Beginning, Section II
Jump to new as of July 28, 2000
Jump to new as of August 1, 2000
Jump to new as of August 3, 2000
Chapter 8 Posted on Sunday, 23 July 2000
The sun glaring in the window and across William's face woke him up. Right away he noticed that his right arm was asleep and something was lying across him. Once he was able to focus better, he saw Elizabeth's head resting on his chest and her arm draped over him.
Smiling, he reached over with his hand and ran his fingers through her hair. His grin grew larger as she sighed and cuddled closer to him without opening her eyes. But a second later, her eyes fluttered open and she looked up in surprise.
"Good morning," William smiled.
"Good morning," Elizabeth replied, sleepily. Stretching, she sat up and turned to William. "You could've pushed me off, you know. It must have been uncomfortable for you."
"Nah. It wasn't uncomfortable at all," William sat up.
Elizabeth blushed and looked down at her hands. She usually didn't blush easily, but for some reason, William made her feel different than her normal, confident self. Suddenly, she jumped off the bed and exclaimed, "I'm going to take a shower now," before she could blush anymore.
William just shrugged and turned on the TV to watch the annoying talk shows that were always on before the noon news. Twenty minutes later, Elizabeth reappeared and cleared her throat to get William's attention.
When he looked at her, she almost seemed nervous, shifting her weight on her two feet. William raised one eyebrow in question of what she was going to say.
"Umm. Will, I've been thinking..." Elizabeth began.
"Yeah?"
"I think it's time we go back."
"What?" William sat straight up. "Why do you want to go back all of a sudden?"
"Because. What's the use? We'll never get any more money, and this is not helping me at all pay my father's bill. The best thing for me to do is go back and face the authorities."
William snorted, "You won't face any authorities if I have anything to do with it."
Elizabeth looked down at her feet. "Just the same. I need to get back to my life. To my family. To my pets. And to find another job to pay the money."
William looked away from Elizabeth and back to the TV. "Fine. Whatever. Are you done in there?" He shifted his head towards the bathroom.
Elizabeth nodded, "Yeah. You can go in there."
William stood up and brushed past Elizabeth, with her eyes following his body until he slammed the bathroom door. She could feel tears well up in her eyes at his reaction. She had no idea what his problem was; she didn't understand why he had to be so angry. But she knew why she wasn't feeling very happy all of a sudden.
As William and Elizabeth got ready to leave, they didn't talk very much, except for the necessary communication. Within an hour, the two were in the car, with Elizabeth driving, on the way back home.
Fifteen minutes after they left, William finally spoke, "We might as well talk for these couple of hours. It'll give us something to do."
Elizabeth smiled out of relief, "Good! I thought you were mad at me!"
"Mad? Why would I be mad?" William said, confusion showing on his face.
"Well, you slammed the door!"
"I was just disappointed," William explained. "I was having fun, and all of a sudden you want to go home. So I have to go home to my aunt and become the serious William Darcy again."
"You don't like that?" Elizabeth asked, giving William a sideways glance.
"Well, I've become used to it, I guess. But it's hard not even being thirty, and already the head of a company. Well, running a company, anyway, while your aunt is the head of it."
"You're still under thirty?" Elizabeth asked incredulously.
"Yeah! Do I really look that old to you?" William teased.
"No! It's just... I guessed I figured since you were the head of the company, you would be at least in your mid thirties, even though you don't look older. How old are you anyway?"
"I turn thirty in November."
"Ha! You only have four months until you reach that dreaded age. I still have five years!" Elizabeth laughed.
"What is it with women and that age? I don't see anything wrong with it. But maybe that's because when I'm in meetings with other big executives, I'm almost always the youngest one there."
"Some men get afraid of that age, don't they? I had a piano teacher when I was younger whom I always teased about being old because he felt it. But then again, he was in the upper thirties; maybe he was more afraid of forty."
"Hmm. I guess so. I just don't worry about it."
For the rest of the ride, the two talked and laughed, forgetting that they were going home to go back to their regular lives. William would even listen to Elizabeth's Ricky Martin and country cd's without complaining, sometimes actually singing along to the songs he knew.
But towards the end of the trip, Elizabeth got quiet. She knew that she probably could never see William again; at least that's what she thought. Elizabeth thought about all the speculation it would bring if a kidnapper still remained a friend with the kidnappee.
Entering the city, she asked William for the way to his house. By now, all conversation had died down except for William's directions. Silently, Elizabeth wove through the streets, and as she drove on, the area constantly got richer and richer, until soon, she was in a district where she was among mansions. But she still had to keep going, and all of a sudden, they were out in the country again. It wasn't too long, though, that William told her to turn into a long driveway.
For a few minutes, she drove down a gravel driveway, lined with tall trees, until finally, a house came into view. A farm house. A big farm house, nonetheless, but still, it was just a farmhouse. Not a newly built mansion.
William laughed at her expression, "You didn't expect this, did you? You thought you would be taking me home to one of those mansions a while back, didn't you?" Elizabeth only nodded. "This house has been in my family for years. Built in the early nineteenth century, and passed down among the children, with each most adding a room or two as they needed it. It actually started out as a rather small house."
"Do you still farm it?" Elizabeth asked.
"No. Too busy with the company for that. I just have horses, and all the land that I want to get away from life with."
"And you live in there all alone?"
"Yeah. I have my sister, but she goes to college during the year, and she usually has something better to do during the summer. She only comes home a couple of weeks during the year," William told Elizabeth, acting as if he didn't care. But Elizabeth could see the traces of loneliness on his face.
"Oh," Elizabeth whispered.
The two sat in the car for a moment, neither wanting to be separated from each other. All of a sudden, William blurted, "I don't have to live alone in there!" Elizabeth looked at him with a question on her face. "We can get married, and you can live with me!"
"Married?" Elizabeth asked, incredulously.
The moon is full and my arms are empty
All night long I've pleaded and cried
You always said the day that you would leave me
Would be a cold day in July
"Yes! I love you, and I want you to marry me!" William exclaimed, hope showing in his eyes.
"Love me! You've only known me for four days! That's not enough time to fall in love," Elizabeth cried, and then looked away. Then why do I feel like I'm in love with him?
"What does time have to do it? It may have been only four days, but I feel I know you. Maybe not the smallest details about you, but I know what goes on inside your head, and I love you." William reached over to take Elizabeth's hand. "Please marry me."
Your bags are packed not a word is spoken
I guess we said everything with good-bye
Time moves so slow and promises get broken
On this cold day in July
Elizabeth looked down to where her hand was clasped in William's. She felt that spark when he took it, and it felt like her smaller hand belonged in William's larger hand. But she couldn't marry him. Her tears started to coming down faster as she answered, "I can't."
"Why not? Does it have to do with George Wickham?"
Elizabeth looked back down to her lap. "Partly. Something happened that made me wary of men. And I can't forget that, even if I want to," Elizabeth replied looking back up and looking into William's eyes, betraying all she felt.
William saw the love in her eyes, but he also saw the fear in them and wanted her to trust him. Suddenly, William reached over and kissed her, trying to express how he felt. Elizabeth wanted to pull away, but she also didn't, so she did the more pleasing of the two: she kissed him back. When William felt her respond, he thought he won the argument.
Sun's comin' up comin' up down on Main Street
Children shout as they're running out to play
Head in my hands here I am
Standing in my bare feet
Watching you drive away
Watching you drive away
Slowly, he pulled away and smiled at her, but when he noticed she was still crying, the smile quickly faded.
"William, that's not the only reason why I can't marry you. What would they say?"
"What would who say about what?" William questioned, frustrated.
"About your kidnapper marrying you!"
"What?" William almost screeched (as high as he could for a man, anyway). "What about that? I don't care, and why should you?"
"Because! It isn't normal! How many times do you hear of a kidnapper marrying his or her kidnappee?"
"Lizzy, nobody probably knows about this anyway! If I know my aunt like I thought I did, the only people who know about where I was is her, Jane, Charles, my sister, and my cousin! Nobody will ever know you kidnapped me ever!"
"But what about your aunt! What will she say?" Elizabeth was struggling to make William see her reasons why she couldn't accept, and she was starting to lose hope that he would.
You said that we were gonna last forever
You said our love would never die
It looks like spring and
It feels like sunny weather
But it's a cold day in July
"My aunt? I don't give a d*mn what she says! Look how much she cares about me! Not even at my house to see if by any chance I come home. Or letting the word get out that I was kidnapped. If she really cared about me, she would have everybody out looking for me."
"You told me yourself that your parents never did that."
"No, they never let it out in the public, but they had private investigators all over the place, and like I said, I was home and in a small amount of time."
William paused and took a breath. Squeezing her hand that was still in his, he whispered, "Please."
Oh sun's comin' up comin' up
Down on Main Street
Children shout as they're running out to play
Whoa head in my hands
Here I am standing in my bare feet
Watching you drive away
Watching you drive away
Elizabeth looked straight in William's eyes and answered tearfully, "I can't."
At Elizabeth's determined answer, William looked down and dropped her hand. "Okay, I understand. I hope you find what you want and you become happy," William said, sincerely. "I really do." And with that, he got out of the car.
Slowly, William walked to his front door with his hands in his pockets, looking down. When he got to his door, he quietly looked around to see Elizabeth backing out of his driveway. And quietly, he wiped the tear off of his cheek.
The moon is full and my arms are empty
All night long how I've pleaded and cried
You always said the day that
you would leave me
Would be a cold day in July
Elizabeth had to force herself to drive away. Only when she got to the street, did she notice the song. Laughing mirthlessly, she said sarcastically out loud, "Perfect song. For a perfect day in July."
The tears fell all the way back to her apartment.
Here comes that cold day in July*
* "Cold Day in July" by Richard Leigh
Chapter 9 Posted on Tuesday, 25 July 2000
Elizabeth finally made it back to her apartment, but was so distraught that she didn't even stop to greet her dog and cat. She just made a beeline to her bedroom, where she collapsed on her bed and cried. She didn't notice as her pets followed her into her room, wondering what was wrong.
When Elizabeth lied down on her bed, her cat, Issy, jumped up beside her and started meowing and rubbing her face against Elizabeth's own face. Her cat's actions of compassion did get a laugh out of Elizabeth and she reached up to pet Issy once. But when she didn't pet her again, Issy curled up into a furry ball next to Elizabeth.
Meisha, Elizabeth's black lab, watched this interaction between her mistress and Issy with her head resting on the bed. Meisha was the kind of dog that didn't like to see her mistress upset and crying, even though it didn't happen often. Silently, Meisha jumped up on Elizabeth's bed, licked her leg once, and settled down, resting her head on Elizabeth's leg, patiently waiting for Elizabeth to feel better.
Although it was in the middle of the day, Elizabeth soon cried herself to sleep with her animals resting next to her. She just wanted to forget everything that happened that day; most of all she wanted to forget William. She couldn't stand thinking of him everyday, knowing that she probably wouldn't see him again; at least how she saw him for the past five days. So she let herself fall asleep.
She woke up in the early hours of the evening when she heard Meisha barking and a commotion near her apartment's door. When Elizabeth fully woke up, she recognized Jane's voice answering Meisha's barks.
"What is it, Meisha? What's wrong?" Elizabeth heard Jane's quiet voice ask her dog. "You want me to go in there?"
Elizabeth heard a scampering of paws on her floors, and then Jane's footsteps following behind. Finally, Meisha made it to Elizabeth's bedroom and jumped on the bed, looking at the door, waiting for Jane to come in.
It only took a second for Jane to appear in the doorway saying, "Meisha, why'd you go in here? Don't you want to eat?" Jane stopped talking to the dog when she saw her sister sitting up in bed with her pets around her.
"Lizzy?" Jane gasped in surprise. "You're back! Oh! Thank God you're safe!" Jane exclaimed while running to hug her sister.
Elizabeth was truly happy to see her sister, somebody she could talk to, and hugged her elder sister tightly. After a few moments, the sisters parted, and Elizabeth wondered out loud, "What are you doing here, Jane?"
"I have been coming every morning and evening to feed Issy and Meisha while you have been gone. I realized you didn't mention anything about them when I saw you in Pleasantville, but I figured you had too much on your mind."
"Thank you, Jane," Elizabeth replied and then looked down at her hands.
"Lizzy, what's wrong?" Jane asked, concerned.
"Oh, Jane!" Elizabeth exclaimed in reply while hugging her sister tightly around the neck again.
When Jane didn't get any other answer out of Elizabeth she innocently questioned, "Lizzy, where's William?" but only got more sobs in response. Jane held her younger sister as she cried, wondering what happened to make Elizabeth so unlike her usual enjoyable self.
Finally, Elizabeth pulled back and wiped her eyes. "He's home, all alone!"
"Oh, Lizzy. I'm sure he's fine. He's lived alone for at least four years now; he's probably used to it."
"But he's lonely!" Elizabeth cried.
"Lizzy! Why is this making you so upset?"
Elizabeth sniffled, "Cuz he asked me to marry him!"
"What?" Jane exclaimed in surprise, but quickly quieted and assured, "But Lizzy, you can't be blamed for the way he lives. Besides, nobody can't blame you for refusing him if you don't love him."
"But I do!" Elizabeth sobbed again.
Once again, Jane held Lizzy as she cried her heart out, not uttering one word until her sister was quiet again. "Then why did you refuse?" Jane asked gently once Elizabeth stopped sobbing.
"Because!" Lizzy began. "What was I supposed to do? We've only known each other for just above four days! And I kidnapped him, for goodness sake! It's hardly normal for a kidnapper to marry the person she kidnapped. And... and... what would his aunt say?" Elizabeth finished explaining.
"What did William say about this explanation?" Jane was trying to understand what exactly happened between her sister and William. She new that the two that she and Charles planned on introducing to each other at an attempt of matchmaking started out in a weird relationship due to the way they were thrown together, but she never dreamed that it would end like this.
"He said he didn't care," Lizzy sniffled. "He just wanted to marry me cuz he loved me."
"Do you want to see him again, Lizzy?"
"Yes! But I doubt he wants to see me again after I refused him," Elizabeth hopelessly responded.
"Oh, I doubt that, Lizzy. If he truly loves you, he'll want to see you again. William may be many things, but he's not fickle." Jane let her statement sink in before continuing, "Why don't you go get freshened up and I'll feed your pets and get you something to eat?"
Elizabeth only nodded before standing up to make her way to her bathroom. At the door, she turned around and smiled slightly, "Thank you, Janey. You're the best sister a girl could have."
Before Jane could respond, Elizabeth walked into the bathroom and closed the door.
The two sisters were just finishing their grilled cheese sandwich suppers at Elizabeth's table an hour later. Elizabeth finally was calmed down and they sat, talking about anything except Elizabeth's trip. Jane didn't want to bring it up, and Elizabeth was afraid if she spoke of it, she would start crying again.
Jane stood up to take the plates to the sink and innocently said, "I have two kiwis here if you would like desert." But Jane quickly regretted saying that when, without warning, Elizabeth started sobbing again.
"Oh dear," she whispered as Elizabeth laid her head on the table. Sighing, Jane petted Elizabeth's head until she calmed down once again.
Once Elizabeth finally picked her head up again and tears stopped flowing, Jane suggested, "I think you should go to bed."
As soon as Jane walked through the door to her own apartment, she immediately picked up the telephone and dialed a number. After the kiwi incident, Jane made Elizabeth go to bed and waited in her room until she was asleep. Silently, she slipped out of the apartment and got into her car to drive back home.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Honey..." Jane began.
"Darling! I've missed you," Charles replied.
"Have you spoken to William Darcy yet?" Jane got right to the point.
"No. He's back?"
"Yes, Elizabeth and him got back early this afternoon, and she's really upset over what happened."
"Why? What happened?" Charles questioned, worried.
"Maybe you should have William tell you that. Get his position," Jane reasoned.
"Can you at least give me a hint?" Charles pleaded.
"Well, I'll put it this way; two people who couldn't be more perfect for each other might be kept apart because of a misunderstanding."
"Well, I'll see what I can do, Jane. I love you."
"I love you too," Jane smiled before hanging up the phone.
When Charles pulled up to William's house, he saw the lights of only one room. Every other window was dark. A moment after ringing the doorbell, the door opened, but no William appeared. Charles only saw the back of William as he walked away from opening the door, back into the family room.
Closing the door, Charles followed him. He was surprised that William could even hear the door bell, the Ricky Martin cd was blaring so loud. When Charles entered the family room, William was already sitting back down on the couch, looking haggard.
"Ricky Martin?" Charles shouted to be heard with his eyebrows raised.
"What?" William shouted back.
Knowing it to be hopeless to be heard without turning the music down, Charles went over to the stereo and lowered the volume to a reasonable level. "I said, Ricky Martin?"
"Yeah? Why not? I went out today and bought some cd's," William replied, indicating to a group of cd covers sitting on the coffee table. Charles walked over and picked up the plastic cases.
"Two Ricky Martins? Selena? Enrique Iglesias? Dixie Chicks?" Charles's voice got higher and higher in disbelief as he read each cd. "What happened?"
William shrugged, "They grew on me."
"William, what happened between you and Elizabeth?" Charles bluntly asked.
William looked sharply at Charles and questioned in return, "What makes you think anything happened?"
"Jane called me. It seems as if she went to Elizabeth's apartment to feed Lizzy's pets, but in addition to hungry animals, she found Elizabeth upset and crying."
William shrugged and looked down, "I just asked her to marry me. And she refused."
Charles stood in shock for a full minute. For as long as he knew William, he never knew his friend to get attached to any woman, besides his sister. In society, he saw William close up and act arrogant to repel women, but they were still after his money. And here his best friend sat, fallen in love after only a few short days.
"Why?" Charles managed to stutter out.
"Why what?" William looked up, sadly. "Why did I propose? Because I love her. Why did she refuse? Because apparently, she doesn't think a few days is long enough to know you love somebody, she's afraid what people would think if I married my kidnapper, and she's even afraid what my 'good for nothing except getting money' aunt would say."
"I'm sorry, William," Charles could only say.
"What's there to be sorry about? I made a wrong judgment. I thought she loved me. Apparently I was wrong. So I came home, ate something, went out again, bought some cd's, stopped by the office to find that my aunt didn't even care that I was back, paid some bills..." William trailed off.
"Do you want to see her again?" Charles asked.
"I would sell my soul to see her again," William answered solemnly. "But she doesn't want to see me again. And the way it sounds, her being upset means she's mad at me and wouldn't care if I jumped off a bridge."
"William, Liz is an intelligent, sweet girl... Except when you get her mad. Then you better watch out!" Charles quickly continued after seeing William's fallen face, "But she's not heartless! How it sounded when Jane called was that she was upset because of her decision, or something else; not upset like she was furious." Charles smiled at the hopeful look he saw in his friend's eyes. "And if you want her back, I'll be more than glad to help."
"What do you have in mind?" William asked skeptically.
"Hmm. I don't know," Charles began with a mischievous spark in his eye. "Accidentally inviting you both to the same places, events, parties. Things like that."
As William smiled his thanks to his friend, he felt the first glimpse of hope he had since his disastrous proposal.
"So what'd you find out?" Jane asked eagerly when her boyfriend finally called.
"The guy's hopelessly in love," Charles laughed. "He's even taken to listening to Ricky Martin and the Dixie Chicks. Before, he hated Latin and country music."
Jane laughed along with Charles, "Yeah, Lizzy loves her Ricky cd's and Dixie Chicks cd. Did you find out anything else?"
"Not really, except he's agreed to let us help."
"Help with what?"
"Accidentally throwing them in the company of each other."
Jane chuckled, "So we get to try out our matchmaking skills after all?"
"Yep. But I'm sure that our first attempt will be a success."
"It better be, Charles Bingley, or I'm blaming my sister's unhappiness on you," Jane teased.
Chapter 10 Posted on Thursday, 27 July 2000
The next morning, Elizabeth woke feeling better. She still wasn't her old self; she was far from that. But she at least could think of Will without bursting out crying.
The first thing she wanted to do was go visit her father in the hospital and see about the bills. Elizabeth hated hospitals. They always reminded her of death and sickness, and was always depressed in the buildings. But she went anyway. She missed her father, and she wanted to see with her own eyes that he was okay.
When she stepped into his room, she was surprised to see all the machines around him, but she was glad to see him awake.
"Daddy!"
"Lizzy!" Mr. Bennet exclaimed as loud as his strength allowed him to. "You came home! I heard you were on a business trip."
Lizzy blushed, but continued walking into the room where she kissed her father on the forehead. "Yeah, I was. But I came home last night." Elizabeth took a hold of his hand and asked quietly, "How are you feeling?"
"Okay, my love. Don't worry about me. I learned my lesson and promise to take better care of me."
"That's good, Daddy," Elizabeth smiled. "But I think the biggest problem is Mom's famous cooking. Make any good arteries go down the tube."
Mr. Bennet laughed, "Well, that's why I married her. A woman to feed me well. Now I guess not only did my arteries go bad because of it, but also my plan."
"Aww! Come on, Daddy! There are plenty of good foods that are healthy for you," Elizabeth laughed.
"I suppose there are, but I'm not looking forward to it," Mr. Bennet joked, but then yawned.
"You look tired, Daddy. You better get some sleep." Elizabeth leaned down to kiss her father again. "Good bye."
"Good bye, Lizzy."
Elizabeth took one last look back at her father who was settling down to sleep before closing the door quietly behind her.
Who could have paid the bills? All of them at once, too, Elizabeth couldn't help thinking on the drive home. After visiting her father, she went to see how much she owed, but the receptionist told her that there was nothing to be paid. Somebody must have paid it, and she knew at least it couldn't be her parents. They didn't have that kind of money to pay off those kind of bills all at once.
As soon as she returned to her apartment, she called Jane.
"Jane, did you pay off Daddy's bills at the hospital?" Elizabeth asked in rush.
"No, I didn't. Why?"
"I went to see how much money needed to be paid, and somebody must have paid it all at once. Not one cent is owed to this point. The rest that needs to paid is just for Daddy's hospital stay from today, on."
"I don't know anything about it. I didn't pay it off, and I don't think Charles did. He would've told me."
"And none of our other sisters did it. They couldn't have," Elizabeth's voice faded as she tried to think who could have paid the money.
"I wouldn't worry about it, Lizzy. It's probably one of our family members, and it'll come out in time. Maybe someone has a stash of money hidden away that they're not telling us about," Jane laughed.
"Maybe."
"Lizzy, I have to go. I'm meeting Charles for lunch. I'll talk to you later, kay?"
"Yeah. Bye, Janey."
Two Weeks Later
Elizabeth still was wondering who paid the bills. Nobody had come forward, and she was running out of possibilities.
Luckily, her job hunting was keeping her mind occupied. At the time, she was in the process of getting a job at a small firm, but with more money than she did at her previous job. Elizabeth was relieved that she was able to find a job in a reasonable amount of time, especially with a lack of police record. She didn't know how he did it, but she figured William Darcy somehow persuaded his aunt from ever notifying the police of her little escapade.
Will, Elizabeth thought, shaking he head. I have to stop thinking about him. I ruined things, and that's just it. He hasn't come in contact with me since that dreaded day. He probably hates me.
Elizabeth was startled out of her depressing reverie by the phone ringing. Quickly answering it, she said, "Hello?"
"Lizzy, it's me."
"Hello Janey. What's up?"
"Charles and I got invited to a sort of barbecue by a friend of his, and he says its okay if we bring you."
"Why'd you ask if you could bring me?" Elizabeth sighed.
"Because Charles and I are worried about you. You haven't done anything fun since you came back. We think you need to get out and do something."
"Jane, I don't feel like it. Just go with Charles and have a good time."
"Lizzy, we want you to come with us? Besides I need you to do this as a favor for me."
"Why?"
"Well, Charles is bringing his sister along, too. And, she's nice, but..." Jane faded away.
"What?" Elizabeth exclaimed in surprise. "Is this Jane Bennet admitting that she doesn't like somebody?"
"I like her!" Jane defended. "But sometimes...well... She's different. Just come!"
"Okay, Janey," Elizabeth laughed. "I'll come just to save you from Charles's evil sister."
"Good," Jane smirked. Good thing she can't see how triumphant I am over the phone. "We'll pick you up on Saturday at five."
"Fine, Janey. I'll see you then. Bye," Elizabeth said as she hung up the phone.
Saturday, Elizabeth stood outside her apartment looking for Charles's car. She was dressed casually in khaki pants and a knit, striped T-shirt and had her hair down, loose. Elizabeth wasn't especially looking forward to this little party seeing that she didn't even know who's it was. She forgot to ask Jane that day on the phone, and whenever she asked in other conversations, Jane would say something like "just a friend of Charles's. Don't worry about it." All that she knew was that Charles was also taking along his sister, Caroline. Caroline, Elizabeth smirked while waiting at the curb. I remember William mentioning her. About how she's so determined to marry him that she doesn't see the 'Get away from me' signals that he gives her.
Finally, she spotted Charles's car coming down the street and stop at the curb. Quickly climbing in, Elizabeth greeted everyone and settled down in the street. Turning to beside her, she extended her hand and smiled (well at least tried to smile. The particular shade of orange that the woman was wearing was rather bright and hurt Elizabeth's eyes.), "Hi. You must be Charles's sister, Caroline. I'm Elizabeth. Nice to meet you."
The woman (whom Elizabeth thought to resemble a duck) took Elizabeth's hand with the tips of her fingers, shook it once, and sniffed, "Same here, I'm sure," before quickly looking the other way to stare out the window.
At this action, Elizabeth made a mocking face towards Caroline's back, but it was reflected in the window. Caroline saw the reflection and turned to face Elizabeth, "I saw that!"
"Saw what?" Elizabeth feigned innocence.
Caroline only huffed before turning around to stare out the window again while Elizabeth turned to look forward. She couldn't help herself, however, and turned to look in the rearview mirror to see her sister's and Charles's reaction to what just transpired. Jane was solemn as usual, but Elizabeth could see a mirthful smile quivering on Charles's face.
Glad that she didn't offend her sister's boyfriend, Elizabeth smiled and settled into her seat to look at the scenery as they left the city. Pretty soon, they were in familiar territory, last seen by Elizabeth around two weeks ago. They couldn't be going to William's house. They couldn't. They wouldn't do that to me.
But each turn brought a feeling of dread to Elizabeth. Charles wasn't turning into any of the fancy mansions, and soon, they were in the country again. And sooner than Elizabeth would like, Charles put his blinker on and slowed. Slowed to turn into a familiar looking driveway.
"Uh. Charles? Whose party is this?" Elizabeth asked shakily.
"William Darcy's," Charles answered, smirking.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"It didn't matter. It's just a barbecue," Jane explained, but couldn't stop smiling at Elizabeth.
"What's wrong, Eliza?" Caroline smirked from beside Elizabeth. "Afraid you're not good enough to be in this kind of society? I know we're a different sort, but we're not evil."
Elizabeth turned and grinned, "Oh, I'm not worried about fitting into his society. After all, I spent four days with him, including three nights in the same hotel room as him. And I can tell you, he's definitely not evil," Elizabeth finished with a suggestive smile.
Lizzy only looked at Caroline long enough to see her mouth drop open before turning back to Charles and Jane and frowned, "I still don't like how you deceived me. But come on, might as well get this over with."
The four got out of the car and made their way to the back. People were already there, mingling. Elizabeth noticed William among the crowd, looking stoic, and not saying much. He finally looked up and noticed the four, causing a handsome smile to break out on his face. He excused himself from his company and went over to greet them.
"Hello Charles," William said, shaking his friend's hand. "Hello Jane," William kissed Jane's cheek. "Hello Caroline," William nodded at Caroline's extended cheek.
Elizabeth smirked at Caroline's unfulfilled expectations, but quickly wiped the smirk off when she heard a quiet, "Hello Lizzy." Elizabeth turned to see William looking down at her with his soft eyes.
Looking down, she whispered, "Hello Will."
Jane and Charles, who were watching this interaction, went to leave. "Come on Caroline," Charles said. "Let's go mingle."
"I don't want to! I haven't greeted William properly!" Caroline whined.
"Caroline," Charles warned through gritted teeth.
"Fine, I'm coming," Caroline sulked. Charles wasn't normally a very stern person, so when he did press his authority, one knew that he was really serious. And Caroline wasn't about to test how far her brother would go in front of William. Regretfully, she stalked off, leaving William and Lizzy together.
"I missed you, Lizzy," William said simply.
Elizabeth looked up with hope shining in her eyes. "You did?"
"Of course. I told you I loved you, and I meant it."
"I missed you, too, Will."
At her declaration, another smile broke out on William's face, and soon he was chuckling softly. On an impulse, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her towards him in a hug. Laughing at William's obvious happiness, Elizabeth wrapped her arms around him and kissed his ear.
After a few moments, William put her down and said, "I'd like you to meet my sister. She's back for a couple of weeks."
Elizabeth smiled, "I'd love that, Will."
As William led Elizabeth by the hand to where his sister stood talking to some acquaintances, Elizabeth whispered, "You didn't look very happy while talking to those people when we came in."
William grimaced, "Yeah, well, they were just some business associates and their daughters who are determined to marry me."
"What if I were to tell you I was determined to marry you?" Elizabeth grinned.
William stopped short at hearing Elizabeth's question, and she laughed at his expression, "After a normal dating period of course. Somehow, I can't picture telling people who asked about our courtship about our little adventure."
William chuckled at Elizabeth's teasing and whispered as he leaned in to kiss her cheek, "I love you, Lizzy."
Elizabeth grinned and leaned in more towards William as he continued leading her to his sister. Finally, they came to a pretty girl with long, dark brown hair and blue eyes. When she saw them coming, Georgiana smiled at the couple.
"Georgiana, I would like you to meet Elizabeth. Elizabeth, this is my sister, Georgiana."
The two woman smiled at each other in shy greeting. Finally, Elizabeth said, "I've heard so much of you, Georgiana."
"I have of you, too," Georgiana laughed. "I think you made quite an impression on my brother, kidnapping him like that."
"I think he was more trouble than it was worth, Georgiana," Elizabeth teased as William was standing right by them.
"You can call me Georgie, if you'd like, Elizabeth. Georgiana is a mouth full. And I know. I've lived with William my whole life, and I've realized that sometimes, he's just not worth it."
"I think I better go mingle now," William chuckled. "I'm not sure I want to hear all these insults."
The two women smiled after William before Elizabeth turned back to Georgie. "You may call me Lizzy or Liz, if you would like. Most people do."
Georgiana smiled in reply and the two set to talking to get to know each other better.
Elizabeth was standing off to the side drinking her soda and watching the party. She was having more fun than she expected, even when not spending every minute with William. She spent the night, mingling with other people, but spending most time around William, Georgie, Jane, or Charles. Now someone had started a 'dance floor' out on the lawn and people were dancing to the music coming out of the speakers William set up outside.
Listening to the music, Elizabeth was surprised to hear one of her favorite songs come on. A Ricky Martin song. William bought his cd? Wow. He declared he would always dislike Ricky.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her arm, and she turned to face the object of her thoughts. (No! Not Ricky! William!) "Would you like to dance?" William asked politely.
"Of course," Elizabeth grinned as she took his hand and walked to where everybody was dancing. When William took her in his arms, she sighed. She finally was content knowing that William didn't hate her and he was willing to have a 'normal' courtship.
Algo me dice que ya no volveras
Estoy seguro que esta vez
No habra marcha atras
Elizabeth looked up from where she rested her head on William's shoulder. "Since when do you listen to Ricky Martin?"
William chuckled, "Since you left me and I bought anything that would remind me of you. I also have Enrique, Selena, and even the Dixie Chicks."
Elizabeth laughed quietly and laid her head back on his shoulder.
Despues de todo fui yo a decirte que no
Sabes bien que no es cierto
Estoy muriendo por dentro
"Take a look at that, Jane," Charles grinned while dancing with his girlfriend. "I think our plan worked more quickly than we thought it could take."
Jane looked up to see her sister and William dancing close together and grinned, "Yep. Well, now that we don't have to deal with those two anymore, I think we can focus more on ourselves."
Charles grinned and leaned down to give Jane a kiss. "When do you want to tell them of our engagement?"
"Mmm. Why not in a couple of days? We can invite William and Elizabeth out for dinner and tell them then."
Charles smiled, "You always have the best ideas, Jane," as he pulled his fiancee closer to him.
Y ahora es que me doy cuenta
Que sin ti no soy nada
He perdido las fuerzas
He perdido las ganas
"I have lost my strength without you, Lizzy."
At his declaration, Elizabeth started laughing softly.
"What?" William asked, feigning offense.
"You've been brushing up on your Spanish with Ricky Martin?"
"Yep," William grinned. "Just for you."
He intentado encontrarte
en otras personas
No es igual
No es lo mismo
Nos separa un abismo
Vuelve
Que sin ti la vida se m va
Oh, vuelve
Que me falta el aire si tu no estas
Oh, vuelve
Nadie ocupara tu lugar
Off to the side, Caroline angrily watched the object of her desire and her enemy dance closely together. Never before had she ever seen William interested in any other woman, and now that it happened, Caroline was furious. She was determined to find a way to stop the tragedy of William falling in love from happening.
Sobra tanto espacio
Si no estas
No paso un minuto sin pensar
Sin ti la vida lentamente se ma va
Algo me dice
Ya no sirve de nada
Tantas noches en vela
Aferrado a mi almohada
"Guess what, Lizzy."
"Hmm?" Now, Elizabeth was in no mood to move her head from the comfortable spot.
"My aunt gave up the spot as head of the company."
"She did?" Elizabeth questioned in surprise.
"Yeah. She couldn't handle all the thinking that she had to do while I was gone. She always persuaded herself that she did all the work to keep the company together, but when I was gone, she realized that she really didn't want to run a business and gave it back up to me. She couldn't handle all the work."
Elizabeth laughed, "You're serious?"
"Yep. Not that I'll have more work to do. I'll be doing the exact same things I have been doing, but this time, I'll get the credit while Cathy's lounging in Florida, where she is moving with her daughter," William grinned.
"Why, aren't you the lucky one?" Elizabeth teased.
"Yes, I am," William whispered into her hair, but not thinking about his aunt.
Si pudiera tan solo regresar un momento
Ahora es que te comprendo
Ahora Es Cuando te pierdo
Vuelve
Que sin ti la vida se m va
Oh, vuelve
Que me falta el aire si tu no estas
Oh, vuelve
Nadie ocupara tu lugar
"Lizzy, have you finally returned to me?" William asked.
The strange question caused Elizabeth to pick up her head and look William in his eyes. "Of course, I have. I realized what a mistake I made when in refusing you. Well, not refusing marriage, but at the same time, refusing to see you with my own words." Elizabeth paused and then continued, "William, I love you."
Y a pesar que fui yo
A decirte que no
Sin embargo aqui sigo insistiendote
Surprised and happiness flowed through William so much, that he stopped dancing without realizing it. Even after he told Elizabeth several times that he loved her, she never told him.
Gently taking her chin in his hands, William leaned down and kissed Elizabeth just as the music swelled into the final chorus.
Que sin ti la vida se m va
Oh, vuelve
Que me falta el aire si tu no estas
Oh, vuelve
Nadie ocupara tu lugar*
And in that embrace, William and Elizabeth were content to be.
* "Vuelve" by Franco de Vita
Chapter 11 Posted on Monday, 31 July 2000
Elizabeth was woken up very early the next Saturday morning by the loud ringing of her phone. Groaning, she rolled over in her bed and picked it up.
"You better have a good reason for waking me up this early," she said grouchily, without even finding out who it was.
"Good morning to you, too, Lizzy," a familiar voice laughed.
"Will! You should know from our couple of days that I don't wake up very early."
"It's ten o'clock!" Will chuckled.
"That's early for me on weekends!" Elizabeth complained, finally sitting up. "So what's your good reason?" she teased.
"I know that we're going out to dinner with Jane and Charles, but can you come over to my place as soon as you can?"
"Why?" Elizabeth smiled.
"Cuz, I want to spend the day with you. Georgie's out for the day with some friends, and I'm lonely," William feigned sadness to provoke pity out of Elizabeth.
"Okay, I'll be over as soon as I can. After all, I don't think I'll get back to sleep," Lizzy grinned.
"See you then. Oh, and wear sturdy shoes. Sneakers will probably be best," William advised.
"Why?" Elizabeth curiously asked.
"I'm not telling you. It's a surprise," William laughed. "I love you."
"I love you too," Elizabeth laughed as she hung up the phone.
Two hours later, Elizabeth pulled into William's driveway to see him standing at the front door, dressed simply in khaki shorts and a polo.
Smiling, Elizabeth jumped out of the car and ran to William. Throwing her arms around his neck, she kissed him.
When she pulled back, William laughingly said, "Well hello to you, too."
"What do you have planned?" Elizabeth questioned, leaning her forehead against his.
"You'll see," Will only replied before kissing her again. After a few moments, he pulled back, and taking her hand, he led her to the barn where two horses were waiting, already saddled up.
"Umm. William? We're not riding, are we?" Elizabeth asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, why?"
"First, I'm afraid of heights. Second, I don't know how to ride!" Elizabeth answered, eyes wide.
William laughed, "First, a horse isn't that high up. Second, this horse is gentle and I don't exactly intend on galloping to where we're going. We'll have the horses walk if you're more comfortable with that." William held out his hand to Elizabeth. "I'll be beside you the whole way. Here, let me help you up."
Elizabeth just looked at his offered hand, hesitant to take it. Finally, she put her smaller hand in his and looked up into his face. Knowing that she can trust him, she let him help her on the horse. Once she was up there, she grew comfortable with the height, and calmed down a little bit.
A moment later, William climbed up on the horse beside hers, and they were off. Slowly. As promised, William kept his horse near Elizabeth's, but she still was uncomfortable so what would have been a fifteen minute ride to the site that they were going to, trotting, turned out to be a half hour. But they didn't mind. When Elizabeth wasn't freaking out that she was going to fall off the animal, she and William conversed, talking about anything and everything.
When they got closer to the spot, Elizabeth spotted some things lying on the ground. "Is that where we're stopping?" she asked, but William only smiled.
Soon, they finally reached the spot. Elizabeth found that the things were a picnic basket, a blanket, and a small stereo. She looked up to smile at William, but instead, the surroundings caught her eye.
They were almost at the edge of a hill that sloped down. A little away from the bottom of the hill was a shining lake, and a little beyond, there were nothing but trees. "Oh, Will," she breathed.
"You like it?" he smiled as he jumped down from his horse.
"It's beautiful. Is this all yours?" she asked, still atop her horse.
"Yep," he grinned, but then looked up questionably at Elizabeth. "Lizzy, aren't you going to get down from there?"
"I don't know how," she answered sheepishly.
"Just swing your leg over and jump down," William tried to explain.
"It's too high to jump down!" Lizzy complained.
William sighed, but chuckled as he went over to her side. "Swing your leg over, and I'll help you from there." Elizabeth did as she was told and William then reached up and grabbed her waist. "Now jump. Don't worry, I won't let you fall."
Elizabeth did as she was told, and once down upon the ground, she put her arms up around Will's neck. "My hero," she sighed dramatically.
William grinned, "Were you really afraid to get down, or was that just an excuse for me to help you down?"
"Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't," Elizabeth smirked.
"You little devil," William teased before leaning in for a kiss.
They stood in this embrace until Elizabeth's horse neighed and William pulled back, laughing, "All right, all right, we'll leave you alone."
The two spent the early afternoon eating the lunch (which of course included kiwis) that William's cook packed, ("A cook?" Elizabeth asked incredulously. "Yeah," Will answered. "The only thing I can cook without burning is that Easy Mac Macaroni and Cheese stuff.") drinking the juice boxes, listening to music, and talking.
Afterwards, they rested; William lying on the ground with Elizabeth lying perpendicular to him, resting her head on his stomach. They weren't saying much; they were just content to be in each other's company.
Elizabeth was just about to drift off to sleep when William's hesitant voice woke her up again.
"Lizzy?"
"Hmm?"
"I know you may not want to talk about it, but I was wondering about something."
"What is it?" Elizabeth stood up and looked down at William.
"Well, when we were on our, quote unquote, adventure, at first you didn't seem to trust me. Then I got to thinking and thought that it wasn't me you didn't trust, but men. And then that one night after our failed ransom attempt, you were having a nightmare and calling out George's name. I was wondering whether it had to do something with George Wickham."
"You know him?" Elizabeth asked in surprise.
"Yes, unfortunately." William reached up and grabbed her hand and held it. "You don't have to tell me, but if it is something that may cause problems later, I want to help. I want you to trust me."
When Elizabeth looked down and didn't respond for a while, William thought she wasn't going to say anything and was going to say something, but Elizabeth beat him to it. Quietly, she spoke up, "I trust you."
Elizabeth sighed and began her story, "There's not really much to it. Soon after graduation from college, I met George at an acquaintance's party. We went out many times, and he always acted charming and sweet and I allowed myself to think I was falling in love, but I wouldn't sleep with him, and he had problems with that. He started telling me he loved me, but I still wouldn't. One night, I invited him up to my apartment for coffee. I never should have; he tried to...to..." Elizabeth started to cry, but she continued, "He tried to force himself on me. But before he could really do anything, Jane walked in. She was calling me, and since it was late at night, she was worried when I wasn't answering the phone."
When Elizabeth started crying harder, William sat up and enfolded her in his arms and rocked her back and forth until she calmed down and continued, "I never saw him after that night. He never tried to call me and I never got in contact with him. I never wanted to see him again. So when I got out of the car and saw him pointing the gun at me, I just froze. And you're right; I really didn't trust men after that. I guess that's why I got upset when there was only one bed in that room, and it's another reason why I refused you that night," Elizabeth cried.
"Shh," William comforted. "It's okay, Lizzy. Nobody will hurt you now." William continued to rock Elizabeth and plant little kisses in her hair. After a few minutes, Elizabeth calmed down, wiped her eyes, and looked up at William. "How do you know him?"
"We were childhood friends. He was my next door neighbor, and naturally, we played together all through elementary school and middle school. But without me knowing it, George was becoming jealous of me. Of what, I don't know. It could've been my good grades, or that my family was more well off than his was. The fact of the matter was, that by high school, he was getting in with the wrong crowd. He was shop lifting, and using girls like you wouldn't believe. Naturally, we drifted apart."
William took a breath and then continued, "It was my sister's junior year in college that she called me to say that she was pregnant. It was George Wickham's." Elizabeth gasped, but let William finish his story, "George told her that he never loved her and to get an abortion, but Georgiana wouldn't. By then, she came out of her shell that she was in while still in high school, and she knew that she wanted to keep the baby. After she told this to George, she never saw him again."
"But...but...I didn't know Georgie had a baby," Elizabeth commented.
"She doesn't. She miscarried towards the end of the first trimester. She was heartbroken. Even though the baby's father left her and she still had to finish college, she grew attached to the unborn child. She went into a slight depression, so I took her out of school and took her traveling. Resting, and me looking over her seemed to help and she got better and returned to school the next year."
"She's lucky to have an older brother such as you," Elizabeth whispered and kissed his chin.
"I could've done more," William objected with tears forming in his eyes. "I should've told her why George and I grew apart. I just let her believe that our high school schedules didn't allow us to see each other a lot through the day."
"Oh Will," Elizabeth cried, wiping away a tear that was falling down his cheek. "You couldn't have known he was going to go after your sister. You are not to blame."
William looked down and looked in Elizabeth's eyes. "You really believe that? You don't think I could have protected her better?"
"Yes, I really do believe that. You have to let her experience the world for herself, Will. She's an intelligent girl and probably learned from her mistake. Nobody could be a better big brother than you."
William tightened his arms around her and kissed her forehead. After a few moments, he leaned back to lie on the grass again and brought Elizabeth down with him.
Quietly they laid there, with his Dixie Chicks cd playing. The calm they felt allowed them to fall asleep.
When Elizabeth woke up, it was late afternoon. The sun wasn't about to set, but it was getting pretty low in the sky. She lifted her head off of William's shoulder and looked to see if he was awake. He was dead asleep.
Smiling evilly, she poked him in the stomach. Nothing. Poked harder. Nothing still. Poked even harder. She was about to poke again, when she heard a mumble.
"Do you take delight in hurting me?"
"Yes," was the impertinent answer. She kissed him and then continued, "Now get up. We need to get going so I can get ready for the dinner."
"Yes, ma'am," William teased as he sat up. He listened for a minute and then asked, "Why is the cd still playing?"
"It's probably on repeat. That's okay. I love this cd."
"I know you do," William smiled.
The two packed everything away and William was about to shut the cd off when Elizabeth stopped him, "I love this song. Let it play."
I said I wanna touch the earth
I wanna break it in my hands
I wanna grow something wild and unruly
"Mmm. This song is perfect for how we spent this day," Elizabeth sighed.
I wanna sleep on the hard ground
In the comfort of your arms
On a pillow of bluebonnets
In a blanket made of stars
"Do you really want to do that?" William asked.
"What? Fall asleep on the ground with you? I thought I just did," Elizabeth teased. "But I would do it again. It's so peaceful out here."
Oh it sounds good to me I said
Cowboy take me away
Fly this girl as high as you can
Into the wild blue
Set me free oh I pray
Closer to heaven above and
Closer to you closer to you
"But I'm not a cowboy," William grinned.
"I can turn you into one," Elizabeth teased. William chuckled at her comment. "It doesn't matter either way. I would still just want you," Elizabeth said sincerely.
I wanna walk and not run
I wanna skip and not fall
I wanna look at the horizon
And not see a building standing tall
I wanna be the only one
For miles and miles
Except for maybe you
And your simple smile
Oh it sounds good to me
Yes it sounds so good to me
"You have the perfect place here," Elizabeth commented, sitting down next to William, who was sitting at the edge of the hill. "You can do all these things here; there are no interruptions."
"It could be your place, too," William said enigmatically.
"Is that a proposal?" Elizabeth asked, eyes shining.
Cowboy take me away
Fly this girl as high as you can
Into the wild blue
Set me free oh I pray
Closer to heaven above and
Closer to you closer to you
"No," William stated simply. Elizabeth just sat there, jaw dropped open.
I said I wanna touch the earth
I wanna break it in my hands
I wanna grow something
wild and unruly
Oh it sounds so good to me
"No?!" Elizabeth cried incredulously. "You're so mean, William Darcy!" Elizabeth laughed William while slapping him on his arm. "Teasing me like that."
"It's a pre-proposal," William laughed.
"A pre-proposal?"
"It's warning you that sooner or later, there will be a real proposal."
"Oh?" Elizabeth asked, eyebrows raised. "And when will this be?"
William laughed as he put his arm around her shoulders and drew her closer, "Do you think I'll tell you? It'll ruin the surprise!"
"Fine be that way," Elizabeth pretended to sulk as she laid her head on his shoulder.
Cowboy take me away
Fly this girl as high as you can
Into the wild blue
Set me free oh I pray
Closer to heaven above and
Closer to you closer to you
Closer to you
Cowboy take me away,
Closer to you*
That night at dinner, William and Elizabeth were pleased, but not surprised, of Jane and Charles's engagement.
As soon as the engagement was announced and all the congratulations were made, the men were ignored. Jane and Elizabeth immediately started talking about wedding dresses, decorations, catering, and all things associated with weddings. Charles and William just stood back and watched the ladies, occasionally making faces at each other.
But William couldn't help sitting there, hoping that after he finally proposed, Elizabeth would be as enthusiastic as she was now.
* "Cowboy Take Me Away" by Martie Seidel and Marcus Hummon
Chapter 12 (conclusion) Posted on Wednesday, 2 August 2000
"Who are we going as to the ball?" William asked a couple of days later as he and Elizabeth were in the video store, trying to find a movie to watch at Elizabeth's apartment.
"Hmm?" Elizabeth was too busy looking at videos to pay attention to her boyfriend.
"You know. Ball. Company's costume ball," William sighed but smiled at Elizabeth's preoccupation.
"Oh yeah. That. I don't know." Elizabeth was still looking through the racks of videos. "Anastasia!" she suddenly exclaimed.
"What?" William asked confused.
"Haven't you ever seen that movie?"
"Umm. I don't believe I have. What does this have to do with the ball?"
"We could go as Anastasia and Dimitri!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she dragged William to another rack of videos and picked up the movie she was talking about. "We wouldn't really have to rent any special costumes. If we go as them when they're at the ballet, you can just wear a tux, and I can find a pattern like the dress she wears and make my own."
"You know how to sew?"
"Yep," Elizabeth nodded. "Mom always sewed our Halloween costumes when I was young. When I was old enough to sew with patterns, I helped her out with Mary's, Kitty's, and Lydia's costumes."
"Wow, you're more talented than I thought," William teased.
"I know," Elizabeth grinned, feigning conceit as she checked out the videos she picked out.
On the way back to her apartment, they picked up some fast food to eat. That night, they had a simple dinner sitting on the sofa in front of the TV. After seeing "Anastasia," William agreed to go as Anya and Dimitri.
The next morning, Jane and Charles went to Elizabeth's apartment to ask them to go to breakfast with them. Calling William's house, Charles found that no one was home, so the figured he was at Elizabeth's apartment. Entering the apartment, they found William sleeping on his back on the sofa and Elizabeth lying on top of him, arm hanging over the edge of the sofa and the TV still on.
Quietly, they decided to leave them be and left the apartment without waking them up.
The night of the ball soon arrived. William already had a tuxedo, and Elizabeth was able to find a pattern that almost looked like the dress that Anastasia wore and blue velvet to make it out of. Elizabeth put her hair up in a bun, tucking all the loose ends in, and put a string of pearls around the base of her bun.
When William arrived, he let himself in, and finding that Elizabeth wasn't ready yet, sat himself on her sofa to watch sports on TV. Ten minutes later, he heard Elizabeth clear her throat and he turned around to see her standing in the doorway.
"Wow," was all he could manage to say.
"Well, are you going to escort me to this ball or just sit there and stare?" Elizabeth teased.
"Umm...yeah...right..." William stuttered, getting up and walking towards Elizabeth.
When he tried to kiss her, she put her fingers to his lips and said, "I don't think so. You may smudge the lipstick. It's supposed to be smudge proof, but I don't trust it."
William chuckled and moved in to kiss her ear. "You look stunning," he whispered.
"You're looking very handsome yourself," Elizabeth smiled as she took his offered arm to leave the apartment.
When they walked outside, Elizabeth gasped at the limousine waiting at the curb. "I see we're going to the ball in style," Elizabeth teased.
"Well, I'm the head of the company. I should arrive in style, with the best looking woman on my arm," William grinned.
Elizabeth blushed at his gallantry, but was thankful that she was being helped in when the blush spread over her face so William couldn't see. At least that's what she thought; William saw it and smiled as he thought the blush was very becoming to Elizabeth.
The ride to the hotel where the ball was taking place was made in comfortable silence as the two sat close together, holding hands. After they arrived, and William helped out Elizabeth, she asked, "So is that really yours? Or did you rent it?"
"Mine," William smiled as he offered her his arm again to enter the elegant hotel.
When they entered the room, Elizabeth commented, "We're the first one's here."
"Yeah. I forgot to tell you," William said with a teasing smile, "I have to greet the guests, and you're doing it with me."
"What? You never told me this!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"I know. Because you would've refused."
Elizabeth opened up her mouth to disagree, but closed it when she realized he was right. She sighed, "You know me too well."
"That I do," William grinned.
The ball was nearly half over and Elizabeth was actually having a good time. She didn't have a hard time greeting the guests, except for when Caroline Bingley came with her rich, but airhead of a date dressed as Boris and Natasha from Bullwinkle. Elizabeth had a hard time stopping herself from talking back at Caroline's thinly disguised insults.
But the greetings lasted only a short time, and the rest of the time was spent dancing with William or mingling with the crowd. Elizabeth was thankful to have Charles and Jane there (dressed as Mark Antony and Cleopatra) to converse with, but disgusted to see her good friend, Charlotte Lucas with the blubbering idiot, Mr. Collins, from her failed ransom attempt. Although Elizabeth wanted to talk to Charlotte more that evening, she didn't want to put herself in the eyesight of the man who was partnered with the man who almost killed her.
William and Elizabeth were sitting down at their table, quietly talking when Elizabeth by accidentally kicked her purse over on the floor. "Hmm. I think I'm just going to go check this at the coat counter. It's getting too annoying to keep track of it."
"Here, let me," William offered, picking the purse up from the ground.
"Are you sure?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yeah. Just sit here and enjoy your champagne. I'll be back in a minute."
"Thank you," Elizabeth smiled.
A moment after he left, somebody dressed in a trench coat sat down in his seat. Turning to see who it was, Elizabeth was surprised to see Caroline.
"Caroline," Elizabeth feigned a smile. "How nice to see you."
Her companion sniffed. "Same here, I suppose." A silence followed; Elizabeth didn't really want to talk to Caroline, and her partner was trying to find an insult for her enemy. "I see you've been becoming closer to William."
"You could say that."
"Too bad. Seeing that he'll probably dump you like all other women he goes out with. He's a confirmed bachelor."
"That's interesting that you keep chasing him, then," Elizabeth smiled sweetly. "Seeing how intelligent you are," Elizabeth almost choked saying, "I thought you would've stopped wasting your time on a confirmed bachelor."
Caroline turned red at Elizabeth's answer. "Well...he may all of a sudden decide to marry, and when he does, he needs one of his own kind there to choose from."
"Umm hmm. Of course," Elizabeth took a sip of her champagne.
Seeing that she wasn't going to upset Elizabeth, Caroline finally left, but the vacant seat was soon filled with another person. And this time, Elizabeth almost spit out her drink when she saw Catherine DeBourgh sitting next to her.
"Mrs. DeBourgh! I thought you were in Florida!"
"I was," Catherine replied, "until I got a note from Miss Bingley that I'm thankful for. A report that you are involved with my nephew." Elizabeth gulped. "I don't know who you think you are, missy, but there is no way that you could continue this relationship."
"Why not, may I ask?" Elizabeth questioned with one eyebrow raised.
"Because he is engaged to my daughter!"
"Do you readily make it a tradition to inbreed in your family? In my opinion, they should've stopped with you because it's becoming very evident of the genetic defects that are happening," Elizabeth replied coolly.
Mrs. DeBourgh turned red, but continued as if she never heard Elizabeth's comment, "Even if he wasn't, what do you think you're doing? You are only a lowly employee in the company! Who are you to have a relationship with the head of it? Do you think you could sleep your way to the top?"
Elizabeth replied furiously, "First of all, I am not an employee anymore. You took care of that. And second, who do you think you are coming in here and accusing me of such things? I've never met anyone as rude as you!"
"She is right, Cathy," Elizabeth heard a deep voice behind her. "So if you'll be kind enough to leave this building, I can take my place next to my girlfriend."
Mrs. DeBourgh shot up off her seat and exclaimed, "Nephew! Have you lost your senses? Have you forgot that you are to marry Anne?"
"I never made any promise of that kind, Cathy," William replied coolly. Now if you'll excuse us, Elizabeth and I are going to dance," he said, offering Elizabeth his hand.
Elizabeth took his hand and followed William to the dance floor, not looking back to see Mrs. DeBourgh leave in a huff. Sighing, William took Elizabeth in his arms to dance to a song that they both knew by heart.
I've sure enjoyed the rain
but I'm looking forward to the sun
You have to feel the pain
when you lose the love you gave someone
I thought by now the time
would take away these lonely tears
I hope you're doing fine all alone,
but where do I go from here 'cause
Elizabeth thought that all the music was going to be provided for by the same band, so when the song's lyrics started, she was surprised to here, not only a different band from that evening, but a familiar sounding band all together.
Picking up her head from William's shoulders, she gasped to actually see the Dixie Chicks on stage.
"William!"
William laughed in her ear, "I would never think that this song could be performed by anyone else, Lizzy. Especially with our history with their cd."
Elizabeth laughed and kissed William. "I love you," she stated simply.
William pulled her closer to him, and whispered, "And I love you."
Without you I'm not okay
And without you
I've lost my way
My heart's stuck in second place ooh
Without you
"During our two week separation, this was my favorite song to listen to," William said quietly. "It stated my exact feelings."
"I know what you mean, Will. I listened to it over and over again at night."
"I never want to be without you again, Lizzy."
"Now is this the proposal?" Elizabeth teased.
"Nope, not yet," William replied, kissing the tip of her nose.
Well I never thought I'd be
lying here without you by my side
It seems unreal to me that
the life you promised was a lie
You made it look so easy
making love into memories
I guess you got what you wanted
but what about me 'cause
"I thought when you left me, it was what you wanted. Boy, was I glad I was mistaken," William grinned.
"No, it wasn't what I wanted," Elizabeth said seriously. "I never wanted to leave you."
"I know that now, Lizzy. I know," he whispered in her hair.
Without you I'm not okay
And without you I've lost my way
My heart's stuck in second place ooh
Without you
Somebody tell my head to try to tell my heart
That I'm better off without you
'Cause baby I can't live
Without you I'm not okay
And without you I've lost my way
My heart's stuck in second place ooh
Without you Without you*
Even after the song, which ended with William and Elizabeth just dancing quietly, they didn't part. The song brought back too many memories of the worst two weeks of their lives, and they were almost afraid to part from each other again. But they eventually did part, but they spent the rest of the evening, just happy to be in each other's company.
"Where are my keys?" Elizabeth sighed, frustrated, as she looked through her purse in the limousine on the way back to her apartment. "I know I put them in there. I hope they didn't fall out when my purse fell over."
"Maybe they're in your coat pocket," William suggested, trying to hide his smile.
"I don't think so," Lizzy murmured, but stuck her hand in the pocket to check anyway. "You're right, they're here! But there's something else. I didn't think there was anything in the pocket when I put the coat on."
"Maybe somebody put something in your pocket," William said, this time with a knowing smile starting to show.
"Who would sneak something into my pocket?" Elizabeth asked while pulling her keys out and then a small velvet box out of her coat. She stared in shock at the box for a few moments before looking up to see William smiling.
"Go ahead. Open it."
Carefully, Elizabeth opened the top to display a ring. It was a clear diamond surrounded by tiny pearls set in a golden band. In shock, Elizabeth couldn't even look up to face William, so he took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her left hand.
"Are you ready for the proposal now?" William teased.
"William," Elizabeth whispered quietly. "You know I've been ready for the proposal ever since I thought you were proposing again that day at the picnic."
William chuckled, but continued seriously, but with a smile on his face, "Elizabeth, you know I love you and that 'without you, I'm not okay.'" Elizabeth giggled at his quote. "So will you do me the very great honor of becoming my wife?"
"Yes," Elizabeth smiled, hugging him around his neck. After clinging to him for a few moments, she pulled back and whispered, "Yes," before receiving his kiss.
* "Without You" by Natalie Maines and Eric Silver
Epilogue Posted on Thursday, 3 August 2000
Six Months Later
Every time our eyes meet
This feelin' inside me
Is almost more than I can take
Baby, when you touch me
I can feel how much you love me
And it just blows me away
I've never been this close to anyone or anything
I can hear your thoughts
I can see your dreams
"Did you ever think this day would come, Will?" Elizabeth asked while dancing their wedding song.
"I knew it would come eventually," William smiled. "But it felt like an awfully long time before it did get here."
"Hmm," Elizabeth murmured, kissing her husband's cheek.
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps gettin' better
I want to spend the rest of my life
With you by my side for ever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby, I'm amazed by you
"But I can't believe you talked me into a country song for our wedding song," William teased.
"Hey! You know you like country now. Admit it!" Elizabeth grinned.
"Hmph," William pretended to be frustrated. "You can see right through me. I'll never be able to lie to you."
"You better not want to lie to me," Elizabeth warned, but with a smile on her face.
"I'll always be truthful," William promised, suddenly serious.
The smell of your skin
The taste of your kiss
The way you whisper in the dark
Your hair all around me
Baby, you surround me
You touch every place in my heart
Though it feels like the first time, every time
I wanna spend the whole night in your eyes
Sighing, William pulled Elizabeth closer to him and buried his face in her hair. Content, Elizabeth tightened her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. She never wanted to move from that spot.
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps gettin' better
I want to spend the rest of my life
With you by my side for ever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby, I'm amazed by you
"I just thought of something," William laughed.
"Hmm?" Elizabeth replied, not wanting to move from the spot she was in.
"What are we going to tell our children about how we met."
At first, William didn't hear any response, but slowly, he felt his wife's body shake with laughter, and soon, she was laughing into his shoulder.
I don't know how you do what you do
(Every little thing that you do)
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps gettin' better
I want to spend the rest of my life
With you by my side for ever and ever
Every little thing that you do
(Oh, every little thing that you do)
Baby, I'm amazed by you *
"Just do me a favor, Will," Elizabeth laughed.
"What?"
"Don't talk about children right now, and especially about when they're old enough to question something like that. Just shut up and kiss me."
William gladly obliged.
Ten years later
Elizabeth was trying to find her children. Well trying to walk in the first place. Elizabeth snorted as she thought of the condition she was in, Waddling is more like it. Elizabeth sighed as she put a hand to her back. She was about to give up her search when she heard her husband's voice telling what sounded like a story.
Slowly, she made her way to the family room, where she heard his voice coming from. Leaning in the doorway, she found William sitting on the sofa with two-year-old Grace on one knee, six-year-old Christopher on the other, and eight-year-old Brooke sitting next to him, looking up wide-eyed at her father.
"Was she mean?" Elizabeth heard Christopher ask her father.
"Oh yes," William replied melodramatically. "She would tie me up to chairs, and make me kill spiders for her, and even forced me to eat fruit!"
"Ewww," Christopher made a face. "What kind of fruit?"
"Kiwis!"
"I don't believe you!" Brooke exclaimed.
Her father made a pretend offended look. "You don't believe that she made me eat kiwis?"
Elizabeth almost laughed at the picture her children and husband made and the way her husband told the story.
"No!" Brooke giggled. "That Mommy was mean like that!"
"Oh he's right," Elizabeth interrupted the cute scene. "I was so cruel to him...at first," Elizabeth winked at William. "But soon he swept me off my feet and I couldn't be mean to him anymore."
The Darcys' eldest child sighed at the romantic picture that her mother made. "Okay, kids. Go play; I need to talk to your father."
One by one, the children got off the sofa and Elizabeth kissed their heads as they filed out of the room.
Once they were alone, William raised his eyebrow at his wife. Smiling, she asked, "Remember at our wedding when you asked what we were going to tell our kids about how we met?" William nodded hesitantly as his wife walked closer to him and sat down next to him. "Well thank you for consulting me before you made me out to be a monster!" Elizabeth playfully slapped her husband's arm.
William laughed, "Hey! You finished it up for me, agreeing that you were a monster!"
Elizabeth laughed and snuggled in next to her husband, tucking her head under his chin. "It seems like yesterday, though. Has it really been almost eleven years?"
"Hmm. I know," William sighed putting his arm around his wife. "Ten years of marriage and three children."
"Soon to be four," Elizabeth reminded.
"Soon to be four," William repeated, kissing his wife's swollen stomach.
"Ooh," Elizabeth flinched. "Baby heard you," she continued as she put her hand to her stomach. Looking down at her stomach, she saw her husband put his hand next to hers. When she looked up at his face, she saw him looking seriously at her.
"I love you, Lizzy."
Smiling, Elizabeth replied, "I love you, too, Will," before leaning in to kiss her husband.
They stayed in this embrace until a little Christopher's voice was heard, "Did you really kidnap Daddy?"
The two broke off their kiss to see their three children standing there, smiling and curious. But husband and wife only glanced at each other and burst out laughing.
*"Amazed" by LoneStar
The End.