Lily stared anxiously at the train pulling into Grand Central Station. She shifted her folded umbrella into her left hand, trying not to get splattered with residual raindrops while checking her watch. Exactly 10:15. Who knew that the train would be on time for once? With a calming breath, she hitched a smile onto her face and made her way to the doors that were swinging open. She carefully watched the exhausted first-class passengers alight from their car, dragging oversized bags with them and beckoning haughtily to porters. A few had joyfully reunited with friends and family members. Lily searched carefully through the stream of faces, looking for one that she hadn't seen in a year--and there he was, the smooth blond hair just as she remembered.  She smiled suddenly and waved to him frantically.The glitter of her jewelry caught his eye, and the young man calmly weaved through the crowd, a single valise in his hand. As he approached, Lily noticed that his usually gangly frame had gained some visible muscles. He threw an arm around her shoulders familiarly, like an older brother or a high school friend.

"Lily! I was hoping you would be here."

"Hello, Teddy." She smiled broadly up to him, her body hovering several inches away from his. Theodore Greenway glanced around the station in his usual nervous way, and swung his valise slightly. Lily glanced down at the platform's cracked concrete before returning her intent green eyes to Teddy's face. "I'm glad you got back safe, and before too long. Have you got that commie stuff out of your blood, then?" A flash of irritation crossed his face, but he smoothed it quickly with a small smile.

"Oh, I don't think so. Rather like malaria, you know--I'm sure I will have recurrent flares, usually in my father's presence, but...I'm already getting old, I suppose. Can't fight for a cause anymore." Lily chuckled with him for a moment, then turned to her left and beckoned to someone. A hulking man dressed in a black suit strode toward the two, halting with military preciseness in front of them. "This is Ian. He follows me around, makes sure nothing too bad happens to me." Lily glanced over to Teddy, who looked faintly intimidated. "It's...part of my new line of work, I'm afraid. Since we deal with so much money, it's often necessary to have high security." Teddy nodded slowly and held out his hand to Ian. The bodyguard shook it solemnly before returning to his former statuesque pose. Lily nodded to Ian, who gave a small salute and lost himself once more in the crowd around them. They both stood for a moment in mostly comfortable silence. Lily swept a careless hand toward the thinning crowd.

"You should tell a porter to get your trunk, dear. I just got a new place on 56th Street. Not the old family home or anything, but...it does well for an apartment. Came with a refrigerator and a dishwasher." She glanced up to him with a proud smile. "I've got a cab waiting outside, and the fare's running up as we speak, so it would be nice to hurry a bit." Teddy nodded and automatically hailed a porter. Lily coughed, looking half-boredly at the train as she spoke once more. "By the way, I've set our wedding date for two weeks from now. It will only be a small affair--a few close friends from school, maybe a few from work...no one who cares about your trip to Spain or can't forgive an heiress for having an empty trust fund."

Teddy watched the porter stride away to retrieve his trunk, pausing before answering his fiancée. "Well...yes. Yes, that's fine, Lily." Although he smiled while nodding, there was a certain solemnity to it. Lily smiled back to him, mirroring his terseness.

***

At the apartment, Lily had set up a cot in the small living room, shoving the plush sofa against a wall. She showed him the radio, the tall bookcase beside it, and the sloppy stack of glossy New Yorkers that she had saved for him.

"Plenty for you to catch up on, dear. Just, if you want to listen to the radio after nine, make sure you turn it down low. Mother is living in the guest room, and the walls are awfully thin here."

Teddy glanced nervously at the closed door that Lily motioned to. "Oh? How is Sharon, anyway?" Lily shrugged sadly.

"She's not been right since Daddy's death. She's...recuperating, though, since we moved into this apartment. We go out for walks every afternoon when I'm not working." She smiled suddenly. "She remembers you. You should say hello."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I will...but not right now. I've got to go see a man about employment." He placed a fedora on his head, tapping it down with a nervous gesture. Lily nodded and, after a second's hesitation, jumped onto her tiptoes and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Just give a buzz when you're back." Teddy smiled and nodded to her, turning around and making his way to the door. Lily followed him, intending to lock the door behind him. Suddenly, he turned back around and swept her into his arms, pulling her close and pressing his lips into hers. The thinness of his lips and clammy warmth of his mouth overwhelmed her. She could only make some feeble attempts to inject some passion into the otherwise lifeless kiss. Quickly, he let her go. They stared at each other with a mixture of embarrassment and guilt for a moment before Teddy left. Lily tried to keep the lock quiet as she clicked it into place.