Ok, so not as many reviews for the last chapter, but that's ok! Also, to respond to Steph, the reason why he helped was because (if you'll notice) even when he was trying to forget her, he ended up being kind and couldn't stop from trying to prove to her he was good. Even though it hurt, just the thought of the girl of his dreams getting sick or worse made him help her. But now, we need to see how our two favorite stubborn people handle their little spat. How do they get over it? What do they do? Where do they go? Read and find out!!!
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"So, you're saying that at 11:42 P.M. you walked into the apartment to return some borrowed items to Mr. Wallace?" Mr. Darcy asked with a raised eyebrow as he leaned against the table. The witness on the stand was visibly shaking as she answered.
"Y-y-yes… that's… th-that's c-c-c-correct." She stuttered as she clutched her faux Coach purse in a manicured grip.
"And he wasn't in the apartment at all when you walked in?" Will stated with bored tones as he glanced at his watch. He was hoping for a recess soon so that he could make his sister's performance, but if he couldn't get this crone to crack, he was going to be stuck awhile.
"N-n-no! He wasn't in there at all, I called and called, but nobody answered, and so I walked in a-and looked for… him." She cried as she looked up fearfully at the judge. Her wide brown eyes flashed a different color as the lights hit them when she turned, and William Darcy's heart once again threatened to explode. He almost visibly winced, but held it together, and forced his emotions back under lock and key.
"Do you know where Mr. Wallace was found?"
"Uhm…. Uh… At the door to the kitchen?"
"Were you aware the Medical Examiner who performed the autopsy placed his time of death at approximately 7:30?"
"No…"
"Are you aware of their testimony as to the condition of the body?
"I… don't know…"
"Did you know that according to the on scene investigators and Medical Examiner, Mr. Wallace's body had not been moved?
"I… uh… no.
"Is the kitchen doorway visible from the front door?"
"Y-yes…"
"Did you see his body when you entered the apartment?"
"Uhm… Uh… No, sir…
"No further questions." Will said with a smirk as he took his seat. Though he seemed happy to the uninformed, those close to him could see the inner turmoil that threatened to surface every time he focused on something; he was heart broken. They could tell he wasn't going to get over it.
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"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Lizzie shrieked as she leaned onto her boss' office desk. Rick's mouth was set in a grim line, and he nodded.
"I'm confident that if you go, you'll excel in more ways than you'd do here." He said nonchalantly as he examined his cuff links. In truth, he didn't want to look up at the fiery gaze that Elizabeth Bennett was unleashing with full force. He might accidentally let her stay if he looked at her.
"I'm not carting my ass off to some strange land just because you think it's best for me!" Lizzie exclaimed as she tried desperately to catch his eye. "Besides, I'm not going to England by myself! You want me to become anti-social because I can't fit in with a bunch of Brits?!" She tried desperately to think of any other excuse to let her stay in the states. Just now, Rick wanted her to go to England for some interning there that gave a more hands on experience.
"Well, your aunt and uncle said they'd be delighted to go with you. They were planning on traveling there, after all." He muttered as he tried to dismiss it as nothing. In truth, he was going to miss his intern if she did leave. He was waiting for her to come up with a suitable argument, but it was in vain.
"Y-you… you're really serious about this…" Lizzie muttered as she glared at him. "Well, fine then! I hope you're sent a nasty, slimy, disgusting, lazy lump of a man who does nothing! I'm leaving here for good!" She stormed out of the room with as much dignity as one with a temper could. A moment of silence filled the room, and Rick smothered a grin as an angry Lizzie stomped back into the room, and grabbing her purse, gave him a withering look.
"I'll get the information from Pattie." She growled as she slammed the door again. A heavy silence reverberated around the room, and Rick shuddered at how emotional and quick to anger she had become after Easter.
When Lizzie had come back from her small break, everyone had noticed a large change about her. No longer did she easily brush things off. Some comments stung her into a horribly sharp and nasty temper that left some close to tears in surprise and hurt. People who had taken a liking to her noticed that she would always reach into her pocket every now and then and touch something, as if to remind her of information she needed. Every time she did so, her eyes would take on a faraway look, and she'd become easily distracted.
Of course, when questioned, Lizzie denied it, and announced everyone insane; but if that was the way she wanted to be, they'd let her. Many in the hospital had taken a strong liking to the fiery tempered but smiling, quick witted girl who interned for Rick.
Her smiles had been left behind when she returned from Easter.
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"I'm fine Jane; it's just another country for awhile!" Lizzie tried to stem her sister's worry a little bit, but found that she was failing miserably.
"Are you sure? I can come there if you need me! I know you've been down ever since the whole Easter trip, and I want you to feel better." Jane said with a motherly tone as she lay sprawled across the apartment's couch. Her sister had told her about everything that had happened, but she still sympathized, and she thought that her sister was suffering more than she claimed.
"Jane… I'm past age ten! I'm even past diapers! I'll be fine." She assured with a roll of her eyes as she boarded the plane. Her aunt and uncle smothered grins as they walked in after her. They had booked the flight so that they could go with their niece to England. They had heard vaguely about what had happened, and they didn't want her so far away from home after such an ordeal.
"If I hear you're not fine, I'm booking a flight and coming after you." Jane warned with slight amusement as her sister laughed heartily.
"I'm so scared." Lizzie said sarcastically.
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Will leaned back in his 1st class seat and closed his eyes with weariness. He was going back to England, and he was going to be able to see his sister once again. With a content grumble, he reached under his seat, and pulled out his i-Pod, and his book. As he selected his playlist, he knew that no flight attendant would dare tell a 1st class passenger to put it away. He knew his way around a plane, and the only reason he was on a commercial one and not his private one was because the new one wouldn't be ready for at least a month..
Will saw a flash of curly brown hair and he closed his eyes and pretended that he was somewhere else. The whole ordeal had been torturing ever since he had left, and he couldn't sleep for fear of seeing her again.
"The last man on earth…" The words rang around in his head, and he grumbled something incoherent. It was the time to move on, not the time to reminisce.
"I'm so scared." someone said with humor as they walked up the small way to coach. The voice that haunted his memories rang out in his ears, and his eyes flew open as he glanced around in panic. Was he so insane that he was hearing things in real life as well?
"No Jane, I think I can manage. I have two chaperones, even though I'm in college. You people won't let up." The voice joked, and Will shrunk down in his seat slightly. He knew it probably wouldn't help because of his height, but he tried anyway. He was glancing around frantically, but he couldn't see the person with the familiar voice. With a suppressed groan, he shrunk down even more, and wished himself somewhere else.
"Ok Jane, I have to go. I don't want some insane flight attendant to tackle me and take my new phone." The voice said, and he knew she was there. She was walking down the aisle with a rolling backpack behind her, and a phone glued to her ear.
"… Ok, fine, I'll call when I get there, but you stay exactly where you are!" She said brightly as she glanced around obliviously. Squeezing his eyes shut, he held his breath (as if it would make him less conspicuous) and pretended that he wasn't there.
"Lizzie?" prompted someone right behind her, and right when she was about to glance down and see him sitting there, she stopped and looked the other way.
"Yeah?" She asked brightly. Will looked up at her, and winced as he saw that she was standing right next to his seat. Mentally wishing her away, he scooted to the seat next to his, and looked promptly out the window.
Just hearing her words in his head as they had argued tormented him to no end. He knew he had made an ass of himself, but he didn't see why she had gotten so mad at him. He had told the truth, hadn't he? He had stated facts, but they hadn't been good enough! With an incoherent snort, he remembered the look on her face when he tossed her onto her bed. She had deserved it! Though, the fact he had hurt her hurt him worse than anything else made him want to die. He had never wanted to hurt her, but he did. That fact tore him up to the very bone.
"…Oh, sorry, I was in your way, wasn't I?" She asked. Not realizing she was talking to him, Will didn't even acknowledge her. Hearing a snort, he turned to see her stalking off angrily.
"I apologized, why can't people seem to get their heads out of their asses?" She asked the man behind her who proceeded to scold her roundly. The lady behind him patted Will's arm sweetly.
"Sorry about that, she's a live-wire, isn't she?" The lady asked kindly while looking back at the girl fondly.
"What? Oh… oh yes, of course." He muttered with a bewildered look on his face. The lady smiled, and walked along the small walkway, and Will began to hyperventilate.
Elizabeth Bennett, here? On the plane to England? Preposterous! Why would she want to go to England? He didn't want to see the woman of his nightmares on his turf, attracting other men! With a slight groan of frustration, he leaned down in his seat, and asked the attendant if she had any painkillers. Even if he managed to fall asleep, his dreams of her so close to him, but yet so far would haunt him. The flight was going to be a long one.
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Lizzie leaned over the patient, and began cleaning the wound with a carefree ease that most interns didn't have. Behind her stood another intern with platinum blonde hair, clear blue eyes, and pale skin. She was a very pretty girl who wore minimal makeup, but she seemed as though she would break at any moment. Lizzie had been skeptical when they had been paired up. The girl was seventeen years old and had skipped more than three grades. She had completed two years at uni, and on top of that, had two kids.
She now takes care of her two year old twins, a boy and a girl.. The thought ran around in her head, and she had to make sure to cut the gauze and not the patient while she realized that Will's sister might have been in the same predicament as this girl. They're the same age even!
The intern didn't seem the type to want to go into medicine, but after seeing what happened the last time she judged someone, Lizzie kept her comments to herself. The girl watched with a patience that startled Lizzie at first. She was used to being the intern that always asked questions, and always needed answers. This girl was someone who watched and learned from watching alone. She was a smart one.
"There you go, Mr. Matthews, you'll be good as new very soon." Lizzie said brightly while she handed a lollypop over to the 8-year-old. Smiling, Matthews opened the wrapper with a child's flourish, and began eating it immediately.
"Well, Miss Darlington, I don't think that you'll ever have trouble with an eight year old's boo-boo. You learn very well." Lizzie commented as she washed her hands in a sink down the hall. Gina smiled at her with hesitancy, and nodded.
"I hope not Lizzie. My brother spent a lot of money getting me into my school; I don't want to have trouble with a simple stitching." She said in a higher, softer voice that made Lizzie always have to strain to hear.
"So where do you work that lets you support your kids?" Lizzie asked while they went and got a snack for break. Gina grinned a little more widely at the mention of her kids. It was something she always got animated about.
"Well, in our house, there's a housekeeper that baby-sits when I'm not there, and my brother usually pays for my kids, but to make sure I don't slack off on my responsibility, I have a job at a school on our property as a room mom, and oh I'm rambling again…" She closed off her little speech with downcast eyes, and a trembling lip.
"Gina, you're a quiet girl. I like that about you. But if he's paying for the kids, why get a job?" Lizzie asked. She wasn't trying to interrogate her; she wanted to see if Gina got the job for the right reasons. She wanted to figure the girl out.
"Oh, I don't want him to pay, but he insists. To make up for me feeling like I'm not doing enough for them, I have the job and save the money for their uni funds." Gina explained with conviction and a ghost of a smile on her face. She traced the lid of her drink idly and she looked up with her clear blue eyes. "But my brother's been out of sorts lately. He's taken to drinking in the evening.'
"Why, what happened?" Lizzie asked with concern. The one statement made the girl look like she was about to start crying at any moment. Lizzie could tell that Gina loved her brother very much.
"Well, he went to America for a very long time. He wrote back about business stuff and his friend's sister…" At this Gina shivered, "…saying hello. Really normal stuff. Now, he comes home with a paranoid look about him, and went to sleep without even eating dinner with me and my kids. I stepped into his room one evening to ask if we could all go out to eat one night, and he's mumbling in his sleep about someone. I could tell that it was bad because he kept wringing his hands, and the next morning he was terribly crabby. I came into his office one evening after putting the kids to bed, and he was sitting there with a large bottle of brandy. My brother only drinks when there's a celebration, or something's horribly wrong. I'm so worried about him because I don't know if he's going to become an alcoholic or what!" Her voice wavered slightly, and Lizzie saw that she was leaning foreword with conviction as she spoke. As if realizing this, Gina leaned back into her chair, and tugged at her waist long hair that was pulled back into a ponytail.
"Maybe if you talk to him and let him know what's going on, he'll listen to you. If he's what you've made him out to be, I'm sure he'll listen. You just have to be passionate about what you're saying. Make him listen with your tone alone. I'm sure it'll be ok." Lizzie said comfortingly. Gina smiled up at her with hesitancy, but then stopped when the cell phone at her hip began buzzing insistently.
"A text?" She muttered wonderingly, and read it with confusion etched on her face. Her eyes raced across the screen, and with a gasp, she stood up.
"I have to go! Oh, Lizzie, I don't know what to do! Should I g-"
"I'll cover for you." Lizzie assured her with a worried smile. With a hesitant yet gushing, "Oh Lizzie, thank you so much!" she was gone; her ponytail swung dangerously as she ran down the hall.
"What a strange girl… I like her." Lizzie mused as she stood up from the table. With a flourished smile at the group at the table next to hers, she exited the room with slight wonderment as she tried to figure out her new friend.
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"Hey… how are you pretty ladies doing tonight? Anything I can do for you?" Jack asked with a seductive smile. Lydia and Kitty both blushed and shared secretive smirks before responding.
"We're actually bored. This party is so lame." Lydia complained as she took a step. Intentionally tripping, she fell right onto his arm, and felt the sleek muscles.
"Well, I can entertain you if necessary." Jack smiled down at her. Kitty raised an eyebrow at this, and shook her head.
"That's not necessary. We were just going to find a new party anyway." she said with a covert glance at her sister. Lydia ignored her sister pointedly, and ogled the man she was latched onto.
"Kitty, no one cares about you being such a baby. Get out of here if you don't know how to have real fun." Lydia snapped when she realized they were waiting for her verdict.
"My kind of woman." He purred softly in her ear. Lydia grinned like a Cheshire cat, not realizing that she was the one being used. Blatantly turning away from her sister, Lydia leaned in closer to her "prey".
"You'll soon find out exactly what kind of woman I am." She whispered lustily. As she swayed her hips over to the bar, Jack smiled. He hadn't realized how easy it was going to be to get his revenge. Pushing away the desire to rub his hands in a plotting way, Jack followed her over to the bar, and proceeded to buy her drinks.
Neither noticed Kitty scrambling to get out of the club, tears streaming down her face.
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Will leaned back in his chair and grinned despite himself. Getting drunk had not been in his plans since he had returned. His plans had been to throw himself into his work, but seeing as every business in England was being dealt with by his best workers, Will didn't know exactly what to do. So, he sought out the people who lived in the condos on his property, and kept up with his accounts there. After that though, there was nothing left to do.
He had been given some scotch one night, and he had been able to sleep without dreaming of the dreaded Elizabeth Bennett. Seeing it as an outlet for his frustrations, Will let himself have a couple of drinks every night before going to bed. Of course, that led him to forgetting things; big things, like picking his nephew and niece up from their preschool.
Groggily, he stood up, and was about to pour himself more to drink when his sister barged in unannounced.
"William Darcy!" She exclaimed as she stood in front of him. William's eyes took in an image of his sister standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. Since when had his sister gotten a tongue? She'd always been a shy and quiet girl, moreso after Wickham! What was going on here?
"What has gotten into you?!?" she exclaimed as she pressed him into a chair. Stalking before him furiously, she began ranting. "You get home without as much as a, 'Hello Sister, how have you been?' drink yourself to a stupor, barely acknowledge anyone's existence, and now you forget my children? What happened in the States to where you'd forget MY children?!" She stopped pacing as she whirled around to stare her brother right in the eye.
"Nothing of concern." He mumbled as he avoided her gaze. There was a knock at the door, and Georgiana excused herself to open it. In the doorway stood her closest family member - besides her brother- Blaise Fitzwilliam.
"Georgie, I think I should handle this." He said with a grim stare. Calming down slightly, Georgiana excused herself to take care of her kids. Lord knew her brother wasn't fit to do it.
Blaise walked into the room slowly, and carefully. He could see his cousin slumped in a chair, and that didn't help the situation at all.
"Ah… drinking hits the spot doesn't it?" Blaise asked conversationally while he sought to get his cousin's attention. "But you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, mate?"
"Sod off." Will muttered as he ran a hand through his hair. Blaise poured his cousin a drink, and nudged it to him. Angrily, Will downed it in two gulps, and glared out of the window.
"What should we drink to though?" Blaise asked curiously while he attempted to keep a somber appearance. His cousin did seem slightly pathetic.
"The damnation of all women." Will muttered angrily. Blaise once again smothered a grin as his slightly drunk cousin fell into a trap again.
"All women?" Blaise asked with slight humor.
"Yes, all women! They reach into your good graces, slip amongst you, treat you fine one moment, horrid the next, the whole bloody lot of them tempt you with one thing, and disgrace you when your heart is pure." He sat up a little bit and glared balefully at the sky that contrasted with his emotions.
"The whole bloody lot of them?" Blaise asked incredulously.
"The whole bloody lot of them!"
Georgiana walked into the room quietly, and sat down in a chair to listen. She wanted to hear what was going on, and she knew that Will would never tell her unless he didn't realize he was.
"Or maybe just one in particular. Would you care to single out one from the whole bloody lot of them?" Blaise asked as he made himself comfortable. Will put his head in his hands, and nodded slowly.
"The biggest temptress of them all." He groaned as he remembered the pure fury in her eyes.
"What's her name? Should we call her Eve, for her sin?" Blaise asked.
"No, you dolt, her name's Elizabeth!" Why did he feel so disoriented? The room was spinning slightly, and it took his full will power not to fall over.
"Ah, of course, Elizabeth. To Elizabeth then. The biggest temptress of them all." He said grandly as he stood up with a half full drink of brandy. Will nodded sluggishly while his thoughts built with a fierce passion.
"The biggest temptress, the most insulting, the cruelest…" Will mumbled slightly coherent. Georgiana raised an eyebrow at this, but still kept silent.
"… Ah yes, may she crawl under a rock, may she find disappointment wherever she goes, may she regret her torment on the innocent…" Blaise mused as he raised his glass. Will stopped his nodding while the words sunk in. Did he want her to find disappointment? Was she the cruelest person? Of course not! Elizabeth Bennett was anything but a temptress!
"Blaise, stop." Will said softly as he glared at his cousin who was still berating the girl.
"… May she be cursed with any pain and afflictions that men know..."
"I said stop it." Will growled, still not being heard. His Elizabeth didn't deserve to be cursed! Georgie raised an eyebrow in interest.
"… and I pray that she has her heart ripped to shreds by every gold digger known to man!" Blaise said grandly, but he was still not finished. Will's temper was building, and when Blaise went into a description of her punishment for being a temptress, he exploded.
"BLAISE! YOU WILL STOP THESE FOOLISH INSULTS UPON A LADY! SHE IS A MOST VALUABLE CREATURE, WHO DOES NOT DESERVE YOUR INSULTS! SHE IS THE ONE WOMAN I'VE EVER FALLEN IN LOVE WITH, AND NOTHING CAN EVER CHANGE THAT!" He roared with fury as he whirled around and dropped his brandy on the floor in agitation. Georgie's eyebrows flew into her hairline in surprise, and Blaise stumbled to a stop of his belittlement.
"Of course she doesn't deserve it, mate. But you needn't dwell on the pain of that too much. Even if you can't see it now, there are those here, right now, who love you a lot, and nothing can change that either." he said with a raised eyebrow. Nodding civilly to his cousin, Georgie, he walked out of the room, mission accomplished.
Will glanced down at the broken glass, and then up at his sister. With a groan, he fell limply back into his chair, and ran a hand through his hair in shock at himself. Georgie walked over hesitantly, and put an arm around her brother's shoulder.
"Will, I'm worried about you. Will you please tell me what's wrong?" She asked hesitantly. Will opened his slightly bloodshot eyes, and nodded slowly.
"You have a right to know." He muttered, and scooted over in his chair to let his sister sidle in.
"Now, who's the girl that's captured your heart in such a thick material?" Georgie asked hesitantly, taking a slight leaf out of her cousin's book. Will sighed, and ran a hand through his hair again.
"Her name's Elizabeth Bennett…" he said softly as he looked out of the window again. "And according to her, I'm the last man on earth she'd ever be prevailed upon to marry."
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Hm, that was a bit dramatic, wasn't it?! The poor guy. But you have to see the change that comes about him these coming chapters! He's wallowed in pity, and next few chapters show the phoenix in the ashes! Ok, calming down a little bit, and if you guys review, you'll see what happens next!