Beginning, Section II
Jump to new as of January 4, 2001
Jump to new as of January 6, 2001
Jump to new as of January 14, 2001
XV
"Please don't go."
The words ripped from Lizzy's throat even before she was sure of it's origin, and like magic she was once again in her own world, sitting up in her bed, alone.
The light switched on and like a flash Will was by her side, kneeling on her bed and cradling her head in the crook of his arm. "The same dream?" he asked softly, not awaiting an answer as he enfolded her in his arms, the warmth of his skin seeping through the thin cotton of his shirt.
A remnant of Lizzy's anger from last night still clung to her, dictating her actions. But her sheer joy at seeing him, knowing he was alright overpowered that anger. She squeezed him tightly before gently taking his head in both her thin hands and bringing him slightly away from her so she could look him in the eye while she spoke. "It was the same dream Will...but this time...but this time I dreamt I was losing you!"
"Oh Lizzy..." he said softly, he was silenced by a finger to his lips.
"Just promise me one thing Will," she said as she searched his eyes.
"anything..." he replied softly.
"Just promise...always...oh Will," she cried flustered.... "if you ever die on me I'll Kill you." She cried not without a laugh at her own garbled speech.
"I won't." he said as he echoed her laughter. For that moment the hurt, the anxiety of the past few days was forgotten.
Will knew he should go, he knew he should run. His resolve, his committment to be distant...all dissolved by the enormous brown eyes that stared at him so lovingly. Without speaking he lowered both of them to the bed, wrapping his arms about her. treasure this moment Darcy...tomorrow she'll be gone...
Lizzy didn't dare to look up at his face, just being in his arms was enough. It was torture, it was bliss, but mostly it was perfect...for in her heart she knew this was as it should be...the two of them together...the knowledge that it would never be was too much for her to bear. savor the moment Lizzy, savor the illusion that for this moment at least he is yours...
"Elizabeth?" he murmured softly after she had begun to doze off
"Yes Will," she said sleepily as her hand gently draped across his neck.
"Do you know how much I love you?" he whispered.
"I know Will." She said as she snuggled closer to his body.
As she fell asleep to the sound of his beating heart, everything seemed right in the world once more.
moonlight
Pale glimmers of almost ethereal light danced on Lizzy's delicate features, her beauty almost took his breath away. He craned his neck to check the time. 3:00 am. Will often woke in the middle of the night, but never to a sight this beautiful. Her hand still draped about his neck, her fingers nestled in his hair. Heaven itself could not contain a greater joy than this.
Reason would impel him to leave. His resolve should carry him from the bed. But his love...ah...his love for her wouldn't allow him to stir, not even breathe. He lay there content, pushing the thought that tomorrow she would leave out of his mind. He wanted to wake her, to tell her not to go, to kiss her, to tell her he loved her.
But he was afraid.
Afraid of losing one of the last good things left in his life, the only thing that kept him going,
He was afraid of losing her.
Lizzy swatted at her ear, then shielded her eyes as sunlight streamed onto her face. Will's breath tickled her ear, she turned over slightly so that she could look at his face. He was so beautiful. Lizzy drank in the sight of him like a thirst craven man consumes water. This would have to last her a long time, how long even she didn't know.
Some time later, she dragged herself out of bed careful not to wake him. She dressed quickly and took her medication. As she slipped on her shoes she realized how intense a desire she had not to go. But she had to, if she didn't leave now she would spend the rest of her life longing for something that would never be. It would destroy her.
All that was left to do was call the taxi, that and say goodbye. Goodbye The early nature of the flight had made it neccessary for her to bid adieu to Georgie last night but Will Her beloved looked almost comical as he had taken a pillow as her substitute and was now curled around it rather convincingly. At times a shy smile would peak out above the pillow he's probably dreaming of Jane Lizzy's heart swelled with love for him as she leaned down and planted butterfly kisses all over his face. The last of these she planted on his forehead caused him to stir slightly. His eyelids fluttered open and he murmured softly, "Lizzy." And held out his hand to her. She took his hand hesitantly and allowed herself to be drawn back to bed, wrapped in his arms. She reveled in her place briefly then untangled herself once she heard his sleepy breathing once more.
But as she got up she felt his hand still clutching hers, with great difficulty and infinite sadness she released his hold. But not before kissing his palm and whispering...
"Goodbye Will..."
XVI
Lizzy slowly pulled her gloves on....the seasons where swiftly changing and the wind blew with a chill. what a morning thought Lizzy sadly. The overcast skies and melancholy movements of the branches seemed so very appropriate to her mood. Her luggage surrounded her in the foyer, it was only a matter of waiting for the taxi now.
"Lizzy!" Will called from the top of the stairs. He raced down the steps, breathless. He ran his fingers through his curls, "I woke up Lizzy and you weren't there." He said more softly "...then I remembered." By this time he had reached Lizzy's side, he took her shoulders and slowly turned her towards him. "...you didn't even say goodbye." He finished with a sad smile.
"I said goodbye," she said struggling to keep her voice steady, "you just didn't hear me.
"Then it doesn't really count as goodbye does it?" he asked as he tilted her chin upwards so she would look him in the eye. The tears in her eyes caused him to place his hand on her cheek and gently wipe them away with his thumb. "Oh Lizzy...I will miss you, I hope you find what you're looking for in London."
"I'll miss you too Will...I don't even know what I'm looking for, I don't even know if I'm looking for anything at all."
"Then why are you going?" he asked, not without a little hesitation, his proximity to Lizzy's mouth was making him dizzy.
"I don't know," she said as he leaned in, her hair brushing his face, his mouth centimeters from hers.
"Then don't," he whispered.
"what where we talking about again?" she asked breathlessly.
"I don't remember." He said softly before leaning in to kiss her, but in that split second she hesitated. It was as if every hope, every desire she had ever had was coming true, and it had taken her a moment to process such joy. But in that hesitation Will say rejection. He turned away, furious at himself, and frightened at the prospect of scaring away his dearest Lizzy.
"Oh God, Lizzy I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was thinking," he said as he ran his fingers through his hair in consternation. "I mean you where going to go see Henry and..." he was interrupted by Lizzy standing before him and placing a finger on his lips.
"Will, I forgot about Henry just then," she said with great meaning as she looked into his eyes with a look of such intense longing that Will forgot all his consternation and took both her hands in his.
"Really?" he asked as she pulled him closer to her by the collar of his t-shirt.
"really," she whispered as his head bent down near hers.
beep beep the Sound of the taxi's horn surprised them both, both jumping backwards, breaking the spell. For a moment it seemed to Lizzy as if she had imagined it all. Simply wishful thinking. Lizzy said with great reluctance, "that's my taxi." tell me to stay Will
"Well," he said softly.
"Well," she replied as she turned towards the door. it must have just been my imagination Never before had reality been so harsh.
"Oh Lizzy one more thing," Will said non-chalantly before grabbing her arm and swinging her around into an embrace, and when their lips met...well for those of you who have experienced 'true love's first kiss' I need not expound, and for those of you who haven't there is no way I would ever be able to explain...
The passion, all the desire that he had felt for her swelled up in that one kiss, and as he pulled away, his eyes pleading he asked, "Well?"
"What do you think bozo?" she said with a laugh as she pulled his head down for another kiss. This time she wrapped her arms around his neck and his arms encircled her waist pulling her up towards him. They where so enraptured that they tripped over her luggage sending them sprawling on the ground.
"Enough of this," Will muttered before lifting her off her feet and carrying her to the den kissing her until she was perfectly breathless.
As soon as he lowered her onto the edge of the cream colored leather sofa in his den, Lizzy immediately pulled him towards her causing them both to fall backwards onto the sofa itself. Lizzy moaned softly as he kissed her neck. Yet all of sudden she sat up, sending Will tumbling from on top of her to onto the floor beneath.
"Oh Will the Taxi," she cried.
"You don't still mean to go do you?" he asked, "Because I don't want you to..." he was silenced by her kiss (which by now Lizzy had realized was a very effective way to shut him up)
"I don't want to go but the driver is still waiting out front."
"Oh I'll pay him the whole fare if he'll just wait a minute," Will said before returning her kiss.
"Oh Will go quickly, the faster you go the faster you'll come back." She said softly.
"Good point," he exclaimed as he ran out the door and into the cold. He reached the door of the taxi, opened the passenger side tossed the driver a Hundred dollar bill and thanked him heartily. Leaving a befuddled but very happy taxi cab driver.
"Now where was I?" asked Will before being greeted with his dearest Lizzy's laughter. Sometime later, Will pulled away from kissing her and looked down at the scene before him.
"What's wrong Will?" she asked as she stroked his cheek.
"Nothing," he responded as his eyes took in how beautiful she looked in her scarlet sweater, her creamy complexion and ebony curls in such contrast to the ivory of the sofa. With her hair spread like a fan about her head she looked every inch the mermaid. "I was just trying to capture how you look right now, I never want to forget this moment."
"Don't worry," she said with a smile, "if it's up to me there will be many more moments like these to come."
"I love you Lizzy, I love you with everything that I am, with my whole heart and soul. I can't even remember a time when I haven't been in love with you." He said as he kissed her face lightly. He slowly bent down on one knee besides the sofa. "Will you marry me?"
Lizzy knelt down before him and threw her arms about his neck, but not before crying out, "yes, Will a thousand times yes."
She sat down on top of him, straddling his chest. "So you love me eh?" she asked with tears in her eyes.
"eh? Sort of a little bit, I guess." He muttered before pulling her down for a kiss.
"Then lets get married right away Will, I don't think I can wait very long before becoming your wife." She said as she planted kisses along his jaw line.
"Ok," he replied as he pulled her towards him, "I'll go get the car, I'll call up the company plane, we can go to Vegas..."
"Not this very minute," she replied after she silenced him again (by now she was getting rather good at it) "I don't want to get married without Georgie and Uncle Edward."
"How bout tomorrow, I'm sure he can fly in,"
"...and I can wear the cream color dress I got made."
"...it'll be perfect." He finished.
"do you know why it will be perfect Will?" she asked as she glowed with happiness.
" because someone finally gave me a spine transplant so I could ask you?" as he planted a kiss on her nose.
"close..." she said with a giggle "It's perfect because I have you..."
"that was pretty much my second guess." He said as he kissed his Lizzy, for to him it was a miracle to hold her, to love her, and to receive her love in return.
Lizzy ran her fingers through his hair, smoothing the errant curls, cupping his face lightly. "This seems like some wonderful dream Will," she said softly, "I never thought that you could...I never believed that you could love plain old me when you had Jane." She said quietly.
"Jane?" he asked with a smile, "what you must realize Lizzy was that Jane was never in the running, I mean how could she compete with the love of my life." He said as Lizzy snuggled close to him. "I have to be the luckiest man alive, falling in love with someone who isn't just the world's most incredible woman, but my best friend as well."
"It truly is Some Kind of Wonderful," she said before their lips met once more. The love that had been born from friendship and fueled by mutual affection now rose to form the bridge between them.
It was a union of two hearts, beating only for one another, so long separated by misunderstanding, finally beating together as one.
Epilogue:
For those of you whom have honored our dearest Georgie with your interest, rest assured that she did indeed find a great joy of her own. In the person of a certain English Richard she found a soulmate. The two couples did their best to ensure that their tiny family remain tiny no longer. Indeed, both couples ended up with rather sizeable broods. The melancholy that hung about Pemberley was soon dissipated, giving way to the joy and mirth that rang through those hallowed halls for years to come.
Our fairest Jane didn't spend the rest of her life mourning her lost love, nor did she spend it regretting Will. In time she came to love the young man who called her every so often, and somehow found a way to her heart. Let us just say that it was fortunate for all concerned that Will had insisted Lizzy give Henry Crawford Jane's phone number in London, 'just in case.'
It wasn't long after their first kiss that Elizabeth relinquished the name Bennet for the one she was always meant to have. The illness, the hardship, the angst all made their union even more sweet. Indeed, their lives long together where not devoid of sorrow or heartache, but when they where both withered and gray, surrounded by the children and grandchildren, they looked back with fondness upon their life. For they made every moment count, and to them each moment was of the utmost bliss...because they spent it together.
XV
Lizzy slowly pulled her gloves on....the seasons where swiftly changing and the wind blew with a chill. what a morning thought Lizzy sadly. The overcast skies and melancholy movements of the branches seemed so very appropriate to her mood. Her luggage surrounded her in the foyer, it was only a matter of waiting for the taxi now.
"Lizzy!" Will called from the top of the stairs. He raced down the steps, breathless. He ran his fingers through his curls, "I woke up Lizzy and you weren't there." He said more softly "...then I remembered." By this time he had reached Lizzy's side, he took her shoulders and slowly turned her towards him. "...you didn't even say goodbye." He finished with a sad smile.
"I said goodbye," she said struggling to keep her voice steady, "you just didn't hear me.
"Then it doesn't really count as goodbye does it?" he asked as he tilted her chin upwards so she would look him in the eye. The tears in her eyes caused him to place his hand on her cheek and gently wipe them away with his thumb. "Oh Lizzy...I will miss you, I hope you find what you're looking for in London."
"I'll miss you too Will...I don't even know what I'm looking for, I don't even know if I'm looking for anything at all."
"Then why are you going?" he asked, not without a little hesitation, his proximity to Lizzy's mouth was making him dizzy.
"I don't know," she said as he leaned in, her hair brushing his face, his mouth centimeters from hers.
"Then don't," he whispered.
"what where we talking about again?" she asked breathlessly.
"I don't remember." He said softly before leaning in to kiss her, but in that split second she hesitated. It was as if every hope, every desire she had ever had was coming true, and it had taken her a moment to process such joy. But in that hesitation Will say rejection. He turned away, furious at himself, and frightened at the prospect of scaring away his dearest Lizzy.
"Oh God, Lizzy I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was thinking," he said as he ran his fingers through his hair in consternation. "I mean you where going to go see Henry and..." he was interrupted by Lizzy standing before him and placing a finger on his lips.
"Will, I forgot about Henry just then," she said with great meaning as she looked into his eyes with a look of such intense longing that Will forgot all his consternation and took both her hands in his.
"Really?" he asked as she pulled him closer to her by the collar of his t-shirt.
"really," she whispered as his head bent down near hers.
beep beep the Sound of the taxi's horn surprised them both, both jumping backwards, breaking the spell. For a moment it seemed to Lizzy as if she had imagined it all. Simply wishful thinking. Lizzy said with great reluctance, "that's my taxi." tell me to stay Will
"Well," he said softly.
"Well," she replied as she turned towards the door. it must have just been my imagination Never before had reality been so harsh.
"Oh Lizzy one more thing," Will said non-chalantly before grabbing her arm and swinging her around into an embrace, and when their lips met...well for those of you who have experienced 'true love's first kiss' I need not expound, and for those of you who haven't there is no way I would ever be able to explain...
The passion, all the desire that he had felt for her swelled up in that one kiss, and as he pulled away, his eyes pleading he asked, "Well?"
"What do you think bozo?" she said with a laugh as she pulled his head down for another kiss. This time she wrapped her arms around his neck and his arms encircled her waist pulling her up towards him. They where so enraptured that they tripped over her luggage sending them sprawling on the ground.
"Enough of this," Will muttered before lifting her off her feet and carrying her to the den kissing her until she was perfectly breathless.
As soon as he lowered her onto the edge of the cream colored leather sofa in his den, Lizzy immediately pulled him towards her causing them both to fall backwards onto the sofa itself. Lizzy moaned softly as he kissed her neck. Yet all of sudden she sat up, sending Will tumbling from on top of her to onto the floor beneath.
"Oh Will the Taxi," she cried.
"You don't still mean to go do you?" he asked, "Because I don't want you to..." he was silenced by her kiss (which by now Lizzy had realized was a very effective way to shut him up)
"I don't want to go but the driver is still waiting out front."
"Oh I'll pay him the whole fare if he'll just wait a minute," Will said before returning her kiss.
"Oh Will go quickly, the faster you go the faster you'll come back." She said softly.
"Good point," he exclaimed as he ran out the door and into the cold. He reached the door of the taxi, opened the passenger side tossed the driver a Hundred dollar bill and thanked him heartily. Leaving a befuddled but very happy taxi cab driver.
"Now where was I?" asked Will before being greeted with his dearest Lizzy's laughter. Sometime later, Will pulled away from kissing her and looked down at the scene before him.
"What's wrong Will?" she asked as she stroked his cheek.
"Nothing," he responded as his eyes took in how beautiful she looked in her scarlet sweater, her creamy complexion and ebony curls in such contrast to the ivory of the sofa. With her hair spread like a fan about her head she looked every inch the mermaid. "I was just trying to capture how you look right now, I never want to forget this moment."
"Don't worry," she said with a smile, "if it's up to me there will be many more moments like these to come."
"I love you Lizzy, I love you with everything that I am, with my whole heart and soul. I can't even remember a time when I haven't been in love with you." He said as he kissed her face lightly. He slowly bent down on one knee besides the sofa. "Will you marry me?"
Lizzy knelt down before him and threw her arms about his neck, but not before crying out, "yes, Will a thousand times yes."
She sat down on top of him, straddling his chest. "So you love me eh?" she asked with tears in her eyes.
"eh? Sort of a little bit, I guess." He muttered before pulling her down for a kiss.
"Then lets get married right away Will, I don't think I can wait very long before becoming your wife." She said as she planted kisses along his jaw line.
"Ok," he replied as he pulled her towards him, "I'll go get the car, I'll call up the company plane, we can go to Vegas..."
"Not this very minute," she replied after she silenced him again (by now she was getting rather good at it) "I don't want to get married without Georgie and Uncle Edward."
"How bout tomorrow, I'm sure he can fly in,"
"...and I can wear the cream color dress I got made."
"...it'll be perfect." He finished.
"do you know why it will be perfect Will?" she asked as she glowed with happiness.
" because someone finally gave me a spine transplant so I could ask you?" as he planted a kiss on her nose.
"close..." she said with a giggle "It's perfect because I have you..."
"that was pretty much my second guess." He said as he kissed his Lizzy, for to him it was a miracle to hold her, to love her, and to receive her love in return.
Lizzy ran her fingers through his hair, smoothing the errant curls, cupping his face lightly. "This seems like some wonderful dream Will," she said softly, "I never thought that you could...I never believed that you could love plain old me when you had Jane." She said quietly.
"Jane?" he asked with a smile, "what you must realize Lizzy was that Jane was never in the running, I mean how could she compete with the love of my life." He said as Lizzy snuggled close to him. "I have to be the luckiest man alive, falling in love with someone who isn't just the world's most incredible woman, but my best friend as well."
"It truly is Some Kind of Wonderful," she said before their lips met once more. The love that had been born from friendship and fueled by mutual affection now rose to form the bridge between them.
It was a union of two hearts, beating only for one another, so long separated by misunderstanding, finally beating together as one.
Epilogue:
For those of you whom have honored our dearest Georgie with your interest, rest assured that she did indeed find a great joy of her own. In the person of a certain English Richard she found a soulmate. The two couples did their best to ensure that their tiny family remain tiny no longer. Indeed, both couples ended up with rather sizeable broods. The melancholy that hung about Pemberley was soon dissipated, giving way to the joy and mirth that rang through those hallowed halls for years to come.
Our fairest Jane didn't spend the rest of her life mourning her lost love, nor did she spend it regretting Will. In time she came to love the young man who called her every so often, and somehow found a way to her heart. Let us just say that it was fortunate for all concerned that Will had insisted Lizzy give Henry Crawford Jane's phone number in London, 'just in case.'
It wasn't long after their first kiss that Elizabeth relinquished the name Bennet for the one she was always meant to have. The illness, the hardship, the angst all made their union even more sweet. Indeed, their lives long together where not devoid of sorrow or heartache, but when they where both withered and gray, surrounded by the children and grandchildren, they looked back with fondness upon their life. For they made every moment count, and to them each moment was of the utmost bliss...because they spent it together.