I updated Chapter 12 with all of the different sides of view...so make sure you go back and check the end of 12 to catch up with the story if the last time you were here was a while ago...

Deeply

Beni stared into her coffee hoping it would shed light on the complexities of the universe, or at least on the last few hours. Specifically, how what had started as a normal Saturday had turned into the most bizarre day on record, and most importantly, how she now found herself in her favorite coffee shop, talking bio green marine engines with the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

Trying to concentrate, she realized she had been flirting and was even surprised at herself. Not normally the one to be so forward, the coffee shop on Meryton Ave was, cozy and intimate and she found herself wanting to get comfortable with this new stranger.

He seemed genuinely interested in her boat engine design and her love of the water. Proclaiming after she nearly impaled him on her bike that he had also been raised on the docks and spent most of his childhood on the water, sailing as she had he had suggested coffee as payback and she had happily agreed.

They spoke for a while about the commercialization of the sport, old money and the reviving Atlantic fish stocks along the Eastern seaboard. Elizabeth stared at him for a moment and wondered if he was indeed real.

Wickham looked at Elizabeth and realized she was already half way in love with him. The time he had spent last night on her website and digging into her background had been worth it. She was the classic hippie ocean lover her master's thesis claimed she was. She was clearly smart, and had a quick wit, but she was still so easy to read for a player like himself, and even easier to manipulate. He knew what she wanted to hear and see and he was more than happy to provide it. He would goad her into bringing up the Nemesis next and then he would spin his Big Bad Darcy story. He wanted to make sure that when Darcy saw them together, he had already ruined Beni's opinion of the owner of the Nemesis forever. Fooling around with her before that happened, would just be icing on the cake.

After all, George Wickham reminded himself, yoga chicks had serious moves - didn't they?

Darcy was deep in thought about a pair of fine eyes. He found himself unable to concentrate on the conversation going on in front and around him between Jane, Bingley and Caroline. Bingley suggested they go for a drive and would meet the ladies back at the boat for lunch later. He found himself agreeing, but to what, he wasn't exactly sure. His mind saw nothing but Elizabeth.

Finally back at the car. Bingley noticed Darcy with a faraway look and asked if he wanted to get some coffee to help get his head straight. Darcy happily agreed. Charles texted Jane and asked where they could get good coffee as she knew the area so well. Jane knew where they had parked and told him he wasn't so far away from her favorite coffee hole. A tiny place on Meryton Ave where the locals hung out and strong coffee was the only option. He drove over and heard Darcy gasp when he saw Elizabeth coming out the front door of the establishment followed by a man who looked remarkably like Wickham. Darcy had told him this morning that Wickham was still in Europe and that his security team assured him he was being well tailed. Charles double parked, not caring about the 100 dollar ticket likely to be handed to him by some high and mighty parking officer. 100 bucks would be nothing to see how this was all going to play out. Darcy had been weird about this morning and Charles sensed his interest in Jane's sister was much more than he was letting on.

Elizabeth had her back to Darcy as he emerged by Charles' car. She had turned around when Wickham had grabbed her for a sudden although not unwelcome hug. With her arm still on Wickham, she turned to start walking back down the street, head in her own thoughts when she saw Darcy striding towards her, with a look on her face that she could only describe as disgust and hatred.

What didn't faze her was that Wickham came quickly up behind her and put a strong arm on her shoulder. After everything he had just related to her of his dealings with Darcy, Elizabeth guessed that her own stare back at Darcy was just as cold.

Darcy looked at Elizabeth, saw the glint in Wickham's eyes behind her and realized he was being played, but he did not yet grasp the extent to which Wickham had played him and would continue to try to destroy him and his baby sister.

At the same time, Wickham was enjoying the whole scene immensely. Darcy looked crushed, Elizabeth was out in front playing protector for him and at this very moment, his team was planting drugs aboard the Nemesis and would be setting off the motion sensor alarm in a matter of minutes making the whole thing look like a burglary. He had sent the text message putting his plan in play to his associated from behind his back while giving Elizabeth that not so unplanned public hug.

Darcy demeaned himself low enough (or so Elizabeth thought) to acknowledge both her and Wickham with a curt and very formal "hello" in their general direction, or so Elizabeth understood anyway, before Darcy turned heel and seemed to be walking away as fast as he had come.

Darcy was surprised when his phone starting ringing from his back pocket with an unusual tone. All at once, he knew it was the new intruder alarm on the Nemesis. His IT guy had installed it when he had told him he planned to sleep on the boat and hooked it directly to his phone, but it had never gone off before. As he felt the vibrations and heard the custom app ring, he turned around from the Elizabeth and Wickham nightmare before him to pull his phone out and check the video feed.

He saw masked men with scuba gear jump overboard and out of sight of the motion cameras on the main deck. He quickly dialed Chase and started walking back to the car, motioning the Charles that they were headed out and to get himself back into the drivers seat. Darcy had a sinking feeling that his personal nightmare, George Wickham was connected to everything that had just gone wrong, but admitted that he still had no clue how all of the pieces fit to together.

One thing was very certain though, seeing Elizabeth with Wickham had been a new kind of personal hell and one he didn't plan a repeat stay in any time soon.

Darcy left an utterly perplexed Elizabeth wondering what in the world had just happened and a Wickham trying incredibly hard to hide his almost overwhelming glee in front of the girl of Darcy's dreams.

Sorry for having been so distracted recently and letting the story go quiet. Hopefully chapters coming faster now once again.

Time check...when exactly is it 2PM? Sooner than you think! :)

Reviews and comments appreciated!