a/n: Sorry for a long wait. But the good news is that I've finally graduated from high school, and summer has officially begun. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

He tossed his keys onto the table, unbuttoned his shirt, and wearily made his way up the stairs. Trudging upwards, he heard the scurrying of eager paws and looked down to see an enthusiastic greeter happily licking his right hand.

"Hey Koda," Will muttered, in a tone completely opposite the mood of his German shepherd. He withdrew his hand and went into his room to change. It had been a long day.

Thoughts engulfed his mind as he threw himself onto the bed. He turned on the TV and surfed through the channels, but found it hard to pay attention to anything that was on. His mind drifted and he tiredly rubbed his forehead. It seemed unbelievable how small the world was.

His thoughts immediately shifted to Elizabeth's lawyer and he frowned. Who know the man would be lame enough to associate himself with everyone he knew? Thanks to Collins, he now had to go around and apologize to everyone. Sean was angry with him, Gia nearly burst into tears that night, and Elizabeth avoided him like the plague. And where was George in the midst of all of this?

Turning to his bedside table, Will picked up his phone and dialed Gia's number. He sighed heavily at the ring tone, hoping that she would pick up. It was late, and Gia was an early sleeper.

"Hello?" asked a deep voice on the other end.

"Keith? It's Will."

Whispers were heard in the background before a quiet 'I'll talk to him' could be made out.

"Will, it's late and you should be in bed." came Gia's voice.

"I am in bed," he answered, catching the exasperation in his sister's tone.

After a short pause, he continued, "How are you feeling? If you're tired, I can call you back in the morning."

Gia mumbled something indiscernible, causing Will to speak with concern.

"Are you okay? I was hoping that I could explain the entire thing to you."

"Will," Gia wearily began, "I don't need an explanation. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that George was trying to blackmail you with whatever happened in the past between him and me. Quite frankly, I'd rather not hear the details of what he planned on doing. It's that simple for him: a couple pictures he leaks out to the tabloids and we'll surface once again as the 'Disreputable Darcys'."

Will raised his eyebrows in surprise. Gia had caught on quicker than he thought she would. "And so my intelligent sister speaks."

"And so your intelligent sister is telling you that you owe no one an explanation or apology more than you do to Elizabeth."

"How am I supposed to do anything if she won't even talk to me?" asked Will, not exactly wanting to deal with Elizabeth. Knowing her, she would sooner have his head on a pike than forgive him.

"You're the smart one with the multi-million company, so figure it out," said Gia, "Besides, you'll have all of winter vacation to think of something because Lizzy's out of town."

"Oh," Will answered with a pleasant nod. "Good."

After a pause, Gia asked, "So you'll be coming by for Christmas dinner, right?"

"Yeah, just call me later and let me know the time," Will replied before yawning and hanging up the phone.

Things were a little better than he thought. He wouldn't have to see Elizabeth for at least another two weeks. But as much as he didn't want to see her, he couldn't help but think back to their kiss earlier that night. He didn't know what it was, but he felt something when she stood that closely in front of him, her eyes shut closed and her movement gentle. It was as if an invisible force drew him in and entrapped him in an experience more pleasant than he would have expected.

But no, he told himself. It couldn't have been love or even the slightest hint of it. He was probably just relieved that he didn't end up kissing a complete stranger. Besides, what did he know about Elizabeth Bennet aside from the fact that she hated his guts? Turning off the lamp, he shook off all his thoughts, sank underneath his bed covers, and fell asleep.

Elizabeth sat sprawled out on the couch, arms tucked behind her head in the living room of her sister's apartment in New York. She had arrived a couple days ago. The place, though small, was immaculately clean. In the kitchen, Jane stood over the counter, scooping spoonfuls of ice cream into two bowls.

"So what's going on tomorrow?" Elizabeth asked, casually crossing one foot over the other.

"We're going to have a big day," Jane answered with a brilliant smile, plopping a spoonful of ice cream into the bowl.

"A big day as in scrubbing the toilets clean twice over or hand-washing all of your curtains?"

Jane tossed her head back and laughed. Elizabeth loved it when her sister laughed. It always seemed to spread out and warm the room.

"Neither," Jane answered with a giggle, "Honestly Liz, I'm really not the neat freak you make me out to be. Just because the Parmesan chicken in my fridge looks nothing like the hairy spinach blob in yours, it doesn't make me the goddess of cleanliness."

Elizabeth snorted. "Are you going to give me another lecture on how if I kept a list with dates of everything I buy, it'll help me keep track of when to throw things out?"

"I will if I find the tiniest hint of mold in your fridge the next time I visit," Jane replied, handing Elizabeth the ice cream.

Elizabeth took a bite and her lips loosened into a smile of content as she felt the ice cream deliciously melt in her mouth.

"Or you can just remind me to read the expiration labels," she said with another mouthful, slightly wincing from the freezing sensation on her tongue.

"One of these days, you'll thank me," Jane said, shaking her head and throwing her sister a hopeless look. "Anyways, you will be meeting my boyfriend tomorrow."

The corners of Elizabeth's mouth twisted into a smirk and her eyes widened with interest.

"Ah, the boyfriend, eh? I was wondering when I'd be meeting him. Four days in New York and not a single sighting. I was beginning to wonder if he—"

"Liz," Jane half groaned, interrupting her sister. "Please be nice to him."

Elizabeth gasped and pretended to look offended. "I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about."

Jane raised her eyebrows and gave Elizabeth a piercing look. Elizabeth's eyes wandered around the room and she tried to look as innocent as she could, though knowing all the while exactly what Jane was referring to.

"If you do anything to Charlie tomorrow I'll send you on the next flight back to LA," said Jane, crossing her arms.

"You can't blame me for what happened last time. I really didn't like the guy," Elizabeth said defensively, pursing her lips.

"You didn't like the guy because he accidentally spilled a glass of orange juice on you," Jane said with a roll of her eyes.

"He spilled juice all over me and blamed it all on the sun being too much in his eyes. We should all just march around with sunglasses now, or who knows how many more drinks our elbows will spill."

"Lizzy…"

"He didn't even bother to apologize. Oh, and did I mention that it was cloudy that day?"

"Yeah, okay, I get it Liz—the guy made you angry. But that does not mean that you can go and 'accidentally' slam his fingers with the car door." Jane said, looking at Elizabeth with a disapproving gaze.

Elizabeth threw her hands up in the air. "Fine. You win. All I'm saying is that the guy better be decent, or he's not good enough for you. My job is to make sure that you get a guy who deserves you. Capiche?"

Jane answered with a tiny smiled and nodded. "You'll like Charlie," she said, a dreamy look overtaking her face. "He's…different. And in a good way."

Elizabeth laughed at the giddy look on her sister's face. "You better be right, Jane," she teased, "or don't blame me if the date ends with ten broken fingers."

"Wait. Let me get this straight," Will said, as he looked at his friend, his eyes widening in horror.

"You want me to go on a date with you?" he asked, pointing awkwardly at himself, jaw agape.

"It's not going to be that bad. Jane's been my girlfriend for almost two months now, so I think it'll be safe to introduce her to my best friend," said Charles with a shrug before adding, "as disagreeable as you can be."

"Friend introductions can come later," argued Will, crossing his arms. "I'm not about to go around sticking my nose into all of your relationships, you know."

"Will," Charles groaned. "Jane is bringing her sister tomorrow."

"So?" Will asked nonchalantly, "I'm sure you'll all make a great threesome together."

"You don't get it, do you?" asked Charles, gesturing wildly with his hands. "Not only will it be awkward, it can turn into a total nightmare. I have to equally address and impress two people now," he finished, flashing two fingers around in front of his friend.

Will snorted and waved Charles's hand away. "And you've chosen to ask the perfect person to help you with this," he said sarcastically, "Because I'm just so good with social etiquette."

"Well if you came, it wouldn't be half as bad," Charles pleaded. "You can try entertaining the sister and it can be like a double date but not really kind of thing."

Will crossed his arms. He wasn't about to go on another date so soon after his last one had ended so catastrophically.

"No way," came his resolute answer.

"Jane's good looking," Charles said in a singsong voice, tapping Will's shoulders. "Which means her sister is nice and pretty too."

"Charlie that is a ridiculous assumption."

Charles rolled his eyes. "It's not like you have anything better to do. You've been in New York for two days already and you're still hanging around here. We're showing Jane's sister around, so you might as well get off your lazy butt and do something useful."

"My lazy butt likes the couch that I'm currently sitting on very much," Will said, patting the spot next to him. "And it refuses to budge," he finished, sticking a finger into the air as if he was actually trying to make a decent point.

Charles sighed and looked at his friend directly. "Please, Will. What do you want me to do, get on my knees and beg you?"

"Are you asking me to help you or marry you?" Will grinned, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Although now that I think about it, it'd be pretty neat to have you bowing at my feet. You may now commence," he declared, spreading his arm out in a welcoming gesture.

"Will!" Charles glared at his friend. "Of all times, you choose now to joke around?" he asked, shooting Will a look of desperation.

Will rolled his eyes, a bit disappointed at himself for being so easily swayed. But then again, Charles looked so pitifully pathetic that he had to agree.

"Fine, I'll go with you," Will said, raising his hands in a manner of surrender. "I'll go with you."

Charles let out a sigh of relief. "Great!" he exclaimed, slapping Will on the back.

"So where are we going?" asked Elizabeth, throwing Jane a curious glance as she buttoned her winter coat.

"You're in New York," Jane laughed. "I'll let you take one guess."

"Um…Central Park?" Elizabeth said off the top of her mind. She had been to New York only once before when she was six, but never actually toured the place. Under Mrs. Bennet's insistence they, remained in Manhattan—mainly walking up and down on Fifth Avenue while Mr. Bennet, an engineer, spent the days marveling at the construction of the Empire State Building.

Jane shook her head. "I can show you around the park later if you'd like. But today, we're going to go see the Statue of Liberty."

Elizabeth shot her sister an odd look. "You and Charlie call going to see the Statue of Liberty a date?"

"Well, we both agree that it's a great shame for you to never have seen the most famous national monument," Jane answered with a shrug. "Anyways, I talked to Charlie last night," she continued, "and he said that he was bringing his friend who's also visiting. So we'll be showing you both around the city."

"Oh, I see," said Elizabeth, relieved that there would be another person to talk to. She'd been afraid that it would be awkward standing between her sister and her boyfriend, rolling along them like a third wheel.

"Don't worry, I think you'll like Ellis Island," Jane said with a sly smile. "I've seen a picture of Charlie's friend before, and I daresay that he is very attractive," she finished, playfully nudging Elizabeth in the ribs.

Elizabeth laughed and opened the door. A burst of cold air blew into her face as she stepped out into the snow. Jane hurried over to the car and the two quickly got in, seeking shelter from the icy breeze.

When they arrived, Elizabeth and Jane stepped out of the car, both rubbing their hands together as their breaths coming in frosty puffs.

"Where are we meeting them?" asked Elizabeth, wrapping the coat around her tighter.

"Charlie wanted us to meet him on the ferry because it's too cold to stand around and wait outside," answered Jane, signaling for Elizabeth to follow her.

On board the ferry, Elizabeth marveled at how so many people could fit comfortably within such a small area. Next to her, Jane's phone began to ring. Elizabeth idly observed as she watched Jane pick it up.

"They're here," she said excitedly, her cheeks glowing with a slight blush. Standing up, Jane hastily smoothed out her clothes and fixed her hair. Likewise, Elizabeth did the same.

Looking up, Elizabeth saw a redheaded man make his way through the crowd, casting Jane a smile both brilliant and shy.

"That's him," Jane whispered into her sister's ear. Next to her, Elizabeth could feel Jane straightening her posture.

Elizabeth nodded and friendly smiled at the man.

"Charles Bingley," he said in a warm and welcoming way, offering his hand.

"Elizabeth Bennet," she answered, "Very nice to meet you."

Out of the corner of her eyes, Elizabeth saw Jane beaming.

"I brought my friend with me," Charles said, looking about the room. "But I seem to have lost him." He frowned, continuing to jerk his head around.

"I'm sure he'll turn up," assured Jane, resting a hand on Charles's shoulder.

Elizabeth shuffled uncomfortably as she glanced between Jane and Charles. She had the slight feeling that the two of them would much rather be left alone.

Clearing her throat, she said, "If you don't mind, I'm going to go walk around this ferry and catch a glimpse of the view outside."

Jane nodded in consent, and Elizabeth slipped outside, catching a cool breath of air. There were very few people standing on the deck; most were inside the ferry, seated away from the cold. Looking around, she found a place where no one stood and decided go there and catch a panoramic view of the New York port.

Resting her arms on the wooden deck, she glanced around, letting the beauty of the nature and its blend of the city sink into her. After a few moments, the silence was disrupted by a loud rustling of papers. Disgruntled, Elizabeth turned around to find someone sitting crossed legged on the bench, reading a copy of the New York Times in a sprawled out manner that entirely covered his face.

"It's a shame that some don't enjoy the spectacular view out here," Elizabeth said loudly, sending a disapproving glance at the stranger.

The man behind the papers cleared his throat, telling Elizabeth that she'd been heard. However, he chose to turn a few more pages and completely ignore her otherwise.

"And even more of a shame that such stilled peace would be disturbed by the loud noise of turning papers," she muttered angrily to herself, turning her head back just as the man put down his papers.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Elizabeth thought she'd seen someone familiar. She blinked, not bothering to validate that thought until curiosity overcame her to actually see whom the annoying person was. Hoping to catch a tiny glimpse, she slightly turned her head. When her eyes focused on the man, she gasped and her eyes widened in surprise.

"YOU!" she yelped, thrusting her finger out at Will. "First at the party and now here! What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you following me around?"

When Will looked up and saw Elizabeth, his jaw dropped.

"I—what—following you?" he sputtered, setting his newspapers aside. "Why would I—"

Elizabeth let out a frustrated groan, turned around, and began marching towards the door to go back inside.

Will got up from his seat and followed her. "Elizabeth? Wait—I need to talk to you!" he called after her.

Elizabeth whipped back around and glared at him. "I'll tell you what you need—you need to stay away from me," she said angrily, pushing the doors opened and disappearing inside.

Panting, she sat down next to Jane.

"Lizzy, are you okay?" asked Jane, casting curious look at her sister. "You look exhausted."

"I'm fine. I just—ran into someone I knew. That's all," Elizabeth wearily answered, looking around, glad to see that Will hadn't found her.

When the ferry came to a lurching stop, Elizabeth got off the boat and paid only half attention to what Charles was saying to her. The other half busily tried to figure out why Will had been on the ferry. The answer to her question, however, was answered soon enough.

"Will!" exclaimed Charles, ushering his friend over. "There you are! Come and meet my girlfriend and her sister."

Elizabeth groaned again and turned to look at Jane. There was no way she'd be able to play nice again.

"Sorry, Jane, I'll find you and explain later. Don't worry about me," she murmured before turning on her heels and storming the opposite way.

Charles threw Jane and Will a confused look while Jane stared blankly back at them.

"You two enjoy yourselves. Nice meeting you, Jane," Will said before turning to rush after Elizabeth.

Jogging to catch up with Elizabeth, he finally reached her. His jog was reduced to quick and rapid strides as Elizabeth continued to storm onwards without paying any attention to him. Will called out her name and his face turned bright red as tourists pointed wildly at him, curiously watching the scene.

Finally, turning a corner, he put a hand on Elizabeth's shoulders and gently stopped her. Elizabeth tried to shrug him off, but his stern grip held her steady.

"Let go of me!" she furiously said, trying to brush him off.

"I will if you don't go running off again."

"What have I ever done to you? What do you want from me?" Elizabeth asked, shooting at piercing glare at Will.

"I have explanations that I need to make. And all I ask is that you hear me out," he said. "Afterwards, you don't have to speak to me ever again."

"I've heard enough in court, and I'm not interested." Elizabeth turned around and back faced him, crossing her arms.

"I have apologies to make," he quietly said behind her. "Please give me a chance to explain."

Elizabeth shook her head and began walking again.

"I will chase you around in circles if I have to," he said, following her. "Except that'll look very silly and childish—so let's not," he awkwardly finished as he dropped his arms to his sides, glancing at her and hoping that she'd turn around.

She did. But her eyes were narrowed and sparked with resentment as they met his face.

"Yeah right," she stated with a disbelieving snort.

"Hate to cut it to you, but just in case you haven't noticed, we're on an island. Whether or not you like it, you're stuck right here with me."

Elizabeth sighed and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. Will was right—they were on an island and there was no use trying to get away from him. She just need to get a grip of herself, hear him out, and then never have to speak to him again.

"Fine. I'll listen, but I'm not doing anymore than that," she said, sitting down on a side bench.

"Thanks." Will breathed a sigh of relief and emitted a small smile before sitting next to her.

a/n: About the next chapter...I'll be in Taiwan from July-August, joining my church mission team to help teach English to the kids over there. I'm not quite sure if I'll be able to have decent time to write or get internet access when I need it. So...about updates...the worst case scenario is that you guys won't get the next chapter until mid August (which is what I really hope won't happen). Best case scenario? Cross your fingers and hope that I'll be able to get chapter(s) up sometime in July overseas.

As always, please review & special thanks to my beta :)