Beginning, Previous Section, Section IV
Jump to new as of June 14, 1999
Part 15 Posted on Saturday, 27 March 1999
When she woke, she could have sworn there was something important that she had to remember. But what?
Something she thought of before she fell asleep. No matter. She looked at the man who slept in the chair next to her, his arm around her waist, and she burrowed herself more into him, feeling cold.
He slowly opened his eyes, and smiled at her. "How are you feeling?"
Ella's smile disappeared as she remembered the previous events of this morning, and tried to shrug her hurt off. "Okay."
He knew she was hiding something. Sighing, he withdrew his arm, and held his head in his lap. He was still a little dizzy…
She looked away, and stood up, and started to pace.
Finally, after fifteen or so more minutes, Dr. Gardiner came out, and smiled. "He'll be all right. Everything went smoothly, and efficiently. No mistakes, no close calls. Smooth sailing," he reassured them. "Dr. Burgess is cleaning up right now."
The doors behind him opened, and at that moment, Dr. Burgess stepped forward, and smiled. "He's going to be up and about soon enough."
She smiled to the family, and her eyes fell on William. Ella thought she saw a flash in Dr. Burgess's eyes before she turned back to the family, and smiled, and bid her farewell. "I hope he'll be all right. Here's my card…" she handed it to Ella, "in case you just want to contact me or anything. If you're all right, I've got a plane to catch…" she smiled, eyes taking a secret look at William.
Ella looked, confused, as Dr. Burgess turned around, and walked down the halls, calmly towards the lounge, where she'd gather her things together and leave.
She sighed as she tried to concentrate. She just couldn't check these papers.
Not anymore.
This past summer, was so…full of…
She didn't even know how to describe it. It was just…
Odd. Good odd, she supposed. Reading one more essay question of Hamlet v. Macbeth, who would win the battle and why, she decided to give it up.
The episode a month ago was what made it odd. Before, everything was so perfect. Now, everything was a big mess.
It started when she got back home from Hertfordshire. Pemberley had called. Dr. Reynolds had been impressed, and had forwarded her application to the trustees.
Having felt sore over William's keeping secrets from her, she kept her own from him, and went to Pemberley for the interview without telling him why she was leaving, making him angry. When she came back, she offered no good excuse. She simply looked, and closed the door. After all, if he wasn't going to tell her about that morning, she thought, hurt, then she didn't have to tell him about Pemberley.
It seemed that their relationship had gone downhill. At the moment, when trust and comfort were at its peak, William was there, and yet now, they weren't a stronger unit, but a more disgruntled one, if they would be considered a unit.
She wasn't even sure she liked him anymore. She sure didn't like herself.
He could have told her by now what had happened to him that day, couldn't he? Why he had deemed something more important their trust…why had he considered this above the trust she placed on him? Why couldn't he be there for her…and then she'd feel disgust at herself.
She wasn't supposed to expect it out of him. She'd asked for it to be this way, and yet she was clinging. She'd heard that lately, he'd been hanging around Mary King. She felt anger, and satisfaction.
Anger at losing him to a snit. Satisfaction in knowing that she'd been saved; a guy who liked Mary King obviously wasn't her type after all…no matter how sweet he had seemed before.
Just where did he get off anyway? She looked down at her paper, surprised to see a bright red marker streak across the paper, with a "0" written on the top, and flustered, and almost broke down. She hadn't even read a word of it. Leave me alone, William Darcy!
Rich looked disappointedly at William, and looked at Mary. She simply kept her mouth thin and set. She repeated her question. "What have you done to my sister?"
William returned the same response. "Ask your sister."
He slammed the door in their faces, and went back into his room, trying to wallow more in self-pity. He'd tried the trust routine. And he'd failed. Miserably. But he really didn't want to tell her about…
It was evident that she wouldn't trust him to eventually tell her, that…No, forget it. She'd only get more angry anyway for not trusting her in the first place to tell her the information, but she'd already had so much on her mind anyway…
She'd deliberately avoided him for the past month, and he was beginning to think that he might as well just give up now.
The plan backfired. It was painful, missing the intimate talks. They had never gone out for walks anymore; he was lucky she even agreed to dinner once in a while. The time when she disappeared for a few days…and came back, without a work as to where she'd been, after not even contacting him about leaving, or even calling even once while she was away…
He ought to just give up now, for she was sending unmistakable signals…he'd have to give up.
And tear out his heart.
He'd tried to make her jealous. He took Mary King out to dinners, and movies, took her to museums, only to hear her shallow interpretations of life, yearning for Ellayne's depth. He yearned, and yearned, and yearned…
Summer session ended in only two more weeks, and he consistently thought about what he was going to do…tell her? No, that seemed impossible right now. He supposed that he could tell her the truth right now, but that would be like rubbing salt in the wound, and using guilt and regret to bring her back. He wanted her to be back because she loved him.
Love? Not anymore. He'd…he'd lost that too, even. Maybe even her respect. Sinking, he looked into his hands, and saw nothing that made sense.
Looking around his now empty office, he grabbed the last of his boxes, and stood there for a moment.
She hadn't even come to help him pack up.
That is, if she knew he was leaving.
He'd been busy these last few weeks.
Or so he told himself.
But in the end, the heart of the matter was that no matter how many times he told himself that he had cause for hope, he realized that she still didn't trust him.
He supposed now he could tell her.
But then again, couldn't she have just trusted him enough that what he had to do was very important?
Sighing, he looked away from the room, and gently took the box in one hand as he turned away from it, and looked into the room once more, imagining her smiling face…
Velvet laughter floated through the room, as he could see her, one July afternoon, when they moved his desk aside, and danced to Gershwin's. Waltzing in clumsy circles as Ella tried over and over to dance in his step to only dance on his step.
He turned away from the room, and closed the door behind him, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the door for a second, before he walked down the hall.
She had to see him before he left.
Even if he hurt her. She did love him. After everything that happened, he deserved to know, right? Even if he didn't want to know. She had to get it out.
As she rounded the corner to his office, she hurried. His apartment had been empty, and now she rushed to reach him before he left. She saw his car out in front. He was still here, right?
And as she rounded the corner, she entered the classroom. She saw that it was empty. Heartbroken, she rushed to the window, and looked out.
To see his car pull off the curb.
She swore as she realized that he probably left the other way. Staying there, tears came to her eyes as she watched the car drive out of sight.
Afterwards, she sank down to her knees, and simply looked around the room. The walls were painted with shades of orange and pink, hinting at the closure of sunset. But in the end, it was not a sunset. Hurtfully, she hated the dawn. The dawning of a day.
A day without William.
Oh god, I DO still love him!
Too late to even say good bye. He didn't even tell her he was leaving today. She wouldn't have even known had it not been for Mary King!
As she dejectedly put her book bag down at her office, she discovered a red rose on the desk, with a frame. On left side of the frame, there was a picture of them, at Mary's wedding, the picture of them holding hands and looking at each other. On the right side, written in nice calligraphy, Gershwin's "You can't that away from me."
The way your wear your hat
The way you sip your tea
The memory of all that
No, no, they can't take that away from meThe way your smile just beams
The way you sing off key
The way you haunt my dreams
No, no they can't take that away from meWe may never, never meet again on this bumpy road to love
Still I'll always, always keep the memory of…The way you hold your knife
The way we danced 'til three
The way you changed my life
No, no they can't take that away form meNo, they can't take that away from me.
As she read the last line, she caressed the picture through the frame, closed her eyes to keep the tears from flowing. And she turned and just as quickly as she came, she left for her apartment.
Sitting on her couch, she ate more Ben & Jerry's as she tried to watch more sappy romantic movies to cheer herself up.
She could go the Pemberley, she supposed.
She hadn't given them her decision, but it was nearing deadline, and she was already too late to join the staff for fall semester.
And what would he say if she came? Nothing.
What would she do? What would she say if she could see him again? Would there be anything to say? Except the all-too-tardy "I love you"?
He didn't love her anymore. The rose, the song, it was just a memory. A good-bye, she supposed, only she kind of wished he could have said farewell in person. Maybe she would have even been able to tell him that she loved him. A memory of something that was special. A very important friendship, spoiled.
And now, she only wondered if that would ever come back to her. If he would.
But she felt that no such luck would come.
What had happened? What did she do wrong?
Pushing him away before was not so difficult before, and now, when he didn't want her anymore, she felt her heart screaming in a pain that her romance novels and happy movies could not soothe.
Jayne was getting married later this month. And in the end, she'd be on her own.
Ella had never been really alone in her life. Socially, she wasn't afraid to stand up on her own. But she never felt as alone as she did now.
Would she have felt this way even if Jayne were still around?
Most of her mind said no, but that one corner in her heart whispered yes.
She'd already known what it felt like to be…complete. And now that she knew that feeling of content, and perfection, the emptiness was emphasized.
Emptiness.
Standing at the altar, she smiled as her sister said her vows to her smiling Charlie Bingley. Across the aisle stood William, whom she would not meet eyes with.
Hurt, she continued to look forward. Always forward. Never behind, never beside her, where there was a vacant place.
As the couple kissed, she smothered tears and smiled artificially, and hugged her sister…
To watch her walk away.
She heard a throat clear and she turned to see a courteous smile, and took William's stiff arm. They quietly walked out, stranger by stranger.
And at the end of the day, just as awkwardly as they were with each other, they parted.
Staring at the phone, she yearned to just…
Turning away, she stood up, and walked around the desk to grab her coat. She had to get out. This office was just too small. On her way out, however, she turned, and looked at the framed portrait and song lyrics, hung up by her door, and she choked in hurt.
Would it ever go away?
He pretended that they hadn't even met before at Jayne's wedding. Even if he acknowledged her with hurt or scorn…it would mean more. But instead, she felt that he totally forgot about her.
And he probably had.
But he hadn't fallen in love. She had. She laughed at herself. She was right in the first place. And yet, why was it so painful to acknowledge even that? She was expecting it, and yet…
Frustrated, she continued to walk out the doors until she came into the chilly winds of October breezes. It's already been months since this whole thing happened. He isn't coming back. He never really loved you. Face it, you were right!
"William? Will? Hello?" Ana waved her hand in front of her brother's face.
She looked to her Aunt Kat, and shrugged.
Kat sighed, and too her nephew's chin her hand. "William?"
"It's Ella…" Ana sighed. "It has to be."
At the mention of her name, William instantly shook himself out of sunken stupor. "What about Ellayne?"
She wouldn't even keep in touch with him. She never mentioned the gift he'd left for her. She never called, and he certainly wasn't going to. He left the ball in her court. And she ought to know his feelings. He'd never gave her any indication that he'd stopped loving her.
"Why don't you see her anymore?" Ana asked.
William sighed, dejectedly. Looking away, out the window of his office, he could recall more pleasant surroundings, in a small campus, with a woman that sang off key and danced awkwardly but wonderfully.
Kat looked at her nephew's fallen face, and her face stiffened with determination. It was time she did something about this Ellayne girl. She looked at Ana, through communication of eye, they both left.
"I want to see her," she said, outside in the hall.
The knock on the door was a welcome excuse to push aside the essays that she was growing tired.
It seemed like life was very tired now. Everything. The changing colors lost their zest, and now looked like shrived dried leaves, eaten out by small bugs. Crunchy eggshell noises everyday that seemed to pulse every footstep she took in her head. Every step without him. Every step away from him.
As the days went by, without word from him, she could feel him walking away from her.
"Yes?"
Hope. Was it him? Her heart pounded harder.
Ana entered the room.
She smiled halfheartedly, as her heart sank in disappointment. Why did she always play this stupid game with herself? "Hello, Ana."
"I came to invite you out for a walk."
"Oh?" she raised her eyebrow.
"Yes. I think you ought to enjoy this autumn breeze."
"I am." She said, defensively. It was a lie. She wondered if it was as obvious to Ana as it was to herself. "Besides, there are essays to grade. Your first exam's coming up next week. Shouldn't you be studying for it?" she asked, attempting a teasing smile.
"Oh, no. I didn't want to walk with you. I invited you to the walk, but you're going to be walking with my Aunt Kat."
Her face paled.
"She wanted to see you."
Her breath faltered.
"She wants to talk to you…I think about William."
Her heart stopped beating.
The door swung open.
"I think you already know her. This is my aunt, Kathleen Burgess."
Part 16 Posted on Saturday, 10 April 1999
"Dr. Burgess?"
"How is your father, Ellayne?"
Ellayne looked at the doctor, confused, trying to make sense of the situation.
Ana smiled to her Aunt. Kat Burgess nodded her head, in determination. "I can take it from here, Ana. Thank you. You can get to your math class now."
Ana sighed, dejected at the prospect of attending math, but exited with promptness.
"Now, Ellayne. How about we take that walk now?"
Sighing, Ella walked and tried to breathe in the smooth cool air, trying to clear her thoughts to concentrate. Just where had her life taken its turn to now? Being confronted by the formidable Aunt Kat, the very doctor who saved her father's life.
"My father's doing better now, thank you." she said, trying to start a conversation, to break the silence.
"No problem."
"I know we never saw the bill to the surgery. Did William…"
"No, I did this as a personal favor."
"Oh…" Ella said, face paling.
"And I need you to do me a favor as well."
Ella felt everything in her sever from her body and sink to the floor. Her world depended on what this woman said.
And what would she reply if she demanded that she stayed away from William? It wouldn't be difficult, given the present situation, but still…
"What's the favor?"
"Miss Bennet, just how do you feel about my nephew? I want you to be honest."
The woman looked at her, seriously, and Ella stuttered her answer, as if she were first learning to talk. "I-I-I l-l-l-love him."
"And have you made that aware to him?"
Ella looked away from the serious face, and said softly. "No."
"Then this is where my favor comes in."
Ella looked at her, as time seemed to have skidded to a stop. Heart suspended, lungs strained, she reached…and hesitated. Please don't say I have to stay away from him!
"I want you to tell him."
Confused, Ella wondered at what the doctor could want with that. Anger flamed in her face, as she felt her fist clench. "Tell…him?" Did she want William to personally reject her? Hurt her? "It this is some kind of sick joke to hurt me for hurting him? You know, he didn't really love me…"
"Is that what you think?" Kat Burgess asked, eyes narrowing. Her own calm was threatening a retreat, as she tried to take a deep breath. However, she could not contain the words from spilling: "A man doesn't just decide to give his blood, endangering himself just for the heck of it!"
Confused, Ella's mouth dropped, and her stomach turned over. His blood, running in her father's body. "RISKING HIS LIFE?!?!?!" She took Dr. Burgess by the shoulders. "What do you mean?"
Kat looked at her with surprise. Ah…it wasn't like William to do the obvious thing and tell her the truth. She mentally noted to knock the boy upside the head. "Maybe William should tell you."
"No. I want to know now. What wouldn't he tell me? Why wouldn't he tell me?"
Kat looked at Ella, with debate written across her features. "I'll admit he screwed up when he didn't tell you in the beginning," she began, "and now that I find he hasn't even told you by now…he's going to get an earful from me later. He didn't want you to worry then…"
"About what?"
Katherine hesitated, but the look in Ella's eyes, so tense…she felt that if Ella didn't find out now, she'd collapse out of sheer misery.
"Well, as I was implying before, William donated blood to your father. We have to keep it quiet, though. You see, he wasn't supposed to. In the first place, he already donated blood only three weeks earlier, therefore breaking the 54-day wait between donations rule. Beyond that, he's a slow donor, and it takes him quite some time for the nurses to get enough blood from him for it to be useful. It was a risk for him, but I monitored the whole thing. I didn't want him risking so much, but he promised me I could watch, and the minute something fishy happened, I could stop it, but in truth, from his face, I knew he wouldn't stop until he gave all the blood he needed to."
Ella paled. "He did that…for me?"
"That was the primary reason he called me. He wanted me to pull strings so he could break a few rules. It took a while. Afterwards, he had to sleep for a while, and rest, no matter how much he wanted to get to you. Believe that was a battle in itself to get him to stay in bed. Though I assisted in your father's surgery, that was primarily a cover-up."
"So why did you help him?"
"I love my nephew. He loves you. I love you," she smiled, and kissed the girl's cheek. "I came here today to ask you to tell him because he has a right to know. I don't know what has happened, but he is now very miserable. I think he deserves to know the truth."
Ella looked at the older woman for a mere second, before throwing herself into woman's arms, and crying. "He did that for me?"
"He loves you."
"He should have told me…"
"And have you worried to death about both him and your father?" Kat smiled softly, into Ella's hair.
He did all that. For her. And here was Aunt Kat, a woman she expected to be cold and domineering, pleading a case for her nephew. A woman she expected by the book.
But was not so.
Was her Austen curse over?
Was it really a curse at all?
She looked at Dr. Burgess, and kissed her on the cheek. "I owe him my gratitude, if nothing else. I'll tell him that. If I get the courage, maybe…"
"Not maybe. He deserves it." After a pause, Kat continued carefully "I don't know exactly what he feels now. He may feel violated. Maybe he doesn't…" she said quietly, "Maybe he doesn't feel the same towards you anymore. But either way, Ella," she pushed Ella's hair behind her ears. "He deserves to know." From the way he looked, she didn't know how her nephew would accept the situation, but only hoped that he still felt those feelings that were so strong in him before.
Not love me? Ella felt her heart suddenly freeze in a ring of chilling reality. That's right. The book was over. It was all over. Broken by an Aunt Kat who cared for her nephew's happiness. And now…she stood, unresponsive, mute, and uncertain.
She has to take a chance on him.
Kat hugged the girl, and kissed her on the cheek for luck.
She left for Ana's dorm, to tell her niece that she loved her future niece-in-law very much. As for the date of the wedding, she only hoped that William wouldn't be a vengeful idiot when Ella went to him.
But they'd be together in the end, if she could help it.
Taking in her breath shakily, she brought her coffee mug to her lips, attempted a calm sip, and placed the mug back on the table.
"Well?" she looked at her Jayne and Mary, who each sat at the other side of the table, each with a copy of Ella's resignation letter in their hands. "Too blunt?" Ella worried.
The two looked at each other, knowing that Ella didn't ask for approval of the resignation, but rather reassurance that this was the right thing to do.
"What if he says no?" Jayne asked, carefully.
Ella's eyes widened. "I've thought about this a lot. I guess, even if he said no," she got up, and started to pace, "I get to teach at…Pemberley, like i…always wanted." She choked on her words. Working so close to him. "And even if he said…n-no, I'd stick it out this time. This time it's my turn, isn't it?" she asked her sisters, eyes craving for just one nod of their head.
Jayne carefully put down the letter. "Ella, why can't you just go to him? Just ask him to take you back, and if he does, then resign from here?"
"Because…" Ella began. Because nothing will ever be the same here if I stay without him. Because I want, need to be around him. I'd rather his anger, or even hatred, if I could just be around him again…
Kat's words gave her courage, not because of what William could still possibly feel, but rather, that William deserved to know.
And as she looked at her sisters again, she decided that she didn't need their approval or encouragement anymore. Neither did she need Kat's approval, though it was nice to have, especially since it was the last push. She didn't need anything but her own courage.
She could see him. His arms, wrapped around her, as she slept in them in the hospital lounge, cutting off circulation to his right hand, the very arm from which he donated blood…that white swab…
His smile, shy, yet assured. As if he was always dreaming, and building castles. Warm smile. Melting everything away, until only the important things were left: her, and him.
And his eyes.
Eyes that were full of love, even when he left her.
William smiled at the class grandly. His eyes locked in another world, now, as he saw only the muddy Mississippi. "And then ya know Jim 'n me, we's just gone bout down a mile on the river when pow!"
He jumped off his desk, and held the silence. The silence was pregnant. Tense. Flattened out and pulled tightly. He smiled, and stood up straightly, and took the piece of straw he'd been chewing out of his mouth. "Class is over," he said, in his normal voice.
Groans. Tons of them.
They made him smile all the more. "See ya tomorrow!"
They slowly filed out, and William smiled farewells; to the flirtatious bold ones who were bold enough to tell him that he looked "hot"; the shyer girls who looked up from their shoes and smiled at him; the guys who jokingly patted his back, wiping away mock tears, "You moved me, man!" and gave his straw hat a healthy salute and departed on good-natured laughs.
He turned back to his desk, to gather his things as he heard the last students come down the aisle.
He shook his head, regaining focus.
He could have sworn he'd seen her among those four hundred-some faces.
But it was just a hallucination again, wasn't it?
Like the way he'd hear her beautiful voice, singing teasing lullabies at night. Like the way he'd seen her hair flash in the sunlight, as her ghostly memory walked across campus. Like the way he'd smell her perfume, haunting his office, and his home.
He missed her, so much.
But it was her problem. He left it in her court.
She was the one to make the decision.
Only, he'd end up suffering. Always.
He'd never attempt love again. Not after this.
Nothing could ever equal this…this heavenly episode.
Nothing could ever put him so deep into this emotional hell.
Gathering up his materials, he turned to shoo the rest of the students out of the room.
He had been phenomenal.
She'd been mesmerized by the whole performance.
She'd kept a low profile, of course; she chose a seat in the middle of the crowd, behind a really tall basketball player, as she imagined him to be. At one point, however, Mr. Basketball had the gall to unexpectedly bend over to retrieve a notebook from his backpack, and she could have sworn HIS eyes fell on her. He looked away, of course, but she ducked down until it was clearly safe and Mr. Basketball was sitting up and blocking her once more.
She'd never seen him so playful and handsome. In dirty overalls, with a dirty white old shirt underneath. His hair, in rag-tag, as if he'd slept on it for days. His face, dirty, his smile, just as warm. She'd never seen a more beautiful Huck Finn.
And now, she came to the front of the room, ready to meet him once more.
She was the only one standing there.
And he halted.
The last students waved back at him while leaving through the door, but he didn't acknowledge them. He didn't see them.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, carefully, perhaps even coldly. He hid the immediate look of hurt from his eyes, as he maintained composure.
He started towards the door, leaving her behind.
She was not easily thwarted.
"I work here," she followed him.
"The hell you don't!" he promptly replied.
He continued to walk down the hall, only faster.
She found the only way to get him to listen was to run in front of him, and halt him physically. She held out her arms in front of her, bracing herself for his attempt to shove her aside.
"What do you want?" he asked, exasperated.
An echo from the past…she looked up into his eyes. "Besides your heart?"
Part 17 - Conclusion Posted on Sunday, 13 June 1999
He stopped, looking at her, with her smiling, teasing eyes. She again torments….
She stood, smiling hopefully at him, wishing with all her heart…
"This isn't funny," he started walk again, ready to push her aside. What are you waiting for? A part of him asked. It was bursting, floating even. A hope that he had stifled, almost killed, flagrantly burned all his resolve, as he sloppily tried to gather the vestiges of his self-dignity, and control. Another part did whisper that she had not uttered those dear words, that she simply teased.
What WAS he waiting for? She was right there, telling him that she wanted his heart. HIS heart.
And he just tried to brush her off? What was going on with him?
Was he so dumb as to want revenge? Yes, I do, for everything she's caused! And risk everything, just for self satisfaction? What had he become?
And he wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him once more. Shaking his head, he tried to put thoughts in focus, but nothing made sense. He turned away.
Ella's face paled, as she saw him turn away…Don't turn away now, not ever! She wanted that hurt banished, she wanted to just hold him now, and show him, but that would be after she said her piece, she hoped. Her lips thinned into an even more determined line. She was going to stick it out this time. "Listen here!" she said, going around him, and stomping in front of him once more, and pushing her index finger into his chest. His eyes focused on hers; in the intensity she found it difficult to remember what she had to say. She blurted out the first thing. "I resigned from Longbourne to teach here."
"Oh?" he asked. So what? asked his rolled eyes. Perhaps there was a hint of desperation behind them, somewhere deep inside? Ella dared to wish.
The man was being uncooperative.
Ella almost flustered. Almost.
In all this, she could only see one image of him, his smile, his heart, open to her.
It gave her courage. A future together. A love forever. Together.
Bad beginning, but it was about to get better. She took in a deep breath, and let it out in a rush. "I came here to be with you. I love YOU. I want to be with YOU."
William's heart skipped a beat.
"I know I hurt you when I walked away. It was foolish. I was foolish. And I know you're trying to hurt me even now because I hurt you. I didn't know how to deal with it, before, and now…it still is scaring me. You think this is easy? You may think it great and easy to walk away from me now, but know this…" She said, her finger pointed between his face and hers. "YOU STARTED IT!"
Oh god.
Did she just say that?
She put rested her hand on her hip, in her know-it-all stance. She said it; she wasn't going to correct herself. He did, after all, start this whole thing, she tried to justify. Stupid! Stupid, Ella! Why did he always have this effect on her? That left her without any basis of judgment, not a figment of common sense?
He stood there, a whole month of pent up feelings, stress, all those nights of wondering if she'd ever come, wondering what he'd done wrong. She came back, to say what? The best she could do was "You started it!"
His face contorted with a mixture of feelings. She couldn't see which dominated, but he suddenly started laughing.
Now even redder, perhaps even hurt, she stomped her foot. "There's nothing funny about this!"
"Yes, there is…" he smiled, warmly back at her, as he gathered her into his arms. At first she resisted, pouting, but his glowing eyes melted her resolve. "You are funny. You are funny, intelligent, witty, charming, beautiful, and best of all," he halted as he kissed her with the passion he had been holding inside for her, from the moment he had first seen her. "You are mine," he finished, huskily, possessively.
And he kissed her again.
Completion. Warmth. Happiness. Hot fudge sundaes. She felt it all over again, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and smiled into the kiss. She was his. He was hers At last, she realized the truth that had existed from the first time she saw him in person, standing awkwardly in her classroom, calling her by her first name. "Say you're sorry first."
He laughed. "Never!" he kissed her on the nose.
They walked home in happiness. That blissful state when you see nothing but gold, and you feel content knowing that though you aren't perfect, the person you're with completes you, and perfection is achieved. It's that feeling of knowing, that among the millions of people in the world, there is only one for you, and you had the luck of finding that ONE.
She held his hand tightly, as if she could never ever face another time apart, or separated, or misunderstood.
He put his arms round her waist, curving around, and keeping her warm, as she shivered with the sheer newness of it. He sighed as he breathed in air that was signaling of a future so golden and complete, saturated with content, and spiced with that fragrance of woody smoke that Ella possessed.
"So you're teaching in the lit department?" he asked, playing with her hands, as she smiled up at him.
"It was a surprise; during the summer, it was already being planned. I always wanted to teach at Pemberley…and then you were there, so it made it all the more perfect…but then it slipped my mind…William, why didn't you just tell me that you were donating blood?"
"I didn't want you to worry…" he said, looking into her eyes with genuine concern. "You had enough on your mind. But as I see, that was wrong of me, because you worried anyway. How did you find out? Did Ana tell you?"
"Kat visited me…she's a nice lady. William, I thought she was formal…"
"No, my other aunt, the one she lives with is the ceremonial one, but her "formalities" are rather odd…"
"I think I'm going to love your family very much," she smiled, her eyes showing her heart's happiness.
"I know you will."
The bride smiled at her groom across the church.
In that eyelock, even as she walked to the altar, she knew he made the promises that he would only momentarily be announcing to the whole church.
I promise to love you…
She felt her father slow, and she turned away from the attention of those beautiful soft eyes to look at the smiling ones of her father.
"My little girl, I would never part with you for anyone more worthy."
William, in the last six months, had spent more than enough time with the Bennet family to make them wild for him. Mrs. Bennet was in awe of his style, his wealth. Her younger sisters, in his looks. And Mr. Bennet, in William's sharp intelligence and wit, as well as his overwhelmingly pleasing love he had for Ella.
Jayne and Charlie sat in the audience, having been married only two months prior. Mary and Rich sat not far from them, smiling, and still so playfully in love, more than a year after their marriage, it appeared that their minds were still on their honeymoon.
Emily Woodhaven, who indeed did help Ella arrange the whole affair, sat next to Greg, and smiled smartly to him in a "I knew this would happen" manner. Greg rolled his eyes, as he knew with a sad certainty that he was the last of the "three". He looked to Em, who looked pityingly at him, and took his hand in sympathy, and perhaps something more. Greg simply looked back, with a gaze, intense of something she knew not, but was not frightened of.
Now, in this ceremony, blessed and approved by all, was going to finally make official what was already obvious; the love they had for each other.
"Dearly beloved…"
The End