Thank you oh so much for the wonderful reviews! I am very pleased that you liked it. Now I know you've been waiting for this so I will no longer prolong your agony.

Thank you to JrTT for editing, gods! you're a wonderful person!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.

Chapter 10: Sunday is Family Day

It was 6AM at the Bennet flat, when Lizzie was awoken by someone climbing to the bed.

"Mummy! Mummy! Wake up!"

"Mmm" she replied groggily

"Hi baby!" she added

"Are you awake now mummy?"

"Yes. It's still early Lucy"

"But daddy might come already!"

Then she suddenly remembered that it was Sunday and Darcy had called her last night and insisted that he would be coming early to bring breakfast. Her eyes widened and she sat up immediately. She needed to make coffee and set the table for whatever he's bringing.

"Are you okay mummy?"

She spoke slightly sharply to the little person beside her,

"Yes, I'm okay. Come on. Let's get going"

She guided Lucy to the bathroom and assisted her in washing her face and brushing her teeth as she did the same. She put on the thickest robe she could find for there was no more time to change. Darcy might come anytime soon.

When they got down to the kitchen, Lizzie immediately turned on the coffee maker. Lucy on the other hand was sitting in one of the chairs on the breakfast table, just watching her prepare things. As she was making some fresh orange juice, the doorbell rang. Immediately Lucy went down the chair,

"Mummy! Daddy's here!"

"Alright we'll open it"

Lucy ran to the door, as she walked behind her smiling at her daughter's excitement. When she opened it, Darcy stood there smiling at her, looking handsome in his casual clothes, she was actually stunned at the sight but tried to compose herself,

"Good morning Lizzie!"

"Erm… Hi!"

"Daddy!" Lucy squealed

She took the initiative of taking what Darcy was carrying to give him time to hug Lucy. She smiled as Lucy held out her little arms for Darcy to take which he did and he lifted Lucy into his strong arms, "Stop thinking of those arms Lizzie!" she scolded herself.

"Oh my Lucy! I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too daddy"

"How much did you miss daddy?"

"Like this!" Lucy said as she spread out her arms wide,

Darcy finally went in and she closed the door; she walked to the kitchen as they followed.

In the kitchen Darcy put Lucy in one of the chairs,

"Lucy, stay here while daddy helps mummy okay?"

She nodded and giggled. He went to where Lizzie was standing, and without offering he helped her. Lizzie glanced at him and smiled which he returned. They both prepared the breakfast and set it on the table. They sat down Lucy in between them.

"Daddy?"

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Is it true that you have horses? Auntie G told me about it"

"Yes I do. Back in Pemberley"

"Pemberley?"

"It's where daddy and Auntie G grew up"

"Can we go there daddy? Please?"

"Well, we have to ask mummy about that"

They looked at Elizabeth who was staring at the both of them. Then she started speaking,

"Of course we'll go there with daddy. But mummy still has work and so does daddy" she said looking at him

"Really? We can go there?"

"Of course! Mummy and daddy will see to it, okay my love?" he said

"Okay"

When they finished breakfast, he helped Lizzie clean up the table, he was about to help wash the dishes but Lizzie stopped him,

"Why don't you just spend time with Lucy instead? I can do the dishes"

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Then she turned to Lucy,

"Lucy darling, why don't you show daddy your room?"

Lucy smiled and stepped off the chair, walked up to him and pulled his hand,

"Come on daddy. I want to show you my room"

"Alright"

He let his daughter drag him upstairs to her room, when they got there, he observed every detail of it. It's not like he had not been there, but the last time her was here he had only put Lucy to bed. But now he was here and his daughter was giving him a grand tour. Lucy grabbed his hand once more and pulled him to where her toys are,

"Look daddy! Mummy put all the toys that Auntie G gave me here"

"Oh wow! That looks nice!"

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"Am I really going to have a room in your house? I can really have two rooms?"

"Yes. Actually, you can have three rooms"

"Three?! Really daddy?"

"Yes! You now have one here at mummy's house. Then at daddy's house here in London as well as in Pemberley!"

Then his daughter jumped up and gave him a hug which he received gladly. They both sat on the floor while he held her in his arms. He never thought fatherhood would feel this way. There were people who would tell him about parenting on how difficult and fulfilling it could be, now he truly understood them.

"Daddy?"

"Yes darling?"

"Why don't mummy and I live with you?"

He was stunned at her question; this was the same inquiry that Lucy asked Lizzie. What would he say? He didn't know. Then he remembered Lizzie's answer, but what if she asked if he loved her mother? What would be his answer then? Darcy became lost in his own questions.

"Daddy?"

"Oh yes. Sorry my love, daddy was just thinking"

"About what?"

"I was… thinking about you"

"Really?"

"Mmm-hmm"

He sighed out of relief, he was able to dodge Lucy's question and changed it to a different direction, "This needs to continue" he thought,

"Do you want to know what daddy is really thinking of?"

Lucy nodded.

Lizzie finally finished the dishes and headed upstairs. As she ascended, she heard Lucy and Darcy's voice, so she went straight to Lucy's room and stood by the door and watched them. They were sitting on the floor with their backs facing her; she didn't think they knew she was there.

"Do you want to know what daddy is really thinking of?"

Lucy nodded

"Well, daddy is thinking how much he loves you!"

"Mummy said that when I asked her."

"She's right. I do love you. With alllll my heart"

"Like… forever?"

"Yes forever my love. Daddy loves you forever"

She smiled hearing Darcy saying that he loves Lucy,

"Do you love mummy too?"

Her eyes went wide upon Lucy's question, she really didn't want to hear the answer, she wanted to run to her room and lock herself up, but it seemed that her feet were betraying her, as she stood still. She observed that Darcy had yet to reply,

"Can you keep a secret Lucy?"

"Yes daddy"

"Will you promise not to tell anyone? Not even mummy?"

"I promise"

"Alright. I love your mummy."

"You do?"

"Yes I do. I love her very much."

"Really daddy?"

"Yes"

"But mummy says that people love when they see each other all the time"

"She's right"

"But you don't see mummy all the time. But you love her?"

"Well, I think I will have to tell you when you're a bit bigger"

"But… daddy…"

"Sweetheart, daddy doesn't really know how to explain it. But when daddy finds the answer you will be the first one to know. Alright Miss Lucy?"

"Okay daddy" Lucy said, sounding disappointed

She was completely surprised with Darcy's words, telling their daughter he loves her. "He loves me" she thought. This only confused her even more. So silently she left and went to her room and sat on the bed. She started biting her nails, "How could he love me, I left him! I walked away from him. I got scared of what might happen." These thoughts kept repeating in her head. Did he only say that to satisfy her daughter's question? But why does it have to be a secret? From the sound of his voice as she recalled, it was serious but it was also sad. "He loves me. Darcy loves you and not just your daughter" she smiled at the thought but tears were falling from her eyes. They can't be in a relationship right now. "Who said you're entering a relationship?" she thought once again. She took a deep breath and finally stood up.

She went to the bathroom to freshen her face and then made her way back to Lucy's room. She decided to put the image and voice of Darcy to the back of her mind so she could focus on herself as the task for the day.

When she got there, father and daughter were still sitting on the floor playing. She went in.

"You two alright here?"

Darcy looked up at her, while Lucy was busy doing her puzzle.

"Yeah, we're just playing"

"Alright, well I will leave you both. I will go prepare for lunch"

"Do you need help?"

"No, it's alright I can manage. There's not much to do anyways"

"Can we…erm… at least accompany you?"

The last thing she needed right now was to be around Darcy. So she politely declined.

"It's okay Darcy really. I'd rather have you spending time with her. I'll call you if I need anything"

"Alright, only if you're sure"

"I'm sure"

"Okay"

She smiled at him and then finally left Lucy's room and went straight to the kitchen.

In the kitchen she gathered all the ingredients she needed. She worked diligently and really made sure that she busied herself with the food prep. She didn't want to think, not at all. When she put what was needed in the oven. She set the time and remembered that she needed to bathe Lucy. She checked everything again to make sure nothing would burn during that time then left the kitchen to go back upstairs.

Lucy had asked him to read something to her, they had been hanging out since he arrived and Darcy had never felt so happy. The week has been such a blur, a lot of things happened, from his work and now his personal life.

"Daddy I want to watch something on the telly"

"Alright let's go down and ask mummy okay?"

"Okay"

He stood up and lifted Lucy in his arms. He really liked carrying her around instead of just allowing her to walk. Having Lucy in his arms made him feel even closer to her. But before they went out of the room, Lizzie walked in,

"Hey. All done cooking?" he asked

"Not yet. But it's baking. I still have time, I just need to borrow Lucy for a bit, she needs a bath now."

"Oh"

"Yeah"

Then Lizzie walked up to them and turned to Lucy,

"Sweetheart it's bath time. Come on my love; let's make it fast so you can play more with daddy"

Lucy didn't say anything but reached out for her mother; Lizzie was not carrying their daughter, she held her hand and they walked.

"Erm... Darcy, do you mind going to the kitchen to watch the oven for a bit?"

"Oh sure, sure. No problem. I'll go now."

"Thank you"

He left them as he went down to the kitchen; when he got there, the smell of the room felt like heaven to him. Everything smelled great; he even checked the oven to see what was baking. He smiled when he saw an apple pie.

As he waited for Lizzie, he tried to entertain himself and pulled out his phone to check if there were any emails for him. There were some emails from work, which he did not read, having decided to do that at home. There was an email from Georgiana, he opened it and saw a picture which showed G standing by her horse smiling, with a message below that said, "Show this to Lucy she will love it!" He smiled at the thoughtfulness of his sister. Then he browsed through his inbox again, one was from his cousin Fitz, "When do I meet little Darcy?" he chuckled at the message and typed a reply, "Hopefully soon!" then he hit 'send.' While he was reading some of the emails, he didn't realize that Lizzie came into the room until he heard her voice,

"Busy?" she asked

He turned around only to see her freshly showered, wearing some college shirt and shorts. He almost looked her all over her body but he controlled himself,

"Oh... erm, no. I was just checking my emails while I waited"

"Okay. Anyway, I better get back to preparing"

"Can I help?"

"It's okay Darcy. I can manage. Oh and Lucy's in the living room watching a movie, she might want your company"

"Right. Okay"

"I'll just call you both when lunch is ready"

"Alright"

He walked away from the kitchen, he was a little bit surprised at Lizzie, he felt like she was trying to avoid him. When he reached the living room and saw his daughter, he shook the feeling he had and focused on the little girl sitting on the couch. He sat beside her,

"What are you watching Lucy?"

"Cinderella"

"Can daddy watch with you?"

"Okay"

They watched Cinderella together on a Sunday morning. He was looking at the TV but he wasn't really watching it, Lucy on the other hand seemed to enjoy it and would sometimes talk to him about what was happening. She was very enthusiastic with every scene even telling him that she wasCinderella.

In the kitchen, Lizzie had been working hard to provide an excellent meal. The apple pie she prepared had just gone out of the oven while the lasagna needed a few more minutes. While she waited for it, she prepared the dining table. When everything was set, she went on to check the food in the oven and finally turned it off. She gathered some plates and placed a slice of lasagna on each and some green salad with simple dressing and two slices of garlic, basil bruschetta. She was very much satisfied on how each plate looked. She served it on the table; she went to get a bottle of red wine in the kitchen and some orange juice for Lucy. She also placed the remaining lasagna, salad and bruschetta on the table. When all was ready, she went to the living room call them.

Lizzie found Darcy and Lucy sitting side by side watching Cinderella, she smiled and walked over to them and sat on the couch not even realizing she actually sat beside Darcy.

"Enjoying the film?"

Darcy was slightly startled by her presence and immediately turned his attention to her,

"Oh hi. Yeah. It's been so long since I have seen this film."

"Well you better get used to it. I think ever since I have had Lucy, all these Disney movies made me exhausted. Lucy ruined them for me" she said chuckling

Darcy smiled,

"Seems like you've slaved your way in the kitchen"

"Not really. I like cooking. It relieves stress"

"Are you stressed?"

"No, not today. But you know what I mean."

"Yeah."

"So... lunch is ready"

"Oh. Okay"

She turned her attention to Lucy,

"Lucy darling, it's lunch time. We better pause that for a bit."

"But it's not over yet mummy" Lucy complained

"I know my love, but we have to eat. Come on"

"Mummy I'm still watching"

Then Darcy stepped in,

"Lucy, don't you want to eat with mummy and daddy?"

"I do. But Cinderella is still not over"

"Well daddy's hungry and I want you to eat with us. Please?"

Finally with his pleading face, Lucy gave in. Elizabeth was relieved, she didn't want drama from Miss Lucy today, so with Lucy nodding at her father, she paused the movie. They went to the dining room where their meal awaited.

When they got to the dining room, Darcy was surprised at how well laid out the food was. It was a nice thing to see. It's not overly done like in some fancy restaurant, instead it was very homey. He couldn't help but be excited about it all. He had tasted Lizzie's cooking before and had not forgotten how great it was... Lizzie sat Lucy on one of the chairs making sure the little one was between them. Darcy pulled the chair for her, and he could have sworn that Lizzie blushed at his gesture.

"This looks amazing Lizzie! I can't wait to taste it!" he exclaimed

"Thank you."

He went on to have a taste of the lasagna and at that moment he felt like he died and went to heaven, he was speechless but still could not pass on not complimenting Lizzie with her cooking skills,

"Oh my god! This by far is the best lasagna I have ever tasted!"

"Oh please, I'm sure you've had better. You've been dining out in fancy restaurants. I'm sure mine doesn't compare to theirs."

"No seriously. This is wonderful, I feel like each ingredient is bursting into my mouth"

Then he turned to Lucy and asked,

"Lucy, don't you think that mummy's lasagna is the best in the whole world?"

"Yes! Mummy makes the best food!"

"See?" he said looking at her,

She blushed at his words, it made him happy,

"Darcy, I did not invite you here so both of you can gang up on me"

"What? I'm telling you the truth. It's the best. I mean sure I've been to fancy restaurants, but they're all too... I don't know the word... overly prepared I guess? There is a reason it's called fancy. But this... it's very much like a comfort food, like it would make you feel happy when you're having a really bad day. The flavors, it's just really good combined, the pasta is al dente... you can stop me anytime Lizzie"

"Oh no, go right ahead, you already started"

They both laughed at each other, Lucy on the other hand he noticed, kept looking back and forth at them, he felt like Lucy was formulating a question in her head. In order to avoid that, he asked Lizzie another question.

"So did you all learn this at home?"

"Not all. There are some recipes that I learned from my mother. She cooks well. But I've always been experimenting. I learned from other bloggers, tried new things. It's fun. What about you? G said that you cook as well?"

"Not as much as I want to, I barely have time for it. But G enjoys it just as much as you do, back at home she would volunteer to cook whenever I am there. Mrs. Reynolds could not even stop her"

"Who's Mrs. Reynolds?"

"Oh she's our house keeper and babysitter. She's been with us since I was four. She's more like a mother to us actually."

"Oh wow. That is a long time"

"Yeah. Her husband worked in the estate as well"

"Doesn't she have any kids?"

"Unfortunately no. She doesn't. So when she came to us, Georgiana and I became hers."

"I see"

"She's wonderful. I bet if she meets Lucy she might just spoil her"

Lizzie smiled, which made him smile too. He turned to his daughter once again,

"So Lucy, did Auntie G tell you about Pemberley?"

"Mmm-hmm. She told that there's a laaarge garden and a lake, and horses daddy!"

"Would you like to see the horses?"

"Yes! I want to ride one like in Uncle Charles' place!"

"Well, maybe when you're bigger I can teach you how to ride a horse properly"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Daddy, can we go and visit Auntie G in Pem-ber-ley?"

"Of course we can, but daddy and mummy still has some work to do."

"You're always working" Lucy said innocently without knowing the impact of her words.

He felt badly about it. He knew that he should give more time to her, but with work being very demanding lately, he tried to move his schedule around but sometimes it's just not enough,

"Lucy, daddy needs to work just like me. If daddy doesn't work he would not be able to take you to Pemberley. If mummy doesn't work, you won't have pancakes in the morning" Lizzie said to their daughter

"But I want to see the horses mummy"

"I know that my love, but I promise you that daddy will take you there" she said looking at him

"That's right, I promise to take you there and see the horses and not just that, we will go fishing by the lake."

"Really daddy?"

"Really."

Finally Lucy smiled, then he realized that they had forgotten the fact that both Lizzie and him had not talked about going on any vacations together.

When their plates were empty, Lizzie stood up,

"Time for desert!" she said

She went to the kitchen and returned with a tray in hand few minutes later. When Lizzie placed the tray in front of them, both his and Lucy's eyes twinkled with excitement seeing what Lizzie made for desert. She handed out each plate to them.

"Now, this one is homemade."

He smiled at that, taking the first bite, he closed his eyes as the apples melted in his mouth with the combination of the sugar and cinnamon. He wanted to compliment her just like he did with the lasagna but he was afraid that Lizzie may think that he's trying too hard. So instead he just made it simple,

"Really good Lizzie!"

"Thank you. I have to say apple pie has always been frequent in this house, because Lucy always ask for it"

"I am not surprised"

"Do you like it Lucy?" Lizzie asked her

"Yes mummy! I looooove it!" Lucy answered happily

When they finally finished desert, Lizzie left him with Lucy so she can go back to watching her movie.

He decided to help around and cleaned up the table and made sure every used plate and fork was placed in the sink. When Lizzie came back the table was already cleaned and he was on his way to the kitchen.

"I'll do the dishes. Just leave them there"

"No, it's okay Lizzie. You already made lunch, it's the least I can do after that wonderful food"

"You know if Georgiana were here, she would be the one helping out and I would truly appreciate it because then someone would watch over Lucy"

He chuckled,

"I would have to agree with you on that. Although I have to say that I insist on helping, you see, I believe that as a single parent, you have done this a couple of times… You doing something here in the kitchen, while Lucy watches something"

"True. But I really don't need help right now"

"Hmmm... why do I feel like you're trying to avoid me?" he teased

"Avoid you? No. Why would I do that? I just merely don't like your presence in my kitchen" she said smirking

He felt very bold at that moment, teasing Lizzie and her reciprocating at the same time, so he walked over to her,

"Are you sure you don't want me in the kitchen Elizabeth?" he said in a low voice, trying to be seductive,

"Yes I am sure" she said firmly

He could hear the uneasiness in Lizzie's voice, it made him feel even more confident, he walked closer, until Lizzie was leaning on the sink with nowhere to go, he smirked at her.

"I don't think I am going anywhere, I feel like helping and that's what I'm going to do, are we clear Elizabeth?"

He was very much satisfied with the results, the goal of having Lizzie blush profusely,

"I... erm... I..."

"I'm sorry, what's that Elizabeth?"

Finally, after being so frustrated with him, Lizzie huffed,

"Fine! You're insufferable" she said

Lizzie pushed him away using her hands on his chest, but he caught her hand, he smiled at her, then after a few seconds, he let her go. She rolled her eyes at him but he could still feel the tension with Lizzie.

Lizzie allowed him to help in the kitchen, they finished efficiently. Once done they decided to go to the living room; when they got there, they saw that Lucy had fallen asleep on the couch as the movie credits rolled. They both smiled at the sight. He watched as Lizzie turned off the TV and fixed Lucy's position in the couch. He turned to Lizzie,

"I guess we really don't need to do much"

"I guess so."

"Tea?"

"Sure"

They walked back to the kitchen, he sat on one of the stools and watched Lizzie boil some water and prepared the teacups and then she sat down with him.

"You look tired Lizzie"

"I do?"

"Yeah. Why don't you get some rest after we have tea? I will watch over Lucy later"

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'll just watch some crap on the telly"

"Okay"

Once the water boiled she prepared the tea and just sat there almost quietly,

"I was thinking maybe we could go to Pemberley next month"

"Oh. Well we better clear our schedules then. Is Georgiana going to be there? She said she'll be in Germany next week"

"I'm sure she'll be there. G tends to come home after a tour"

"That's good then."

"So can we go to Pemberley next month then?"

"Yeah, next month I guess"

"Alright. Erm... Lizzie can I ask you something?"

"Aren't you asking now?"

"Very funny. Anyway, did you ever date during... you know? Well after?"

"After what?"

"After having Lucy. It's five years. That's quite some time"

"No. I never did. You?"

"Same"

"I see. May I ask why?"

"Well because I barely have time for myself let alone to date or be in a relationship. I'm fine where I'm at. Lucy has been my life; I'd rather focus on that. So how come you never dated?"

"Work. Georgiana. More work"

"Then I guess we're the same"

"Yeah, I guess so. But erm... since I can help you take care of Lucy now, will you start dating?"

"Where are you going with this questions Darcy?"

"Nothing really... I... just you know? Making small talk"

She smiled but something about his eyes made her suspicious about his questions,

"I don't know if I'll start dating. It's been a long time, I don't know if I still know how to date" she said chuckling

For some reason he was quite happy with her answers. But then Lizzie started speaking again,

"But you if there's some bloke who would be interested in dating me... then maybe I will consider it."

He felt a pang in his heart hearing her say that. He didn't really want Lizzie to date anyone else but him, but of course he could not say that out loud. So he responded the best he could, telling her that he understood.

"Well if that happens, let me know I can always take Lucy so you can go on a date"

"Thanks"

"Erm... is it okay if I have a slice of apple pie again?"

"Of course! Why didn't you say so? Wait. Let me..."

Lizzie went to the fridge and took out the remaining pie and took out two smaller plates and sliced some and put into the plates. She served him the pie and gave him the fork,

"You know Lizzie, I haven't had a homemade apple pie since I went home to Pemberley. Mrs. Reynolds would have some whenever I come home."

"Didn't you enjoy the pie at Netherfield?"

"Well it was good, but this one reminds me of home"

"You surely miss Pemberley"

"I do. If I don't only have to work, I would just be there and spend my time walking in the morning and just have some fresh air. Netherfield's nice but it's nicer back home. Don't you miss your family home?"

"I do. I miss the chaos, my overbearing mother, my sisters, and definitely my father"

"Overbearing mother?"

"Yeah. You know when we were growing up and old enough to date, all she ever talked about was for us to marry grand! Jane and I would never marry for money but of course we never said that to her face, or else we won't be having compassion for her poor nerves." She said laughing

"Oh believe me I've had that experience?"

"Your mother was overbearing too?"

"No. Not her, our Aunt Catherine. She thinks she could control our lives just because my mother died"

If this was years ago he would have felt sad saying that his mother had died, but he seemed quite alright now.

"I'm sorry about your mother"

"It's alright. It's been such a long time."

"So what does this aunt have on you?"

"Well, Aunt Catherine is your typical socialite. She takes the liberty of setting me up with one of the daughters of her friends."

"And you don't like that?"

"No. I don't; not even Georgiana. Aunt Catherine wants us both to marry or date someone who is within our 'social status.' She even likes Caroline!"

"Oh wow"

"I know. But of course we just ignore her. Whenever we see her we just try our best to be polite. She even demands for us to see her from time to time. I mean seriously she needs not to focus on us but her own daughter."

He watched as Lizzie sipped her tea smiling at him, her eyes were smiling as well. He smiled back at her. He felt relaxed in her company, and it was quite refreshing seeing her in her humble abode.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?"

He was surprised at her question, he was thinking of leaving in the afternoon, but now that Lizzie invited him to say, who was he to say no to her.

"Only if I get to buy us pizza?"

She laughed a little,

"Alright! As long as you don't forget to get Lucy pepperoni, it's her favorite"

"Okay"

The tea that afternoon had been pleasant, now he had more information added for Lucy, "She has my eyes, my lips, her mother's nose and smile, her favorite breakfast is pancakes, favorite desert is apple pie, she can't sleep without her favorite pillow and blanket, and her favorite pizza is pepperoni" he thought. This is what he does whenever new information came to him. Speaking it in his mind like some sort of repetitive prayer.

As dinner came sooner, Lucy finally awoke from her slumber of dreamland. Darcy went to play with her and told her stories about his home and some parts of his childhood. Elizabeth, on the other hand, just listened to them. She discovered how much of a gentle person Darcy was. He was good with their daughter and would want to spend more time with her.

Dinner finally came and they enjoyed it. Laughing, teasing, and most of the time the father and daughter would gang up on her on certain things. She thought it was rather adorable how everything came naturally between the three of them. She watched as Darcy's features would soften from time to time whenever he interacted with Lucy. It was such a pleasant sight.

After dinner and cleaning up the messes, Lucy insisted on watching Frozen with her dad. Elizabeth made sure that Lucy had a wash and brushed her teeth first before doing anything else. They both assisted Lucy in brushing her teeth, teaching Darcy about the things that Lucy needed at night. Once done, they all went down to watch the movie.

Lizzie excused herself to take a shower and get rid of all the exhaustion from the cooking that day. She didn't even realize how long she took. When she returned she saw Darcy and Lucy on the couch both asleep. Darcy was holding Lucy on his chest as they both lay on the couch. She could not help but smile at how sweet they looked. Without disturbing them, she allowed the movie to just go on and went to get some pillows and blankets. When she came back she placed a pillow and blanket on the other chair, and tried to remove Lucy carefully from Darcy's arms. She made sure she didn't wake up Darcy, he looked so peaceful yet tired from the day. When she put Lucy to bed, she returned to find Darcy still in a deep sleep. She took a pillow and gently lifted his head so she can put the pillow under it. Then she took off his shoes, covered him with blanket and tucked him in like a child.

She knelt down on the couch where Darcy was sleeping; she watched his face, how gentle it looked. "He loves me" she thought. "Why would you do that? I am nothing special" she added in her train of thoughts. She pushed away the hair from his forehead and gently kissed him there, she didn't know why she would do that, but she just did.

Lizzie tried to stand up, but as she did, Darcy's hand caught her arm, she looked at him, and he was just staring at her face, she felt the blush crawling on her cheeks.

"Stay" he said softly.

Then he scooted over to give her space and lifted the blanket for her; as if on auto-pilot she sat down and then lay down beside him. Finally she felt his arm wrap around her while he buried his face in her hair.

As she lay there with him, Elizabeth thought about how her feelings were confused by him. She knew for a fact that he was quite a constant memory in her head. But what did she truly feel for him? Definitely not love, at least not now. At that moment however, she let go of all the confusion and gave in to the warmth of his arms that were holding her and succumbed to him. She closed her eyes and that night they slept in the arms of each other.