Standard disclaimers applied. See Chapter 1 for further details.

Author's Note: I had originally put this chapter and the last together, but it got too long. This picks up directly where the last one left off. Also, lyrics used are from the song, "This is How a Heart Breaks," by Rob Thomas which doesn't belong to me.

Life is like a mean machine
It made a mess outta me
It left me caught between
Like an angry dream I was stranded

Rob Thomas - This is How a Heart Breaks

CHAPTER 14 Practical Advice

Liz had really wanted to invite Will him up to Longbourn but at the front doors of the apartment, she saw that Fitz was dropping Ann off, obviously from the Staff Appreciation Dinner. There was something about the Chinese woman's body language that raised Liz's radar. She turned and smile apologetically at Will. "I do hope you take rainchecks, Will."

"Oh?"

"I wanted to see how far you are willing to go with those plans."

"Ah, but absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"So, you are not mad."

"I got to kiss you, didn't I?"

"And now, I get to kiss you." Standing on tiptoes, she locked one hand behind his head, just sifting through his hair before pulling his head down to her level. Their lips touched softly, mounding to fit the contours of the other. It held promise and so much more. "Definitely making good on those rainchecks, Liz."

"I can't wait then."

-o-o-

When she let herself into the apartment, Liz found her Chinese roommate curled up in the couch. Seeing that Ann was still in her evening wear, Liz asked, "Ann? What's wrong?"

"Liz, it's nothing. I just want to just curl up and sleep."

Holding out her arms, Liz drew Ann into her embrace. "C'mon hun. What's your evening so terrible?"

"Things happen, Liz and at the end of the day, I just ..."

"You feel confused and guilty. There is a sense of hopelessness, and you don't like that feeling."

"Yes."

"Your heart is hurting, Ann. You give so much and sometimes, you forget to take care of you. Now, go change and I'll draw you up a bubble bath. Then we'll talk."

Without waiting for a replay, Liz proceeded with the actions. Talking her roommate by hand, Liz led them to Ann's bedroom and instructed, "Go change."

Thirty minutes later, Ann came out wearing her bath robe to find Liz waiting for her on the couch. "Now girlfriend, spill."

Slowly but surely, she told Liz about seeing Vincent with his date after making some excuse to her on the phone. And, then she elaborated about how she met up with Frederick Wentworth and Georgia Darcy.

"Ok, time out. Frederick Wentworth, you mean the Dr. Frederick Wentworth that I teased you about."

Ann nodded. "Well, you know that Georgia is Will's"

"Sister. Yes I do know that."

"So, Georgia, Fitz, Frederick and I all went to Uppercross. Frederick and Fitz were best friends back in high school."

"Let me guess, you hang out with Georgia, so by extension knew Richard and Frederick as well."

"Yes."

"First of all, lets taking Vincent out of the equation because he is an idiot for what he did. Now, from your reaction to my questions and the fact that you went with Richard, I will guess that there was a fallout of some sort, may be a relationship gone bad, a rejection ..."

Ann's silence was a clear enough answer. Liz really wasn't a lawyer because she happened to have an university degree. She could read into a situation with an uncanny clarity. She had made a near-perfect bullseye about Ann.

"Ann, it's really none of my business. I know that I am not the best person to give love advice, but don't sell yourself short. Love has the tendency to defy rationality and reason."

Flashback

Of course like the other girls at Upper Cross, An-Mei had heard about George Wickham. But unlike some, she did not care for him at all. He was one of those people that Auntie warned her to stay at least 30 feet away from.

"An-Mei, there are some boys out there who are only after one thing. They tell you pretty lies about how much they love and care about you. They make you pay for everything, but make petty excuses for being broke. They are the ones who run away when they find out that you have a baby. Those boys are not worth it and they certainly don't deserve you."

Somehow, it was Georgia Darcy who got caught up in the web that was George Wickham. He was the one bad boy that Georgia thought that she needed. It was around the time of senior graduation when George Wickham began to pay extra attention to the blossoming blonde. An-Mei tried her best to warn her friend that George was nothing but trouble, but it was to no avail.

"Mei, just because you dumped Frederick Wentworth, don't go ruining my chances of having a real guy in my life," Georgia had shot back.

The words cut deep, but An-Mei had to try to let her friend see reason, "Georgia, think about it rationally. We are young and the guy is at least 21..."

"He says he loves me. Why else would he dump his last girlfriend to be with me and then invite me over to his place?"

"Georgia..."

"No, I have nothing else to say to you."

You're not the best thing that I knew
Never was never cared too much
For all this hanging around
It's just the same thing all the time
Never get what I want
Never get too close to the end of the line

An-Mei stared dejectedly at Georgia. Of course, Georgia would have known about the break-up between her and Frederick. It pained her to know that her best friend refused to listen to her side of the story.

Still, the Chinese girl worried about Georgia's safety. Her going to George Wickham's house meant trouble. Seeing that Georgia wouldn't think over her advice, her alternative wasn't very appealing either. An-Mei had little choice but to call Fitz and she was sure that he would have something to say about breaking his best friend's heart.

"Hello?"

"Fitz."

"Mei."

"Listen Fitz."

"You have a lot of nerve calling me right now."

"It's not so simple."

"Nothing is. Right now, I have a best friend who is so dejected that he completely shut himself down. Of all the years that I have know him, I have never seen Ricker so dejected like that."

"I would just end up hurting him in the end. There are some things that can't be changed, Fitz."

"It's Richard."

"Richard, I'm not calling about me right now. It's Georgia. She's going to -"

"Don't drag my cousin into this."

"This is important though. She's going to -" but she was met by the dial tone.

She went over to the Fitzwilliam's house, when the door was opened by a stranger. She didn't know at the time that it was William Darcy. "I'm looking for Richard or Georgia."

"My sister went over to a girl friend's house and my cousin is-"

"Mei! What are you doing here?" Richard appeared beside his cousin.

"It's Georgia. She went over to see George Wickham. I don't know, but she may be in trouble."

It appeared that the name was familiar to the stranger as well. "Did you say George Wickham?"

At Mei's affirmative, he turned to Richard and say, "C'mon, we're going to his house right now. I don't want Georgia associated with anybody with his reputation."

Georgia's brother turned back to Mei and said, "Thanks."

It turned out in the end that George Wickham had wanted to get Georgia to have sex with him that night, but when the blonde said no, he persisted. At that point, George had a few beers in his system and was slightly high. He had pinned Georgia between him and the couch. He managed to get his belt unbuckled from his jeans but he got no further, when he was interrupted by the knock on the door. It didn't take much for the two cousins to realize what situation that they came upon. Poor Georgia was so relieved at the sight of her older brother and cousin.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she cried. "How did you know?"

"It was Mei," Fitz confessed.

This is it now
Everybody get down
This is all I can take
This is how a heart breaks

An-Mei found out all this days later, when Georgia came to visit her two days later. The blonde burst into tears when the Chinese girl opened the door, "Oh Mei, I'm sorry."

The girls talked long after that, when Georgia said solemnly, "Mei, I had no right but I'm glad that you had the nerve to let Will and Fitz know."

"Love makes us blind, but Georgia, you and I are still young."

"Perhaps, too young to know what true love is?" Even though Georgia didn't really agree with Mei breaking up with Frederick, she was enlightened to the fickleness of first crush. She understood a little bit more about Mei's ambivalence in committing herself at such a young age.

An-Mei shrugged, noncommittal to the question. Georgia sighed and said, "I hear that you are not coming back to Upper Cross for your senior year."

"No. Auntie is letting me go back to private school in the Fall."

"I'm not coming back either. I'm going with Will and Fitz to New York."

"I'm going to miss you, Georgia."

"I'm going to miss you too, Mei. Hopefully, we can stay in touch." An-Mei only nodded.

It wasn't meant to be, as An-Mei was leaving on a trip with Auntie. They were going to visit her father and sister who were vacationing in Singapore. Fitz never had the chance to talk to Mei again. With his own university studies, he also lost touch with Frederick who was going to college at a different state. That wasn't until they all met up again eight years later.

End Flashback

End of Chapter 14

AN: Now, I don't want to turn Georgia to some ditzy blonde. She is not really a gullible person, but when you were at that age, I'm sure you knew at least one other person who did the exact same thing. Anyways, you guys understand Ann and Fitz's reaction upon their reunion at Jane and Carson's party at Netherfield. (This was in Chapter 3).