The next time Darcy taught he had some discussion questions ready and was able to keep the class more or less on topic. He didn't feel as much of a need to escape afterward and met Rick and Lizi for lunch in the Student Center.

"I spoke to my father's HR manager," Rick was saying to Lizi as he joined them, "She'll be happy to interview you for an internship in the fall."

"That's great, thanks."

She didn't sound very enthusiastic. He could arrange an internship for her at one of his companies… no that was a bad idea. Come to think of it why hadn't she asked him about an internship? Maybe she was hoping something would happen between them and didn't want to be his employee. That would make sense.

Rick spoke again, "We don't pay our interns as well as some companies." He glanced at Darcy as he said this.

"Well, I usually only work over the summer so any amount is more than I would normally make and it would really help if I could find something nearby." Rick's father's company was just outside of Princeton.

"Why limit yourself to a location?" asked Darcy. "You could probably get a short-term lease and live near your internship for a semester." Surely it would be a welcome relief to get away from her family for a time.

Lizi looked at him oddly, "That isn't practical for me right now."

Rick caught his eye, gave his head a quick shake (at least he didn't kick him), and asked Lizi how her project in her research seminar was going. Her eyes lit up, and she described her work in detail. This was the Lizi Darcy was accustomed to, it was clear where her passions lie. Why was she planning to work in HR?

Darcy sat watching her as she spoke to Rick, not really listening to what she said but watching her gestures and countenance and the beautiful expression in her dark eyes. He hated to think of the light in her eyes dying away, her expression becoming dull, and her ready wit replaced by cynicism and the sort of biting remarks her father made, after years spent in a job she didn't care about. Just one more reason he couldn't have any kind of long-term relationship with her and maybe one more argument for a brief liaison now while she while she still possessed the mixture of sweetness and archness in her manner that he was so drawn to.

"Use up all your words for the day Darcy?" It took Darcy a moment to realize his cousin was speaking to him.

"Sorry, what?"

"You OK? You haven't said anything in over twenty minutes."

"No, I'm fine, just thinking."

"Anything you would care to share with the class?"

Darcy made some kind of noncommittal answer. Shortly after that he finished his lunch and excused himself while considering the best way to get back to his car. He had made it through lunch without anyone from the class approaching him with more questions, and he would like to keep it that way.

.~.~.~.~.

After Darcy left Rick said, "I wonder why he's so nonverbal all of the sudden."

"I didn't notice a difference."

Their conversation turned to other topics, and they did not discuss Darcy again until after their next class, two days later, when Rick made a remark about being sorry to have his aunt back.

"I have to admit," said Lizi, "that Darcy made the class more interesting. On the bright side, we don't have to have lunch with him."

Rick looked surprised, "Do you not like Darcy?"

"Oh, I," Lizi blushed, Rick so often made fun of his aunt that she had forgotten to be careful what she said around him. It only now occurred to her that he had never criticized his cousin, except in a teasing way to his face, and actually seemed to like him. "I shouldn't have said that I don't really know him that well."

He looked thoughtful, "I get that he takes some warming up to, he doesn't make a good first impression, but he's a good guy. He really looks out for the people he cares about."

"I've noticed he's very protective of Chad Bartley. He seems a little overbearing at times."

"He can be, a bit, but Chad sometimes needs protecting. I understand Darcy saved him from a problematic relationship."

What? Lizi felt as if she couldn't breathe. She tried to speak in her normal tone. "Saved him how?

"I don't really know the details. Just that Chad was getting himself involved with someone who wasn't good for him and Darcy was glad to have nipped things in the bud."

"Did he say why he felt she wasn't good for him?"

"Something about her family being trouble and his not wanting to see Chad get hurt or taken advantage of."

"I see."

She took a bite of her lunch and had trouble swallowing it. She didn't want Rick to realize how shocked she was.

"You think Darcy was wrong to interfere?"

"It seems strange to me that he would involve himself in Chad's love life, but not knowing the details I shouldn't say. What time do you want me to come by tonight to meet your dog?"

"What time is good for you?"

After Rick left Lizi went to walk by the lake, she was too upset to go to her other classes that day. Darcy didn't want to see Chad get hurt? Jane wouldn't have hurt him! Jane was the kindest sweetest girl in the world! Her family was trouble? What did that even mean? They didn't all work for their father like Darcy's friends and family? Lizi thought of the dinner where almost her whole family had shown up when it was just supposed to be her parents. Had Darcy heard about that and thought Chad was being taken advantage of? But that was only one incident, anyway if Chad wasn't bothered by any of this why should Darcy care? And, why hadn't Chad stood up to him? What happened to not letting Darcy boss him around when something was important to him? Was choosing his own girlfriend less important than choosing his own car? What was wrong with Darcy that he was so controlling?

It took several hours by the lake to compose herself but by the time she arrived at Rick's townhouse she was able to give the appearance of being her usual self. She was greeted by an attractive man and an adorable ball of fluff.

"Careful she jumps!"

Lizi laughed the dog was so small one hardly noticed she was jumping on you. She scratched the dog on the head then held her hand out to the man. "I'm Lizi. You must be Brandon?"

"Yes, and this is Aikaterine."

"You named her after Rick's aunt?"

The words were out before she thought about it but Brandon smiled. "Most people don't realize it's Greek for Kathleen. Dr. Burge thinks the name is because she's the size of a cat. Darcy realized right away, so we're lucky he isn't the sort to resort to blackmail."

Lizi bent over and scratched the dog again to hide her face. Seriously? She couldn't be here five minutes without someone mentioning Darcy? And, here was yet another affable person who seemed to think Darcy was a good guy. What was up with that?

In order to change the subject, she asked, "And does Aikaterine bear much resemblance to her namesake?"

"None at all she's much sweeter." He scooped up the dog and held her to his face saying, "Aren't you a sweet girl? Yes, you are. Yes, you are."

Rick joined them, and they showed Lizi around the townhouse. They showed her all Aikaterine's things; the gourmet dog food and treats, the toys, the heated bed with her name on it that she never slept in, the faux gemstone leash, the spring water she was given to drink. They also left her a list of emergency numbers and directions to North Star Animal Hospital "Just in Case."

"I know," said Rick, we're one of those couples without kids. But, she's our baby, at least for now."

"If you do well with the dog," added Brandon, "we will want to talk to you about surrogacy."

Lizi's mouth dropped, and Brandon grinned, "Gotcha."

Lizi glanced at the list of emergency numbers. Darcy's name was at the top of the list. She privately reflected he was the last man in the world she would turn to in an emergency.

When Lizi got home, she found her aunt's car parked in front of the house. Her Aunt Maggie and Jane were inside.

"I thought I told you," Jane said to Lizi, "My school is off tomorrow so I decided to spend the weekend at home."

Lizi expressed her regret that she wouldn't be home this weekend but, of course, Jane said it was fine. "I still have a lot of work to do. I just want to sleep in my own bed and go to my own Church this Sunday. I can teach this Sunday so you won't have to come back for that." Originally Jane had only planned to stay with her aunt and uncle during the week, but she had so much preparation to do on the weekends that it was easier for her to get things done there, where things were quiet. Aunt Maggie had suggested it after Lizi told her how often their mother asked Jane if she'd heard anything from Chad and expressed her disappointment when Jane told her she hadn't. Lizi had volunteered to take Jane's Sunday School class for the rest of the semester. Not that she wasn't busy with school herself but she knew Jane's schedule was even worse than hers and, even though they didn't talk about it, she could tell that things were more tiring for Jane than they would have been if she wasn't trying to get over Chad.

"Are you sure? It's not like I'm far away. It's not really any trouble to do it."

"I'm sure. Even if you were here, I'd like to do it. I miss the kids. Did you have anything special planned?"

"Not really, I picked up more clay and paint at the dollar store. I usually just tell the story and then give them craft supplies and let them express themselves." One week she had made an obstacle course, but that had ended in tears when a kid fell. "The room might be kind of messy. I didn't have a chance to clean up last week." The class made a bigger mess when Lizi taught, and more noise. They had fun with her, but most of them had been in Jane's Sunday school class last year, and they adored "Miss Jane." They often asked when she would be back. Lizi was glad to help out, but she was also glad to have a Sunday off.

When her aunt was ready to leave Lizi walked her to her car. "Jane looks tired."

"Student teaching is a lot of work. She gets up early and is up late working on lesson plans."

"Is that all it is?"

"Probably not. I think she struggles to keep up her spirits. She's just not herself lately. It's like some spark is missing. I've been thinking it might have been better if Jane had gone through a boy-crazy stage."

"You can't seriously be saying Jane should have been more like Lydia and Kat."

"No, but maybe teenage crushes teach us to handle it when someone doesn't return our feelings."

"But he did return her feelings. If anything he felt even more strongly than Jane did! Chad would have spent every moment with Jane if he could have."

"Then maybe he's the sort of man whose feelings burn hot and fast."

Lizi shrugged. She didn't agree, but it would sound stupid to say Darcy had separated his friend from her sister. People just didn't do stuff like that in real life. Her aunt would think she was delusional. Come to think of it maybe Darcy was delusional. Maybe it was Chad who wanted to break things off with Jane, and he just let Darcy think he was following his advice. It was the kind of thing Chad would do. But how could he have been so in love with Jane one night and then cut her completely the next day, as if he left his feelings behind when he crossed the bridge? It made no sense. Rick must be right. Darcy had gotten to him.

Lizi had mixed feelings about being away this weekend. On the one hand at home she might be some comfort to Jane, on the other she wasn't ready to talk to Jane about what Rick had told her, she was afraid anything she might say would make Jane feel worse. She didn't think she could hide her feelings for the whole weekend. Jane would be home again in a couple of weeks for Thanksgiving weekend. Lizi hoped by then she would have her own feelings under control.

When Lizi finished her classes on Friday, she headed straight to Rick and Brandon's condo in Palmer Square. They had left earlier in the day. She took Aikaterine for a quick walk then tried to study, but her mind kept wandering to Darcy breaking up Chad and Jane. How could he be so cruel?

After a few hours, she gave up and took Aikaterine for a longer walk. It was warm for November, but maybe it would cool down enough that she could light the fireplace after soaking in the Jacuzzi. It would be just the thing to relax her and help her put Darcy out of her mind so she could get some work done.

She had just returned from walking Aikaterine when the doorbell rang. Probably a cable salesman or…crap! She shouldn't have opened the door. Darcy was standing outside holding a bottle of wine. "May I come in?"

Lizi stepped back automatically to let him in before thinking about what she was doing.

He must have noticed the leash she was still holding and asked, "Were you about to go out?"

"Yes, I was going to walk the dog."

At the word, "walk" Aikaterine jumped around and barked in excitement as if she hadn't just been out. Good girl.

Darcy held up the wine, "Let me put this in the fridge, and I'll come with you."

What? Why? Come to think of it why was he putting wine in his cousin's fridge?

Lizi bent down and clipped the leash back on the dog. Even if she got rid of Darcy now, she'd have to take her for a short walk. She'd gotten her fluffy little hopes up.

Darcy returned and scratched Aikaterine on the head. She wagged her tail and licked his hand. So much for dogs being good judges of character.

Lizi moved toward the door. "You don't need to come with me. It's a safe area, and it's not that late. I'm fine."

"I might as well. There's no point in my staying here alone. Don't you need a bag?"

"What?"

"For the dog. Here." Darcy pulled out one the plastic bags they kept in a large vase by the door. "Trust me you don't want to forget this around here."

"Right. Thanks." She couldn't exactly say the dog had just pooped five minutes ago, so she headed out the door.

They walked a couple of blocks in silence then Lizi said, "Darcy are you here for a reason?"

"Yes."

Well, that clears things up.

For a few minutes it looked as if that was all the answer she was going to get but then Darcy added, "I thought this weekend would be a good opportunity to test Rick's theory."

"Rick's theory?"

"That I would enjoy a Jacuzzi with the right person."

"So you're… What, you're meeting someone here?"

"No need to play coy, we've danced around this thing long enough don't you agree?"

"How can I? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I think it's time to be honest."

"That sounds good."

"Very well, I admit you've bewitched me, my infatuation with you is like nothing I've ever experienced before and I can't get you out of my mind. I find myself preferring your conversation to any other's and enjoy time spent in your company even more than I enjoy being alone. I've been fighting my attraction to you for months, and since running into you again, my desire is stronger than ever."

Wait, what? What was happening? It sounded like he was saying…that couldn't be.. she must misunderstand. Was this a joke?

Apparently Aikaterine wanted to do everything possible to play along with pretending she hadn't just had a walk and chose this moment to stop and poop. They both stopped walking, and Darcy bent over to pick up the poop with the bag then tied the bag closed. This would have been Lizi's chance to say something, anything, but she was incapable of forming words.

Darcy continued, "We obviously can't be together long-term. We're from different worlds, and your family…well anyway, your staying at Rick's for the weekend is the perfect opportunity to get this thing out of our systems without anyone being the wiser and then we can forget each other and go on with our lives."

"You mean like a one weekend stand?" Her voice sounded strange in her own ears, but Darcy must not have noticed anything amiss.

"Exactly. But listen, if we're going to do this, we need to have some ground rules. One weekend by mutual consent with no strings attached and at the end of the weekend, we each go our own way. No tears, no phone calls, no cyberstalking, no pregnancy scares (we'll be careful of course), no lawsuits, no tabloid articles, no revealing the intimate details to anyone else."

The shock was wearing off, and she was growing angry, "You want me to sign a contract?"

"No, that would be needlessly complicated. I have enough confidence in your integrity to trust you to uphold a verbal agreement."

"Lucky me." Lizi felt like she couldn't get her breath. She was so angry she was shaking.

"We can do whatever you want this weekend, well we'll have work around the dog, but we could go to Rat's or take the helicopter into New York and have dinner at Per Se. Or we could go shopping you couldn't tell anyone your purchases were from me but…"

Lizi stopped walking, "Darcy?"

He stopped a few paces ahead and turned to face her. "What?"

"What the FUCK is the matter with you?"

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG? You basically just offered to treat me like a prostitute!" People passing by were trying to look like they weren't listening but Lizi wasn't even aware of them.

"No, I didn't."

She remembered they were in public and lowered her voice. "What would you call it? Offering me expensive meals or a shopping trip in exchange for a weekend of sex?"

"There's no need to be vulgar. I wasn't offering it in exchange for sex. I just meant we can have fun together. We don't have to do any of that. We can stay in Rick's Jacuzzi all weekend or hang out watching Netflix, or just talk if you want to."

"That's not even… I can't…How could you imagine I would want to do any of that with you? How could you think I'd have a one weekend stand with you under any circumstances?"

"It's more than I've offered to anyone else. Anything longer than a weekend would get messy. Clearly, we can't be together long term. Your family would be an endless source of public embarrassment, and you are willing to let them drag you down. I can't be with someone who is willing to settle for mediocrity instead of pursuing her passion."

Even as angry as Lizi was she couldn't help asking, "What do you mean I'm letting my family drag me down? I'm not settling for mediocrity."

"Rick told me you plan to live at home and help you younger sisters pay for college."

"So what?"

"Can you honestly tell me you'll be happy living at home and working in HR just for the sake of those two?"

"You call that settling? That was the deal we made with our parents, we get four years of college without taking out any loans, and we help pay for the younger ones. Yea, I settled, for four years of helping my family instead of being in debt for the rest of my life. Do you have any idea what college loans are like? You don't, do you?"

"Of course I do. I merely assumed your parents wouldn't have been irresponsible enough to buy a vacation home if they couldn't even afford state college."

"Right because things couldn't possibly have changed since… You know what? I don't have to justify myself to you! Who cares what you think of my family? It's beside the point!"

"What is the point? I'm afraid I've lost track."

"The point is I have no interest in spending the weekend with you!"

She turned her back on him, gave Aikaterine's leash a brief tug, and headed toward home but not before seeing Darcy's angry expression. The problem with walking Aikaterine was that her legs were so small that it was hard to storm off in a huff when the dog had to run with all her might just to keep up at a normal pace. Lizi took pity on her and slowed down. Hopefully, Darcy would just walk away now anyway.

No such luck, after half a block Darcy caught up with her. "Fine, if you don't want me here, I'm not going to force my company on you, but I might wonder at your sudden change of attitude. You implied you wanted me to come."

"I did not!"

"Please! What was all that talk about the jacuzzi then?"

"Conversation! If you took that as an invitation I began to understand why you think all women are out to seduce you!"

"Maybe it was an invitation until you found out I would only accept under certain conditions. If I had allowed you to believe we could have a long-term relationship you might have been more amiable but I did not want to mislead you."

"If you believe that you are delusional. The only appealing thing about your offer is the part where I never see you again afterward. Even if I liked you, even if I was attracted to you, the last man in the world I would want to be with is the one who hurt my sister. I know you convinced Chad to blow her off,"

"I was protecting a friend."

"And then there's John Wicks. I know you fired him for no reason and you beat him up just for crashing a party! I saw that with my own eyes."

Lizi thought Darcy had looked angry before, but it was nothing to this! His expression was terrible to behold. He clenched his fists. "John Wicks! You are quick to rise to his defense."

"Who wouldn't after the way you've treated him."

Darcy's voice was barely above a whisper. "This is what you think of me. I'm sorry to have wasted your time. I'll walk you home, and then I won't bother you again."

"I don't want you to walk me home Darcy. Your kind of protection I don't need."

With that Lizi scooped up the dog and ran back to the condo. Leaving Darcy standing on the sidewalk still holding the bag of poop. She slammed the door behind her, leaned her back against it, sunk to the floor and undid Aikaterine's leash. She wrapped her arms around her legs, buried her face against her knees and broke into tears.

Lizi was recalled to herself about twenty minutes later when she noticed Aikaterine was licking her hand. She whipped her tears with her hands and scratched the dog on the head. "Sorry sweaty. You must be hungry. You're such a good girl. Let's see what you have for dinner."

After feeding the dog, she checked the fridge. She wasn't sure what to do about the wine Darcy left. She would like to throw it away but he might be back for it and it was probably expensive. On the other hand Rick and Brandon might wonder where it came from. She pushed it toward the back so that it was with some wine they had back there. Hopefully it would be easy to find if Darcy came for it but not to conspicuous if he didn't.

Brandon and Rick had said they'd leave food for her. That had been an understatement. They had left gourmet meals. Lizi opened a container of salmon with roasted vegetables and potatoes. She ate a few bites, not bothering with the instructions for reheating, even cold it was absolutely delicious, but she just didn't have the energy to eat. She forced down another bite and gave up feeling almost guilty. It was the kind of meal that ought to be savored. She closed it back up and put it away. Maybe later, or tomorrow, she would be able to appreciate it. She opened the freezer and found ice cream from Thomas Sweets but not even that tempted her. She might as well go to bed. She wasn't going to be able to study anymore tonight. The jacuzzi was out of the question. Now that she knew Darcy had been planning to get in there with her she was skeeved by the whole idea. Darcy ruined everything!

A/N: I got to thinking that without the social constraints of the regency era Darcy might not go immediately to professing his love. Especially if he's fighting his feelings. So I wanted to explore that. Also, I needed him to have some attitudes he might later rethink. Usually I follow Austin's example and leave Darcy's exact words to the imagination but this one seem to call for dialog.

In answer to a couple of anonymous reviews:
-I only chose OCC because it's so close to the imaginary location of Neatherly Beach :o)
-I hope this chapter answers the question of why Lizi is helping to pay for her younger sisters. She would have had a choice between her parents paying for part of her college education and taking out a loan for the balance or having them pay for the whole thing and then helping to pay for the younger ones. IMO it would be a logical choice but it would also be a disadvantage as far as getting into a relationship. (If I decide to do more with this story I'll have Darcy learn this sooner it would give him more reason to fight his feelings and to be concerned for Chad.) It also shows that the Bennet's are better off than many people in that they had a vacation home and can pay as much for college as they are without loans but not so well off that they can pay for Five daughter in college in quick succession. Of course they could have saved more if they didn't have the vacation home at all but that seemed to me to be in keeping with their characters from the original. It also highlights a difference between them, Darcy, has the kind of money where the cost of school wouldn't even be a consideration so he doesn't think of it until it's pointed out. I know some people who are well off that make mistakes like this from time to time, they are good people but they tend to think of their own lifestyle as the norm and don't always have a good sense of what's affordable to most people. Sorry if that was a bit long winded.

Thanks again for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing. Next up: Left Holding the Bag