Hey! I'm here now because, well, I got over my writers block. AND BECAUSE SCHOOL'S OUT! Double digit chapters. Woop Woop.

Thanks pigtails913. Oh loyal faithful reader. I bow down to you. =P. I was so proud when I wrote that line too. Ain't she a cutie?

Anyways as I said before in the previous chapter, I need more shoes. I know. There were lots of recommendations, but I need more.

I don't think I'll write in third person. I tried it out and I was like. Eww. That's not my style. So yeah. I think I am going to stick to the whole Elizabeth-occasionally-Darcy POV thing.

So here goes:

Previously on I'm Walking Barefoot on Glass:

"You are so lucky, Elizabeth, dear. A storm seemed to happen across Melbourne straight after you arrived. You know Melbourne weather right? It changes so many times in a day that one day may have four seasons. They are predicting strong thunderstorms and lighting and very rough winds. I'm afraid you all would have to spend the night here."

Pamela looked at her mother, "What? Mother!"

Will sat there looking out the window.

Charles said, "Cool. This will be so fun."

Annabeth shrugged.

Jane hugged me and said, "This will be so fun. You're going to have fun!"

Charlotte said with a smirk while looking over at me as she could probably sense my agitation, "Sleepover?"

It finally sank in. What? The night here? With them? Will? And Pamela. Someone shoot me, please.

"Elithabeth," said Anna in a small voice, "Anna want to sleep with Elithabeth and Will."

Great. Just great.

TEN – Grey Grosby Hoodies (for your feet: google it)

27th May, 10.15am

I sat there with my hands around Anna as everyone seems to be doing something else and I was trying to recover from the fact that I have to stay here. With other people I barely know and WILL FREAKING DARCY. Oh. And Pamela.

As Mrs Bingley left, Charles got up to follow her and Pamela storms off after them, probably going to argue her case about why we – actually I – have no right to stay here. At least the girl is trying. Jane Charlotte and Annabeth – actually just Jane and Charlotte – go over to the other side of the room and getting into this very secretive conversation.

Will on the other hand just got up from his seat and sat next to me, talking to Anna.

"Gigi, you can't say things like that. Even though you may want it, you may not get it. That's life."

Is this guy for real? He is telling a four year old that he she's not going to get everything she wants? I mean it's the truth, but way to bring her hopes down about becoming a princess. Or, at least, that would have happened to me if he told me that at the tender age of four.

"Anna wants!" The little girl is just too cute. She scrunched up her nose and her balled her little hands into fists and pulled them from my neck and onto her lap.

"Gigi, you need to be a good girl or else Elizabeth may not like you," he said.

Are you kidding me? No way is he going to pull me into this fight. So I said, "No, that's not true Anna. You know I'll be your friend, but I can't sleep with you. Or your brother."

She just looks at me and nods, admitting defeat at such a young age.

At that moment, Pamela decided to storm in and tell us all about the arrangements.

"We are going to get some mattresses and put them in the games room, but not until later tonight. I'm going to be sleeping in my bed so you can sort the arrangements yourself." Insert her disgusted look thrown my way, "We are bringing three queen sized mattresses so one would have to have three people on one," she looked over to Will in the most gag-ful way ever, "that is unless Darcy wants to sleep with me."

She so did not say that, but of course she did. She probable has no filter in her brain. It's just like a strainer and her thoughts are as thin as water. She's just some rich stuck up snob with the eyes on the prize; this dude sitting next to me with the money and looks and everything. Right?

"Pamela, that is completely inappropriate. I'm going to be here with Gigi and, if I must tell you, I will not stand anymore of your flirting or innuendos. It is very unladylike," retorted Will in the most menacing voice ever. I even had to cover Anna's ears.

Charles, God bless his soul, decided to walk in that moment only to find his sister simply flipping her hair over her shoulder and walking out of the room.

"What's her deal?" asked an innocent Charlie.

"Nothing," replied Will very quickly.

Charlotte snorts and says, "Not nothing. Will here, the good mate that he is, told your sister off for putting on the charms for him." On the word charms, she wiggled her eyebrows. It was so comical.

I was laughing, almost dropping Anna, but I held onto her as Will gave me a very strange look that bordered on disgust and disgust.

Charlie chose to ignore that comment and walk over to me and as he was sitting down he said, "Elizabeth, I know it's your birthday and all so what do you want to do? Do you want to play some cards?"

Before I had a chance to speak, everyone said that they would love to and they started sitting down in a circle on the floor; Charles, Jane, Charlotte, Annabeth and Will with a gap for me in between Will and Charlie.

"I think I'll pass, Charlie. I have some reading I need to catch up to." I walked over to my handbag with Anna in my arms and pulled out Frankenstein.

Anna looked like she was going to fall asleep even after she just had her nap, so I stood there finding my page and bouncing from one foot to the other.

I began reading when I noticed that everyone was looking at me; Annabeth was looking at her fingernails.

"Do you know what? You look like a mother, Elizabeth," remarked Jane in a very matter of fact way.

"Yeah, you do look like a mother. Can you imagine her as a mother? She would be great, right?" seconds Charlie.

I raised a questioning eyebrow to Charlotte who merely said, "You made her fall asleep. This morning, when we all arrived, it took Darcy ages to get her to fall asleep and that doesn't even include the number of times Pamela kept interrupting them."

I look over to Will to gauge his response.

"Charlotte's right, you know. It takes Mrs Reynolds forever to put her into bed, Richard's given up on trying to make her go to bed forcibly and I'm the only one who manages to make her go to sleep just under 30 minutes. She must really like you."

"No jokes, Will. Who knew that our Elizabeth could be so motherly," Charles said as he clapped Will's shoulder.

Will visibly winced when Charlie said that. I wonder what happened to him. He quickly recovered before anyone noticed. Everyone, but me that is.

All Will said was, "She lets her call her Anna too."

"What? When Pamela tried to do that, Anna just about pierced her eardrums. You got the little girl to fall in love with you, Elizabeth," cried Charlie.

Jane put in, "I tried calling her Anna once when we were trying to think of a nickname and she threw a fit. We never knew why. Maybe she was saving it for someone special." She looks up to me from her position from the ground and I had the epiphany that Jane could easily become my best friend after all that has happened.

Amazingly Annabeth started speaking, "I did too once. She just ran away from me, Elizabeth. By the way, I was meaning to ask: can I call you Lizzie?"

"Sure go ahead. Maybe we should all try find a name for me and if I don't like it I'll just throw a BF," I said.

"Really? Can we?" Charles looked like he was having the most fun in his life. What is so great about getting to nickname someone? I merely shrugged not understanding the fun in it.

Charlie, Jane, Charlotte and Annabeth started throwing names around while Will just stared. Not in a very normal staring way as in I'm looking at you because we are talking about you way. He was staring as in staring with brooding eyes. It was kind of creepy

"Liz?"

"Beth?"

"Eliza?"

"Izzie?"

"Lizbeth? Though that is only eliminating the 'e' so I don't think so."

"Liza?"

"Elle?" When are they going to stop? It seems like a very fun game for them, but when? They are going onto very personal territory.

"Eli?"

I snap my head up to see that Will was the one who said that. I could feel all sorts of expressions on my face before I say, "Anything, but that."

I was preoccupied with looking at Anna's sleeping form, but I could tell that they were looking at me with curiosity.

They whispered in hush tones before addressing me with the nickname they picked.

All at once, they screamed out "Lizard!"

I had to laugh at that. "What kind of nickname is that? But, whatever. I guess I am stuck with it."

What surprised me was how quick it was for them to diverrt my attention. I felt like I owed them.

Pamela came in at that moment and she heard another chorus of "Lizard!"

Her reaction, can I say, was so hilarious it was almost as funny as Darcy's reaction back at the office.

She jumped onto a couch and started screaming her head off. So maybe is was a little bit better.

"Where? Oh my gosh! I'm going to die. I'm going to die."

She said "I'm going to die" like it was her mantra.

Everyone, with the exception of Jane and Will, started laughing. Even Charlie was rolling on the floor laughing.

"Charlie, I swear! Help me! There is a lizard and I know it wants to eat me! Help! Mother!"

"Pamela, sweetie," cooed Jane, "There is no lizard."

However, the poor stuck up snob did not hear it. She had her hands covering her ears and yelling on the top of her lungs.

"Darcy! Save me! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I'm going to die! DARCEEEEE!"

"Pamela! For the love that is all Holy, please stop your whinging. There is no lizard."

She was almost in tears and Charlie and Charlotte where clutching their side because they were laughing so hard. You could tell, their faces were scrunched up from laughing and it was tear streaked.

Pamela looked at Will and she was now fully crying with the hiccupping and everything. She asked, "Then why did you all scream out lizard? If there is no lizard? There is a lizard. I know it. Don't try to lie. I'm going to die. Oh my gosh. I'm too rich to die. I'm too pretty to die. I'm too nice to die. Oh my gosh. I don't want a death by lizard. Oh, please help me." With that she looked heavenward.

Suddenly, Mrs Bingley came in and observed the whole room. By now, Anna was awake and crying so I was trying to comfort her as I held my laughter, Will was outraged and annoyed with Pamela's act of damsel in distress, Annabeth was smiling while looking at her nails, Charlie and Charlotte are helping each other from the floor and Jane, oh sweet Jane, was trying to comfort the poor girl on the couch.

"What happened? Why are you crying Pam?" Mrs Bingley looked at her daughter with laughter in her eyes.

"Mommy," Pamela cried as she flung her seventeen year old body at her mother, "There's a lizard. I don't want to die."

Mrs Bingley was trying to writhe out of her grasp and told her, "You can't die by lizard. You are acting ridiculously. There is no lizard is there?"

Charlie composed himself enough to answer, "Yes, there is."

Charlotte and Charlie erupted in a fit of laughter and now Annabeth joined in when she saw that Pamela flung herself at her mother and trying to climb up on her. There was more laughter and I could see Jane from the corner of my eye, trying to disguise her smile behind her hands.

"I told you, Mommy. Save me. Oh my gosh."

"Charles Bingley! What are you going on about? I doubt there are any lizards in my house!" She gave Charlie a stern look.

He merely replied with, "I'm talking about her" as he pointed in my direction.

Will, deciding that enough was enough, said, "We were figuring out a new nickname and we ended up with Lizard. We just yelled it out when Pamela was stepping into the room. Jane tried to calm her down but it was futile as Pamela absolutely refused to help." He looked over to me, struggling with Anna. "Do you want help, Elizabeth?"

"No, thank you, Will. She just got scared."

Mrs Bingley looked at me with amusement and said, "That was interesting, but Charlie, dear, do not scare you sister. It won't help her. You know she gets scared easily."

Pamela looked at Will and said, "Oh Darceeeee. Why didn't you tell me? I thought I was going to die."

He looked at her with contempt as he said, "You don't die by lizards. You die by jumping off of a bridge or drowning or getting into a car accident –"

Will quickly stopped talking as a sob escaped my mouth. Everyone was looking at me and saw that I was crying really hard.

Jane rushed over and hugged me, asking what was wrong.

"Nothing is wrong, Jane. I'll tell you sometime, but later."

Will walked over and took Anna out of my arms. "I'm sorry. I forgot. I didn't mean it."

I looked at him and nodded. Pamela walked out of the room after her mother left, clearly not gaining the attention she hoped for.

"Will, my boy, what do you know that you aren't telling us?" Charlie said as he walked over, Charlotte and Annabeth walking briskly behind him.

I looked at Will and he looked at me. I simply shook my head.

"I can't say," he replied stoutly. Thank goodness he won't tell anyone. I didn't think that I could trust him. After all he is running a business and I have learnt not to trust much people in the business; with the exception of my father of course.

"If it relates to Lizard, then it relates to us. After all, we are friends right?" That surprisingly came from Annabeth.

I nodded. I was so touched. I thought I was stronger than this. I never knew that I would trust people so easily. I knew they haven't walked into my heart, but they gained my trust quickly and that in itself is a feat. There was something about this bunch of people; Charlie and his easy smiles; Jane and her gentle nature; Charlotte and her in-a-good-way weirdness; Annabeth and her quite stature; and Will Darcy, the secret keeper. The whole group was just a weird gathering that it fit so right. And it felt so right to be in it.

Jane sat next to me while Charlie took the seat on my other side and both reached out for my hand. Will just stood there staring at me and rocking Anna to sleep while Charlotte was resting on my legs with Annabeth sitting in front of her.

"I honestly don't know where to start, but if I had to tell you, I guess I should start with the beginning right? It's about why I moved to Australia. But I need you guys to not interrupt the story under any circumstances. All right?" I said in a very quiet voice. Unfortunately for me it was a quiet room which was lucky for them.

A succession of nods and agreements were made and Jane just squeezed my hand. That weak squeeze was so comforting and so reliable that I had to look away, starring at the window. I wasn't used to it. Not since who knew when.

"Well, I lived in America and I was happy. I had my mother and my father and we were happy. But that's the thing, we were happy and someone thought that we shouldn't be. I was nine when my mother died. She died trying to save a little girl from being run over in the streets of New York. My father and I were at home, in California, when it happened. She was over there for a charity she started helping kids in need. I thought I wouldn't be able to live without her at nine years old. My father could barely cope so he moved us to New York – to be closer to Mother even though she wasn't really there." I took a deep breath because I knew that this is the next part I wouldn't be able to take well. "My father and I seemed like we moved on – people commented on that, but we didn't. We tried to cope and really did and we had an understanding that we would try. From then on, he was my best friend, my only family. Then, as were starting to become truly happy again, they took him away. In a car accident," I was still staring out the window, but I heard a few gasps and a sorry from Will, "We were celebrating my sixteenth birthday a week before my actual birthday and a truck collided with our Bentley. He reached over to protect me because he knew what was going to happen. He knew he would die, but he did it anyway. He died instantly. I woke up a day after his death and was told that he died. Three days later, I moved here. And it still hurts. I know it has only been a week, but it still hurts." I started crying, showing my weakness to these almost strangers.

"It always will."

Everyone turned to Will, who held a sleeping Anna and was staring very intently at me. The only difference was, instead of his usually handsome indifferent face, it was hidden behind tears. Tears, I knew, that weren't for me.

I'm thinking that some of you may not like this chapter and some may. Thank you for all those who have read this and reviewed. Thank you so much. Tell me what you think. It will be appreciated.

As I said before, it is holidays, but since it is my senior year I have to study harder, even over the holidays, and the updates may be slow, but hopefully it will be faster than usual.

With all my love to the readers,

Lauren