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Chapter 15 Bombs

Posted on 2009-10-22

Deciding to call before she lost her nerve, Beth dialed Will's cell number. She was relatively certain that he would be surprised to see her number on his cell and she only hoped that he would make this whole thing easy on her. But she knew he wouldn't.

"Elizabeth?" He did sound surprise. "My day just got a whole lot better."

"Hi Will. Are you busy right now?"

"You wouldn't believe what just went on in this house in the past several hours, but no, right now I'm not busy. Thank you for calling me. I…"

"Will," Beth forged ahead, "I need to apologize for how I spoke to you yesterday. You did not deserve that. I have no excuse except to say that I'm sort of a basket case right now and the drive home was rather nerve wracking. I am not looking forward to making that trip frequently this winter."

Will grimaced. It was a genuine apology, but he felt no warmth coming from the other end, more like resignation. "Elizabeth, that's all you need to say. You know I forgive you. I truly can't imagine what all you must be feeling. My only concern is that you feel some comfort, some acceptance from me. I just hate it that we could not see one another. I have so much I want to tell you as well. Especially after this morning…"

"Will," she cut him off again, "I've had a lot of time to think driving home and then again today…"

Will's mind was racing, this did not sound good at all. "And what has all of your thinking led you to?"

"That it's impossible. We're impossible." She sighed as the tears fell.

"No, we're not impossible. We're the most possible thing I've ever experienced. It's just that both of us have some difficult situations right now." He was struggling with what to say to not irritate her but to get his point across.

"More than difficult, I think." She responded wearily. "Richard has got to be your first priority as well as your schooling. It is your dream, I'm sure. You've denied yourself for too long."

"Denied myself? Beth, you are the one who's denied themselves, and I fear you are doing that now. What are you afraid of here?"

"I'm not afraid of you. I just don't deserve you or the idea of you or whatever it was I was foolish enough to think could happen with you."

"Foolish?" Now Will was in full panic mode. "You think what we are trying to build is foolish? Elizabeth, where is this coming from? Surely you know that I would do almost anything for you. I thought we had conquered all that at New Years'."

"No," she said quietly, "When we are together, the world just melts away. It's not real. Usually my kids are somewhere else so it's just the two of us. You mean well, Will, but you still haven't revealed who you really are, you won't tell me anything besides that you are a farmer…But don't say anything. This isn't about you or any failings on your part."

"Oh, God, Elizabeth, I know the beginning of a bad break up when I hear it. You can't be serious here. This is just your emotions talking. You're depressed. It's understandable. Damn this snow! If I could I would be tearing down 127 right now." Will was pacing across his room again.

"Will, please. It's not the snow; it's not you. I'm the one who's not ready for this. I can't be running around Ohio trying to find love when my daughter is sitting in Indiana without me. I failed her, Will. And I'm afraid to fail Callie. I have to concentrate on my children. They are the fairy tale I always wanted. I don't think being with a man was ever really in the plan for me anyway. God knows you could have anyone you wanted.'

"Obviously not because I want you!" His voice raised even though he was trying everything he knew to give her no reason to hang up the phone.

"I am so grateful to you for our time in Hocking Hills…"

"Elizabeth, don't do this."

"…And for a New Years' I don't think I'll ever forget."

"Elizabeth, please" he was desperate now. "How can you think you don't deserve to be loved? Why won't you let yourself have happiness with a man and with your children. People do it everyday. I don't understand."

"I don't expect you to. But I expect you to respect my wishes."

"So this is what you really want?"

No, it's not what I want! Nothing in my life right now is what I ever wanted!

"Yes," it was all she could get out, she literally felt like she was gasping for air, that she was somehow drowning right there in her kitchen.

"I can't accept that. I can't let you accept that, either." His anger and frustration was starting to come through.

"You don't have a choice."

"We promised. We promised each other in front of Juanita that we would give this all we had." He was grasping at straws, but he didn't care.

Beth sighed again but she determined to follow through, "As powerful as Juanita's soup and that foul rag is, she cannot fix what is happening to me, to my family, to my heart. Please, Will, let me go. I am not who you need. Not now."

"Who are you to tell me that? How can you judge what I need? I do need you – and the girls. If we had time to be together, you couldn't deny that either." He knew the fight was over, but he couldn't let her go.

"If it will make it easier on you, I will not contact Georgiana for awhile."

"No it won't make it easier on me. Why should she be a victim yet again of me not being able to save someone I love? My God, Elizabeth, I can't believe this of you. How could you wish to hurt Georgie, too. I…just…goodbye, Beth" It was as though he spit out her name. Will literally threw his cell phone across the room where it landed against the wall, bounced off and landed with a thud.

Beth had managed to make it to her bedroom and shut the door as Will was speaking. She collapsed on her bed and though she thought she had cried herself dry over Jeannie, she produced more tears than she believed she ever had.

Will on the other hand cursed loudly and then took a long shower so that he could yell without his family hearing him. While getting redressed he composed himself and vowed to not let on to his family know what had just happened. He knew that Richard needed to unburden himself, no matter how horrifying the story may be. Squaring his shoulders, he resolutely walked down the hallway and found the three of them waiting in the den.

During the break, Seth had used the snow plow to try to clear a path to the pool house. The snow was still falling, but it was tapering somewhat. Knowing it was too dangerous to drive, Seth had called Justin to tell him he was staying in Pemberville until the roads were clear. Georgiana had gone to work in the kitchen. She had made brownies from a mix and they were cooling on the table. She also cut up some fruit and veggies and set them out as well. Having no idea just what Richard would be saying or how graphic, she figured that maybe some crunchy food as well as the chocolate standby would be much appreciated.

Richard was tired, but he had rested after the exercises and he had allowed himself a little liquid courage in the form of a wine cooler that was in the fridge. He had grumbled about the "girlie drinks" in the house, but now he was grateful for at least that. Looking up at Will as he entered the room, Richard wasn't quite sure how to describe the look on his face. He chalked it up to Will's uncertainty about including both Seth and Georgiana in this part of the day, but Richard truly believed it was the right thing to do in order for all of them to move forward and in the interest of all of them trying to be more open with one another instead of trying to protect one another all the time.

Taking a deep breath, Richard leaned forward in his chair and began, "It was a dark and stormy night…"

"Oh, come on!" bellowed Seth. "You are such a … man, that was wicked bad." He resisted as long as he could before he started to laugh as did Georgiana and Richard.

"I couldn't help it. You should see the looks on all of your faces. I think it's actually worse than when you came down this morning. OK, OK, now, here's the rules for this part of the day, my friends. Some stuff I can't talk about because I'm really not allowed, and some stuff may be too technical so I'll be trying to explain or describe stuff that I think you will understand. And, honestly, there are parts that are really fuzzy to me, so you'll have to bear with me. It's cool to ask questions, but for the most part, I think it would help if you just let me talk. OK?" They all nodded.

Will couldn't sit down, and he wasn't sure that he could look at Richard as he spoke. He found a spot in front of the window and took his usual stance. The three remaining in the room looked at one another, but decided that this was the only way Will could handle the discussion. Frankly, they were all pretty amazed at how well he did in the first half of their time together.

"Without getting too descriptive, sometimes over there you are so busy that you think you're body is just going to stop moving. Add in the heat, and you think that you just might instantaneously combust. Other times, there is nothing to do but wait. Wait for the enemy to do something. Wait for the commands to come so that you can do something. Wait for some politician to decide to send you what you need so you can do something. Anyway, you get what I mean?

"Well, Christmas time is truly either feast or famine in the busy-ness side of things, and this year, it was definitely on the famine side we were at a standstill; that's why I was able to contact you all so much. Anyway, my men were sent a literal boat load of stuff for Christmas. So much so that they were certain that the food would spoil and there is only so much crossword puzzles and paperbacks that you can swallow at a time. So, a couple of the guys sent out word and searched to find a school not too far from where we were hunkered down."

Richard went on to describe the horrible conditions in the village and the school it attempted to support. His men wanted to take the excess food and supplies along with boxes that had been sent specifically for aide, especially for children. No one in the room had a difficult time believing that Richard would get involved in helping kids. They knew his macho act was just that.

"We had taken several loads over during Christmas week, and even one on Christmas day. No problems. The kids were so happy. You should have seen their faces." Richard paused as the memory of their faces played through his mind. He shook his head and continued. "Anyway, Christmas night, several of the guys who were doing this got ill. It happens like that. One minute you're fine and the next you're running for the…well, you know what I mean. So, it seemed that just me and Hawkins were OK. We joked that we hadn't touched Hawkins' wife's fruitcake 'cause he knew what was in it, and I just don't do something that looks like that.

"That's when I made a very stupid, un Lt Colonel type of a decision." Georgiana and Seth started to protest, but Richard held up his hand. "No, it's true. But let me go on.

"I decided that Hawkins and I could do the last delivery, just the two of us. I let myself be lolled into thinking that the place was secure, that we were wanted and welcomed there. I'm sure we were, by most of the people anyway, but it only takes one. So, we got there and only a few kids ran up to greet us, which should have set my gut off, but I actually thought the little buggers were inside going to surprise us or something."

"You were surprised alright, huh?" Seth shook his head.

"Yes. We were. Still being oblivious I guess we just didn't notice how stiff the people were inside the school and how almost machine like they were in answering us. No one looked us in the eye. Then I saw…then I saw…"Richard was obviously having difficulty. Will turned around from the window and walked over to Richard. He simply placed his hand on his cousin's shoulder, but it was enough. "Then I saw her."

The three gasped, "HER?"

"Yes," Richard said with an obvious shudder. "She was your age, Georgie. She was just standing there perfectly still. No expression on her face. I swear she didn't even blink. I don't know if they drug those kids or hypnotize them or what, but in that brief moment I remember thinking that was not a human standing there.

"Hawkins saw her before I did, and he started moving towards her. I think he knew that too many people were going to die in there, and he was going to try to keep that number from getting too high. But she saw him, too." Will added a little pressure to Richard's shoulder. Reaching up, Richard held on to Will's hand as he continued.

"Then it's kind of a blur. I saw her go for the pin, you know, the grenade pin. I know I screamed and I know that I dove for a group of little ones that were huddled close to me. There was no way that I was going to get to her. I guess Hawkins thought he had a chance to fall on top of her to lessen the impact, but he didn't get there in time either.

"I remember holding my ears, but I don't remember the sound. It blew out my eardrums or something. I remember thinking that I had better either die now or be really injured because Will would kick my butt otherwise for getting into this situation. Then there was nothing."

Although everyone in the room knew the happy ending that Richard was alive and recovering, every face was ashen and tears were flowing freely. Richard's head was bowed and he took a minute before speaking again. He didn't let go of Will's hand. Georgiana slid to the floor and rested her head against his legs. Seth moved over to where he, too could touch Richard. It was like they all had to reassure themselves he was really there with them physically.

He continued, but the strain in his voice was telling. "When I came to the first time, all I knew was that nothing was in focus, the smell was sickening and something was very heavy on my legs. My brain was telling my body to move, but nothing was happening. I thought I felt some movement under me, but for the life of me I couldn't figure that out. I could hear nothing and I couldn't get my mouth to move.

"The next time it was totally dark. I had no inkling of where I even was. I still felt the movement below me and it finally dawned on me that there were children below me. But I still couldn't move. I managed to say something about my legs but since Hawkins was the one who spoke the language, they had no idea what I was saying.

"Meanwhile, when the meatheads figured out we didn't make check in, they were able to get off the latrines long enough to radio for help. I swear I told them where we were headed, but anyway, it took them awhile to figure out to go to the school. Of course, they were fairly far away when the realized there was no school left.

Richard explained that a piece of the ceiling had landed on his legs pinning him down. Shards of glass and other debris had struck him again and again. His eardrums were punctured, so he couldn't hear for a long time. His men had to make sure the area was safe before they could enter in and assess the situation.

"As near as I can figure, it was at least 36 hours I was laying there. It could have been worse, though. Of course, Hawkins was gone, but one child survived that was under him. When they got the ceiling off of me, the two little ones crawled out before they had me stabilized. It was excruciating, but I can't blame them for wanting to get the heck out of there. Everybody scattered. They were frightened of the soldiers and of retribution if they aided us in any way.

"My corpsman looked at me and said, 'you're going to be in some deep ___ when Mr. Darcy hears about this – no I swear Will, that's what he said. All my men knew about you guys, and they called you Mr. Darcy. What can I say? That's all I remember until I woke up in Germany. I wouldn't let them call you until I knew I was cleared for the States."

"Richard," Georgiana was standing now and hugged him tightly. "God brought you back to us. It must have been so awful, but you did save the lives of those children."

"But my decision cost the lives of so many others."

"Is that the official ruling, or is that your guilt talking?" Will couldn't believe Richard would be court martialed or something, but he had to ask.

"There was an inquest and I was cleared, but that doesn't make me feel any better. That doesn't make Hawkins' wife and kids feel any better."

"You were trying to help those people. No one can blame you for that." Seth replied to his brother. "I just wish you had eaten that stupid fruit cake."

"Yeah," Richard let go of Will's hand and patted Seth on the back. "Yeah."

Later that evening, Richard found Will sitting in the living room, head in his hands. Wheeling his way over, he commented that it had been quite a day, but he was up for more if his cousin needed it. Will started to get up declining the offer when suddenly he fell back onto the couch and told Richard about his phone call from Beth.

"Wooo.." Richard let out whistle of air, "Didn't see that coming, did you?"

"Yes, No, I don't know. I figured that Jeannie going to SKAT would be a huge adjustment for her, I just didn't think she would be so hard on herself and feel as though she deserved no personal happiness. She even went so far as to say that she didn't think she'd ever have a man in her life. Who thinks that? Who thinks that they'll end up alone?"

Richard's head was down, "Lots of people, Will. I think you were one of them before you met Beth. You have really changed since last summer – even physically. What's with the curls coming out again after all this time? Not to mention the beard?"

"Haven't had time to get it cut, and I haven't felt like shaving I guess." He put his hand up to his face. "Does it make me look smarter?"

"No, more the weirdo artist type, to be honest."

"I can always count on you to help me feel better about myself. Don't think I've forgotten your remark about the keys to the asylum. Or that you let your men call me Mr. Darcy and have such a terrible opinion of me. Does everyone think I'm that cold and domineering?" Will's frustration about Beth was wearing him down. "Honestly?"

"Will, I remember when Charlie was born, we must have been around 10 or so I guess. Anyway, everybody was here in the living room to look at the baby. I wanted to go outside, ditch Lizzy who was driving me crazy, and get away from all the baby stuff. You in all your serious glory informed me that we would have plenty of time to play, but right then you had a duty as the big brother to keep Charlie safe from all the people who wanted to pick him up and play with him. You also scolded me for wanting to get rid of Lizzy. What I'm saying is that you were not the perfect brother or anything, but you took your job as protector quite seriously. And you were good at it. You beat me up more than once for being a tease or a pain to one of your siblings.

"That hasn't changed. You still take it upon yourself to protect those you love, whether they want it or not. You never asked me if I wanted you stay in DC with me. It was a foregone conclusion in your mind. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful you did, but you don't wait to be asked, you just do.

"I don't think Beth has ever had anyone to be that for her. She was an only child, like me for so long. She's had to do things the hard way – her way. She says she's not scared of you, but I think she's terrified."

Will stared at Richard for a moment before asking, "Who are you and what have you done with my clueless cousin Richard?"

"Recently," Richard deadpanned, "I've found myself with a lot of time on my hands. In order not to focus on all my burdens, I have taken it upon myself to study you. It has kept me quite amused."

The first week of Jeannie's new adventure was glorious for her. Beth found that she had to be grateful if her daughter talked to her for five minutes per day. Most of the time, the conversation was shorter than that. Dr. Evans cautioned Beth that this was a honeymoon period for Jeannie and that was one of the reasons why parents were asked to give them two weeks before visiting.

She and Callie fell into a routine in the evenings. Swimming had helped her so much before, so she started back again at the Y. She saw Jim most nights and they exchanged small talk regularly. Late at night, Beth would stare at her phone wanting so much to pick it up to talk to Will, but she shoved those feelings aside and dreamt of him instead.

The weekend finally arrived when she could drive up to Ft Wayne. The weather was clear, but quite cold. Arriving in Bryan around eight that evening, Beth talked with Marie and Ed for a little over an hour before begging off to go back to the carriage house to sleep. Marie had hoped that she would see her friend more relaxed, but instead she was a little shocked by how fatigued Beth appeared. Ed maintained that this was something Beth was going to have to sort out with herself, and that maybe after seeing Jeannie tomorrow, Beth would start to lighten up, relax and feel gratitude for what the school could do for her entire family.

Jeannie ran to her momma as Beth and Callie walked into the group cottage. She gave them the grand tour, chattering away about all the activities and food that she got to eat. Melissa and Sam were there that weekend and gave a glowing report on Jeannie's behavior. They, too discussed the honeymoon concept with Beth so she felt comforted that the couple knew how to handle the situation.

The two girls played for awhile in Jeannie's room, while Beth looked on and smiled. Several other parents were there visiting and Sam suggested that if they wanted to form an informal support group for each other that would be a great idea. Beth exchanged information with two other moms and felt better that someone else might know how she was feeling.

As lunch was approaching, Jeannie became a little agitated that she would not be able to eat if her momma and Callie were there. Despite explaining to her that she could eat with no problem, Jeannie's agitation grew to the point where she starting biting herself and attempted to push Beth out of her room. Sam showed up in an instant to intervene. Waiting out in the hallway, Beth could hear Sam's comforting but firm voice explaining the rules and the agenda for the day.

Jeannie came out and apologized to her momma for her behavior, but it was clear that she had no desire for Beth and Callie to stay. The entire visit lasted not quite two hours.

Not wanting to go back to Bryan yet and face all the questions, Beth drove around a little until she found a movie theatre. There was a new animated feature Beth had been meaning to take the girls to see, so she and Callie bought some popcorn and escaped for almost two hours. Beth actually slept through most of the movie and was disoriented when the lights came up. Callie told her she just let her sleep because she looked so tired.

The next day's visit was a little smoother which was a blessing to Beth. She timed it so she got there after lunch. Callie asked not to go because she was a little angry with Jeannie for pushing her momma. By the time she returned to Bryan it was almost four, so they ate an early supper and were back on the road so that Callie could get to bed at a decent hour.

"This can't be what my life is going to be like." Beth said aloud she tried to relax enough to get to sleep. Depending on what occurred with Jeannie over the next month, Beth knew that she would have some serious decisions to make about her job and where they were going to live. When sleep finally did come, she dreamt of his arms and his lips and his words of comfort.

"Man, this has been the worst winter since I don't know when." Will grumbled to Richard as he followed behind. Richard had graduated to using a walker as his legs were getting stronger every day. "The pool house seemed like a good idea at the time, but when it's howling out here, I think I must have been crazy."

"I'll leave that one alone since I'm afraid I will tip over at any moment and you would leave me in the snow if I ticked you off." Richard laughed as they finally made it to the makeshift therapy room.

Peeling off the wet and cold outerwear, Richard began his routine that lasted until he was soaked in sweat. Will worked out beside him as Richard only needed him to put on more weights or to spot him when he felt fatigue setting in. "What a way to spend Valentine's Day." Richard commented looking at both of them covered in sweat.

"As much time I spend with you, you have become the love of my life," Will poked him. "But I know that as soon as you can walk, you will leave me alone and crying."

"You know, I have been a good influence on you, I think. You had no sense of humor before and now you're just as big of a smart a " Will turned around quickly to see why Richard hadn't finished the sentence only to see him white as a sheet and trying to speak.

"What! What is it, Richard?" Will pulled out his cell and dialed 911. "Can you say anything? Is it your leg, what?"

"Y-y-y-es. My God, it feels like I'm being stabbed. Will, what did I do?" Clearly Richard was panicked. Will had no idea but ran and got some ice.

Not since the first days in the hospital had Will seen Richard look this bad. Both men sat in silence until they finally heard the sirens. Will ran around to the front of the house and directed the paramedics where to go. When Richard didn't put up a fight to be transported to the hospital, Will was terrified.

Sitting in the ER, Will was wracking his brain trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Richard had been gone for awhile. They said they were taking him for an X ray and probably an MRI. Will called Georgiana at Rachel's and told her to stay put until they knew something. He gave her assurances that he himself did not feel.

After what seemed like hours, Richard was wheeled back to the room. He still looked like he was in quite a bit of pain, but he was managing it a bit better. Another hour passed as they stared at the TV without really knowing what was on. Finally, the doctor entered the room. "Well, Mr. Stephens, how's the pain now?"

Richard wanted to smack the man for being so smugly cheery, but he decided to just answer the question, "It's still there, but not as intense." He managed through gritted teeth.

"Well, we're going to give you a shot for the pain and then send you home with some stronger pain meds for you to take for a couple of days. It appears that you tore through some scar tissue this afternoon. That's actually a good thing, but it can be quite painful."

It was Will's turn to want to deck the man, and he wasn't the one in pain. "You mean, he can expect this type of pain to happen again?"

"Yes, it's possible, but I don't think it would be to the degree it was today. At least you'll know what it is next time." He nodded for the nurse to administer the shot. Will left to go get the car.

"Well, I'll be feeling no pain tonight, my friend." Richard grimaced as he maneuvered into the truck. "Are you seriously going to babysit me on Valentine's?"

"I already told you that you were the love of my life apparently. I think I'll just get drunk. Then we'll babysit each other."

Evidently the good Lord had decided that this would be winter to have a snow storm every other weekend. Once again Beth and Callie could not make the trip up to see Jeannie. They only managed once in February and now it was the beginning of March and the snow was still relentless. After another less than five minute conversation, Callie wanted to watch cartoons so Beth went to work on lesson plans.

Finally the time had arrived for the class to read "Pride and Prejudice". Although it reminded her of Will, Beth still loved the book and couldn't wait to share it with her class. She had resumed talking with Georgiana though not as often and never was Will mentioned. The two were reading P&P at the same time and Beth thought that Georgie's teacher had some good insights when they talked about them.

They were discussing spring break plans when Beth mentioned that she had decided to send her resumes to schools in the Northwestern Ohio area. She didn't really have the time to study for an Indiana license, so she decided that being that much closer to Jeannie was the important thing. Georgiana listened and tried not to sound excited as she knew this was a huge decision for Beth.

"I just can't take the distance anymore, G. I have to believe that I will find something up there. I hate to leave here. It 's only place I've ever lived outside of college, but maybe it's time I have a little adventure." She laughed a little, "'cause, you know, my life isn't adventurous enough."

Georgiana couldn't get off the phone with Beth fast enough. She was yelling Will's name through the house as she took the steps two at a time. Rounding the corner to the den, she almost ran into Richard as he was walking out to get a beer. "I just got my freedom to stand on my own two feet, Georgie girl. Please don't mow me over." He laughed and motioned to a dozing Will.

"Will, Will, you've got to wake up. You will never guess what I'm about to tell you!"

He opened one eye. "It had better be good. Betweem quarters is the perfect time to sleep."

"Oh, forget March Madness and listen to me. I just got off the phone with Beth." Now she had his attention. "She is sending resumes around up here. She's going to move up here, Will. Jeannie is doing so well, but Beth can't stand to be separated any more. Will, did you hear me?" She wasn't sure as he had fallen back into the chair.

"Yes, I heard you. But why do you think I would want to know that? She dumped me, remember?" His attempt to sound nonchalant was not working on his sister.

'Will, don't be an idiot. Don't you see, this is the chance we've been waiting for to get her back into our lives – I mean your life."

"I know what you mean, little sister. I'm not going to interfere."

"Oh yes you are, Mr. Darcy." Richard had heard most of the conversation and he was not going to let Will's pride and stubbornness ruin the gift he had just been given.

"You heard what I said."

Monday morning, Will called the school board's office to inform the assistant superintendent that he needed to be on the look out for a certain teacher's resume. "I'm not going to tell you to hire her. But you'd be an idiot if you didn't."

Richard looked at his cousin and smiled broadly. "Nice way to not interfere."

"I didn't. I merely pointed him in the right direction. It's up to him to have a blinding flash of the obvious."

Chapter 16 Movin' On Up

Posted on 2009-10-25

Returning home from school a week before Spring Break, Beth checked her voicemail as was her habit. Only half listening, she deleted the solicitation calls and her reminder that a library book was soon due. Absentmindedly twirling her hair she sat bolt upright at the last message sent just minutes before: "Ms. Thomas, this is Owen Johnson from Bryan City Schools. I'm calling in response to your resume. Could you please call me at your earliest convenience at…" Beth was running around the kitchen trying to find a pen so she could write the number down. Looking at the clock she realized she still may have a chance to speak with him right then. Taking a breath to calm her nerves, she dialed.

For once Beth felt that things were going her way. Although both Marie and Ed were educators, they worked for small districts neither of which had any openings for English teachers at the present. Much could happen over the summer, but Beth was praying to be settled as quickly as possible. Still lacking faith in her parenting and in her personal life, Beth did believe she was a good teacher. Now she was acting on what little faith she had.

The impromptu phone interview was a pleasant experience. Because she hadn't been on an interview in sixteen years, Beth had no idea what to expect. Mr. Johnson arranged for her to speak with the high school principal and the lead English teacher the Monday after Easter. He told Beth that he thoroughly enjoyed their conversation and asked if he could speak to her principal.

It was a moment of truth for her. Looking heavenward and mouthing "please, Lord", Beth asked if he would give her a couple of days to speak with him first. Understanding the politics involved, he agreed that he would not call until the following Wednesday. Beth stewed about it all weekend and then marched resolutely into her principal's office. As if the whole conversation was already rehearsed, he told Beth he had been expecting this meeting. He even offered for her to fill out FMLA paperwork if she felt the need to move north before the year was out.

Taken aback at that offer, Beth questioned whether he was concerned about her teaching this year. He assured her that wasn't the case, but he knew her heart had to be breaking being so far separated from her daughter. Beth was moved by the gesture but said that she didn't feel that would be an issue unless the school had some sort of immediate opening. She very much wanted to honor her contract with the school and she did love her students, especially as she was finishing up "Pride and Prejudice" with them.

Walking into her class, she could sense the tension. Their projects from the book were due that day. Looking around the room, Beth saw everything from the traditional papers to be picked up to fashion dolls dressed in Regency costumes to one student waiving a dvd in the air proclaiming she had written and directed an additional scene for the story. Beth picked up the papers and asked the others to place their completed works on the shelf behind her desk. She had a feeling she was going to enjoy grading these that week and over her break.

The principal informed Beth on Wednesday that true to his word, Mr. Johnson had called. He relayed the conversation and reminded Beth that he respected her both professionally and as a parent trying to do what was best for her child. Before leaving her room, he told her that he got the impression that Mr. Johnson was quite taken with Beth already. He left with a wink and a thumbs up.

The next several evenings, Beth was captivated with grading the projects. Most of them were so well done that she swelled with pride in her students. She laughed as she read one paper that turned the famous proposal scene into modern English complete with Elizabeth saying, "Oh no you didn't?!" to one of Darcy's insults. The DVD production was also hilarious as the actors were obviously not happy to be doing this for their friend.

One paper stuck a chord with Beth. A young man in her class was extremely bright, but not outgoing at all. His paper was in defense of Mr. Darcy. His arguments were quite sound and he used the text coupled with historic research to prove them. At the end of the piece, he stated that a man like Mr. Darcy had not only risen to the expectations of his circumstances, but had traveled much above them. His hypothesis that Mr. Darcy was in fact a very shy but genuinely loving man was proven fully. His summary paragraph questioned if men today, even if they were wealthy and in love, would do so much for a woman who had spurned and insulted them.

Unconsciously, Beth's mind brought Will's face before her. She knew in her heart that she did love him and that he had really done nothing wrong to deserve her giving up on them. Yet she also realized that her heart was so torn and she was so devastated that she couldn't open up to him. She prayed that Will would be a modern day Mr. Darcy and forgive her if in fact she did get the job and moved to Bryan.

On another act of faith, Beth called a realtor and set in motion putting her house up for sale. At the walk though she told Beth that the house looked great and that she didn't think it would take long to sell. Beth figured that most realtors said that to their clients, but again prayed that the timing would be right.

"Here we go again, Momma," Callie sighed as she climbed into the back seat for yet another trip north. This time, however, the grass was green and early spring flowers jutted the countryside as they drove up 127. Beth smiled at her daughter and wondered just how many more trips they would take.

Concerned that the Easter Bunny would not be able to find her, Callie insisted that Beth let her talk to Ed to determine if the bunny did travel to Bryan, Ohio. In all mock seriousness, Ed assured her that he would contact the big man himself to clear up any misunderstanding. Armed with that happy thought, Callie was ready to have a fun weekend and even miss and extra day of school so Beth could go to her interview.

On Saturday, Beth went alone to Ft. Wayne. Rachel and Georgiana offered to take Callie to the town's Easter Egg hunt and Beth couldn't refuse. On the drive over, she thought of how beautiful the young women were and how sensitive they were to Beth and Callie. It was still unspoken between her and Georgiana anything that had to do with Will, but G had excitedly kept Beth posted with Richard's progress.

Jeannie was in a great mood and seemed very happy to have time alone with Beth. Leading her momma to her room, she explained that she had pictures she wanted to show her. Beth was pleasantly surprised to see beautiful drawings of butterflies all over Jeannie's walls. "We have so much fun drawing, Momma." She enthused. "I tell him stories while I draw. He promised to take me out to see the butterflies when they come. That will be soon, right momma?"

Beth agreed that it would. Her eyes traveled to a charcoal drawing placed right next to Jeannie's bed. "Honey, this is beautiful. Where is this from?"

"Mr. William, momma. He drew that just for me. I told him all about you and Callie and me, and he drew that of all of us. It's my favorite."

Beth couldn't get over the likeness of the three in the picture, yet she was sure she had never met Mr. William. Looking around the room, she saw the picture of the three of them that was taken last year and Beth figured he must have taken their likenesses from that. Still, the picture seemed so happy, so intimate, she couldn't help but touch it.

"He's very talented, our art therapist," Sam said from behind. Beth turned around quickly and felt as if she had been caught doing something wrong. "The kids love him. I hope he stays on with us after he finishes his internship. He and Jeannie really seem to have a connection."

"Well, my daughter seems to connect with men fairly well as you noticed." Beth laughed.

"Yeah, you're right about that. He's such a big lug that the kids hang on to him. They pull on his hair and tug on his beard; I don't know how he stands it really."

"Sounds interesting." Beth mused.

"He is. Must be a story there somewhere but he's not very talkative to us adults. He's clearly here for the kids. But, hey, you'll get to meet him when you come up for the open house in May. You are coming, aren't you? The kids put a lot into that weekend."

Oh, yes, I will. I'm looking forward to it," With a glance back at the amazing picture, Beth walked out and made a mental note to meet this Mr. William at the Open house.

Beth was still in shock. She sat in her car and kept shaking her head. She had walked into the interview hoping it would go well and that maybe she'd know something in a week or two. Now, here she was with an offer for a position – but not just any position. They needed her to finish the school year. One of their teachers had to leave due to her husband's sudden illness. She had indicated that she had no plans on returning as they were going to move closer to his family. Beth had agreed to come up and complete the school year after giving a proper notice. "Thing just don't happen like this" she said aloud.

Will clicked off his cell phone as he pulled into the long driveway to his house. He walked around to the pool house figuring Richard would be there working out. He couldn't wait to tell him about Beth getting the job. Opening the door, he found Richard sitting almost at attention staring off into space. "Rich, what it in the world…"

"Will, I just got a call from Ft. Bragg. I have to go back next weekend."

"What? How can they do that? You're retired! I read the paperwork myself. What the h…"

"Will, I'm not being activated. I'm being honored, you twit."

"Honored?"

"Yeah, don't sound so surprised. Although I think I am. I don't even know if I want to go."

"What do you mean? Of course you'll go. What else did they say?"

"I'm getting the purple heart, Will, and some sort of other humanitarian thingee."

"But that's great, isn't it?" Will couldn't understand what Richard's obvious problem was.

"Hawkins' wife and kids are going to be there, too. They're giving him the heart posthumously. I don't think I can handle that, Will." Richard responded softly.

"You did NOT cause his death, Richard. Surely you've come to peace with that."

"I don't think I ever will. I don't want an award for that day, I have enough reminders." He pointed to his legs.

"Don't you want to see your men? Didn't you tell me they were coming home soon?"

"Yeah, it coincides with the homecoming celebration."

"Your men will want to see you, Rich. I think you should go. I think we all should go."

"Oh, here ya go. Making plans for everybody else to follow."

"No, Richard. Remember our little snowed in weekend? Well, I told you there'd be payback, so as keeper of the keys to the Stephens' asylum, I'm commanding you to go to Ft. Bragg. I'm calling Seth right now."

Richard groaned, but knew there was no arguing. "I've put on so much weight thanks to Juanita, I don't think I'll be able to get into my uniform."

Will laughed at his cousin, "Don't blame Juanita. She doesn't force you to sit around watching soaps and Dr.Phil."

"Yeah, well, I like to watch other people's screwed up lives so I don't feel so badly about my own. Oh, and if I do go to Ft Bragg for this, you will have to clean yourself up." Will laughed. "No, I mean it. You look like some kind of beatnik freak. They won't let you in. You'll be stopped by security."

The next weeks were quite a blur for both Will and Beth. Each was busy with momentous occasions to either plan or attend. Will coordinated the flights for the Pemberville side of the family as well as Seth at Purdue. They were to meet up in Raleigh and then drive down together to Ft. Bragg. At first Richard thought he wanted an open ended ticket so he could spend time with his men, but on further reflection he knew he needed to let that part of his life go and start thinking of his future.

It was decided by both cousins that Richard would take over the auxiliary businesses owned by the family. He enjoyed working with people so managing their real estate holdings and overseeing their portfolio actually held some excitement for him. He never really got to put his business degree to practical use and Will was more than willing to give up control of that side of the family holdings.

The matter of Georgiana's fast approaching graduation wasn't lost on them either. She had decided to attend Bowling Green, Richard's alma mater to study education. Will knew that her relationship with Beth influenced her decision, but he was proud of the family legacy as that was their mother's chosen field before she was married. Since the party last year was such a success, Georgiana asked for the same thing for her celebration. With this Spring so cool and rainy, Will agreed that a pool party was risky for that early in June.

Witnessing yet another homecoming at Ft. Bragg was still an emotional experience even though Richard was there beside them instead of coming off an airplane. His men were overjoyed to see him and to see his recovery. It was obvious Richard was well liked and respected. The award ceremony was somber and poignant as Hawkins' wife accepted the award. Before leaving the stage, she approached Richard and extended her hand. Richard stood up to grasp it as she pulled him to her in an embrace. Georgiana stifled a cry while Will and Seth shifted in their seats before looking at each other.

"I hope this makes him feel better now." Seth whispered to Will who nodded his head in agreement. "We all sure carry around a lot of guilt, don't we?" he looked up at his cousin.

"Yes, I think it's in our DNA or something. But we're working on it, right?" Will elbowed Seth and smiled. Seth nodded back before the crowd stood up and clapped for all the heroes who had returned one way or another.

Packing up an entire home while working full time was an exhausting endeavor. Beth started in Jeannie's room and then utilized it for the boxes as they were finished. Callie was a quite a help and practically packed her room by herself. Fellow teachers and friends from church descended on the house on Friday evening and stayed into the early morning. All that was left from then on were some kitchen items and the clothes the two would need to wear for the next week.

Several people had been through the house, but there were no serious buyers. Beth did not look forward to two house payments, so she decided to rent a house in Bryan for the short term. She was scheduled to start in Bryan the first Monday of May, so she only had one weekend to go hunting for a place for them to live. Marie and Ed gladly offered the carriage house as a go between, but Beth didn't want to move again nor did she want to pay for storage.

The Monday after Richard's ceremony, he was walking past the den and heard Georgiana talking to Beth. Not in the least bit shy, Richard stepped into the room and eavesdropped for quite awhile to the conversation. Georgiana finally told Beth that they had a third party present and Beth asked to speak with Richard directly.

"Beth, how are you holding up with the move?" Richard wasted no time.

"Well, it's hectic to say the least. But I wanted to talk about you for a minute. Congratulations are long overdue from me, Richard. I am so glad that you are up and around and obviously well enough to travel."

"Yes, well, it was a surreal kind of experience, but I'm onto a new phase as well. Say, do you have a place to live yet up here?" Georgiana's eyes grew wide and smiled.

"No. I'm coming up this weekend to look around. Do you know of anyone who's wanting to rent a house?" Beth thought it was worth a shot.

"As a matter of fact, Beth, I know someone who has some rental property that just might do for you. Would you allow me to show you some houses on Saturday?" Richard asked in his most sincere voice.

"Are you sure it wouldn't be a bother? Ed and Marie have done so much for us. I hate to keep asking them for help."

"Oh, believe me, it would be my pleasure to help you get settled here, Beth." Richard was holding his hand over the phone while Georgiana was clapping and laughing.

"That's fantastic, Richard. I'm moving in two weeks. This has all happened so fast. I don't know who my angel is that's working so hard for all of these pieces to fall into place for me, but I am so grateful."

"Yes, well, I don't know about the angel bit, Beth, but I know that many of us are very excited to have you and Callie move up here. I'm happy that things seem to be falling into place for you." Richard was having a difficult time keeping a straight face.

About that time Will walked into the room and asked what was so funny and who were they speaking to. Beth could hear Will's voice and she suddenly wished nothing more than to talk to him, but she didn't have the nerve to ask Richard to give Will the phone. Georgiana and Richard shooed him out of the room with Will protesting loudly that all he did was ask a question. Richard returned to the phone and made plans to meet Beth first thing Saturday morning.

Hanging up, he called Will back into the den. "Cousin, you are going to owe me big."

"How do you figure that?" Will asked suspiciously.

"That was your Elizabeth I was talking to."

"She's not my Elizabeth," Will replied indignantly.

"Yeah, right, anyway, I, dear Fitzwilliam, am tasked with taking the fair Elizabeth rental house shopping on Saturday. How convenient for me that I just so happen to know several homes that would be perfect for her." Richard was beaming with a self congratulatory smile.

"Well, she's a teacher, remember, she won't be able to afford most of the ones we have right now. Unless….Richard, get out the listings and let's strategize, shall we?"

"Oh boy," Richard was rubbing his hands together, "I love it when you manipulate someone else's life. That means you're staying out of mine."

"I'm NOT manipulating; I'm just looking after her best interests and making her transition to Bryan as smooth as possible. A sort of Welcome Wagon if you will."

"Lord, Will, you better hope that wagon doesn't run you over when she finds out just how much you've been looking after her interests. She's already unknowingly called you her angel. You better hope she's changed her tune about being rescued." All the same, Richard was already running to the office to get the listings.

Beth arrived at Marie's Friday evening with her car loaded to the brim. She brought her keepsakes that she wanted to ensure wouldn't break bouncing in a truck. After unloading, they went out to eat and drove around some neighborhoods with Ed providing a running commentary about where would be a good place for Beth and the girls to live. As she was getting ready for bed that evening, her realtor called and said that a couple who had gone through the house before was requesting another walk through in the morning. She told Beth not to get her hopes up, but she would call her as soon as she knew anything more.

The next morning dawned sunny and cool enough for a sweater, but perfect to go looking through multiple properties. When Richard knocked on the carriage house door, Callie was waiting and flung herself at hiim. Beth was mortified that Callie might hurt him and chastised her soundly.

"I'm not the much of a weakling, Beth, honest. I'm even jogging a bit now and I've been on a horse more than once. Well, don't just stand there," Richard was opening his arms, "I believe I at least deserve a hug for surviving the winter living with Fitzwilliam." Beth gladly hugged Richard and squeezed tightly. She kissed him on the cheek which brought a flush to both their faces. "Oh, wait til I tell him this!" Richard teased as he grabbed Beth's hand and led her out to his jeep.

By this time, Georgiana climbed out and hugged Beth and Callie as well. "I know how much that household loves sleeping." Georgiana pointed to the main house, "So I wanted to feel like I was helping. Callie, will you watch cartoons with me?" Callie squealed in answer and the two ran back into the carriage house with Georgiana holding a box of donuts.

"Well, that just about enshrined Georgiana in Callie's eyes," Beth laughed.

"Then I expect the same adulation, madam." Richard held up another bag and indicated the coffees sitting in the jeep. Another kiss to the cheek and Richard had to remind himself that he was doing this for his cousin, not for his own reasons.

Two hours later, Richard pulled up to the house he and Will thought would be perfect for Beth. It was a yellow cape cod with white shutters, the stereotypical white picket fence, and a white front porch swing. Daisies were blooming out front along with a weeping cherry and several lilac bushes. The men had planted the bushes earlier in the week along with the tree. They knew they were shamelessly leading Beth, but they honestly believed this was the best house for her.

"Richard, it's so beautiful out here," she exclaimed twirling around and taking it all in. "It better not be trashed on the inside."

"Would I do that to you?" Richard unlocked the door and led Beth through. The house was about fifty years old and still had the original woodwork and flooring. The staircase had been refinished as well with safety strips for added measure. All the appliances were new and a stacked washer and dryer had been added in the pantry off the kitchen.
Richard pointed out that the rooms had all been repainted and the house had been completely rewired a few years back. He assured her that the last tenants were non smokers and had only an aquarium. He knew this for a fact because Juanita's oldest son and his wife lived here before they bought a home a few months earlier.

He watched in amusement as Beth walked through each room smiling more and more as she did so. He didn't follow her up the steps, as he had already gone up with her in other houses and steps were still a little bit of a nuisance to him. Several minutes later she descended slowly. Richard wasn't' sure of her expression as she walked over to him. He raised his brow and was about to say something when Beth caught his hand and said quietly, "Richard, this is my new home."

Later that evening, Richard took great delight in torturing Will as recounted the two kisses and Beth's gratitude for all that he had done. "She still looks fantastic, Will, although I admit she did look tired around the eyes. I talked about you shamelessly, I might add, and she didn't once ask me to stop. She even asked how your classes were coming along."

Will listened with a pained expression. "At least she can say my name without indifference; I should be grateful for that."

"Oh, she's anything but indifferent. I'm telling you, Will, I believe she wants to talk to you; I just don't think she knows how."

"Richard, this isn't Jr High, besides, she broke up with me, remember."

"Yeah, but you ended the conversation by calling her 'Beth'. That was like a slap in her face."

"I was angry and frustrated. I could have said a lot worse." He reasoned.

"No, I don't think you could've."

Beth's last week was an emotional one. Her students threw parties for her one right after the other. Funny poems were written and read aloud. Imitations of her teaching style and lots of jokes about Mr. Darcy were thrown around as well. Even some former students dropped by to say good bye and tell stories on her and her influence on them. She was clearly touched and left that Friday with a full heart but one that was looking ahead to new adventures.

As with any move, minor inconveniences abounded. The truck was late Saturday morning and a light drizzle was just enough to get them soaked after awhile. Callie was emotional the last minute and cried over losing her home. Beth reminded her that she had already picked out her new room in the yellow house and it had a bigger yard. Richard had promised Beth that he would be on the lookout for a swingset, and would clear it with the owner to put one in. She hoped he had already been successful so that Callie would have a surprise once they got there.

Waving good bye to the house one last time, Beth was thankful for the blessings she had received there. She also drove by her mother's home one last time. Although she did have friends in Cincinnati, Beth did not figure on having the time to regularly visit. She wasn't one to visit gravesites, so her mother's home and been a memorial of sorts for Beth. Tears were shed but quickly dried and soon they were headed north.

Beth would only have one month of double payments, as the couple who had requested the second walk through made an offer that Monday. Beth had signed over the power of attorney to her realtor and would only have to sign and fax a few more documents for the closing. She would make a nice sum from the sale, and was determined to put it in savings as she looked for a house to buy in Bryan or in the surrounding area.

Reviewing the past year in her mind, Beth was much occupied on the drive. So much had changed since she drove up for Justin's graduation. Spending time with Richard was fun and a nerve wracking at the same time. He spoke of Will constantly and she knew he was closely watching her to gauge her reactions. She wasn't foolish enough to think that Will put him up to it, but she was sure that Richard would give him a full report. Knowing she had wounded his pride, she was unsure how to begin again with him. For all she knew, he could have been seeing someone else by now, but by the way Richard spoke, she doubted it.

She also knew that if she let him back in her life, he would expect her to once and for all tear down the walls she had built around her. Through much prayer and assistance from Jeannie's psychologist, Beth was finally free of the guilt of sending Jeannie to SKAT. Dr. Evans continued to report Jeannie's improvement as outbursts were continuing to diminish. She was adapting to the rules and making strides in her school work as well. She continually talked to Beth about Mr. William as though Beth already knew him. He was becoming more and more intriguing to Beth. She wanted to schedule a conference with him, but since it was merely her curiosity and nothing wrong with Jeannie, she would just have to wait until the Open House next weekend.

As she turned the corner approaching her new home, Beth was struck by the amount of cars on the street. Walking up to the house, she was greeted by Marie, Ed, Rachel, Richard and Georgiana. They had already been inside assisting the movers who were about an hour ahead of her. Marie had a great eye for furniture placement and the living and dining room were already set up.

"I don't deserve friends like you," she said honestly as she hugged them all. Some of Ed's family also showed up and by evening, most everything was in its place, beds were made, and Beth treated everyone to pizza. Though overwhelmed by all the help she received, she couldn't help but be a little disappointed that Will was not there. She felt she had an uphill battle to prove to him she was ready and he could trust her with his heart.

Monday rolled around quickly and Beth was anxious to start. She had her schedule already and had turned in the rest of the month's lesson plans. Her new principal was understanding that she had to settle Callie in her new school, so she would be late that day. Callie was already dressed and swinging on the new set waiting for her momma to leave the house. In just one day, Callie had met several girls her age on the block. Beth was thrilled for daughter to finally have neighbor friends.

Already on Sunday, two families stopped by with cookies and a casserole to welcome them to the neighborhood. Beth was impressed by their gesture and was pleasantly surprised that one of the women and her daughters attended the community church as well. The agreed to sit by each other next Sunday and maybe go out for lunch afterwards.

The registration was completed quickly and Beth walked Callie along with the principal to her new room. She was introduced to Mrs. Thompson, an older woman who smiled brightly at Callie and welcomed her to her new class. A desk was already set up for her and many of the children smiled at her as she sat down. She waved to her mom and then settled in quickly. Beth marveled at her daughter's resilience, thanked Mrs. Thompson, and scurried to her new job.

After checking in with the principal, Beth walked down the hallway searching for her room. She felt like a brand new teacher regardless of her sixteen years of experience. Peering through the window in the door, another gentleman waved her in. Following a brief exchange, he introduced himself as one of the school counselors and he in turn introduced Beth to her class of Juniors. This was a college level American Literature class and Beth had lots of experience with this level. Within in a few minutes, she was answering questions about herself and beginning a dialogue with the students.

By the end of the day, Beth was exhausted but hopeful. She had missed her first two classes which were composed of Seniors. She and Georgiana had already figured out that Beth would be her teacher for the second bell. Neither were concerned about a conflict of interest as Beth had already been quite clear of her expectations. She was delighted when Rachel and Georgiana stopped by.

Falling into bed that night, Beth truly felt like she was home. She loved the house, the neighborhood, the easy walking distance to the school; and Callie was excited about her new friends and class as well. She was tempted to be apprehensive that things were going so well, but she decided to let herself enjoy how things had fallen into place. She fell asleep thinking about the prom she would be chaperoning on Saturday evening after traveling to Ft Wayne for the open house. In her dreams, she was dancing with Will and everything was perfect.

Will was acting like a caged animal all week. He paced constantly, couldn't keep his mind on the business at hand, and bit the hand that fed him, namely Richard. His cousin had chastised him several times for not appearing when Beth moved in. He was pushing Will to swallow his pride and call her or stop by – "Just do something!" he had pleaded. Will had angrily told Richard to back off during dinner which Richard had just finished on the grill.

"You are being ridiculous." Richard chided. "You want to see her so bad it's killing you." He stopped and then eyed Will suspiciously, "Or do you?"

"What does that mean?" Will's defenses were sharp.

"Hmm, let me think on this a minute. What would Dr Phil say?"

"Richard…" Will warned.

"You're happy the little lady has moved into your life, but you're not moving towards her" Richard was imitating the famous doctor's southern drawl. "How's that working for you?"

"Don't bait me; I'm not in the mood." Will snarled at him.

"Really, Will, what's the hold up? Shave the beard, cut your hair and get over to her house. For somebody so smart, you are so st – "

"Richard! I mean it! Cut it out!" Will stood up and his chair flipped backwards. His temper was at the breaking point and he literally got in Richard's face.

"What is it Will? Why are you being so stubborn? All kidding aside, I'm trying to understand. Come on. Out with it. Georgie's decorating for prom, so it's just the two of us and I have all night." Richard did not back down, but changed his tone. "Come on, Will. Start talking."

Will picked up the chair and sat back down dragging his hand through his curly hair. "Get off it about my hair and beard. I like it this way."

"OK, OK. Sorry. The look is just so not you." He sounded like one of the Queer Eye guys.

"You have got to quit watching so much TV. There's plenty of work to do on the farm if the other stuff is not keeping you busy."

"I will not fall into your ruse to change the subject. I'm not kidding. I have all night."

"What does that say about the two of us?" Will lamented.

"I am discriminating. You are just stupid." Richard deadpanned. "Now, once again, out with it."

"I don't know it's just…it's just…" Will was clearly having a difficult time expressing what his feelings truly were. "Richard, what if she is furious with me when all that I've done comes to light?"

"You're just now worrying about that?"

"I swear I only wanted to make things easier for her."

"I know that."

"There's an open house at SKAT this weekend."

"So?"

"So, I have to be there. It's required." Will explained.

"My question remains." Richard challenged.

"So, I'm supposed to meet the parents of the kids I work with. I work with Jeannie…"

"Oh." The light dawned on Richard who was smiling his cheesiest.

"I just don't know how she will respond. Right now all my slots are full in terms of formal conferences, but what if I run into her?"

"I've never known you to be afraid of a woman, or anyone for that matter."

"I'm not afraid of her; I'm afraid of my reaction to her."

"What, do you think you'll ravage her in the middle of the cafeteria or something?"

"Richard," he decided to ignore his cousin's last remark. "I love her. I still love her. I never stopped loving her."

Richard sighed. "How you two have managed to turn something that should be so simple into a Lifetime Movie is beyond me. I'm going to say this one more time, private: TALK TO HER!"

Will stared at Richard and then turned to leave, at the door he paused and said with his back to him, "I swear, either you quit watching so much TV or I'll re-enlist you myself."

Chapter 17 All Will Be Revealed…

Posted on 2009-10-28

Because Beth had visited Bryan so much in the last twenty years, by the end of their first week, she felt completely at home. Gone were the traffic jams, long lines at check outs; even Beth's sinuses were clearing up. As she walked home from school on Friday afternoon, she couldn't help but feel a sense of peace. The only piece that was missing was Will.

After planting some flowers in the back yard with Callie, they both took showers and then sat on the front porch swing talking about their day. A calmness had settled over Callie in the past months and though she missed Jeannie and spoke of her often, it was obvious that the stress level had significantly diminished for the little girl. She told her momma about her new friends and they enjoyed the cool spring air.

Several times that evening Beth picked up the phone intending to dial Will's number; each time she froze. She eventually called Marie who listened calmly to all of Beth's arguments for and against talking to him. Finally, she replied that if it was causing Beth this much anxiety, maybe the time wasn't right just yet. Beth thanked her friend for her wisdom and fell asleep wondering when the right time would be. Marie deeply sighed and said her own prayer because she knew that one way or another Beth and Will would see each other that weekend.

The next morning Beth arose looking forward to all that she had planned. Callie's new friend, Jordan, had invited her to spend the afternoon which worked perfectly for Beth to travel to Ft Wayne. She wanted to be able to talk to the staff without having to keep an eye on Callie and Jeannie. Though Callie would miss some sibling activities, Beth was sure her daughter needed to build friendships in their new neighborhood.

Beth chaperoned prom every year at her old school, so she had several appropriate dresses to wear that evening. She finally settled on a lavender halter dress that had a matching shawl to drape across her shoulders. If her day went as scheduled, she would have plenty of time to get home, collect Callie, see the two young couples before they went to dinner, eat with Marie and Ed and then come home to get ready to be at the school by 8pm. Rehearsing that plan in her mind, she could have been overwhelmed, but Beth felt a calm she hadn't experienced in a long while.

Will couldn't remember a time when he was this nervous. He was not looking forward to meeting with all the parents. Not that he didn't know what to say to them, he was just so much better dealing with the kids. Kids and horses, that's where my talents lay; not anxious parents, and certainly not one particular single mom. With Richard's last pep talk ringing in his ears, he left with not a minute to spare. His plan was to go straight to the art room and start his conferences. After those were finished, he'd sprint to the staff lounge and wait until the coast was clear.

He knew he was being ridiculous. Richard never tired of telling him he was ridiculous. Even Georgiana and Seth were mocking him this morning as he couldn't stand still. By the time he reached the campus he had talked himself into believing she wouldn't even be there. Nervously scanning the parking lot, he didn't see her car so he dashed into the building and made a bee line for the studio.

The next three hours were a blur as he spoke to seven out of his ten students' parents. They were all quite pleasant and were impressed with Will's knowledge and relationship to their children. He was able to explain their art and the emotions they expressed with clarity and ease all the while feeling like he would lose his stomach at any moment.

He actually had run over his allotted time and was surprised when a message came over the phones that the open house was wrapping up. Letting out a huge sigh, Will was putting the artwork back in the files, his back to the door.

"Excuse me, Mr. William? I know it's time to leave, but I really wanted to meet you." Beth stood in the doorway assessing the curly headed man who looked like he bench pressed 300 pounds. She had said her goodbyes to Jeannie and came back into the main building hoping to meet the man her daughter seemed so enraptured with and who had drawn such an amazing picture of her and the girls.

Will stood frozen. He knew that voice without having to turn around. He could see, he could actually see Richard standing there with that smug look on his face and he almost reached out to smack it. Instead, he took a deliberate breath, squared his shoulders and turned around.

Beth walked into the room and watched as the tall man seemed to be having a conversation with himself. She smiled thinking that he was probably some socially backward sensitive artist type who would talk over her head in a monotone like that painter did on the PBS painting program that used to lull Beth to sleep. When he turned around, Beth was struck with how much this man resembled Will. If it wasn't for the beard and the curly hair that brushed past the collar of the button down he was wearing, she would swear it was Will. Will that looked like a poodle…"Oh my God!"

"Hello Elizabeth." OK, good my tongue did not freeze to my mouth. Will was looking at her with the eyes of a man who just found water after walking miles through the desert. She was even more beautiful than when he saw her New Years' Day. Even with her mouth hanging open and her face turning beet red and, suddenly she did not look very good. As a matter of fact, she looked like she was either going to faint or come at him very quickly and take a swing.

Will decided the best defense was a good offense, so he walked quickly over to where Beth was half standing half leaning on the chair where the parents had sat. "What, how, why, what are you doing here?" she finally managed to spit out.

"I'm doing my internship here, Elizabeth." Will thought he'd just try to be calm and only answer her questions for right now.

"Here?"

"Yes."

"Here at SKAT?"

"Yes."

"You are Mr. William?"

"Yes"

"How many other aliases do you have?" Beth was moving from shock to anger at lightening speed.

"You know all of my names, Elizabeth." He was studying her expressions and he was becoming quite nervous as he saw the transformation when the whole scenario dawned on her. "Elizabeth…"

"It was you. You told Marie and Ed about this place. You took them here to sell them on it. You orchestrated everything." Will did not deny it as she paused to glare at him. He waited for more revelations to occur. He was not disappointed.

"Oh my Lord! You are the anonymous donor for the scholarship! You planned this whole thing to get Jeannie up here! You manipulated my entire life to get me up here!" She moved within inches of his face and he truly braced himself to be slapped.

"Yes, but I really thought Jeannie would thrive here. Elizabeth, I wasn't trying to manipulate you, honestly. I saw this place and I just knew this was where she needed to be. Please don't pull her out.. Please don't take your anger out on SKAT." He stopped because he wasn't sure what was happening.

Beth had stumbled back into the chair and fell back into it. As Will was attempting to explain himself, the entire situation suddenly struck Beth as funny. Before she knew it, she was laughing and crying at the same time. This is what a nervous breakdown feels like.

Of all the scenarios Will had rehearsed, Beth laughing while crying was not on his list. He cursed himself for not knowing what to do at that point. When she continued to laugh Will became more concerned that he had finally pushed her over the edge. Not being able to stand there any longer without touching her, he moved to her side and knelt down by the chair talking hold of her hand. To his delight, she did not pull it away.

"Elizabeth?" She closed her eyes then and stopped the laughter. When he said her name that way, it was like a physical caress; one that she had so dearly missed. She opened them slowly to see him looking intently at her. 'Are you alright? You had me a little scared a minute ago."

She sat up and then pulled her hand away instantly feeling the loss. Without thinking, she reached out and touched his hair, letting her fingers comb through its thick, curly texture. Will was mesmerized by her touch and didn't move. With her other hand she touched the beard on his chin then opened her hand and laid it across his cheek.

"I should be smacking you right now," she said barely above a whisper as her face came dangerously close to his.

'Yes, but I am so glad that you are not" Will still had not moved though his gaze had traveled to her mouth. He smiled thinking of telling Richard just how wrong he was about the beatnick artist crack. He moved even closer and was bending to kiss her when suddenly Beth pulled both his hair and his beard. "Ouch!"

"You actually think I want a kiss from you right now? I do, but that's beside the point. We are going to talk, mister. No, wait, YOU are going to talk. A lot. And soon. But I have to get back to Bryan to previous commitments. Do you have plans tomorrow, like conspiring with Canada to over throw the US or manipulating the stock market to earn more millions?"

Will shook his head while smiling and stroking his beard mischievously. "No" his eyes were dancing as his face literally came to life.

"Good, then I will expect to see you at church and then you can take me out to lunch." She replied smugly, deciding she liked being so authoritative.

"I am at your service, madam" Will bowed before her formally.

"As it should be, I daresay," she curtsied back. Knowing he was watching her, she sashayed to the door. Without turning around, she stood up straight, shook her head and said before continuing, "I know I have explaining to do to you as well. But Will, don't even think about shaving or cutting that hair."

"As you wish," He called after her laughing. He sat down in the chair shaking his head. One hurdle down and no body count except for a few hairs on his head and beard. "She's going to make me pay, though." He said a loud with a laugh, "And I am so willing to pay her price."

Rushing back to Bryan helped to keep Beth's mind focused on the day, but she inevitably replayed her encounter with Will over and over. "Mr.William my foot" she said aloud more than once shaking her head one time, laughing the next. Obviously Marie and Ed knew about Will's involvement, so she was strategizing her revenge on them as well. She had wanted him to kiss her; with every fiber of her being she longed to be back in his arms, but she knew that was not the time or the place.

She had to explain the pain she felt this past winter and he had to open up about his life to her. Surely he had to realize she was not after him for his wealth or his connections to the town. Will may have been able to find this fantastic place for Jeannie and it just so happened to be close to Bryan, but Beth had secured the interview and the job on her own. Her credentials and her abilities landed her in Bryan. By the time she was turning onto Marie's street, Beth had forgiven Will for his interference, but she was going to make him sweat a little, and she looked forward to tomorrow.

Out in the front lawn stood the four teens smiling for Ed's camera. Beth jumped out of the car and waved hers as well. "Wait! Let me get one of you all, too" She stood next to Ed and clicked two off quickly exclaiming how beautiful the girls looked and how well the boys cleaned up. They walked back up to the porch to talk for just a minute before the couples left for their dinner at Mason's.

"So…" Ed said tentatively, "how was the open house?" Marie shot him her look.

"Oh, it was fantastic. They are doing such great things there. Jeannie is so happy."

"Meet anybody interesting?" Ed pushed again. Beth wanted to laugh, but she would get her revenge.

"Funny you should say that. I really wanted to meet that Mr. William, you know the art therapist." Beth couldn't help but look around at the panic that was spreading on everyone's face. I knew it! "His meeting times were all booked up, so I decided to just walk in at the end to meet him. That's why I'm a little late. I didn't intend to stay for the whole thing. Anyway, I walked up the room and stood in the doorway…" Oh I have them now, look at all them practically salivating.

In the background, Beth had heard a door slam and she was hoping against hope that Will was coming up behind her. Intuitively, she knew he was because the panic increased on the faces standing there. "and he was standing there kind of talking to himself or something. He's this huge man, wild hair and beard; he must be into body building or something cause he had these huge biceps." Georgiana couldn't help it and was snickering. "So, I'm looking at this big hulk of a guy and I thought he must be some kind of Grizzly Adams weirdo thing, so I decided I really didn't want to meet him."

"You didn't meet him?" Ed's eyes were bugging out of his head by then. He looked at Will and then at Beth not knowing what to do.

"Oh, man, look at the time, gotta go get Callie. I'll be back in few minutes." Beth turned and of course Will was standing right there with quite an amused expression on his face.

"Oh, hi Will," Beth said casually and kept her steps going off the porch.

"Elizabeth" Will returned just as casually.

"Oh, she's good." Ed was laughing with the entire group. "Lizzybeth is really too good. Now, you better spill Mr. William."

Will was all too happy to relate the afternoon to the group. Georgiana hadn't seen him smile so brightly since New Year's Eve and she hugged her brother tightly. "Please don't blow it this time, Will" she pleaded and she tugged his beard.

"Hey, why does everybody feel the need to pull on my beard? What's the big deal?"

He begged off dinner just because he really didn't want to share Beth with anyone that night and he had promised to be a chaperone for the prom. This was his last year as a board member, not to mention two of his favorite people would be attending. And, if he admitted it to himself, he was hoping that Beth would be there.

Running into the house he hollered for Richard who had just finished his daily exercise routine. In dramatic detail he relayed his reunion with Beth. Purposely omitting the pulled beard and hair, he triumphantly relayed her parting shot.

"Now," he challenged Richard, "who's the lonely beatnick now?"

"Well, there's just no accounting for taste. I never pretended to understand you two. As far as I can tell, you deserve each other."

"Hmm, well, I suggest you get a life cousin because mine just started again."

"You truly think she's going to let you off that easy? I think you underestimate her, my friend."

Will laughed and then relayed what Beth said at Marie's. Richard chuckled then asked Will what Beth said about all the other things.

"What other things?" Will stopped laughing.

"You know, the job, the house, those little details."

"Oh, I think that will be a piece of cake after the initial shock of today. And by the way, you're an accomplice on the house. And you were in the room when I called the assistant superintendent. So, you're in just as deep."

"Don't bet on that, Will. You better come clean with her ASAP." Richard warned.

"I will, I will. I'm taking her out tomorrow after church. All will be revealed then, I promise. Now, I gotta get cleaned up and get to prom."

"How appropriate in light of your behavior" Richard replied. "Hey, wait, will Beth be there tonight?"

"I hope so." Came the reply as Will headed for his room.

Callie was worn out after playing all afternoon with her new friends. They grabbed a quick bite with Marie and Ed and then Callie was going to stay the night with them. As much as Ed hated to admit it, he was struggling that his little girl was graduating, so he truly enjoyed having Callie in the house. The afterprom part was at a Laser tag company in town, so the plan was that the couples were going to change there, go to the laser tag party, then crash out at Seth's and Georgiana's.

Beth reached her house at seven, which gave her an hour to get ready. She took her time and decided to indulge herself with a bubble bath. It was a rare occurrence to bathe without answering questions or asking to turn down the TV, so Beth relaxed and enjoyed the precious time. Of course, Will was never far from her thoughts and she continued to marvel at how he had engineered the special help for Jeannie and managed to work there himself.

Satisfied with her appearance, Beth grabbed her shawl and decided that she would walk to the school. If she wanted to bow out early, which she truly planned on doing, she had no qualms about walking home at ten or eleven at night. If she decided to stay, she figured she could bum a ride from another chaperone. This was small town America, and she loved it.

Music was already blaring out of the gym as Beth approached. The themes may change but the prom remains the same. Several of her students acknowledged her and she was pleased that at that point, the atmosphere was rather subdued. She walked over to the check in and one of the assistant principals asked that she take gym duty, meaning she needed to mill around the dance floor and occasionally check to make sure nobody was spiking drinks, going through purses, things like that.

She walked down to the office where the chaperones were told to put their personal items. She decided to leave her shawl there because the gyms tended to get hot even if the air was on because so many people would be dancing and crowding around. Looking at the trophy cases lining the wall, she was interrupted by a low whistle.

"Why is it every time I see you, you take my breath away?" Will was standing in front of her obviously appreciating what he saw.

"And why is it every time I see you, I'm surprised?" she countered suddenly feeling very exposed in her dress.

"Pleasantly, I hope"

"Hmm?" she was dazzled by his suit and tie and his still damp hair curling around his collar.

"Pleasantly surprised."

"Oh. Oh, yes. Most of the time, I'm pleasantly surprised by you." She teased. "Why are you here? I can't believe Georgiana and Seth would allow you to chaperone them voluntarily."

"That's true. Well, you see…" Will had every intention of explaining his presence when he was interrupted by a gentleman calling his name and asking to speak with him for a moment. Will looked at her helplessly and mouthed, "Sorry" as the man led him down the hall apparently in urgent need of Will for some reason. Beth shrugged and continued her walk to the gym quite happy that this evening was just getting better and better.

The dance was getting underway as the live band had just begun playing. It was not the music Beth preferred to listen to, but it could have been much worse. Many couples were already up moving together while the typical scene of kids leaning up against the wall eyeing each other wishing for courage to ask someone to dance caused Beth to smile. No matter where a dance is in this country, the scene will be the same. She noticed that Justin and Georgiana were already dancing while Seth seemed to be making the rounds with Rachel in tow.

Her gazed continued around the gym only to stop when Will came into view. How long he had been standing there she didn't know, but he was watching her with a huge smile on his face. Their eyes locked and once again what Beth would continually describe as the whole world melting away came to pass. They moved toward each other as if no one else was moving, no other words were being spoken, no music was playing. Shivers ran down her spine in spite of the heat in the gym. How does he do this to me every time?

Will was amazed at the magnetism she seemed to possess. They went months without speaking, months of feeling rejected and alone, only to be wiped away in one second of seeing each other across a room. He knew that there was much to be said between them; he knew his responsibility in her insecurity, but in this moment, all he knew was that he loved her and that she was back in his life. He vowed to himself that he would not lose her again and by the end of this night she would now all that had occurred to bring her to him again.

"I just saw you not five minutes ago," he began when she was close enough to hear him without having to yell. By instinct he took hold of her hand "Yet seeing you across the room just now, I had to remind myself that you were real and I wasn't dreaming you up as I have for the past four months."

Blushing, Beth took her hand back and gently chastised him, "Mr. Stephens, you forget that we are the chaperones, not the ones who need looking after. But, you have to be one of the most romantic men I have ever met."

Bending close to her ear so he could whisper, "I get it from my namesake. He and I have kept good company separated from the women who drive us to madness." He straightened back up, satisfied that Beth was blushing again.

Justin and Georgiana made their way over to them and Georgiana released Justin so that she could hug the two of them. "Beth, this is so fantastic that you are here tonight. Everything fell into place didn't it? Will fixed it all just like Mr. Darcy."

"Well, I wouldn't say he fixed it all," Beth corrected her, "But he certainly got the ball rolling by finding SKAT and arranging for Jeannie to be able to attend there." She looked up at Will as if to say that the topic was settled between them. His weak smile in return puzzled her, but then she thought he was thinking that she was letting him off too easy.

Justin and Georgiana exchanged looks and then turned to Will. He shrugged his shoulders and suggested that they stop wasting their time socializing with the old folks and get back to their friends. They laughed and walked away as Justin turned to look at his girlfriend he muttered, "He's going to screw it up again. It's obvious she doesn't know the whole story."

"I know," Georgiana took his hand. "I swear, he's so worried about us, but we are so much more together than he ever thought of being. Richard pounds him on a daily basis."

"Well, he's not much better, is he? I think he crushes on Beth a little."

"No! He wouldn't do that. He's just lonely and hasn't any motivation to get out and meet someone."

"OK, you know him better than me. But that's enough talking about the old folks." He laughed. "Let's get back to enjoying your prom."

Will and Beth stood there watching the young couple as they walked across the gym. Both were lost in their own thoughts, yet their hands found a way to intertwine again. Beth was worried about what people might think since she was new and he was the guardian of one of her students, but she shrugged it off believing that no one was paying attention to the new English teacher.

Throughout the evening Will was pulled away several times to speak to a parent, administrator or teacher. Beth wondered at his apparent popularity but was reminded that he was a wealthy man and maybe people sought him out for that reason. As he found her on the other side of the gym after the umpteenth time he had to leave her, the band started playing a slower song and Will wanted to feel Beth in his arms.

"Elizabeth," be bowed slightly extending his hand.

"Fitzwilliam," she curtsied and allowed herself to be led to a remote corner of the gym.
"I'm supposed to watching the kids," she chuckled as he drew her into his body.

"This is camouflage; we're blending in with the other couples. That way you can spy on them. No one will be the wiser."

"You always have a plan." She sighed and let herself relax in his embrace.

When the dance was over, Beth still felt as though a spell had been cast around them. She had bad memories of her prom, and she decided that from now on, she would remember this night instead. As they finally separated, the spell was broken by someone clearing their throat.

"Ahem," her principal interrupted, "Ms. Thomas, would you mind taking Mr. Stephens and walking outside for about a half an hour? We're taking turns doing duty out there"

"Sure, no problem. I'm glad that I don't have to introduce you two. I guess Will has been here a lot between the two kids attending here." The principal gave Beth a curious look and only nodded.

"Let's go on outside." Will placed his hand on Beth's back and led her out into the lobby.

"I'm going to go get my shawl in the office and visit the restroom, OK?" She looked up at Will who suddenly seemed nervous.

"Sure. I'll be right here."

The restroom was on the way, so Beth stopped in. Before leaving, she checked her hair and make up and smiled at her own face blushing back at her. The office door was propped open for some reason, so Beth began walking in. She stopped when she heard her own name.

'It's Thomas. Did you see her? She was draped all over him. Susan said she was like that at his New Years party, so is it any wonder she got Wanda's job? When you sleep with a member of the school board, all kinds of opportunities just open up to you."

"Everybody knows Sharon should have been offered that position. She's subbed here for years. She's done her time. I don't care if she does have all this experience and was honored at her school in Cincinnati. You know I heard that he has her set up in a house just a couple of blocks from here. I bet as soon as poor Georgiana goes away to school, she'll stake her claim on the house, too."

"She's a smooth operator, I guess. Maybe Will Stephens will finally get what he deserves after all these years."

Beth was trying to get her legs to move, but they seemed planted in cement. She was furious that her reputation was being thrown about so viciously by people she didn't even know. Calling on every ounce of courage and self respect, she walked into the back office and in between the two shocked women to gather her shawl. "Excuse me," she smiled so sweetly her teeth hurt, "but it seems that if I am to be 'operating' this evening, I will need my wrap. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you ladies, so you have me at a disadvantage as you clearly think you already know so much about me. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

With each step she took, Beth's anger and embarrassment heightened to a level beyond what she had ever experienced. She was surprised steam wasn't coming out of her ears by the time she reached Will. He had been in a conversation and turned around to see her only to quickly realize something was very wrong.

"Elizabeth?"

"I have to go outside." She brushed past him not wanting to look at his face at the moment.

"OK, I know that. What's the matter?"

"Not. In. Here." She kept walking until she was outside the building and past the few couples meandering around.

Will caught up to her quickly, and tried to hold onto her arm. She blanched at his touch and spun around and away from him. "Elizabeth! What in the world has happened? Please tell me?" He was afraid he knew the answer somehow.

"How could you? I mean really, how could you?" Her eyes were blazing and she was close to screaming at him.

"What have you heard? What just happened?" the walls were crashing in.

"You want to know what I heard? You want to know what just happened? I'll gladly share that with you, Mr. Will Stephens, school board member!"

"Oh, God. OK, listen, I can explain."

'You're so good at explaining Will. Almost as good as you are at manipulating my life. Almost as good as ruining my reputation!"

"Ruining your reputation?! How in the world did I do that?"

"I've just been informed by two women who evidently know quite a bit, that not only am I sleeping with you, but you set me up in my little love shack for your convenience. My job should have gone to a long term sub who is highly thought of, but since you are the great Fitzwilliam Darcy Stevens, fixer of all things Thomas, I landed it instead. There, I think that about sums it up!"

As Beth was speaking, Will had turned around to look back into the lobby. Two women walked by whom he recognized as staff at the school. They were staring at them and pointing as some other staff gathered around. He turned around quickly as Beth finished her tirade. "Those two biddies don't know what they are talking about. I did not insist on you getting this job. I made one phone call. One."

"Evidently that's all it takes in your world!"

"Believe me, all I did was call the assistant superintendent and suggest he look over your resume. I told him you were a good teacher. That's it. I swear. He called me back and said that they loved you and you were going to finish up the year and then get your own schedule next year. That's it. That's all I had to do with it.!" All of Richard's warning came tumbling around Will's head. He knew he deserved every bit of spite she was throwing his way.

"The house – is it yours?" she wasn't yelling anymore, just that same tone of resignation he had experienced when she broke it off with him before.

"Yes, no, well technically yes. It's a rental property that we own. Richard is managing that part of the business."

"You two have had quite a few laughs at my expense, haven't you?" her ire was up again and flaming.

"No. No. It's not like that. We wanted to help you find a great house that you and Callie would love and when Jeannie came home, they'd have a place to play."

"Don't bring my daughters into this. This is all about you wanting me so badly that you manufactured everything to get me here. Why? Why did you do all of this? I understood about SKAT, I really did. And as mad as I am at you right now, I'm thankful for what you have done. But this was too much. You've gone too far in your maneuvering. People think I slept with you to get my job! They think I'm your mistress! All I have is my reputation and my skills as a teacher. When everything crashed around me this year, I still knew that I could teach. But now, now no one will think about that. The gossip mongers are already at work, tearing me down, spreading these awful lies. Will, what have you done?" she spun away from him and starting walking rapidly down the street.

"Elizabeth, wait! I won't let you run away from me again. Please stop!"

"No, Will. This seems to be what we are the best at: I give you my heart, you want more; I trust you however unknowingly with my child, still not enough, you want control of it all down to where I live! Is my car alright, Will? Shall I wake up tomorrow to find a new one in the driveway because you didn't pick out the one I have? Would you tell me what kind of clothes to wear, how my make up should be applied? Where do you stop?!"

"You're making me sound like I'm some kind of a freak!"

She didn't answer, but kept on walking toward the house. Her mind was reeling wondering if she could get her old job back, figuring out how fast she could move into another house. She had never felt this much humiliation and anger in her life.

Will quickly sprang into action. He ran into the building to where the group of adults were huddled watching the scene outside. Advancing to the two women Beth had indicated he realized that one was Gloria's aunt. Cursing again his association with that family, he moved closer to the two and spoke in a low, serious tone, "Patricia, it has come to my attention that you are slandering a new faculty member. I would consider very carefully the venom you are spewing. I have put up with your family's malicious gossip for far too long. If what you have done tonight brings any negative consequences to the lady in question, my attorney will be seeking you out."

He didn't even look at her to see her reaction as he scanned the crowd again to find the superintendent and the principal standing together. They did not appear surprised to see Will walking their way. "Gentlemen," Will did not even give time to answer him. "Although I believe I am not guilty of any wrongdoing here, I am informing you that I am resigning as a school board member effective immediately. You'll have it in writing on Monday morning." Will then continued to explain what had just occurred.

Leaving many stunned people in his wake, Will left the school and ran to his truck, hoping to find Beth still walking to her house. He was afraid she would not let him in if she was already home. Fortunately, she was just turning the corner of her block when he pulled up and rolled down the window. "Elizabeth, please stop. Please. We don't need another scene in public."

Beth stopped and turned her face to him. Will cursed himself again as her beautiful face was covered in tears for which he was directly responsible. He jumped out the truck and opened the passenger side of the door. Beth refused his hand as she clamored in as dignified as she could under the circumstances. Will shut her door and returned to his seat then pulled up to Beth's house.

"No." she said quietly. "We will not do this here. Your truck will not be seen in front of this house tonight. I was going to say my house, but that would be incorrect, wouldn't it?" she looked up at him defiantly.

Will decided to let that one go. Running his hand through his hair, he turned to her and replied, "I know that you are very angry right now. I also know that I deserve it. But, we both can say some pretty mean things when we're riled up. I'm taking you to Pemberville so that we can hash this out in relative privacy. Richard is home, but I actually think that he can help us." She nodded her head but said nothing. Silence reigned inside as Will drove out to the farm. Without even looking at her directly, he knew that she was still crying. He realized that nothing she could level at him would equal the self censor he was already handing to himself.

Beth didn't wait for Will to come around and open her door and she walked ahead of him to the door. To their surprise, Richard opened it for them, "Will, what the he- excuse me Beth- what in the world is going on? I just got a call from some reporter at the Bryan Times wanting a statement on why you were resigning from the school board and if I had any statement in regards to Elizabeth Thomas. Of course, I hung up on the," Richard composed himself again, "on the man, but I don't know what's happening here."

At that point, Richard stopped talking. He looked again at Beth and saw her tear stained face and her obvious distress. His gaze turned to Will whose face was clouded in guilt and pain and Richard didn't have to ask anymore questions. His worst fear about this entire situation had come to pass. Maybe it was even worse than he had imagined.

"Oh, God," he said taking them both into the living room. "I'm putting on a fresh pot of coffee. I would say that I will leave you two alone, but I think you may both need an interested third party right now. Will, go upstairs and get Beth something to put on. That dress is stunning, but she appears to be shivering in it. Beth, just wait here, OK?" Richard was pleased with himself that he could still command in an emergency situation even if it was too stubborn love struck fools and not soldiers.

Will took the steps two at a time. When he reached the landing, he didn't know whether to go into Georgiana's room and pull something out of her closet or just bring down something of his. Realizing it may tick her off further if he brought his clothing, he didn't care as he wanted something of his to bring her some comfort right now. He grabbed one his clean button downs and at the last minute took his robe as well. He decided to take his suit jacket and tie off while he was there and unbuttoned his shirt from the stranglehold it had over him.

When he returned, Beth was holding a cup of coffee in both hands obviously miserable. Will honestly believed he would rather have her raging at him then sitting there looking so fragile and defenseless. "I did this to you. I'm so sorry, Elizabeth. This was never, never my intent." He sank into a chair actually afraid to sit near her thinking it would upset her even further to be close to him.

Richard walked back in with the rest of the pot and two cups. He outwardly winced at the picture the two portrayed sitting in his aunt's favorite room. Trying to think up a strategy that might be productive, he handed Will a cup and then sat down in a chair opposite Will on the other side of the couch. "OK, first, Beth, take the stuff Will brought down. Do you remember where the restroom is?" she nodded absently. "We'll be right here." When she didn't move, Richard stood up, took the articles from Will and handed them to Beth. He held out his hand and she let him help her off the couch. Finally, she left the room walking slowly down the hall.

By this time, Will's head was in his hands and he was groaning. "Please don't say I told you so."

"Don't worry. I see no humor in this situation. And I absolutely know that you never intended for this outcome. But I don't want to go any further until Beth comes back. I don't want her to think we're ganging up on her or conspiring against her."

"She thinks that anyway." Will's head was still down which muffled his voice.

The phone started ringing and Richard walked over to answer it. He walked back in and handed the phone to Will. "It's the board president. I think you owe him a conversation."

Excusing himself, Will left and walked to the den. He could hear Beth in the restroom crying and his spirits sunk further. He briefly explained the circumstances again insisting that he had not pressured anyone into hiring Beth. Will had been a productive and well liked member of the board for several years and his explanation was accepted readily. Will listened as the official board statement was explained and that the principal and lead teacher at the High School both collaborated Will's side. As he hung up, he felt a little better that his story was at least supported and upheld by the people who counted.

He walked back across the hall realizing Beth was still in the bathroom. Hesitating only briefly, he walked over to the door and knocked softly. "Elizabeth, please open the door." Surprisingly, the door opened and Will saw Beth wearing his shirt and wrapped in his robe huddled on the floor.

"I don't even know if I can stand," she said weakly not even looking up at Will. Without thinking, Will squatted beside her and scooped her up in his arms. Her head fell to his chest and another sob escaped her. He carried her back to the living room and sat down on the couch not releasing her. Her arms remained around his neck.

Richard said nothing as Will's eyes pled with him to help in some way. His natural response was always to inject humor to diffuse situations but as he had told Will earlier, nothing humorous was happening in his mind. Beth was still crying softly against Will's chest and Richard wished the two of them could see how even when they were both angry and hurt, they needed one another.

The three remained silent for quite some time. Will was stroking Beth's back and hair but was afraid to say or do anything else. As when most people cry for an extended period of time, Beth's body convulsed several times until she was no longer crying, but taking deep breaths. Richard sat drinking his coffee and earnestly trying to think of a plan. He knew he was missing some crucial facts in the story, so he admonished himself to be patient and wait until Beth was ready to proceed.

Finally, a good hour after they had arrived, Beth pulled her head off of Will's chest and virtually whispered. "I'm ready to hear you out now." Her arms fell from Will's neck and she slid off of his lap. Immediately they both felt bereft of each other but neither made the move to reconnect. Beth curled up with her legs under her in the corner of the couch. She went from being intricately connected to Will to seating herself as far from him as she could. That move was not lost on anyone in the room.

Richard nodded in encouragement for Will to begin. Starting from his professor introducing the class to SKAT, Will recalled all that had happened since that fateful class. Beth did not interrupt and she barely looked at Will while she spoke. She mostly had her eyes closed and nodded once in awhile. Finishing with Richard showing her the house, he even admitted to them planting the bushes and adding the porch swing. The corners of Beth's mouth turned up at this confession, but still she said nothing.

Will glanced over at Richard and mouthed "what now?". Richard shrugged his shoulders and then leaned forward in his chair and put his hand on Beth's shoulder. "Beth?" he started gently, "Is there any questions you have of us or anything that you don't understand?"

She opened her eyes to see Richard's genuine concern. "Why didn't you stop him?"

At first affronted, Richard then realized that Beth was asking was, can he be stopped. He smiled at her and answered, "I'll tell you what I told Will. Since we were kids Will had been in the role of protector. As soon as Lizzy was born, he took it upon to himself to ensure those that he loved were safe and happy. As devastating as our families' deaths were, I knew that Will would be alright. I'm not playing the sympathy card here Beth. I'm trying to explain who Will is, and I admit I have only played on this character trait so that I could run from the responsibility of Seth and my parent's estate."

"Are you saying that I should be flattered that he cared so much for me that he rearranged my entire life without my knowledge?"

"No, I'm just saying that even though I saw some inherent problems with what he was trying to do for you, I didn't stop him because he was doing exactly as I had expected him to do."

Will did not like the fact that the two of them were speaking as if he was not in the room, but he wisely decided not to protest the fact. He noticed that she was breathing easier now and her tone of voice while subdued, was not angry or that dreaded detached tone he had experienced before. Shifting uncomfortably, he continued to watch the two of them knowing that his time of questioning was coming.

"Why did he think I couldn't get the job on my own?"

"I didn't get that impression at all, Beth, honestly. When Georgie told him that you were applying all over northwest Ohio, he really did respond that he wasn't going to interfere, but we all knew that he couldn't resist. In spite of the fact that you broke his heart by not letting him be there for you, he knew that you needed to be here. He knew you needed to be close to those who loved you whether you reciprocated that love or not."

"I broke his heart?" her eyes darted in Will's direction for the first time.

"At the risk of sounding melodramatic, you've done it so often I'm surprised it's still beating." Richard wasn't sure how she would respond to that, but it was the truth as far as he could tell.

Beth shifted and brought her knees up so that her arms wrapped around them. Enveloped in Will's huge robe, both men thought she looked like a child pondering life's great mysteries. Will looked at her with eyes of a man hopelessly in love while Richard viewed her as someone he could have loved but was grateful to just to know.

"School board? Another controlling thing or something?"

"No. He got angry when the schools talked about cutting art and music, so he ran to try to change it from the inside."

"Rigged the election?" Her eyebrow rose.

"No. Quite on the up and up. He's actually been instrumental in a lot of positives here."

After more moments had passed, Beth directed another question to Richard. "What's with his hair and the beard?"

Richard smiled, sensing that somehow the worst of the evening was over. "I don't know, he just went all Beantick artist on us when you broke it off. Honestly, the fact that he called you Beth that night should have been the tip off to you that he had lost his mind." He felt he was in more familiar territory now – humor could now be employed.

Beth nodded her head in agreement, but still hadn't really acknowledged Will's presence. This was becoming more and more vexing to Will, but he controlled himself and continued to listen to the two's bantering.

"And the bulging biceps?"

"Steroids, massive steroids. I refused to use them as you can plainly see, but he insisted.."

She couldn't help herself and let out a giggle. Richard's eyes were dancing as he smiled and winked at Beth. Suddenly, it occurred to him what Beth had been doing during the entire conversation: she was controlling everything and not letting Will have a say at all. She was giving him a taste of his own medicine. His respect grew for her exponentially, and his knowing gaze alerted Beth that he was on to her.

Conversely, Will was ready to explode with indignation. He could take a lot, but being made fun of in his presence like he wasn't even there…he could not have it. Just as he was about to open his mouth to protest, Beth fell forward so that she was on her knees next to him almost eye to eye. "How did you like them apples?" she said wickedly.

Will held her gaze, "I don't know what you mean, but I don't like being shut out and talked about like I'm nonexistent." He answered indignantly.

"You mean like you couldn't answer for yourself. Like you weren't capable to come up with a solution. Like you were being handled. Like someone else was controlling your life?" Her face was within inches of his and her voice was back to its former strength.

Richard inched forward in his seat. If he had been a praying man, he would have been asking the Lord to grant his cousin the wisdom to shut his pie hole and think about what this amazing woman was trying to say to him. He watched as several emotions danced across Will's face until he could almost see the light bulb. Maybe I should try this prayer stuff.

"Oh, God, Elizabeth, I'm so..." Beth placed her hand on his mouth.

"No more. I know. Will, I'm sorry I broke your heart, but it had good company with mine." She moved the rest of the way to his face and kissed him chastely. "Now, where do we go from here?"

Will blinked a couple of times and then tried to process what had just happened. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, how are we going to deal with this? Will, this is my reputation, both personal and professional. I will forgive you for all your machinations, but for all we know we could be front page news tomorrow. I mean, what else is going on in Bryan besides this and the prom?"

"Oh. I thought you were talking about us." He was sulking a bit.

"I wouldn't push my luck, cousin." Richard warned.

"It's a legitimate question, Richard, given what happened this evening." Will retorted.

"Yes, it is." Beth broke in. "I believe, though, that we already have an appointment to discuss that tomorrow."

"Yes, but…" Will stopped, realizing he would have to wait.

Beth couldn't help but feel a little sorry for that whipped puppy look he was displaying.
Suddenly, she realized that she must look atrocious after crying for so long and she became self conscious of wearing Will's clothes. She pulled the robe around her tightly and excused herself. Walking into the bathroom she gasped as she viewed her mascara smeared, red rimmed, swollen eyes staring back at her. Her hair was a tangled mess, her nose looked like Rudolph and her skin was quite pale. All other traces of make up had long been removed.

She found her purse under the discarded dress and retrieved a brush. Painfully she was able to work out some of the knots. She didn't have anything to tie her hair back, so she attempted to tame it again and sighed with her effort. After blowing her nose several times and splashing water on her face, she at least felt more human. It was then that she was aware of Will's scent on the robe. Bringing the collar up to her face, she was comforted by its softness and by knowing Will had been in it maybe even just hours earlier. She blushed at that implication and thought better of dwelling on the image.

Staring into the mirror again, she asked herself the same question that Will obviously wanted answered. What about them? Just how many times could they start up only to be ripped apart by circumstance or their own issues? She knew very well that when she told Will in January that she never figured on having a man in her life, she had spoken a half truth. She did believe that until she met him, but she wasn't sure that she was capable of completely trusting him and she strongly believed he was experiencing the same problem.

Maybe Richard should run a couples' therapy group. She smiled at the thought and realized that he would be a valued friend to her. She chuckled a little at their conversation at Will's expense and cautioned herself to not pit the men against each other. Touching the robe again, she knew the answer was obvious. In spite of all they had been through and all the pain they had unknowingly caused each other, they were in love. Love is supposed to conquer all.

When she walked back into the living room, Richard was gone. Will began to stand up, but Beth shook her head, so he remained seated. The puppy eyes looked up at her and Beth's heart melted yet again. "I have the answer to your question." She stated standing over him.

'Do I want to know?" Will asked miserably.

"I certainly hope so." She sat down on his lap, took his face in her hands, and kissed him. This time, it was not so chaste.

Beth broke the kiss by giggling and rubbing her mouth. "I've never kissed anyone with a beard before. Though it looks sexy and mysterious, it's a little scratchy."

"I'll shave it right now." Will made a move to push her off his lap.

"If I had known that was all it would take to get you to shave that cursed thing, I would have puckered up a long time ago." Richard walked back into the room laughing.

"I'm not sure my ego will withstand the two of you against me." Will replied "But, I do think the beard is history."

"But not the hair," Beth ordered, running her fingers through the curls.

"No, not the hair." Will assured her.

"Well, since those were the more pressing issues of the evening, I see that we can now move on to attacking the gossip and media storm both of you will probably face." Richard sat back down after offering the couple some chips and salsa he rustled up from the kitchen.

"That's right, Richard. Our priorities are in order now." She chuckled. "Let's get down to business."

"Yes, I can see how serious you are sitting in his lap."

"Tell her to move and you'll see how serious I am" Will growled.

They brain stormed for quite awhile and determined that Richard would be the spokesperson for them both. He was used to giving reports to his commanders and learning how to answer questions or deflect them, however the case may be. He was also more even tempered than Will by a long shot, and they didn't want Beth's face plastered anywhere if they could help it.

A statement was hammered out explaining that the two met through mutual friends but were not in a relationship when Will learned that she was planning to move north for family reasons. They did not want SKAT to be attached to any negative press, but Richard thought the connection would come soon enough. Beth would offer to resign, but they already knew the offer would be refused, besides, the teachers' union would support her and fight if need be. They would acknowledge the events at the prom actually brought them back together, so they were grateful in a sense for the gossiping women.

"I'm sure you'll put your own unique spin on that part of the statement," Will smiled at Richard.

"Oh, yes. You can count on that. Ugh, I just thought of an angle some very clever journalist may use?" Richard frowned.

"What's that? Surely they won't get graphic or believe for a minute that she's my…"

No. But I can see it now "Mr. Darcy and his Elizabeth"."

"That book; that cursed book!" Will grimaced as his arm tightened around Beth.

"Bite your tongue!" Elizabeth admonished him. "We could work it to our benefit, you know. A modern day love story." Her eyes sparkled as she looked into Will's. "The women in town will eat it up and the men will gag and want to talk about the Reds or some such thing."

"You might have something there, Beth." Richard was following her. "Do I have your permission to tell your story? I won't go too in depth, but it will come out anyway and it might as well be by our hand, shouldn't it?"

"Elizabeth, that's asking a lot of you." Will valued his privacy so much that he couldn't fathom her wanting to reveal so much of her life.

"No, who knows who may somehow get something out of it, or maybe people will read the book."

"Spoken like a true English teacher." Richard smiled.

"Somewhere my mother just hugged my father and blessed you, Elizabeth." Will smiled.

That sealed the deal.

Richard excused himself to go work on the statement; he was confident that a reporter would either come to the house or attempt to call there one more time before their deadline for tomorrow's paper. Will wanted Beth to stay there with them, but she was concerned about appearances now that people would be watching. They called Marie and Ed in spite of the late hour and explained what was happening. As always, they were Beth's staunchest allies and offered their help in any way possible.

When Will and Beth left the farm to return to town, Richard decided to call the paper himself. "I haven't seen him this excited since I don't know when actually." Will shook his head as he got into the truck.

"Maybe you should let him handle all the PR for your vast business empire, Mr. Darcy.' Beth giggled.

"It's probably not a bad idea. I know I despise all that stuff."

"Yet you ran for the school board." She teased.

"Man on a mission."

"Knight in shining armor"

"Idiot with a big mouth"

"OK, you win" They laughed as Will reached for her hand. They rode the rest of the way to town in silence. As they neared Beth's house, she started to get tense, "Will, I just realized I'm still in your robe and your shirt. Do you think someone will be at my house?"

"I hadn't thought of that. Let's hope not. I'll drive around the block and see." They circled the block and nothing seemed out the ordinary. Will opened her door and tried to shield her as they ran up to her porch. Will waited outside while Beth ran in to put on her own clothes. He was seated on the swing when she came out wearing a pair of jeans and a t shirt. She handed him the button down but the robe was not there.

Will arched his brow in puzzlement. "Fat chance getting the robe back, mister," Beth chuckled. "At least until I have to wash it and it doesn't smell like you anymore." They both laughed and sat on the swing for a while longer.

Finally Will admitted that he should get back to the farm to see how Richard was doing and getting ready for the kids to come back from the after prom. Despite the lateness of the hour, Will offered to pick Beth up for church in the morning. They parted on the porch kissing briefly, but the kiss held a promise of their solidarity.