A/N: As for why Georgiana was really coming to visit, everything will be explained, don't worry. Anyway, I still don't own anything, and I love reviews! Enjoy!
Chapter 20
All the small things
Truth care
Truth brings
I'll take one lift
Your ride, best trick
Always I know
You'll be at my show
Watching, waiting
Commiserating
Will hummed along to "All the Small Things" by Blink 182 on his iPod, his blue eyes trained on the small, oval-shaped window next to him on the airplane. Elizabeth had fallen asleep shortly after they took off, her head nestled on his broad shoulder. When she had fallen asleep she had her iPod on, and right now it was blasting some rock song he didn't recognize.
"'All the Small Things' by Blink 182?" she said suddenly, surprising him by lifting her head up from his shoulder.
"Yeah," he said, looking at her with wide blue eyes. "How'd you hear me? Your iPod is absolutely ear-blasting."
"One of the earphones must've fallen out while I was asleep," she grinned, pointing to one dangling earphone.
"What are you listening to then?" he asked. "I've been wondering that for the past few minutes."
"Oh," she said simply, offering him an earphone. "I'm listening to 'Infected' by Bad Religion."
Looking at her doubtfully, he removed one of his own earphones and put hers in, listening to the song.
You and me
Have a disease
You infect me
You infect me
"I like it," he said, looking surprised as he handed the earphone back to her. "Could you burn it onto a CD for me?"
"Sure," she smiled at him. Yawning, she asked, "How long was I asleep?"
"A couple hours," he replied, watching her as she turned her iPod off.
"And how much time is left on this flight?" she said, looking at him curiously.
"About six more hours," he told her with a grimace.
She groaned. "I hate long flights."
"Me too," he replied, pressing a soft kiss to her hair. "But I can deal with it, if I'm with you."
She rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "There you go again with the ass-kissing, Will."
TSTSTSTSTS
"Oh, it's beautiful here!" Lizzy gushed to Jane, throwing her suitcase down on the bed unceremoniously and sprinting as quickly as she could to the large window.
"It is," Jane said, her voice sounding awed. "It's so unbelievably pretty here."
"Yeah," Elizabeth sighed. "The beach is beautiful. Do you want to go with me?"
"To the beach?" Jane laughed. "Now? I'm ridiculously tired, Elizabeth. I'm sorry, but I really want to take a nap."
"It's okay, Janey," she said, zipping open her suitcase and quickly locating and extracting her bathing suit. "I'll get Will to come with me."
"I'm sure he'll come quite willingly," Jane chuckled, eyeing the bikini her sister was planning on wearing.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked sharply, eyeing her sister suspiciously.
"Oh, nothing," Jane chirped, climbing into her bed. "It just means that I think Will's eager to see you."
TSTSTSTSTSTS
"Elizabeth?"
Will's deep baritone snapped Elizabeth out of her reverie as she sat on the beach, hugging her knees to her chest, staring out at the ocean. She looked up at him, beaming brightly, and patted the patch of sand next to her, indicating that he should sit there.
He obliged and she leaned against him, sighing, "It's so beautiful out here."
"It is," he murmured in agreement.
After a few moments of comfortable silence, she asked, "How'd you find me out here? I was going to ask you to come with me, but when I went to your room, Charley told me that you were taking a shower."
"When I got out, I went to your room, looking for you," he replied with a chuckle. "I accidentally woke up Jane, who was rather confused, because she said that you told her you were looking for me to go to the beach with you."
"Poor Jane," she mused aloud with a faint smile. "Time changes always hit her hard."
"Have you ever been to France before?" he asked as she buried her face in the crook of his neck, her lips brushing against his warm skin.
"No," she murmured against his skin, and he inhaled sharply, feeling her teeth graze his neck. "I've never even been to Europe before. The farthest I've been form home is California."
"Well, then," he said, his voice sounding satisfied. "I'm glad I'm with you on your first trip out of the country. We'll have to take a trip to Paris for about a week sometime while we're here, so you can see all the landmarks."
She looked up at him, an excited expression spreading across her face. "I've always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower," she told him happily. "And the Louvre."
"Then it's settled," he said, smiling broadly at her. "We're definitely going to go. I'm sure Charley will want to take Jane as well, so the four of us can go together. Oh, and Chris and Jake, so that makes six of us."
"What about your sister?" she asked. "And Caroline and Louisa? And Mr. and Dr. Bingley?"
"They've all been to France many times," he said, brushing off her concern. "Gee's looking forward to spending two months simply relaxing, since she has a quite a busy schedule at her boarding school. Caroline and Louisa claim to be bored with France."
"Well, I'm sure Caroline will want to go along as soon as she learns that you're going," Elizabeth said, flashing him a mischievous grin.
"Which is why we'll make travel plans for six before we tell her," he said, grinning back at her. "We'll book all the tickets for the Louvre and such beforehand, and we'll only purchase six of each."
"Well, aren't you clever?" Elizabeth teased, pushing him on the shoulder lightly. She looked at the ocean longingly, something that did not go unnoticed by Will.
"Oh, you want to play in the waves, do you?" he asked, looking down at her.
"Yes," she said, nodding her head. "That was my plan all along, but when I got out here… I don't know, the mood to just sit and think struck me. Now the need to play around has returned."
He stood and offered her his hand, which she accepted, and he gently hauled her to her feet. "Well, let's not delay your playing any longer then," he said, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.
They walked hand in hand to the exact spot where the ocean met the beach and paused there, Will looking at Lizzy uncertainly. She rolled her eyes affectionately at him and took a few more steps into the ocean, so that she was knee-deep in water. He followed her, seeming more relaxed now.
They stopped when the water was up to Lizzy's chest and Will's abdomen, and a wave was coming toward them. "Are you ready for this?" Will asked, squeezing her hand in his.
"I was born ready," she said, eyeing the wave happily.
"Don't let go," he cautioned her as the wave came closer.
"Will, I'll be fine," she chided him, rolling her eyes. "I'm not a child."
Almost as soon as she finished speaking, the save crashed down on them. Will had a death grip on her hand as the force of the water threatened to tear the two of them apart. When Elizabeth finally surfaced and saw that Will had as well, she glared at him, saying, "William, I am not a child."
"I just don't want you to get hurt," he replied, looking off into the distance. Changing the subject, he pointed out, "Look, there's another wave coming."
When the wave crashed over them this time, Elizabeth purposefully let her hand slip from Will's, swimming underwater in order to stay relatively close to him. She held her breath as long as possible, and she could hear Will frantically calling her name above water.
Needing air in order to laugh, she surfaced, taking a deep breath before chuckling. "Elizabeth!" he said, swimming over to her.
"Relax, Will, I'm fine," she told him as he wrapped his strong arms around her, crushing her body to his. "I knew what I was doing, and I was just joking around."
"You don't understand," he told her harshly, pulling away from her so that he could glare at her. "I didn't know you were playing around, I thought the wave actually swept you away. God, Elizabeth, I was so frightened."
She glared back at him, saying, "Well, you don't need to be. I'm quite capable of taking care of myself."
He snorted in doubt, but leaned in to kiss her. She pushed him away, swimming for the shore. "Don't try to kiss me when I'm mad at you, Fitzwilliam."
TSTSTSTSTS
Will was the last to arrive at the dinner table that night, and Elizabeth was slightly disgruntled when he took the seat next to her. They hadn't spoken since their argument at the beach, and she was still trying to calm herself down before they did. Even she admitted that she had a terrible temper, and that she had the tendency to say things she didn't mean whenever she was angry. That was the last thing she wanted to do to Will, so she was waiting until her head was clear to talk to him.
She noticed him staring at her, almost as if begging her to talk to him, but she merely glared at him and shook her head. "Ah, there you are, Will," Dr. Bingley said, setting the large platter of chicken in the middle of the table. "Now we can eat."
The meal began in silence, which was unusual whenever Elizabeth was at the table. Jane, who noticed the tensions between her sister and Will, flashed Lizzy a curious glance. Elizabeth's only response was to shake her head.
Caroline and Louisa seemed to notice the tension too, and Caroline looked pleased.
In fact, the tension between the two of them escaped the notice of none at the table.
Gee looked worriedly at her brother, wondering what he had done to make Lizzy angry.
Chris and Jake flashed each other worried glances, wondering what they should do.
Mr. and Dr. Bingley exchanged curious, but amused, glances with each other.
"So," Jake said awkwardly, clearing his throat, "this is exciting."
"Yeah, everyone's really talkative tonight," Chris said sarcastically, managing to make Elizabeth chuckle slightly.
Caroline, on the other hand, seemed to take it upon herself to get right to the heart of the matter. "William," she purred, "what ever is the matter? There's only one time I've seen you this quiet."
Everyone seemed to freeze. Will finally replied gruffly, "And when was that, Caroline?"
Dr. Bingley seemed to sense that something was going to go wrong soon, and stood, saying, "Oh, I better go check on the broccoli. Stephen, come with me." Dr. and Mr. Bingley left the room, leaving all the adolescents together.
"At the dinner we had to celebrate Elizabeth's recovery," Caroline replied, flashing a sickly sweet smile in Elizabeth's direction. "You were so quiet, I almost thought that something was wrong."
Gee, Will, Lizzy, Charley, and Jane all froze, gaping at Caroline incredulously. Will threw down his fork and stormed out of the room, Gee hot on his heels. "Caroline, I cannot believe you just said that," Charley said, looking angry for once.
Glaring murderously at Caroline, Elizabeth spat, "I can."
"And what is that supposed to mean, Miss Bennet?" Caroline asked, looking annoyed.
"It means that I know you're a bitch," Elizabeth told her balefully. Jane squeaked, feeling unnerved by the angry atmosphere of the room. "How could you say something like that?"
"Something like what?" Caroline asked, feigning innocence.
"Don't play stupid," Elizabeth said. "Oh, wait. You can't be 'playing' because we all know you're actually a dumbass."
With that, she turned on her heel and fled from the room, wondering where Will had gone. Despite the fact that she had been angry with him because of their argument at the beach, she knew she had to put her petty feelings aside when he really needed her. And now he really needed her. Luckily, it didn't take long to find him.
He was in the room he was sharing with Charley, sitting on his bed, his back to the doorway, his sister sitting next to him. When Elizabeth rapped her knuckles on the door softly, Gee turned around and saw her. "Elizabeth's here now," she whispered to her older brother. "I'm going to go."
Will nodded his head slowly, and Gee stood up, flashing Elizabeth what she hoped was a reassuring smile on her way out.
Elizabeth slowly made her way over to Will, sitting on the bed next to him. She looked at his face, and she was alarmed, but not surprised, to see a few tears streaming down his handsome face. "Hey," she said softly, taking his face in her hands and kissing each cheek before pecking him on the lips.
"I thought you were mad at me," he muttered.
"I was," she replied, softly, wiping tears from his face with her hands. "But that's not important anymore. You were just worried about me, and even if that is sometimes annoying, our argument was stupid. Besides, how can I be mad at you when you really need me right now?" He leaned against her, bending his head so that he could bury his face in her neck. She rubbed his back comfortingly, saying, "I'm so sorry Caroline said that, Will."
"It's not your fault," he murmured against her skin.
"I know you miss your parents, Fitzwilliam," she said softly, trying to be as comforting as possible.
See, the reason Gee flew in from New York at the time of the dinner at the Bingleys' house was because it was the anniversary of their parents' deaths, and the siblings made it a point to be there for each other during such a trying time. Will had put off telling Elizabeth about it, because it wasn't something he enjoyed talking about, and he had managed to avoid it until the night of the dinner, when he had been so quiet, that afterwards, a very concerned Lizzy had demanded to know the truth.
"I can't believe she actually said that," he muttered, and she felt a few of his tears sliding down her own skin. "I don't know if Caroline actually forgot what day it was, or if she was just doing that to spite me."
"I don't know if you've noticed," Lizzy whispered, pressing a kiss to his hair, "but Caroline can be a bitch, at times."
"Oh, I've noticed," he said, "but I never expected it to be directed at me. But ever since you and I started dating, she has been meaner toward me."
"That's because she's bitter," Elizabeth told him. Sighing, she said, "Are you going to be okay?"
He nodded into her shoulder, then lifted his head, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. "God, I can't believe this is the second time you've seen me cry," he said, managing to chuckle slightly. Then he sobered, asking, "Am I forgiven for earlier? At the beach?"
"You most certainly are," she told him with a small smile. "Even if it extremely annoying at times, I know you're just trying to look out for me."
"I know I can be overbearing with that," he murmured in agreement, looking down at his hands in his lap whilst he spoke. "I'm sorry, Lizzy."
"It's all right," she muttered, taking his hands in hers.
"Ever since Dennis shot you… I've just been so scared," he admitted, gathering her up into his arms and sitting her down on his lap. "I've been so scared of losing you… it's the worst possible thing I could imagine."
She buried her face in his chest, smiling against his shirt and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're not going to lose me, Will," she whispered, gazing up at him.
"How do you know?" he replied, his voice low and hoarse. His grip on her tightened, as he said, "The thought… it just scares me so much."
"You don't think the thought of losing you scares me, too?" she asked. "It scares the damn shit out of me, Will. I just… I know you can take care of yourself."
"But you didn't see me lying on the hallway floor, wounded and bleeding," he said, a pained expression crossing his face.
"True enough," she whispered, leaning forward and kissing him on the mouth. Pulling away, she asked, "Do you want to go back to dinner?"
He shook his head, saying, "I'm not ready to share you with anyone else right now. Besides, I was never really hungry to begin with."
She smiled brightly at him, saying, "I don't want to go back either. I just want to be with you. Plus, I lost my appetite when Caroline opened her fat-ass mouth."
He chuckled, laying back against the bed, taking Elizabeth with her. She settled herself on top of him, her limbs sprawled across his body.
His skin burned wherever hers met his, and he smiled down at her, pressing a kiss to her hair, and said, "I'm crazy about you, you know that, right?"
"Oh, I know," she muttered into his shirt. "You drive me absolutely insane."
"Oh," he said softly. "I'm sorry."
She looked up at him with an incredulous expression on her face. "Fitzwilliam, don't be a dumbass," she said, "that's a good thing."
He smiled, leaning forward and planting a kiss on her lips. "Good." He kissed her again, parting her lips with his tongue. She moaned into his mouth, her tongue meeting his in a moist, needy clash. He pulled away from her mouth, trailing hot, blazing kisses down her nick, nipping and sucking at her flesh. She moaned loudly, saying, "I love you, Will."
"I love you, too, Elizabeth," he murmured back, reluctantly pulling his lips from her neck.
"I think I'm just going to… close my eyes for a bit," she murmured, feeling her eyelids droop as she buried her face in his chest again.
"Okay," he murmured, kissing her hair. "You're beautiful, Elizabeth."
He waited for her reply, but then he realized that she had already drifted off to sleep. Chuckling to himself, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, closing his eyes as well.
He peacefully drifted off to sleep.