A/N: I am going through and correcting errors that I have found on a reread. Thanks for reading, if you like it, please let me know. These characters belong to LMA, I am only borrowing them!

Jo sat in the Garret with her head in Beth's caressing hands and forced herself to listen to the dark melody that emanated from her neighbors' home. Jo could feel the pain that she had caused her boy, and would do anything to take it back…almost anything. Beth's words "she has refused Laurie" played through her head. In their years together she had refused her mischievous Teddy a great many things, but never anything so serious as this. All Jo wanted was for nothing to change, and she was certain that with this one act of defiance, her whole world would turned upside down.

Deciding to sleep in the garret, Jo laid her head on the arm of her three legged couch and began to weep. The ominous melody crept into her thoughts, flooding her mind with reminiscences of her boy. How could he think that she would accept him? She has tried everything to discourage him, had she not been clear? Jo did love her boy, but she could never love him as he wanted her to. She wanted to romp through the woods, put on wild theatricals, and have capitol times without having to worry about all of this lovering.

The more she thought about the prospect of losing her boy, the more she worried that she had made a horrid mistake. Jo was completely and utterly torn. Her options were bleak. Jo could stay her course, and be honest to her wills and desires, continue to write, and live in her castle of literature and independence. This alternative was the certainly the most reasonable way to live, she did not want or need a husband to interfere with her plans, and could not dream of her Teddy in that way. The only problem with her perfect life design was Teddy and that blasted proposal, what was wrong with her boy? What was Jo to do? Her perfect dream of a life was set askew with the thought of losing Laurie.

Jo hated the idea of living in the lap of luxury, she had always enjoyed the thought of a little struggle in her life, and to know that what she had that she had honestly earned. Teddy had always had things just a little too easy, and Jo smiled to herself thinking that her efforts to keep him from becoming too spoiled had worked. She had always imagined Teddy whisking away Meg or Beth, either of them certainly deserved as much, but not Jo. Why couldn't he just be reasonable, he has given her an impossible choice to make and she knew that whether she takes her boy or not, everything would change. Jo would be forced between losing Laurie, or losing what she had always dreamed and planned for herself.

Jo was taken aback by the music enveloping her in desolation. She felt as though she could read his thoughts, and they were getting more intense as the night continued. Jo finally shot up knowing what had to be done. Without hesitation Jo began to march right over there and convince Teddy what he was doing to her, doing to them. Once on the Laurence doorstep Jo realized how incredibly ridiculous this was, it was half past 2 in the morning. Despite the queer feeling that plagued her to turn around and go back home, she stiffened up, thinking that she was here, and she needed to follow through and do this thing rightly. With a firm fist, Jo knocked lightly on the door praying that no one would hear it and she could go home knowing that she had done all that she could.

The instant Jo turned about to head in the direction of the March home, she heard the door creak open. Jo winced and slowly turned about, clearing her thought she said, "May I please have a word with Laurie?" The man replied, "Miss jo, Young mister Laurence has not retired to bed this evening, however, I regret that he is not opening his door to anyone at the present." Jo angered at the reply, and when Jo makes her mind up to do something, it will be done. "Well, sir, this is a matter that goes beyond regret, I am afraid that I must see him now." Jo walked through the doorway and was not stopped in her pursuit. Once at the door to the drawing room, she stopped and took several breaths before tapping on the door. The music only paused for a cantankerous voice to utter "leave me be." Jo knocked again, with a longer pause at the keys, the same voice, slightly more perturbed stated "If I have to come out there, you will surly regret it." Then Jo tried the door handle only to find it locked. The sound of the intruder trying to open the door was enough to send Laurie over the edge, he flew up from his keys, muttering several hateful words, and flung the door opened prepared for battle.

The sheer anger quickly defused into a mixture of confusion, defeat, and hope all at once. There was an awkward silence between the two, and brave Jo, who knew precisely why she had made this journey not ten minutes prior was now wondering what she was thinking, and worse, what she was going to do.