Hello ! I'm so sorry for the very long delay.. I've been very very with school and everything...

I hope this chapter is worth the wait !

...

Elsie was sitting on a chair in the airport, reading a magazine; Violet and Igor were sitting next to her, chatting. Her daughters were in the toilets, refreshing themselves- in fact, it was more Sybil redoing her make-up before Tom's arrival. Elsie smiled to herself as she thought back to how she had learnt of his existence, and above all, how Charles had learnt about Tom's existence.

"Mum, please, will you come with Dad and us to the station... I don't want him to become angry at me," Sybil had asked her mother when Charles had proposed to take them back at the train station.

"Oh, so you're just using me as a shield?" Elsie teased her daughter.

When they all had climbed in the car, after they had said their goodbye to everyone, nobody talked for a while. Elsie felt her phone vibrate in her purse and read the text from Beryl: 'Good luck! X."

"So, Sybil, could you tell me more about Tom?" Charles asked, watching his daughter in the mirror.

"Well, we met a little while ago, and we're together now. But I didn't tell anyone except Anna. I told mum yesterday..."

"Sybil, I'm not angry with you, you know. It's just hard for me to know that there is another man in your life." Charles said smiling.

"I know, but I promise you will like him!" Sybil put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it before pulling back. "There is just something I would like to tell you, before you meet him next week... He is a musician, and I mean, it's his job; he wants to be a musician..."

Charles was about to speak when he felt Elsie's hand on his. He turned his head to look at her, her look saying, "She is in love; trust her. She knows what she is doing; support her." And when she took back her hand, he just said,"Then, I would like to hear what he is doing." Charles was happy to have said that; the three women in his car were smiling.

"Elsie? Do you know when Charles is coming with the others? He said that he would pick up Isobel and Richard."

"No, I don't know, Violet... But I could text him..."

"Yes, please, my dear."

Elsie took her phone to write a message to read it two times before sending it.

"Here you are, ladies! Let me help you with your bags," Charles said as he climbed out of his car.

"We have 20 minutes before your train you want to take a tea? " Elsie asked her daughters.

Five minutes later they were sitting at a table and speaking about Anna and John.

"Dad, I'm too young to get married!" Anna said. Elsie and Sybil laughed loud. The youngest was very relieved by the fact that her father had said nothing about her relationship with Tom, butshe was a little disturbed anyway. But right now, he was talking about her sister so SHE was relieved.

"Yes! That's not what I said, nor what I want! I'm just saying that if John wants to propose to you, he has to do it properly."

Elsie choked on her tea, which made the three other look at her.

"No offence, Charles, really, but I don't think your proposal was very proper."

"Well, I..." Charles started but was cut by his eldest.

"Mum, please,will you tell us?"

Elsie came out of her dream to the sound of her phone. "On my way to the airport. X. Charles." She smiled.

Elsie and Charles were sitting on the sofa, both watching a movie. He had his hand around her shoulder playing with her hair. He seemed tense this night, so Elsie had proposed to watch a movie.

"Elsie, do you want to go to Violet's place this Saturday?" he asked suddenly.

" not?"

"We could do some shopping at the same time and have a dinner in a restaurant. Would you want to?" Elsie turned her head to look at him and nodded, smiling.

"And would you marry me?" Elsie stopped. Really stopped. Her breath was caught in her throat, her eyes not blinking... Charles was looking at her with such a look, love written all over his face, and fear, a little, maybe, too.

"Yes," she whispered. "Yes!" she screamed then.

Charles dropped on his knee, in front of her legs, taking a little box from the pocket of his pants. He opened it and Elsie saw the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

"Elizabeth Hughes, I would be the happiest and the proudest man in the world to have you as my wife. So, Elsie, my Elsie, will you marryme?"

She didn't respond. She literally jumped on him, making him fall on the floor, with her resting on top of him. She kissed him, and itwas only the lack of air that made her stop.

"Charles, I love you so much! I will be the lucky one to marry you. So yes, my Charlie, I want to marry you!"

That was what she had told her daughters. Of course, she didn't reveal that she and Charles had ended up completely naked, making love on the floor, not two minutes after that.

Their daughters had the 'soft' side of the story. Sybil had said that it was "so romantic," and Anna had promised her father that John would propose 'correctly' to her when the time would come. After that, they had put their daughters on the train.

"Elsie, there is something I need to tell you."

"Yes?"

"If Chloé and I are no longer together, it's because I chose it. No, please, wait. I know that you saw us in the restaurant, that she saw you, and that's why she flirted with me. But I didn't see you. What she did is unforgivable. I will not forgive her for that. And please, don't say that I didn't need to split with her because of that, because I needed to. Elsie, I would never ever make you suffer like she did. Thatwas immature. I'm so sorry." Charles was breathless when he finished. They were both silent in his car.

Elsie turned her head to him. "Thank you. Really, Charles. But if you love her..."

"Love her? Elsie! I love... I don't love her. And you are more precious to me than she is."

Charles had arrived at the airport at the same time as Robert and Cora, who also had Beryl and Bill with them. Tom had also arrivedand had been presented to all the family.

Charles and Elsie had been the first ones to meet him, and everything had gone well.

They were sitting side by side when Sybil came, hand in hand, with a very handsome young man.

Elsie turned to Charles to whisper"Be nice, please." He nodded, his eyes still on the man before him.

"Mum, Dad, this is Tom. Tom Branson." Tom extended his hand to Elsie.

"I'm pleased to finally meet you, Tom."

"Thank you so much,Mrs. Carson. Mr. Carson, I'm happy that we're meeting." Charles shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Tom. I hope this holiday with us won't make you run away." Charles joked before checking his watch.

Elsie felt proud and smiled.

"Oh, I have to put our bags over there. Could you help me, Tom?" Charles had asked.

"Of course,Mr. Carson." Tom squeezed Sybil's hand and went with Charles.

Before Sybil could go anywhere, Elsie grabbed her by the hand.

"Why is he calling me 'Mrs. Carson'? You didn't tell him that we're divorced?"

"Oh, I didn't? Well I must have forgotten... Shall we go help them?"

Sybil walked away, leaving a stunned Elsie behind.

Now, Elsie was sitting in her place in the plane, by the window. Igor had reserved the place in the same order as he did last weekend, so Elsie was sitting next to Charles. But she didn't mind really; he was the only one who could calm her in this circumstance.

She was trying to breathe calmly, but she still felt the knot in her stomach. When Charles sat down with his book in his hand, he looked at her.

"Are you al... Oh,God, I didn't remember that you were afraid of flying." Charles said, putting his hand on hers.

"I'm fine... I'm just, tense." Elsie smiled back at him. She enjoyed the feeling of his fingers but could not relax.

The light switched on and Elsie buckled her belt very quickly and closed her eyes.

"Elsie, Elsie, look at me. Everything will be fine, I promise." He smiled gently at her. She nodded.

They both heard Sybil laugh and looked at each other.

"Do you like him?" Elsie asked.

"Tom? Well, I don't really know, but I think he's not ugly, and apparently he makes her laugh. And this is all I want, to protect them and to make them happy," Charles said, his eyes on Elsie.

"Well, that's easy... They can twist you around their little finger..." Elsie smiled but it faded when the plane started to move. She almost missed what Charles said.

"Just like their mother." Elsie turned her head to Charles but closed her eyes when the plane left the earth.

"Elsie, it will be fine and very quick. Here, relax." Charles took her hand in his and traced little circles.

"Charles, talk to me please..." Elsie begged. When Charles heard his daughter laugh again he knew what he would talk about.

"Do you remember when we had the girls? When we learnt that we would have Anna? And then when you told me that you were pregnant with Sybil? I can't believe that it was so long ago..." Elsie laughed gently.

"I know. Our little chance and our little miracle." She smiled back at him.

They were just married when they decided to have a child. It had been an easy decision. They both wanted it very much. But time had passed and Elsie had never fallenpregnant. One day, Charles had come home with a big smile on his face. He was working on a case of a mother who had mistreated her little baby girl. Elsie had asked himwhy on earth he was smiling, and he answered that the baby had to be adopted. If not, she would be placed in boarding school. Elsie met the little baby and fell in love with her "little Anna", their "little chance,"immediately. They made the arrangements, and as Charles had been working on the case, adoption was easier. Of course they told her the truth, and Anna had always been pleased to have parents like them.

Charles was laughing quietly, and Elsie didn't really know why.

"What?"

"Nothing... I just... I was remembering the day you told me you were pregnant."

"Oh, yes..." Elsie joined him.

"Charles?"

"Kitchen!" He yelled. "You're here early. Els! Why are you crying, Darling?"

"Charles, I'm... I'm..."

"What? You're what? Speak, Elsie, please!"

"I'm pregnant!" She put her hands in front of her mouth. Anna was sitting in her chair, eating the supper that her Daddy had made her. She was looking at her parents, not really knowing if 'pregnant' was a good thing or not, because now, her Mummy had a big smile on her face but tears in her eyes, and her Daddy was not speaking or blinking anymore.

"Charles! Speak! Say something!"

"You're pregnant? I'll be a dad again? You're pregnant!" He was shouting, tears in his eyes. He kissed her soundly on the lips, before dropping to his knees. Putting his arms around her waist, he kissed her still flat stomach. "I love you, Elsie! I'm going tobe a dad again!"

When her father kissed her Mummy once again on the lips, Anna decided that 'pregnant' was a good thing.

"It was a good moment." Elsie said after a little while. Charles turned his head to look at her. Their faces were close, very close. Elsie moved her hand, intertwining their fingers together. Charles closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he was lost in her big blue eyes, her pretty red lips.

"Have dinner with me tonight?"

"Yes."

Charles had asked and Elsie had answered so quickly that they both needed a moment to register it.

"I think we need to talk."

"I think so, too." Charles bent down a little towards her, to give her time to reject him if she wanted to. And then, in the plane full of their family and friends, their hands still linked, Charles kissed Elsie. Not a rough kiss, not even a sensual one, but a sweet one, full of promises.

Elsie could finally relax, but she knew that there was still a long road ahead of them. It would be a painful and long one, and it would start tonight. Both of them knew it.