A/N: This chapter is helping to set up the next phase of the story. No E/D interactions here but we need this chapter to help get us there. You will also see that this chapter introduces another character - familiar to you all - who you will see in a bit... Thanks to all of my loyal commenters. I have tried to respond to them all - at least the ones I can...
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Taylor Swift's voice drifted out into the hallway. 'Yup, Jane was back,' Lizzy thought to herself as she walked towards their triple. Walking into their room she was surprised to see both of her roommates sitting on their beds, computers resting on their laps, working away. As the door opened, Jane's head popped up.
"Hey chica! How was your weekend?" Jane cheerfully greeted Lizzy while Charlotte's eyes turned towards the door.
"Lizzyyyyyyy!" Charlotte enthused. "Wow! I can't remember a time recently when all three of us were all here in the evening."
Lizzy walked in and hugged her roomies. "It's sooo good to see you guys! Jane, how'd ya manage to tear yourself away from Charlie?"
Jane turned pink and then answered, "Charlie had to help his sister move back into her apartment and I thought they should spend some brother-sister time together." Looking back at Lizzy she asked "By the way, did William Darcy find you today? I hadn't realized you were working on a project together."
Lizzy's brows rose, "How'd you know that William was looking for me?"
"He called Charlie saying that your phone was going to voicemail and that he needed to find you. What project are you two working on?" Jane enquired again.
"I hadn't realized he'd called Charlie looking for me. I'm, um, working on an article on illegal immigration and he's helping me research it. He's taking a class on immigration at HLS this semester." Lizzy explained, uneasy as to what Jane knew.
"I think Charlie's in that class with him. I'm sure if you asked, Charlie'd love to help out too." Jane said with a smile.
"Thanks Jane. I'll ask him if I need to." Lizzy replied.
"You know my dad might be able to help too. He's a magistrate judge and often hears the preliminaries in these cases. It's amazing to me how many people are here in the US illegally. My mom would always joke that she never had to worry about hiring someone who's here illegally. When we were looking for household help she'd always slip into the conversation that dad was a judge and it was amazing how quickly many candidates 'needed to be going.'" Charlotte chuckled.
"From the news coverage I've seen, this seems to be a pretty big issue in the Latino community. I'd imagine that your Spanish must be helpful in getting the immigrant perspective. Have you met or interviewed anyone who's here illegally?" Jane asked with wide eyes.
Lizzy thought she might pass out from the conversation. She wasn't sure how to answer Jane and was certainly glad she hadn't told Charlotte about her recent problems. She hadn't thought about the fact that Charlotte's dad was a magistrate and no matter how warm and jovial he was whenever they met, she'd want to steer clear of him.
"Lizzy are you ok? You look almost green. Are you going to be sick?" Jane asked with concern.
"Oh, I'm fine. So, what are you both doing for Thanksgiving?" Lizzy asked trying to ignore Jane's questions and change the current conversation towards a new direction.
"I spoke with my parents today and it looks like we'll be joining the Bingley family in Palm Beach for the week. They have a home there and they've invited us to join them. Isn't that so nice of them? I'm so excited for my parents to meet his parents." Jane enthused.
"Wow Jane. Things are moving fast!" Lizzy teased.
"Well my mom really doesn't tolerate the cold weather very well so she wanted to go someplace warm for Thanksgiving. Once I mentioned that we might be traveling south for Thanksgiving to Charlie, he extended the invitation. It was so gracious of Charlie's family to invite us." Jane said with a shy smile. "How about you Charlotte? What are you doing?" Jane asked, also eager to change the subject.
"We're having the standard Lucas family thanksgiving in Merrick. My brothers will try to beat each other up playing football with my cousins and my sister and I'll help my mom with dinner." Charlotte shared. "What about you Lizzy? Anything planned?"
"Nope, not really. Just the standard." Lizzy replied. "It sounds like of the three of us, Jane will have the most to report." she teased.
Jane rolled her eyes and tried to not look overly embarrassed. "Alright, enough! Just you two wait. When you have a guy you like, I will remember this."
Settling into her bed, Lizzy opened her laptop, attempting to focus on the paper she desperately needed to work on. Her mind kept drifting to William and his sister though. After two hours had passed, Lizzy had made marginal progress on her paper and decided to call it a night. She was drained from the drama of the day and needed to sleep.
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Monday morning found a white blanket of snow had fallen over the campus. The bright sunshine reflected the snow radiating the sun across Harvard Yard. While the campus was filled with students and staff alike, the bright glare made it difficult for anyone to see clearly, giving everyone the feeling of anonymity. It was this sensation, of being alone in the midst of a crowd of people, that had plagued Lizzy these past few weeks. This feeling fueled a sense of hopelessness and she knew after yesterday, she'd need to redouble her efforts to fight it. She wasn't alone in fact. There was a small band of people who were putting aside issues in the own lives to help her. She would not reward them by sinking in despair. And so, in this solitude Lizzy began to contemplate the prior days events and their impact on her future.
Walking towards Professor Gardiner's office, Lizzy began to create her to-do list. This list would keep her moving forward over the coming months. On her list for the day was to find somewhere to spend Thanksgiving and possibly the winter holidays. There was no way she was hanging out with the Lopez family, especially if her sister wasn't speaking to her. Technically, she could likely go to her parents' apartment and spend the holidays there alone, but that was a surefire way to thoroughly reinforce that sense of 'aloneness' that she was desperate to avoid. She had been worried about paying next semester's tuition but thankfully that worry had quickly resolved. Her financial aid package covered almost everything but a small family contribution she was expected to make. Lizzy had been pleasantly surprised to see that her papa had deposited $5000 into her checking account before leaving. That would cover her portion of tuition for the following semester and help tie her over for awhile. Lizzy had learned to get by on very little and with her savings, plus the newly deposited funds, she felt a small amount of relief on that score at any rate.
The walk went by quickly and she soon found herself in front of her first stop for the morning. University Hall was one of the first buildings constructed on campus. A statue of John Harvard sat in front, his front shoe gleaming as tourists and students alike rubbed it for good luck. Lizzy had never been a superstitious person but on this morning decided to rub his toe before running up the stairs to reach the door of the old building. Most of the building housed school administration but a few professors, who split their time between teaching and administration, had offices in the building as well. Professor Gardiner was one of them. Climbing to the second floor, Lizzy could see a light shining out of her advisor's office. Lizzy quickly knocked and waited to be invited in.
"Come in," Professor Gardiner's voice called out.
Lizzy opened the door, stepped in and quickly closed the door behind her.
"Lizzy, I am so glad you came by this morning. I just got off of the phone with Professor Gilpin. He's a little worried about you. Is everything ok?"
She wondered if Will had spoken to the Professor already about her parent's departure. "It's been an eventful set of days that's for sure. I'm not really sure how I'm faring but I am trying to focus on solutions and not overly worry about my problems, if that makes any sense." Lizzy joked.
"I think it does. Professor Gilpin mentioned a rather unproductive conversation with your parents. Is that the problem you are trying to solve right now? I know you spoke with Maddy and I thought you were feeling a little better after dinner last week, but I promised the Professor I'd check in with you." Edward Gardiner asked.
"Well, I guess Professor Gilpin isn't up-to-date. I do plan to see him tomorrow and will update him then. At any rate, last night I realized that the advice and help I require is not purely legal in nature. Hence, I showed up on your doorstep this morning. Do you have some time for me?" Lizzy asked hopefully.
"Of course I do. What can I do for you?" Professor Gardiner said, directing them to the sitting area in his office.
Lizzy filled the Professor in on her very eventful Sunday, leaving out the details Williams had shared about his own life, of course. The professor reviewed the letter from Lizzy's father and listened to Lizzy's concerns about how her sister had reacted and her potential homeless state. To say he was surprised would have been an understatement.
"Lizzy, I am surprised to see you sitting here so calmly. In all my years I have never heard such an incredible turn of events. I'm relieved that this letter didn't simply arrive in your school mailbox and that you were with someone. Maddy will not believe it all when I tell her. Speaking of which, you will be spending Thanksgiving with our family. I expect to see you arrive at our home next weekend for the entirety of the break. Maddy wouldn't forgive me if I didn't make that offer now. Ok?" The professor insisted.
"Thank you so very much. I was hoping I might be able to at least join you for Thanksgiving dinner. Like I said, things are uncertain at my home in JP given Maria's reaction and all, and I really don't want to spend the holiday by myself. I wasn't sure how to explain this all to Charlotte, who was my other option." Lizzy said with relief.
"Lizzy, you are like a daughter to me and Maddy. You are welcome anytime and we want you to feel comfortable asking us for anything. I will let Maddy know that you'll be arriving on Saturday to spend the week with us. The dorms close next weekend right?" He asked.
"They close on Sunday morning but most people are taking off on Friday afternoon or Saturday." Lizzy responded.
"Alright. We look forward to it. I want to warn you that we'll be spending the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving up in Maine at the home of a very unusual woman. My chair is endowed by the DeBourgh family and Catherine DeBourgh continues to fund a significant amount of my research. As long as you maintain your sense of humor, you might find the trip to Maine entertaining." Professor Gardiner said cryptically.
"Thank you so very much. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude about all of this and I have to admit that it is a constant effort." Lizzy said with a forced smile.
"Come to dinner tonight. I know that Maddy will want to talk with you." Edward Gardiner offered.
Lizzy smiled a bit more genuinely, "Thanks. The other issues I have on my to-do list are a bit more complicated than Thanksgiving plans. I need to figure out how to deal with my financial aid for my senior year now that I'm on my own and won't be able to supply the financial information my parent's have provided in years past. I also need to figure out what to do about pursuing a student visa. I'd appreciate you and Maddy helping me think through these various issues and others I haven't yet thought of."
Mr. Gardiner sat back. Yes, his favorite student was in a fine mess and they would need to think carefully though all of this before taking any action. He could easily see how anyone would be overwhelmed, let alone a young college student, and he marveled at her strength and poise once again. "I think we should plan to all meet together, you, me, Maddy, Professor Gilpin and this law student who's been helping. Perhaps together we can craft the best way forward. I will call Gilpin after your meeting tomorrow so we can plan out the information we need to ensure our joint conversation is a productive one."
Taking a deep breath, Lizzy was reassured that she was following the right path. Her father had done what he could and she was now launched into real life. Her 21st birthday was quickly approaching and she set a goal that by her birthday she would have a plan in place.
"I will see you this evening for dinner. I will repay all of your kindness somehow, once I get through all of this." Lizzy said as she stood.
"Lizzy, friends don't keep accounts." Professor Gardiner said as he gave her shoulder a squeeze.
Comments, thoughts, all of it is soooo welcome and VERY motivating...