

I pulled back to begin changing, and then peeked around the curtain at our sleeping Georgie.

"She is getting so big," I said, "She's almost two years old, Darcy, can you believe it?"

He chuckled, "I can, actually."

I turned back to him, "I miss being able to hold her. She is so active I can barely get a grip on her sometimes," I smiled wistfully, before gearing up the courage to whisper. "I want another baby, William."

I felt him still beside me, and turned to look at him. His eyes gleamed in excitement. "You really do?" he asked me.

"Yes, I really do," I said earnestly.

"Well then . . ." Darcy said, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me deeply and gently pushing me back against the bed.

I giggled as I fell, with Darcy beside me, still kissing me. I pulled back so I could just look into his eyes. I felt a blissful happiness then, as I looked at my past and my future, I knew that they would be forever entwined, and forever mine.

The End

Hi, everyone! Wow, this feels strange, the last chapter. It's been one year exactly since I started it. I would like to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, and even (especially, actually) PM'd me about this story. Your encouragement has helped me more than you'll ever know. And a massive thanks to my beta and best friend, Edelmira, for sticking with me through this entire story and giving me her honest opinion on my writing, without her this story would have been awful.

And one other little thing, I took a look at the numbers the other day and turns out, only a small fraction of alllll you readers have actually reviewed. A lurker myself, I can understand that, but I would like to ask all of you who haven't reviewed yet to please do so and tell me what you thought of this story. It is the first thing I have ever actually finished and it is my baby so I would appreciate your thoughts.

Thank you all once again for sticking with me on this story. I love you all. Bye!

P.S.- Happy 4th of July to all of my American readers!