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A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews!! You guys keep me writing!

Martha Feeny was everything Lizzy had pictured her to be. She'd seen photos of her, of course--they were a bit outdated--but nothing compared to meeting her in person. She was everything Lizzy thought a proper grandma would look and act like. She had only been used to Maggie and Charlie's parents, and the Carrigans--neither experience had turned out to be a good one, either. So, as soon as the teenager laid eyes on her Liverpudlian grandmother, she couldn't help but feel incredibly welcomed.

Once she had seen her son, daughter-in-law, and long-lost granddaughter on her doorstep, Martha almost burst into tears she was so happy. She ushered them inside the front hall quickly, shutting the door to block out the chilly afternoon air.

Martha pulled her son into a tight embrace, kissing his forehead. "Judey, I'm so glad you're home!" Lizzy stifled her laughter when she noticed her father make a face at the little nickname his mother used. It was similar to the face Paul made whenever she addressed him as 'Paulie'…

Jude hugged his mother back, smiling. "It's good to be home, too, mum." he replied. Glancing around, he discovered that his childhood home hadn't changed all that much, besides maybe the updated furniture and a few new paint colors.

Martha shared a hug with Lucy next. "Lucy, dear, you look lovely, as always." She genuinely liked Lucy from the moment Jude described her on the phone late one night during his first trip to America. Martha had liked Jude's ex-girlfriend, Molly, to some degree, but with Lucy it was somewhat different. She noticed how truly happy Lucy had made her son, and any woman who could do that was okay in her book. In the months that followed Jude's deportation, Martha could see how lonely and depressed he was without her. When he finally decided to go back and make things right, Martha was overjoyed--and now that his family was all in one piece, she was ecstatic.

Lucy blushed at the compliment. "Thank you."

When Martha approached Lizzy, a few tears escaped from her warm, brown eyes. Her father's eyes, she noted. So much of Jude reflected this woman; she could easily detect the physical features they both shared. "Oh, Lizzy," she said, grinning, "you've grown into such a beautiful young woman…it's so good to see you again. I know you probably don't remember me. The last time I saw ya, you were just a little baby--and a cute baby, at that." she laughed.

"We have a lot to catch up on." Lizzy agreed, as her grandmother embraced her. She felt at ease immediately. It was a nice feeling. Although, Lizzy knew that feeling would cause her a lot of trouble when it was time to leave. But, she wouldn't worry about that now.

"No time like the present, right?" Martha asked.

"Right." The teenager nodded.

"Well, then, let's get you settled," Martha declared. "Jude, you and Lucy can take the guest bedroom down the hall, and I'll show Lizzy where she'll be stayin', in yer old room."

Jude obliged, and proceeded to take both Lucy and their luggage to the guest room. Meanwhile, Lizzy grabbed her belongings and followed her grandmother up the flight of stairs to the loft, where Jude's room was located. The layout of the house was strange; the house was really narrow, but deep, in that it went far back. It also seemed to have somewhat of a maze of hallways and rooms to make up for the lack of space--she made a mental note to check everything out when she got the chance.

Jude's room was small, with a bed, a desk and chair, and a dresser. The walls were painted a vibrant blue. Lizzy wondered whether it was painted blue because Jude was a boy, or because he actually liked the color. It made her wonder even more, then, if it was his favorite color, did he find it ironic that the woman he fell in love with and married had eyes that were almost the same shade? And a daughter who had inherited that trait?

Or maybe she was just over-analyzing things and letting her imagination get a hold of her thoughts.

"So, Lizzy, what do you think of yer graduation present?" Martha asked, fixing the sheets and pillows on the bed while Lizzy dropped her luggage onto the floor.

"I can't thank you enough, really. This is honestly one of the nicest things anyone's done for me."

"I think you'll enjoy it here," Martha mused. "There's plenty to do, as I'm sure yer father has told you. The coast, the city…and, there are some kids who live in this neighborhood that I think are around yer age."

"What about hearing embarrassing stories of my dad when he was a kid?" Lizzy asked, grinning mischievously. That was something she would definitely enjoy doing.

Martha returned the grin. "I'm sure we'll 'ave plenty of time for that," she responded. "As a matter of fact…" She opened up the top drawer of the desk, and pulled out a stack of papers, handing them over to her granddaughter. It wasn't anything embarrassing about Jude, but it did pertain to the period of time when he was raised in Liverpool. The papers were drawings, which progressed in complexity and skill. Each one was dated, with the most recent being the most detailed.

"Oh, wow," Lizzy said, flipping through all of them. She was amazed at how much his talent had developed over the years. Even from an early age, she could tell that the talent was always there. "This is cool…that you kept all of these like this. It's interesting to look through."

"Whenever Jude got the chance, he would come up here and started drawing for hours at a time, if he could," Martha recalled. "It's a shame he couldn't go to school for it."

"He turned out to be an amazing artist either way," Lizzy pointed out. "Everyone loves his work back in New York."

Martha chuckled to herself. The compassion she heard in her granddaughter's voice almost mirrored Lucy's tone. "I can see it now," she said, "yer so much like yer parents, Lizzy."

"I get that a lot nowadays."

"They're good people," Martha declared, and Lizzy nodded in agreement. "It's funny…to see that they are just as in love as they were in the sixties. You're mum makes my son so happy, Lizzy, and when he went back to America, I knew everything was goin' to be all right." Lizzy smiled, remembering the story of her parents' reunion on the top of the studio in the middle of New York City.

"One day, Lizzy, yer going to meet someone who makes you that happy."

"It would be nice."

"It'll happen," Martha reassured her. "and when it does, you'll know."

This made Lizzy a little bit curious.

"Did it…ever happen for you?" she asked. She knew her grandmother had never been married, but there had to be at least some guy who had swept her off her feet, in a way. Maybe it was her dad's biological father? Or someone else, perhaps?

Martha sighed, and took a seat on the bed. She patted the space of blanket beside her, inviting Lizzy to sit. Lizzy complied, interested to hear what her grandmother had to say. However, she could pick up on the sadness hidden in Martha's eyes, and almost regretted asking.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have…"

"It's all right, dear. You asked, so I'll tell ya," Martha answered. "I loved Wes, but it wasn't at all like the love I had before I met him. I was maybe yer age, or a bit younger. His name was Jude--that's where yer father gets his namesake."

"Really?" Lizzy asked, intrigued.

Martha nodded and continued, "We were so in love, Lizzy. We would spend hours together. He was a real gentleman--always polite and respectful. My parents adored him. I was convinced that he would ask me to marry him…it was common, in those days, to get married at your age," Martha's eyes lit up as she relayed the story of her own experience with young love, and she felt as if she was a teenager again. "And then…for whatever reason--I do not remember why--we had a horrible fight. He walked away, and I didn't go after him. I never saw him after that. It makes me wonder where he is now…"

"And you named my dad after him…?"

"I suppose that wouldn't make too much sense to you," she laughed. "but the way I saw it, your father was a gift, and when he was born, I knew he would change my life and make it better. Jude was like that for me, too. Up until the fight, that is. But the times I spent with him were some of the best. I wouldn't trade me son for the world, though."

Jude had gone back to America after Lucy partly because of Martha's past experience. She didn't go after what could've been her true love, but he did. She reconciled her mistake vicariously through her son, knowing that he would've regretted it deeply if he hadn't gone back. Martha was pleased when it turned out all right--when Jude and Lucy got married, and gave her a grandchild.

"There's a lesson to be learned here, Lizzy," Martha said. "I'll tell ya the same thing I told yer father: if you find that someone, don't let them get away."

Lizzy couldn't ignore the icy pang of guilt that gripped her heart as Martha said those words.

The next day was spent lounging around the house, playing 'catch up' between Martha, Jude, Lucy and Lizzy. The three newcomers were quite jet-lagged, so they decided to set this day aside to do nothing in particular. They made good use of the time, however; talking and enjoying each other's company. Lizzy listened to stories from both Martha and Jude about memorable points in his childhood. She was surprised to learn that her father was quite the troublemaker when he was a boy, and had a slight rebellious streak as an adolescent. So, in summary, Lizzy's own rebellious nature hadn't entirely come from Max. (Obviously, Max wasn't her parent, but she had inherited some gene that they shared that caused this behavior. Which was then doubled by Jude's hidden defiance. At least, that was her logic…)

The following afternoon, Jude took Lucy and Lizzy on the Mersey Ferry to the Wirral Peninsula, while Martha stayed back at the house to prepare a large dinner. Luckily, they had chosen a slightly warmer and sunny day to go. Lizzy brought her sketchbook and charcoals along, excited to draw some of the views on the coast. There was a long stretch of beach, that went on for miles both ways. Near the shore, there was a pathway made out of large rocks; the water was shallow enough that people were able to walk easily across them. Situated a short distance away from that path of rocks, there was a large, white lighthouse.

The lighthouse was what Lizzy was sketching when her parents decided that they should venture out onto the rocks. Lizzy, being a person who was automatically drawn to any aspect of a beach, was all for it. She left her sketching things on the blanket they had brought to sit on the sand, and Jude led his wife and daughter off shore.

The teenager immediately felt at peace with the wind blowing through her hair and the smell of the sea surrounding her. She stood on the rocks with her eyes closed, listening to the waves crashing, the seagulls circling overhead, and her parents talking.

Jude was behind Lucy, with his arms around her waist. Her hands were on top of his, and she was leaning slightly into his chest. Both of their gazes were off in the distance, looking intently at the large expanse of water before them. Lucy felt oddly at home here, miles and miles away from their apartment in New York.

"When I came back to Liverpool after being deported," Jude's accented words cut through Lucy's thoughts, "I'd come to the Wirral all the time, and walk out here, or sit on the beach alone. I'd always be thinking of you."

Lucy giggled. "That's weird…I would always end up at the pier one way or another, and somehow, my thoughts were always about you, too."

With her eyes still closed, Lizzy smirked.

Yeah, Lucy and Jude's story had turned out all right.

But what about her story? A new chapter was just beginning, and she wasn't sure what adventures were ahead of her…

A/N: I hope you liked that chapter! Please review--it's greatly appreciated! Hopefully, I'll be able to update sooner…