December 21st 6:38 pm.

Plans changed. Something came up with school and the museum. May be able to make it down for New Year but will let you know. Love to you and Richard. –G

Alaina put her Blackberry down and waited. She knew a furious and worried call would be arriving from her brother at any moment. It never mattered where he was or what he was doing. William Darcy carried two phones. A Blackberry and an iPhone. The Blackberry was for his sister only and there was nowhere he was without it on vibrate, at least.

Her thoughts were confirmed not a moment later.

"Hi Will," she said quietly.

"Georgie, what could possibly have come up that you will be missing Christmas with your family? We made a deal, remember? You can't possibly be thinking of making me face Aunt Catherine alone." William Darcy tried to sound teasing, but he was worried sick for his sister. They'd lived in the same city for a year now since she came to the US and she insisted they keep their distance. Dinner once every couple weeks and a weekend trip every once in a while. He understood her need for independence but something had changed in her demeanor. She was always rushed for time and seemed exhausted. Her schoolwork was impeccable and she seemed to go out with friends every once in a while as Facebook confirmed in pictures. He supposed it was typical post-teenage rebellion she never had, always being something of a late bloomer.

Georgiana Alaina Darcy was the center of his world, his only true family. Of course there was Richard, his cousin and co-guardian of Georgie, but she bonded them more often than not despite their brotherly affection for each other. They were very different men.

"I'm sorry Will. The gallery got booked for a Christmas Eve viewing and I volunteered. You know I can't stand Georgia. Aunt Catherine never fails in telling me my career will go nowhere and I'll be living off your charity forever."

"Georgiana." Will's voice transformed to stern and almost fatherly immediately.

"Sorry."

"You know very well that you could live a hundred lives off your inheritance alone – the only charity I give you is space. I'd much prefer if you lived in my apartment and never left so I could focus on surgery rather than worrying sick about you all the time."

"You're right, as ever, big brother. I'm sorry but I really can't come down," she was firm in her tone, hoping his trust in her would be enough. She despised lying so openly to him, the guilt making her feel almost as sick as she already did from her weakened state.

"You know I won't see you until July? Think of how sad you're going to make Richard – and your senile older brother for that matter. We're both flying to Senegal, as you know – for a relief program for the hospital bureau. If you don't call me every three days I am going to send in a bodyguard for you."

Alaina laughed, having no doubt her brother would hire someone to follow her around if she permitted it, even if she didn't for that matter.

"I know. I'll touch base with you tomorrow. I'm spending the holidays with a friend and am returning to the city for the gallery party."

"A friend. A friend? Georgiana Alaina Darcy if you are ditching me for some pig-brained boyfriend that you're calling a friend I will personally kidnap you and drag you down south."

"A girl William. An actual friend. You'd like her. I hope whoever I date in the future will meet your standards, I fear for him if he doesn't."

"Well you aren't even allowed to date until your thirty, anyway. And that's with a chaperone, young lady. We'll see if anyone is up for the challenge. I may send you to a nunnery yet to keep you safe from the young men of the Big Apple. I've got to go, Gee. I love you."

"I love you too, Will. Merry Christmas."

"Bye, Bean." Will hung up the phone. Georgiana smiled softly to herself and tears filled her eyes. Her elder brother had called her "Bean" since she was born, declaring her head had been shaped like one when she was an infant and lovingly referring to her as one ever since. She'd insisted he stop when she reached puberty but he refused, only using the name less frequently as a compromise. Now he called her "Bean" only between them, in his most vulnerable moments, trying to cling on to their happy past.

William Darcy had been her everything for over ten years now, Richard too. Georgiana was scared of what was to come, for herself a little, but almost entirely for her brother.

July 3, 2010 – 2:15 PM – Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean

"Is it socially acceptable to start drinking? I think I'm going to hurl." Lizzy hated flying and she was currently on a rather large and extremely luxurious private jet over the Atlantic Ocean.

"For goodness sake, Lizzy, it's not that bad. There is a bed in the back if you want to sleep," Alaina's voice was teasing but Lizzy could tell she was slightly irritated. For someone as brave as Elizabeth Gardner in other aspects of her life she was an absolutely horrendous flyer.

In the last six months Lizzy and Alaina – now "Gee" to Elizabeth had become nearly inseparable. After Elizabeth picked up Gee for Christmas with her family she had waited until they were more than halfway to her parent's house to admit her relationship with Richard and William.

(December 22nd, 2009)

After three hours of bumper-to-bumper holiday traffic, Lizzy and Alaina had just pulled onto the Long Island Expressway as they made their way to the Bennet residence.

"Brother's on a Hotel Bed" was playing on the stereo for the third time after the two girls realized they shared an obsession with Death Cab for Cutie. Plans was the only CD Lizzy had brought with her in the rental car and so, naturally, it was on repeat.

"Alaina – there is something you need to know. But before I say it I promise I will keep your health a secret until you say otherwise." Lizzy looked at the passenger next to her at a stoplight.

"What are you talking about? A secret? To who?" She was very confused.

"Your cousin and your brother. You see, I work with them and Richard is one of my close friends – he's actually probably my best friend. Other than Charlotte." Lizzy spoke quietly, ashamed of her previous omission.

"So you're Lizzy. That Lizzy. I should've put it together. Richard is basically in love with you, you know. I liked Charlotte. We met once when I met Rich for dinner. She was just saying goodbye to him." Alaina was calmer than she felt. "You won't tell them?"

"No. Not unless you ask me to." Lizzy felt the guilt even as she said the words. She knew if – when – the time came it wouldn't be pretty. She could lose her best friend. As much as she loathed William Darcy – she couldn't feel good about herself knowing how much pain he'd be in when the day came he found out about his sister's condition.

"Then I suppose we need to be good friends. Richard would have my head if he knew I met you and didn't immediately try to adopt you." Alaina was very relieved. It was a strange world that pushed them together, the very same person that she was positive her brother was secretly in love with and her cousin much more openly, also much more platonically.

"I'm afraid I have more to tell you." Elizabeth's face was nearly purple but she hoped this could work out. She had a plan.

Alaina said nothing but looked at her with wide eyes.

"It's just two tiny, small, insignificant minute details that add a hint of – uh peculiarity to the situation, if you will."

"Could this truly be more peculiar, Lizzy?"

"Well, you're lucky. Because, it really could. You see, last night my sister's boyfriend surprised her with tickets to Hawaii for the holidays. You remember Jane?" Alaina nodded. "She's always wanted to go. I went with my best friend growing up but had an awful time. Jane was supposed to go but got sick and couldn't so, now she wanted to go last year with me but I couldn't take off work from the hospital – "

"Lizzy!" Alaina was exasperated but tried to sound light hearted.

"Right! Sorry! Jane's boyfriend is Charles Bingley who I will make the assumption you know very well due to his being your brother's closest friend."

"Christ – you couldn't sugarcoat it all could you?" Alaina was horrified, thougha mused.

"He won't be there – that's the beauty of it! Charlie and Jane are going to Oahu for the week until after New Years! But there is one more thing and that's that my father is the Chief of Surgery at Hampshire Memorial Hospital and knows your brother and cousin very well, and I've no doubt that he would know who you are given your last name and the absurd amount your family has talked about you to him, privately seeking advice from the man that has five daughters. You're walking into that you know. Jane will be gone and she is quite possibly the only sane member of my family. The rest – God help you. But we need to not tell them your last name and keep the details of your family on the D-low. Got it?" Lizzy was almost excited at the intrigue of it all.

"Got it. Who shall I be? Alaina Smith? No. That's too common. I could be Alaina Matlock. That is a family name. So really it would just be an extension of the sort of truth and perhaps not a flat out lie about my identity."

"Your brother would never refer to you as Alaina, would he? You do look quite alike when you think about it. Should we call you something else?"

"No, I think we will be quite safe from that. He barely knows I go by it. In fact, it is only a very recent switch for me, as well. I loathe the name."

"Why do it?" Elizabeth was puzzled. She'd always loved her name, but Richard had a way of making her wish she had fewer options for endearing/obnoxious nicknames. She'd even changed her last name to Gardiner for the sake of her career, but so far that had done little, as the truth will always come out.

"To distance myself." Alaina was quiet.

Lizzy laughed outright and asked, "From your brother? He can't really be that bad. I won't say I'm his number one fan, but from Richard's stories – he worships the ground you walk on!"

Alaina only wished she could tell Lizzy it was the other way around, Elizabeth could truly do no wrong in William's eyes, but he refused to admit it – neither to himself or his young sister.

"No! But yes, a little. More so from exposure."

"I'm confused."

"Richard's never told you has he?" Alaina wasn't surprised. Richard would do anything to make Alaina's life even the slightest bit easier. If that meant not telling his close friend about her family, she appreciated it all the more. Lizzy was an exception; very few friends were as fiercely loyal as she.

"I think it's obvious that my brother and I are not American, if you can't already tell. Well, William was born here. But he left when he was very young. I was born in England, and we were both raised there. Our father's family is a very, very old well – family. That house in the painting – it's our ancestral home." Alaina spoke quietly.

Lizzy giggled and interrupted.

"What do you mean ancestral? Is that even a phrase anymore?"

"I suppose it's a rather uncommon word, but it's Pemberley. It's been part of the Darcy family for almost a thousand years. Well, the land has been. The house is only a few hundred – some was destroyed in a fire. The main part has been remodeled and rebuilt depending on the resident. The estate has been in our family forever though."

Elizabeth smiled warmly at her new friend. She could tell she was quite uncomfortable talking, but the house did not seem to be what was bothering her.

"Would you rather I call you Georgiana? Or Georgie? You seem like you don't love the name Alaina."

Elizabeth saw a slight relaxation in Alaina's shoulders. She nodded.

"But not this weekend."

"What if you were – Gee? We could tell my parents your name is Grace, or Gianna, or Gabby."

"Gianna. I like it. It's the end of my name, sort of. I like it," she repeated.

"Good. It's settled. I'll do that, just as soon as you give me a little more to go with. I don't mean to pry. I just don't get all the secrecy, the name changes. Georgiana, why don't your brother and Richard know?" Lizzy hoped her tone was as sincere as she was feeling. This was a parentless girl who had everyone to help her, but would reach out to none.

"I wouldn't mind them knowing, truly. It would be much easier. But what I was saying before – about our house. That's just the beginning. William has done everything in the world for us – for me, really, to give me some sort of semblance of a normal life," Alaina Gee said. She could tell Elizabeth was still very confused. "I fear I must ask your confidence in one more piece of information. I think you would've been too young to remember or even know of this. I was. But do you know of the Carsington Inc. murder in England?"

"That sounds vaguely familiar. I think I remember hearing something about it, but I don't know what it was about. Just a horrible tragedy."

"The CEO of the company was killed by his business partner, a Paul Wickham, after he discovered the CEO had an affair with George's ex-wife. They'd been divorced for some time but he was still very attached to her. It seemed a disgusting turn of events after the CEO's wife had died some time before. I'm sure this isn't making much sense to you Lizzy and I'm sorry. It's something I try to be as emotionally cold and emotionless with, I guess. I don't know." Gee was very quiet.

"Gee, did this have something to do with you?" Lizzy looked at her with concern.

She nodded almost imperceptibly looking out the window – she avoided all eye contact.

"It did – it does. Did. I'm not sure. George Darcy, my dad, he was the CEO of Carsington Inc."

A sound of shock, pain, and pure compassion escaped from Elizabeth's mouth as she put her hand over Georgiana's in comfort.

Georgiana nodded, and continued. "My mom had breast cancer and after she passed away it nearly killed my dad. He stepped away from the company and when he returned his partner had almost run it into the ground – he was coping with his divorce I suppose. As much as one who was so mad can actually cope. Anyway – my dad got it back up and, well, a few years later everything happened. Will has no idea that I know so much. Hell – he wouldn't even know me if he saw how much I was talking – he'd probably pass out if he heard me talking this much about all this," Gee laughed.

"Long story short – after it happened William came home and took over the company. The media thinks it was bought out anonymously but really he just bought all of Paul Wickham's shares and is now the highest shareholder but remains very hands-off. Our cousin Anne runs it now. My father led a very private life – he never released any photographs of either William or I. We were tutored at home and Will went to college with a different last name. I don't know much of the details of it but I grew up at Pemberley – our family home – and can live a completely private life in New York. When our father died, his obituary did not give our names and the services were held on our property. Everyone seems to have forgotten about the 'heirs of the Carsington fortune' and though we stay very private – it's all a bit easier now I suppose."

"Well – I'm not sure about you. But I think a nice break from reality – or our semblance of reality is just what you need. My family is crazy and perhaps they can help you forget how lucky you are that you don't need to deal with them on a daily basis." Lizzy could see Gee was done talking about her tumultuous childhood and would not press her, even in words of sympathy and compassion, until she was ready to open up again.

"I think I'd like to go to Hawaii, too, some day." It was a random thought, but Elizabeth knew Gee was back in the moment and ready for a very Bennet Christmas.

"Why don't we? I think we are well on our way to becoming good friends – I have some time off in the end of June. We can start stalking the post-holiday specials and book tickets soon? Something to look forward to." Lizzy was excited.

"That won't be necessary." Alaina had a hint of tease in her voice that Lizzy did not sense.

"Oh – OK, well it was just a thought." She was confused.

"No! We're going. I like the idea. It's just – one of the few perks of my messed up private life shit is that I have a plane, a private one. It's got a bar in it." Her smile was purely conspiratorial and Lizzy liked it.

"End of June it is then."

A/N: Enjoy and review xoxo