A/N Sorry once again for the delay, I've been on a trip and had hoped to tie this story up before I left.  Hope you're all ok, and haven't given up on me. A few more chapters to go, xxx

Chapter Fifty Six

Lizzie smiled as she watched Nate skip his counter across the board, he loved trying new board games, and this was no exception. A game where you had to move around the board without landing on a monster square was a game made perfectly for him. And as if to prove the point, it was something she'd done about five times. In the beginning, when they started playing board games, she'd wanted to let him win a few games, but over the last few months, he became better at the strategy of these more simple games and could beat her quite easily. Well, if she was distracted anyway, and she was distracted that afternoon.

As she threw a five and landed in the mouth of some sort of evil vulture, Nate squealed with delight and she obediently returned to the beginning.

They both heard a noise; Nate had been poised all evening, waiting for his father to come home. His eyes flicked to hers with glee, and before the door from the hallway opened, he was there throwing his arms around Oscar.

She watched as he scooped to pick up his son, burying his head into his hair closing his eyes as he inhaled the scent of Nate. It warmed her, but it worried her, there was a desperation in him that brought concern. He'd been gone all day, normally he was elaborate in his explanations, today he'd been more evasive, but she wasn't worried about that. Or rather she was trying not to be, she trusted him, it wasn't easy, but she did. He had a business to create and he was following every lead that he could find. That took time and effort...but in the back of her mind...she had that sick feeling...it was a gut instinct, and she couldn't get past it.

His head lifted and he opened his eyes, and the smile he gave her could only be described as grateful. She stood and walked towards him, "you ok?" He'd not come home looking this stressed before, and immediately that made her gut instinct more real.

Oscar nodded, freeing one arm to wrap around her, pulling her into their embrace, planting his lips on her head. "I am now. Just a long and weird day. Glad to be home."

"We waited on dinner...though we were only giving you another half an hour."

He grinned, and then jiggled Nate in his arms, "you were going to eat without me?"

"I'm hungry!"

Oscar grinned lowering him to the ground, "that is a good thing."

"Why don't you tell your Dad all about your day whilst I get dinner finished?"

Nate grinned, dragging his father by the hand to the table, and his school books.

She was in the kitchen draining the pasta to add to the carbonara sauce when she felt arms slide around her waist, and lips connect with the skin just below her ear.

"Nate's washing his hands."

Putting down the drained pasta, she turned in his arms, and let his lips find hers.

"That's what I need..." he murmured against her skin. It made her shudder with desire, and he chuckled against her cheek, "not just me, hey?"

She still hated opening herself up so obviously, even though he'd exposed his own heart so often, it took a moment for her to nod, "no it's not just you."

Oscar grinned, pressing her further into the hard work surface behind her, his hips flush against hers as his lips finally found hers once again. They were disturbed by the sound of Nate's feet racing down the stairs.

A usual chaotic dinner ensued, but Lizzie was aware that Oscar still seemed a little subdued. It was much later, once Nate was asleep that she confronted him. But as with earlier, he tried to distract her, by kissing her.

"This is serious..." she pushed him away. "Something is wrong, and you promised me we'd talk about things. That was one of the guarantees, you remember that discussion? It was not negotiable."

Oscar had the good grace to dip his head; it was a long time before he lifted his head and looked embarrassed, "ok. You aren't going to like this, but there is a genuine and honest explanation behind it. I just need you to believe that."

Her response was an elevated eyebrow, "go on."

Oscar reached for his drink, and drained it, before finally meeting her eyes, "I went to see your parents today."

Lizzie felt her whole body freeze. For the first time in her life, she truly had no clue how to digest those seven words. Her parents...and Oscar. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to control her breathing, her erratically beating heart. A million thoughts swirled in her mind and she tried desperately to find a path through them. In reality, she'd spent every day since her sister's funeral separating herself from those they called parents. Both physically and emotionally.

He'd been to see them.

She wanted to ask why? She wanted to punch him, how dare he? But she also wanted to run away, embarrassed she didn't want him to see that ugly part of her life, that relationship opened up for him to see, and angry that he had done this, just thrown her whole life up in the air again...but she was desperate too. A huge part of her still longed for something she'd never have, a deep longing surfaced, that wanted to hear that they'd finally changed, that her parents wanted her. His face, his reluctance to tell her this all spoke volumes, he'd just reopened that wound...with a blunt and heartless knife, for nothing.

She garnered every cell that she could, every ounce of her remaining pride and lifted her chin, met his concerned gaze head on, but through a blur of rapidly appearing tears, she mumbled, "my parents?"

Anything else failed on her lips. Despite her efforts, the pain was huge, overwhelming, and she had no idea what to do. He'd made her trust him, Oscar, and now sat there looking like a naughty school boy. He'd made her think that everything would be ok, and yet he'd gone and opened the hornet's nest that was her painful past, her hurtful family. She didn't know how to deal with that.

Oscar shuffled along the sofa and grabbed her hand, "don't cry...I..." He ran a hand through his hair, "shit, I had reasons, I don't want to hurt you with this."

She swiped at a tear, "I was starting to forget them..."

He shook his head sadly, using his thumbs to dry her cheeks, but she pulled herself away from that.

"I can't believe you'd do that." She stared at her fingers as she wound them anxiously, then when she looked up at him she shook her head. "How could you? This is nothing to do with you."

She wanted to jump up, to run away, she knew that was her go to, but she was too worn-out to do that. She felt defeated, betrayed...a million negatives. And she was tired of it all.

Oscar groaned, "you're right to be angry..."

She gasped in surprise, "angry? You have no idea. I feel...sad, betrayed, hurt. And there's nothing you can say that would make this any easier."

"I had to see it for myself."

Her eyes widened, "me telling you just wasn't enough, hey? Me telling you that they hate me wasn't enough. Oscar had to ride in like a knight on a charger and see for himself. Did you think you could make it right? Is that what this was?"

"No. But I wish you could do that for you. I suppose I just had to see it for myself...that is a very selfish thing to say, but I don't mean it that way." He reached for her hand, squeezing tighter when she tried to pull away. "I can't believe that anyone can not love every one of your bones unconditionally. I thought...I don't know, that they were deluded, confused..."

She laughed dryly, "until you met them again. They may have surprised you, but they won't surprise me. There's no open armed welcome, no apology..." She swiped at the tears, "no love, Oscar. There NEVER has been. There never will be. You should have left that alone."

Oscar sighed, "but it DID surprise me." Running a hand through his hair, he couldn't hide his disappointment, "I thought this was salvageable, maybe they didn't realise how they made you feel..."

Lizzie's laugh was scathing, "you can't fix this, Oscar. I'm not a project that needs your expertise. It is what it is. You should have left well alone."

"I get that. I mean I told them who I was, about you and Nate...and it meant nothing. I am so gutted that I opened this up again. But I had to see it for myself."

She leaned back in her seat, as far away from Oscar as she could, "hmm, my parents never fail to disappoint when it comes to me...and their disdain."

He let out a long slow breath, "I'm sorry. Really sorry."

Lizzie gave a watery smile, she didn't have the energy to make more of this, she should shout, scream, vent her frustration at him, with him. Instead she shrugged, "twenty odd years, they aren't going to change now."

He slid next to her and wrapped an arm around her, "I bet you want to punch me. I am so sorry. I just couldn't believe that things would be as bad as you said."

Lizzie was silent, there was nothing to say to that, but then he added, "they referred to Nate as 'the boy'."

That was whispered, and when she looked at him, he looked like he was about to cry himself, she reached out and comforted him with a squeeze to the arm, "they are beyond explanation. He doesn't need them, and they don't deserve him."

"You're right, I just hate that I've reopened this wound, and that I gave them the chance to upset things, that I've upset you."

Lizzie took more than a few deep breaths, "I'm not upset, not anymore. I mean I want to say that I don't care, but we both know that's not the truth. I just hate that I crave their love so much..." She smiled, "CRAVED - past tense."

Oscar kissed her forehead, "I hate them for making you feel that way, but I love you more than they ever could. You have to know that."

She gave him a sad smile, "I think I'm starting to get that."

Lizzie tried to smile properly, but she couldn't beat that bloody sad streak that ate at her like cancer. She hated that is was getting between them, but she couldn't seem to imagine it away.

Oscar groaned, "I've made you sad, I really hate this." Suddenly he looked anxious, nervous even.

"What is it?"

He was quiet for a long moment, "I wasn't going to tell you this, shit it's all wrong...I wasn't sure...bloody hell..."

Reaching out she took his hand, her time to comfort him, "I don't hate you for visiting them, I wish you hadn't. But don't be so down hearted. It's ok. We're ok." She'd never seen him so flummoxed.

He shook his head, "Look. This might scare you off, but...well. I went to see your parents for a few reasons...I wanted to do this right..."

She suddenly felt nauseous, "what do you mean?"

"I asked your Dad if I could marry you. Or rather I told him that I would."

Gasping, she wasn't sure she'd ever find another word, but his finger on her lips stopped her forming any sounds.

"I know, it's too soon, I know that you're not into this as much as I am...but I wanted to tell them how I feel about you. I thought that I would need their blessing...now I know I don't need that." He smiled, "I'm not about to drop to my knee, I promise. When the time is right though, I will. Like a shot."

"I...err..."

Oscar smiled, "have I rendered you speechless?"

"We can't..."

He took both her hands, "soon, we'll talk about this, but I wanted to do it right, to ask their permission. It was the wrong thing to do in retrospect, but that doesn't mean that I don't see us together forever. I see you as Mrs Wicker. I can't wait for that, though I will."

She hadn't ever felt the way she did at that moment, nauseous, anxious, but hopeful, the thought of marriage terrified her, but she too saw her future with him. If he asked what would she say?

"We can't..." she was repeating herself.

Oscar grinned and pulled her into his arms, his lips covering hers for a brief moment, "not now, not yet. But one day, when you forgive me for this, for ripping your heart out, for making you so sad, when we're on track and doing what we all want, then you'll start to realise you love me too. When you do...then it'll be the right time. Ok?"

She stared at his eyes, so honest, so open. He was pleading with her silently, and it warmed her heart, she knew that he loved her, he told her, but as she studied him, she could feel the intensity of his feelings. She still wasn't sure that she deserved that love, or what the hell to do with it. But she did want to run with this, to see where it went. She wanted to be everything for him.

So instead of arguing, resenting and pushing him away, she threw her arms around him and pulled his mouth to hers. She forgave him, and that wasn't something she ever thought she would.