Serena sighed as she looked at the luggage that was in her front hall. Since it wasn't a pleasure trip, she had tried to pare down what clothing she would need. Knowing enough to do a quick internet search to make certain that she would not be attracting undue attention with her attire, she had made certain to include as many of her modest blouses as possible, managing to keep everything down to one small suitcase. Cameron, on the other hand, had brought along a monstrosity of a suitcase, and she tried not to let her frustration show.

"I had really hoped that Charlotte would have been able to get time off work so that she could accompany us tomorrow, but I understand how difficult it can be to arrange something at late notice," she said as she stepped around their luggage to head into the kitchen where Cameron was setting the table. Jason and Greta were coming over to help see them off, and she didn't want to miss a moment with her adorable great niece.

"Yeah, well, she seems able to cope with missing Mum much better than I could, so she didn't need to have compassionate leave." There was a slightly bitter tone in his voice, and Serena sighed as she crossed over to his side and rested her hand on his shoulder. "What?"

"We all handle grief in different ways, Cam. When I lost Elinor, I was even more bitter than you are now, and it didn't help me any. In fact, I was surprised when your mother stayed by my side to see me through that time of lies and acrimony. I loved her, and I couldn't stand myself, so I tried my best to push her away. She pushed right back, and for a time we were stronger for it." Pursing her lips a little, she drew in a deep breath through her nose as she struggled to keep her emotions in check.

"I remember Mum telling me a little bit about how deep your grief was. I wish that I had been here to help, too. I know that Elinor didn't quite get on with me as well as you would have liked, but she was a kind soul."

Serena nodded, about to reply when the doorbell rang. Taking a quick glance at her watch, she saw that it was much too early to be Jason, since punctuality was his hallmark, and she wondered who it could be. "I'll be right back."

Cameron nodded before leaning forward and hugging her tightly. "You are so good to us," he murmured in her ear before letting go and returning to getting the table prepared for their meal.

Those were the words that caused her to start crying, and she was swiping at her eyes as she went to the door, still trying to figure out who it was that had appeared on her door that evening. Plastering a placid smile on her lips, she took a deep breath before opening the door. To her shock, Charlotte was standing there, a small suitcase in hand, a satchel on her back. "So, I kind of told my job to fuck off, that this was more important, and…now I can come along with you and Cam?"

"Come in!" she exclaimed, a true smile spreading across her lips as she tugged the young woman into the hall. "Were you able to get on the same flight as us?"

Charlotte nodded, dropping her suitcase next to the others there, and shifted how her satchel was sitting as she followed her into the kitchen. "Thankfully, I never cancelled my ticket in the first place, as I was truly hoping that my boss would relent, or that someone would switch shifts with me, so that I would be able to go. But the more I thought about it, the more I knew that I needed to be with you and Cam. We've never really had the chance to be together for an extended period of time, and I want to get to know you better, and see what my mum saw in you."

Serena didn't bother to hide her tears this time, feeling closer than she had ever been to Charlotte in that moment. "I am really going to love having you by our sides, Charlotte." The smile that graced her lips reminded Serena so strongly of Bernie that she let out an audible sigh before stopping and hugging her close. "There doesn't seem to be a way to stop finding reminders of your mother in my life, just like I always found reminders of Elinor."

"I know. I keep thinking I hear her voice in my ear, or my name. You know, there was just that way she said it that made me feel loved. And I know that this will be the longest of long shots, but I am willing to go to the ends of the earth to see if she's still with us. Because I just want to hear her say my name one more time."

Charlotte drew in a long, shaky, breath, and Serena nodded against her shoulder as she embraced her all the tighter, not wanting to let go of her in that moment. "Speaking as a mother, I would give anything to call out Elinor's name in love and have her respond to me."

"Oh, my god, you two. Are you going to be this mushy the entire trip?" She looked over at Cameron, seeing the slightly sad, slightly teasing, expression on his face, knowing that he was trying to inject some levity into the room so that he wouldn't start crying as well.

"It all depends," Charlotte tartly replied as she let go of Serena to quickly stick her tongue out at her brother. "Are you going to be a salty beach the entire trip?"

Serena felt her brow furrow in confusion, even as Cameron tried to stifle the laugh that bubbled up out of his throat. Unable to do so, he burst into a loud guffaw, and Charlotte giggled, too, before reaching out and smacking his shoulder lightly. "You know that's what I'm best at, sometimes," he finally answered once he had gotten control of his laughter.

Knowing that it must be some sort of inside joke, Serena shook her head and took a seat at the table as she waited for Jason and his family to arrive. Charlotte took a seat next to her, while Cameron set the table with an extra setting. "Who all is going to be here?" Charlotte finally asked as she looked around the table to see how many places were set.

"My nephew, Jason, and his wife and daughter. You met him that Christmas we were all together."

"Oh, that's right! He is such a sweet guy, I'm glad that he found someone who makes him happy." Charlotte smiled gently at her as she took the glass of water Cameron handed her, sipping from it slowly as he filled the rest of the glasses. "No wine tonight?"

"We're travelling in the morning, and Serena thought that it would be best if we didn't drink."

"That's right, we need to have clear heads come the morning, especially if we're going to be trying to find Bernie. If we're hungover, or still drunk, when we land, then we're starting off on the wrong foot. It might make me seem a bit old-fashioned, but we're going to be in a different country, with a different culture, on a different continent, and those are enough issues to make me nervous. I don't also need to worry about if I say the wrong thing due to being inebriated."

She shuffled her shoulders a little, wondering how Charlotte would react, since Cameron hadn't seemed to think much of her prudence. Again, it seemed like Charlotte had inherited some of her mother's more reserved, staid, personality traits, as she gave a small nod before smiling at her. "I think that that is a wonderful idea, actually, Cam. Serena's right, we don't want to put our foot into it before we've even really begun our search. We're lucky that someone is thinking straight here."

"Well, I don't always think straight," she replied before she could control her tongue, and a quick flush heated up her cheek as Cameron and Charlotte both began to giggle like school children. "See? That is precisely why I, at least, need to remain sober until we're home. I have little slips like that all the time, and I'm sober now. Imagine what might slip out of my mouth if I were tipsy?"

"Mum did mention that you had the naughtiest tongue in the relationship," Charlotte said, and Serena watched Cameron turn as red in the face as she felt in that moment, and she pursed her lips as she took a few calming breaths. "What?"

"It is amazing how innocent you can be, Charlie, even after all the things you've done and seen," Cameron managed to choke out before he picked up his water glass and took a long swig. The doorbell rang once more, and this time, she knew that it was Jason and his family. She was extremely grateful for the distraction, and hoped that with the addition of her nephew there would be no more embarrassing talk. Though, given the direction their conversations had turned so far that evening, she was almost certain that was not to be, and she tried to prepare herself for some very interesting conversations in the hours ahead.