Howdy! Trying to maintain the regular schedule once again. Back by popular demand is a relatively light and fluffy D&E chapter. That seemed to be the consensus from the reviewing audience so hopefully it reflects what the rest of you wanted as well. I also attempt to address some particular questions/criticisms in this chapter. Hopefully people aren't offended by the views expressed. I respect all views but do have some of my own and my Lizzy shares those views.

At any rate, I've also been following all of the uproar about poaching content. It's tremendously hideous and have taken the liberty of copywriting my original written work b/c this story really is a labor of love that I'm sharing with you because I love to. I'd hate the idea of someone taking what I've written and assigning their own name to it. Really, really cheap. I do believe in karma - and the law - and the power of voice - so I will fight back if anything is taken from me.

Lizzy stumbled into the kitchen to find boxes strewn about the floor. The smell of toast had beckoned her to the room and she was hoping William wouldn't mind too much if she snagged a slice. He was no where to be found however. Grabbing a bit of her favorite peach marmalade out of the refrigerator, Lizzy placed one of the slices of bread on a plate and made her way towards the breakfast bar.

The ding of the toaster must have called William back to the kitchen. "You're awake?"

Feeling like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar, Lizzy smiled sheepishly. "Yup. You don't mind do you? I'll make you another slice of toast."

"I was making that for you. Enjoy."

Reaching up she place a light kiss on his cheek. "You're sweet." As she layered a thick coat of peach jam on her bread Lizzy decided to inquire as to the explosion of cardboard boxes in the kitchen.

"I went out for an early morning run and wound up by the Target in Allston. Have you ever been? They've got everything in that store. I went inside to browse and found so many things we needed."

Lizzy joined his enthusiasm, encouraging him to share his new finds.

"For starters, I got this coffee machine. We have one in the office and everyone loves it. You can make one cup at a time and it makes tea too. That way you don't have the aroma of a full pot of coffee permeating the house and making you nauseous. They have Starbucks and Peet's coffee but they also have all kinds of tea. I thought it would be perfect for you so I bought one, plus a holder for the different cups and a whole bunch of teas and coffees." He was like a kid in a candy story. There must have been 15 boxes of k-cups. They'd have enough tea and coffee to last a year. "I also got this hand vac for the bedroom. You know to clean up the crackers." He seemed eminently pleased with his purchases. The love affair with Target had begun.

Repressing her urge to roll her eyes at his shopping spree, she ventured to ask, "How did you get home with all of this?"

"I had to call a cab so my run was cut short. The coffee is pretty good though and it's fast."

Lizzy was desperately holding back a laugh as he made her a cup of tea, so pleased was he with his new purchases. It's the little things that make him happy.

"Anything else you purchased?"

"I thought about it. They have a pretty extensive baby section but I thought you'd prefer if we did that together. Who knew babies needed so many things? This condo is definitely not large enough. I think we might need to buy a house before the baby comes." William was rambling, his mind awhirl. She'd never seen him like this.

"Let's just take it one step at a time. Ok?"

William was busy breaking down boxes and didn't seem to note the tentative tone in her voice. "Of course, but I imagine Cambridge real estate, especially near campus, is rather tight. We might want to find a realtor who can keep their eyes out for us."

Lizzy was not ready for such a heady conversation at 9:15 on a Sunday morning. In reality, her life felt like it was spinning out of control. Thoughts of baby supplies and a house were more than she was ready to acknowledge while she was still coming to terms with the uncertainty a baby would add. Tears began to prick her eyes and she was doing all she could to hold them in. Forcing the toast down her throat, Lizzy took some deep breaths to try and contain her emotions. William was seemingly oblivious to her emotions however and continued on this vein.

"Maybe you could ask Maddy if she knows any good realtors in the area. She could also ask around at the kids school perhaps. It's often best to get into homes before they actually go on the market." It was at this moment that William finally took a look at Lizzy, tears streaming down her face.

"Excuse me." Lizzy turned and rushed out of the room, overwhelmed by her nausea, William's house plans, his shopping, really, everything.

It took a moment for William to process Lizzy's departure. Setting down the mug of tea he'd prepared, he quickly followed behind only to find her locked in the bathroom. "Lizzy? Are you ok?"

He couldn't hear much through the door but stood waiting, his ear pressed against it hoping to hear something. A few minutes passed and there was still no answer.

"Lizzy just let me know you're not ill. I'm worried about you."

"Give me a minute." Lizzy called out. It was more like three or four before she pulled open the door, William stumbling a bit forward as he was still leaning close. Lizzy's eyes were red, a towel clutched in her hand. Pulling her into a hug, he held her for a minute. "Let's sit and you can tell me what's upsetting you. I'm sorry if it was me."

Shaking her head no, Lizzy followed William into the living room and allowed herself to be pulled into his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for running out like that. I got...overwhelmed."

"Talk to me Lizzy. We promised to be open with each other. I promise to fix whatever it is that's upsetting you." William was holding her close. As he reviewed his comments a thought popped into his head. Maybe she was upset about the hand vacuum. He thought she'd find the humor in it but the book said she might be more sensitive. William wanted to kick himself for being such a dolt. "I can return the hand vac. I don't mind crumbs."

"What?"

"The hand vac. If it's upsetting you, I'm happy to return it. I didn't mean to insult you."

"I don't care about the hand vac. We could always use a second one anyway."

"Oh. Then why are you crying?"

"Why am I crying? You think I'm crying about a hand vacuum?" Crossing her arms, Lizzy was insulted that William would think such a little thing would upset her. She wasn't sure she wanted to talk to him right now.

William was smart enough to realize he had further insulted her. Tears made him nervous. He wasn't exactly sure how but he wanted to resolve whatever he'd done to make her cry. His next best strategy was to simply be quiet, holding her in his arms and waiting for her to speak. After an indeterminate amount of time passed, but this strategy seemed to work. At least, she began to talk and William simply nodded his head and periodically squeezed her a little closer in answer to her words.

The words didn't come quickly or easily and started in short bursts. "I'm scared. No, not scared but this is all happening in a way I never expected. I never expected to get married in college and certainly never expected to have a baby before I graduated." Taking a deep breath in a desperate attempt to organize her frazzled thoughts, Lizzy tried again. "It hasn't been easy, these past few years. I thought, or hoped, that I could actually spend the next year and a half as a normal student. Married, but not juggling school and outside responsibilities. I was excited to just simply be a student. That was the gift, one of them anyway, that marrying you gave me. It wasn't the reason I married you but secretly, I'd thought how nice it was to have that benefit. Becoming pregnant changes all of that. I can't even imagine graduating now or doing my internship. I know you've said we'll work it all out but then you started talking about buying houses and I got overwhelmed. I've known that I was pregnant for less than 48 hours and you're talking about baby equipment and houses. I feel like my life is passing before my eyes and I can't figure out where I fit in it. I'm sorry. I'm not making any sense."

They sat in silence for a few moments, Lizzy's words filling William's thoughts and emotions. He had to ask, "Lizzy, do you want to terminate this pregnancy?"

"What? No! No, that's not what I meant at all!" Her physical reaction matched her words. Calming herself Lizzy hurried to explain herself "This is unexpected. I own to being disappointed on the timing but I couldn't. Even though I'm absolutely pro-choice, this baby's timing is unfortunate but we're married, we love one another, we can support a child. Messing up my timing isn't a good enough reason for such a decision." She could feel the tension leave William. That he'd even suggest such a thing surprised her but also made her grateful. If she wasn't confident of his support before, there was certainly no doubt now.

And he was relieved. He didn't understand how much having a baby, building a family would mean to him until the initial thought took hold. He would have supported her but he was much, much happier with her answer. "What do you need Lizzy? What do you want? I promise to do everything I can to help you get it." William vowed.

"I need a plan. The baby is due September 18th. I can't see anyway that I can go to school in the fall. Not only will having a baby in the first weeks of term be difficult but they require a lot of care and I don't want to outsource all of that. If I'm going to be a mother then I want to be there for our baby. If I'm a student, I want to be confident that I can be an excellent one. Beyond that, I need to talk to Professor Gardiner. I need to get my degree and he can help me figure out the best way to do that. It may be hubris, or that I don't know what I'm talking about but given everything I've juggled in the past, I'm pretty sure I can handle this, once the baby's sleeping and a little more independent. Maybe that means taking a year off. I'm not sure yet."

William had listened to her thoughts. There was one thing that was still nagging him. They'd promised to be open but he also didn't want to see her cry again. As he puzzled through how to begin, Lizzy wondered at how quiet he was being. Looking up at his face she could see the crease in his brow that signaled something wasn't quite right. "William, tell me what you're thinking. I've told you my thoughts, what do you need?"

Her words gave him the courage he needed. "You're not doing this alone Lizzy. We're having a baby and together we will make this work. You kept saying that you were going to figure everything out but what I need is to figure this out together."

Turning in his arms, Lizzy quickly kissed him. "I'm sorry. Of course. We will figure this out, but can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything."

"Can we just adjust first to the idea of a baby before we make any plans, buy any baby things or especially a house. I need to let this settle first, before we do anything."

"That's easy. But there's one thing I'd like to do this morning."

Lizzy raised a brow in inquiry, waiting for him to continue.

"I find it an incredible turn-on to know you are carrying my baby. Do you think, can we return to bed and possibly celebrate a little?"

Lizzy appreciated the change in direction of their conversation. After a few kisses on the couch, his desire to celebrate was welcomed.

Brunch with the Fitzwilliam's was a comfortable affair. With the sun shining this morning, the sun room was a pleasant place for the four of them to congregate. William eschewed his typical coffee, requesting mint tea from his aunt. Once requested, Lizzy seconded the idea, grateful for how considerate and sweet he was being. By the time the food was placed on the table it was close to 11:30 and Lizzy's appetite had returned in force. The four had a pleasant conversation about family and plans for the coming weeks. With the semester starting on Monday, Lizzy was mostly looking forward to her routine of classes, friends and the Crimson. Sophia and Lizzy made plans to meet up for dinner on Wednesday and she was invited to join them for brunch again the following Sunday while William was out of the country. Sophia was also in the planning stages for an engagement party for her son and his fiancé and asked Lizzy if she could get her opinion on a few things. This provided the perfect opening for William to have the conversation he needed to have with his uncle.

Henry Fitzwilliam had thought little could surprise him when it came to his sister and yet she'd managed to outdo herself over these past few months. Her actions with regard to their niece and nephew had surprised him so he thought he was prepared for anything William might share this morning. He was wrong. As William recapped the prior evening's discussion with a Mr. Collins, Henry set still in his chair, mouth agape.

"What could she mean by pulling her legal matters away from the law firm our family, and her husband's family, founded over 100 years ago? No doubt our father and Louis would be rolling over their graves if they knew of this."

"I can only imagine she has plans for which she wants no one in the family to know. Not that anyone at D&F would ever break attorney-client privilege but she must have something up her sleeve. I haven't mentioned this to Lizzy yet. She has enough on her plate right now. I don't want her to worry about her immigration or any questions my aunt may deem fit to raise about our marriage."

Henry shook his head in disbelief. He would not allow his sister to bring havoc to their lives. She'd done enough already. "You and Lizzy have nothing to worry about on either score. Your marriage is perfectly legal and was witnessed by your family and close friends, including lawyers and a US Senator. I'm not worried about that. And it doesn't sound as if this Collins fellow has any background in immigration law so I'm not worried about that. It does seem that she must be up to some trouble however."

"Do you have any ideas as to what she might be up to?"

"No, but I do have a thought. This business about the codicil always bothered me. Why wouldn't George have mentioned it to me? And why would Catherine be the right person to have custody? Why not me and Sophia? It never felt right and I should have pushed harder on that question. I think it's time for us to do so now. I'm in Boston this week for meetings with constituents but I think I can make some time to visit with our counsel to see what more we can learn about the codicil's creation. Who drafted it? Why weren't we made aware of it at the time of your father's passing? Do I have your permission to raise these questions?"

"Absolutely. I'll be very interested in whatever you learn. If we can't stop her new plans at least we can raise issues with her prior claims and distract her for awhile."

With those issues dealt with, William and Henry discussed his upcoming trip to Asia. The ladies found them deep in discussion having concluded the review of Sophia's engagement party plans. Lizzy had little to add to Sophia's plans but she understood the need for a sounding board and was happy that William's aunt viewed her as someone she'd view in that light.

"So what do you two have planned for the afternoon?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe take a stroll down Newbury Street and stop at the Pru to check out the Barnes & Nobles there. What do you think Lizzy?"

"Sounds perfect. I'm enjoying my last day of freedom from school requirements."

The pair took their leave and began to stroll towards Newbury. For the end of January, it was surprisingly warm, almost 40 degrees and as longstanding residents of the Northeast knew when to take advantage of the unexpected nice winter day. For all the years that Lizzy had lived in Boston, she had spent very little time on Newbury Street, especially on the portion of the street closest to the Public Garden. She could never afford anything in the shops at that end of the street so why should she bother? There were a few stores however that peaked her interest and she enjoyed looking at the beautiful objects in the Simon Pearce store. Lizzy found a very simple and beautifully carved walnut wooden tray that would serve as a nice complement to their coffee table and could be used for serving. At $100 she couldn't imagine the purchase and quickly returned it to its spot.

"That's a beautiful tray. What were you thinking we could use it for?"

"Oh nothing. It's ridiculously expensive."

"Lizzy. Tell me. Do you like it?"

"As you said, it's beautiful but who needs a $100 tray to put drinks on?"

"It's ok to spend a little money on beautiful things. Let's get it."

Before she could mouth a protest, William had snatched it up and was carrying it to the register. She decided not to fight him on this as he seemed so satisfied making the purchase. They continued their stroll popping into a store from time to time. Lizzy thoroughly enjoyed looking through the funky prints at Marimekko but couldn't imagine those prints anywhere in their home. A stack of brightly printed notebooks made her smile and she was on the verge of purchasing them herself when, once again, William snatched them up to buy. As revenge she grabbed some similarly printed mens socks and added them to the pile. "You can wear these while you're in Asia and I'll know you're thinking of me." Grinning as she attempted to pull off an innocent look.

A requisite stop at Burdicks on Clarendon was made before they continued their stroll towards the Prudential Center. The shops inside held little appeal so they directed their steps to Barnes & Nobles. Breathing in the familiar scent of books, they parted ways, each heading to their favorite sections. William had several long flights ahead of him and a Neil Gaiman plus the Daniel Silva book he'd gotten as a gift from someone would hopefully prove sufficient distraction for being away from Lizzy at this time. Of course, first on his reading list was the pregnancy book he'd begun. Having selected two novels he went in search of Lizzy. He quickly found her in the women's health section.

"What do you have here?"

"Oh, I ah, thought I'd get a book on nutrition and I saw this other book, The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy. It looked entertaining and informative about the non-factual side of this situation." He heartily approved of both.

"Do you want to pick up some lighter reading?"

"No. As an English major, the last thing I need is more reading to do. I thought I might pick up a crossword puzzle book to keep me entertained when I don't feel like doing my schoolwork though. I do dream of the day when I can once again walk into a book store and read whatever I'm in the mood for."

"I know that feeling all too well. I'm so happy to only have one class to read for this semester."

"Don't rub it in buster. I'm going to find a good puzzle book and I'll meet you at the register."

Completing their purchases, William was amazed they'd managed to spend four hours wandering through shops. "Wanna hit the Cheesecake Factory for an early dinner? We're a little on the early side so hopefully there won't be a wait for a table."

"Mmmm. Cheesecake. That sounds like an excellent idea. Let's go."

It was a good thing they'd elected for an early dinner. By the time the check arrived, Lizzy was not-so-discretely suppressing her yawns. William opted for a taxi to take them back to get their car at his aunt and uncle's place. It was all Lizzy could do to keep her eyes open until they made it home. It wasn't even 8:00 and William found himself awake and alone while Lizzy cuddled up in bed.

William and Elizabeth found themselves seated comfortably in Dr. Daniels living room cum waiting room. An excellent night sleep left them both in good spirits if William wasn't a bit anxious. While Lizzy had slept, he'd wrote out a list of questions he wanted to ask this morning.

"Good morning William, Elizabeth. Let's sit down in my office where we can chat more comfortably." The two of them eagerly followed Dr. Daniels into his office. A love seat and chairs were arranged in a manner to facilitate face to face conversation. "I gave Elizabeth quite a shock on Friday and am glad to have the opportunity to speak with you both. How are you feeling about all of this?"

William bit his lip trying to hold back his instincts to respond. Lizzy was the one who was actually pregnant and should be the first to answer.

"It was a surprise, although in hindsight, my symptoms were pretty obvious. It took me the weekend to get accustomed to the idea of a baby, and I'm sure it will still take me more time to really adjust. I guess that's one good thing about it taking nine months to make a baby. I have some months to get used to the idea." Turning to look at her husband and squeezed his hand. "William's enthusiasm has helped a great deal. It's contagious and so that worry was quickly quieted. I've started the pre-natal vitamins and hoped we could ask you some questions."

"Of course. That's what we're here for. What do you want to ask?"

Lizzy shot an amused look at her husband as he pulled a notebook out of his messenger bag. "Perhaps we could start with these."

Taking the open notebook from William, Dr. Daniels was working hard to suppress a smile as he looked through the page and a half of questions. "I'll do my best but some of these are likely best saved for the obstetrician. I'll put stars next to those. Also, I've pulled together a few names of OB's that I can give you at the end of this session. They are all excellent but the first name I gave you delivered all three of my children. You should try to make an appointment for two or three weeks from now. At that point, you'll be able to hear the baby's heartbeat."

Slowly they walked through the list of questions. Dr. Daniels talked through the due date, foods to avoid and encourage, Lizzy's sleepiness and food aversions and the sundry other questions William had. The hour flew by and they managed to cover a good number of questions with only the ones starred for the obstetrician left over. The pair headed back to Cambridge in order to grab lunch before they each departed for afternoon classes.

"When do you plan to speak with Professor Gardiner?"

"I'm not sure but probably next weekend. I just want to focus on my classes this week and settle in to a school routine. I'm having dinner with the Gardiner's on Saturday and I think Professor Gardiner will have some time to chat then. I assumed that was what Maddy was thinking when she issued the invitation."

William smiled, "I'm glad you have them around when I'm not here."

"Me too. Maddy is like the aunt I never had and Professor Gardiner is that uncle who gives you the advice you need to hear and doesn't just tell you what you want to hear. I really trust them."

The pair held hands as they walked to campus, William carrying Lizzy's backpack until they got to the Yard. After a quick kiss, they parted ways with an agreement to meet up for a late dinner - their last meal together before William left for Tokyo.

I wasn't really going for a lot of forward momentum in this chapter but I think we started to resurface the CDB issue - hopefully so we can attain some closure - and dealt with the emotions of our couple from a sudden pregnancy. What do you want answered? What is hanging out there that you want to make sure gets resolved before we approach the end. Thoughts, questions, comments are helpful and soooo appreciated :)