I know...It's been forever. This is a short one but I figured it was better than nothing and I am still...very slowly...writing. I hope you enjoy.

William had spent the morning at the course trying not to be a mother hen. And yet that was exactly how he felt, nervously pacing while they waited and then holding his breath as he watched Georgie go through the paces of the course. On her horse, Georgie exuded the confidence he'd found missing in all of her other interactions. She was in control and she'd done well. Really well. By the time Georgie finished, it no longer matter how the judges scored her performance, he was so incredibly proud of his little sister.

Georgiana's attention was fully on Mint, barely noticing the scores the judges awarded. It was therefore a complete surprise to her that she'd placed near the very top of the riders who had gone before her.

"She's a natural." William's attention was drawn to the woman beside him. Georgie's coach had found him after congratulating his sister. "It's been fun to watch her confidence grow. I'm glad she finally agreed to attend this competition. I've been trying to encourage her to compete all year."

William paused, allowing the words to penetrate his consciousness before responding. "Thank you for pushing her. I'm still figuring out how much to push in these situations. I think she's beginning to finally come through what's been a difficult time. She had a very rough year last year."

"Hmmm. I figured something must have happened. She's getting there and she's made some nice friends. Amelia, the girl who went before her, is a good one. You should encourage that friendship. I should go. I've got another girl up. See you at dinner."

Will turned his attention to his sister, watching her shyly receive the congratulations of her peers. When he could finally reach her he wrapped her in his arms. "You were amazing Georgie. You should feel so great about today. It's really clear how hard you've worked with Mint this year."

"Thanks but did you see my mess up when I took the second turn? I was sure the judges were going to majorly dock my score for that. They must have missed it." Georgie sighed, about to continue detailing every mistake she supposedly made.

"Are you still going on about that?" Amelia seemingly appeared from nowhere. "You were awesome and totally rocked it. I'm so proud you're representing our school." She slung her arm around Georgie's shoulders. "C'mon girl. We need to go find some celebratory chocolate. I heard the coach usually stashes some in her bag for just such an occasion."

Georgie looked up to William, torn between running off with her friend or spending time with her brother. He'd made the effort to come and she didn't want him to feel like she was blowing him off. It took a moment before William realized her hesitation. "Georgie, go. Try and find some chocolate. Just make sure you get me a piece too." With a quick peck on the cheek she was ready to go. "Thanks Will," her smile stretched from ear to ear as she ran off with Amelia.

Over dinner that night William found himself the subject of much cajoling by the two girls. They wanted to spend part of their vacation at one another's homes. He liked Amelia and her parents - the little he knew of them - and tried to push himself to get to know them better over dinner. It was really too bad Lizzy wasn't there with him. She'd probably be swapping summer reading recommendations and favorite recipes inside of twenty minutes with Amelia's mom. The father was a corporate lawyer so they had some common areas of interest smoothing the path towards a somewhat fluid conversation. Amelia's family lived outside New York City about an hour train ride away. In reality it wouldn't be too difficult to coordinate a few days at one another's home. With the coach's words ringing in his ears he began to organize the exchange.

And this was how William found himself traveling back to New York on Friday with two teenaged girls in tow. He was somewhat relieved to arrive at their New York condo. He hadn't realized his sister could make so much noise! The train ride from Washington to New York provided some relief after the multi-hour singalong Georgie and Amelia engaged in during the ride from Virginia to DC. He'd learned a lot while sitting near the girls on the train as they chattered away seemingly oblivious to his existence. During the ride he'd gotten a full run down of all the school gossip and a LOT of food for thought. It was on their arrival to the NY condo that William received his greatest education however. Georgie had been showing Amelia around when she asked a seemingly simple question, "So this is home then?" Georgie stuttered in response. What followed was a convoluted explanation including yes, kind of, at least until she was 11, followed by a long description of her time spent in Boston and DC with her aunt and uncle, time spent in Cambridge with William and time with various relatives and Mrs. Reynolds in Maine when she wasn't away at school. He'd never really thought about it before. Georgie's life had been so disjointed since their father had passed. No wonder she was so uncertain of herself. She didn't even know where home was! The conversation played over in his mind throughout the night, questions plaguing him. Perhaps his aunt was right. Was he truly being fair to Georgie trying to keep her with him? Would she be better off with one home in which she had stability? Perhaps if it wasn't his Aunt Cathy who'd have custody it wouldn't be such a difficult problem. All told, William realized he'd never questioned his decisions so thoroughly. And now he had to provide a stable home for a baby too, all while ensuring Lizzy graduated from Harvard and he successfully transitioned into the long awaited CEO role at Pemberley Enterprises. The answers weren't going to come easily.

The train station was packed with people waiting anxiously to start their journeys. It was a familiar scene, played out hour after hour at Pennsylvania Station: throngs of people staring up at the giant screen waiting for their track number to appear. Each time the sign updated the crowd shifted. Finally...track 11. And they were off. People streaming towards the escalators jockeying for a seat on the in-bound train from Stamford on its way southward to Philadelphia and Washington DC. According to Lizzy's text, she'd be arriving on this train. One of the mass would likely take her seat to continue the journey southbound. Possibly on the train he'd ridden northbound only have the day prior. They'd agreed to meet by the Sbarro in the main terminal but he hoped by identifying the track from which she'd be exiting he might spot her a moment or two sooner. His patience had worn thin. Was it really only three and a half months ago that they had wed? It was hard to remember a time before Elizabeth. The past five days had felt like five weeks and he was itching to wrap his arms around her. His Friday night reflections only weighing him down all the more.

Lizzy had attempted to sleep on the train but fear of missing Penn Station kept her from fully resting. She and Jane had stayed up late into the night catching up on life and their loves. Having finally received her green card in the mail, Jane insisted on taking Lizzy out to dinner to celebrate. Between the three hour shopping expedition, dinner and girl talk she'd only managed to squeeze in a few hours of sleep before the taxi arrived to take her to Back Bay Station. After finally turning in her last paper, it had been easy to give way to the unfettered relief which accompanied receiving her green card. Jane's happiness with Charlie added to the euphoria of the afternoon and had fed the adrenaline which had kept her going last night.

It had been a really fun night, like old times, with the exception of one small incident. She'd played it down at the time but the conversation played over and over again in her mind. Jane's mother had called several times while they were shopping and having dinner. She was refusing to answer the phone this time so Lizzy took the call. "Hi Mrs. Bennett, it's Lizzy."

"Oh Lizzy dear, how are you? I absolutely loved the pictures of you from the wedding. How are you enjoying married life?"

"Um, married life is good. And you? How have you been?"

"Oh I am so very excited about Janie's trip to Paris. I was just online and saw the most precious dress for her on the Saks website. I've sent Jane a screenshot and she just has to see if they have it in her size. It will be the perfect dress if Charles proposes. I can just see her at the Eiffel Tower in it with Charles on bended knee. It will be perfect."

Jane could hear her mother's strident tones and waved her hands frantically. She did not want to have another conversation with her mother on this topic.

"I, uh, I'm sorry Mrs. Bennett but Jane's in the ladies. Upset stomach. I'd say she'd call you back but her phone is at 3% battery power so I'm not sure she'll be able to."

"Well save the battery usage to check out the image I sent along. And tell her to take care of herself. Jane can't get sick days before she leaves for Paris."

"Of course Mrs. Bennett, I'll make sure to tell her. Bye." Lizzy ended the call and looked at Jane with raised brows. "What's this about Charlie proposing?"

Jane flopped down on a bench in the mall. "Ugh. She's been driving me nuts! My mother is convinced that's why Charlie's taking me to Paris. I'm a junior in college! At Harvard! Why would I possibly want to get engaged now? I've got so much to experience before I'm ready to take that step. I want to get my own place after graduation, show myself that I can do it on my own before I tie myself to another person. I want to build a real career. I can't even conceive of getting married!"

If Lizzy's brows weren't already high on her head, they'd certainly be so now. In reality she understood where Jane was coming from, but to have it said so stridently by her best friend, to her of all people, was uncharacteristically insensitive for Jane. Lizzy crossed her arms and waited for Jane to catch on. And she did. Less than a minute passed before Jane's mouth dropped open, her face blushing brightly. "Oh Lizzy, I...I didn't mean it like that. It's just, for me, and Charlie, neither of us is anywhere close to being ready. I mean getting married isn't a bad thing, I want to get married, and maybe it will be to Charlie..." Jane couldn't think of what to say to correct for the giant foot she'd stuck in her mouth.

"It's ok Jane. Really. Understand that I want all the same things that you do. I'm, kind of, doing them in a different order. I just hope you don't think of less of me for choosing a different, more traditional path."

Jane frantically shook her head. "Lizzy, our situations are not comparable. You've already stood on your own two feet for years. You've got nothing to prove to me or anyone. I'm regularly awed by all that you can handle. I didn't mean to be so insensitive. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course your forgiven but you are treating for dinner and dessert. I'm famished."

She'd managed a quick conversation with William the night before but with Jane bouncing in the background it was hard to concentrate on him. He'd seemed a bit off, even more laconic than his usual self and hoped it was merely the result of a long day of traveling combined with possibly missing her.

Grabbing her bag from the luggage racks, Lizzy made her way with the crowd up the narrow elevators towards the main terminal. It would be good to see William again. She was tired and simply needed to be in his arms. Navigating the terminal she found him, his head above the mass of people peering out actively looking for someone, her. Seeing how diligently he was attending the crowd made her smile. She rushed towards him, weaving in and around people, so she could quickly wrap her arms around his neck.

"Hi you,"

William groaned, "At last." He gave her a kiss worthy of a five month separation instead of five days.

"I guess you missed me," She breathed.

"You've no idea. Welcome to New York Mrs. Darcy."

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