Disclaimer: I don't own anything…except Lizzy, Paul, Clara, the Harrisons and any other character you don't recognize.

A/N: Hey, all! I apologize profusely for the extremely long wait…but I'm back. Life got in the way, as did writer's block, college, and some personal matters.

Thank you for the wonderful reviews! (And actually, Chapter 42 received the most reviews thus far! It was also the longest chapter I've written for this story. Which is awesome.) I'm glad to have such amazing readers and reviewers who have been faithfully following this story. And again, I am SO unbelievably sorry for keeping you waiting. And really, I didn't want to put up some crappy excuse for a chapter; I wanted to give you guys something good to read, even if it is somewhat short. I think the next chapter will be longer, because I want Lizzy's Florida visit to be all in one chapter.

And by the way, points to those who successfully picked out the RENT quote: "Why does distance make us wise?" sung by Roger to Mimi in the song, "Your Eyes". Enjoy Chapter 43! Please review—it's always appreciated!

Lizzy was settled in the center of her bed, dressed in a white tank top and light cotton pajama capri pants. It wasn't even eight-thirty, but she'd retreated into her room for some down time. She sat against the headboard, bare ankles crossed over each other, somewhat relaxed. A soft breeze fluttered through the window, which was open halfway to let in some fresh air to fight the late August humidity. It had begun to rain a few minutes ago, so Lizzy could hear the pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the pavement and roofs of buildings surrounding her own. The wind brought with it that sweet, clean scent of rain that she loved, especially during the summertime. The storm mirrored her saddened emotions but also provided a sense of tranquility, balancing the internal struggle Lizzy was feeling about the trip to Florida.

She was due to leave tomorrow morning. Her suitcase was sitting in the corner, abandoned. She had had the intention of packing early and not procrastinating about it, but whenever she'd tried, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Ever since her last phone call with Paul (and she hadn't heard from him since; she couldn't force herself to call him, either), she'd been torn about the whole upcoming visit. On one hand, she was excited to see Mr. and Mrs. Harrison again and stay in the house she grew up in for a weekend. However, seeing Paul would break her heart more, now that she knew he was dating someone else. And, if Paul happened to be hanging out with his new girlfriend while she visited with him, the entire situation would be awkward. Lizzy had hated the uneasiness between them on the phone last time; nothing had ever been that tense between them before. If it was worse with them being face to face, Lizzy wasn't sure if she could take that.

They'd been best friends—close, inseparable friends since preschool. How had they managed to effectively screw that up in the course of almost a year? Lizzy had gained a lot. Her true family, a new home and a fresh start, a college education at the school of her dreams… How could she have gotten so much but lost what felt like the same amount? She and Paul had nearly made their relationship work, but Lizzy had thought it best that they end it; the distance would be too much, she assumed. Now the distance and her past choices were causing their friendship to crumble. That was last thing Lizzy wanted. Paul's friendship meant the world to her. Paul had been there for her through everything, even before she had learned about all of this adoption business. And what did she do to him? She left him in the dust—left him behind for a better life in the Big Apple with all the opportunities she could ever want.

Lizzy was realizing this with bitter heartache. She'd been so overwhelmed and excited about the quick turn of events that she hadn't exactly taken into account Paul's feelings or reactions. She'd asked him, of course, but she could see now that there had been something wrong. She'd broken up with him. She'd made the decision. Paul had gained nothing from this, and that made Lizzy both angry and upset at herself. How could she have been so selfish? To her best friend, of all people in this world? Lizzy had pushed away and possibly ruined the relationship she'd had with the one person who knew her better than she knew herself. Was it too late to repair the damage? Would 'sorry' be enough?

The teenager wiped away a tear that had escaped and slid down her cheek as someone knocked on the door.

Startled, Lizzy asked, "Who is it?"

"It's Sadie, sweet pea."

"Come in."

Sadie opened the door just so she could fit through, and closed it quietly behind her. She shook her head at the sullen teenager, as well as the empty suitcase, knowing that something was up. Lizzy's usually bright, cheerful demeanor hadn't been quite right since she'd talked to Paul last. Jude and Lucy had been especially concerned but hadn't been able to get a word about it out of their daughter. Sadie figured she could do her best to help, considering her past 'girl talk' sessions with Lizzy.

The singer approached the bed where her niece sat, and Lizzy scooted over to make room for Sadie. Sadie took up residence on the edge of the bed while the teenager drew her knees up to her chest, her cobalt eyes welling up with unshed tears. Humming a tune softly, Sadie began running her hand through Lizzy's dark brown hair. They stayed like that for some time before Sadie attempted to get some answers.

"Lizzy," she started delicately, "What's the matter, baby? What happened to the sunshine? Where'd my girl go?"

"I don't know."

Sadie shook her head again, laughing somewhat. "I think we both know that's a lie," she answered. "You can talk to me, Lizzy. It's all right. Tell me what's got you down."

Lizzy's stomach twisted into knots. "Paul has a girlfriend."

"And this clearly upsets you."

She nodded. "It shouldn't," Lizzy admitted, "but it does." She shifted positions, folding her legs instead. She took a deep breath, and Sadie waited for her to continue, getting the feeling that the teenager had more to say.

"I miss what we had. I still…I still love him, Sadie."

"Of course you do, sweet pea. What you two had together was special—anyone could see that."

"I just want things to go back to the way they were. I wish we could get back together. I wish I hadn't been so damn selfish. I hurt him—I know I hurt him, but I didn't realize it 'til now. I want to make things right again…apologize for hurting him because now I know how it feels."

"Well, you know that old saying, baby: 'Karma's a bitch'. You learned it the hard way."

Lizzy grunted in response, aware that she kind of deserved it.

"I'm proud of you, Lizzy. Not everyone can admit their mistakes. It's a hard thing to do, but it makes you more of an adult for doing it."

"Do you think Paul will ever forgive me?" she asked. "That he'll ever…possibly…want me back?"

"To be honest, I don't really know. You'll have to see how this pans out. Just talk to him, Lizzy. That's what the two of you need right now—a nice, long chat to sort things through."

They sat in silence for a bit, with Lizzy weighing Sadie's words. The singer was right. She couldn't shy away from this; she had to deal with it, despite the fact that it had caused her heartache and regret. Paul needed to know that she recognized her past mistakes and felt incredibly terrible for hurting him. That was the only way they could repair their friendship and perhaps continue their romantic relationship sometime in the future.

All of these twists and turns in her life were beginning to make her dizzy.

"Besides," Sadie declared suddenly, after awhile, "I doubt this girl he's seeing is better than you."

Lizzy let out of half-hearted laugh, shrugging. "You're just saying that because you're my aunt."

"Jeez, squirt, we get you back for a few weeks and then you leave again." Max told the teenager the next morning while loading her suitcase into the family van. He had offered to drive Lizzy to the airport, accompanied by both Michelle and Eleanor, who had gotten up early for the excursion.

"I'll be back in a few days, Uncle Max." Lizzy replied in a teasing tone, rolling her eyes playfully. She climbed into the passenger seat while Michelle and Eleanor sat beside each other in the back. Max pulled the door closed and slid into the driver's side, slamming his own door shut.

"Yeah, no more leaving for fifteen years shit." He remarked.

Michelle gasped, mocking, "Ooh, Daddy, I'm gonna tell Mom you swore."

Max scoffed. "Go right ahead. I don't care."

"Fine. I will."

"Okay, then."

Lizzy smiled at the ever-present father/daughter banter. Then again, he could virtually create any sort of banter with anyone, but it was especially cute between Max and his daughter, or Max and his wife.

The rest of the ride to the airport went on like that. Max would tease his daughter and she would mock-argue with him, and both Eleanor and Lizzy would either laugh or roll their eyes at their uncle's immaturity. As they parked in one of the temporary parking lots at the airport, Michelle got bored with the banter and started—politely as she could manage—asking Lizzy to bring her something back from Florida. Lizzy promised that she would get something special for each of them, and Max and Jimi, too.

"What about me?" Max wanted to know.

Lizzy shook her head. "Only if you behave while I'm gone." She taunted with a smirk.

"Yes, ma'am."

They walked her into the airport, going as far as they were allowed. Lizzy said her goodbyes to her uncle and cousins before walking off to wait in the designated area for her flight to start boarding its passengers. When it was time, she stepped onto the plane with her stomach doing flip-flops out of both excitement and dread. Unfortunately, she didn't have a window seat, so she couldn't preoccupy herself with the views of the sky and clouds while they flew. It was extremely early in the morning, but Lizzy wasn't compelled to sleep for most of the flight, either. Instead, she busied herself with sketching—a beach scene, a page of mindless doodles, a skyline of towering buildings—for half the plane ride. The other half was spent writing out possible conversation starters for the impending talk Lizzy needed to have with Paul. She hadn't felt this miserable about talking with her best friend since they'd had that conversation that ended their romantic relationship. It was ironic how this chat was a direct result of the first one.

No matter how Lizzy tried to word it, she couldn't come up with something good enough. Everything seemed too cliché and overused. But maybe that was the route she had to go, even if she hated it. Lizzy had briefly considered writing him a note and just leaving it in the mailbox at his apartment building, but that made her look like too much of a coward. And that would most likely make the whole situation worse. She couldn't avoid Paul during this trip—there wouldn't be a way to do that at all. Besides, despite the awkwardness and approaching heavy conversation, Lizzy missed him and wanted to see him. She had to face this. She had to face her mistakes and attempt to fix them.

However, she also kept thinking about the possible reactions Paul would have. So many unanswered questions swam around in her mind. What would he say? Would he forgive her? Would he be upset that she hadn't figured out her mistake sooner? Or would he be happy that she had acknowledged her error and was trying to make amends? Most heart-wrenching of all: would he still continue dating this girl? It seemed wrong to be so jealous of her, but Lizzy couldn't help it even if it was her fault. She'd let Paul go, and someone else had taken him. And now she had realized that she hadn't really meant to let him go in the first place.

When the plane landed, Lizzy's stomach started flip-flopping again, and it wasn't from the impact of the plane touching back down. Gathering her carry-on things, she heaved one last loud sigh and exited the plane, mentally preparing herself for what she knew would be a very interesting visit.