I'd been trying to get this out in time for my birthday but missed by about six days. In that light, think of this as a little Christmas present for all who celebrate.
She had decided. There was no dissuading her from her point of view. There was absolutely no place better in the world to be then wrapped in William Darcy's embrace. Unless that embrace included a kiss, a deep passionate, welcome home kiss that reminded her she was 100% head-over-heals-smitten with this man. No, it was certain. She had found the best place in the world, right here in his arms, and she was eager to show him how very happy she was to have him back in Boston. There may have been pictures snapped, posted on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. She couldn't care less. Let them post how happy she was. All that mattered was that William was here. With her. Right where he belonged.
"Well this was a most welcomed surprise," William muttered, finally breaking their kiss to take a breath.
"I missed you. Please don't go away for so long again. I don't like it."
"Me neither. Let's go home. I really, really want to be with you, at home." William shifted his bags so they could walk together, one arm wrapped around Lizzy's waist. He needed to feel her, touch her, know she was connected to him. The pair made their way towards a black car, discretely waiting nearby in the cell phone lot until Lizzy texted. Once settled in the back seat William looked at the woman beside him. "It's true what they say."
"What are you talking about?"
"You're glowing. You look radiant. I've never seen a woman as beautiful as you are tonight."
Lizzy rolled her eyes, "Clearly you're sleep deprived, but we can take care of that as soon as we get back to Cambridge. By the way, I promised Georgie you'd call once you had landed. You should probably do that before it gets too late."
Wrapping his arm around her to pull her closer, William kissed her head, "I've already texted her. She knows I've landed and wished me a good night. We're all set. You are my only priority now."
Lizzy rested her head against his chest, fully relaxing for the first time in ten days. She hadn't realized she'd been carrying so much tension around until it was gone. Silently, they rode towards Cambridge happy to be together again. Once home however her competition emerged. Wherever William went, Groucho was quickly ensconced by his side or in his lap, purring and seeking attention. "You'd think I'd ignored him for the past two weeks. That cat has received so much love and yet he's clinging to you!"
"Are you actually jealous of a cat? Come. Let's climb into bed where I can properly devote my attention."
Lizzy sighed dramatically, "Promises, promises."
"Cuddle up under the covers and I'll be in once I run through a quick shower. After 22 hours of travel, I'm desperate to clean myself up. I'll be quick."
And he was...quick that is. But apparently not quick enough for a pregnant woman at 11:45 at night. He emerged from the bathroom to hear her softly snoring. Pulling the covers back, William slid into the bed and pulled her close. She'd been clinging to him for the last hour and it was really, really nice. Even now she seemed to mold to him in her sleep; needing the connection even in her state of rest. He'd missed her terribly but their relationship was still fairly new and a little insecurity about her feelings, especially when he considered all of the adjustments to her life, was still real. She was so beautiful: her lashes, resting on her checks, soft curls framing her face and trailing around her shoulders. William gingerly pushed the covers back and rested his hand on her belly. It was still relatively flat but he could feel a small, firm bump. This was new. He'd tried to detect any sign she was carrying a baby before he left but there'd been no discernible sign. Time passed and it had changed. No one looking at Lizzy could see it but lying down he could feel something. No... someone. Their baby. The idea literally bowled him over. This. Was. Real. And he wasn't sure how to handle the range of emotions flooding his brain as the idea moved from concept to reality. William was torn. On the one hand the energy surging through him made him want to jump on the treadmill and run for the next hour. And yet, equally strong was the urge to wake Lizzy and impart every emotion he was feeling on her, with her, into her. A sigh from his bed partner pulled him through these thoughts. Lizzy's sleep was deep. He could see the bit of drool leaking from the left side of her mouth. Protective instincts overrode every other impulse in his body. His little mama needed her sleep and he would do everything to ensure that the woman who owned his heart and his future was taken care of.
Looking at the clock it was only 2am and William was still awake. Jet lag sucked. He couldn't account for the time however pleasant his mental journey had been. Over the past two or so hours his mind had travelled years into the past and a few years into the future. Thoughts of his parents and his own childhood seemed to mix with visions of becoming a father himself. It was so much and when he'd proposed this crazy idea of getting married to Elizabeth on a beach in November, he never imagined, never could have imagined, the implications of that impetuous action. Not that he had a moment's regret. For him there was only benefit. Wonderful, tremendous benefits. Lizzy deserved more. Reaching over he placed a gentle kiss on her temple and another on her belly. It was a promise. To do everything to help Lizzy and their child reach their goals. He needed to make this promise because at this moment, they'd already given him so much.
"Will. Babe. I think you might want to wake up." He'd been having a very pleasant dream and the thought of leaving it did not agree with his desires at all. The smell of coffee and cinnamon began to war with his want of sleep however. Opening his eyes he was greeted with her smile. "Morning. Well for a little bit longer. It's 11:30 but I know you won't want to sleep the day away. Do you think you can get up now?"
"11:30? Why'd you let me sleep so long."
"Ha! Let you sleep? This is the third time I've tried to wake you. But I know enough that if I let you continue sleeping you'll never fall asleep tonight. I've made brunch so let's get you out of bed where we can wake you up properly."
"I have an idea. Let's have you back in bed and I can wake us both up properly."
"And let those warm cinnamon buns cool down? No way buster. Brunch and then we're heading out of here for some fresh air and daylight." He knew she was right. He needed sunshine to reset his body clock. His stomach was growling, completely thrown by the crossing of so many time zones. "Alright. You win this time but its been way too long since we've spent some quality time together under the sheets and we'll be back here at some point today."
"I'll hold you to that Mr. Darcy," Lizzy added as she threw a knowing look over her shoulder.
The day was exactly what they needed. The weak winter sun was enough to signal a change in William's brain and they'd managed to enjoy themselves while meeting the goal of spending a portion of their day 'being seen.' Ducking in and out of the shops on Newbury, Lizzy and William explored the city's diverse shops while avoiding the chain stores which increasingly encroached the street's unique atmosphere. They'd talked about having an expensive dinner at L'Espalier, one of William's favorite restaurants in Boston, but Lizzy preferred something a bit more casual. They easily got a table at Stephanie's on Newbury. The food was always good, the crowd varied but visible enough they'd be recognized, and the atmosphere comfortable. In reality, Lizzy didn't want to go to a fancy restaurant just to deal with gossip. She'd rather save it for a special occasion that was truly about and for them.
Once home, settled in front of the fire, William broached a topic he'd been pondering. "You mentioned you spoke with your father while I was away."
"Um, yea. He called after Lilia spotted that picture of me on Twitter."
"You've been remarkably quiet about the conversation. Is there anything you want to talk about?"
Lizzy looked down at her hands. During the day he'd made mention of her family at least twice but she'd been reticent to discuss them. She recognized the need to get it over with sooner or later. Might as well be now. "I'm a bit confused about my feelings towards papa. You see, I didn't tell him about the baby. I didn't want to."
William could imagine many reasons she didn't want to share this news. Foremost in his mind was the very real concern she was still upset about being pregnant. Reluctantly, he forced himself to ask the question, "Why?"
Lizzy was oblivious to the fears surging through William and so likely didn't appreciate the relief she provided him as she answered. "Because I didn't want him to rob me of the happiness I've been experiencing. If he did, if he said something negative, I'd probably feel even angrier towards him then I do already."
A smile broke across William's face as he pulled her closer, quickly replaced by the confusion from her statements of anger. "What are you angry about?"
"That's the thing. I've been trying to figure out where that emotion came from. It seems to have come from nowhere and whenever I explore it a bit, I fill guilty for feeling it in the first place."
William gently kissed Lizzy's lips before settling them back on the couch. Stretched out from end to end he could wrap his arms around her, feeling her soft breath on his neck as they lay together. He waited, knowing she would speak when she was ready. It didn't take long.
"I asked Papa if he's coming back. He said no. They're settled and it's like, he's moved on. How can he simply move on from a life he built here in Boston? Now that I'm married and Maria's almost graduated he's just...done with us. We're too much effort and its just easier for him to start again rather than deal with the mess he left behind." In a quiet voice, Lizzy almost whispered, "Its like I'm not worth the effort. I'm part of that mess he left behind. The biggest mess."
Squeezing her a bit tighter William reached down so his lips could reach hers. "This is not about you. This is who your father is. Haven't you ever wondered about what your father left behind in Mexico. How does a man go on a trip with his wife and infant daughter and simply decide its too much effort to go back? If we believe his story, that's what he did. I believe there was something, some problem that put him on the plane to New York. He may have told your mom it was a vacation but I think, rather than dealing with some issue or problem it was simply easier to leave and start over. That's what he's done again. Only this time, he's leaving two daughters behind and dragging two others to a new place to start again."
"But why? Why not deal with things, people, properly? It can't be easy to pick up and start over again. That is not the easy way out." Lizzy could feel William shrug his shoulders as they lay there. She thought about William's words. What had prompted her papa to pick up his entire life and move to the states? Why didn't he want to return home, to the life, friendships and family he left behind? There was no way she'd be able to answer these questions on her own, if ever.
William's voice broke her thoughts. "When are you going to tell him about the baby?"
Lizzy sighed, head buried in his chest. "I don't know. Maybe the next time he calls. I'd rather him not hear about it from the gossip rags."
"Probably a good idea. I'm bothered that you feel you're a mess your father left behind. You are a blessing and I thank G-d you're in my life. I love you."
"I love you too."
"Come, let's go to bed. I made a promise to you this morning and I fully intend to keep it."
It had been a lazy morning, snacking on bagels and sipping warm drinks. Neither had any desire to leave the warmth of their home to deal with the winter sleet which had arrived overnight. It was comfortable, and remarkably normal to be curled up on the couch, laptops out, working side by side on the various projects. Lizzy had once again woken hours before William. She'd run out to stock the house with groceries, arriving home as he was waking up. William built up a fire to add a warm glow to the dreary day while Lizzy had unpacked everything.
"Do we have any plans for Thursday?" William asked, breaking the comfortable silence in which they'd been working.
Lizzy stopped typing and looked up, "We've got our first appointment with the OB-GYN at 3:00. Why?"
William started for a moment. She'd said it with complete nonchalance. He took her lead, gave her a brief nod, acknowledging her words. If she was nonplussed then he would be as well. Continuing the conversation he'd started, "Aunt Sophia emailed asking if we could attend an opening at the MFA. There's a new exhibit on African American art post the Civil War and she's hoping we'd attend. What do you think?"
Lizzy shrugged. "Sounds fine. I'll call her later to get the details."
"Thanks." He paused, she didn't look troubled by going but yet he didn't want his family to put a lot of demands on her. By way of explanation, William offered, "I think she wants us to be seen and is looking for opportunities."
"I figured. I'm happy to go. I love the MFA and haven't been in awhile. Maybe we can grab dinner out before. I get kind of grumpy if I haven't eaten and I'm not sure I'll be my best if I'm hungry."
William smiled. She was always so easy about these things. "Well we certainly don't want that. And we don't have to stay late. I know you still get tired easily."
Lizzy shrugged, "It's fine. I'll let you know if I need to leave but I expect this won't be a rockin' party where we will be out all hours of the night."
"No. Definitely not. Can I get you some more tea?"
"I was actually thinking of getting up to warm some soup and bread for lunch."
"Let me do it. You rest a bit."
Lizzy had to restrain herself not to roll her eyes. Seriously. When she'd arrived home with the groceries William almost had a fit. He was beside himself that she'd carried the bags from a cab into an elevator and then from the elevator to the apartment. It was sweet but if she had to deal with another seven months of such treatment she'd likely lose her mind. Stopping herself from this line of thinking, Lizzy pulled her computer back onto her lap. She had notes to review and a paper to edit. Much more important things than to fight the pampering William insisted on!
It didn't take long until she was distracted from her work by the afore promised soup. In recent weeks, she'd alternated between ridiculously hungry or sickeningly full and at this moment hungry was definitely the dominant sentiment. Several minutes passed before she realized William was staring. "What?"
"Excuse me?"
"You're staring. Is there something wrong?"
A sheepish smile graced his face, "Um, no. I was just, I enjoy watching you."
Lizzy smiled in return. They resumed eating but slowly she realized the smile on his face began to turn into a frown. "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Is this ok? Just hanging out like this? Are you bored?"
"Bored? Not at all. Why would you think that?"
"I really like this. Just being here together but then I began to worry that you'd rather be doing something else. Going out with friends or something. What did you do while I was away?"
"Not much really. Classes, studying, hanging out with Maria, the Gardiner's and friends and of course, sleeping. I haven't slept so much since I had the flu!" He was quiet again but Lizzy could tell his mind was still going. She had an inkling of what might be bothering him and took a guess. "A lot of the time I spent thinking about you. I missed you."
Her guess was right. William's face lit up like a little boy who had just been presented with a bowl full of his favorite candy. "You did? I missed you too."
Setting her books aside, Lizzy moved over to climb into his lap. William opened his arms wrapping her in his embrace. "While you were away I realized there are all sorts of things I wished I knew about you. Things I feel I should know but don't."
"Like what?"
"Well. Like your choice of work. If you didn't have Pemberley what would you be doing? Would you have gone to law school? Or business school?"
"I always liked school so I guess I would have gone to some kind of graduate school. But I'm sure I'd be doing something in business, not law. I could never be a lawyer as a career. It's interesting but I wouldn't want to spend my life reading and writing contracts. Maybe I would have tried to start my own company. I like growing things."
"Did you ever consider not working at Pemberley?"
William laughed, "No. It was never an option and I wouldn't have wanted it to be otherwise. The company is my family. It's what connects me to where I'm from and who I am." Will's voice softened. "With both of my parents gone, it makes me feel like I still have a connection to them. My dad especially. He was always so proud of the company and the place I would have in it. I just wish he was still here."
Lizzy stroked his face, trying to ease the furrows in his brow. "I'm sure he is very proud of you. Wherever he is now."
Clearing his throat, William changed the subject. "So what else do you want to know."
Lizzy understood and decided to go with it. "Tell me about your first girlfriend?"
"Why do you want to know that?"
"Just curious. I want to know all about your past."
"There's not much to tell. I've dated but there are only a few girls that I'd give girlfriend status to."
"Tell me about one. I want to know."
"I guess Melanie Schorr was my first real girlfriend. It was in seventh grade and we dated for six months."
"Six months? That's a long time! Was it serious?"
"At 13 everything is serious." William chuckled a bit before continuing, "Actually, I never even kissed her on the lips. We played a lot of Scrabble together and went to a few movies."
"So what happened? Who broke up with who?"
"Actually, her friend Lisa told me she wasn't that interested in me anymore. I agreed and we just stopped being a couple. That was it."
"Poor baby. She didn't even have the decency to tell you herself?"
William laughed. "I think I was relieved. I was feeling this pressure to kiss her and I didn't want to embarrass myself. It was better that way. Anyway, I didn't date anyone else until I was 17."
"Well if we have a baby girl there is no way we'll name her Melanie."
"I'm honored by your loyalty to me," William teased. "How about you? Any tragic dating stories?"
She paused, "Well, there was my first love."
"Love? That's quite the strong word."
Lizzy laughed, "He had baby blue eyes and straight blonde hair. The exact opposite of everyone I knew. I thought he looked like an angel."
William wrinkled his brow. He was actually feeling a twinge of jealousy. "Did this angel have a name?"
Lizzy sighed, clearly lost in the memory. "Michael. Like I said, just like an angel." She could feel William's arms get a little tighter and looked up to see that wrinkled brow again. Was he actually upset? Lizzy had to stifle a laugh. Deciding to go easy on him, she added, "Michael lived across the street from me. One day he passed me a note in class, offering to carry my books home from school."
"How old were you?"
"I think we were in the fourth grade, so nine I guess. Sadly he moved away not long after although I did run into him again on the Orange line one day. His mom had gotten remarried and they'd moved to Brookline. It was talking to him on the T that made me realize we weren't right for one another."
"How so?"
"He was as dumb as a box of rocks! I had to explain to him three times how to get to the green line. Finally, I took him there myself so that I could make sure he got on the right train to make it home."
"Maybe it was just a ploy? Maybe he just wanted to spend more time with you and get you to come with him."
"If that was his goal there were many other easier ways he could have achieved it. Like asking me out. No, he was just an idiot."
"Well this is an important piece of information. You prefer a man who's direct and can navigate public transportation on his own."
Lizzy swatted playfully at him and settled back into his arms.
"So no to Melanie and no to Michael. Is there a ban on names for our baby starting with the letter M?"
Placing a kiss on his chest, she looked up into his eyes. "I guess with 25 other letters in the alphabet we'll have enough names to choose from." They sat cuddled up for a few minutes before Lizzy let out a little yawn.
William lifted Lizzy out of his lap and stood. "Come. You seem a little sleepy and I have some more ideas of how I want to spend time this afternoon before you take a nap."
It had been a seriously bad day. Morning sickness had taken on an entirely new meaning. Gone were the mere queasy moments which required a bit of toast. No the simple action of opening her mouth was enough to send Lizzy running to a trash bin. Sitting through her 8am class, Lizzy spent the hour and ten minutes with her lips tightly closed in an attempt to contain the waves of nausea. It had gone from bad to worse when her professor pulled her aside to remind her that fully half of the grade for the class was based on classroom discussion and thus far her contributions were woefully insufficient. Lizzy decided to seek out Professor Gardiner for his advice only to find his assistant snacking on a late breakfast of hard boiled eggs. That did it. Lizzy's tenuous grip on control was lost, sending her breakfast into the nearest bin at University Hall. When she finally managed to right herself, Professor Gardiner was sympathetic but suggested she drop the course for the semester and go a bit easier on herself. Easy for him to say, she huffed.
Arriving home a little before noon the apartment was empty. Lizzy had picked up the mail and began sorting through the various pieces. She stopped at a very official looking envelope. With some trepidation she carefully pried open the letter. Another appointment with immigration. What could they possibly want from her now? Given her frame of mind, Lizzy began to fret, imagining all of the possible issues that might arise from the appointment. The slight headache which had accompanied her walk home blossomed. Tears began streaming down her face. Seeking refuge in bed, Lizzy shed her jeans and sweater and curled up under the covers letting loose all of her worries into her pillow.
It was here that William found her. He'd been having a great day. Following a very productive two hour meeting with his project advisor, William reconnected with one of his former Leadership professors at HBS to get some direction on a few of the organizational issues he had observed on his Asia trip. He was energized and burst into the condo with no little energy. He was surprised to find a trail of Lizzy's belongings leading to their bedroom. Ultimately finding Lizzy in their bed, eyes swollen and red, mascara dried on her cheeks, William kneeled beside her, pushing the curls away to fully reveal her face. She was in a deep sleep and he was torn between waking her and letting her rest. Clearly rest was likely the best medicine for whatever was ailing her but he couldn't let her sleep long. They were going to their first appointment and he wasn't buzzing with energy. It was then that she moved. A crinkling sound emerged peaking William's interest. Removing the offensive paper, William got his first clue as to the trouble. Another letter from immigration. Not the long awaited green card but another appointment. How many times would they need to traipse down to the government offices? Well, on the bright side, it wasn't an actual visit from border patrol. If they wanted her to leave the country they could just as easily appear at their apartment rather then send her a letter by mail inviting her to visit next Monday. Leaning closer towards her, William placed a kiss on her cheeks and his hand on their baby. Yes, he could feel the slight fullness in her belly and it put him at peace. Everything would work out and until then, he'd protect them as best he could. Maybe at today's appointment they'd get their first glimpse of the little being that was slowly but surely making itself known. He couldn't wait.
Having set up a late lunch for the two of them, William climbed into bed beside her gently beginning to rouse her, "Lizzy? Sweetheart? It's time to wake up love." He began rubbing her back in an effort to stir her from sleep. Slowly she began to emerge from her self induced cocoon, stretching and pulling her limbs, rubbing her face against his chest. She woke with a smile on her face. This was how he wanted to see her sans the tear stained mascara covering her cheeks. "Feeling better?"
"Hi. What time is it?"
"It's about 1:30. I thought you'd want to get up now so we could make it to the doctor's on time."
"I can't believe I fell asleep. I feel like I've missed half the day!" Lizzy sat up rubbing her eyes finding the crusted mascara rubbing off on her fingers. Lizzy immediately scooted off the bed towards the bathroom shaking her head at the sight reflecting back, her sole consolation that William had seen her looking much worse after her ill fated ski adventure. Freshly scrubbed and hair sorted, Lizzy re-emerged, clad in her t-shirt and underwear.
William quickly sat up and urged her to come back into his arms. "You look good enough to eat. I'm regretting my earlier decision to let you sleep."
"I think that sleep was in our best interests at the time although right now I think food is the higher necessity. I have a need for some PB&J pronto."
"Lunch is waiting but are you ok? The signs you left between the front door and our bed indicated all was not well."
Lizzy shrugged. "I had a tough morning. I'm struggling to keep it all together and it's frustrating. I just can't do it all with the pregnancy and I was upset," she mumbled.
"Whoa. What's this about? Talk to me."
Cradled in his arms, Lizzy filled William in on the conversations she'd had with her professor and with Professor Gardiner. She was having a hard time accepting she couldn't control this situation. The letter from immigration took whatever control she felt slip out from under her. She hated feeling helpless or subject to the whims of others and yet much of her life was simply out of her control. How could she explain all of that!
Holding her a bit more tightly, William assured her, "We're going to find a way through this. Together. Don't give up on the class just yet. Maybe you can talk to the professor, explain the situation. Maybe she'll let you do some kind of independent project to make up for your lack of participation. Everything I've read suggests your nausea should ease up soon and then you'll be able to dazzle them all with your insights. Of course, if you want to lighten your class load you have my full support. Either way we will figure this out."
Lying in William's arms everything did feel possible. Why couldn't she maintain that perspective? "Patience has never been my strong suit. My papa used to always say to me, Lizzy, where's the fire? You have time to figure it all out. Maybe we can talk more this weekend. Right now I just want to make it through the day."
"Do you want me to cancel on my aunt?"
"No. We can go. I think I'll appreciate the distraction anyway."
"If you're sure. If you change your mind however, I'm happy to cancel."
Lizzy stifled a laugh at William's hovering ways and scooted from his arms. She was willing to be coddled but only so much. It was time to get on with it.
William was relieved to see other men in the waiting room. He very much wanted to be at this appointment but was worried that it wasn't the thing to do. Lizzy had repeatedly assured him that she welcomed him at the appointment. Looking at her, crouched over a clipboard completing endless forms, Lizzy seemed perfectly calm whereas William felt as though he was ready to jump out of his skin. The room was filled with pregnancy and child rearing magazines and he picked one up in an effort to distract himself. He was fascinated by the images of growing babies and decided they needed to subscribe to some of these. He snapped a few pictures of the titles on his phone and was about to go online to order one of them when he heard their names being called. He sat himself on the hard plastic chair while Lizzy changed behind a blue curtain into the designated robe.
"I'm so glad this is cloth. Those papery robes are so uncomfortable. How can you expect to have a conversation with a doctor while dressed in paper?" The quips from Lizzy further calmed his nervous energy. Pulling the curtain aside, Lizzy sat on the exam table across from him chatting about their upcoming plans for the weekend and updating him on a conversation she'd recently had with Aunt Sophia. It was a useful distraction and aside from the room and the medical robe, they could've been just about anywhere.
A nurse re-entered the room taking vital signs. "I can't believe I've already gained three pounds? How is that even possible? I can barely keep anything down half the day." No response was offered by anyone else in the room, William having learned long ago to never comment on a woman's weight and the nurse already focused on her next task.
One person did hear the comment and chose to respond. The door opened and a trim man with brilliant red hair, his white coat emblazoned with his name and various titles, began speaking before the door was even closed. "Mr. & Mrs. Darcy. I'm Dr. Rudolph and yes, it is actually possible to gain weight even when it feels like you expel more food then you take in. It's a pleasure to meet you. Dr. Daniels called me this morning to give me a little background but I look forward to getting to know you better myself." William had done research on the Doctor but was still surprised to see how young he looked. Lizzy seemed to have no qualms asking and answering the doctor's questions in equal measure. The next thing he knew Lizzy was laying back on the table and all was quiet. A moment or two passed and he heard it, a rapid thumping. "What is that?"
"That, Mr. Darcy, is your baby's heartbeat. Nice and strong. We're lucky he or she has decided to place itself in a good listening spot."
He could have listened to that sound forever. Standing quickly, he moved beside his beautiful Elizabeth, the tears in his eyes, matching hers. He leaned down and, his voice straining, whispered, "I love you Elizabeth Darcy. Thank you."
I received a comment that suggested that a couple of the plot twists in the story were unnecessarily dramatic. I think we seriously underestimate how twisty life can actually be however. Besides, I think that there needs to be some major events in order to push Georgiana out of her self absorbed bubble. The plot twists aren't pointless, they are there to achieve an objective...to move people forward. So that's my view but I'm sure you all have others views. As always, your thoughts, questions, comments are helpful and soooo appreciated :) And I hope this piece of fluff adds to some small bit of happiness, just like your comments do for me :)
