I tossed and turned in my sleep all night due to the worries of Marmee, her travel, Father, and what life would be like without her here to keep the house in order... Marmee always knew how to maintain the environment with seven heads under one roof, she would direct us in our chores, help us cope with our negative emotions which were mostly due to heated disagreements, and many other things... She was our glue, would we fall apart without her?

I turned once more to face the window closest to my bed only to see the sunrise on a dewy morning, the air and nature seemed peaceful, which I would have admired, but my mind was fogged with worry and the lack of sleep I had received...

A sleeping Oliver purred in his sleep as I slipped on my slippers and shawl, his eyes widened as he heard me and stood up quickly on my bed only to fall over because he hadn't fully awoken. I giggled quietly so I wouldn't disturb the still sleeping girls and picked him up to take the kitten downstairs for a spot of breakfast.

I tiptoed down the stairs with Oliver in my arms, I stepped into the kitchen where one of his resting baskets resided and placed him inside. After a few steps and kneading into the blankets, he drifted back to sleep. With a smile on my face, I turned to the pantry to see what I could make... We had some leftover rolls and butter from last night's dinner. Then an idea came to me, I could reheat the rolls, take some sausage and fruit preserves from the icebox. That should do for a nice breakfast... With a nod, I got to work and started with lighting the stove...

Some time had passed and plates of sausage patties, warm rolls, butter, jam, milk, and fresh fruit were scattered around the dining table and ready to be eaten... I walked over to the stairwell and yelled, "Wake up! Breakfast is ready! " After a few moments of no response from anyone I yelled again, "I got out the Jam for some breakfast rolls that might spoil soon! " Almost instantly I heard shuffling above me and Jo and Amy yelling, "Save me a roll! " and "Me too! " With a laugh, I turned around to hear a knock at the front door. Who could be coming here at this hour? 

I opened the door to see Laurie standing there with a tired grin on his face. "Oh, Laurie! Care to join us for breakfast? " I asked to which he asked with wide eyes as he touched my now short hair, "Oh dear... Eliza, what happened to your hair? " My cheeks flushed a crimson red in embarrassment, I had a feeling that Laurie wouldn't care for the style too much... He noticed this, with wide eyes and a worried expression, he said, "I-I... I apologize, I didn't mean for it to come off in a rude way... I was just shocked by your new appearance is all, not that I mind though, or rather the fact that my opinion on your looks doesn't matter anyhow- " He stopped talking once I started to giggle, "Laurie, it's alright. And your opinion matters to me... We will continue this conversation later because the girls will be down here any minute. But pay no mind or attention to Jo's hair, she made a larger sacrifice where our hair is concerned. " He nodded in understanding. 

Laurie thought for a moment and I assume he remembered my invitation from earlier, "Oh, and I would love to join breakfast with you... I practically just woke up and got ready so I could come here. "  My eyebrow lifted as I asked, "Come this early? What for? " He chuckled and grinned, "To check on you of course... I know that we didn't get to talk because I got home so late because Grandfather had me run a last-minute errand into town, so I made up my mind to come and see you... " We were interrupted before the girls came running down the stairs. Meg widened her eyes as she looked at us, "Laurie! I'm sorry that we're not properly dressed, we didn't know you were coming or else we would have- " Laurie staired at Jo's short hair for a moment before he interrupted with a laugh and said, "Don't worry about it-" Then yet again everyone was interrupted when Hannah opened the back door and slammed it behind her with fresh-picked vegetables and fruit in her hands, with a shocked expression she yelled out, "Eliza! I know it was you who made all of this! You know not to start the stove without- " She stopped her yelling when she saw all of us in the foyer and Laurie waved which I giggled at. Hannah's face grew red then cooled off as she said, "My word, you're all up bright and early! Youse better eat this up before it grows cold and close that door! " We all looked at each other and giggled before we walked to the table to eat. 

Once we all sat down to eat, I was quite pleased to see everyone enjoying the food I prepared. It brought me happiness to see my family and others eat what I cook, it makes me feel as though I'm doing something useful...

Hannah piped up by clearing her throat, "Alright ladies, your mother left youse girls under my care, so there's going to be some chores for each of you... " Jo groaned in disappointment and dread, we all laughed quietly and Hannah continued, "Meg and I will be doing laundry and maintaining the cleanliness of this floor, Beth and Amy will be cleaning the dishes and maintaining the upstairs. Jo will do her normal work that involves woodcutting, planting crops, and weeding the garden. and Eliza will be doing the cooking, picking crops, as well as the shopping with whomever she chooses. Any disagreements will result in you cleaning the outhouse, am I clear? " Amy and Jo huffed as Meg, Beth, and I looked between each other and giggled while Laurie sat there in awe of Hannah's straightforward demeanor... 

We were all used to it by now because Hannah has been in the family for over ten years and she's well respected so we all know better than to argue with her...

Beth and Amy cleaned the dishes, Hannah and Meg went outside to wash and hang our clean clothes, and finally, Jo and I were tasked to sweep and mop the house. It usually takes quite a while but Laurie wanted to help, so it went by rather quickly which was his intention because he wanted to speak with me privately... Jo's facial features grew more suspicious as time went on and once we finished cleaning she bluntly asked, "What does Laurie have planned? " "What do you mean? " I asked confusingly, she rolled her eyes and said, "He clearly wanted us to hurry so he could do something with you, now tell me what it is. " Laurie walked over behind me and answered, "I intend to take Eliza on a walk so we can spend some time with each other. Now, does that satisfy your curiosity? " He asked with a smirk, Jo's suspicious look calmed down as she said, "Yes it does, thank you... " She then looked back at me and added, "Let's go upstairs so you can change. " I nodded as we ran up the stairs, "Give me just a moment! " I yelled to Laurie as he responded with, "I'll be waiting! "

Once we got to our room I picked out a pale baby blue dress, white leggings, and my brown laced shoes. While I got changed Jo spoke up, "Why do you think he's whisking you away? Is there something wrong? " I looked up at her and said, "Oh, not at all. He just said that he wanted to speak with me. " Jo sighed and said under her breath, "Romance is so confusing and drawn out... I don't understand it nor do I like it... " I finished getting dressed and began to fix my hair as I said, "Oh, Jo. It's not as bad as you make it sound, it's quite lovely actually... " She stayed silent as she laid down on her bed and looked around the room as she always did when she was in deep thought.

I finished and said, "I'll be back soon, Jo. Tell the others that I'm with Laurie if they ask, please. " She just nodded, still deep in thought, and I walked down the stairs where Laurie waited for me. "Are you finally ready? " He asked with a smirk on his face, I rolled my eyes and said, "Yes, I finally am. " I grabbed my handbag as we laughed and walked out the house to begin down the street. 

Laurie sighed and asked, "If you don't mind me asking, why did you and Jo decide to cut your hair? " "Oh yes, about that... Marmee needed more money for her train fare and medicine because she was on the brink of not having enough, so Jo and I sold our hair to the wigmaker in town. She insisted on having her's cut shorter than mine even though I fought her on it but of course, she got her way... Anyhow, it was the least we could do given the circumstances... " Laurie smirked and said, "Well, what you did for mother was very selfless and I admire that about you... And for what it's worth, I think your hair looks quite lovely. I've noticed that it flows in the wind much easier now... " I giggled as my cheeks flushed and he smirked as we continued to walk down the street.

He asked with an eyebrow raised, "I've always wondered this, why is it that women tend to take so much time and effort getting dressed? I don't mean to sound arrogant because I truly have no understanding of women's fashion and what is all involved, but is it truly that important? " I nodded and answered, "Don't worry, you're just curious, let me try to explain... It's different for every woman and the occasion. People's impressions of us are somewhat important, although it's not something that should consume our minds. We want to be presented as honorable whilst showing some personality. Meg dresses up because she wants to look her best, and it makes her feel ready for whatever may come. Jo likes to dress for practicality because she tends to get a little roughed up by the end of the day.  Whereas I am a mix in-between, I wear the things I think look pretty on me while wearing something comfortable like my leggings and my handbag even though it's not in fashion. My mother and Marmee both have taught me to dress for myself. " "Hmm. " Laurie noted with a plain face, my face grew warm as I realized I had been talking for quite a long time, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ramble... You seem as though your uninterested- " He shook his head and interrupted me, " No, don't be sorry. I'm actually quite intrigued by this lesson you're giving me, I'm seeing it from a woman's point of view, and it's very informative... " I nodded but I was still embarrassed, Laurie noticed this, held my hand, and with a blush, he said, "I actually think it's quite... cute... The way you speak about things. You are passionate about what you say and think, and view everything from all sides... I admire it... " I looked up at him with flushed cheeks, "Really? ", I asked. He nodded reassuringly, "Oh! We're almost there, be careful now, I don't want you to rip your leggings or get your dress dirty. " He laughed and I confusingly giggled. "Where are you taking us? " I asked as I realized that we were heading to the pond and its surrounding forest. "It's my favorite place to go and have some peace and quiet. "

Laurie carefully led me through some brush and tree, then to a spot out of view from the rest of the forest landscape. "This is it! I found it to be quite secluded and peaceful. " My eyes widened as I looked around in awe. 

The spot he led me to was a small rock overhang that covered a little clearing, it almost took the appearance of a shallow cave. There was a gas lantern that was unlit in the corner along with a metal box that had a lock on it. A few blankets created a makeshift flooring over the dirt ground and if you walked about 15 feet forward from the entrance, you could see the pond that we skated on last winter below. 

"Laurie, this place is beautiful! " I exclaimed as he held my hand and lead me to sit with him on top of the blankets. "It's a place where I can be alone and disappear from the world for a while, and now it's ours... " He said as he looked at me with a warm smile. 

I blushed and I could tell that he remembered something. "Remember yesterday when you had a moment outside your house? " I nodded as I recalled what had happened. "It gave me quite a scare... Can you tell me what happened if you're ready? I'm just worried about you... " He asked, I nodded, deeply inhaled, and wearily answered, "It's just well... I don't even know what happened... My thoughts and worries were so loud that everything around me was muffled. I just kept thinking about Father's health, what I could do to help make things a little easier on Marmee, and how..." I paused while trying to compose myself and hold back my tears, Laurie held my hand tighter in reassurance and I continued. "And how I couldn't lose Father too... I can't bear to lose another parent or even think about it... " Laurie nodded and spoke up, "I understand, after I lost my Father, I was terrified about losing my Mother... Then once she died it was like my worst nightmares came true... I was alone and I had nobody to talk to about it because they never cared to listen or understand... " He looked at me in the eyes and held both of my hands in his as he spoke, "But you'll never have to feel that way. I'll be here for you, always... " A few tears trickled down my cheek and he wiped them away with his finger.

As they examined mine, I stared into his eyes, specks of light that came through the trees reflected onto his eyes as the wind blew and shook the leaves. We inched closer as my breath hitched, our noses were now touching and Laurie leaned his head over to the side to come closer to me... My eyes fluttered closed and I could feel his breath lingering over my lips. 

But just before we made contact we heard children scream and giggle. We both flinched backward and Laurie quickly stood up to see what was happening, with a laugh he walked back and said, "Some children are playing by the pond... " He sat back down as I put a hand over my chest and sighed... We looked at each other with a blush tinged on our cheeks and chuckled at our prior intentions. 

"I suppose that was a sign to wait for our courtship. " I said with a giggle, Laurie nodded and chuckled with me... He looked upward to see some water droplets repeatedly hitting the ground and said, "I think it's going to rain... " His suspicions were correct because a loud crack of thunder rang out and I screeched to which he laughed at and I playfully scowled at him. Laurie lent me a hand to help me get up from the ground and I grabbed my bag before we walked together out of the forest under the now cloudy sky... 

It began to sprinkle a bit more so we ran the rest of the way back to my house. We made it inside the house just in time before sheets of rain began pouring down, we gasped as we stood in the foyer whilst trying to catch our breath. Beth walked down the stairs with a book in her hand and asked with a giggle, "What's the matter? You both act as though you've been running from a monster! " We laughed and Laurie answered, "Well, if you consider a spring storm a monster, then I suppose we did! " Laurie continued to catch his breath with a smirk as Beth and I giggled together.

With Laurie by my side, I suppose that things will be a little bit more fun than they already are...