Disclaimer: I don't own.

A/N: Thank you all so much for your kind reviews! We're getting closer to the reunion between Lizzy and her parents…

"Lizzy…" Paul called, shaking his friend gently. To the sleeping teenager, Paul's voice sounded very far away, like she was imagining it. "Lizzy, get up…you gotta see it--New York…Liz, we're in New York City." That got her to wake up real fast. She sat up from the floor of the van, blinking the sleep from her eyes. Slowly, everything came into focus and she was able to look out the car window.

"There ya have it, kiddo," Sgt. Pepper said, somewhat groggy. They had had a late night; none of them had fallen asleep until after two in the morning. Now, it was a little past eleven. Sgt. Pepper and Billy were the only ones awake besides Paul and Lizzy. George and Penny were still out, sleeping close together on the back seat in positions that didn't look too comfortable. "The Big Apple."

Cars were commuting close together in bumper-to-bumper traffic, bright yellow taxis standing out from the blur of colors. Masses of people were crossing the streets in all different directions, walking on the sidewalks, and moving in and out of stores and businesses. Towering skyscrapers dotted the city blocks among other apartment buildings, shops, and restaurants. It seemed as if everything moved fast, and everyone knew exactly where they were going. It was amazing to witness so much happening at once. The city was new and exciting, holding promise for Lizzy's future. She was pretty sure that she wanted to go to school here.

"Traffic's always hell in the city," Billy mused aloud from the driver's seat. "It's always worse on the day before Christmas."

The teenagers hadn't even realized that it was Christmas Eve until Billy pointed it out. Neither one had really paid any attention to the upcoming holiday, considering they'd been so focused on getting to New York. The past few days just melded together. Lizzy actually thought the timing was perfect--she'd get to spend this Christmas with her parents and the rest of her family.

"I can't believe we're here, Paul," she confessed. "Back in Florida, it seemed like this crazy idea I had. Something I could only wish for…and now the two of us are really in New York."

"Told ya we'd get there somehow." Paul replied smugly. Lizzy gave him a lopsided grin, punching him playfully in the arm.

"You kids don't mind sticking around for sound check, do ya? You can freshen up, get a bite to eat, and then we can get you on your way." Sgt. Pepper questioned.

"That's fine." Lizzy answered.

It took a good deal of time for them to get to the concert venue. Like Billy had said, driving was atrocious because of the holiday--it was like everyone was on the road. Paul could tell that Lizzy was extremely anxious; she probably didn't want to stay for sound check, but was being a good sport about it because they did give them a ride. If it weren't for the band, they'd still be freezing their asses off on some deserted road in Pennsylvania. There was the promise of a meal and the chance to get changed into some fresh clothes, so that was an incentive as well.

The concert venue was a café called The Word, a cozy place in comparison to the Glass Onion. It was very modern inside, and it appeared to be a very successful business. However, it left the teens wondering why a rock band would be performing there, because it was so quiet and sort of sophisticated. There was a large stage in the back corner, where the band immediately took up residence, lugging their equipment behind them. They started setting up while Paul and Lizzy made their way to the bathrooms.

Lizzy was thankful for the opportunity to freshen up, since she didn't want to look like crap when she did meet her parents. She changed into a new pair of jeans, making sure to tuck the picture of Lucy and Jude into on of the front pockets. She put on a red T-shirt, sliding her jean jacket over that; she kept her hoodie out to put on later when they left the café. Lizzy splashed some cold water onto her face and managed to brush her teeth in the bathroom sink, all the while receiving odd glances from women who came in and out. She tugged the hair tie out of her hair, which she had put up into a messy ponytail sometime during the night, and brushed her hair, deciding to leave it down. Lizzy dug Jude's hat out of her bag and placed it on her head, admiring it briefly before bending down to put her portfolio of artwork into the backpack without damaging any of it.

She went back to the main room of the café, joining Paul at a table closest to the stage. The band had their equipment mostly all set up, and were now talking into the mikes so the sound guy could get the right volume out of the speakers. George placed his guitar on its stand and came over, handing Paul some money.

"Get yourselves something to eat," he told the teenagers. "You kids look like you're starving." That wasn't very far from the truth; they really hadn't eaten anything besides a variety of unhealthy snack foods for the past few days. Paul ordered two cheeseburgers and a large order of French fries, and as soon as he brought the food to the table, they began consuming it rather quickly.

Meanwhile, onstage, the band was getting ready to play a swift run-through of a song for the purposes of the sound check. Sgt. Pepper, George, and Billy moved toward the mikes; George and Billy were guitarists, Sgt. Pepper played bass. Penny was on drums, which wasn't all that surprising, given her wild personality. Penny counted them off, beating her drum sticks together, and they went into a high energy rock song with Sgt. Pepper singing lead:

"It was twenty years ago today
Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play
They've been going in and out of style
But they're guaranteed to raise a smile
So may I introduce to you
the act you've know for all these years
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band…"

George and Billy accompanied Sgt Pepper on the chorus:

"We're Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
We hope you will enjoy the show
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
Sit back and let the evening go
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
It's wonderful to be here
It's certainly a thrill
You're such a lovely audience
We'd like to take you home with us
We'd love to take you home…"

Sgt. Pepper took up the next part himself, guitar screaming and singing with intensity:

"I don't really want to stop the show
But I thought you might like to know
That the singers going to sing a song
And he wants you all to sing along
So may I introduce to you
The one and only Billy Shears…"

He gestured animatedly to Billy, who stepped forward, his own guitar wailing. Sgt Pepper and the rest of the band practically yelled the last line,

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band!"

Once they stopped, the patrons of the café erupted in applause, and the band took a bow. The band had definitely brought some life into the rather sleepy atmosphere. They would most likely bring in a large crowd tonight, which would mean some good business for the café as well. Hopefully, the band would create a bigger following for themselves. Sgt. Pepper stepped off the stage, said something to the sound guy, and then he began testing the volume of the drums, which consisted of Penny hitting each repeatedly with her sticks. He set his guitar down before heading over to Lizzy and Paul's table. He gave Lizzy what appeared to be several twenty dollar bills--an amount of sixty dollars.

"Call yourselves a cab to get to the Village." he instructed.

"Thank you." Lizzy said politely.

"Good luck finding your parents, Lizzy. Tell Sadie and JoJo I said hi."

"Will do."

"Thanks…for everything you've done for us. We appreciate it. Make sure to pass that along to your band mates. And…good luck with the show tonight." Paul said.

"Thanks, kid." Sgt. Pepper answered. He gave them a wave, then returned to his place on the stage.

"Ready to go?" Paul inquired of his best friend. She nodded eagerly, already pulling her sweatshirt on. They gave a final wave to the band, and grabbed their belongings. The teenagers exited the café and stepped outside into the snow, which had begun to fall again. Lizzy fished the piece of paper with the address of the Greenwich apartment written on it out of her bag while Paul hailed a cab for them. It took a few tries, but in the end he was able to successfully flag down a taxi.

They slid into the back seat, setting their bags onto the floor by their feet. Once Lizzy slammed the door shut, she handed the paper to the cab driver, an older man with a graying beard.

"Take us to this address, please." she requested.

"No problem." he said brightly, nodding. He took off, setting the paper on the dashboard. Lizzy sat back, settling comfortably beside Paul. She removed the picture of her parents from her pocket, and kept it in her hands to look at every so often.

She could hardly contain her excitement about the impending reunion between herself and her parents. Lizzy wondered what they were like now, and how their lives had changed since she left them fifteen years ago. The one question that had somehow been at the back of her mind was whether Jude and Lucy had had any more children. She guessed that, by now, they had to be more financially stable. Why wouldn't they have more kids? Lizzy pushed aside a sudden bad thought--what if they'd forgotten about her? What if she turned up on their doorstep and was not welcomed? Sure, Jude had said in his letter that he wanted her to find her way back to them, but years had passed, and things change…

Lizzy shook that train of thought from her mind. She was sure that her parents wouldn't slam the door in her face or anything, even if they'd had more children. She was still their child, too, no matter what. And from what she could remember from the two years with her family, they were very loving and kind people. Their personalities and attitudes couldn't have changed much.

Distractedly, the seventeen-year-old twisted the strawberry pendant between her thumb and index finger, as her thoughts continued to wander. She couldn't wait to show Jude and Lucy her art; she also intended to show them her acceptance letter from SVA, in hopes that they could work something out where Lizzy could live with them again and go to school in New York. That is, if they wanted her to stay with them; she didn't want to force herself on her family, especially if they didn't have room for her. Either way, Lizzy had a strong feeling that Lucy and Jude would appreciate her work and the letter much more than the Harrisons did.

Speaking of the Harrisons…Lizzy wondered what they were doing back in Florida right about now. She hadn't spoken to them in days, and on top of that, she had borrowed their car. They were probably freaking out, and gathering a mad, wide-spread search for her. Lizzy speculated whether they'd put two and two together and realized she'd ran off to New York. Mr. Harrison wouldn't be happy when he found out she left his expensive sports car on a random road in Pennsylvania, if and when she contacted them. But at this point, Lizzy didn't care about what the Harrisons' reactions would be. Screw the search party--she was fine. She was in New York, and on her way to see Lucy and Jude again.

"The weather's getting worse." Paul pointed out, tearing Lizzy from her reverie. She gazed out the window of the cab and saw that the snow was coming down harder and much more quickly, creating white-out conditions; the teens could barely see five cars ahead of them. The awful snow storm, combined with the heavy traffic made the trip longer for all of them. Lizzy was getting more anxious by the minute, and Paul was becoming anxious for her. The driver, meanwhile, was uneasy about traveling in such terrible weather.

"Shouldn't be much longer." The man reassured them nonetheless. After awhile, the traffic lightened, but the snow didn't let up. The driver took it slow, trying to turn down as many side streets as possible. Finally, he turned onto the street where the apartment building was located, and stopped right in front of the place.

"Thank you," Lizzy said to the taxi driver, paying him for the commute and including a tip because of the holiday. "Merry Christmas." She stuffed the remaining twenty dollar bill into her jeans pocket, and the two teens grabbed their bags before departing from the taxi. They ran from the car into the building, where they stood in the hall to brush a bit of the snow off their clothes. Lizzy had memorized the apartment number, so she and Paul started up the stairs. With each step she took, Lizzy's stomach did excited flip flops, and the grin never left her face.

At the top of the landing, they paused to catch their breath (it was an strenuous trip, what with the lack of sleep and having to carry their bags with them up a great number of staircases.) right outside the door of the correct apartment. As soon as Lizzy was able to compose herself, she stepped up to the door, and after an encouraging nod from Paul, she knocked on it, heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't believe this was really happening…she was about to reunite with her parents…

The door opened a few short moments later; the two seventeen-year-olds were met with someone unfamiliar--a young red headed woman with a small, sleeping child cradled against her hip. The young mother appeared to be equally as confused as Paul and Lizzy were.

"Can I help you?" she asked Lizzy. The teenage girl held back tears, getting a strange sense of foreboding.

"Yeah…I'm looking for Lucy and Jude Feeny." Lizzy stated, showing the young woman the photograph of her biological parents.

"Sorry," The red head answered. "They don't live here. You must have the wrong address."

"What's going on, Isabelle?" A voice asked from inside the apartment. An older woman with slightly graying red hair--presumably, the young woman's mother--came into view. "Who's at the door?"

"Just two kids," The young woman, Isabelle, informed her. The older woman approached the door. "They're looking for some people."

"Who are you looking for, honey?" Isabelle's mother asked Lizzy. The teenager handed the picture to her.

"Lucy and Jude Feeny," she said. "My parents." The older woman gave her a somewhat puzzled look, but decided not to ask questions as she gave the photo back to the teen.

"They don't live here no more, sweetie," Isabelle's mom admitted. "They moved out awhile ago." Lizzy looked down at her shoes momentarily, fighting back a wave of emotion. She'd thought she was so close…but she guessed nothing was ever that easy.

"Okay," Lizzy replied dejectedly. "Thanks…sorry to bother you." Isabelle shut the door, finding herself saddened by the upset look in the young girl's blue eyes. Once the door closed, Lizzy backed away, dropping her bags by the stairs. She slid down to the floor and put her face in her hands. The tears came, and she didn't try to stop them. They'd already gone through so much that this latest obstacle left her overwhelmed.

"This was a mistake," Lizzy wept, her voice slightly muffled. "We shouldn't have come here." Paul immediately let go of his belongings and knelt by his friend's side, hating to see her so unbelievably upset. He ran a comforting hand along her back, trying to calm her down.

"Don't say that," Paul told her softly. "It wasn't a mistake. We'll find them, Lizzy. I promise."

"New York City is huge, Paul," she mumbled. "How do you expect us to find them?"

Unbeknownst to the two teens, Isabelle and her mother had heard Lizzy's distressed sobs, and felt bad for them. Isabelle's mother opened up the door; it nearly broke her heart to see the young girl in such a depressing state--and on Christmas Eve, of all days. It was obvious that she was desperate about finding these people.

"I…I might have their new address on record," The kind old woman told them. "I'll go check--wait right here." Lizzy finally looked up, wiping tears from her face. She and Paul waited as patiently as humanly possible for her to return. When she did, she was carrying a small piece of paper, which she handed over to Paul. "Here you go."

"Thank you so much…you don't know how much this means to me." Lizzy said sincerely, her voice still shaking the tiniest bit.

"I think I have some idea," The woman replied. "Merry Christmas, kids." She disappeared into the apartment, and Lizzy picked herself up off the floor, sniffling. Paul passed the paper to her.

"909 Blue Jay Way…Apartment number 64," Lizzy read out loud. "Let's go." They took hold of their things and went down the flights of stairs quickly, Lizzy finding a new sense of determination.

"Liz, twenty dollars isn't enough to get us there." Paul realized as they went out into the snow once again.

"I'm aware of that."

They called a cab and climbed in fast, like two people in the midst of a wild goose chase. That's what it felt like, really. Lizzy told the driver the address, and explained that they only had twenty dollars on them. He said he'd take them as far as he could with that much money, and then promised to give them directions so they could walk the rest of the way. Lizzy was prepared to do so, as long as it got her to her parents.