Christmas In London, Part V - December 23
By: Lori (SixteenOzs)

DISCLAIMER: "ER," the characters and situations depicted within are the property of Warner Bros. Television, Amblin Entertainment, Constant c Productions, NBC, etc. They are borrowed without permission, but without the intent of infringement. The story presented here is written solely for entertainment purposes, and the author is making no profit.

Please do not post or redistribute without the disclaimer above, or without the consent of the author.

Feedback is welcome. Please send all questions, comments or criticisms to SixteenOzs02@yahoo.com

SUMMARY: Follows Christmas In London, Part IV.

RATING: PG

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I would like to take this opportunity to thank Trigg for ALL of her help with information on London. I could NOT have done this without her. Thank you so much for putting up with my endless barrage of questions! I would also like to thank Farah and everyone else who has taken a look at the early versions and offered feedback. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Part V - Saturday, December 23, 2000

"Mmm. Hi," Elizabeth murmured as she woke up the next morning, and found Mark already awake next to her.

"Hi," he said softly, brushing her hair back from her face. "Sleep well?"

"Very," she nodded with a smile. "We should do this more often."

"Do what?" he questioned.

"Wake up together, when we don't have to go to work," she smiled.

"Yeah, we should," he agreed.

"I'm not going to want to go back to work next week," she admitted.

"I don't think I will either," he said with a slight chuckle. "So, what are we up to today?"

"Daddy's hosting the Christmas party for his practice this evening. Charlotte's going to come in today to make sure everything is set up properly. My advice: steer clear of her. She gets a little crazy when she's doing this. She wants EVERYTHING to be perfect. Don't be surprised if you come across her chewing out the caterer or the florist," she said with a laugh.

"Okay," he laughed. "I'll make sure I stay on her good side. What are we going to do until the party?"

"I was thinking we could just stay around here, maybe go for a run," she suggested.

"I like that idea," he nodded. He hesitated a moment, then said, "I hate to bring up the 'w' word, but we could also do a little work."

She laughed. "Yeah. I brought along a few pieces of research that I need to read for our article."

"Me, too," he nodded. "We could spend a few hours going over that, working on ideas and get it over with."

"Sounds good to me," she agreed. Sighing, she said, "You're going to have to help me tonight."

"To do what?" he asked curiously.

"Tonight's the party for Daddy's practice, which means he's probably going to ask me to join again. And it wouldn't surprise me if he's put his partners up to talking to me about it, too," she explained.

"But that's not what you want?" he questioned.

"You have to ask?" she countered.

"Just checking," he grinned.

She sighed again. "I don't want to disappoint him, but I'm happy in Chicago. That's where I want to stay."

"Maybe he understands that more than you think," Mark suggested.

"I don't know," she said skeptically.

"Don't worry," he assured her. "I'll back you up. I've got a stake in making sure you're on that plane back to Chicago with me."

"Thanks," she laughed.

After a moment, she sighed softly, prompting him to ask, "What?"

"I also need to talk to Daddy about tomorrow," she said with a wary look.

"What's tomorrow?" he wondered with a confused expression. "Well, other than Christmas Eve, of course."

"Mother invited us to dinner tomorrow night," she replied. "She wants to see you, exchange Christmas gifts and all of that. I told her we could come tomorrow, since I want to spend Christmas Day with Daddy, especially since coming here was really his idea. I just hope he won't be upset that I'm not spending tomorrow night here."

"Elizabeth, don't worry," he advised. "I'm sure he'll understand. You don't get a chance to come here that often, it's the holidays and you want to spend some time with your mother, too."

"I hope so," she said warily.

"Feel like you're getting torn between them?" he suggested.

"Yeah," she nodded quietly.

He didn't say anything right away. "I found out about Jen's affair in early December. We agreed that she could take Rachel to visit her family in Ohio for the holidays, but they were supposed to come back on Christmas day so Rachel and I could have some time together. On Christmas Eve, Jen called from Ohio to say that Rachel's cousins were having a skating party a few days after Christmas, and they were staying for that. At first, I was livid. It felt like she was trying to screw me out of time with Rachel. Susan finally made me see that it wasn't about what Jen or I wanted, or how we were trying to get back at each other. The only thing that really mattered was that Rachel was happy, and that I was doing what was best for her. It's not easy, but that's what I've always tried to remember. I think your parents realize that, too."

She smiled softly, then asked, "How do you always do that?"

"Do what?" he wondered.

"Know exactly what to say to make me feel better."

"We're good for each other like that," he replied with a grin.

"Yeah, we are," she whispered just before her lips met his.

"Are you still feeling up for that run?" he wondered.

"Sure," she nodded. "Then we can come back, shower and get something to eat?"

"Sounds like a plan," he smiled as he threw back the comforter reached for her hand as he got out of bed.

"So, this is where you two have been hiding out," Charles commented with a grin as he entered his study.

Elizabeth and Mark looked up from the sofa. They were seated at opposite ends, with papers covering the area between them and the coffee table.

"We figured it would be safer in here," Elizabeth replied with a chuckle. "How's Charlotte doing?"

"She's in rare form," Charles grinned. Looking around the room, he wondered, "What have you done to my study?"

"I think this is what's typically called a work in progress," Mark laughed.

"We're working on an article that we hope to have ready for publication next month," Elizabeth explained.

"What's it on?" Charles inquired as he sat down in a chair near the sofa.

"The use of heart-lung bypass in the emergency room," Elizabeth said, an unmistakable trace of pride in her voice.

"You haven't?" Charles questioned in disbelief. From the grins on both their faces, he said, "You have? You have actually performed a heart-lung bypass in an ER?"

"Five times, actually," Mark replied with a smile.

"Well, I've done it six," Elizabeth corrected. Looking at Mark, she said, "You're forgetting about that day I worked with Luka."

"I thought you said that didn't go too well?" he questioned.

"It didn't," she assured him. "I was so used to working with you, the way we can read each other. Luka and I could never get the timing right, I had to tell him everything to do." Grinning, she added, "You spoiled me."

"I know the feeling," he laughed.

"So, what are you working on now?" Charles wondered.

"Just background research, going over similar studies to see what their conclusions were," Mark explained.

"Sounds like fun," Charles replied sarcastically.

"Research always is, isn't it?" Elizabeth laughed.

"Guess that only leaves one question," Charles commented with a grin. "Whose name goes first on the byline?"

"Mine," Elizabeth said triumphantly.

"Only because she suggested we go alphabetically, since she knew she'd win by first or last name," Mark teased.

"And I promised to buy you dinner," she reminded him with a laugh.

"Well, I suppose I should let you two get to work," Charles chuckled. "Don't forget, the party starts in three hours, and I want to give Charlotte her Christmas gift before she leaves."

"Sure," Elizabeth nodded. "What did you get her this year?"

"A new teapot in her favorite china pattern," Charles answered. "She was going into her den a few weeks ago and her Yorkie got in the way. The teapot fell off the tray and broke. Did you get her anything."

"A new doll for her collection," Elizabeth smiled.

"I'm sure she'll love it," he said as he walked to the door. "I'll see you later."

"You're going to be quizzed on all of these names later. You know that, don't you?" Elizabeth asked with a grin as she and Mark stood in a corner of the lounge, watching the party guests that evening.

"Why don't you just save us both the hassle and fail me now?" he laughed before taking a sip of his drink.

She laughed. "Don't worry, I only remember the names of the ones I've known since I was twelve." She looked around the room for a few moments, then sighed. "I suppose we should start mingling."

"We can't just stay here, and keep to ourselves, all night?" he grinned.

"Well..." she smiled. "We could, but I don't really think that would look good."

He offered his arm. "Then shall we mingle, Dr. Corday?"

She placed her hand on his arm and smiled, "Yes, we shall, Dr. Greene."

They spent the next few hours moving about the room, talking to the guests. Sometime later, Elizabeth found herself standing near the doorway with her father. "Very nice party," she commented.

"Yes, it is," he agreed with a smile.

After a few moments, she admitted, "I must say, I'm a little surprised though."

"About what?" Charles questioned.

"I've been here four days, and except for a few veiled suggestions the first night, you haven't said anything about wanting me to join your practice. At the very least, I thought a few of the partners would make comments about how you were biding your time, waiting for me to move back so you could retire," she said with a questioning look at her father.

Charles smiled slightly. He looked around the room until his gaze fell upon Mark. He then turned back to her. "I see the way you look at him, Elizabeth. And I see the way he looks at you. You're happy, you may even be happier than I've ever seen you before. Your life is in Chicago now, and there's no way that I could ever ask you to give that up."

"Thank you," she whispered softly.

"You don't need to thank me," he assured her. "All I've ever wanted is for you to be happy."

"I am," she nodded.

"I know," he said with a smile. "Actually, so am I. You could have done a lot worse. In fact, in college, you did MUCH worse!"

She blushed slightly as she laughed. "That was fifteen years ago. I can't believe you're still bringing that up!"

Turning serious, Charles said, "I really like him, Elizabeth. It's not hard to see that he's crazy about you, but it's more than that. I can tell that he respects you both as a woman and as a physician, the way you seem to work together so easily, the way he gets extremely worried about you when it comes to Romano."

"He can be infuriating when it comes to Romano," she corrected with a grin.

"Well, it still makes me feel better to know that there is someone in Chicago who's looking out for you, since I can't do it myself," he smiled.

"If I learned anything from Mother, it's how to take care of myself," Elizabeth assured him.

"I know you CAN take care of yourself, but I'm your father. You will always be my little girl, and I will always want to do everything I can to protect you. Since I can't be there, it makes me feel better to know that someone like Mark is there, watching out for you," he confessed quietly.

"Thank you, Daddy. I love you," she said softly as she kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you, too, Darling," he smiled.

She sighed and looked at him somewhat apprehensively. "Daddy, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Yes?" Charles wondered.

She hesitated. "Um, yesterday, while I was at Mother's, she, uh, she said she would really like it if Mark and I came over for dinner tomorrow evening."

"Okay," he nodded. When she didn't say anything for several moments, he asked, "Was there something else?"

"Well, I suppose I wasn't sure you'd like the idea. After all, you invited us here, and we're going to be deserting you on Christmas Eve," she said quietly.

He smiled. "Elizabeth, when I invited you here, I knew you'd want to spend some time with your mother as well. It's not a problem."

"It's not?" she questioned.

"No," he assured her. "This is the first time that you've been home in three years and a half years. It's not fair to expect you to spend all of your time with me. Besides, even thought I wish you didn't, ever since the divorce, you've felt like you need to divide your time between your mother and me. You don't have to worry about that. If you want to spend tomorrow night with Isabelle, that's fine with me."

"Thank you," she said softly, giving him a quick hug.

"You're welcome," he smiled. Looking towards Mark, he grinned and added, "You'd better go rescue him from Mrs. Whitmore. I swear, I think the woman talked her first two husbands to death!"

"Okay," Elizabeth laughed as she started walking across the room. Approaching them, she smiled politely and said, "Mrs. Whitmore, I hope you don't mind, but I need to steal Mark away for a few moments."

"Of course, dear," Mrs. Whitmore smiled. "You have a very fine young man here."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said, desperately trying not to laugh, as she took Mark's arm and gently pulled him away from the talkative older woman.

Once they were out of her earshot, Mark gratefully whispered, "Thank you."

"Getting on your nerves, huh?" she asked with a grin.

"You can't even begin to imagine," he laughed. He studied her for a moment then commented, "You look awfully happy."

"I talked to Daddy," she admitted with a smile.

"Oh, yeah?" he questioned. "How'd that go?"

"It went really well," she nodded.

"Talk to him about both?" he wondered.

"Yeah, he said he saw that I was happy, and he could never ask me to give that up, so he wouldn't ask me to join his practice. He also said that when he invited me to come home for Christmas, he knew I'd want to spend some time with Mother, too," she smiled.

"I told ya so," he grinned.

"You!" she exclaimed as she punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"Come here," he said softly as he slipped his arms around her waist, pulled her closer and kissed her gently.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think: SixteenOzs02@yahoo.com LLP

July 29, 2000

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