It was Laura's favorite time at the Library. They had closed an hour earlier so she and a few other librarians had the place to themselves. Sometimes they would turn on music and joke as they shelved the books, other times they would all be silent lost to their own thoughts.  It really depended on who was closing. 

The head librarian was Edna Franks and she had been a staple at the university's library for thirty years. What she said was law and it was done without protest. She liked things quiet and efficient. Just under her was Amanda Liles and she was much more laid back and would let them goof off on occasion.

That night was an Edna night and as she shelved she was thinking about the paper she had due the following week. Laura had applied to a few different universities, but the one that interested her the most, and had had a decent library science degree, was in Dallas, Texas, and she would be lying if she said it had nothing to do with Davis.  Laura had wanted to be out of New York, and she had liked the idea of being in Texas.  She knew if she was in Texas she would occasionally be under the same sky as Davis.

After their last morning together she and Davis had met up with Carmen and Kelly and finished the photo shoot. Davis had, luckily, stayed behind to help finish with the round-up which had allowed Laura to return to New York and disappear. That had been almost a year ago, and there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't think of him and hope he was happy.

Bryce had helped her with her contract, and while he hadn't been able to get her out of it completely, he had managed to scale it down. She didn't have to make nearly as many personal appearances, and she would only be needed for the main photo shoot, which had been moved from spring to summer.  It was now early March so she had a few months before she had to start gearing up for it.  She still hadn't heard who their photographer would be or what theme had been chosen.

Laura had panicked when she realized that she had to get through the launch of last year's campaign, but Davis had missed it and she hadn't been sure if she was glad or not. The photos had been spectacular, and it had paid off for Landau cosmetics in a huge way. The photo that had gotten the most attention was the reflection of all three of the girls looking at Davis for the first time. Laura had hardly recognized herself in his photos.

Every once and a while she would be sent to straighten up the periodical room and she would find her face staring up at her from the magazines left on the table. It had felt surreal the first time it had happened and she had expected someone to stop her and point out that it was her in the magazine, but no one ever had.

Laura couldn't help but shake her head when she thought about it.  She was different now, she never wore make-up, her hair was never overly styled, her clothes were appropriately casual for the university lifestyle, she always wore her thick framed glasses, and no one ever recognized her. As a kid she had laughed at the ridiculousness that no one ever recognized Clark Kent when his only disguise was a pair of glasses, but it seemed to also be an adequate disguise for her as well. Of course, it also helped that no one was looking for a supermodel at a small Texas university either.

There was a tapping on the main library door and Laura peeked around the shelves to see her roommate Rusty waving to her. Rusty was an art student and kept late hours so she was just beginning her day because most of her classes were studios so she could set her own times. Laura who had had many late nights during her career had always hated them.

Laura looked over her shoulder as she made her way towards the door where she quickly unlocked it. "What are you doing here? You'll get me in trouble," Laura hissed looking over her shoulder again.  Normally, Laura had found it amusing that, as a twenty-nine year old woman of the world, she was afraid of a little old librarian, but not tonight. They had some big donor coming to tour the campus the following day, including the library, which was why she was staying late. If Edna caught her slacking there would be hell to pay.

"I know, but you're not answering your phone so I just wanted to tell you that we're all headed over to Gypsy's for pizza." She gave her a little wave than disappeared into the darkness.

Laura locked the door and went back to her cart.  She only had a few more books to shelve than she could go. She thought of Rusty as she did so. She had had to work hard at the friend thing, it was not something that came natural to her, but she had succeeded in having a few acquaintances that liked her well enough to include her in their plans.  Of course, it helped that none of them felt threatened by her, or felt the need to compete. Here she was just another student trying to pass her classes.

She finished the last of the books and pushed the cart to the office behind the circulation desk where Edna had another small pile of books ready to go. "This is the last of them Laura." Edna handed them over to Laura, who noticed that the top book was one on photography by Davis Stevens. She froze looking at the name in all capitals.

"Laura!" Edna said her name sharply and Laura looked up at her.

"I asked if you could get here early tomorrow."

Laura was the eight to four shift so arriving early would mean half past seven. "That shouldn't be a problem," Laura said, looking back down at the book.

"You young kids have a hard time arriving anywhere on time now days," She grumbled as she started to reach for her stuff. "Lock up on your way out, will you?"

Laura nodded, walking back to the stacks with the books, wondering what Edna would say if she knew that she had already had one career where if she was late nothing happened and millions of dollars were potentially wasted.

She shelved the other books first then sat down on a little circular stepstool as she opened the photography book. The first page was a photo of her with her back to the camera looking down through the window, the next page was a full spread of his brothers working the ranch. She continued to scan the pages, lingering over each one, running her fingers across the images, knowing that Davis had seen everything she was now looking at. Each photo was more spectacular than the last. When she turned to the last page the photo was of her again, she was facing away from the camera holding Fiona who snuggled trustingly into her neck. Her face was hard to make out in the reflection of the window, but she looked soft and loving. How had he seen that in her?

She closed the book and looked at his face on the dust jacket as it looked back at her.  He was so handsome, she couldn't help the tears. She had had him, he had been willing to be hers and she had said no, why had she said no?

She didn't shelve the book, she took it to the back with her and checked it out to take home. It was the closest she had been to him in a long time. She looked in the mirror over the filing cabinet and wiped her face. She would go meet the others for dinner and try to forget about him for a little while. She knew when she laid her head on her pillow that night he would be there, but if she tried to forget she might have a few hours of peace.

*******

Laura was in the stacks helping a student locate a book when the potential donor arrived the next day. The hushed air of the library changed as Edna and Amanda moved forward to greet the person who walked through the door with the president. She had expected a whole entourage and was surprised to only see one person, that was until she saw the person.

Elizabeth Stevens stood in the entry looking beautiful in a tailored suit, her hair perfectly done.

"That's the famous actress Elizabeth Stevens," The young girl who she had been helping whispered in awe. Edna was what one thought a stereo-typical librarian looked like. Her grey hair was in a messy bun, she had limited make-up on, and her skirt and blouse where out dated. Amanda faired a little better, but she was wearing a sweater set with a tweed skirt her dark hair was in a French braid. Normally, they looked fine as they were, but standing next to Elizabeth they both looked frumpy.

She commanded the room, but with a friendly vibe that made one willing to approach and say hello.  The fact that she was alone was not at all odd, she was probably glad to have an afternoon to herself.

She watched as Edna and Amanda approached her tentatively and she greeted them warmly. It was amazing to watch how, with just a few short questions, she had drawn them out of their shell. Laura could easily see where her children got their different skills from.  They all came from this one woman.

Elizabeth scanned the library quickly, causing Laura to duck behind one of the shelves, her heart beating fast as she wondered if she had been seen. Taking a deep breath, she placed her attention back on the young girl she was helping and then made her way further back into the library.  She did odd jobs, making herself scares for about forty-five minutes before she decided that the empty periodicals room needed straightening.

She closed the glass door to the room behind her and slowly started to gather the magazines together, stopping to look at one of her photos. She was so lost in the photo and thinking of Davis she didn't hear the door open.

"He's talented, that son of mine," Elizabeth said gently next to her.

Laura jumped then looked over at her. "Yes he is." She cleared her throat.

"Hello Laura," she greeted, taking the magazine and pulling it towards her, looking at it more closely, "I must say I almost didn't recognize you. You look so different. Has anyone figured out this is you?"

"No, at least not that I'm aware of."

"That's nice, it's nice to be a normal person." Elizabeth looked around her with a smile. "The carpet and the furniture have changed, but otherwise it looks just as it did when I went to school here."

"You went to school here?" Laura asked, shocked.

"Yes, many moons ago." She sat in a chair and motioned for Laura to join her, but Laura looked over her shoulder.

"Have a seat Laura, I'm here to consider giving a substantial sum of money to the school, if I want you to take time to talk to me, you can." From anyone else it probably would have sounded conceited, but from Elizabeth it just sound like a fact.

"You sounded just like Bryce." Laura smiled as she sat down next to her.

"I like to think that my children got all of my best parts." Elizabeth took her time studying Laura, not saying anything for a long time.  Laura was at the point of being uncomfortable when she finally spoke.

"How have you been?" She didn't sound angry as Laura would have expected her to, she sounded concerned, if that was possible.

"I've been good." Laura looked away.

"Liar, you used to be much better at it."

Laura laughed. "I've gotten soft this last year."

"Good, you look softer, more approachable."

"I've been working at it." She cleared her throat as she looked at the door again.

"Davis misses you terribly," Elizabeth said softly, and to Laura it felt like she had reached right in and torn her heart from her chest, well what was left of it anyway. "He hides it well, as I'm sure you do, but it's there just underneath.

Laura nodded, not trying to deny it.

"Why didn't you stay?"

"I don't deserve him, he's better off without me."

"Why? He's not perfect." Elizabeth stood-up. "None of my children are perfect. Bryce always thinks he knows best, Quinn and Caleb want to save the world all of the time, Mason can't seem to ever be serious, especially when it's needed most, Rainer find's it impossible to ask for help, Lizzy is to overprotective, and Davis tends to overshare, especially with those he loves. The only thing my children had that you didn't was a happy childhood."

"You don't know the mistakes I've made, the people I've hurt." Laura closed her eyes fighting back the tears.

"No, and you don't know the mistakes that we've all made, and trust me there have been plenty, all of my daughters have had to overcome hardship and pain. I pride myself on the fact that I've raised strong men to help them find their path. Let Davis help you, let us all help you, we want to." Elizabeth kneeled down in front of her taking her hands in her own. "I would be proud to have you as a daughter."

That broke Laura, and she couldn't fight the tears any longer as they trailed down her cheeks. "Why?"

"Because you are beautiful, smart, and strong, and you love my son just as all my daughters love all of my sons. He has been giving you space to let you figure out what it is like to be normal, but Laura, you weren't meant to be normal, you were meant to be spectacular, and no one knows that better than my son who can see it and capture it with his camera."

Spectacular, that had been the word that she used when she saw the photos in Davis's book. He had been able to capture something in her that no one else ever had.

Elizabeth let her cry for a little while. "Think about it." She rose to leave. "I think that they're probably looking for me, I told them that I wanted some time to myself to reminisce." She started towards the door.

"Oh, one more thing daughter, don't worry about Lizzy. None of us take her seriously. She hated Grace at first too. If it helps she suffered on her own path to love.  She had to wait almost ten years for Brian, so she knows about suffering of the heart."

"She doesn't think I have one."

"And some people think she doesn't have one either so that should make you both even."

Laura nodded, trying to absorb all that she had said. The most important thing was that she called her daughter. Could that ever be possible?

She dried her eyes and moved towards the front of the library where she could hear voices. She moved through the stacks and watched as Elizabeth joked with Edna and Amanda. "I think this is the first time I've ever not whispered in the library."

There was a round of laughter as Elizabeth looked over to where Laura was standing, looking forlorn. She crossed over to her and took her in her arms giving her a tight hug. "Take your time, but come home please." Elizabeth looked at her tucking a stray hair behind one of her ears just as a real mother would, than she kissed her on the forehead.

Laura felt the looks of those around her. It had been so long since anyone had given her a second look, and she realized that she missed the attention, her eyes grew wide at the thought.

"You're not meant to be normal and there's nothing wrong with that," Elizabeth whispered then turned to leave.

"Where to next?" Elizabeth asked, not offering an explanation as to her and Laura's relationship.