Up the Down Escalator

By Kathy

Beginning, Next Section

Chapter 1

Posted on Monday, 11 December 2000

Elizabeth stepped on the gas pedal as the light turned yellow, speeding through the intersection. The man in the seat beside her gripped the armrest, his knuckles turning white. Once through, she let the car cruise to its original speed and looked over at him with a grin. "Didn't think I'd make that one, did you?"

His laugh was threaded with irritation. "Nope, can't say I did." He took a few deep breaths, then asked in annoyance, "Can't you ever drive normally?"

"What's normal?" she questioned, and he grimaced.

"Normal is following the laws and not getting pulled over by the police."

She shook her head, her grin broadening as she flipped on her turn signal. "It's only wrong if you get caught. And it's the beginning of the month, so all the cops are out eating doughnuts. I won't get stopped," she said decisively.

"Famous last words," the man murmured, then grabbed the OSB as the car swung around a tight corner at about 35 mph. "What the hell are you doing?" he screamed.

"I'm trying to get us there on time," she replied calmly, straightening the car, then slowing down for the red light.

His jaw clenched. "I don't think I care anymore if we get there on time, as long as we get there in one piece."

She looked over at him, her gaze sharpening. "What's wrong with you, Derrick? You've been like this since I picked you up."

"I just don't like your driving," he retorted.

"You've never complained before. So why now?"

The car was silent as she stared at him. He refused to meet her eyes, looking instead out the front at the windshield wipers, working furiously to push the pouring rain to one side or the other. At last, she turned her eyes back to the road and slammed angrily on the gas when the light turned green. A short while up the road, she leaned over and turned on the radio, then hit it with her hand when she remembered it was still broken.

"Getting upset at it won't make it work," Derrick bit out.

She turned her angry green eyes on him. "Well, maybe it makes me feel better."

His lips thinned into a sharp line, but he didn't respond. He stared out the passenger side window, watching the cars they passed and the pedestrians on the sidewalk, their multicolored umbrellas bobbing up and down. Suddenly, his pager beeped, and he took it off his belt and glanced at the message.

"Who's that?" Elizabeth asked, watching the flush rise into his cheeks at her question.

He cleared his throat, putting the pager back on his belt. "Uh...no-one."

She raised an eyebrow. "No-one? Yeah, right. I get messages from him all the time," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I mean," he said in a rush, "it was Jeff. But it's nothing; probably about the project at work."

"I thought that was finished," she said suspiciously.

"Uh, well...yeah, it was. But the boss didn't like it, so we have to start over again. Luckily, the client doesn't need the drafts until Thursday."

She nodded. "Oh."

They drove in silence for a few minutes before Derrick spoke again. "Do you think we could just stop here for a second while I call him?"

Elizabeth didn't answer, but only pulled the car into a gas station, then sat waiting as he went over to the pay phone under the overhang of the building. She tapped a beat on the steering wheel, humming along with the song playing in her head as she watched him pick up the receiver and put change into the slot. It was pure idleness that caused her to try to figure out which of Jeff's many phone numbers he dialed. 5-5-5...3-7-9-5. She sat up in her seat and looked more sharply out the window at him as he turned his back to the car, his shoulders hunching over slightly. She sat back after a moment, biting her lip. She had thought she had known all of Jeff's numbers, but that wasn't one of them.

She was planning on how to ask him whom he had called when she glanced over at the seat next to her and saw that Derrick's pager had fallen off his belt and was now lying temptingly in the middle of the seat. After a short--very short--hesitation, she picked it up and glanced at the last call, and the message that had been left. Her jaw tightened, and she looked back up as Derrick hung the phone back on the receiver. He came back to the car and opened the door. He sat down and looked at her with a smile, which faded as soon as he took in the tight expression on her face. He didn't even need to ask, because she threw the evidence right into his lap.

"It's not what you think," was the first thing he came up with.

Her expression didn't change, as she replied wryly, "So you and Jeff aren't carrying on behind my back? Oh, ok, that makes me feel so much better."

"Elizabeth..." he protested, but she shook her head sharply. "I don't want to hear it, Derrick. But just out of curiosity, what's her name?"

He looked out the side window for a few minutes, then looked back at her, his jaw clenching. "It's Jennifer, if you must know."

Her eyes widened slightly as she took in this little bit of information. "Jennifer? Ohhh, I see. Jennifer. You don't, by any chance, mean my secretary?"

By his silence, she knew she had hit the nail on the head, and she turned and curled her fingers around the steering wheel, trying to get a grip on her riling emotions. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out harshly. At last, she said, in a low, lethal voice, "Out."

He turned to her, his expression shocked. "Out? You can't be serious."

"Out, Derrick. Get out of the car."

"And how am I supposed to get home?"

Her expression was stony as she replied sarcastically. "Oh, I don't know; why don't you call Jennifer? In fact," she said, grabbing her purse and digging through it, "here's thirty-five cents to make another phone call." She threw the coins at him.

"Wait, Liz, let's talk about this," he said pleadingly.

"What's there to talk about, Derrick?" she asked, her eyebrows raised. "You've been cheating on me--for however long--and I just found out. There's nothing complicated here. Now, get out of the car."

He stared at her for a moment more before he got out of the seat and into the pouring rain. He leaned over and said in a voice as cold as the rain rolling down his forehead, "I'll be over tomorrow to pick up my stuff."

She didn't answer, just waited for him to close the door before she shifted the car into reverse and pulled out of the parking spot. As she shifted again into drive, she looked over to see him standing there in the rain, his black hair now plastered to his tan skin, his clothes getting even more soaked every second, and felt a twinge of guilt for leaving him there like that. But she squashed it before she did anything stupid and drove away as quickly as possible.

Now where was she to go? she wondered as she drove down the street, not paying as much attention to the road around her as she perhaps ought to have been. She didn't feel as devastated as she probably should have by Derrick's betrayal; she just felt angry. She had been suspecting something was going on for a while now, but this seemed like such an anticlimax. She felt as if someone had just taken a pin and pricked her ego just enough to let it begin to deflate slowly. Of course, was her damaged pride due more to the fact that he had cheated on her, or the fact that he had done it with, of all people, her secretary?

At the next red light, Elizabeth pulled her cell phone out of her purse and speed-dialed her sister's number. "Jane?" she said as soon as the phone was picked up, and a greeting was heard.

"Lizzy? Is that you?" came the voice on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Where are you?"

Elizabeth looked up at the street signs. "Um...54th and Lisbon."

There was a short silence, then a very puzzled Jane asked, "Why?"

"I don't know," Elizabeth replied with a shrug. "I just left Derrick at a gas station after I found out he was cheating on me, and I've been driving around ever since."

"Derrick's been cheating on you?" came the astonished response.

"Uh-huh. With Jennifer, my secretary."

"Ouch, that's harsh. So...what are you going to do?"

Elizabeth sighed. "I've already dumped him; I'm not a sucker twice, Jane. But...I don't know. He's going to clean his stuff out of my apartment tomorrow, and probably leave mine in the process. Maybe, just to piss him off, I'll change the locks. What d'ya think?"

There was a slight pause. "Well, I was more asking about right now. Are you going to go to Pieces of Eight anyway?"

"Alone?" Elizabeth scoffed. "Oh, yeah; that sounds like the best way to spend the rest of this miserable day. No--I'll cancel the reservations. You know, as I think about it more, it only makes me angrier. On our nine month--can you believe it?"

"It was rather unkind of him, I think..."

"Unkind? Jane, you must be the queen of understatement."

The conversation lulled at this point, and finally Jane broke it by asking, "Why don't we go shopping?"

"Shopping? I don't know if I'm in the mood," Elizabeth responded morosely. "I just found out I've been blind for the past who-knows-how-long, I got four outstanding bills in the mail, I'm seriously PMSing, and you ask me to go shopping? It's not that much of a cure."

"Well," said Jane in a comforting tone, "then think of it as a favor to me. I have to find a present for Charles--it's his birthday in a week, if you remember. It would be a big help if you could help me pick out something."

Elizabeth harrumphed. "Oh, just get him a pair of socks. He'd be happy with anything, as long as it came from you."

"Lizzy..." her sister said it in the tone of a long-suffering individual. "You are cranky today, aren't you?"

"Cranky doesn't even cover a tenth of it, Jane."

Jane sighed over the phone. "I'm sorry to hear that Lizzy. So...shall we go to the Grand Avenue or Southridge?"

"I don't care."

"Alright, Southridge it is. I'll meet you in the Food Court in half an hour. Do you think you can make it, or is traffic bad down there?"

"No, it's fine."

"Then see you then. Talk to you later, hun."

"Yup." And without another word, Elizabeth hit the "End" button, and threw it onto the seat next to her. As she drove until she found the freeway, she tried to sort out her feelings. It was a jumble of emotions, the most dominant one anger. She simply felt incredibly upset at what Derrick had done to her: treated her like an object. Something he could use and then discard. And though it was somewhat comforting that he actually tried to keep her, that she wasn't completely undesired, the ultimate issue is that he cheated on her. With her secretary. Granted, Jennifer was a gorgeous woman--but she was also not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. The only reason she got the job was because all of the other applicants were worse--and she was the CEO's niece. She wondered idly what exactly Derrick and Jennifer could possibly have to talk about.

What was she thinking? Of course they didn't talk--Jennifer wasn't there for that purpose. That's why Derrick was cheating on her with Jennifer, and not the other way around. Of course, that thought made her ego suddenly deflate even more--so she was intelligent and could string more than three words together, but obviously she wasn't as desirable as she had been lead to believe. What a depressing thought.

She was in a much better mood. Perhaps not the greatest, because she still was forced to remember she had to return to her apartment soon and pack up Derrick's stuff, but at least she finally stopped thinking about Jennifer and Derrick together--ugh.

Jane pointed to their left at a store across the way, and they waded through the crowds until they stood in front of the large window through which they could see gorgeous crystal figurines, statuettes, and other odd little trifles. Elizabeth smiled over at her sister. "Should we go in?"

Jane agreed, and they entered. It was fifteen minutes before they emerged again, another bag in Elizabeth's hands, amidst the ever-growing number. "Cathy will love it," Elizabeth said happily. "I can't believe you spotted it! A one-of-a-kind, and in the shape of a unicorn."

"Luck," Jane replied modestly. "But we'll have to wrap that carefully when we get home. After all, graduation isn't for another month, and I'd rather not break it before then."

Almost as if on cue, a man came around a corner, obviously in a hurry, and ran straight into Elizabeth. The impact sent her staggering backwards, and the bags flew out of her grasp. She stared as she sat on the ground, stunned, and the man dusted himself off, mumbling a quick "sorry," as he disappeared into the crowd. Her mouth hung open in shock as she turned to look up at Jane, who was staring in the direction the man had disappeared. A trio of nice old ladies were trying to collect Elizabeth's bags. "What a nasty young man," one said sympathetically.

"The least he could have done was apologize correctly and help you up," said another as she herself helped Elizabeth to her feet.

"Oh dear," said the third.

Elizabeth didn't like the sound of that, especially as the lady was looking into the bag from the figurine store she had just left. "Oh no...don't tell me."

The little old lady looked over at her apologetically. "I'm afraid this little thing is smashed."

Elizabeth buried her face in her hands. "I'm not sure this day can get worse, Jane. Please tell me we can return it."

Jane looked uncomfortable when Elizabeth glanced over at her. "They have a no-return policy, Lizzy. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal."

No one spoke for a while, until Elizabeth, in a tired voice, declared, "I think it's time to cut my losses and go home. Any objections?"

The light definitely knew she was sitting there, waiting. Otherwise, it wouldn't be red for so long. It had to know she was waiting. The rain continued to fall on the windshield, and she wished again that her radio worked, so that she wouldn't have to try to sing along to the steady beat of the wipers. She glanced in the mirror to see a black Jaguar sitting behind her. She couldn't see much of the driver, but she had the feeling he was male. And rich. And most likely forty years old, going through some mid-life crisis.

She sighed, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel in impatience. Just as the perpendicular street's light turned yellow, she heard a screeching noise behind her, and glanced in her mirror in time to catch a glimpse of the car behind her smash into the back of hers. Her car was pushed forward into the intersection, and a car speeding through the yellow light braked and swung wildly to the left, but managed to clip her front end. Her car spun in a circle, and the next thing she knew, she was staring at her slowly deflating air bag.

Elizabeth sat in shock for minutes, simply staring in front of her. At last, she was brought back into the present by her car door being opened and a male voice asking if she was ok. "Yeah, fine," she managed to murmur dazedly. The voice asked if anything was broken, or if she could get out of the car. She nodded in response, and continued to stare out the window, suddenly feeling extremely cold. She was vaguely aware of the man then yelling to someone else for a blanket.

Suddenly, inexplicably, she began to cry. She began to sob uncontrollably as someone placed something warm around her shoulders. In the distance, she could hear the sounds of emergency vehicles, but all she could think was, "Why? Why me?"

It wasn't until the paramedics arrived that she began to take hold of herself again. She slowly got out of the car and stood in the pouring rain, looking around at the damage. People stood by their cars as the police examined the scene. One policewoman was looking at the damage to Elizabeth's front and rear end, shaking her head and writing down notes. She at last came over to where Elizabeth was standing and asked a few questions. Elizabeth answered as best she could, but her responses were somewhat limited. "Why did the car in back of me hit me like that?" she asked when the woman was finished.

The policewoman glanced at her notes and grimaced slightly. "I've already got your statement, so I guess it doesn't matter much. Do you see the truck there?" She pointed to where a large pick-up with a dented side sat crushed against the back of the black Jaguar. "The man driving it was a few sheets to the wind. Unfortunately, combine that with the weather, and let's just say he spun out of control. A pity. That's a very nice car." Elizabeth could only agree. "Not that you fared much better."

Elizabeth glanced in dismay at her crumpled back end and the smashed left front corner. How she was going to deal with this new development, she had no idea. It seemed like today was a huge mess of accidents. And none of them with positive outcomes.

How long she stood, pondering her car, she wasn't sure, but suddenly, she realized someone was standing next to her, looking at her car, as well. "It doesn't look like you'll be getting anywhere in that, either," he said ruefully. "I've called a taxi for myself on my cell phone. Would you like me to do the same for you?"

"Thanks," she replied, "but I have my own. It's in my purse."

"I'd suggest calling now, if you don't want to stand in the rain for a few more hours."

She glanced over at him now. "Thanks, Mr--"

"Darcy. William Darcy, that is." He saw her wary expression and interpreted it correctly. "I'm one of the victims, too. I don't drive a truck."

Her mouth formed into an "o" of surprise. "That was your Jag?"

He grimaced. "'Was' being the operative word, of course." He turned to look at his damaged car, and she finally got an opportunity to assess him without being noticed. He was tall and well built. His hair was dark and plastered to his head as rain ran over his tan skin. She could hardly but notice how his clothes stuck to his body, leaving very little to the imagination. She was only happy that she had the blanket to cover up her white blouse. And yet, somewhere in the back of her mind niggled a feeling that she had seen him somewhere before--and very recently.

He turned back to look at her, and caught her gaze. "Uh... we're trading insurance information, so...could I get yours?"

Elizabeth nodded, and took the pen and paper he offered as he pulled out his license. After they traded, she went over to the others and did the same. The woman who had clipped her front end was still rather nervous, completely apologetic, and a bit on the garrulous side, but gave the required information. The drunk was no help at all. She found out his name and number, at least--but insurance was obviously far from his mind. She rolled her eyes and returned to her car as the tow trucks arrived. The man--Mr. Darcy, if she remembered correctly--was standing talking to the driver. When she approached, her turned to her. "Neither of our cars is salvageable, I'm afraid. They'll just be taken in and used for spare parts. So if you want, I can take care of things from here. Why don't you take my cab?" He gestured towards where a taxi waited. "You've got my name and number, and I've got yours. We'll work things out from there."

Elizabeth was hesitant, but finally agreed. She went over to her car and pulled out her bags, then went over to where the taxi was waiting. As she sat down and gave the driver directions, she heard the tinkle of the broken crystal in one of the bags, and suddenly remembered where she had seen Mr. Darcy last. He had been the jerk to run into her at the mall. As the cab drove away, she glared out of the window at him until they were finally out of sight.

Well, she reflected, at least she had his number--she could call him up and make him pay for the damage. At least something good had happened.

Chapter 2

Posted on Sunday, 17 December 2000

"A party?" Elizabeth sighed, slouching further into the plush couch that sat in the living room of the sisters' tiny, two-room apartment. "I don't know if I feel like going to a party, Jane, even if it is for Charles. Granted, I love him to death, but some of his friends..."

Jane sat down on the end of the chair across from her sister. "There'll only be a few people there. Me, Charles, you--if you come--perhaps his sisters, Louisa's husband, Richard, and I think Will. It'll be only a small dinner-like thing. It's not like those parties you go to."

"I take offense to that," Elizabeth murmured half-heartedly as she got up and grabbed a soda from the fridge. "So instead, this'll be a boring, family-and-close-friend-get-together. Who are these people, anyway? I know you and Charles, of course, but I think I've only met his one sister--that stuck-up ditzy blond chick. What was her name? Kelly?"

"Caroline." Jane flushed when she realized what she had said and tried to amend it: "You met Caroline, I believe. And she's not that bad, really, if you get to know her."

Elizabeth smiled wryly. "Yeah, but only those not faint at heart get through the first hundred days."

"Lizzy," Jane admonished, then changed the subject: "You've not met Louisa, his other older sister. She's married to George. He's nice..." she trailed off.

"But?"

Jane blushed slightly. "He's very...uh...appreciative of liquor."

"So he's an alcoholic," Elizabeth supplied helpfully. "As long as he doesn't throw furniture around while I'm there, it's fine, I suppose."

"Really, Lizzy, where do you get your ideas?" Jane said in slight exasperation.

Elizabeth shrugged. "An old boyfriend. You remember Jason?"

Jane bit her lip and nodded, then quickly continued with her description of the guests: "Richard is an old friend from college. He and Charles have been pretty close, and now that Rich has moved from Ripon to Waukesha, it's a much shorter commute."

"And what is Richard's vice?" Elizabeth asked with a grin. "I'm sure there is at least one; I can hear it in your voice."

"Well, he's very...amorous towards women."

Elizabeth burst out laughing. "Oh, Jane, you are too funny. So I can assume that he's very good looking, and very charming?" Jane nodded. "Well then, at least we'll have a bit of interesting conversation. And who is this last person?"

"William," Jane replied. "He's Richard's cousin, as well as a good friend of Charles. I can't say that I've met him, though. He's rather wealthy, and is constantly on business trips, which is why he's never been at Charles' place since we've been dating. Charles says he's very nice, though, so I'll take his word for it."

Elizabeth cast a wry glance at her sister. "Everyone is 'nice' to you, aren't they? Even when they're alcoholics or players or snobs."

Jane glanced down embarrassedly at her perfectly manicured hands. "Well, I guess so. I've just never found anyone who was truly mean at heart."

"What about Derrick?"

"You have to admit, Lizzy, that he was always polite, always on time, and never was cruel to anyone."

"Yeah, but that was just a façade, Jane! He was actually a sleazebag who cheated on his girlfriend with her own secretary!" Jane looked so troubled by this that Elizabeth sought to reassure her: "But I guess you're right. He never actually hurt me. It was pretty much over by that time, anyway."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Jane got up to open it, but a blond, curly-haired head had already popped around the door. "So, has she agreed to come to the party?"

Jane smiled and gave her boyfriend a kiss on the lips before turning back to Elizabeth, who had grabbed the remote and was flipping through the channels. "I don't know. She hasn't agreed, but..."

"Yes, I'll come," Elizabeth called to her without taking her eyes from the set. Jane clapped her hands happily at this and Charles gave it his hearty approval. Elizabeth shook her head in mock severity. "Remember, I only agreed to come, not to have a good time."

"Oh, that's alright," Charles replied. "We just needed another female to make up the numbers."

"O-ho, no," Elizabeth cried, jumping from the couch and turning to face him. "You are not trying to pair me up again. The last time that happened, I was stuck for four hours listen to that idiot describe in intricate detail the satire behind Star Trek."

Charles flinched. "Ok, I grant that Steve wasn't exactly the best choice I ever made, but we all make mistakes...and besides, we're not exactly pairing you up...just, uh, strategically arranging everyone."

Elizabeth held her head in her hands and groaned. "I never should have agreed," she muttered.

"But you have!" Charles cried happily. "So you'll come. Just be sure to look your best."

"Perhaps I'll come in my pajamas," Elizabeth declared with her hands on her hips.

Charles and Jane exchanged a glance. "I don't think that's a very good idea," Charles said slowly. "I mean, Richard might like that a bit too much..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Elizabeth said with an airy wave of her hand. "I'll dress nicely. Just for you two, if anything." She pointed her finger at him menacingly. "But mark this, Charles Alexander Bingley: I will not agree to date any of these bozos. You got that?"

Charles nodded meekly. After a moment of silence, he turned to Jane with a smile. "Are you ready for our date?" Jane nodded, and she kissed her sister on the cheek before going out the door in front of him. Charles put a hand up in farewell, and closed the door behind them both.

Elizabeth stood there for a little while longer before turning back to the television. She flipped again through the channels before finally settling on The Crocodile Hunter. She drank her soda for a while before getting up to grab a bag of chips, as well. She figured she had the right to pig out. After the week she'd had, she deserved a lot more than just a bag of chips and a soda, but right now, she'd settle for anything.

Just as she was returning to the living room, she heard the phone ring. She put down the chips quickly and began digging through the seats of the couch, trying to find the cordless. At last she found it under the recliner, and quickly pressed the "power" button. "Yes?"

There was a hesitation on the other end of the line. "Is Elizabeth Bennet there?"

"That's me," she replied, trying to think who the owner of the sexy male voice possibly could be, and why he could possibly be calling her. Multiple possibilities passed through her mind, like he was about to tell her she won some big sweepstakes and that he was her date on a cruise, or that she had forgotten about some really hot, really rich, perfect guy she gave her number to, and now he wanted a date, or maybe he had the wrong number, but would fall in love with her voice and take her on a date anyway.

Her next words shattered her hopes: "This is William Darcy. Do you remember me?"

"I'd be hard pressed not to," she muttered disappointedly.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. So you got my call?"

His reply was in the affirmative. He went on to explain what had happened after she left, and told her that he had a check for her in the amount her car had been worth. "Did you want me to run that over to you?"

She shrugged, a useless gesture over the phone. "I guess. And you know my address?"

"Yes. I'll be over in a few minutes--as long as it takes to drive over. See you then."

"Uh-huh." She hung up the phone, then stood there, staring at it for a few moments. She then quickly began cleaning up the living room, throwing odd bits of clothing into the clothes hamper, dusting crumbs underneath the couch cushions, and picking up empty soda cans and dishes. She had barely finished vacuuming the floor before she heard a knock on the door. She went over to it and looked through the peephole. With a sigh, she opened it and stood back.

The expression on his face was almost comical as he looked her up and down in surprise. She suddenly remembered she was still wearing her old, oversized t-shirt and boxer shorts, and that she hadn't brushed her hair since she got home from work. Compared to him, still in his suit and tie, she might as well have been wearing a bikini, she was so underdressed. At last, she gestured behind her. "You wanna come in?"

He stepped into the apartment and looked around. She couldn't tell by his expression whether he approved or disapproved, but she didn't really care, either way. "So, you have the check?"

He nodded and removed it from his breast pocket. She took it from his outstretched hand and looked at it. "Hm. Less than I thought, but I guess it's something. At least it'll go a little way towards a new car."

He chuckled at that. "Yeah. Maybe towards one wheel." He moved further into the room, and when she sat down again on the couch, he took the chair across from her. "So how's the fight with the insurance coming?"

She shrugged. "Not too badly. I'm just grateful this Collins had collision. Otherwise, I would've been pretty POed." She was silent for a moment, then looked up. "Did you want something to drink?"

He considered her offer, then asked, "What do you have?"

She rambled off a short list of drinks, and he agreed at last on some coffee. She went into the kitchen and started the coffee machine, and while she was there, she noticed a shopping bag still on the counter. Her lips thinned, and when she returned to the living room, she brought the bag with her. He sat up when she entered and smiled. "The Crocodile Hunter, eh?" he said with a laugh, then sobered when he noticed her tight expression. "What's wrong?"

She dropped the bag on the coffee table, and he flinched at the sound of broken glass. "You owe me seventy-five bucks."

He stared at her for a few seconds. "You have to be joking," he replied with a nervous laugh. "If that has anything to do with the accident--"

"Oh, it was an accident, all right, but it wasn't in a car. Think back. You were at the mall yesterday, right?"

He nodded, still not comprehending.

"When I bought this gift for my sister, it was completely whole. Not five minutes later, I'm part of a hit-and-run, where the jerk who ran into me barely managed to stop long enough to mumble an apology, while I sat on the ground. Ring any bells?"

A deep flush stole over his cheeks. "Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh' is right," Elizabeth said angrily. "This was a one-of-the-kind item, and it was perfect for my sister--for whom, by the way, I've been trying to find a graduation gift for over a month. Now it's a bunch of little pieces of crystal, and I can't return it. So what do you suggest I do?"

"I'll pay for it," he said quietly. "I didn't realize--"

"No! You didn't even stop to ask if I was alright. It was up to some nice old ladies to do what you should have done, which was help me to my feet and pick up my bags for me."

"Look," he said, standing up. "It was an accident, and I can't do anything about it now. I'll pay for the gift, but that's the best I can do."

Elizabeth glared at him. "The best you can do? You haven't even apologized."

"Fine, then! I'm sorry!" He said in exasperation.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to deliver a scathing retort about the insincerity of his admission, but was interrupted by another knock on the door. She went over to it and looked through the peephole, then cursed. After a quick, apologetic glance back at her guest, she opened the door. "Derrick, what a surprise."

"You knew I'd be here to pick up my stuff today," he replied testily. "Have you packed it up, or do I have to go searching for it? Or is it already in the dumpster?"

She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I'll go get the box."

She turned and went towards her room, leaving the two men to stand there, sizing each other up. When she returned carrying a large box, Derrick sneered. "Didn't take you too long to find a replacement, did you? Or was I not the only one cheating?"

"It's not like that," she said tiredly, "and don't even get me started. Do you still have my key, Derrick, or do I have to change the locks?"

He pulled out his keys and slipped one off the ring. He handed it to her as she gave him the box. "And where's my stuff?" she asked.

He gestured towards the box standing beside him in the hall. "Yes, it's all there, and yes, I'm certain."

They stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say next. Finally, Elizabeth broke the silence: "You've probably got somewhere to go..."

"Yeah," he said awkwardly, then turned and walked down the stairs. Elizabeth picked up the box left in the hallway and brought it into the apartment, closing the door behind her.

"Old boyfriend?"

She looked at him for a second, then turned away to find a place to put the box. "Not that it's any of your business, but yeah, he was. Now, did you still want that coffee?"

He shook his head. "No, I think I'd rather not stay." He walked towards the door and opened it before turning back towards her. "I'll send you the check for the crystal in the mail. And...good luck with the insurance. Any problems, just call me."

"Uh-huh," she murmured absently as she set the box down on the counter. She stood there for a moment with her hands resting on the box top, as if in thought, then turned towards Darcy, who was standing with one hand on the doorknob, looking at her. "Look," she said, running a hand through her hair, "I'm sorry for blowing up on you like that."

"It's no big deal," he said, taking a step towards her, though he still retained his hold on the door. "I can understand it. It was inexcusable for me to have done what I did. Yes, I was in a rush, but that gave me no excuse." He grinned suddenly, lighting up his whole face. "In fact, it's kind of funny. My friends always say I'm a throwback from the age of chivalry. Apparently, they don't know how wrong they are."

Elizabeth smiled genuinely at this, and she felt herself warming to him. He really wasn't that bad, she reflected, and he managed to apologize--something most guys wouldn't even know how to do. And when he grinned like that...

"But I will definitely send you a check in the mail to cover for the gift," he continued, opening the door. "If there's anything else I can do..."

"If I ever think of anything, I'll let you know," Elizabeth replied with a cheeky grin. "And trust me, I'll find something--remember, I've got your phone number!"

He laughed. "And if I skip town, you'd probably come after me with the feds, eh?" They both laughed at this. "Well, uh...I had better be going. And despite what it's going to cost me, I'm kind of glad I ran into you--two times."

She smiled and walked over to the door, holding it open as he went out into the hall. He lifted a hand in farewell as he turned to go down the stairs, and she responded in kind. "I'm glad you did, too," she murmured after his retreating figure. "I'm glad you did, too."

Elizabeth smoothed her hands down the front of her black skirt as she huddled under the overhang of the front porch. Once again, it was raining. Elizabeth cursed Wisconsin Springs for the thousandth time in her life as she rung the doorbell again. She was sure she must look like a drowned rat by now. Surprise, surprise, it had been an extremely miserable day. And now she would have to sit around at a dinner party with people she was sure she wasn't going to like and try to make conversation about the convoluted state of politics and the last episode of Buffy, which she never watched anyway. Why her?

It's not as if anything else bad happened today. No, of course not; it wasn't Elizabeth who had gone to work to find out that Jennifer had decided, on the spur of the moment, to go on a weeklong cruise with her boyfriend. No, it wasn't Elizabeth who had found that her department's budget was getting cut again, and that she would have to lay off three people (hmmm....difficult choice here--Jennifer?). No, it wasn't Elizabeth who had gotten outside to her rental and found that she had locked her keys inside at lunch. No, it wasn't Elizabeth whose umbrella had torn by the high winds whipping around the skyscrapers downtown as she waited for the car rental agency to arrive with an extra set of keys. No, it wasn't Elizabeth who drove less than five miles on the freeway for two hours, trying to get home in rush hour. And no, it definitely wasn't Elizabeth, standing on Bingley's front step in the pouring rain with no umbrella, waiting for him to move his butt and open the door for her.

"Oh, the doorbell's broken. You might want to try knocking," said a voice behind her.

Elizabeth turned in surprise. "Oh!" she cried. "Where did you come from?"

The man before her grinned and gestured towards the curb, where a silver Sebring convertible sat. She whistled softly. "Wow. That's some car."

He laughed. "It usually gets that reaction. I'm Richard Fitzwilliam," he said, extending his hand. She put her own in his, but instead of shaking it, he lifted it to his lips and kissed it gallantly. "You must be the Elizabeth that Charles was talking about when he invited me."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she pulled her hand out of his grasp. "Let me guess, He puffed up my accomplishments and claimed I was 'a goddess among women, only second to my angel Jane,'" she said, mimicking Charles' baritone voice almost perfectly.

Richard laughed. "Almost. I think he had said, 'beautiful angel Jane,' but you got the gist of it."

They shared a laughing, commiserating glance, then Elizabeth turned to knock on the door. It was only a few moments before the door opened wide, and the hall light spilled out onto the porch. "Oh! Have you been standing out here long?" Charles asked in his usual jovial manner. "I forgot to tell you that the doorbell's been broken these past few days. And I guess I should turn on the light, too." He flipped a switch beside the door, bathing Elizabeth and Richard in the warm glow of the porch light. "Oh! Richard's here, too! I guess you two have already introduced each other?"

Richard smiled at Elizabeth. "As a matter of fact, we have, Bingley. So do you mind getting out of the way so we both don't stand here on your porch, catching colds?"

"Oh!" cried Charles, blushing in embarrassment. "I'm sorry." He stood back and allowed the two to come inside. Elizabeth went before Richard, and stood in the middle of Charles' foyer, dripping all over the parquet floor. "Oh, dear," Charles' murmured, taking in her appearance. "Um...Jane?" he called.

Jane appeared in the doorway of the dining room, a vase full of flowers in her hand. When she saw her sister, she nearly dropped the vase on the floor, but Richard caught it just in time. "Oh, Lizzy! What happened?"

"What didn't happen?" Elizabeth muttered wryly.

"Well," Jane said worriedly, ignoring her sister's question, "I don't know if you'll fit in anything I have here..."

"I do have my gym bag outside in the car," Elizabeth offered with a mischievous grin, "and it's all clean."

Jane bit her lip. "But, Lizzy...that's for the gym. A t-shirt and sweatpants aren't exactly--"

"Come, come, Jane," Richard interjected smoothly with an amused glance at Elizabeth. "It's better than letting your sister freeze her patooties off. Besides, she'll probably look just as gorgeous--maybe more, if it's possible--in her sweat socks as she does now. And anyway, you've achieved your purpose: I've already seen her in her good clothes."

Charles and Jane both flushed as they exchanged a glance, embarrassed at being seen through so easily. Charles cleared his throat. "Well, I guess you have a point. I could run out to your car, Liz, if you wanted me to."

She waved a hand at him. "Oh, I'm already wet enough, Charles. There's no sense making you run out in the rain." She turned and went back out the door before he could object, and as she ran down the steps, she ran smack into somebody. She stumbled, but the person she had run into caught her arm and held her upright as the other held an umbrella over their heads. She heard his chuckle and looked up in surprise. "I think we've had enough accidents as it is," he said.

"What are you doing here?" she said in surprise, and then light dawned. "Wait--don't tell me: you're Charles' friend Will."

He smiled. "And you're Jane's sister Elizabeth." When she looked at him in puzzlement, he explained: "Charles said his girlfriend's sister Elizabeth was coming. And since his girlfriend's last name is Bennet, and he would only invite someone single if he was inviting Richard, I could only assume...so let's just say I wasn't surprised when it turned out to be you."

She nodded slowly, then looked up at him. "If you don't mind, though, I'm soaked through as it is, so could I get around you? I need to get to my car."

"Oh!" He released his hold on her arms and stepped back, allowing her to go around him. When she got to her car, she opened the trunk and pulled out her bag, only to have it taken gently from her hands. She gasped in surprise and stepped back, putting a hand to her heart. "Don't ever do that again. You scared the death out of me. I thought you went in."

"No, I didn't," he said, stating the obvious. "I thought you might like to stay dry under my umbrella." She snorted as she glanced down at her soaked outfit, and he blushed and asked her embarrassedly: "Is this a rental?"

She looked at him as if he had grown two heads. "Yeah. One car for one person suited me just fine. I couldn't exactly drive more than one car at a time, so what would be the point of having it?"

William sent a quick glance back at his own dark blue Mustang parked by the curb, then cleared his throat and followed her up the path towards the house. "So what are you thinking of getting for your new car?"

"I don't know," she said over her shoulder as she bounded up the stairs. "Depends on how much I have saved, and how much I get for insurance. I'd like a Bug, though."

"A VW Beetle?" William asked, his distaste apparent.

"Yeah," she replied, turning around to face him. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

William stepped back. "Well, uh, no. No. It's a...great car."

She smiled. "It's cute. I think I like it in vapor."

"In what?"

"Vapor. The color."

William just nodded and reached around her to open the door. She glanced back at him in amusement, murmuring the word "chivalry" as she went ahead of him inside. When they got into the hall, she took the bag from his hands and proceeded to go up the stairs as he folded his umbrella and set it in the stand by the door. Suddenly, there came a familiar, high-pitched tone from the hallway below, and she turned around to see Caroline walking towards the new arrival. "Ah! William! So wonderful to see you again! I've missed you so much."

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose as Caroline gave William a kiss, then stood back and smiled up at him. If that sight didn't put her off supper, she didn't know what would. But she could only raise her eyebrow at William when he glanced up and saw her standing on the staircase. It wasn't as if he was the first, she reflected as she turned and went to the bathroom to change her outfit. At least she had found out now.

Chapter 3

Posted on Monday, 15 January 2001

Elizabeth sighed and flipped the channel again, praying that she'd finally find something better. Amazing. Eighty-something channels, and still not a single thing on. What was the use of cable if it was no better than regular TV?

After another fifteen minutes, she finally gave up and threw the remote down on the coffee table, leaning back in the couch and rubbing her eyes tiredly with her fingers. It was only six o'clock in the evening, but with the day she'd had, she was beat. She sighed again and stared drearily at the blank television set in front of her, telling herself she should get up, but her arms and legs refusing to move an inch. She felt so exhausted...like she had just run a marathon. She would just rest her eyes for a minute...just a few seconds...

"You look mahvelous, dahling, simply mahvelous," Richard drawled as he took her hand in his own and kissed it gallantly.

She laughed. "You are pathetic, Richard, simply pathetic. And you're wasting your charm on me. I was able to glance in the mirror before I came down. Reebok's a bit less modish than Versace, I'm afraid."

"On you," he replied with a grin, "no one could tell."

She rolled her eyes in response, but allowed him to lead her over to a love seat on one side of the family room. Richard let her sit down, then asked if she wanted anything to drink. She agreed to a soda, and he went off to find them both something. As he left, she glanced around at the other people in the room. Charles was sitting next to Jane, his arm draped comfortably around her shoulders, and Elizabeth felt a slight pang of jealousy before she mentally shrugged and looked away. Louisa Hurst was sitting across from them, in easy conversation as her husband slouched slightly beside her, a half-full wine glass in his hand. Elizabeth smiled to herself as her gaze swung to where William was sitting somewhat uncomfortably in a chair nearby as Caroline prattled to him from where she sat as close as she could possibly pull her own chair. Elizabeth found her gaze slowly traveling the length of him, from his perfectly polished black shoes to his dark slacks, to his light blue shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, and dark sport coat. She noted his broad shoulders, and lean body she could tell was under those clothes. His hair was trimmed nicely, though a shock of dark hair curled temptingly over his forehead...

It took her a few moments to realize that he had caught her staring--or had she caught him? Their eyes met for a few moments, until he looked away, a slight flush stealing into his cheeks, under his tan skin. Elizabeth regarded him for a few seconds longer before Richard returned with their drinks. He handed her the soda and sat down beside her. "So, what exactly do you do?"

"I head the advertisement department at Longbourn Banking."

"Really? At the corporate headquarters downtown?"

She nodded. "I've been moving up in the company since it established itself here in Milwaukee."

He seemed thoughtful. "I think someone I know works there--or at least, she got a job there a few months ago. Maybe you know her--Jennifer Jankowski?"

"Jennifer?" Elizabeth repeated with an eyebrow raised. "Wow. What a small world. She is my secretary--or was, I should say."

He laughed. "You finally got sick of her?"

"Perhaps. How did you know her?"

His cheeks stained slightly. "She...uh...was a neighbor of mine a few years back."

Elizabeth smiled archly. "Uh-huh. I won't ask. So where do you work?"

"Family business. Ever heard of Pemberley and Sons?"

"Oh, sure. I think everyone's heard of them. They just took over that electronics company--"

"Lambton, Inc.," he supplied.

She nodded. "That was it. Quite a profit, from what I hear."

Her comment seemed to unnerve him somewhat. He took a sip of his drink and looked across the room at the others before nodding. "Yeah. It was a profit."

Conversation lagged here. Elizabeth searched for something to say, but was so caught up in trying to figure out what she had said wrong, that she couldn't think of a single thing for a few minutes. She floundered. "So, uh..."

He turned to her with an apologetic grin. "I'm sorry. That was really rude of me. Where's my charm now?" His self-mocking tone was so disarming that she laughed. "So...what kind of food do you like?"

The question was so expected that Elizabeth had no idea what to say--again. "Well, um...er...why?" she finally asked suspiciously.

"I just wanted to know where to take you on our date." He lifted an eyebrow. "That is, as long as you haven't sworn to Bings that you wouldn't date any of the bozos he set you up with."

Elizabeth blushed at that, recalling the same words she had said to Charles. "I didn't swear..."

"Well then, Chinese or Italian? Or Thai, maybe?"

She was saved from answering by Jane's timely interruption--"Well, I believe that dinner should be ready. Why don't we all go into the dining room while I check on the chicken?"

Elizabeth gave Richard a shaky smile and stood up, automatically smoothing down her t-shirt in her old nervous high school habit. He must have sensed her uncertainty, for he offered his arm to her in that charming, nonsensical way she was finding that he had, and she took it without hesitation. They walked together, arm in arm, towards the dining room, and when there, Richard continued his chivalrous gallantry, drawing her chair out for her and waiting for her to be seated before he took the chair beside her.

George Hurst sat himself on her other side, his wife across the table, beside William, who looked extremely uncomfortable with Caroline's chair pulled somewhat closer than it had originally been set. Charles sat at the head of the table, and after Jane set the dishes on the table, she took her place at the foot.

The dinner went extremely well, the conversation interesting and never lagging noticeably. Elizabeth enjoyed herself immensely, discovering that Richard actually had intelligence to go along with his charm, and that though George enjoyed drinking, he was not averse to political debates, either. She occasionally glanced at Jane and found her smiling in delight at the success of the evening. The only thing that bothered Elizabeth slightly was Caroline's overly possessive attitude towards William, and that gentleman's annoying habit of staring moodily at her, as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't--or wouldn't.

Afterwards, the group all rejoined in the family room. Charles brought out Pictionary, and they all broke into teams to play. It was tough competition, with Jane, Charles, Elizabeth, and Richard on one team, and Louisa, George, Caroline, and William on the other. Elizabeth and Richard were a force to be reckoned with, especially as both of them were obviously the only ones who knew how to draw.

As Caroline went up to the board to begin her turn, Elizabeth leaned over to Richard and whispered, "How long have they been going out?"

He looked over at her in confusion. "Louisa and George? Didn't anyone tell you that they were married?"

She shook her head. "No. I knew that. I was talking about William and Caroline."

"Who told you they were going out?"

"No-one," she replied. "I saw them in the foyer together as I was going up to get changed, though--and that was quite a greeting."

His brow furrowed, and he turned his attention back towards the other team. Elizabeth watched him contemplate the other team for a while, then returned her attention to the game. Soon after, when the game was over, and Elizabeth's team had finished reveling in their victory, Louisa and George announced their intention of leaving, and the party began to break up.

As Elizabeth was walking out the door, her gym bag in her hand, Richard came up to her. "Could I call you some time?"

She turned with a smile. "Sure. Do you have my number?" He shook his head, and she put down her bag and searched in her purse for a pen and paper. She quickly jotted it down and handed it to him.

He grinned. "You'll be hearing from me soon."

She laughed. "I'm sure I will--"

Elizabeth's eyes snapped open at a sudden knock on the door, nearly simultaneous with the first ring of the telephone. She sighed and picked up the phone beside her as she got up to open the door. "Hello?"

"Hi, this is Richard."

"Oh, hi."

"So, are you busy tonight?"

Elizabeth looked through the peephole and sighed. "Actually, it looks as if I am. Could you hang on for a sec? Someone just came to the door."

She opened the door and smiled at the two people who stood on the doorstep: a petite, smiling, curly-blond woman wearing a knee-length multi-colored skirt with a bright red sweater and a conch shell necklace, and a taller, slimmer woman with straight, dark, shoulder-length hair, wearing long black pants and a black dress jacket over a royal blue blouse, a pearl choker around her throat. The shorter one laughed as she hugged her friend. "We're back!"

Elizabeth smiled as she hugged her other friend. "Could you guys just come in and find something in the fridge? I've got someone on the phone. You know where everything is."

The taller one nodded, a slight smile appearing on her lips before disappearing again. "No problem, Liz. We'll stay out of your way."

The two wandered off into the apartment as Elizabeth put the phone up to her ear again. "Sorry about that, Richard.

A few friends whom I haven't seen in a while just showed up."

"So you'll be busy the whole night, I'm sure," he replied somewhat disappointedly. "That's ok--I guess friends are a bit higher on the priority list than that weird guy you just met last night at a party."

She laughed. "Yeah, I guess so. But seriously, I'll try and clear up my schedule for later this week, if you'd like."

"How about Friday night?"

"Sounds good," she replied with a smile. "What kind of restaurant have you decided on?"

He laughed. "You'll just have to wait and see. It'll be a surprise."

"Well, that's unfair."

"Not at all. How do reservations at seven sound? I'll be at your place at six-thirty."

"Do you know where my place is?"

"Already got it from Charles," he replied. "I'll see you on Friday, then?"

"Of course." They exchanged good-byes, and she hung up the phone.

"And who was this?"

Elizabeth turned in surprise to see the two women standing in the doorway to the kitchen, watching her. "Oh, a friend of Charles."

The taller one rolled her eyes. "As if that man has any friends that are less than complete losers."

"Now, Aria, that's unfair," the shorter one said. "Charles is very nice, and I'm sure he has very nice friends."

"Yeah, right, Kim," Aria replied. "And how many of these 'very nice friends' have you met?"

Kim looked a little nonplussed at that, so Elizabeth stepped in on the argument. "Kim is right. Charles does have some very nice friends. This happens to be one of them. Richard is charming, and gallant, and very intelligent."

Aria walked further into the room and sat down on the end of one of the chairs. "And I'm sure he's rich, and handsome, to boot, hmm?" She ate a bit of the chocolate chip ice cream from the bowl in her hand and looked up at her friend, who was blushing hotly. "I thought so. You know, Liz, much as I love you, you are horrid at finding yourself good boyfriend material."

Kim sniffed at that. "And you know what good boyfriend material even is?"

"Just because I'm not interested in men doesn't mean that I don't know what the qualities of a good one are," she replied seriously. "And I don't think you have anything to talk about. Anyone who could call Andrew 'good boyfriend material' ought to get her head examined."

"Andrew is a good boyfriend, and you know it."

Aria wrinkled her nose as she took another spoonful of ice cream. "Oh, ok, I didn't realize that standing your girlfriend up five times in one month, cheating on her, 'borrowing' five hundred dollars of her savings and not paying her back, and forgetting about her birthday is normal boyfriend behavior. I guess I'll have to do some reading up on that. Seems I'm a little backwards. See, I thought that guys were supposed to care about their girlfriends."

"You know," Elizabeth said in exasperation, "if I didn't know that you two were sisters, I'd think you were mortal enemies. Would you stop that?"

That led both of them to return to the previous subject: "So, when did you two meet, and what happened to the other one, uh--"

"Derrick," Aria supplied dryly.

"I knew that," Kim shot back.

Elizabeth sighed. "I found out that Derrick was cheating on me so I dumped him. And Richard and I met last night at Charles' party."

Kim smiled. "Oh! That's right--it was Charles' birthday, wasn't it. How is he?"

"He's fine. Did Jane tell you that they're engaged? I think you left before that happened."

Aria nodded as she polished off the last of her ice cream. "She called us while we were still in New Jersey. I swear my ears were still ringing for days."

Kim laughed. "She was definitely excited. And whatever you might say, Aria, I think it's cute. Charles and she are so perfect together."

Her sister held up her hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm not arguing."

"Speaking of New Jersey, how was your trip?" Elizabeth asked.

Aria shrugged. "It was fine. Grandma was difficult, as usual. Insisted on giving me a fifty dollar gift certificate to Sears, despite my insisting I didn't need it. Mom and Pop were good. Still fighting, but good."

Elizabeth laughed. "I'd expect nothing less. And you gave them my present?"

Kim nodded. "They loved the vase. It was perfect for the table in the front hall. Mom put carnations in it and set it there, in front of the mirror."

"And Pop said that it looked hideous there and moved it to the buffet in the dining room," Aria inserted. "But he loved it too. They send their love." She stood up and went to the kitchen to put her bowl in the dishwasher. "So, Liz," she continued, "you want to go to the mall on Friday so I can spend that stupid certificate?"

"I can't," Elizabeth replied. "I'm going out with Richard."
Aria came back in the room, her hands on her hips. "I think I hate the man already. Fine, when are you going out?"

"He's picking me up at six-thirty."

She nodded. "Then why don't you meet me--you think you can convince everyone you need to leave at three?--at the Grand Avenue, in front of the Kilbourne entrance. I'll help you pick out something for your date. We'll be done before five-thirty, at the latest. Sound good?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I suppose. Are you coming, too, Kim?"

"No, I can't," Kim replied regretfully. "I've already agreed to a lunch/dinner thing with Jane. We could probably be back here before six, though--I want to see what you pick out. Just don't let Aria help too much, or your date'll take one look and turn around, running."

Aria sent her sister an evil glare, then turned back to her friend. "On the contrary, we'll probably have to mop up his drool. I do know fashion, hun. Never fear."

"We'll never find anything," Elizabeth said with a sigh. "Maybe I should just wear my lavender cocktail dress."

Aria shook her head. "Don't give up yet. We've still got forty-five minutes before I said you'd be home. Which means a half hour until we absolutely have to leave."

The two were still walking through the stores at the Grand Avenue Mall after nearly two hours of shopping. Elizabeth had found a few things to buy, as did Aria, but neither had seen anything for Elizabeth to wear on her date. And the way things were going they never would.

"Well, our last hope is JCPenny's," Aria said as they stopped before the entrance. "Shall we?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "We may as well."

They went inside and found that the women's department was on the top floor of the tri-level store. Passing up the escalator, they took the elevator instead, which already had three people in it. Just as the door was closing, someone quick stopped it and allowed a young blond to step in before he entered, as well. When he looked over at the occupants of the elevator, his mouth dropped open slightly. "Elizabeth?"

Aria looked over at her friend. "Please don't tell me this is Richard," she muttered with an eyebrow raised.

Elizabeth flushed slightly. "Hi, William. Where's Caroline?" she asked, glancing pointedly at the blond.

William at first looked at her curiously, then realized what she was saying and a blush crept into his cheeks. "Uh, this is my sister, Georgiana," he said, indicating the young lady who was still looking at Elizabeth in confusion. "Georgiana, this is Elizabeth Bennet. She was the one I was in an accident with."

The expression on Georgiana's face cleared up and she looked at Elizabeth now with a speculative eye. Aria, on the other hand, now looked confused. "What accident?"

The elevator stopped on the second floor, and the other three people got out. Elizabeth shook her head at her friend. "I'll tell you later."

The group was silent as the door closed again, and the elevator began to move upwards again. Darcy was the first one to speak: "So, how have you been since--"

There was a sudden jerk of the elevator, and the lights shut off. Elizabeth grabbed a handrail as she heard someone else--or was it her?--shriek in fright. Suddenly, everything was still. The elevator remained in pitch black.

"Um...is everyone ok?" asked William from somewhere on the other side of the elevator.

"I'm fine," came Aria's calm, prosaic answer.

Elizabeth nodded, then shook her head at her stupidity. "I'm ok, too," she said aloud.

Georgiana asked, her voice trembling a little. "What happened?"

"I don't know," William replied. "Do you think we should use the emergency telephone?"

"It's over by me," Aria replied, and Elizabeth heard her move some bags around, then a click as Aria opened the little door. There was a short silence before they all heard the short conversation:

"Hi. What's going on? Why are we stopped?

"Really? All over? I didn't realize the storm was that bad.

"Ok. When do you think we'll get out of here?

"Somewhere between the second and third floor.

"Thanks. We'll be fine until then."

"So?" Elizabeth asked when they heard Aria hang up the phone.

"Well, it's going to be a little while," she replied. "The storm knocked out power lines and stuff all over the place. Usually, that wouldn't matter much. Except the generator here had just gotten busted a few days ago, and they were fixing it, and it's not done yet. So the mall's out of power, and we're stuck here for a few hours until they can manage to do something."

"A few hours?" William asked.

"A few hours?" Elizabeth echoed in shock. "Richard's picking me up at six-thirty!"

"Richard?"

Elizabeth glanced in the direction of William's voice. "Yes, as in Richard Fitzwilliam, your cousin. Did you have a problem with that?" There was silence in the elevator, and Elizabeth leaned her head back against the wall. "Could this possibly get any--"

Aria slapped a hand over her friend's forehead--obviously missing the intended target. "Don't even say it, Liz. There's no wood to knock on. Now, just everyone sit back and relax. Sing songs in your head. Twiddle your thumbs. Contemplate your navel. Honestly, I don't care what you do. Just don't go hysterical. We'll get out of here soon."

"Hopefully..."

Chapter 4

Posted on Saturday, 20 January 2001

The first few minutes of sitting on the floor in the dark of the elevator felt like hours. No one spoke; all Elizabeth could hear was the sound of her own breath: in, out, in, out...

"I don't believe this."

It took a few moments to realize that the words had come out of her own mouth. "I mean, how could this possibly happen? I didn't even think the storm had been that bad. And do you ever remember this happening before?"

"I don't think it's ever happened here," came William's voice from across the elevator on her left. "But there's a first time for everything."

"Yeah, but did the first time have to happen now?" Elizabeth let out an unhappy sigh. "Of all the days, of all the elevators in the world...I had been having a wonderful week before this. And now..."

"Is it really so bad?" asked Aria. "After all, this gives you a chance to relax, think about your life. Do some yoga."

"Yoga? Sounds like some frozen dessert."

A giggle came from the other side of the elevator, and Elizabeth found herself smiling. "I guess you're right...I should count my blessings. At least we're not plunging down to the bottom of the elevator shaft."

Silence.

"Look, I was joking."

Silence.

"That was a really bad joke," Aria said. "Especially in these circumstances. Why don't we do something constructive...like introduce each other. I'm Aria, by the way--Arianna Hengals."

"I'm William Darcy, but my friends call me Will. It's a pleasure to meet you, Aria. And this is--"

"Georgiana. You can call me Genie, though."

"So we've got a song, a final testament, and a bottled spirit," Elizabeth said dryly. "Wow. I feel so left out."

They all laughed at that, but when it died down, the silence was as oppressive as before. Finally, Georgiana hesitantly asked, "What should we do?"

No one said a word in response, until Elizabeth said, "We could play 'If.'"

"If?" William repeated.

"Yeah, 'If.' Basically, it's where people ask each other 'if' questions. Kind of like truth or dare, except it's just truth, and the questions are like...if...if your house was burning down, and you could only save one thing from it, what would it be? Or, if you were to lose one of your five senses, which would you give up? Or, if you could choose any time in history to live in, which would it be? Just stuff you can think up off the top of your head like that."

"So do you want to start?"

"Sure...ok, um...if you were about to die, and had to write your will tomorrow, who would be your principle beneficiary?"

"Eeew, that's so morbid," Georgiana said.

Elizabeth smiled. "But that's the fun of it. It's stuff you would never think about. But it's fun to respond to, because you actually do have to think about it then."

"I think my sister," William responded.

"My sister wouldn't get a dime," Aria put in. "I think I'd give it all to some charity. Like the American Cancer Association, or an environmental group."

Georgiana was confused. "Don't you like your sister?"

"Well, sure," Aria replied without hesitation. "But she's well-off enough. I'd rather have it do some good somewhere else, instead of lounging around in her bank account."

"Maybe that's what I'd do, too, then. And what about you, Elizabeth?"

She thought. "I'm not really sure. Probably my sister Jane. But then again, she's marrying Charles, so she probably won't need it. Maybe I'd put it away for my sisters' college."

"How many sisters do you have?" asked William.

"Four. You know Jane, then there's Mary, who's in college right now, and Catherine, who is a senior in high school, and then my youngest sister Lydia, who is a junior."

"Wow," said Georgiana in awe. "What's it like to have so many sisters?"

Elizabeth shrugged in the darkness. "I don't know. It's not really as great as it sounds. Jane is a wonderful older sisters, but my younger ones can be, well, a pain."

"I'd give anything to have a sister."

"Would you really?" asked Aria. "Ok, then, if you could have anyone you know as your sister, who would it be?"

There was silence as Georgiana pondered this. "I'm not sure I know anyone really well that I'd like as my sister. Maybe you two."

"Well, you're only supposed to choose one..." William said doubtfully.

"Oh, let her choose both, Will," Elizabeth said playfully.

Georgiana interrupted: "Then I think I'd choose Elizabeth. Not that I don't like you, Aria, but you're kind of...serious."

Aria laughed slightly, an odd, half-bitten off chuckle. "Don't worry about it, Genie. I've heard it said about me before."

"Ok, then: if your friends were to describe you with one word, what would it be?"

Aria considered this. "Rock."

"Rock?" Georgiana asked with a laugh. "What does that mean?"

"It means," Aria responded, "that I have the emotion, expression, immutability, and sense of humor of a rock." Georgiana giggled at that. "And what about you?"

"Shy, I think," she replied. "I'm not really very loud or opinionated."

"Unlike my sister."

"Tell me about her..."

The conversation went on like this for quite some time, and Elizabeth was content to simply listen to the two of them talking, coming up with new questions to ask each other based on the comments they made on the last one. It was rather interesting to hear what they said, and she found herself not only learning new things about her friend, but also getting a glimpse of both Georgiana's and William's characters.

"I think they're getting on well together," came a low voice next to Elizabeth's ear. She shuddered at the delicious feeling that ran up her spine as his breath tickled her cheek. She didn't respond, though, for fear her pounding heart would come the last few inches up her throat and burst out of her mouth. "What do you think?" he asked after a few moments.

She nodded. "They do seem to," she said at last, when she had gotten her composure together.

She could feel him now, sitting on the floor beside her, and she wondered when he had moved, and why she hadn't noticed before. He had such a...presence was the best word for it. You simply knew he was there. Or maybe it was just her...

"I have an 'if' question for you." She didn't respond, hoping he would take the hint and go back to the other corner. Somehow, he made her feel uncomfortable, not sure of her own reactions to him. She'd rather he stayed far enough away, so that she wouldn't have to worry about that. But of course, he didn't. "If someone saw something happen, and completely misinterpreted it, what would you do to correct their misapprehension?"

"Depends on what it was," she said, trying to figure out where this was leading.

He hesitated. "Ok, suppose someone saw another man kissing you, and believed that you were dating him, but you weren't, and you really wanted the other person--" he broke off.

"Yes?" she said at last, wanting to know what he was about to say, yet dreading knowing it at the same time.

"Um...wanted the other person to...know that you weren't, what would you do?"

She felt a strange sense of disappointment curl up in her belly, but she ignored it, trying to decide instead what to say. She thought she knew what he was referring to, but she wasn't sure if she would acknowledge it. "I would tell him."

"Tell him? Would you have the courage?"

"I don't believe that was part of the question, but yes, I believe I would."

"So you would just say it flat out."

"Yes, flat out."

"Just say, 'I'm not going out with Caroline?'"

She felt her breath catch slightly, but forced herself to respond calmly: "Yes, except that I would, if it were true, use a different name."

He was silent for a while, and Elizabeth went back to listening to the other two near the front of the elevator, who were still plying each other with questions. She knew exactly what he had been trying to say, but despite the fact that her heart believed him, her mind told her he was a liar; there had to be something between them. Even best friends do not greet each other that demonstratively, no matter if they hadn't seen each other for years.

And it's stupid, she told herself, that she was even thinking about it, that she even had to convince herself. She didn't like him--not really. Yes, he was very handsome, and yes, he was very polite, and yes, he was very...perfect, but he just wasn't right for her. And besides, she wasn't ready for another relationship yet; she was still getting over Derrick and his betrayal. It would be suicide to hurt herself all over again, and she knew, that with William, it was inevitable. Somehow, she just knew.

Yet, her heart asked her, why is she going out with Richard? Isn't that the same thing? Of course not, her mind argued. Richard is simply a short fling--something to distract her. There's nothing long-term in that relationship. He's simply a charmer, a romancer, and definitely not, as Aria said, "good boyfriend material." She hadn't told either of her friends that. She hadn't wanted to admit it to them, knowing what their response would be. Despite how they would argue it, she knew she needed that kind of quick, bounce-back relationship, just to make her feel a little better. Her ego had taken a definite hit with Derrick.

And now, with William sitting only a few inches from her, in a dark elevator, she wondered how in the world she had gotten there, how she had gotten herself into this kind of situation. If she had had any sense, she would not have encouraged him in the first place--if she had even done that. His behavior seemed to indicate that she had, in some way. But now she was stuck with the problem of trying to push him away. She was never overtly cruel. She could never simply tell him to scram; that wasn't in her character. And anyway, if she tried, it would end up sounding arch and flirty. And men, in her experience, didn't pick up well on subtlety. So what exactly was she supposed to do?

"Georgiana doesn't have many friends," William was saying to her in a low voice, "and even fewer adult role models, people to ask advice from. I feel really bad for that; it's really my fault, I think."

"And how could it be your fault?" Elizabeth found herself replying defensively.

He was silent a moment before responding: "Our parents died in a car accident when she was younger. My grandfather took us in for a few years, but then he died, and since I was old enough, I decided to take on the task of raising her myself."

"You must have been young--"

"I was twenty-one when my parents died. By the time my grandfather died, I was almost through college, and ready to accept the responsibility of taking care of the two of us. But I also had a responsibility to my company, and I couldn't be with her as often as I would have liked. She had always been shy, but our parents' death was hard on her. I don't think she's ever fully recovered from that, and it closes her off from making friends easily." He stopped for a moment, then sighed. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this. I rarely tell anyone this."

She shook her head. "It's this; it's the situation we're in. There's some sort of connection that brings people together. There are no faces, no real people; just thoughts and voices. It fairly begs confidences like that."

"I guess...I had really wanted to ask you if you thought encouraging that friendship--between Georgiana and Aria, between Georgiana and yourself, would be a good thing. I mean, Bings has told me a lot about you, and I've met you before--I know, for the most part, what you're like--"

"And do you approve?" she asked out of pure perverseness.

He paused before responding. "Yes. I approve of you."

The tone in which he said this sent shivers up Elizabeth's spine, and she warned herself again that she couldn't really trust him, that she shouldn't trust these feelings he caused in her. But her heart still skipped a beat, and she knew that inevitably, she would anyway.

"My real question was about Aria. Do you think I should?"

It took a few seconds for Elizabeth to figure out exactly what he was talking about, but before she had a chance to reply, there was a pounding on the ceiling above them. Elizabeth looked up in surprise, and she felt William stand up beside her. Suddenly, there was a flashlight shining down through a hole where a ceiling panel had been only a few moments before. "Is everyone alright down there?" came a voice.

Everyone in the elevator had stood up and began talking at once. Finally, the man laughed. "Good--we haven't lost anyone. We're going to try to get you out of there--the elevators right below the opening for the third floor, so we'll just help you out of the elevator car, and through the doors, ok?"

Elizabeth was practically cheering as a man dropped down into the elevator and began helping them through the hole in the ceiling, where another person waited to help them out the doors to the third floor. When she had been helped out of the elevator shaft, she sat down on the floor of the department store and, leaning her elbows on her knees, put her head in her hands.

She sat there for a few minutes before she was approached by William, who squatted down beside her in the dark. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she mumbled without raising her head.

"Sorry to be out of the elevator?"

She looked up at that. "You have to be joking. No matter how safe anyone may claim that to be, I still felt like any moment it was going to plunge down to the bottom."

"Well, at least we're safe now, and they decided to help us out instead of letting us sit in there until the electricity came back on--which that guy told me would've been another few hours, at the least."

"I don't think I could have bore sitting in there for that much longer."

He was silent for a few moments, contemplating this. At last, he said, "And what about my question. Do you think I should?"

This time, Elizabeth knew exactly what he was talking about. She had been thinking about how to respond since he had asked the question, and had debated with herself about the answer she had come up with. Even now, she hesitated. "I, uh...I'm not sure I could answer that. It all depends on you."

He seemed puzzled by this. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I really don't know how Aria would feel about me telling you this, but I figure, since she isn't usually too closed about it..."

"Yes..." he prompted.

"She doesn't like men."

He was definitely confused now. "What do you mean? She wasn't overly mean to me, or anything."

"No," Elizabeth said impatiently, "she doesn't like men."

"Oh."

Elizabeth wondered if she had perhaps offended him in some way by the way she said it, or perhaps he had just been completely disgusted by what she said--she couldn't tell. A one-syllable, two-letter word, delivered on a single, flat note can't exactly convey a lot of description as to the feelings of the person upon the subject. She waited for him to say something...anything. But he didn't. And so she began to stand up, figuring there was nothing left to say, when she was arrested by his hand on her arm.

"But you do, don't you? I mean, like men."

She was surprised, to say the least by this calm, simply curious response--she hadn't expected this question at all, and honestly, it rather shocked her. She had been expecting disgust, condescension, even repulsion. But definitely not this. From what she had seen of his personality so far, she had never thought to expect this kind of acceptance, this open-mindedness from him. Perhaps she had better readjust her view of him.

It took her a while to realize he was still waiting for her response. "Like them? Certain ones, yes." She then took pity on him and answered: "If you're asking if I'm homosexual, no, I'm not."

He didn't respond, and she got up the gall to ask, "So will you prevent Georgiana from getting to know Aria better?"

She knew, from the pressure of his hand on her arm, that he was looking at her reproachfully. "I'm surprised you would think me so narrow-minded, but I suppose there's enough people like that to make you suspicious of others' views towards it. And no, I won't prevent her. She has the right to make friends wherever she chooses, and to open her mind to other ways of thinking is best for her, if she's going to get anywhere in this world."

This left Elizabeth speechless--he seemed to be surprising her a lot today. She had been expecting anything but this. Surprised as she was, she couldn't help warming to him a little, despite the fact that she still didn't trust his motives.

After a few minutes, she realized that his hand was still holding her arm, and she gently tugged it, and he let go. She unconsciously held it to her stomach and rubbed it absently, as if it were broken. She would have turned and walked over to where there was a small group of people with a lantern, most likely brought from the sporting goods section, had he not stopped her again with a question: "Wouldyouliketogooutforcoffee?"

It took a few moments for Elizabeth to understand what he said, and she looked back at him sharply. All she could make out in the dim glow from the distant lantern was a fuzzy shape, and she could almost picture his worried, nervous expression as she saw him shift his weight from one foot to the other.

"I mean," he began again, "if you're not doing anything, we could go out to Webbs after this, and get some coffee...or tea, if you're one of those people, but I think you're more of a coffee person...or cappuccino, or if you're hungry, they've got stuff there, too...I mean...um..."

She couldn't help it--the situation was too funny for her not to suddenly burst out laughing. She never would have imagined him, reduced to begging her to go out to have coffee with him, trying to extol the virtues of George Webbs. And once she had started laughing, she just couldn't stop. It wasn't until her conscience finally screamed loud enough for her to hear it, and she realized how her laughter must have sounded to him. She looked up guiltily at him in the darkness, and her heart dropped the last few feet to the floor. "I'm s-so s-s-sorry. I didn't mean--"

"No, that's quite alright," he interrupted, and she froze at the icy aloofness that she heard in his voice. "It was too much to ask. After all--my cousin has first priority."

That brought her up short, and she opened her mouth to respond hotly, but he was already walking back to the group of people circled around the lantern. Richard. She had completely forgotten about him. What time was it, even? How late was she? She glanced at her wrist, but realized she couldn't read the face in the darkness, and glanced enviously towards the light, where she could just make out William standing beside his sister. He glanced in her direction, and after a moment, she looked away, feeling extremely guilty for being so callous.

"Looks like you blew that one," came a voice from behind her.

Elizabeth turned in surprise. "You heard all that?"

"How could I not, Liz? Besides," Aria said, approaching her, "I was trying to get the arm off the mannequin here. I figured I deserve at least something for being stuck in their stupid elevator for so long."

"And did you get it?"

A cold, plastic thing came down lightly across her shoulders. "You're darn tootin' I did."

Elizabeth shrugged off the mannequin arm and glared in her friend's direction. Aria sighed. "Look, Liz, yeah, it was stupid, but what are you going to do? Deal with it, as I like to say; you made your choice back when you tried to scare him off with that 'my friend is gay' tactic."

Elizabeth bit her lip. "Are you mad at me for that?"

Aria didn't answer for a second. "No. Of course not. In fact, I'm kind of glad you did; if he couldn't deal with that, I don't think he'd be worth the effort."

"But you think he is, because he could deal with it?"

There was another pause as Aria considered her answer. "I didn't say that," she said at last. "And I'm not about to make you feel even more guilty for what you undoubtedly are kicking yourself over. But just remember: you've already got something on your plate. And right now he's waiting back at your apartment for you, if he hasn't already given up and left."

"You know, we never did get anything for me to wear on my date..."

Chapter 5

Posted on Sunday, 11 February 2001

Author's Note: I made a reference last chapter to George Webbs--a wonderful restaurant. So far as I know, we only have it here near Milwaukee. Basically, it's an all-night diner, but it's a great place to hang out. My friends and I go there at 2 in the morning and have bagels (breakfast is around-the-clock). If you ever come to Milwaukee, you'll see them everywhere. Now, over with that, on with the story:

As Elizabeth slid her key into the lock, she murmured to herself, "Please don't let him be there, please don't let him be there, please don't let him be there..."

He was.

Kim was sitting in the chair across from him, laughing, when the door opened and they both looked up. Richard was the first to react, standing up and smoothing down his black pants and adjusting his coat. He had loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his light gray shirt; his hair looked a bit mussed, as if he had run his hand through it a few times, and the gel in it made it stand up in odd ways. But the most striking feature of his appearance was the smile that was spread across his face.

"You finally made it! We were getting worried."

Elizabeth sighed heavily. "The storm knocked out power lines, and we were stuck in an elevator. Those were a few hellish hours if I've ever known them."

"Oh, no!" cried Kim in her usual manner. "So what happened?"

"Well," Elizabeth began, throwing her shopping bags on the couch, "there were four of us in there--we talked a lot, thought a lot, prayed that the elevator cord wouldn't suddenly snap and send us plummeting to the bottom a lot--or maybe that was just me who worried about that."

Richard sat down on the armrest of the chair. "At least you're ok, and you can look on this with humor."

She raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm joking?"

He was unsure how to respond to that, but was saved by Kim. "You said four--who were the other two people, besides you and, I'm assuming, Aria?"

"Actually, that is somewhat humorous," Elizabeth reflected. "At least, you may find it amusing, Richard. We both know at least one of them. It seems we get into more accidents together..."

Richard looked surprised. "William?"

"Ding, ding, ding! Congratulations! Johnny, tell him what he wins."

He laughed. "Oh, that's too funny. You and Will stuck in the same elevator. At least it wasn't some creep you had to be leery of the whole time. I'm sure you actually somewhat enjoyed yourselves, then, if it was Will."

Elizabeth didn't answer, but instead began searching through her bags.

"What, you two don't get along?" Richard asked in confusion. "I thought he had said--" he stopped, slightly flustered. "Oh. So, uh...was Georgiana with him?"

She nodded. "Genie is a very sweet girl. Will ought to be commended for raising her right."

He practically beamed. "Georgie is wonderful. Although, she's getting to that stage where we're going to have to guard her with rifles and bazookas, or there'll be guys lined up along the property, vying to ask her out."

Kim giggled at the image that presented. "At least she has a savior in you."

Richard puffed out his chest and lowered his voice as he said, in his best Austrian accent, "Nobodee mezzes vith ze Terminator." He and Kim shared a glance as she laughed at his impression.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and turned to go to her room. Halfway down the hallway, she stopped and, looking back, asked him, "I'm assuming we missed the reservations?"

He nodded, spearing a hand through his tousled hair, making even more of it stand up straight. "Unfortunately. Raoul is going to be pretty upset with me; who knows if he's even going to take reservations for me again. He pulled a few strings, and what do I do? Go and not show up. I'm sure, though, if I explain it to him, he'll understand. I mean, it's not as if we just decided not to come."

Elizabeth sighed. "I'm really sorry about that. But there was no way for me to get hold of you from the elevator. You know, you should've just gone--taken Kim or Jane...speaking of Jane, where is she?"

"Her date with Charles, remember?" Kim said. "And we couldn't have gone to the restaurant, Liz. I mean, what if you showed up only a few minutes after we left? And anyway, this was your date."

She raised an eyebrow in response. "Well, if this was my date, I have to break it to you, Rich--it wasn't that great."

He laughed, and she turned and went the rest of the way to her room. In a few minutes, she came back out, having changed from her wrinkled pants suit that she had worn to work into a pair of blue jeans and a white tank top. She was just slipping her arms into a gray zippered sweater when there was a knock at the door. "Kim, could you get that?" she asked.

Her friend went to the door and opened it to admit a tall, slender man wearing khakis and a brown sweater over a white dress shirt. His hair was a dark brown, his skin bronzed perfectly, and his eyes a rich chocolate brown. He smiled brightly when he saw Kim, and kissed her on the cheek before turning to Elizabeth. "I knew she'd be here, of course. Can I ever find her anywhere else?" He then glanced at the other man in the room, who had stood up slowly, withdrawing his hands from his pockets as he looked curiously at the new visitor.

Elizabeth glanced between the two men and wondered at the sudden tenseness in the room. She decided to break the ice by doing introductions, but apparently Kim had thought the same thing, and so the two stopped and glanced at each other before Elizabeth decided to concede to her friend, trying to puzzle out the undertones that were currently passing between the other three.

"Drew, this is Richard Fitzwilliam," Kim began a little nervously. "Richard, this is Andrew Coughlin...my boyfriend."

There was a hesitation, but Elizabeth could tell when Richard decided to turn on the charm. A small muscle jumped in his jaw, then it relaxed and he smiled brightly before extending his hand to the other man. "Nice to meet you, Andrew. You're a lucky man--Kim's a gem."

Andrew took Richard's hand, but released it almost immediately, all the while looking at him suspiciously. Then he smiled, wrapping his arm possessively around Kim's waist.. "Yeah, I know." For a moment, the two men just looked at each other, then Andrew turned to his girlfriend and asked, "Are you ready to go? I had been expecting you a while ago."

Kim felt the need to apologize. "I'm so sorry, Drew. But you see, Elizabeth and Richard were supposed to go out tonight, and Jane and I were supposed to meet her back here, before Richard came to pick her up, but she never showed. We only now found out that she had been stuck in an elevator for a few hours. But Jane and Charlie had reservations tonight, and so I volunteered to stay here and keep Richard company while we waited for Elizabeth. I didn't realize it would take this long."

Elizabeth smiled at her friend. "You shouldn't be the one apologizing, Kim." She turned to Andrew. "This is really my fault. I hope you don't mind?"

He hesitated, then shook his head, releasing a frustrated sigh. "No, I guess not. We can just take the later showing of the movie instead of the one we had chosen. It's not really a problem." He turned to his girlfriend. "Are you ready to go, then?"

Kim nodded after a quick glance under her lashes towards Richard, who was standing and smiling affably beside the couch. Elizabeth caught the quick, discreet glance and puzzled over it as she closed the door behind her friend.

"He seems to be nice. How long have they been together?"

Elizabeth turned around to where Richard was still standing. "For nearly three years."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's quite a while."

She shrugged and walked towards the counter where her purse sat. "Not really. I've known couples who dated for nearly five or six years before finally getting engaged--and then it took them a few years after that to be married."

"That's nuts."

"Perhaps, but it really depends on the kind of people in the relationship." She stopped beside him on her way back towards the door, her purse slung over one shoulder. "So, why don't we just go down to George Webbs, and have some coffee. Granted, it's nothing fancy, but I think we had to forgo that when I didn't come back in time."

"Webbs sounds fine," he replied. "Are you ready? We'll take my car."

She nodded, and followed him out, shutting off the lights and locking the door behind her.

"Hi, Maribeth," Elizabeth said as she walked in the door of the small Webbs she usually frequented.

The waitress smiled at her favorite customer and walked over to the table Elizabeth had chosen, two menus in her hand. "Hey, EB. How are you? You haven't been around here for quite a while. I was getting worried that you'd forgotten us."

Elizabeth laughed. "No, I've just been really busy. It's been a hell of a month so far."

Maribeth grinned. "I know exactly what you mean. You probably didn't hear--my place got robbed last week."

"Your apartment? Oh, no! What got stolen?"

The waitress shrugged. "Some jewelry, a couple hundred dollars, and my portable stereo. Seems he got in through the fire escape by breaking down the window. I had to get new glass for it, but everything near it was ruined because of the rain."

"Oh, Mari! That's awful!"

"I was lucky, though," the waitress said. "It seems this guy has been hitting a number of places nearby, and there was a lot more stuff taken from those places. Of course, I don't have much to steal--he probably had the wrong apartment," she said with a laugh. "Although, you only live a few blocks from where I live, I think. On 76th street, right?"

Elizabeth nodded worriedly. "Yeah. I wonder why I haven't heard about it, then."

Maribeth shook her head. "Who knows? But I'd rather be safe than sorry, if I were you--ask the manager at your place to check on the safety precautions."

"Thanks, Mari."

"Now," the waitress said, turning professional, "what would you and the gentleman here like to eat?"

"My usual."

Richard hesitated. "Well, I think maybe I'll have a burger and fries, with a vanilla milk shake."

Elizabeth grinned. "That sounds delicious. Add a milk shake to mine, instead of the tea, Mari."

The waitress laughed. "You got it, toots. Be back in a sec with your stuff."

After she had left, Elizabeth turned to Richard. "So what did the two of you do while you waited for me? I never did ask."

He shrugged. "Not much. I mean, we just talked for a while. We were worried about you-- especially with the string of bad luck Kim's told me you've been having recently--and so we just tried to distract ourselves. Trust me, we must have run through everything from world affairs to Spam."

Elizabeth laughed. "So at least you two had fun. Whereas I..."

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze interested and penetrating, in an odd way. "What did you actually do on the elevator? If I understood you right, you and William are...at odds."

"Well, I suppose you could say that," Elizabeth hedged. "It's not that we're at odds..." She sighed. "Ok, I guess we are. But really, you would think he would get the hint. I don't do double- dating."

Richard looked puzzled. "Double-dating?"

She shook her head. "Not that--I meant, going out with someone already going out with someone."

"Who--ohhhhhh!..."

"But it wasn't just that. It was...well, while I'm never intentionally cruel to anyone who hasn't hurt me personally, I do sometimes, involuntarily, of course, give the wrong impression. And it was just...he sounded so...junior high, asking me to go have coffee with him."

When she stopped and bit her lip, Richard smiled in commiseration. "You laughed at him, didn't you? He doesn't take ridicule very well, even when it's deserved; let me tell you that. But I don't think it's irreconcilable. And besides, are you absolutely sure about this Caroline thing? From what I can tell--"

"No, I'm sure. There is no way that what I saw was simply a friendly kiss."

He looked distressed. "I can't believe Will would ever do something like that. I know that he finds her annoying, grasping. He's told me so before. I just can't believe it."

She shrugged. "Believe it or not, it's true. But why are we talking about him? I'd rather not--if you don't mind?"

He shrugged noncommittally as she struggled for a neutral topic. She didn't succeed. "You know, this has kind of been bugging me. I don't mean to sound...offensive, but you seem really different than when I met you at the party."

His grin came out full force as she said that and he waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, that. Simply a ploy. I knew that Bings and your sister would have been disappointed with any less of a showing from me. Not that you are any less desirable than I intimated then. You're just not my type for a girlfriend...I hope you don't mind."

Elizabeth found herself smiling, despite the complete set-down she'd just had. "No, I don't...and actually, could I venture a guess that Kim is more of your type?"

He smiled secretively. "Your mind works very quickly, I see. I can see that we'll be close friends, just as I had hoped. I must say, from the moment I met you, I knew you would turn out to be a great friend."

She laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was meant as such."

"Then thank you," she replied. "I have to say, this does come as a bit of a relief. I've been having...difficult times lately, and I need all the friends I can get. And considering I just broke up with Derrick, a bounce-back relationship would probably have done more harm than good right now."

Richard grinned. "I wouldn't mind taking you out to eat wherever this Derrick usually goes. Sometimes it's good to have a little bit of revenge."

She thanked him. "But I don't think that's very necessary. I've already showed that I recover quickly. Or at least, that's what he assumed was going on." She explained what had happened the night Derrick had come to her apartment to collect his stuff. "So I thank you for the offer, but I assure you, it's not needed."

"Well, just remember, if it's ever necessary..."

"Of course."

They sat there for a while, in companionable silence, and Elizabeth realized with a start that this was exactly what she needed right now, and she thanked Providence that she was blessed enough to have been granted it. She hadn't even realized that she was staring at him, smiling, until she caught his laughing eyes. "Yes? Seen enough?" he asked.

She found herself blushing. "Well, no. I mean, yes--I mean, I don't know." She stopped and took a few breaths before continuing. "No, what I was thinking is how great you would be for Kim."

His smile faltered slightly. "She's already going out with someone. And from what you said, it sounded like they were pretty much a set thing."

She began to reply, but the food came at that moment, and she paused to let Mari work her magic. When the plates had been set on the table, and the waitress had left, Elizabeth finally replied to what his statement. "I'm sorry," she said, staring at the milkshake she was swirling around with her straw, "that I gave you that impression. Yes, they have been going out for about three years, but...Drew isn't the commitment type. And much as I love Kim, I know that he'll never pop the question, and I really think she's wasting her time with him. She'll never listen to me, though."

He nodded slowly, seriously. "People rarely like to take advice, especially when it means they have to change."

"You can say that again. I know that I, myself, do that quite often--I don't like to take anyone's advice on anything, especially when it makes me realize that what I'm doing is wrong. I always have to learn the hard way."

"I think the hard way is the best way sometimes. Some people never really learn unless it happens to them, drastically."

Elizabeth smiled and related a childhood memory where she learned the hard way, and how every time she was faced with the same temptation, she thought of her father, and his pained expression as he reluctantly punished her. Richard laughed and told a similar anecdote, and soon the two were laughing and talking about their relationships with their parents, siblings, and other friends and family, and before either realized it, the big hand of the clock had passed eleven. Richard caught sight of the clock and shook his head in shock. "Wow. I didn't realize how late it was getting. Time really does fly when you're having fun."

"So you were having fun?" Elizabeth asked as she polished off the tea she had ordered after the shake had been drunk.

He smiled. "Yes, I definitely did. And I'm so glad that we met. I don't think I've been able to talk with someone like this for ages. Bings, well, he's a great friend and all, but you can't talk about serious things with him. And Darce would simply sit there stoically, then offer advice you don't really need--" he broke off at her frown. "Ok, I may be exaggerating a bit, but it is true that he doesn't easily lighten up. Not that you should dislike him for it--I mean, when he warms up a bit, he can be fun."

She rolled her eyes. "You don't have to defend him to me," she replied. "I have my opinion of him. He'd have to change it himself. Not that he must be too keen on that idea. He'll probably avoid me like the plague."

Richard patted her hand comfortingly. "Don't be too disappointed."

"Oh, I'm not," she replied flippantly. "I'm just saying..."

"You'll probably be seeing him more, especially with Bings and your sister starting the wedding preparations--when's it set for? August? I believe Darce is the best man. And you're Jane's maid of honor?"

She nodded. "I can be civil to him. He's not injured me in any way, so how could I be rude?"

Richard nodded with approval. "I knew I hadn't misjudged your character. You're a wonderful person, Elizabeth."

She smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Rich--and the same to you." She stood and picked up her purse, then reached for the check, but he had grabbed it first. So while he was paying the bill, she left a large tip for Maribeth, then walked over to where he was paying. They went out to his car together. "I really hope we can do this another time, Richard. Now that I found something as good as this, I don't think I can let it go so easily."

He grinned. "No prob. This'll be our Webbs, ok?"

She laughed. "Our Webbs. Got it."

The drive back to Elizabeth's apartment was uneventful, aside from their companionable conversation. When Richard pulled the car up to the curb, he got out and ran around to the passenger side, but she had already gotten out. She laughed at his attempt at chivalry, but accepted his arm, and they walked up the steps together. At the door to the building, Elizabeth turned to him. "I can probably make it from here. I doubt anybody'll mug me as I'm going up one set of stairs."

He smiled. "Then I'll leave you here. Thank you so much for the great time." He opened his arms and took her into a big hug, which she returned gladly.

When she finally pulled away, she dropped a light kiss on his cheek, then turned away and opened the door with her key. She looked back at him with a smile. "Bye, Richard--I'll see you later. Call me when you have a free Friday night, and we'll do this again."

"My pleasure," he said with a gallant bow, and with a smirk, he turned and walked down the steps. She smiled after him for a few seconds more before going into the apartment building and up the steps.

Chapter 6

Posted on Tuesday, 27 February 2001

"Men--the scourge of every society. What's the use of them?" Aria asked philosophically as she twirled a long-stemmed wine glass in her hands.

The four girls were all sitting in various positions around the Bennet girls' apartment, having a sleepover, for lack of anything better to do on a Saturday night. Kim was on the floor, leaning against the chair on which Aria was sitting Indian-style. Jane was sitting properly in the other chair next to the couch, where Elizabeth lay, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. All of them were in their pajamas, and all of them were at least a halfway on their way to being drunk.

Elizabeth grinned wickedly. "I can think of more than a few."

Kim giggled at that, pouring herself another glass of the red wine Elizabeth had found in her cupboard. "Me, too--have you ever tried them with chocolate and whipped--"

"Ok, that's enough, Kim," Aria said repressively. "I meant more generally. Yes, I suppose they might be good for that--I don't see what the big deal is, personally, but that's just me. I had been more referring to their purpose, outside of procreation."

There was an unsure silence until Jane spoke up: "To make money?"

"Good Lord, Jane," Aria burst out. "What decade are you living in? Geez, how many years have you survived without a guy attached to you?"

"Well..."

Elizabeth spoke up for her sister. "They're great for companionship, you know."

Kim began giggling again. "Yeah--they're great for that. Mmmmm...especially the ones who know just how to--"

"Kim, please. You are being absolutely no help," Aria interrupted, rolling her eyes.

"I think I know what you mean, though," Elizabeth said thoughtfully, sitting up again. "They do tend to make our lives decidedly more complex."

Jane was ambivalent. "Sometimes it's a good complex, though. I mean, you can't simply sail through life without any challenges."

Elizabeth looked at her sister wryly. "I think I could deal with a few less problems."

"I have a theory," Aria began.

Kim groaned. "Another theory..."

Aria shot her sister a quelling glance. "I think that all men have crayons lodged somewhere in their brains. Hinders thinking, you know. Some circumvent that and think with another part, others simply don't think at all."

"Charles..." Jane began.

"Well, Charles probably doesn't have as much of a crayon," Aria conceded. "He may just have a nub of one stuck up there. Some, on the other hand, like Andrew here, have one of those huge jumbo crayons--you know, the ones they give little kids in school?"

Elizabeth laughed, starting to get into the spirit. "They probably all got them stuck in their brains when they were kids--you know how it's always little boys who manage to get things stuck up their noses? You never hear about some little girl putting a Lego, or an eraser, or a little matchbox car up there. I mean, did you ever try jamming a Barbie stiletto up your nose?"

"Exactly!" cried Aria triumphantly. "And I think maybe the color has some effect, too, don't you think?"

"I don't know," Jane started, worriedly.

Aria clapped her on the shoulder. "Oh, it's ok, Jane--we're not picking on your Charles. But you do have to admit, there might be a little bit of a crayon stuck in the part of his brain that affects his color-coordination, am I right?"

Jane bit her lip, trying not to laugh as she remembered the mismatched outfit he had worn to the art gallery earlier that afternoon, with the dark blue sweater, khaki pants held up by a brown belt, black shoes, and two different colored socks. Elizabeth, who remembered very well him standing in the doorway and blushing at her pointed query as to who had dressed him, had no qualms over laughing about it. When she had finally managed to stop laughing, and wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes, she asked Aria, "So what do you propose we do about them?"

Aria shrugged. "I don't know. We can't do away with them completely, I suppose. And crayon removal may be a serious thing...who knows how the full capability to think would affect them? Might even kill them."

Elizabeth fell back on the cough, laughing so hard that her stomach hurt, and she curled into a ball, tears of merriment coming from her eyes. Just as Aria was going to elaborate more on her theory, the phone rang, and Jane, who was probably the most composed of them all, picked it up. "Hello?"

She listened for a while, then turned to where Kim was sitting, slouched next to the chair, giggling at something. "Um, Kim? It's Andrew."

There was a sudden quiet in the room, and even Kim sat up straighter, more serious now. "Drew? What could he want at this time of the night?"

Jane shrugged and held out the phone. Kim took it hesitantly and put it up to her ear. "Yes?"

She listened for a while, and the rest of the room was silent, watching her. They could hear the sound of the refrigerator, cars in the street, a man yelling, a cat hissing, and a dog barking, but the conversation on the other end of the line was an enigma. Aria worriedly caught Elizabeth's eyes when they both saw the tear come down Kim's cheek, and they both silently affirmed the other's fears.

When the call was over, and Kim had said a teary good-bye and hung up, the room remained silent. It took Jane to finally ask, in a quiet, gentle voice, "What happened, Kim?"

"He dumped me," came the answer.

There was silence, then suddenly:

"He dumped you?"

"On the phone?"

"That jacka--"

"I'm going to shove his nose in a grinder."

"Oh, poor Kim!"

"His nose? Be that gentle?"

"Who can we sic on him?"

"Where is that filthy son of a--"

Aria held up her hands for quiet. "Wait--Kim, what exactly did he say?"

Kim sniffled, then answered tearfully, "He said that he was on the plane to Vegas with Sandy, and that he was sorry that he hadn't called earlier. He said--he said he wouldn't be back for a week, and th-th-that we'll t-t-talk when he gets b-b-back. And we were s-s-supposed to go up to the c-c-cabin tomorrow." At that, she burst out sobbing.

"Who is Sandy?" Elizabeth asked.

"Sh-sh-she works with Drew."

"Maybe they're on a business trip," Jane offered hopefully.

Aria scowled. "Then the scumbag should've told Kim sooner than when they were on the plane. No, I think Kim is right. But it's a harsh way to find out, and if he were here right now, I'd kill him with my bare hands."

Elizabeth got off the couch and sat down beside Kim, wrapping an arm around her friend. "I'm so sorry, Kim--I know how much he meant to you."

Jane knelt down beside her friend and began to coo comfortingly. Aria began to pace, and after Kim's crying had begun to ceased, she stopped and went into the kitchen, coming out again with another bottle of wine. "I think this calls for a new toast, huh?" She filled up all the glasses, then held her own aloft. "To us, that we may always be together and support each other, no matter what guy decides he's going to trash our lives."

"Hear, hear!" the girls all shouted, raising their glasses and each taking a swig.

After a few more anti-male toasts, and an on-the-fence toast from Jane, Aria sat down on the couch and looked curiously at Elizabeth. "So, now that we have all of that out of the way, you haven't told us how things went with Richard yesterday--nub or jumbo crayon?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Actually, if anything, he has a nub. He was very sweet, and extremely intelligent, and we've become good friends."

There was a short silence. "Friends?" Aria asked incredulously. "Only friends? I thought this was going to be another bounce-back. Or at least, that's what I assumed, though you know my opinion on that."

Elizabeth flushed slightly. "He told me I wasn't his type."

"He actually said that?" Kim asked incredulously.

"Jumbo! Jumbo crayon!" Aria shouted triumphantly.

"No, no, you misunderstood me," Elizabeth hastened to say. "I had already realized that neither of us were suited for a relationship. But we were able to talk, and I couldn't imagine having a better time, unless it was with one of you. We've decided to make the Webbs date a regular habit."

Jane was smiling. "Charles will be happy. He was so worried you wouldn't hit it off well."

Elizabeth glanced in affectionate annoyance at her sister. "Bah. He was hoping we would fall in love, or some such rubbish. And I'm not going out with him--we're friends. That's all."

"That's what they all say," Aria said with a wave of her hand. "But fine, if you don't want to, we won't talk about it. Instead, you'll tell me about this William character."

"William?" Jane asked in surprise.

Her sister blushed slightly. "I don't know what you want me to tell you, Aria. I don't really know him that well. We've met a few times, is all."

Aria raised an eyebrow at that. "And after only a few times, you've taken such a dislike to him? You can't make me believe that I hadn't noticed that."

Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably. "I don't dislike him, exactly..."

"Then what is it? First of all, the moment you two recognized each other in the elevator, it was suddenly triple point--you all icy, him smoldering, and Genie and I cool and calm, though confused. And then you go and laugh at him when he asks you out to coffee? I've never known you to be so rude, Liz! I may not have said so at the time, but I think that was one of the cruelest things I've ever seen you do, and I think that no matter what he did, it doesn't deserve that!"

There was a shocked silence as Elizabeth felt the blood drain from her face. After a few seconds, she replied dejectedly, "I'm sorry, Aria--I know."

"I'm not the one that needs apologizing to," Aria replied, in a somewhat softened tone.

"It's just..." Elizabeth began, but then stopped and tried again: "I'm uncomfortable with him, I guess. I just can't pin down who he really is. I mean, the first time I saw him, I thought him the rudest of all people. The next time, he was so kind, and it took me completely by surprise to find out it was the same person I had run into before. The third time...I don't know what happened there. It had started off fine, but by the end we were both upset. The fourth time I met him was at Charlie's birthday. He had been charming...until he and Caroline met in the hallway. And now, despite the fact that he and she were practically down each other's throats, he tells me there's nothing between them."

Jane was shocked. "Down each other's throats?" she repeated.

Elizabeth blushed slightly, caught. "Well, perhaps not that bad..."

"How bad?" Aria pursued.

Her friend fidgeted under her penetrating gaze. "I don't know...maybe a bit worse than a Jane and Charlie kiss."

"A bit? And who was doing the kissing?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I don't know...she initiated it, at least, but he didn't object, from what I could tell."

"Ok, wait a second," Aria said, holding up her hands. "Now, you're blaming him for being kissed by Caroline?"

"Well..."

Aria threw her hands up in exasperation. "And you're telling me that if some extremely hot guy came up to you and kissed you, you would immediately push him away, slap him, knee him, or whatever? Even if you knew that this guy was a bit of a creep...but remember, extremely hot...like Jeremy Northam--or whoever that guy is you're always ogling over--kind of hot."

"But that's different," Elizabeth began.

"How? How is it different? Because it was a woman who approached the man? Or because you don't think Caroline is hot? Because trust me, she is. She may not have the best personality in the world, but she is definitely gorgeous."

Elizabeth was silent before she finally nodded, conceding the argument. "I see your point, Aria. I guess I just didn't think about it..." She put her head in her hands. "Oh, what a muddle I've made of everything."

Jane patted her sister's hand. "I'm sure everything will work out. If you want, Charles and I could--"

"No, Jane," Elizabeth interceded. "Thank you so much for the offer, but you two have enough to worry about, with the wedding and all. I'll deal with this on my own."

Aria nodded. "That's the spirit. Now, on to more important things, did I ever tell you about my theory that guys are like purses?"

As Elizabeth picked up the newspaper outside her door Tuesday morning, she was surprised by the sound of someone cursing. She looked up slightly offended, thinking he had been talking about her, when she realized that the man in the doorway opposite was simply looking at his paper. "Problems?" she asked in a slightly sarcastic tone.

The man looked up at her, and she was taken aback slightly by the intense anger in his chocolate brown eyes. The anger disappeared almost immediately, and he grinned abashedly, folding up the paper and tucking it under his arm. "I'm sorry; I hadn't realized anyone was here. I'm just upset by something in the newspaper." He held out his hand. "I'm Jorges Impio. I just moved in yesterday."

"Well then," Elizabeth said with a genuinely welcoming smile as she shook his hand, "It's nice to meet you, Jorges. I'm Liz Bennet. Welcome to Meryton Park Apartments."

"Thank you, Liz." He smiled lopsidedly, and Liz found her heart beating a little faster as she smiled back at him. A lock of raven black hair fell over his forehead, and he reached up and pushed it back. She noted the diamond ring that winked on his finger, and she wondered idly why someone with dough to throw around would live at Meryton Park. "I have to be going, though," he said finally. "But it was great to meet you. Maybe we'll have to go have coffee sometime, get to know each other. Least we can do, as neighbors."

"I'd like that," she found herself saying, despite her mother's voice echoing in her head, beware of strangers. Bah. As if there'd be any problem with going out to coffee with a neighbor. At least the police would know where he lived if he turned out to be a mass murderer.

He smiled at her one more time before going back into his apartment and closing the door behind him. Elizabeth stood there, looking across the hall for a few more minutes before turning around slowly and returning to her own. She closed the door, then stood for a moment, leaning against it. Well, this was certainly a new development. A new neighbor. A hot new neighbor. An extremely hot new neighbor. An extremely hot new neighbor not wearing a wedding ring, seemingly interested in her...

Although, she thought, bringing herself back to earth, just because he didn't wear a wedding band didn't mean he wasn't married. And just because he seemed interested didn't mean he was...she'd been in that situation before. And anyway, just because he was hot and had an incredibly sexy voice did not mean that he only had a nub of a crayon...now, where did that come from?

Elizabeth shook her head and towards the kitchen, where she set the newspaper on the counter and grabbed the bagels out of the toaster. She had just slavered cream cheese over them when Jane came into the room. "Good morning," she said cheerily.

"Good morning," Elizabeth responded just as brightly. "I met our new neighbor this morning."

"Oh, really?" Jane asked, picking up the newspaper.

"Yes, I did, and don't you dare do the crossword puzzle--it's mine. His name is Jorges. And he's very good looking, and has a Spanish accent and everything."

Jane nodded. "Well, I look forward to meeting him. Oh, look at this," she said with a smile. "William is on the front page--they have a story about his contribution to the AIDS walk."

Elizabeth lifted a brow. "How much?"

"Quarter million," Jane said without blinking an eye.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth nearly choked on her bagel. "A quarter million?" she finally gasped when the coughing stopped.

Jane shrugged. "Charles said he had been going to contribute more, if it hadn't been for the Lambton, Inc. scandal."

"What scandal?" Elizabeth asked in curiosity.

Jane opened her mouth to respond, but then snapped it shut, her eyes opening wide. "Oh," she breathed.

"What? Am I not supposed to know?"

Her sister looked slightly uncomfortable. "I really don't like gossiping, Lizzy, not even to you. And I'm really not sure whether it's supposed to be known or not."

Elizabeth sighed and patted Jane's arm. "It's alright. I won't ask. So, what are you planning on doing today? After work I was thinking of going to the club, then seeing if I can find a new pants suit. I stained my charcoal gray one so badly it can't be cleaned."

"Charles and I had been planning on going to the new art exhibit at the museum."

"Oh," Elizabeth said in disappointment. After a few moments, she looked up at the clock, then stood up and grabbed the rest of her bagel. "Well, much as I'd love to chat, I have a longer commute than you, hun, and I have to go. I'll talk to you when you get home from the art museum. 'Till then." She hugged her sister, holding the bagel out to the side, then grabbed her purse, briefcase, and keys, and headed out the door.

Elizabeth ran a hand through her still slightly damp hair and sighed. She was never going to find anything to replace that pants suit. Maybe she was the world's worst shopper.

It had been a stroke of genius to go to the club after work. She felt as though a thousand of her worries had been washed away. She had run for a half hour on the treadmill, and then swam for an hour. Afterwards, she spent some time relaxing in the hot tub. There hadn't been many people around, and so she was able to just think and relax. It had given her time to sort through all of the troubles she'd been having recently, and honestly, they didn't seem so bad once she logically went through them.

But now, as she went through rack after rack of clothes, she found that running away from her problems for a while didn't mean that they all disappeared. She still had a number of things to do, and she wasn't sure how she'd get them all finished. At least work hadn't been too bad...

Elizabeth had just discovered a gorgeous suit coat and skirt when someone approached her on the right. "Elizabeth?"

She turned in surprise. "Genie?"

The girl in front of her smiled. "I wasn't sure if you'd recognize me."

"Of course!" Elizabeth said with a grin. "How could I forget? After all, it wasn't as if we were in a life-threatening situation together or anything."

Georgiana giggled. "How is Aria?"

"You know, she just mentioned you yesterday. We should probably get together sometime. I'm sure she'd love to talk with you again. You two were having a lot of fun."

"You and my brother seemed to, as well, didn't you?"

Elizabeth was silent, embarrassed, for a moment, then smiled brightly. "Of course we did. Your brother is a wonderful person."

Georgiana smiled brightly at that, and Elizabeth felt a twinge of misgiving. "I knew you two got along. But, speaking of Will, he's over there, looking at new ties. I'm sure he'd love it if you came and said hi."

Elizabeth grimaced slightly. "I really have to find a new suit..."

The young girl in front of her pouted slightly. "It'll only take a few minutes! I promise."

Elizabeth hesitated, then sighed. "Well, I suppose so. It can't hurt..."

Chapter 7

Posted on Monday, 28 May 2001

William was standing at the tie rack, half turned from the direction the two girls were approaching from, two silk ties of the exact same shade of blue in his hand, looking between them as if trying to decide. A curious frown curved his handsome lips, and every so often, he lifted one up to the light and studied it closer. When Georgiana called out his name, he turned towards her and, staring in puzzlement at the tie still held up to the light, said, "You know, I really cannot decide which one I like better, Genie. This one costs less, but there's a certain texture to it, whereas--" He broke off, a surprised look on his face, and promptly dropped the tie. His mouth closed with a snap, then opened slightly, then closed once more before he gathered his wits together and bent down to retrieve the tie. When he stood up again, he face was a portrait of studied indifference. "Miss Bennet," he said politely.

"Hello, Will," she replied with what she hoped was a bright smile, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face.

He cleared his throat and set the ties on the top of the rack beside him, then clasped his hands behind his back, looking first at the ground as he rocked back on his heels, then up at her. "And how are you? Well?"

She nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. And you?"

"Good, good. Uh...seen much of your sister and Charles recently?"

"Well, no, not really. They've been rather busy." She flushed slightly and put a hand to her forehead before fluttering it nervously in front of her, laughing self-consciously. "I mean, I've seen Jane, of course...we live together. I'd be hard pressed not to see her."

"Of course. Um...did you get my check in the mail?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah. I got it a few days ago. Thanks."

He nodded, but seemed at a loss for what to say next, and Elizabeth found herself in much the same quandary. They both looked at the same time towards where Georgiana had been standing, and found that she had slipped away in the few seconds they had been conversing. Or how long had it actually been? Elizabeth's eyes met his for a brief moment, and she realized that he was as embarrassed as she. "I'm sorry for my sister..." he began.

"No, no," she inserted quickly. "It's rather my fault. You see, she must be under the impression that...well...anyway, I should have told her before she even suggested that I come over here...that we...um, that we don't get along well..." She looked up at him, unsure if he had understood, and met eyes that had suddenly grown distant.

"Of course," he replied. "I understand completely." He paused and cleared his throat. "I had actually been going to say that I was sorry that she ran off without excusing herself. I guess I was under the impression perhaps that you had come over in the hopes of mending a few fences. I had definitely been...amenable to the idea that we could be friends."

It was definitely not the easiest thing in the world, to find out that the person you were was actually a cruel, unthinking person. Elizabeth had surely never considered herself someone like that. But suddenly she was faced with the possibility that her character was not as stellar as she had assumed. She could definitely feel her cheeks flaming at this, and she wished the floor of the department store would simply open up and swallow her whole.

But as that possibility was not about to come to fruition very soon, she had a more difficult problem to deal with. How could she recover her own equanimity, as well as perhaps salvage the shreds of her pride and scamper off before she realized just how low she must have fallen in his estimation?

Perhaps, she thought, just perhaps, a slice of humble pie would serve her well. Ok, fine. She'd better just suck up the whole darn pie. "I'm sorry," she heard herself mumbling. "I had thought that..." She looked up at him and found him waiting for her reply with, if not open arms, at least polite curiosity. She took a deep breath and blurted the whole thing: "I had thought you would hate me for laughing at you when you offered to take me to George Webbs after we got off the elevator, and I felt really bad, but I thought you thought that I was the worst person in the world for that, because that's what Aria said you would think, and she's never wrong in cases like these, because she's really something of an expert in this kind of...stuff. I really was sorry for being so cruel, but I never had the chance to apologize, and I'm really bad at apologizing."

"You're doing fine now," he replied wryly, and she flushed in embarrassment. "And I didn't hate you for laughing at me," he continued, his tone becoming self-mocking. "Actually, I most likely would have laughed at myself in your situation. I hadn't even considered the fact, of course, that you were going out with my cousin--"

"I wasn't going out with your cousin," she inserted softly, and he leaned forward and asked her to repeat it. "I said that I wasn't going out with your cousin--at least, I was, but I wasn't." He looked at her in confusion, and she sighed. "Richard is nothing but a friend. We don't suit."

He shook his head in bemusement. "I never thought Rich would ever give up a beautiful woman like you. I would've thought you'd be a prize catch for him."

Elizabeth felt a mixture of flattery from the compliment and anger at his assessment of Richard's goals. "You are quite hard on your cousin, Will. I didn't think you were that kind of person."

He shot her a glance. "What kind of person is that? A person who can recognize Richard for who he is? Just because you may have become 'friends' with him after--what, how many dates?--doesn't mean that you know everything about him, and can determine his character better than someone who has known him almost his whole life. Yes, Rich can be a wonderful, charming person. But he is also without much of a conscience--at least, when it comes to women."

Her eyes narrowed. "Why are you telling me this?"

William didn't respond for a moment as he looked away from her and picked up the two ties, placing one of them back on the rack. "I don't know," he said at last. "I just thought you should be aware."

"Why?" she persisted. "What difference could that information make to me?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

She was getting upset at his noncommittal responses. "Why did you tell me something that you had no reason to be telling me, and I had no reason to care about?"

"Look," he replied in a tight voice, "I'm sorry. My mouth ran off without the accompaniment of my brain again, it seems. And not to sound rude, but is this conversation finished? I have other things I must do today, and my sister is nowhere in sight."

Elizabeth's jaw fell open before she had the sense to close it and act seemingly unaffected by his disrespect. "Not to sound rude?" she repeated. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but you're doing a poor job of it." She met his eyes, her own seething with anger, before turning around and walking away.

"Hey, Liz, could you do me a big favor? I mean, I would owe you majorly for this one."

Elizabeth sighed into the phone. "What do you need, Aria?"

She could practically hear her friend's smile through the phone as Aria replied, "My guitar has just gotten fixed--you know how I took it up to that place on the East side? Jim is wonderful, and he charges really cheap. And I couldn't have played with that huge dent in it. He called about an hour ago, though, and said that it was finished. The only thing is, his shop closes at nine, and won't be open until next week Tuesday."

"Ok, so what's the problem?"

Aria grinned. "I have a date tonight, and there's no way that I'll be back before nine o'clock, considering the fact that Jen is going to be here in about ten minutes so we can go to the book club meeting. Do you think you'd be willing to go and pick up the guitar for me?"

"I don't know," Elizabeth said. "I have to go to the grocery store, and I have a bunch of laundry to get done."

"Liz, please--you're my last hope. And I need the guitar by Monday for the concert at the Groove. We finally scored a gig at a nightclub--can you imagine how disappointed the band would be if I couldn't play?"

She had decided to do it. She wouldn't leave her friend in a lurch like that unless, of course, she had the hottest date in the world tonight--and since that wasn't true, she might as well help her friend out. But first, she decided to have a little fun. "I don't know, Aria...after all, I don't want to be at Soap 'n' Suds until five in the morning again. And really, when will I do my shopping? I have to have something to eat, don't I?"

"I'll do your laundry for you tomorrow. I swear! And you need food? Come and raid my fridge. Just please please please could you get my guitar?"

"Well...."

"I'll buy your gas for a month, and I'll give you my favorite Sarah McLachlan CD."

Elizabeth hesitated for a moment.

"I'll give you a big hug."

"Aria..."

"I'll love you for ever and ever."

"Ok, ok, Aria!" Elizabeth said, laughing. "I'll do it!"

"Good," replied Aria. "I knew you'd come around. Remember, he closes the shop at nine. Don't be too late!"

"Of course not," Elizabeth replied. "Have a fun time. I'll have the guitar ready for you tomorrow."

She hung up the phone after good-byes were said and sat back in the sofa. After a moment, she stood up and popped off the television, then went into her room to find her jean jacket. As she came out into the living room again, pulling her hair back with a scrunchee, she glanced at the clock. Eight o'clock. She should be able to find the place in less than an hour and get back by the time Jane returned at 10:30 from the dinner and movie with Charles--provided they both came straight home. She grinned and grabbed her purse from the counter, and then left, closing the door shut and locking it behind her.

It actually only took her forty minutes to get down to the east side and find the small shop. It was right across from a large, 24-hour grocery store, and so she parked her car in that parking lot and crossed the street to the shop. She picked up the guitar with no problems, and instead of going back to her car, went into the grocery store to do some shopping.

She put the guitar in her cart and wandered up and down the aisles, finding things that she needed to restock her refrigerator. By the time she was finished, the cart was completely full, and it was a quarter past ten o'clock. She checked out at the register, and lugged her bags out to the car, running as fast as she could to get out of the rain that had started to come down. After putting all of the groceries into the trunk, Elizabeth got into the car and put her keys in the ignition. She turned it once, and when nothing happened, turned it again. Her jaw falling open in shock, she sat back and stared at the dashboard as if doing so would somehow make it work. After two or three more tries, she laid her head against the steering wheel in despair.

Now what was she going to do? She couldn't call Jane or Charles--they were at the theater. Kim was out with Richard. Aria had gone to her book club. Who could she call? She rummaged through her purse for her cell phone, and finally found it. As she pulled it out though, a check that was sitting in the bottom of her purse fell out. She looked at it in confusion, then suddenly realized who it was from. William.

Could she call him? She disliked the idea. After the way they had parted last, they weren't exactly on the best of terms. To call, begging for his help would be humiliating, to say the least. She hated to be the one to bend, no matter if she was desperate or not. And in his case, it somehow seemed even more important.

After a quick psychological battle with herself, she finally decided to call him. What was the worst thing he could do? Say no? Well, yeah--and that would be pretty bad, considering the situation she was in. She found his number in her day planner and called it, crossing her fingers in her lap for good luck.

He picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"

It was a comfort to hear someone's voice. "William? It's me, Elizabeth. I need your help."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment. "What do you need?" he asked at last. She breathed out a sigh of relief.

"My car broke down on the East Side, and I don't want to be sitting here all by myself, at this time of night--"

"Liz, calm down. Now, where exactly on the East Side are you?"

She named the streets, and he answered, "I'll be there as soon as I can. Just keep your doors locked, and don't panic."

She did as he said, but it was so hard to follow his last instruction. The thunder and lightning made her nervous, and she started at every noise outside of the car, staring at the people who walked out of the grocery store as if they all had some evil intent, her heartbeat fast and painful in her chest. At last, she did the breathing exercises Aria had taught her a few days ago during her usual yoga rituals, and slowly began to feel more calm. So calm, in fact, that she finally curled up in the seat and fell asleep.

What seemed like only a few minutes later, she heard a knock on the window, and woke up screaming. It took her a few moments to realize that it was Darcy's face at the window, and not some crazy lunatic psycho waiting to murder her. She unlocked the door, and he was immediately helping her out of the car and into the pouring rain. He held his umbrella over her them both as he pulled her towards him with his other arm, wrapping it around her, rubbing her back gently as she tried to calm herself down. When she at last regained her control, she backed up out of his embrace, and his arm fell to his side.

"I'm so sorry about that," she said embarrassedly.

"Don't worry--I completely understand," he responded. "I brought you some hot cocoa."

He handed her the umbrella and she took it as he went over to his car and returned, bearing a thermos in his hand, which he offered to her. She took it, smiling at him. "Thank you. That was so thoughtful."

He stood there for a moment more, looking at her with an expression she couldn't read, before going over to her car and raising the hood and peering under it with the help of a flashlight. "So, what exactly is the problem?"

She threw up a hand. "I have no idea. I came back out, and it wouldn't start. It just kept making these clicking sounds."

"Clicking sounds?" he asked, and she nodded and, bending inside the car, turned the key. click, click, click.

"It's the battery." There was absolutely no doubt in his voice. "Did you leave your lights on?"

"No..." All of a sudden, the sound of the lady on the PA in the store came flooding back to her...there's a car in the parking lot, license... She hadn't heard the rest, because honestly, she hadn't cared. Elizabeth smacked her head with her hand.

"I guess that means yes."

She nodded. "I can't believe I did something so stupid! Although, I thought I was only going to be inside the music store for a while. I just ran into the grocery store for a few things..." She flushed as she looked at the four large paper bags of groceries in the back seat. "Not that it makes much difference; I should've looked at my lights in the first place."

"What's done is done," he replied and went to the back of his car, opening the trunk. He came back with a set of jumper cables and began to hook them up.

Elizabeth felt a certain measure of comfort every time she glanced in the rear view mirror and saw his headlights behind her. And when they stopped at the car garage and she dropped the car keys along with a note of explanation into the drop box, she was glad for his company. As they walked back to his car through the rain, his umbrella over their heads, she wondered if she would feel the same way were it anyone else but him.

"I feel like the veriest widgeon," she said as he got into the car on the drivers side and put his key in the ignition before buckling his seat belt.

"Widgeon?" he echoed with a laugh.

She shot him a glance. "I don't know! I must've picked that up somewhere. But I just can't believe I did something so stupid! Even a first-time driver knows you don't leave your lights on for any lengthy period of time."

He laughed. "That doesn't mean that no one can make a mistake. Oh, I've done it on occasion, as well. Trust me. That doesn't make you stupid."

She sniffed in response, and he smiled over at her. "Not catching a cold, I hope, are you?"

"Of course not," she replied sharply. "I almost never get sick."

He laughed and turned his head back to watch the street through the swishing of the wipers. The rain continued to fall, and Elizabeth smiled, closing her eyes.

"Go ahead," he said softly, smiling at her when her eyes opened and met his. "You deserve some rest. I'll tell you when we get to your apartment."

She murmured a gentle thank you and closed her eyes again, burrowing deeper into the seat. She almost did manage to fall asleep by the time the car stopped at the curb outside her apartment, and his hand gently shook her shoulder to wake her. "Elizabeth, we're here."

Elizabeth opened her eyes groggily and rubbed them, looking out the window at the building to her right. She turned to look at him again. "Thank you so much for all you've done, Will. I really owe you."

He smiled. "Hmmm...I do charge a lot for my time, you know."

She looked at him warily. "What's your price?"

"A date," he replied, after some hesitation. "You have to go on a date with me."

Their eyes locked, and she found herself smiling. "I don't think your price is steep enough," she said at last, "if that's all you're charging me. But I won't argue. Just name the time and place, and I'll be ready."

He grinned. "I'll let you know. Come on, I'll walk you up."

He met her on the passenger side of the car, the umbrella held over her head, and they walked up the path to the door, her hand tucked into the crook of his arm. She used the key to get in, and they walked up the steps. When they arrived at her apartment door, Elizabeth turned to look at William. "Would you like to come in for a second? I'm not sure if Jane is back yet, but I could offer you a soda or something."

At his assent, she took out her key and opened the door. The inside of the apartment was dark, as she had turned off all of the lights before she had left--except...there was a dim light coming from the direction of her bedroom, and the moonlight streamed through the open window of the kitchen. No, not open...broken.

Chapter 8

Posted on Tuesday, 4 September 2001

Elizabeth felt all her muscles tense as a chill ran down the length of her spine. She knew the moment her companion knew something was wrong, because she felt him tense, as well. She suddenly remembered what Maribeth had told her at George Webbs, and wondered if this was the same thief that had broken into the apartments. She mentally slapped her own wrists for not talking with the landlord as she had told Maribeth she would. But now--what was she supposed to do?

She looked back at the hallway and wondered if maybe all her fears were for nothing. Maybe Jane came home early, and the electricity went out--maybe the window was broken by a branch from the large oak that stood near the apartment. But, no, the electricity in the rest of the building was on, because she had seen lights on in other apartments, and the branch would have had to have gone a pretty good distance with a lot of speed to have broken through the window, no matter what size branch it was. And Elizabeth could think of no other good explanations.

As the dim light from the hallway began moving, bouncing up and down slightly on the wall, and getting closer, William put his hand on her shoulder. He slowly drew her back behind him, then moved slowly, stealthily towards the hallway. She put her hand out stop him, but she saw him turn in the pale moonlight and hold up a hand in warning.

The light continued to get brighter as it got closer, until a shape emerged in the darkness. At first, it moved steadily towards the kitchen, then suddenly turned, as if sensing the presence of others.

The next few things that happened seemed so quickly that at first, Elizabeth hadn't realized what had actually occurred. William raised the umbrella in his hand smoothly, and in one quick stroke brought it down on the neck of the intruder. The man went down with a muffled "thud" as he hit the back of the sofa and fell to the ground.

Elizabeth recovered her senses and reached behind her, quickly flipping on the lights to see William and the man wrestling on the ground. The cordless phone went flying as the two rolled into the table beside the couch. The lamp that had stood next to it went crashing to the ground, the cord ripped out of the socket.

Dodging the two men rolling on the ground, Elizabeth darted around them and ran into the kitchen. She grabbed the wall phone and quickly dialed 911. When the operator came on the line, she hurriedly explained what had happened. The woman on the other end of the line was calm as she told Elizabeth that there was a squad car on the way. Elizabeth breathed a slight sigh of relief, then shrieked as a body was slammed into the wall dividing the kitchen and living room. She looked around the corner to see William land a punch to the other man's jaw. The man's head slammed against the wall again, then he slowly slid downwards to slump on the floor at William's feet, unconscious.

William looked up at Elizabeth, standing in the doorway, and their eyes locked and held. After what seemed like an eternity, he tore his gaze away, and his shoulders slumped as he bent over and picked up the lamp that lay on the floor. He righted it, then tried to fix the bent lampshade, but the torn hat remained at its drunken angle. It was as he tried to pick up the broken table that the sound of sirens, which had been gradually increasing in volume, drew piercingly to the front of the building. William looked up at the window, then over to Elizabeth in surprise. "I hadn't even thought to..."

She smiled. "That's ok. I did. You took care of the more important things." She regarded the man slumped on her floor with contempt. "I just hope you don't get into any trouble with the police."

"For what?" he replied with disdain. "Defending myself?"

She shrugged as she went to open the door for the police coming up the stairs. "You never know."

As the officers came in and took the man into custody, a few going over the house and through the man's loot, taking notes, Elizabeth sidled up beside Will. "You know," she murmured, looking around at her now swarming apartment, "they're going to do hell to my carpet." She looked pointedly at his face. "Not that it wasn't bloodied enough already."

His brow wrinkled, and he touched a hand to his head, then looked at it in confusion when he found blood on the ends of his fingertips. "Now, when did that happen?"

"Here, let me see." She put a hand to his shoulder and turned him more towards her, her other hand reaching up to brush his hair away from the cut. "Oh, it's nothing," she said repressively. "Just a scratch. Nothing compared with your lip."

He grimaced. "Yeah, I felt that." He sucked in his lip slightly, tasting the blood. "I can't imagine what I'll look like tomorrow morning."

"Can't be any worse than usual," she replied with a saucy grin, then laughed when he threw her a repressive glare. "Come, I'll kiss it and make it better." And before he knew what she was about, she rose on her tiptoes and kissed the cut on his brow.

"Doesn't my lip need more immediate attention?" he asked with a slow smile after only the shortest of hesitations. She shot him an enigmatic glance, but before she could say anything in return, he turned to the policewoman behind him, who was waiting rather patiently for their statements.

"I heard you had a break-in last night."

Elizabeth looked up and saw Jorges standing in the doorway of the apartment opposite. She retrieved her newspaper from the mat outside her door and straightened. "Yes, actually, I did."

"I hope they caught the guy."

She nodded. "I happened to come home while the robbery was still in progress. Luckily, I had had someone with me. I can't imagine what would have happened if Will had not been there."

"Yes, you're very lucky," he murmured. "So this Will is...a boyfriend?"

Elizabeth felt the heat rising to her cheeks, but she shook her head. "No, nothing so exciting. William Darcy is just a friend."

"Darcy?" Jorges asked in surprise.

She nodded. "Yes, do you know him?"

He hesitated. "Well, no...uh, not really. Just, uh, by name. So...so if this Will is just a friend, he won't mind if I ask you out for coffee?"

She smiled. "No, I don't think so."

"Then, would you like to go out? Maybe this evening?"

She thought a moment, then nodded. "I'd love to. I don't have anything on my schedule for tonight."

"Good. I'll pick you up at your place at about 8. Sound nice?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Sure. It sounds great. I'll see you then." And with a smile, she turned and re-entered her apartment, closing the door behind her. She took the paper into the kitchen and found the crossword puzzle as she popped a bagel in the toaster. Jane came in as she was writing "amor" in 23-down and glanced over her shoulder. "45-across is 'err'--you know, 'to err is human'?"

"Thanks," Elizabeth said around the huge bite of bagel she had taken. "Oh, and Jane, you have to give me a ride to work this morning."

Jane looked over at her in surprise. "Why?"

"Because the rental is at the shop. I think I forgot to mention why Will was here in the first place last night."

"Yes, you did," Jane said, sitting down on the other side of the table, a steaming mug of coffee in her hand. "All I know is that you and Will got home together, he came up with you, and managed to tackle a thief in the apartment."

Elizabeth smiled in remembrance. "You should've seen him, Jane. They were rolling across the floor together...it was like having WWF wrestling in your very own living room."

"I'm sure WWF doesn't have to worry about stains in the carpet, though."

"True," Elizabeth said with a grimace. "I'm not sure if that blood is going to come out. I tried scrubbing it a little last night."

"So, anyway, you were saying..." Jane prompted.

"Oh! Yes, well, I left my lights on in the car downtown as I was picking up Aria's guitar, and I had to call Will to help me, because he was the only one available. I dropped off the car, and he drove me home. We've...resolved our differences, I think."

Jane smiled. "That's good. I can't wait to tell Charles. He'll be so happy."

"Charles!" Elizabeth cried. "Isn't anything sacred?"

"If you don't want me to tell him..." Jane looked doubtful.

"No, go ahead," her sister muttered. "Keeping a secret from him would probably kill you."

"Oh, I'm sure it wouldn't if you really don't want me to tell him."

Elizabeth smiled at her sister. "No, that's fine. You can tell him that I think his friend is a wonderful person, and that we'll be going on a date."

"A date! Oh, you really were serious!"

"Well, yes. What did you think?"

Jane shrugged. "I thought maybe you were just resolved to be friends."

"We are. At least, I am. I mean, the date is only my forfeit for his having to come and get me out on the East Side so late at night."

"Oh."

"But tonight I'm going out for coffee with Jorges."

"Jorges?" Jane was confused at the sudden turn in the conversation. "Who is this?"

"Our neighbor, Jane. Jorges Impio. I've mentioned him to you before, I'm sure. He asked if I wanted to go out for coffee tonight, and I agreed."

"A neighbor? How do we know this guy is ok?"

"He's fine, Jane. And we're just going out for coffee--not down some dark alley in Manhattan."

"I guess," she replied with some misgivings. "But still, this Jorges--I thought that you and Will..."

"We're not an item, Jane," Elizabeth said somewhat impatiently as she stood and put the cream cheese back in the refrigerator. "One date doesn't constitute selectivity. I'm simply keeping my options open."

"Like a good stock broker," mumbled Jane.

Elizabeth looked in surprise at her sister's petulant tone. "Jane! Why are you so insistent that Will and I get together? I mean, isn't it my choice? Or was I mistaken?"

Jane sighed. "I'm sorry, Lizzy. But both Charles and I think that you and Will would do so well for each other. And you won't even give it a chance!"

"Give it a chance?" Elizabeth exclaimed. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm going on a date with him, aren't I?"

"Yes, but you aren't really taking it seriously. You're 'keeping your options open'."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Jane, I can hardly expect that 'true love'--or some similar romantic emotion--will happen with one date. Yes, I like Will. I'm finding that I may have been mistaken as to my earlier opinion of him, whatever that was. But that doesn't mean that I'm in love with him. Far from it! I simply find that he's a..." she fluttered her hands, in search of the right words. "...useful, companionable sort of person."

"Useful and companionable? Oh, but Lizzy..."

"That's all I can say, Jane. Now, on to other subjects, how is Charles?"

At first she was hesitant to end the discussion, but as usual, Jane was diverted, and Elizabeth spent the next fifteen minutes hearing about Charles' painful ingrown toenail and his opinions on stock car racing, until Jane finally was ready to leave the apartment. It was only a twenty-five minute ride to work, and Elizabeth thanked her sister before getting out of the car. "And I really am sorry about getting a little upset with you this morning. I'm just really rather unsure about things right now, and I can't really say what my own feelings about all this are. I just need some time, Jane. Who knows--you and Charles may be right. But I need to find this out on my own." She paused as she pulled her briefcase out of the back seat. "I'll see you later on tonight. I'm not sure when I'll be finished. I have a few projects to take care of, so I may need to stay later. I'll call you when I'm finished, or I may just end up taking the bus home."

Her sister smiled. "No problem. Just call my cell phone. I do have some errands to run later on tonight. And if it's too close to 7:30, remember: I have theater tickets for tonight."

"Oh, that's right. Well, hopefully I'll be finished before then." Elizabeth smiled and kissed Jane on the cheek. "Thanks, hun. I'll talk to you tonight."

Elizabeth tapped her foot as she waited out in the lobby of the office building where she worked. She smiled again at the janitor as he passed by with his mop. "Late night again?" he asked.

She smiled. "You know me, Ralph. Can't keep myself away from my work."

"You got a ride, though? I can let you in to one of the offices down here to make a call, if you want, so you don't have to go all the way upstairs."

Elizabeth shook her head. "No thanks. I called my sister before I came down. She should be here any minute."

Ralph nodded. "Ok, but I should be back through here in ten minutes, if she doesn't show."

"Thanks, Ralph." She glanced out through the glass doors. "But here comes a car. I'm sure it's her."

Ralph nodded and gave her a friendly wave before trudging off towards the rear of the building. Elizabeth picked up her briefcase and looked at her watch. It was twenty-five minutes to eight already. She might be able to make it home in time, but she'd still be left with very little time to get ready to go out with Jorges. Oh, well, she reflected. It was not as if she was going out to an opera.

The theater! Suddenly, she felt bad about calling her sister. She had forgotten Jane was going to see a play tonight. Now she might be late, because she had to pick up her sister. Elizabeth sighed and went through the doors out into the cool May evening, mentally preparing an apology.

It turned out she didn't need it. Elizabeth was shocked to see a Bentley pull up to the curb in front of her, not her sister's familiar Corsica. She stopped walking and was preparing to turn around and return to the building when the door opened and she saw a familiar head pop up from the other side of the car. "What are you doing here?" The words popped out of her mouth before she could stop them, and she gasped at her own rudeness. She flushed a dull red color, and she hoped that the gloom around her was enough to hide her embarrassment.

William smiled. "Well, that's not exactly the greeting I was expecting, but I suppose it's understandable. Your sister called me and asked me to pick you up, since you had called just as she was about to leave for the theater. She didn't want you to have to take the bus, and I wasn't doing anything in particular, so I said that would be fine. So here I am--and in only fifteen minutes, too. I make good time; what can I say?"

His grin was so disarming that she found herself smiling despite her pique at her sister's high-handedness, though of course it had been done in good faith, for her own good, she was sure. She thanked him as he popped around and opened the door for her, waiting until she had settled herself before closing the door and returning to the driver's side.

Neither spoke until Will had maneuvered their way onto the freeway through the late-evening traffic. At last, as he checked his blind spot while changing lanes, he broke the silence: "So, how have you been?"

"Good," she replied.

They lapsed again into silence, and after a few minutes, he broke it again: "So, Aria was happy to get her guitar back?"

She nodded. "She got it from the apartment while I was at work. She called me to let me know."

"That's good."

Silence.

"I think it's your turn to say something," he said with a grin that caused Elizabeth to blush. "Perhaps you might comment on my car, or my new haircut, or your late day at work, or that people should use their blinker lights when changing lanes."

"Is there a rule that we have to talk in turns when we're in the car?"

"No," he replied, "but it's nice to have someone else start the conversation once in a while."

"Ok...um...so, I like your haircut. Did you get it done today?"

He slicked back his dark hair with the hand not currently holding the wheel. "Yup. I thought it was getting kind of long, and Genie was starting to call me 'Shaggy'. I figured it was about time to get it trimmed."

"It looks nice."

"Does it make me look like Brad Pitt or something?"

She bit her lip. "Um...no."

"Oh." He shrugged. "Well, I tried."

Elizabeth laughed. "You look better than that."

He smiled over at her. "Well, thank you. What a compliment from such a discerning person."

"Brad Pitt isn't all that good-looking."

"Ouch!" he cried, placing a hand over his heart. "I don't think my ego will survive." He grinned. "So, changing the subject, what are you doing tonight?"

"Well, actually," she said hesitantly, "I'm going out for coffee with a neighbor of mine."

"Oh."

Neither spoke for a few minutes, until Will asked, "So, what time are you leaving for that?"

"Well, he should be at my apartment around eight."

"Oh."

"I might be a little late," she said with a slight laugh, "but I'm sure he'll wait for me."

"I'm sure he will."

It was only a few minutes later that William pulled the car up at the curb outside Elizabeth's apartment building. "Maybe I'll walk you up and see if I can meet my competitor for your time."

"Competitor?" she asked, somewhat startled.

"Of course," he replied with a grin. "You still owe me a date. I have to see who's taking you out when it should be me that's taking you out."

"You're not in competition," she said patiently.

He laughed. "Oh, is he that bad? Whew! A load off my mind, that is." He got out and went around to open her door. "Come on, I'll walk you up, anyway. You're safer with me, remember?"

"How could I forget?" she asked. "I've still got the bloodstains on the carpet to prove it."

"Did you try shaving cream?"

She looked at him in wry disbelief. "Does that really take blood out, Martha?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I think I read that somewhere. And please, I prefer Mrs. Stewart."

"Oh, sorry, Mrs. Stewart. And which scent should I try--should I go with men's or women's shaving cream?"

"Mmmm...I think you should go with women's shaving cream. After all, a woman probably came up with the solution--wouldn't she have used her own supplies?"

Elizabeth smiled crookedly and rolled her eyes. "Ok. Any other suggestions if shaving cream doesn't work?"

"Hmmm...I would have to say, try to match the décor with the blood--rusty brown goes wonderfully with a deep gold color."

Elizabeth laughed. "Oh, thank you. I'll have to try that."

They had just gotten to the top of the stairs, and Elizabeth turned to set her briefcase down and put her key in the lock. She turned around once more to thank him for the ride home, and suddenly found him much closer to her than before. "I know what you were about to say," he said with a smile, his hand reaching out to cup her cheek, "and it's not needed. It was--definitely--my pleasure."

She nodded, finding it very hard to breathe, much less speak at the moment. She had almost recovered her inner balance when he slowly leaned towards her and captured her lips with his, and she lost it all over again. Her hands crept up to his shoulders as his other arm stole around her waist and he deepened the kiss.

Her mind was still reeling when he leaned back slightly, looking her straight in the eyes. The moment seemed to go on forever, before she cleared her throat awkwardly and looked away. He then released her and stepped back, rubbing one hand on the back of his neck.

She laughed shakily. "Safer with you, eh?"

He grimaced. "Look...Elizabeth...I'm s--"

He turned suddenly as a door on the other side of the hall was opened, and Jorges stepped out, smiling at Elizabeth. His smile faded, though, upon seeing who was with her. His face paled even as William, beside her, stiffened, his face flushing a deep, angry red. A curse escaped from the lips of the latter even as he turned back to Elizabeth, his eyes blazing. "If you would excuse me," he muttered. "I'll call you some other time."

She watched him walk down the stairs, his spine rigid with fury. Only after he had disappeared from view did she turn back to the other man in the hallway. "Can I ask what that was all about?" she asked with righteous indignation. "I thought you said that you only knew him by name. It sure looked as if you and he were a little beyond that."

Jorges ran a hand through his coal black hair. "Discúlpame. I guess I was a little less than truthful. Why don't I take you out to coffee, and I'll explain."

Elizabeth met his eyes. "I'll be expecting something good."

Chapter 9

Posted on Sunday, 9 September 2001

"And that's why you didn't tell me? I find that hard to believe."

"Look--I wasn't sure how much I should say. After all, this is no little thing, in the world of business."

Elizabeth poured cream in her new cup of coffee and stirred it thoughtfully. "But you couldn't in any way be deemed responsible, I thought you said--I mean, these rumors were in no way your fault."

"Right."

"So why were you so nervous at acknowledging the connection between yourself and William?"

Jorges sighed. "He paid me. He gave me money to disappear. I figured that it was easier for me to take the cash and go--after all, I could prove nothing. Sure, I could set a little bit of a furor in the wrong places if I set my mind to it, but even then, nothing could be proven against them in a court of law. All of the evidence was long gone."

Elizabeth took a sip of the coffee, then set it down gently in the saucer. "So let me get this straight--during the takeover of Lambton, Inc., there were rumors spread--rumors that deterred the other companies for competing for the top bid. What exactly were these rumors?"

"That a certain microchip that Lambton was producing was faulty."

"And the rumors were proved false?"

Jorges made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "Of course. There was nothing wrong in the first place, as Lambton repeatedly tried to assert during negotiations."

Elizabeth thought through this. "So why did Pemberley and Sons continue their bid?"

"Isn't that obvious?" he countered with a snort. "They knew it was false. They could obtain the company cheaply, then make millions on the sales of the product which was not quite as defective as reported."

"Wow," Elizabeth breathed. She stared into her coffee cup for a few moments, then looked back up at her companion across the table. "I'm still confused on one point. Why exactly did William get so upset when he saw you in the hall? I mean, he didn't just look shocked. He was livid!"

Here Jorges sat back in his seat and rubbed one arm as he exhaled loudly. "That's a bit of a long story."

"Try me," she responded, holding up her cup. "I can always get a refill, and Webbs is open all night."

He gave her a quick smile, then rubbed one hand over his forehead. "I guess I should first explain that I have a history with the Darcy family, outside of my late employment with the company."

"What employment was that, again? I'm sorry--I must have forgotten."

He shook his head. "No, I don't think I mentioned it. I was in charge of some of their larger contracts. I was in charge of the Lambton contract. I was in on every single one of the exchanges."

"Oh. So...you were telling me about the family history?"

"Yes, well, my father--George Wickham--and Mr. Frank Darcy--William's father--were very close friends. About five years before William was born, my father, who had been married to a cousin of Mr. Darcy, had an affair with a woman named Isabella Impio--my mother. It was something of a shock when she became pregnant, and there was a huge furor over it, ending in a divorce for my father. So you see, the Darcys had more than one reason to hate me--I was the reason for the break-up of a twenty-six year marriage, and I was mexicano."

"Well, that's unfair. It's not as if you were at fault."

"Tell that to William Darcy," he said wryly. "But Mr. Darcy never had a problem with my illegitimacy, or my race. In fact, he was always kind to me, even to the point that after my mother's death--my father had died two years before--he funded my college tuition for me, and put me through law school. He even got me a small position at Pemberley and Sons, and I made my own way up through the ranks. It was very hard on me when Mr. Darcy died."

"I can imagine," Elizabeth murmured. "So then what happened?"

Jorges shrugged. "Things went on as usual, for the most part. It became very obvious, though, that Mr. Darcy's son was not the same kind man his father was. He resented my place, and went out of his way to avoid me as much as possible. Meetings I requested with him were put off for one reason or another, or he sent a subordinate--usually his cousin Richard Fitzwilliam--to deal with me.

"There was one thing, however, that William Darcy could not tolerate at all. You see, I had known the family for a long time, and Georgiana, Mr. Darcy's daughter, was quite fond of me, as I was of her, sisterly-brotherly-like. The high-step Mr. William Darcy, however, would not accept the friendship between his sister and a base-born mexicano. He must have said something to this effect to his sister, for shortly after the Lambton deal, she came to my office, crying. Her brother came in, though, absolutely incensed, and started accusing me of trying to seduce his sister, or something. He finally dragged his sister off, and a few hours later, Fitzwilliam came in and told me to clean out my office, that I was being fired."

"Why? What was their reason?"

Jorges shrugged. "They said something about the contracts, and how they had noticed a few flaws...etc, etc. Mostly just a bunch of hot air. You know how it is."

She rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately, I do. Only, most of the time, I'm on the other end."

"And that's ok," he replied, "as long as you have good reason. But what they told me was all just a bunch of fluff, none of which would really hold up to the light."

"So why didn't you raise hell?"

He shook his head. "I had already applied and been accepted to another company. I was leaving anyway--they had already given me the money, and I had been leaving in about a week. They simply shortened that time. There was no sense in raising a stink. And anyway, as much as I hate his son, I still respected his father's memory. I wasn't about to tarnish the old man's image by association. You know...the apple doesn't fall far."

She nodded slowly. "I guess I understand. I've done the same thing sometimes. Not in situations this...explosive, you might say, but basically, the same idea."

"So you understand, no?" he asked.

She hesitated, "I suppose I do. It's just so hard to reconcile this...I've seen so many aspects of Will's character, that I'm really not sure what to really believe. This only adds more uncertainty to the whole mess. And the thing that bugs me the most, is that I am usually such a discerning person. But lately, my life has been so topsy-turvy that I'm not sure which way is up, even." She laughed unevenly. "And I'm really not sure why I am telling you all this. I don't even know you very well."

He smiled warmly at her. "I guess it's the naturally affinity between us. You know, the feeling that we've known each other our whole lives."

There was a pause before Elizabeth responded. "Yes, I suppose you're right." She laughed. "Yeah, I guess you are. Thanks."

"No problem."

"And that's it?"

Elizabeth spread her hands wide. "What else is there?"

Aria made a strangling noise in her throat, throwing up her arms in an uncharacteristic show of exasperation. "What else is there? Everything! How did you respond to this? Is there anything he can back up with proof?"

"Well, no, not really," Elizabeth said, wrinkling her brow. "But I already explained that."

Her friend sighed. "Look, Liz, I don't want to question your judgment in this, but I'm going to anyway. Sometimes you have the habit of making a decision before you know all the facts."

"How can you say that?"

"Easily. Have you gotten the other side of the story?"

Elizabeth snorted. "And how would I do that? Just go and ask William if he was really an unscrupulous, racist, judgmental businessman with no morals whatsoever and an overly-bloated opinion of himself?"

"For a start, I suppose that's alright. You might want to work on the overly-bloated part, though. Sounds as if he has constipation or something."

"This is no joke, Aria," Elizabeth retorted. "And much as I absolutely adore your sarcasm, I don't think it's being used to best effect here. If you don't mind, I think I will continue in my own opinions for a while, thank you."

Aria shot her friend a glance. "Fine. It's really none of my business, except for the fact that I care about you, and I know how much this is hurting you."

"And how could you know that, pray? What if I told you that this does not bother me at all? I was expecting something like this to come to light."

"Speaking of coming to light, why exactly was he telling you, of all people, this? I mean, there are certainly much more effective avenues through which a man can start a rumor to ruin another man's life."

Elizabeth gasped. "Aria! That is so out of line, even for you! What is wrong with you today?"

"More to the point," Aria retorted, "what is wrong with you that you can't see exactly what this creep is doing?"

There was a long silence before Elizabeth responded. "I really don't understand why you are doing this, Aria."

Aria looked at her friend steadily. She then turned away to put her empty soda can in the sink before walking out of the kitchen and retrieving her coat from where it lay on the arm of the couch in the living room. "Because, Elizabeth, we are friends, and have been for as long as I can remember. And for that same reason, I am going to tell you that I think you are doing something so incredibly stupid, I'm hoping that I will wake up in a few moments, and hear that it was all a nightmare. I don't want you hurt, Liz. And I know that if you continue like this, you will be. But for now, I'm going to leave. You don't want any of my special brand of sense right now, and even I know when to pick my battles. If you want to talk later, give me a call. Otherwise, I'll see you on Saturday, at Cathy's graduation."

Elizabeth only nodded as she watched her friend throw her long black coat around her shoulders and slip her arms into the sleeves. She looked back at Elizabeth once before opening the door and going out. Elizabeth leaned her elbows on the counter in front of her and put her head in her hands. It had been such a long day; her boss had hated her proposal, she spilled ketchup all over her best white blouse, the toilets all got clogged on the sixth floor at work and spilled out onto the carpet, soaking the floor outside her office, there was a huge accident on the freeway, and she was stuck in traffic for an hour and a half, and now this. She needed to relax, and all she got was a lecture from Aria, making her feel even worse and more confused than she already was.

After a few minutes, she looked up again, more composed now, and after cleaning up the kitchen, was going into the living room when she was surprised by a knock on the door. With a perplexed expression on her face, she went and looked through the peephole to find out who was outside her door.

And so it was with an even more bemused expression that she opened the door to face the object of her thoughts, standing on her doormat with an apologetic expression on his face. He wore a leather jacket over his dark brown turtleneck, above khakis and dark brown shoes. He carried a black leather appointment book in his hands, which Elizabeth immediately recognized as her own. He held it out to her with a sheepish grin. "I didn't even notice this was left in the car. I was in the neighborhood, and decided to drop it off. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No. No, of course not." She glanced in back of her, then opened the door wider. "Did you want to come in?"

William nodded and moved past her into the room. "By the way, I saw Aria on her way out the door. Uh, do you happen to know why she told me it was my own funeral?"

Elizabeth flushed slightly, silently cursing her friend. "No, not really. You know Aria."

"Yeah, I guess I do." He laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "But anyway, while I am here, I guess I can apologize...look, about Saturday..."

Elizabeth breathed deeply, suddenly glad for the easy opening. "I know; I was going to ask you about that."

He looked at her in confusion, his hand still on his neck. "You were?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to ask you what your side of the story is."

"My side? What?"

"Are you really what he says you are?"

There was a heartbeat of a pause, before he spoke again: "What does he say I am?"

Suddenly, her courage deserted her, and she hesitated. She looked away, biting her lip, and searched for the best way to phrase it. When nothing came quickly to mind, she blurted out her second-best response, which, admittedly, might not have been the best idea: "A racist, a bigot, and an unscrupulous businessman with no morals whatsoever...and an inflated ego," she said, her voice fading away with each word until she uttered the last on little more than a strangled breath of air.

There was complete silence in the room for what felt to Elizabeth's strained nerves to be a complete hour, before she finally got up the nerve to look William straight in the eye. The pain and anger she saw there caught her off-guard, and she wrapped her arms tightly about herself in defense. At last, he spoke, in a voice curiously devoid of expression. "And is that what you think?"

She waited too long to respond, and even as the words wrapped themselves around her tongue, ready to assuage his doubts, he held up his hands in protest. "No, don't even try to give me some thought-out response, no doubt arranged just right so that you don't have to admit to anything. You've already told me exactly what you think. I'm sorry that I even..." He shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry. I would've expected it of him, but not of you. But I was wrong." A spark of anger showed in his eyes, and his jaw hardened slightly. "You couldn't even trust me so much to find out the real story, for I have no doubt he fed you some bull that has absolutely no resemblance to real life. You didn't even ask me."

"Yes I did!" she cried in protest.

"Yes," he admitted, "you did. But you had already made your judgment beforehand, didn't you? I was called the villain, despite how many times in the past few weeks I have been the hero. I feel like I'm in some twisted story, where the man everyone has trusted, everyone has been rooting for, is suddenly blackballed and made into some despicable monster. I'll be the first to admit I'm not perfect, but never in my life, I hope, have I been as black as you paint me."

He glanced at the door, then back at Elizabeth, but she was simply gaping blankly at him, a world of hurt in her eyes. He closed his own eyes, breathed deeply, then opened them again to meet her gaze. "I suppose I've taken up too much of your time. Give my regards to Aria and your sister. Good-bye Elizabeth."

And without another word, he walked to the door and left. Elizabeth stared dumbly at the door, her mouth open to tell him to stop, to apologize, her eyes filling with tears. At last, she closed her mouth, and a strange, mewling sound came from her throat before she sank down on the couch and buried her head in her arms. When she finally raised her head, her eyes were red, and her cheeks streaked from her tears. She rubbed one hand slowly up and down her arm as she stared unhappily at the rain rolling down the window pane.

It was nearly a half hour later that Jane arrived home, a grocery bag in her arms, but she found her sister still sitting on the couch, her face a mask of emotional agony. She quickly set down the groceries and came to sit on the couch beside her younger sister, and in a wordless bond of sisterly sympathy, opened her arms and gathered Elizabeth into her comforting embrace. Neither spoke for minutes; the only sound in the room came from Elizabeth's soft sobbing into her sister's shoulder. Jane patted her gently on the back, rubbing her hair softly in a motherly gesture, and didn't ask any questions.

At last, Elizabeth leaned back and wiped her eyes, giving her sister a watery smile. "I'm so sorry, Jane."

Jane smiled gently. "It's ok. I understand. Did you want to talk about it?"

Elizabeth looked down at her clasped hands for a few seconds, then back at her sister, and with a sad smile, related the whole of the tale. Jane listened silently, then looked down at her hands. "I don't know how to tell you this, Lizzy..."

"I managed to tell you how stupid I was. I shouldn't think anything would be more difficult than that."

Jane bit her lip. "Well, I do know the truth of the Lambton scandal, and it's not quite what Jorges told you. In fact, that version is little more than fiction slightly based on fact. Yes, there were some rumors being circulated about Lambton's microchip, but none of them came from William or his upper management. Actually, they came from a wholly different source--Charles never said exactly who, but he did say he worked on the contracts. William did everything in his power to help Lambton dispel the rumors, but nothing worked. In the end, he paid the original highest bid, instead of what he had gotten down to, in order to save face. Afterwards, he and Richard did some digging into the files of the worker they suspected of spreading the rumors. They found some rather funny account records--it turns out, over the number of years he had been employed there, he'd siphoned over $100,000 out of the company through false business expenses."

"Holy cow..." Elizabeth murmured, her eyes wide.

Jane nodded. "That's what I thought when Charles told me. It's so hard to believe people can be so unscrupulous. Especially with the kind of salary the man was getting!"

"I can't be that surprised," Elizabeth replied sadly. 'I know all too many people who would take a chance like that on the turn of a dime."

"Sad, isn't it?" Jane asked.

"Yes, Jane. Yes it is."

Elizabeth looked up and smiled as Richard entered the George Webbs and sat down on the bench seat across from her. "How are you, love?" he asked playfully.

"Much better, now that you're here," she replied with a grin as she took another sip of her hot cocoa. "I've already ordered, but I can get Maribeth to come back and take your no-doubt humongous order."

He rubbed his stomach. "Good. I'm starving. You're picking up the bill, right?"

She laughed. "Yeah, I guess so, since I was the one who asked you out."

"Oh, is this a date?" He glanced down at his perfectly-tailored suit. "I forgot to dress up."

"Very funny," she said with a repressive glare. "And this isn't a date. I think I've sworn off all dating forever."

He sobered at that. "Uh-oh. This sounds serious."

She smiled a little weakly. "Well, it was really the reason I had asked you here. I've been tossing this around in my brain all week, and something about it all just doesn't make sense."

Richard sighed ran a hand through his dark, tousled locks. "Why don't I order, and then you can tell me all about it." He signaled Maribeth over to their booth, and after giving her his order, he sat back on the bench and gestured for Elizabeth to begin speaking. She sighed. "I'm really not sure where to start..."

"How about the beginning?" he suggested with a smile that took the sting out of his words.

She laughed. "I guess that would be the most sensible thing to do. I'm just not sure where the beginning is..."

Once the whole, convoluted story had been related, and their food had been laid out in front of them, Richard sighed and picked up a French fry, twirling it around before tossing it into his mouth. "You are missing a few pieces of the story," he said after he had swallowed the fry. "Especially with what relates to Genie. You know how dear Genie is to me, so I trust that this won't go any farther than this table here, right?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Elizabeth asked with a lift of her eyebrow.

He shrugged. "I guess not, but you understand, I had to be sure."

"Of course."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes briefly, then put his knuckles to his mouth, considering. "I'm really not sure how to begin," he said at last.

"How about at the beginning?" she replied.

He grinned. "Yes, I suppose that would be the best place. Well, I guess I can say that Impio was at least truthful in his acknowledgement of the relationship between himself and the Darcy family. He and Genie had always been rather close. To her, he was like her favorite uncle, or cousin or such. And that's how he treated her--or so we thought. It turns out, there was a little more to it than that.

"It had been going on for years, from what we can tell. It was only about a year ago--during the Lambton deal--that Darcy began to suspect something. So he tried his best to keep them apart. But it was when he told Georgiana about Impio's, well, duplicity in the company that the whole truth came tumbling out. She believed that she was in love with him, or at least he made her believe that. In my opinion, he's a sick freak that should be kept as far away from children as possible, but of course, to accuse him of anything would have put Genie through hell, and both Darcy and I agreed that we couldn't do that to her. As it is, she went through over six months of therapy--and, I am incredibly glad to be able to say, she's recovered well. But when she went to Impio's office to hear the truth directly from him about his embezzlement, Darcy kind of flipped, and you know the rest.

"The only flaw in the rest of his version of the story is that he wasn't fired. We gave him a choice--we would take him to court, or he could leave of his own free will. Honestly, I thought he was long gone. I can't even begin to imagine why he stayed in--or came back to--Milwaukee."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Who knows. I'm just glad that now I know the truth." Her eyes widened. "There is a family with three teenage girls in the apartment next to mine. He wouldn't..."

Richard laid his hand on top of hers. "Elizabeth, I'm sure he wouldn't. If it would make you feel better, though, I could go and beat the living daylights out of him. I've wanted to ever since I found out about Genie."

She shook her head. "I'm sure it would make you feel better, but I doubt it would have any effect on him. Some people just don't change that quickly."

He sighed and sat back on his bench. "I guess you're right. Perhaps he'll just decide to move away on his own." He smiled wryly. "But enough of that. My food is almost stone cold, and will be soon if I don't start eating it."

Elizabeth laughed and agreed, and they both dug into their meals. When they were finished, and Elizabeth had gotten herself another mug of hot cocoa, and Richard had ordered himself some hot tea, she brought them both back to their previous conversation. "So, where do I go from here?" she asked.

Richard took a sip of his tea and scowled. "Yikes; still a little too hot." He wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked up at her. "I'm really not exactly sure I understand what you mean."

She rubbed her cheek with her hand. "You know, I don't think I even understand."

He smiled at that. "That doesn't sound good. But I think I understand what your dilemma is." He picked up the cup and took a small sip. "Ah, that's better. Now, back to what I was saying: you are worried about what you are going to do now that you believe you've made an entire fool of yourself with regards to my cousin, William Darcy."

"That's exactly it."

"Hmmm..." Richard murmured in response. He looked at her steadily over the rim of his cup as he took a sip of tea. At last, he set it down, staring at it for a while before looking up at her again. "I know this may sound stupid, but I have an analogy you might like."

"Go ahead," she replied. "Shoot."

He took a deep breath, and then expelled it slowly. "I've always thought that Life is a lot like the down escalator. Do you remember how, as you were a kid, you would always try to run up the escalator, and you would never really go anywhere? Well, that's what life is like. Some people have forgotten that completely, and now they simply let it take them down, not really giving it a second--or even a first--thought. Others still struggle against it but don't seem to get anywhere. And then, of course, there are those who put their whole heart into getting to the top of that escalator, and, though they have many obstacles--other people going down, shoelaces getting stuck in the grates, whatever--they just keep pushing, and eventually make it to the top." He paused and took another sip before waving a hand dismissively in the air. "I'm not sure if that made sense..."

"No," she said softly, thoughtfully, "it did."

He smiled. "I always ask myself which one of those people I am. Do I simply ride the escalator, or do I try to go up it? How much exactly do I want to make it to the top?"

Elizabeth had nothing to say. Or at least, if she had, she didn't reveal it. Instead, she stared thoughtfully out the window, over Richard's shoulder. They sat in silence for a while, Richard stirring his tea slowly with a spoon, Elizabeth staring at nothing, occasionally taking a sip of her cocoa. The sounds of the rest of the diners continued: the clinking of silverware, the gentle murmur of other conversations, the slapping of patties on the grill. But their little corner stayed quiet, until Elizabeth broke the silence at last: "I guess I never really thought of it that way. I never ask myself those kind of questions. Probably because I know I wouldn't like the answer."

"That's the same way it is for most people. It really scares you, doesn't it?"

She nodded. "So what you are saying, basically, is that I should suck it up and go on. That all this is simply an obstacle that I have to overcome."

He took a sip from his cup, then set it down, shaking his head. "No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that you have to evaluate where you stand, where you are going, and exactly how you are going to get there. And then you have to actually do it. And sometimes, every so often, you need someone to help you up. Sometimes it takes two people to help each other make it to the top."

Elizabeth reflected on that, then looked up at Richard, giving him a sad smile. "Do you really think that's possible? What if--to continue with the analogy--he's so many steps ahead of me, that I can't catch up?"

Richard smiled slowly. "Why, that's what friends are for. Look, I know it's hard right now, but trust me, thins will get better. Darcys always take care of their own."

She grinned at him. "Sounds like it's the mafia, or something." Her grin faded. "But that still doesn't make me feel any better about what I've done. I've made him hate me. So where does your 'take care of their own' leave me?"

Richard shook his head. "Just give him time, and he'll get over it. He cares for you, you know."

"No, I don't know! And even if he did 'care for me' he hates me now--after I so distrusted him as to believe him capable of such dishonesty? Of blatant racism?"

"You're too hard on yourself, Liz."

She sighed and shook her head. "I think you're too optimistic about it all, Rich."

"'To err is human.'"

"And 'to forgive divine.' Now that I've messed it up royally, and for the billionth time it seems, is William a 'god' enough to forgive me?"

Richard harumphed. "Yeah; only in his mind. Look at it this way, Liz--he knows that you couldn't have truly believed any of that. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so hesitant to call him on it. It was simply the shock of the moment. After he had time to think about it, I think he would have realized that he gave you as little trust in the situation as you gave to him."

Elizabeth looked sadly down at a crumb lying on the table and rolled it slowly around with her forefinger. "But how can you build a relationship off of that? So little trust cannot be a good foundation for any kind of relationship, especially friendship."

"I agree," Richard replied. "But all relationships begin like that. The trust grows as the relationship grows. It's even harder when that trust is lost, but it isn't impossible. It just takes work."

"Then work it will be," she said with a smile. "Work it has to be."

Chapter 10

Posted on Tuesday, 20 November 2001

The graduation was the normal pomp and circumstance high school graduations usually are. Elizabeth sat with her family up in the bleachers, looking out over the football field, where 300 graduates sat on uncomfortable folding chairs, waiting for the moment they could throw their hats in the air against the warnings and dire threats of the principle, who also stated firmly that no sunglasses were allowed (yeah--try telling that to the guy in the third row). But at long last, the hats were lying scattered across the football field, and everyone was running around, getting in the way of other people's pictures, hugging, kissing, screaming shrilly, and crying.

Avoiding her mother, and glancing somewhat resignedly at the sight of Lydia plastering herself to a graduate of the male species, Elizabeth went up to her younger sister and embraced her while asking, "So, how does it feel?"

Cathy shrugged. "I dunno. Am I supposed to feel something? Graduation from high school is the same as a birthday. Everyone asks you, 'how does it feel?' and then you have to make up something like, 'Great! I feel like a college student already!' or at least something to that effect."

Elizabeth grinned. "That's ok. I felt the same way when I graduated. Don't worry--it'll hit you sooner or later."

Her sister rolled her eyes. "Ooooh, don't I have something to look forward to." She then saw someone she knew, and excused herself before running over to get her picture taken. Elizabeth only laughed and let her go.

"I remember when you graduated from high school. It wasn't too long ago."

Elizabeth turned to look at her father, Douglas Bennet, who had approached while she was talking to her sister. "It seems like that, doesn't it? The years are passing so quickly."

He grimaced as he looked up towards his nonexistent hairline. "Don't I know it." He sighed and slipped his arm through hers as they wended their way through the crowd towards the parking lot. "But it is true that we haven't talked in a long time, and I'd really like to catch up on things. I know that Jane and Chuck drove you over, but I told them I'd take you back to the house. Is that ok?"

"That's fine, Dad," she replied with a smile. "And Dad, you know that Charles hates it when you call him that."

He laughed. "Yeah, I know. But he never says anything; he just looks awkward and hems and haws. It's rather amusing." He cleared his throat. "But I am glad that he is the man your sister found. I was very proud of her choice."

Elizabeth looked fondly at her father. "As if Jane could ever have chosen any man unworthy of her. She may, contrary to the philosophy of most people, trust the world in general, and she might not ever be able to think a mean thought against anyone, no matter what they do, but she does know whom to love. Charles is perfect for her. Just as she is for him. They would have been miserable with anyone else."

Mr. Bennet smiled. "I don't think they'd be miserable, necessarily, but I do think that their happiness wouldn't have been as...overwhelming as it is now." They had finally reached the car, and he came around and opened the door for his daughter. Once he had gotten in, and turned the car on, he asked, "So, what are you going to do about the apartment when it comes time for Jane to move out?"

"I have been avoiding thinking about it," Elizabeth replied with a grimace. "I'm really not sure what I can do."

"So you can't afford it on your own?"

She sighed. "Well, I could, if I put off buying a new car. Even with the insurance money, things'll be a little tight if I get a car now. So if I need to pay all of the rent myself, I'd have to wait until I could get a little more saved up before making that purchase. The thing is, with Jane gone, I won't even have her to give me a ride to work and back, and I don't think I want to have a rental for as long as I would need it."

"Have you considered a used car?" he offered.

She shook her head. "No. I don't want a used car. This is something I'm going to have to use for years, most likely, and I want something that will last me that long."

"True."

Elizabeth studied her hands. "Do you think I should buy a car now?"

He hesitated, then nodded. "I think it's a good investment. I mean, unless you take your mother's advice in the next few weeks and find yourself a nice rich man to marry--one who has more than a dozen cars just sitting in his garage, I think you'll need one of your own. As great as the bus system is here, I don't like the idea of you having to take it to work every day, especially with the late hours at the office you keep."

"I know what you mean," she said. "I don't relish the thought, either. But if it's necessary..."

Her father only shook his head. "Why don't you think about moving in with the Hengals sisters? I'm sure you all could find a nice apartment with three bedrooms, for fairly cheap. Or if Kim is really considering moving in with that man of hers, maybe you could move into Aria's apartment, or vice versa."

"Kim is going to move in with Richard? How come she hasn't told me this? For that matter, why didn't Richard tell me Friday when we were at Webbs? Oooh, that boy is in trouble."

Mr. Bennet laughed. "Well, just don't blame me--Kim, Dickie--

"Dickie?" Elizabeth asked with an eyebrow raised.

Her father grinned. "He thought it was funny; I like him. Anyway, Kim, Dickie, and I, earlier this week, had gone out to the home improvement expo downtown. It seems that her boyfriend is interested in re-doing some sections of his house, and she asked me to come with them, as it seems that I am such an expert on home improvement."

"You should be," Elizabeth replied with a laugh at his self-mocking tone. "You're an architect, for heaven's sake."

He shrugged. "That doesn't make me an interior designer. But the long and short of it all is that they asked me to come along, and we spent nearly all day there, looking through all of the options. Dick eventually settled on the idea of adding a small glass enclosure off the back of the house, where the rear door is. He might even consider getting a Jacuzzi--that was Kim's idea. I didn't comment."

"You better not have!"

He smiled. "You know me better than that, my dear."

"Exactly. Which is why I am surprised!" she retorted with a laugh.

His grin grew wider. "Thank you. I am so glad that my own daughter has such confidence in me. But anyway, Kim later confided in me that she was most likely going to move into Dickie's house. She asked me my opinion, and I gave it."

"And what was your opinion?"

"That she should have a ring on her finger before she did any kind of moving with him at all."

"You didn't say that!"

He laughed. "No, I didn't. You only asked what my opinion was, not what opinion I gave to her. What I said to her was that Dick seems like a decent chap and that if she really felt ready to make some sort of commitment, and that he was going to return that kind of respect, she should go for it. You see, your dad isn't so far back in the prehistoric era that he can't accept a few of these supposed modern dating rules. Speaking of which, where is your man today? Derry was it?"

"Yes, it was Derrick, emphasis on the 'was'," Elizabeth replied with a grimace. "Well, shows how long it's been since we've talked. I broke up with him a while ago. It seems he was cheating on me with my secretary."

"Ouch. You want me to hire a few thugs to take care of him?"

"Thanks but no thanks, Dad. But it really doesn't matter. I think the relationship was sliding steadily downhill as it was. And besides, it gave me an opportunity to meet other people. Like William."

"William? Who's this? And why couldn't he come and meet your father?"

She sighed. "Because we're not an item, Dad. I hardly think being my knight in shining armor a half-dozen times counts as dating. We were going to go out on a date--I mean, he asked me, but...things didn't turn out."

Her father didn't respond for a while, recognizing the note of hurt that had crept into her voice. "Did you want to talk about it?" he asked at last in a soft, understanding voice.

She smiled sadly at him. "If you don't mind, I don't think I do. Maybe sometime else; I really can't show up to Cathy's party in tears."

"I understand. Maybe later."

He turned his head and smiled at her, and she smiled in return. He then turned his eyes back to the road and in a few minutes, pulled the car into the driveway of a large two-story house with an attached two-car garage. Elizabeth laughed as she spotted the Critter Gram on the front lawn: a huge, pink, flat, wooden unicorn proclaiming 'Congratulations, Cathy!' in large black letters. "I'm sure Cat must have loved that, eh?"

Her father laughed, as well. "Of course. Especially when her mother insisted that she stand in front of it in her cap and gown, so that she could get a picture."

"Oh, how embarrassing!"

They both walked up the path to the front door, and went in. Elizabeth looked around the foyer and smiled. "You've changed it since I've been here last. Weren't the walls light blue? And wasn't there a mirror there?"

Mr. Bennet grimaced. "Yes, your mother decided to spend some of our hard-earned cash redoing the interior of the whole house. I managed to persuade her to give up doing some of the rooms, but let me tell you, it still cost me a pretty penny. Just wait until you see the living room. By the time you leave, you'll be heartily sick of all colors pastel. Thank heavens I put my foot down at the door to my study." He shuddered dramatically.

"What? You wouldn't like having light pink and blue pillows on the leather couch next to your desk?"

"Leather? Oh, no. That couch wouldn't remain long. It would have to be replaced with some flowery-looking sofa. And perhaps a nice loveseat."

Elizabeth laughed at her father's disgusted expression and preceded him through the arched doorway into the living room. She looked around her in surprise. "Well, you have to admit, Dad, at least she's not one of those people without good taste. She does know how to match colors and fabrics. It could be worse." She walked further, and entered the den. "And hey! You got yourself a big screen!" She turned a wry glance on him. "What are you doing, spending my inheritance?"

"Your inheritance?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Ha! I'll spend it all before I die--there's no way I'm going to die in Wisconsin and have to pay 'death taxes' here."

"Then move to Tahiti."

He smiled at that. "Hmmm...maybe I'll do that. But where will your mother live?"

Elizabeth shot him a sardonic glance out of the corner of her eyes, and walked out of the den and into the kitchen. She glanced around at the different plates of food set out on the counter. "Mmmmm, not bad. Anything still in the 'fridge?"

"Yes," said Mr. Bennet. "Why don't you take out the vegetables and the fruit plate?"

They worked together getting everything out onto the buffet, and soon Charles and Jane arrived with the submarine sandwich, which they put out on the table. Elizabeth snacked on the Oreos that sat in a dish on the counter as they all waited for the rest of the guests to arrive. In addition to the family friends and relatives, the Hengals had each been invited, along with their dates, and Cathy had invited a number of her friends so she wouldn't be "bored out of her mind." Soon enough, the house was swarming with people, and Elizabeth found herself acting the hostess, as her mother was busy conducting tours of her newly refurbished home. She did have a chance, however, to corner Richard and Kim and demand why she hadn't been told. This rather vague question was met with more than a little confusion. "Been told what?" Kim asked, perplexed.

"That you two were moving in together."

Kim blushed, and Richard smiled embarrassedly. "Well, the decision hadn't been made all that long ago, really."

"Was it longer than two nights ago?"

"Well, yes..." Richard hedged, "but the subject didn't exactly come up at Webbs. We were discussing other things, you know."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Excuses, excuses. So, when is the big move-in date?"

"We're not sure yet," Kim said. "Perhaps some time next week. It's tough to decide, with what each of our schedules look like."

"Ok, I guess I'll forgive you," Elizabeth replied with a smile. A few seconds later, though, the smile faded and she bit her lip and looked at Richard. "Richard? Look, I don't want to sound desperate or anything, but have you heard anything from William? Did you see him or talk to him since Friday?"

Richard looked a bit uncomfortable. "Well, yes, I did talk to him yesterday at the office. Or rather, I talked to his secretary about him. You see, Friday, near the end of the day, he decided he would go for a tour of each of our branches. So he set things up, and was gone by Saturday morning. And then, I got an e-mail from him yesterday around four or so in the afternoon. Seems he's gong to be gone for a while--after the tour of our offices, he's going on vacation for a month or so."

"A month!" Elizabeth asked in surprise. "That's crazy!"

"Yeah, well, tell that to him."

"I would if I could get to him," she muttered

Richard shrugged. "If there were anything I could do, I'd do it, but unfortunately, there isn't. Look at it this way--at least he has to be back before August. He's the best man at Charlie's wedding."

"August," Elizabeth echoed bitterly. "I have to wait until August."

"You'll have a lot of time to write a good speech," Richard said, patting her on the shoulder. "In the meantime, why not just enjoy yourself as an attractive, single female. You know, go out shopping, or bar-hopping, or have a manicure, or whatever it is attractive, single females do."

That got Elizabeth to laugh. "Thanks, Richard. You're such a help."

"I try my best," he responded with a grin.

Elizabeth just rolled her eyes and shared a commiserating smile with Kim before excusing herself and going over to meet Aria, who had just walked in the door. She smiled and gave her a hug before saying, "I'm sorry about Monday, Aria--I know that I got upset, but you were right, as usual. I only made myself even more of an idiot not five minutes after you left. I should've listened."

Aria brushed this aside. "Don't worry about it, Liz. I'm sure everything will work out eventually. Just give it time." She smiled and turned to the woman standing next to her. "Liz, this is Amanda. Mandie, I want you to meet my best friend since I was a little kid, Elizabeth Bennet. She's having man problems," she added as a thoughtful aside.

"Ah," Amanda said, rolling her gorgeous violet eyes. "Men. Need we say more?"

Elizabeth laughed. "I think I'm really going to like you, Mandie. C'mon. You have to meet my father, Aria's godfather."

"I'd be delighted," she replied with a smile, and they all tramped off to find Mr. Bennet.

The following weeks passed quickly--Elizabeth had gotten involved in a number of projects at work, and that, with the addition of trying to find herself a new car and/or apartment kept her busy. It was July before she realized it, and she still hadn't done half of the things she had set out for herself to do before Jane's wedding--she hadn't even gone in to get her bridesmaid gown fitted. Oh, well. One more thing to write down on the list.

An event of note did happen during the interim, though. Elizabeth went out the door to her apartment one morning to get her newspaper and discovered someone across the hall doing the exact same thing. Only, this person, instead of the previous occupant's chocolate brown eyes, dark skin, and darker hair, had white hair, wrinkled skin, and friendly blue eyes. The nice old woman introduced herself as Rosie, and explained that she had just moved in during the second week of June. It seems, she elucidated, that the last renter had moved down to Texas.

Elizabeth was surprised, but by no means saddened by this news. In fact, she was nearly jumping with joy. She had been somewhat leery of still living across the hall from Jorges, now that she knew what he was guilty of. Especially since, if anything did happen, she would feel incredibly guilty knowing that she could have prevented it, knowing what she did about him.

William was still out of the country. Richard was only able to tell her that much, no matter how many times she asked him. It seems that after one e-mail, telling him that his cousin had finished his tour of Pemberley's branch offices, and was now on vacation, there had been no attempt to contact him, and William hadn't even returned the e-mail Richard had sent to him in return. Richard didn't even know when William was coming back to Milwaukee.

While this left Elizabeth somewhat in the lurch, she didn't try to think about it all that much. Or at least, she told herself that she wasn't thinking about it all that much. She just tried to concentrate on other things that she had to do--such as get a new car, or find out where she could live, or the new projects at work. It didn't work all that well, but at least she was trying.

It was mid-July before Elizabeth finally made some progress with her two problems--finding an apartment, and finding a car. Aria's apartment complex switched owners in the middle of June, and the new management suddenly decided not to allow any pets in the buildings. They, of course, had to allow all of the current renters to maintain the terms of their leases, which allowed pets, but Aria's lease came due near the end of August, which meant that she either had to move to a new place which allowed pets, or to get rid of her cat. The second was not even an option. Since Kim had moved out at the end of June, Aria had been living alone anyway, so it was easy simply to plan to bring her belongings and her cat over to Elizabeth's and move in there, where pets were allowed. So that was one problem solved.

The second was a little more difficult, as Elizabeth was still rather unsure of what kind of car she wanted, and exactly how much she was willing to pay for it. She finally let Aria talk her into checking out the Beetle she had always wanted to get at a nearby Volkswagen dealer, and was further persuaded by her dear friend to take a test drive in it.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to be driving in a vapor Bug. This is so cool!" Elizabeth said excitedly as she sat down in the driver's seat, behind the wheel. She played for a little while with the mirrors and moved the seat back and forth, and turned on the windshield wipers and blinker lights before turning the key in the ignition and squealing in surprise when they all suddenly came on at once. Aria grimaced as Elizabeth turned on the heater. "Are you nuts? It's only about 90 degrees outside. In the shade, that is."

"Oh, hush," Elizabeth said with a laugh. "You're just mad because I'm the one driving."

"Oh-kee," Aria replied, rolling her eyes. "You think that, Liz, if it gives you comfort."

Elizabeth ignored her friend and put the car in reverse, backing slowly out of the parking space. When they finally got out on the road, Elizabeth grinned widely and reached for the radio. "Ok, what should we put on?"

"Whatever you want is fine with me," Aria said, shrugging.

It was difficult to find a station that was actually playing decent music, but finally she settled on the oldies station. "Well, at least this stuff is ok," Elizabeth said with a laugh, doing a shoulder move to "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." Her friend simply rolled her eyes and looked out the window, a slight smile on her face.

They drove for quite a while, and Elizabeth was finally heading back toward the dealership when they were stopped at a red light and, at the same moment, a new song came on the radio:

I should have known you'd bid me farewell
There's a lesson to be learned from this and I learned it very well
Now I know you're not the only starfish in the sea
If I never hear your name again, it's all the same to me

Sniffle.

And I think it's gonna be all right
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' like a red rubber ball

Sniffle. "Aria?"

You never care for secrets I confide
For you I'm just an ornament, somethin' for your pride

Sigh. "Yes, Liz?"

Always runnin', never carin', that's the life you live
Stolen minutes of your time were all ya had to give

Oh, oh, oh
I think it's gonna be all right
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' like a red rubber ball

"Was I just a starfish?"

The story's in the past with nothin' to recall
I've got my life to live and I don't need you at all
The roller-coaster ride we took is nearly at an end
I bought my ticket with my tears, that's all I'm gonna spend

"Uh...what?"

Oh, oh, oh
I think it's gonna be all right
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' like a red rubber ball. *

"Was I just a starfish?"

"Yeah--no--I mean, yes, I heard you. But what the heck are you talking about? Why would you be a starfish?"

"Like in the song. Was I just a starfish in the sea to William? Or am I supposed to be a red rubber ball?"

"Liz, you've lost me completely."

Elizabeth was silent for a while, thinking. "I think I've lost myself," she finally said.

Aria rolled her eyes. "I'm not surprised. You know, you haven't talked about him in quite a while. What made you think of that?"

"I don't know."

"Jane's wedding is coming up pretty soon. He'll be back for that."

Elizabeth gasped. "Oh, that's right. Three more weeks until the actual wedding. And we have the rehearsal dinner the Saturday before."

"So it's only two weeks until you'll see him again, if not before then."

"Yeah." Elizabeth was thoughtful for a moment, then cursed. "What the hell am I going to say to him?"

It was a few moments before Aria responded. "There's a phrase I like to use in times like this Liz--Lo que será, será. I wouldn't worry. When the time comes, you'll know what to say."

"I guess you're right," Elizabeth replied with a sigh. "There's not much I can do until I see him; after all, even if I plan what I'll say ahead of time, I'll inevitably forget every word of it the moment I open my mouth."

"Yup."

Elizabeth smiled as she pulled the car over to the side of the road, right in front of the dealership. "Ok, now that we've solved one problem, Aria, let's put our minds to the other--what'll I do about this car?"

*"Red Rubber Ball" by The Cyrkle

Chapter 11

Posted on Tuesday, 11 December 2001

Elizabeth stood in front of the full-length mirror in her room and turned from side to side, trying to get a good idea of how she looked in her maid-of-honor dress. Aria lay on her back on the bed, pulling apart a daisy that had been sitting in a vase on Elizabeth's nightstand. "So, what do you think of it?"

Aria lifted her head just enough to see her friend, who twirled around to give her a better view. "Very nice, Liz. You look much better in yours than I do in mine."

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth asked. "You look gorgeous in it."

"Thanks, but I happen to know that burgundy has never been my color."

Elizabeth ignored her, since she couldn't lie.

"You, on the other hand, will be knockin' 'em dead, left and right. Especially the best man."

Elizabeth ignored her, since she couldn't lie.

"Speaking of best man, have you found anyone to take with you, so that you can make a certain best man extremely jealous and regretful that he stayed away from you for practically two and a half months?"

Elizabeth stopped ignoring her friend and cursed--fluently. "Why do I never think of these things? No, I don't have a date. And I don't know where I'll find one on such short notice. I mean, the rehearsal is tomorrow, which means that I have barely a week."

Aria thought for a moment. "We could go out cruising on the Strip. Pick up some guys."

Elizabeth snorted. "Yeah, maybe that worked when we were--what, 16? C'mon. I need a little better suggestion than that."

"How about calling one of your ex's?"

"I said 'better suggestion'."

"Ok, ok." Aria laid her head back on the bed and continued to pull the petals from the flower she was holding. Suddenly, she grabbed a whole handful and yanked them out in excitement. "I've got it!" She grinned mischievously. "You've never met Stephen, have you? Oooooooh, girl, you are going to love this!"

Elizabeth ignored her, since she wasn't really sure she wanted to know.

"Liz, this is Stephen Ruetters. Steve, this is Elizabeth Bennet, the friend who needs a date for a wedding."

Elizabeth managed to put her tongue back in her mouth and close her jaw before she made a huge puddle of drool at the feet of the man who had just approached their table and now stood before her, holding out his hand. Hel-looo, gorgeous! "Uh, hi ... hi. Nice to meet you, uh, Stephen."

"Please," he replied, giving her hand a firm shake, "call me Steve. And can I call you Liz?"

"You can call me anything you want," she replied somewhat dazedly as she barely kept herself from swooning at the sight of his gorgeous smile.

Aria chuckled. "Would you like to have a seat, Steve? We haven't ordered yet."

Shortly after, the waiter approached and asked for everyone's order. As soon as he had left, Aria began the conversation. "I understand that this may seem a little awkward--after all, I doubt you have ever been asked to escort someone you hardly know to a wedding, Steve, or am I wrong about that? And I am fairly sure that you have never propositioned someone you hardly knew to take you to a wedding, right, Liz? So, why don't I break the ice and declare that the two of you will make a charming couple, and I think that to test the waters, you should go together to the rehearsal dinner tonight."

There was a short pause before Elizabeth remarked wryly, "I don't think you broke the ice at all, Aria, but thanks for trying."

"Actually," said Stephen, "I think Aria may have a good idea. After all, you want to have all bases covered, am I right? Now, what happens if this William fellow shows up with a date--when you show up with a date whom no one else has met before at the actual wedding, it will appear that you desperately sought for someone just to make it seem as if you weren't pining away for him, which you actually are." He shot a shrewd glance at Elizabeth and grinned. "In other words, everyone will figure out the truth. On the other hand, if you bring me to the dinner tonight, you will have a chance to find out whether William, is in fact, still affected by you. If he doesn't have a date tonight, he will bring one to the wedding, trying to show that he is not affected by the fact that you're oh-so-obviously over him. If he does have a date, he'll try to one-up you on everything you do with me."

"Plus," added Aria, waving a breadstick in the air dramatically, "my date cancelled on me yesterday, and I would rather not tell poor Jane that her dinner for forty is now down to thirty-nine."

"That's a poor excuse, Aria," Elizabeth said with a laugh. "I like Steve's better. But in any case, I think I'll agree to do this. So I suppose our first course of action is to learn a little more about ourselves, and figure out exactly when, where, and how we first met. Ok, let's brainstorm, people! I'm thinking, office party, lots of people, love at first sight ..."

After the rehearsal at the church was over, everyone gathered again at the restaurant for the dinner. Mr. Bennet was the first to come up to his daughter and demand to be introduced to the man on her arm. "Wait - don't tell me; this is the William you were talking about." He cocked an eyebrow and looked narrowly at Stephen. "You caused my daughter a deal of heartache, you know. And if you aren't worthy of her, I'll be sure to have a group of thugs cut off your big toe. So watch out."

"Dad!" Elizabeth gasped in embarrassment, glancing over to where William stood, looking at her with a curious gaze. She turned a deeper shade of red as she broke eye contact and returned her attention to her father as she introduced him to Stephen, whose shoulders were shaking in silent laughter. "This is Stephen Ruetters, Dad. And William did not affect my heart whatsoever," she added, silently adding a prayer of forgiveness for that little white lie.

"Hmmm ... and where did you meet this gent?" her father asked her.

"He's a coworker of Aria's. We met about two weeks after I talked with you at Cathy's graduation. He - uh, he ..."

"We met at one of Aria's concerts," Stephen said smoothly. "I had owed Aria a favor, and she exacted it in demanding my attendance. And the way it turned out, I ended up being again in Aria's debt. Without her, of course, Liz and I would never have met." He hugged Elizabeth's shoulder and grinned engagingly at the older man.

"Hm. Well, I suppose you'll do," replied Mr. Bennet. He leaned closer, though, and muttered, "You're lucky that I'm probably the only one that can spot you immediately in a lie, Lizzie. I'm not certain I know what you're up to, but I think I have a good idea. I wish you all the luck in the world." He kissed her on the cheek and then went off to deter his youngest daughter from making a complete fool of herself over one of the waiters.

Elizabeth released the breath she had been holding and looked over at Stephen. "Well, that was the hardest one, I think. At least he approves."

Stephen only grunted in amusement and turned to smile at the new approachers, who had only been waiting for Mr. Bennet to quit the field before pouncing. Elizabeth turned to find herself confronted by a very suspicious Kim and a grinning Richard. Thinking fast, she quickly steered them both farther away from where William was standing, so that they could talk with impunity. "Look, I know -"

"Richard is betting me that you hardly know this guy, and this is all a ruse to make William jealous. So, tell me: do I lose my five dollars or not?"

Elizabeth fumed silently for a moment, then took a deep breath, reminding herself that they were her friends, and that she shouldn't be upset with them for stating the obvious. Not that she wanted to admit it. "Obviously, Richard, you have so little faith in me. No, this is not all a ruse. In fact, it wasn't my idea. And besides, I have no reason to make William jealous; there is nothing between us. Perhaps at one time there may have been, but it's over and done with. He doesn't care for me anymore, and I don't care for him."

Richard and Kim shared a glance, and then both turned simultaneously back towards Elizabeth. Richard spoke first. "Liz, we didn't mean to upset you. What we're trying to tell you is that this could all blow up in your face. You know that, don't you? Look, I know that you think you want revenge - or something like that. And, granted, revenge is very nice and all, but are you absolutely certain that is what you want? You're only going to be putting further distance between you."

"Unless we're completely out of the ballpark on this one," Kim hissed at Richard.

Richard scoffed at that. "No. I think Elizabeth knows exactly what she's doing; and whether or not this was Aria's suggestion, you went along with it, didn't you?"

Elizabeth sighed. "Yes, it was Aria's suggestion, and yes, I did go along with it. But it's for a good cause."

"I think that's sufficient," Richard said with a grin. "Kim, my five dollars."

She pouted. "I don't think that was a real bet."

"What!" Richard laughed. "You can't be reneging! Where is your honor?"

"In believing in my friend. That's my honor."

"Hmph."

Kim grinned smugly, and looked around the room. Suddenly, she began to giggle softly. "Uh, Liz? Don't look now, but I think we're about to have a slight emergency. Pretty Boy is about to mingle in the wrong group."

"His name is Stephen," Elizabeth muttered as she looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever Kim was talking about. Suddenly, her eyes widened, as she saw Stephen grin and respond to something William had said. "Oh, no. I have to get over there."

She started in that direction, but Richard put a hand on her arm and held her back. "Maybe you should let it be. Your man can handle it himself. In fact, it may be better this way. Think about it; Darcy gets an idea of how perfect this guy is. That's the first step. Then, the two of you interact, and he sees that you two appear to be perfect for each other - second step. Third step, he approaches you, trying to a) figure out exactly why the two of you are together, b) determine if you still care for him, and c) if there's any way that he can break it up."

Elizabeth looked at Richard in admiration. "Wow; that is very cunning of you, Richard. Do you think it would actually work like that?"

Richard grinned. "Of course. If not, I can put a little pressure on him. After all, I'm the trusted cousin, am I not?" He looked over at William. "Oh, perfect - Darce just looked over here at you, with a very odd expression on his face. He's already starting to think, right according to plan. Now, all you have to do is mingle a little bit; go give your sister a hug, or something. In about five minutes, find your guy. Act the couple, but remember: don't overdo it. The name of the game is subtlety."

"Right," Kim chimed in. "Now, shoo. We'll go over and talk to William and Pretty Boy."

"His name is Stephen," Elizabeth repeated.

"Whatever. He'll have to introduce himself to us, anyway."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and watched them walk away in the direction of William and Stephen. She then searched the crowd for a glimpse of her sister. She at last spotted Jane and Charles standing together, with Mrs. Bennet in front of them, gesturing grandly and punctuating her speech with loud laughter. Elizabeth sighed and walked towards them.

Before she got there, however, a tall, willowy blond stepped in front of her and looked her up and down before saying, "Look. I heard your discussion with your little friends over there, and let me just tell you now: it's not going to work. Don't even try to hook my William. You're just wasting your time at a contest you just can't win."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at the woman. "I don't know what you're talking about, Caroline. First of all, I haven't been trying to 'hook' anyone; secondly, I wouldn't consider it a waste of my time to put someone like you back in her place; and last of all, I didn't know you owned any Williams. Certainly not the William Darcy I knew."

Caroline stepped closer to her, her eyes narrowed. "Cut line, Bennet." She spit out the name as if it had some foul taste. "William Darcy is mine - always has been, always will be." Her face softened with false sympathy. "Ohhh...he lied to you, didn't he? Said he and I weren't together, right? Well, sorry to break your heart, but you know how William was on vacation these past two months? Did you want to know where he was? Try a little place called 'Bermuda'." She smirked. "By the way, how do you like my tan?"

"Lovely," Elizabeth oozed with a false smile. "Tan-in-a-can works wonders, doesn't it? The orange streaks make you look even more like the cat you are."

Caroline pursed her lips, tilted up her nose, and stalked elegantly past, tossing her blond hair over her shoulder and hitting Elizabeth full in the face. Elizabeth only rubbed her nose and chuckled to herself before continuing her walk towards Jane and Charles. She didn't quite get there before she was accosted again.

"Very nice, Liz. I was quite impressed."

Elizabeth turned to see Aria striding towards her. "Thanks."

"Don't let her get to you," Aria said, shaking her head as she watched Caroline approach William and put her arm through his. From this vantage point, it was impossible to read William's expression, though his back did stiffen noticeably. "She's one of those people that give women a bad name. Too bad we can't just get rid of them. You know, send 'em to Antarctica or something. Live with the penguins."

That made Elizabeth smile. "And subject those poor, innocent penguins to such a cruel fate? Nevah! By the way, Stephen is great."

"Thank you; I'll take that as a compliment on my excellent powers of discernment. He's a wonderful person--rich and good-looking too, which, of course, a man ought to be if he possibly can. You see, your old friend Aria knows how to pick 'em." She grinned. "And he's very intelligent--something that might appeal to you. If you weren't in love with that William character, I'd say you should try to pick up Steve; you could do a lot worse."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Aria, you are impossible. But I thank you anyway for the suggestion." She looked over to where Steve was standing, still talking to William, and caught the eye of Richard, who raised one eyebrow in question. "Oh!" She looked back at Aria. "You're going to have to excuse me; I have to go join my date. Would you mind doing me a favor and rescuing my sister from Mother?"

Aria sighed. "I suppose I could. But you owe me, Liz."

"Yes, yes. Of course," Elizabeth laughed, waving her hand over her shoulder, as she made her way over to where Stephen stood in a group with Kim and Richard, as well as William and Caroline. She slipped her arm through Stephen's as she slid up beside him, and he paused in his speaking and looked over in surprise.

"Oh! I had wondered where you had gone," he said with a smile as he leaned over and pecked her on the cheek. "I've just been talking to - Mr. Darcy, was it? - About human cloning."

William nodded. "Quite a controversial topic. What's your stance, Elizabeth? Do you agree with your boyfriend here?"

There was silence in the group as every eye turned towards her. Elizabeth met Stephen's eye, but couldn't read what he was trying to say to her. So instead she smiled calmly at William, despite the pounding of her heart as she realized how close she was to getting caught out in The Lie, as she was starting to call it in her head. "Actually, despite the fact that we've discussed this many times since the controversy became such a mainstream affair, I haven't really been able to make a solid decision as to which side I'm on. I do believe in the value of such research - stem cell research, and things like that - though I can see how it's difficult to regulate the limits of the research and application, once you've opened 'Pandora's Box'. I do believe that I disagree with the idea that humans themselves, in their entirety, ought to be cloned. I, myself, cannot see a purpose, and in my opinion, that's a little too much 'playing God'. But it's possible that there is a decent, rational purpose - I simply haven't been presented with it yet."

"Very neat answer," William said, his eyebrow raised and a small smile lurking at the edges of his mouth.

Stephen hugged her arm closer to his, and she grinned up at him. "I can think of a good purpose," he said, laughter apparent in his voice. "Who could disagree with the fact that the world would be a whole lot better off with more than one Lizzy?"

"Who, indeed?" William murmured. Elizabeth shot him a questioning glance, but he had already turned his gaze towards where Charles and Jane were standing. Charles was striking a crystal glass with a fork, trying to get everyone's attention. When the room finally grew quiet, and all eyes had turned towards him, he began: "I thank you all for arranging your schedules to come to the rehearsal. We're just hoping that weddings are like showbiz; a bad rehearsal means a good opening day, and all that stuff." There was a smattering of laughter, and Charles grinned. "Now, since I've been told that the waiters have been waiting for the past ten minutes to take our orders, I'm going to have to ask you all to take your seat--or someone else's, if you want - and tell 'em what you want!"

When he had finished his speech, everyone began to laugh and clap, and so he bowed to the group before pulling out the chair for his soon-to-be-wife, and then sitting down himself. Everyone soon followed suit, ribbing each other good-naturedly as they "stole" each other's seats. Elizabeth finally found a seat for herself and Stephen, and it was only after she had sat down that she realized it was directly across the table from William. This wasn't completely bad, of course--after all, it gave her time to impress William with Stephen's and her "perfect" relationship, and gauge the effect it was actually having on him.

And, honestly, in her opinion, it wasn't going too badly. After all, by Stephen's side, she appeared to have it all. The only pity was that it was all an illusion. But it's a necessary evil, she insisted to that ugly voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like her conscience. As soon as the wedding was over, as soon as she got William out of her mind, as soon as her life stopped plunging downward on this seemingly never-ending rollercoaster ride, she could stop playing these games and get back to her normal life ... whatever normal was.

How had this all started, even? She wondered grumpily. When had the coaster car hit the top of the hill and start its dive? Ah, she remembered now. Derrick--it all had really started the day that she dumped Derrick, and her gift for Cathy was smashed in the mall, and her car was totaled. She had been on top of the world before then, before the vortex started her in this nasty spiral. When was that, anyway? April? She counted the months mentally in her head. Five months or so. Was that all? Geez ... it felt like -

"Elizabeth?"

She snapped her gaze up from her plate and looked around her. Stephen was turned slightly in his chair, looking at her oddly. She grimaced. "Did I miss something?"

He gestured to the man standing next to the table. "Our waiter asked if you wanted more wine."

Elizabeth blushed. "I'm so sorry. I guess I was daydreaming. Sure, I'll have more. Thank you."

When the waiter had left, she turned again to Stephen. "I'm really so sorry. Was I out of it for that long?"

He grinned. "I haven't heard you say anything since the food came. And that was practically twenty minutes ago. What were you dreaming about for that long? Me, I hope?"

She smiled distractedly and looked back at the food on her plate, and at the newly-filled glass of wine, and realized she couldn't remember eating or drinking any of it. "Steve, I think I'll be right back. I'm going to find the ladies' room."

He looked at her concernedly. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she murmured as she stood and picked up her purse. She moved to go around Stephen, but he caught her arm. She met his eyes, and the concern she read there, but she shook her head, and so he nodded and released her arm, and she continued on.

When she emerged from the restroom, it was to find someone waiting there, leaning against the wall, his head down, his gaze on his shoes. She stopped and looked questioningly at him for a moment; he must have sensed her belatedly, for his head shot up suddenly to see her standing across from him, and he smiled sheepishly. He pushed away from the wall, and took half a step towards her, but thought better of it, and put his hands behind his back awkwardly. There was a moment of silence between them, before Elizabeth broke it: "Were you waiting for the women's room, or was there something you wanted to say to me?"

A muscle in his jaw spasmed slightly, and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Look, I just wanted to ... apologize." He grimaced as he uttered the last word.

She looked at him in confusion. "What for?"

"For the last time we met - I was just as judgmental as I accused you of being. It was my fault. You had asked me to explain, and I ignored this simple request. It was unwarrantable, and completely wrong of me. I'm sorry."

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you want from me?"

He looked puzzled by that unexpected response. "Uh ... your forgiveness, I suppose."

"No. There's something more. A man rarely apologizes to a woman unless he's looking for something."

His cheeks suffused with color. "Well, perhaps this is one of those few cases that disprove that theory."

"Is it?"

"Yes!" he said heatedly, then looked embarrassed when a woman, walking between them to get to the restroom, looked at him oddly. He lowered his voice. "Besides, what could I be looking for? Obviously, you've moved on in the meantime, since I've been gone."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked defensively.

"What the hell do you think it's supposed to mean? Before I left, I thought we might have had something going. And no sooner do I leave, then you find someone -"

"So you're making this my fault?"

He held up his hands. "I didn't say that."

She put her hands on her hips. "Well, that's what it sounded like. Let me remind you that you were the one who left in the first place to go on your little vacation to the Bahamas -"

"Bermuda."

"- And you were the one who apologized not two minutes ago. You were in the wrong! You admitted it freely. And now you want to place the blame on me - that I was the one who moved on because obviously, you couldn't care enough to apologize. You had to wait a whole two and a half months, and only now that you think I've gotten over you, you try and hook me again with your poor 'I'm so sorry, Lizzy.'" She took an angry, hissing breath. "Well, guess what? That just isn't going to cut it with me ..." She stopped abruptly and blinked at him. "Wait. Did you say, Bermuda?" She gaped. "You dare to blame me for finding someone else, when you've had Caroline with you the whole time you were on vacation? How dare you?"

"Caroline?" he repeated in shocked disbelief. "Where does she come into this?"

Elizabeth cursed herself for a fool, even as she responded to his question: "She told me that the two of you were together in Bermuda these past two months."

Anger swept across his face, and then disappeared, replaced by a look of resignation. "I should have expected this. Why does everything have to be so difficult?" He passed a hand over his eyes and sighed. "Yes, Caroline was in Bermuda. I ran into her a few times, since we just happened to be staying at the same hotel. But I was not with her--not in the sense that you're speaking of."

"Oh."

There was silence between them for a few minutes, and the woman again passed between them, shooting a funny look in William's direction before going back down the hall towards the dining area. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before looking up at Elizabeth. "Look, this may not be the right time, but...I know you're with this guy--Stephen. And he seems all right, and all, but ... I guess I'm just--I thought, before I left, before we had that ... misunderstanding, that we might have ... hit it off. Was I mistaken?"

Elizabeth didn't answer at first, just looked back at him with expressionless eyes. At last, she dropped her gaze and said, "No. You weren't mistaken."

"I'm sorry," he said again.

She shook her head. "No. It's not your fault. In fact ..." She pushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes and sighed, shifting her weight slightly. "Geez ... this is hard," she muttered to herself before looking up at him with a guilty expression on her face. "William, I have something to confess. You see ... Stephen and I--"

"Elizabeth?"

She looked over to see Stephen standing in the archway, one hand on the wall. "Yes?"

"You've been gone for a while ... and we were worried. The dessert is about to be served. Were you coming back soon?"

She looked over at William, whose expression was now guarded. Stephen noticed him finally, and tried to apologize. "If you needed some time, I -"

William interrupted him. "No. That's all right. We were just on our way back." His gaze met hers, and she couldn't help but let him see the hurt expression in her eyes, before he looked away, a slight tinge of red beneath his tanned cheeks.

Stephen waited until William had passed by him, before looking up at Elizabeth. "Should I have just left?"

Elizabeth looked at him for a moment, silently, then shook her head. "No." She closed her eyes and sighed. "No. I thought, at first ... but I was wrong. You came in at the perfect time." And with a sad smile, she held out her hand to him. He took it in both of his, smiled reassuringly, and then tucked it in the crook of his elbow and led the way back to the party.

Chapter 12

Posted on Tuesday, 25 December 2001

Elizabeth stood in the middle of her living room and looked around her at the mess. There were boxes everywhere, some empty, some full, and all of them marked with the word JANE in big, bold, black letters. It was very sad to see those boxes. Very, very sad.

It was only four days before the wedding--Jane was finally getting most of her things out of the apartment. For now they were being piled in the living room, until Charles came over with the SUV to load all of the boxes inside. All of the furniture was being left in the apartment for Elizabeth, since Jane had no need of it at Charles' place, so only a few trips would be sufficient to move everything.

Aria had come over, and was right now in the kitchen, making everyone dinner. She had brought with her the artwork that had been hanging on the walls of her old apartment, and some shelves that had been made for her by a former girlfriend. One set of shelves had taken up permanent residence in the living room, now stacked with books and knick-knacks; the other set was awkwardly situated in the hallway between the bedrooms, as there wasn't quite room enough for it yet in Jane's room, which would soon become Aria's. Some of the artwork, mostly made by friends of Aria, had made it onto the walls, but there hadn't been enough nails to hang all of them, so the rest were leaning against the wall in the kitchen, far enough away from the table to avoid food-related accidents.

The rest of Aria's belongings were packed up and ready to be moved, which would most likely happen the day after the wedding. It was the bigger items that she wanted to bring over, slowly but surely. There was no sense renting a moving truck to take it two miles, but Mandie's pickup was only available between 3 and 5 in the afternoon, every other day. So those were the times that things were being moved.

And all in all, it was working. As Jane's things were moving out, Aria's were moving in, and so it was a sort of exchange. It meant a bit of chaos, but it was a comforting kind of chaos. After all, it was less of a mess at the moment than the rest of her life.

The first knock on the door came when Charles was expected, so it was little surprise to find him standing in the hallway, rainwater dripping off his coat. He smiled in greeting and asked, "Is she ready?"

Elizabeth shook her head with a laugh and held out her hand. "Here, Charles. Let me take your coat, before you drip all over the carpet." After she had hung his coat in the bathroom, she came back out and answered his question. "Jane's not ready yet. She's still in her room, putting things in boxes. But Aria's making dinner, so it doesn't matter; we were expecting you, so if you don't stay, we'll have way too much food."

He grinned. "I was wondering what smelled so good. I guess I can stay for a while, then."

"Have a seat," she said, gesturing to one of the only chairs that didn't have boxes on it. "Did you want something to drink?"

"A soda would be fine," he replied.

She nodded, excused herself, and went into the kitchen. Aria looked up from the oven, where she was bending over to look inside. "The chicken is almost finished. I should think maybe twenty minutes more?"

Elizabeth nodded and grabbed a couple of sodas out of the refrigerator. "You want something, too?"

Aria nodded, and Elizabeth tossed over a can. She then looked into the pots that were on the stove. "Noodles? And sauce?"

"Yeah. The sauce is homemade--my grandma's recipe. You'll love it, I promise."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Ok. I trust you."

"I've also got a fruit salad coming, and some steamed vegetables."

"You're nuts," Elizabeth said with a grin. "There's no way that we're going to finish all of that."

"Charlie's a growing boy," Aria said as she chopped up an orange on the cutting board. "Besides, Kim and Richard said they may stop over."

Elizabeth's eyebrows shot up. "Here? How come you didn't mention this before?"

Aria looked up at her friend with a funny expression. "I did when I first came over. Granted, you seemed a bit out of it, but you said it was fine."

"Ok, whatever," Elizabeth said, waving her hand in dismissal. "We can fit six people in the kitchen, easy." Just then, there was a knock on the door. Elizabeth raised her eyebrow. "Well, speak of the devil. I bet that's them."

She went out into the living room, and threw Charles the can of soda before going to the door and opening it. She was surprised to see who was standing in the hallway. "Stephen! Uh...what are you doing here?"

He smiled and brought a bouquet of flowers from behind his back. "I happened to be passing through your side of town, and there was this flower shop..."

She shook her head, grinning, and took the flowers from him. 'That's really sweet of you. Did you want to come in?"

He shrugged. "I suppose I could." When he entered the room, he saw Charles sitting on the chair and grinned. "Charles Bingley, wasn't it?" When Charles nodded, Stephen went over and shook his hand. "We met last Saturday--I'm Stephen Ruetters. Liz's date."

"Ah! Ok," the other man said with a smile. "So you were the one William was talking--er, I mean, yes, I remember you." He turned beet red and mumbled something before taking a hasty sip of his soda, choking slightly on it.

Elizabeth decided to excuse herself. "I think I'll go see how Aria's doing in the kitchen."

"Aria's here?" Stephen asked.

"Of course. She's moving in with me in a few days, after Jane moves out. Right now she's cooking dinner. I think we can just set another place at the table for you, no problem." She paused. "That is, if you'd like to stay for dinner ..."

He looked embarrassed. "I don't mean to be a bother ..."

"Oh, no! None at all," she demurred. "Honestly."

"Then that's fine. I'd love to."

Elizabeth smiled. "Then I'll go tell Aria." And with that, she left the two men alone in the living room and went into the kitchen.

"Who was that?"

"Stephen's here," Elizabeth said hesitantly.

Aria's eyebrow went up. "Really? I wonder why."

There was a vase in the top cabinet above the stove, and Elizabeth put the bouquet on the counter as she took out the stepladder. It was then that Aria noticed the flowers and put two and two together. "Oh dear. I didn't consider this little complication." She cut the cucumber into little circles with vicious little motions of the knife. "Did you want me to have a talk with him?"

Elizabeth paused, the glass vase in her hands, and looked down at the top of Aria's head, bent over the cutting board. "I don't know if that's necessary. I think I can handle it myself, don't you?"

Aria was silent for a minute as she got out another cucumber and started peeling it. "I really didn't tell you the whole story about Stephen, and maybe I should."

'The whole story?"

Aria nodded. "You see, Stephen's a great guy ... I feel really bad for him. It's not that he's unhinged or something ... it's just ... he's really, really sensitive. Had a hard time of it, growing up--didn't have any friends, not until college. Especially not girlfriends. So he's rather ... insecure when it comes to relationships. Not that anyone could tell--he's so calm and cool and sophisticated all the time. Honestly, most people think he's a player, or something. But he's not--he's really just inexperienced in relationships.

"Well, about two weeks ago, the girl he had been dating for two years dumped him. She found someone else, gave him the whole spiel about it not being him, it was her, that the magic had gone out of the relationship, but that they could still be friends--yeah, that was the kicker, eh? He was hurt pretty badly; everyone in the office could tell. So when you needed someone to stand in for you, well, I thought he'd be the perfect guy. It would get his mind off of Nikiya, and onto something else ... I didn't think, honestly, that he'd fall for you. I mean, I know I made that comment at the restaurant ... but I wasn't really serious. You know that, right?"

Elizabeth descended the ladder and concentrated on filling the vase with water and snipping off the ends of the stems before putting them in. When she had finished arranging the flowers in the vase, she looked over at Aria. "You know, we probably should have talked about this before ever starting on this charade. I think it would have been a whole lot easier. Now that it's happened though ..." She shook her head resignedly. "You really put me in a tough position, Aria."

Her friend nodded as she threw all of the vegetables together in a bowl. "I know. It really is my fault. You can blame it all on me."

Elizabeth snorted. "No problem." She turned as she heard more knocking at the door. "Hm. That's probably Richard and Kim. I guess I'll go get that." She grabbed the vase off of the counter and took it with her as she left the kitchen.

She went out into the living room towards the door, but Jane, who had come out of her bedroom when she realized the guests had arrived, was already opening it. It wasn't Richard or Kim, however, that was standing there. "William!" Jane said in surprise.

Elizabeth nearly dropped the vase.

The gentleman at the door smiled hesitantly, looking straight at Jane. "Hi. I was wondering if your sister was home."

Jane stepped to the side with a large smile and opened the door wider. "Sure, come on in, and I'll go get her."

It was then that he noticed Charles and Stephen sitting in the chairs. He hesitated in stepping over the threshold. "If you've got company, I'd rather not intrude ..."

Elizabeth stepped forward, stifling her annoyance at this new complication. "No, that's fine. Come on in, William." She was about to set the vase she held on the small table next to the couch when she noticed the offering in William's hands, and flushed embarrassedly. "Oh. Uh ... who are the flowers for?" she asked in a small voice.

He smiled self-deprecatingly. "They were for you ... a peace offering, if you will." He gestured towards the vase in her hands. "I suppose you can just add them to your collection."

She had no idea what to do, slightly embarrassed by the whole situation, but took the flowers from him anyway with a thank-you. As she arranged them in the vase, she looked over at him and asked, "Was there something you needed to talk to me about?"

William nodded. "Yes, actually; it's the reason I came. I suppose I should have called, but...I didn't know you'd be having a party."

Elizabeth concentrated on the flowers again. "Well, it's not--" She looked over and noticed everyone was looking at her in interest, and, abandoning the flowers, grabbed William's arm and started dragging him down the hall. "Why don't we go somewhere else to talk?" She first opened the door to her room, took a step in, then realized she would be acutely embarrassed to have William there. So she backed out and opened Jane's door, but found it to still be in a state of chaos, with boxes all over everything and barely room for one person to stand and move about. No, that wouldn't work. She glanced at the other two doors in the hallway--the bathroom, and the closet. Definitely not. The only other place she could think of to take him would be the hallway, but there were too many people who could go past, and it would be such a hassle. Ok, back to the beginning--which bedroom?

After a little inner debate, Elizabeth opened the door to her room again and allowed him to precede her before she closed the door behind them both and remained there, leaning up against it. There was a strained silence between them, and she looked down at her feet, idly wondering when the last time was that she had polished her shoes.

It wasn't long before she sensed his nervous impatience, and she looked up at him in surprise. "You had something to say?"

He wiped his hands on his trousers. "Well, I do ... It's just ..." he sighed and walked towards the window, where he stood gazing outside for a minute. At last he turned his body slightly and looked over at her. "I wanted to apologize again. For Saturday, that is."

"Why?" she asked softly, self-recrimination evident in her voice. "It wasn't your fault--it's mine, and has been for most of our ... knowing each other." She sighed and, pushing away from the door, went to sit on her bed. She studied her hands, folded in her lap, before looking back at him. "I don't understand why I can't have a normal conversation with you. Since the rehearsal dinner, I've been thinking about everything that's happened, and I've really come to some bad conclusions about myself. I mean, it was bad enough when I made those wildly inappropriate accusations about your character, but even after I resolved that little conflict--in myself, at least--I still can't seem to allow myself even to give you the time of day. It's like ... a force of habit that causes me to snap at you all of the time. It's something about you that makes me get riled so easily. I would ask why you do this to me," she said, with a self-mocking smile, "but I think it would be more accurate to ask why I do this to myself."

She looked up at him, waiting for a response, but he seemed to be lost in thought. "I think," he said reflectively, "that we do it to each other. You aren't the only one who has been doing a lot of thinking about the reasons behind this...attitude we have towards each other. Hell, I don't think I did anything else when I was on vacation." He scoffed. "Vacation ... ha!" He smiled at her. "I don't think it really did me any good. I was too busy trying to evaluate my life ... why everything had suddenly been flipped upside down since you came into it." He shook his head. "Because it's not as though we've managed to be civil to one another for very long. And yet ... I admire you. You're gorgeous--I'd be an imbecile--a blind one, at that--to deny that; and you're intelligent--I can remember how your father talked about you--"

"My dad? When did you ever meet my dad?"

He shrugged. "Your father was the original architect for the home that I live in here in Milwaukee. During one of our meetings, we got off-topic for a while, and he told me all about his daughters--especially his second-oldest, who had just graduated from the University the previous year, magna cum laude, and now had a great job with Longbourn Bank. How she was smart, and witty, and beautiful ..."

She put her hand on her forehead. "So why didn't he mention to me that he knew you? Oh! I don't think I ever mentioned your last name ..."

"I only remembered when I ran into him at the rehearsal." William paused. "He may have known, though, that you were talking about me, because he didn't seem surprised at all when he approached me at the dinner. He even threatened to have thugs throw my cat in the KK." *

Elizabeth looked at him narrowly. "Unless you did what?"

"Unless I made my peace with you."

She was silenced for a moment. "Oh," she breathed. "So that's why you apologized--"

"No," he said quickly. "That's not why...I mean, yes, I fear for the life of my non-existent cat, but I wanted to apologize because I was in the wrong, and it was bothering me."

She studied her fingernails for a moment. "You know, don't you, that I forgave you, right?"

"Did you?"

Elizabeth nodded. "I never even blamed you for jumping on me like that. I blamed myself, more like. And when Richard pointed out to me--"

"You told Richard?" he asked in disbelief.

"Of course," she replied in the classic "Well, duh" tone of voice. "He's a veritable fount of advice--and good stuff, too."

"Yeah, I'll bet," he scoffed.

"Hey, don't knock it 'till you've tried it. But anyway, Richard pointed out to me that you had been as much in the wrong as me--no more, no less. And so I felt a bit better about it. And so," she said with a smile, "I think as I've already accepted your apology from Saturday, I'd like to apologize, myself."

He grinned. "And I accept."

"Thank you, Will. All right--that almost puts us on equal footing. But since you've just apologized for Saturday, itself, I have to catch up. Oh, and did I mention I forgive you for that, too?"

"Uh, no, but I thank you, just the same."

"Then I apologize."

"And I accept."

Elizabeth smiled broadly and stood, holding her hand out to William. "Then I think we have a clean slate. Would you agree to start over, from the beginning?"

He took her hand in his, but didn't shake it. Instead, he pulled her towards him, until his face was only inches from hers. "I think I'd agree to that," he said softly, "but I'd much rather kiss and make up."

She stared at him in surprise, unable, to form a coherent thought in her brain. He leaned slowly in, but just as his lips were about to take hers, she turned her face to the side and backed away, leaving him with a confused and hurt expression on his face. Elizabeth glanced once at his expression, but had to turn her face away, feeling extremely guilty. Before he could speak, though, she held up her hand, silencing him. "The slate isn't completely clean, Will. I have one more thing to ask forgiveness for."

If his expression had been confused before, that befuddlement only increased tenfold at that enigmatical statement. "What else is there?"

This was difficult, but Elizabeth took a deep breath and screwed up her courage once more. "I had tried to tell you this on Saturday, but we were interrupted, and I really want to explain. You see, Will, Stephen and I--"

Knock, knock.

If Elizabeth had been Superman, there would have been a rather large hole bored through the middle of the door and the person behind it. Of course, she wasn't, so all she could accomplish was a dark glare at the door. "Yes," she asked in annoyance. "Who is it?"

There was a pause, "Uh, it's Jane. We're about to start eating ... Richard and Kim are here, and the food is ready and getting cold, and we thought you might like to join us."

Elizabeth looked back at William, and he asked softly, "Can this wait until after we eat?"

She wrinkled her nose. "I'd really rather not. This is the second time ..." She sighed. "Jane?" she asked loudly.

"Yes?" came the response from the other side of the door.

"Go ahead and start. Will and I will be there in a few minutes."

"Ok."

Elizabeth waited until she heard Jane's retreating footsteps, and then turned back to William. "Well, now that that's out of the way, I'll finish this. Stephen and I--we aren't really together. I met him only the day of the rehearsal."

William stared at her for a few minutes, his eyes wide. "Are you serious?"

She wasn't sure how much hope she could get out of that question. "Uh...yes. He's a co-worker of Aria's; that much is true. But we haven't been dating for months. It was all a ruse; I wanted to show you that I was ... that I didn't care that you had left for two and a half months without so much as a word or apology."

He continued to stare at her. After another few minutes, a small smile began to twitch at the corners of his mouth, and pretty soon, he was chuckling to himself. "You two sure did a great job," he said, still laughing. "I had a few doubts, but you seemed as though...especially him--he should be an actor. Wow. And this is the big secret?"

"Uh...yes?" she said uncertainly.

He shook his head. "Well, if you're asking for forgiveness, you have it." He chuckled again. "Wow. I think I'm flattered." He smiled warmly at her and raised an eyebrow. "So, now that our slates are completely clean--washed and dried, in fact--can I get that kiss?"

She thought about it for a second, then shook her head. "No."

He blinked a few times, then laughed. "Can I ask why?"

She raised an eyebrow, turned, and walked to the door. Just before she opened it, she looked over her shoulder at him and smiled broadly. "Why? If you must know, it's because the food's getting cold."

*If you wanted to know, and even if you didn't, the KK is the Kinnickinnic River, but hardly anyone actually says the whole thing, unless you're a news reporter. And even then, there's a disagreement as to how it's supposed to be pronounced..."Kinneykinnick", "Kinnick-kinnick", even "Kinnick-inney-kinnick" (but I think that guy was a bit nuts).

Chapter 13

Posted on Sunday, 3 March 2002

Jane was on the verge of hysteria - well, as close to hysteria as someone as even-tempered as her could get. The two bridesmaids were telling her jokes and doing rather strange things in an effort to make her laugh, while the maid-of-honor was trying her best to give her sister a shoulder massage while she paced the room.

For the fifth time, Mrs. Bennet rushed into the room, her voice high-pitched in her excitement, saying something about the flower arrangements and someone's child who ate a daisy, then rushed back out, leaving in her wake an even more frantic bride and her even more stressed out maids.

It was Mr. Bennet who saved the day by coming in a few minutes later, bearing a bouquet and calm, even smile. He gave the flowers to his daughter, kissed her on the cheek and said, "Charles is fine--he's just entered the church, and soon you'll be married, and this will all be a happy memory. And if you want to know, your poor groom's smiling so wide, I'm afraid his face might remain like that permanently. Wouldn't that be a shame?"

Jane looked at her father with a small smile and sighed happily. Suddenly, she threw her arms around him and laughed. "Thank you, Papa! I love you, too." She kissed him on the cheek, then grabbed his arm and towed him out the door. He sent an amused glance back at Elizabeth, Aria, and Kim as the door closed behind him.

The three friends stood in shock, looking at each other in amazement, then burst out laughing. "Now, why couldn't we do that?" Kim asked, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes.

"I don't know," Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "But we had better get out there before Jane runs down the aisle without us." She visibly composed herself, fixed her hair and dress in the mirror, then walked out the door. Her friends copied her motions and followed her out to where she stood at the still-closed door to the church, her bouquet held loosely in her hands.

When they were finally in formation, the two ushers standing beside the doors opened them and the music began. Kim walked first, followed by Aria, then Elizabeth, and then the blushing bride, holding on to the arm of her father. They reached the front of the church, where Charles, William, and the other groomsmen--Richard and George Hurst--stood waiting, and took their places to the side of the altar. Charles grinned boyishly at his bride as she stood nervously beside him, and the tension immediately drained out of her as she smiled back.

The service was gorgeous, and more than a few in the audience sighed at the end of the vows and even more shed a few tears--Mrs. Bennet being the leader by a wide margin in that particular group. When the groom was directed to kiss the bride, he first turned to grin at the audience, then turned back to Jane and kissed her soundly on the lips. There were many hoots and hollers in the crowd and much clapping when they finally broke apart.

And then the music was playing again, and Charles led his new wife down the aisle, followed by Elizabeth, on William's arm, then Aria with George and Kim with Richard. They went outside the church, and piled into the limousine awaiting them to drive to the reception. The party was a happy one as the six attendants piled into the second limo. William found a bottle of wine in the bar and opened it, pouring out several glasses. Everyone then raised a toast to "The Happy Couple" and laughed when the limo lurched into motion, causing them all to take care of their drinks.

"That was such a beautiful service," sighed Kim happily. "I almost cried as much as your mother, Lizzy."

Elizabeth laughed at that. "No one could cry as much--or as loud--as my mother! I'm just happy that it's over with! I don't think I could've stood for another minute up there. My legs were so tired by the end of it. Did the priest actually have to sermonize for that long?"

"An half hour is the minimum, I believe" William said with a laugh.

"We should just be grateful it wasn't your cousin Bill," Aria said, gesturing towards Elizabeth with her wineglass. "We could've been up there for days."

"Thank heavens!" Elizabeth sighed dramatically, and everyone laughed and toasted another round to the priest not being Cousin Bill.

By the time the party finally reached the hall where the reception was taking place, three bottles of wine had been emptied, and the party was even merrier than before. They met the Happy Couple in the room off the hall where they were to collect before the guests arrived. Jane looked somewhat flushed, but very, very happy. Charles just looked very, very happy.

Elizabeth immediately ran to her sister and hugged her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Oh, I'm so happy for you!" she cried.

Jane wiped away a tear. "Oh, I'll miss you, Lizzy."

"Bah," Elizabeth said with a wave of her hand. "You're going to be too happy to miss me that much. Besides, you have Charles to replace me, as I have Aria--though she won't be half the roommate you've been."

"Hey, I heard that!" shouted Aria from her place behind the bar, where she was mixing drinks for the others.

Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at her friend, then caught the amused expression on William's face and stuck her tongue out at him, too. He only laughed and came towards them. "Congratulations, my dear," he said to Jane, giving her a kiss on the cheek. He then turned to Charles and clapped him warmly on the back. "You've chosen wisely, my friend."

Charles laughed. "Thank you, Will. As usual, your opinion means so much to me...after the fact!"

The two of them laughed, and Elizabeth rolled her eyes and said, "C'mon; you need a drink," before dragging her sister over to the bar.

It was about a half hour later that the wedding planner popped her head through the doorway and asked, "Is everyone ready? All the guests are here, so we're going to have the procession into the hall in about ten minutes."

And so they finished their drinks and lined up once more, grinning happily. Elizabeth smiled brightly up at her partner. "We're almost to the end of it, aren't we?"

He laughed and shook his head. "First comes Jane and Charlie's dance, then the four-course meal, and then more dancing to burn off the calories from the feast."

Elizabeth moaned and pretended to buckle at the knees. "I don't think I can take any more standing!"

"Then don't stand," he replied. "Walk."

She looked up to realize that Kim and Richard had just begun to follow Aria and George into the hall, and she shared another quick grin with William before they, too, walked through the doors. Cameras flashed at them in rapid succession, as each of the tables had been provided with a small, disposable camera. "Do they have to waste so many on us?" Darcy muttered, and Elizabeth pinched him on the arm to make him be quiet.

The bridal couple came next and everyone cheered and even more cameras flashed. Elizabeth smiled even wider, feeling an incredible sense of happiness for her sister swell in her heart. When they reached the dance floor, they went to the side where the other attendants were waiting, and turned to wait for Charles and Jane to get to the middle of the dance floor. When they arrived, the wedding song began to play and the new couple began to dance together.

Baby I've been searching like everybody else
Can't say nothing different about myself
Sometimes I'm an angel
And sometimes I'm cruel
And when it comes to love
I'm just another fool
Yes, I'll climb a mountain
I'm gonna swim the sea
There ain't no act of God girl
Could keep you safe from me
My arms are reaching out
Out across this canyon
I'm asking you to be my true companion
True companion
True companion

William turned to Elizabeth and smiled, then led her onto the dance floor and joined the dancing couple as the other attendants followed suit.

So don't you dare and try to walk away
I've got my heart set on our wedding day
I've got this vision of a girl in white
Made my decision that it's you allright
And when I take your hand
I'll watch my heart set sail
I'll take my trembling fingers
And I'll lift up your veil
Then I'll take you home
And with wild abandon
Make love to you just like a true companion
You are my true companion
I got a true companion
True companion

Elizabeth rested her head on his shoulder, feeling so incredibly happy. In William's arms, she felt safe and secure, and she wanted to hold on to that feeling for as long as she could. She almost wished that the song would never end.

When the years have done irreparable harm
I can see us walking slowly arm in arm
Just like the couple on the corner do
'Cause girl I will always be in love with you
And when I look in your eyes
I'll still see that spark
Until the shadows fall
Until the room grows dark
Then when I leave this Earth
I'll be with the angels standin'
I'll be out there waiting for my true companion
Just for my true companion
True companion
True companion*

Everyone clapped as the song ended and began clinking their glasses with their forks. So Charles did the customary thing and kissed his bride, much to everyone's enjoyment. When the two finally broke away, the clinking began again, but Charles raised his hand and said, "There'll be more dancing and, of course, more kissing later! Now, let's eat!"

Everyone laughed and the wedding party was allowed to go to the head table. When they arrived, the first course was served, and all the guests began to eat. There was much conversation in the large hall, and the noise level soon grew. By the third course, Elizabeth not only was extremely full, despite the fact that she had barely eaten half of each course, but also had a headache, too.

Aria leaned over and murmured close to her friend's ear, "Do you think I can order the dessert 'to go'?"

Elizabeth smiled wanly. "I think it would just sit in the freezer for a few months. I feel like I've eaten an army's whole month of rations in less than an hour. They were rather delicious rations, but still..."

"I don't know how I'm going to get out of this dress," Aria replied, patting her stomach. "I'm going to have to go running for five hours tomorrow, at least."

Elizabeth looked at her friend with a doubtful expression. "I don't even think my body's going to be able to move fast enough to be considered 'running' tomorrow." She put a hand to her head. "By the way, do you have any drugs? I have a headache the size of Madagascar."

Aria nodded and dug around in her small purse. "Yeah. I thought of that before I left this morning. The same thing happened to me at my cousin's wedding last year, so I thought ahead this time and put some aspirin in my bag."

The aforementioned pills were much blessed by an exceedingly thankful Elizabeth, who took them immediately. Soon after, as the servers took away the dishes from the last course, William stood to present his best man speech: "Well, this is somewhat awkward for me; I'm not used to speaking front of a large group. A good friend of mine gave me some advice, though: he told me to imagine everyone in their underwear." Pause. "Well, uh...I don't think it's working. I just feel slightly overdressed." The guests laughed.

"But seriously, I want to thank everyone for coming on behalf of this happy couple beside me. Charles was just saying to me the other day that this was going to be the happiest day of his life, no matter if anyone showed up or not. So you see, you've exceeded even his eternally optimistic expectations.

"I've known Charles since we went to middle school together back in what seems now like the Ice Age. Way back then, we used to play pranks on all the little girls in our class together and always managed to get into huge trouble with the teachers. I remember a certain little girl named Julia who fell in love with Charles after we filled her backpack with worms. Unfortunately for him, she told all of her friends, and pretty soon, the whole female division of the class descended upon him en masse, wanting to 'go steady' with him.

"Since that day, he's never had his dearth of admirers, but I knew he never took any of them seriously. At least, not until the day when he met me for lunch a few years back, grinning like a loon, and told me he'd met 'The One'. I knew he was serious, even though he'd apparently only met her fifteen minutes before. I must admit that when I met the lucky girl, I was prepared to dislike her; after all, she had my friend so wrapped up that he was instantly struck dumb whenever her name was mentioned--which, unfortunately, was quite often, since she was all he could ever talk about. However, I found that I couldn't dislike Jane even if I tried. She was too sweet, too beautiful, too intelligent, and too altogether perfect for Charles. And she still is.

"I would like to wish these two the greatest happiness possible. And I have no doubt that they will find it--easily. They were made for each other in every way, and it was so incredibly gratifying to see them finally make the commitment to each other. Perhaps now Charles and I will be able to talk about normal things, like sports, hunting, and booze, without him somehow managing to refer to Jane every half-minute. Then again, I may be entirely off-base with that assumption.

"But I can hear someone snoring somewhere in the back there, so I think that's my cue to wrap up this speech before they bring out the hook or start playing the music to drown me out." The DJ here played a short piece of music, and William raised his glass in amused acknowledgment as the rest of the guests laughed. "I just want to say that I'm going to miss having my best friend to myself, but I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather share him with than this woman sitting beside him.

"To Charles and Jane," he said, raising his glass in salute, as he gazed down at the couple, his expression sincere. "May you both live as long as you want and never want as long as you live."

The hall resounded with shouts of "Here, here!" as everyone took a drink in honor of the bride and groom. Then someone began striking his glass with a fork, and everyone else took up the refrain. So Charles and Jane obliged them with a back-bending kiss, and the hall erupted in applause again.

As everything quieted down, Elizabeth stood up and clinked her glass a few times. When she had everyone's attention, she cleared her throat. "I'm really not sure how I'm going to be able to follow that, but I'll do my best," she began, and everyone laughed.

"Wow. I don't know about all of you, but I feel like I've eaten a herd of horses. We're definitely going to have to do a few extra electric slides, let me tell you." The guests all laughed and a few nodded in commiseration. "But I'll give you a good few minutes, at least, in which to digest your food while I give my obligatory speech for the bride and groom. Not that it feels very obligatory, with my sister as one of the subjects. As Charlie says, you can talk all day about Jane, and still find something new to say. And trust me, he manages it!

"When Jane asked me to be her maid of honor, I wasn't that surprised. We are not only sisters, but we are best friends as well. I cannot remember a time in my life when we weren't side by side. We taught each other everything we knew; Jane taught me how to put on make-up when she was in eighth grade and I was in seventh, and in return, I showed her how to throw a good punch." She paused and looked over at Charles. "You should be thanking your lucky stars you didn't meet my sister then, Charlie; she would've knocked you down flat if you'd ever put worms in her backpack. I'm proud to say that she was the best student I've ever had. I would readily put out money that I was hers, too. It wasn't hard, really; she was my big sister--the best anyone could ever have.

"There's a saying that goes, 'you never really know what you have until it's gone.' Honestly, I don't know if that is really true. At least, not with Jane and me; I've always valued our friendship. I could never have taken what we had for granted, because a reminder of how truly precious it was had always been there for me.

"I know that I'm going to miss having her there in the morning, pushing me out the door when I'm running late for work, looking over my shoulder to steal crossword clues from me, and cooking me breakfast in bed when I'm sick. I'm going to miss her in the evenings, when I get home from work to find that Jane hasn't arrived before me and baked some cookies that I can steal. I'm going to miss her not being there on the weekends, so that we can help each other primp for our dates. I'm going to miss having her there as my closest friend and confidante, as my shoulder to cry on when things get that bad.

"I knew, of course, that the day was coming that I would have to give her up; after all, a woman like Jane can't stay single for that long. She's just too pretty, too perfect, and too loveable not to be loved. I just wasn't expecting it to be so soon. Charlie's a lucky guy, Jane; I don't know if he deserves you. I don't think anyone deserves you, for that matter. Except me, of course." The guests chuckled at that, but Elizabeth had tears in her eyes as she met her sister's gaze. "I'm going to miss you, Jane. But since you've already gone and given your heart and hand to Charlie, the best I can do is give you a toast." She held up her glass with the brightest smile she could possibly produce. "May you always remember how happy you are today and treasure the love you have for each other. May your partnership be your continuing strength, and your home always be your safe, secure haven. May you have the wisdom to seek good advice and loving friends and family to give it. And may we all be there to help you celebrate your Golden Wedding Anniversary.** To my big sister Jane and her new husband Charles! Cheers!"

Everyone raised their glasses in salute and took a drink. Jane stood up to give her sister a hug and a kiss on the cheek. There were tears in her eyes as she whispered, "Thank you, Lizzy. I didn't think this day could be any happier than it already has been, but you've managed it--as you always seem to do. Thank you."

Elizabeth put her hand over her sisters, and gave it a small squeeze. "No problem, Jane. You deserve it."

They hugged again, and then Elizabeth sat down. Charles, who had stood up when his bride did, now wrapped his arm around her. "I know you're all waiting for the cake to be cut, but we have one more speech to give. I want to thank everyone for coming today. It's been incredible, having everyone here with us - I never realized just how many friends we've both made over the years. It means a lot to us, that you were here to share with us such an important event as the exchange of our wedding vows.

"Most especially, I'd love to thank my bride's mother and father, Mrs. and Mr. Bennet. The two of you must be commended for bringing up such a wonderful woman as your daughter turned out to be. I will take as great of care of her as I can, and hopefully she'll do the same for me. Secondly, I'd like to thank Elizabeth Bennet and William Darcy, who have been there for us from the first, and have had to listen to the both of us talk non-stop about the other. They deserve a medal for that, at least, but since we didn't have any made up, we'll have to hope that our love for them will suffice.

"I'd also like to thank the bridesmaids, Aria and Kimberly Hengals, and the groomsmen, Richard Fitzwilliam and George Hurst. They have also put a lot of effort into keeping us from falling apart from the seams, today especially. We hope that they know just how much they've meant to us through all of it. We love you all.

"So, now, I'd like to propose a toast to my wife. She knows everything about me there is to know, and loves me all the same. May I only be able to give that much in return, and so much more!"

"Amen!" Aria cried, raising her glass high, and all of the guests followed suits. Charles then kissed Jane with all the love he had for her as everyone cheered them on. When they finally resurfaced for air, Jane's veil had slipped, and her face was extremely flushed. Charles grinned boyishly and raised their joined hands to his lips.

The cake was soon cut, and the music began playing again. Charles and Jane first danced together, and then Mr. Bennet asked for the dance. Everyone watched as the father and daughter danced together to Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable".

Afterwards, the DJ broke into a riotous polka, which had everyone joining in. Elizabeth grabbed William's hand and led him out onto the floor. He looked rather uncomfortable in the beginning, shuffling his feet, and looking embarrassed, and she laughed up at him. "Don't tell me you don't know how to polka!" she exclaimed incredulously. "How can anyone live in Wisconsin and not know how to polka?"

"Well, I wasn't born here, you know," he replied.

She shook her head. "Shouldn't matter; it's our state dance. It's a law that you be able to polka." She took pity on him and grabbed his hand, putting in on her waist. "Ok, count yourself lucky. I've more than once had to be the man during the dance unit in my high school gym class, since the guys were all too chicken to actually dance, so just follow my lead."

At first, William was all left feet, but after a while, as he stopped looking at the ground, and instead looked into Elizabeth's laughing face, he began to get it. By the end of the dance, they were both laughing so hard that their sides hurt, and William was even the one leading. She smiled at him. "Now, wasn't that fun?"

He smiled right back at her. "Very. Now," he said, hearing the next song coming on, "this is the kind of dance I like." And he swung her into a jazz step before she had time to really catch her breath.

The guests all danced to whatever the DJ played, from "The Locomotion" to the Chicken Dance. They did the Electric Slide, and a few other line dances, and of course, the Hokey Pokey. There were a number of slow songs, in which some of the older couples sat down to rest their aching feet, but by the next song, they were up again, dancing with all the younger folks.

It was late when the music finally stopped, and the bride and groom prepared to leave. A huge deal was made by all of the bachelors as Jane bared her leg for Charles to remove the garter. He swung it around on his finger when he finally slipped it over her foot, then shouted, "All right, guys! Who's going to be the next one to enter the parson's mousetrap?"

The men all shook their heads, laughing, and a few shouted, "Hell no, Charlie!" but they all gathered around, anyway. Charles threw it into the group, and as the guys tackled each other for it, everyone else stood around laughing. At last, William surfaced, his bow tie askew and hair a mess, holding the garter in his hand triumphantly. Everyone laughed, and a few of the guys picked him up on their shoulders and led him up to the chair at the front of the hall.

Jane then called for all the single ladies to gather around, as she was about to toss the garter. At first, no one wanted to enter the circle, but finally, Aria grabbed Elizabeth's arm, and the two made their way out into the middle of the floor. As more joined them, Aria remarked with a smile and wink, "Now, we won't be as uncivilized as the boors...I mean men were, will we?"

A few got her message and laughed. So as Jane tossed the bouquet into the group, all of the woman pushed each other out of the way, and a few even went so far as to tackle each other. Finally, Elizabeth got her hands on the bouquet and held it up for everyone to see. The crowd around them laughed loudly, and the other women picked themselves off the floor and clapped with all the rest, still laughing from their escapades. A couple of them put Elizabeth on their shoulders and carried her to where William sat, a huge smile on his face. The women set Elizabeth down in front of him, and she shyly held the bouquet up. "I got it," she said, biting her lip and trying not to smile.

"I never doubted you would," he replied, and grabbed her around the waist to set her on his lap. The photographer came up and took some pictures of them, and everyone cheered. Finally, William gave into the crowd's urging and kissed Elizabeth soundly on the lips, a kiss that went a little deeper than either expected. When they broke apart, the crowd was hooting and hollering and clapping, and Elizabeth felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

Finally, it was time for the bride and groom to leave, and everyone crowded around to give them best wishes and send them off on their honeymoon in Paris. Elizabeth hugged her sister tightly, then boxed Charles on the shoulder and warned him that if he didn't take care of Jane, she knew where his house was. She then stood back and allowed others to say goodbye. Jane and Charles left, amid much waving and happy wishes, and farewells. It was a beautiful moment, and one that ended all too soon. The guests soon filtered out of the hall and to their cars. Elizabeth stood for a while near the front of the hall, gazing at the now-sparsely populated room. The DJ and his crew were packing up their equipment, and the caterers were cleaning up the rest of their things, and a few of the guests were rounding up the last of their belongings, but otherwise, the hall was empty.

As she stood there, William came up behind her and put his warm hands on her bare shoulders. "It's going to be a bit lonely for a few weeks for you too, isn't it?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I suppose. I'm going to really miss having Jane about."

"Perhaps I can help, then," he said. When she looked at him with a suspicious glance, he said with a smile, "How about dinner at my place tomorrow night?"

She grinned right back at him. "That sounds wonderful."

He offered her his arm, she took it, and they both walked out to the parking lot, where they had left both of their cars earlier in the day, parked almost side-by-side. She went to her car door and unlocked it, but before she got in, she turned to where William stood, behind her. "It was a beautiful wedding," she said quietly. "Don't you think so?"

He nodded, stepping closer. "It was."

"And I'm really sorry for upping you in the speeches. I just can't help it if I'm a good speaker."

He chuckled at that. "Who said you upped me?"

She made a few off-hand gestures. "You know. Most of the guests, and all..."

"Hmmm...Well, I suppose I'll have to trust their judgment," he murmured, leaning in towards her, and slowly taking her lips with his. When they finally ended their kiss, Elizabeth smiled sweetly, the stars in the black night sky reflecting in her eyes. "It's been a great evening," she said softly.

He nodded. "I agree. But for now, you should get home."

"I guess so." She kissed him lightly on the cheek and slipped into her car, sending him a final, flirtatious glance from under her eyelashes. She turned on the engine and the lights, and glancing one more time in his direction, drove off into the night, leaving him standing beside his car, bathed in the pale circle of lamplight from above.

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