Elizabeth had had one of the most sleeps of her life. Even before the accident, nightmares had plagued her of things going wrong in her life. Therefore when something did go wrong she was better able to deal with things but then again, her way of handling things were not the best way.
Opening her eyes she found the most enchanting image she had ever beheld. Her William was laying on his side leaning on his arm and gazing at her with love shining through his entire being. William's hair was pointing in different directions but instead of making him look frightening it gave him a very attractive boyish look. His usual sky blue eyes were sparkling, making them seem more captivating.
"Hello, sweetheart," he said in a deep, rich voice. "Good dreams?"
"Mmmm…." She snuggled in closer. "You smell great."
"Really? That is the best compliment you have given me since we met."
"Shut up before I kick you out of bed. How long have you been awake?"
"For some time but I couldn't bear leaving your side."
"So you have been staring at me sleep all this time? Stalker much?" She laughed, earning a grin from him.
"I would like to say that I am a devoted person that loves to see the person he loves look peaceful."
"That is so cheesy, I won't comment. However, I will tell you that I love you much more for it."
"That is the only thing I can ask for." He leaned over to kiss her but before his lips made contact with hers, she pulled away.
"You know I haven't brushed my teeth yet. I must have the worst morning breath ever."
"If I get my way after today, we will get used to it very soon."
"What do you mean?"
"You have been open with me so I will be the same with you," he said. "Move in with me. Make me the happiest man on the planet and agree to be the first and last person I see each day."
"Don't you think we are going to fast?" Elizabeth said hesitantly. "I love you but I don't think we are ready to move in together, yet."
"For the past few months you have been the only thing I've been thinking of. The way you make me smile and laugh but also the way you make me see everything differently. Never in my twenty plus years have I found someone as unique and special as you while at the same time being so down to earth. I love you so much, I won't be able to let you go after everything we have been through, especially not after the night we just had."
"You understand there is so much I don't know about you. I know this is hard but I still have so many questions that just confuse me."
"Then ask me anything you want. I will answer all your questions."
"We should probably get up and get something to eat. I'm starving." Lizzy tried to act cheerful.
By the time both of them were dressed and in the kitchen the cheerful atmosphere they had awoken to had started to come back but Will knew it could change at any moment. Neither wanted to bring up the topic they had started in bed but once they were done with breakfast neither could think of anything else.
"There is something on your mind and I know you want to ask, so why not just ask me?" Will spoke in a earnest and affectionate tone.
"We can be blunt right?" With a nod of his head she continued, "I know the story about you and Caroline but there is something Caroline said that I have been thinking about for a while."
"About me being faithful?" he guessed. Seeing her reaction he knew he was right.
"Did you really cheat on her? I know it would have been after…but did it happen before that? Or even after? What if I do something wrong, which G-d knows will happen, that makes you cheat on me? You have told me that it was not the best relationship out there but what if after a while you get tired of me too? For the first time I believe I have found the one person I can live with and I don't want you to leave me like everyone else."
Will knew Lizzy needed to be reassured but before he told her what she needed to know he grabbed her face and kissing her senseless. He pulled away, leaving only inches between them. He began to speak, holding her gaze. "First of all: I never cheated on Caroline. Never before the baby nor after. I thought Caroline was something she was not while I know who you are. You are Elizabeth, the person that makes everyone feel comfortable and relaxed whenever you are with them. You're witty and cheerful and bring light wherever you go. I love Elizabeth Bennett because she doesn't care what others think about her and everyone loves her for it."
"Then how did they get that photo of you and that woman?"
"I have a feeling this is going to be a long conversation so let's go over to the couch." He led her to the one that was placed in front of the fireplace. Neither knew the couch would forever have a special place in both of their hearts.
They sat down, facing each other and holding hands. Darcy quickly started his story. "I will not even try to describe all the emotions I faced when I got back to LA. I was furious with both Caroline and myself. I felt like I failed her and, more importantly, that baby that didn't even get a chance to survive. When I got back the first thing I did was drink. Looking back at it, it was a stupid move but I couldn't deal with everything. Two days before I came back from Paris, Forbes had realized the list for the most successful men and I had made the list so all the paparazzi was trying to get pictures of me. Unfortunately, I didn't know so I went to a bar on Sunset Blvd. I was there for hours until I met someone. She was different from everyone else because unlike all the other women at the bar she wasn't flirting. There was this sadness about her that I was able to relate to. I went over to her table and the first thing she told me was 'get lost, you're one of them'.
It wasn't the reaction I wanted but I got curious. I was able to persuade her that I didn't want anything but to make sure she was fine. We started talking and I found out her boyfriend had left her to get married to someone else, someone richer. She said that even though he seemed to love her, he had to marry someone else because of his family's expectations. When she found out she was devastated and went to the bar to forget about him and anything to do with the opposite sex. Her name was Elinor Dashwood and before we knew it we were both drunk and with the paparazzi waiting for us. As it turns out she used to be an heiress but when her father died, he left everything to his son from his first marriage, leaving her, her mother and sisters penniless.
All I remembered the next morning was getting out of the elevator and passing out on my living room floor. Elinor was luckier and made it to a couch. I can assure you without a doubt that nothing happened between us. Even if we wanted it, we were so drunk that we were amazed we got all the way up to my house. The only reason she left my house the next day with the same clothes was because she never took them off. I gave her my phone number if she needed to talk but I never even imagined her calling me again.
You can imagine how much publicity we got. A penniless heiress 'dating' one of the richest men. Almost a year passed until she called me again. It was to invite me to her wedding with her ex. I went but that was the end. I was so embarrassed by my own behavior that I put all my energy to work. I was still photographed with others but they were just friends, never anyone special."
Looking straight into Lizzy's eyes he continued. "I suffered so much when you left. I will do anything to keep you by my side until the day I die. I would propose this instant if I was sure you would accept but I know you are not ready for that yet. I still want you to move in with me. I want to spend every moment with you and," a small smile appeared on his face, "I was hoping that after you realize how perfect we are you would agree to become my wife."
By then tears had started to appear on her face but Will didn't know if they were tears of sadness or happiness. However, her next words made everything clear for him, "Seeing that you won't ask me in the near future the task falls under my lot." She gave him the famous Elizabeth smile, "Fitzwilliam Darcy will you do me the great honor of becoming my husband? Of being the only person in my heart, the only one I wake up to and the only one I go to sleep with? My number one confidant and the owner of all my secrets?"
For the first time, in who knows how long Will was speechless. He knew that if only one person could have made it possible it would be without a doubt Elizabeth. Once her words sunk in the only response he gave was a passionate kiss that left her without words and thoughts. With a husky and passionate voice he spoke in between kisses, "Elizabeth, my one true and eternal love. I have loved you for such a long time that it is second nature to me. I cannot think of a moment when you were not in my mind and thoughts. I love you so, my future wife."
It was around four in the afternoon when Elizabeth and Will left her house. Instead of going for a nice walk like Will had thought, Lizzy had a mission in mind. Within twenty minutes they were in front of a cemetery. It was not big but nor was it small. There was a simple white arch with the words "Gates of Heaven" written on it. From there was a small trail leading inside. Giving Will a small squeeze of the hand and a shy smile, they both entered the Meryton Cemetery. Walking up a small hill they came upon a chapel that opened up to where all the graves were located.
"I haven't come here in a while. The last time was about five years ago after Bill and I divorced," Lizzy said while she led him to three tombs. "The Wickham's make sure there is at least one flower on each of their tombs."
In front of them were three tombstones, each representing the personality of the body laying underneath it. The first one was a simple squared tombstone that read 'We laughed with him because he was different, He laughed at us because we were all the same, We will never laugh the same again. Loving Husband and Father, Thomas Abraham Bennett. 1959-2003.' The second tombstone was an angel with its hands extended towards the tombstones on her right and left. In a small template on the bottom it read: 'Here lays a sweet little angel that left behind smiles and laughter. Cindy Michelle Bennett. 1987-2003.' The last tombstone was squared with a rose engraved on the side, reading: "She took all the world's wonders, Wrapped them in a colorful package and gave it to us. Fanny Bennett. 1964-2003.'
They stood in complete silence for a while until Lizzy went on her knees and started to talk to her family. "Do you forgive me for taking this long to be happy? Do you approve of all the choices I have made so far? I can picture you guys laughing at all my errors because I have been too stubborn to listen to reason." She smiled. "I will never forget all the memories we had and now…now I'm getting married to the best man in the world. He makes me laugh and smile like no one else. I know you would approve of him in an instant, especially you Cindy. I promise to come back often. I'll bring flowers and talk to you more often. I know you are watching me from heaven but now I am not afraid. I love you and still miss all of you."
She rose from her position and turned to Will, who had given her some privacy. She held out her hand and in a matter of seconds their fingers were intertwining. With a small smile they started to make their way towards the entrance, leaving behind the last part of the fearful Liz and taking the strong and courageous Elizabeth.
Two Years Later
"Where the hell is my husband?" Lizzy screamed at the top of her lungs for the tenth time. "That bastard thinks he could leave me like this?"
"Lizzy calm down. Take a deep breath," Jane tried to calm a frantic Lizzy. "That's it…one…two…three."
"That asshole better not show up otherwise I will kill him, Jane! There will be no mercy by the time I get done with him!"
"My brother promised he will be here and he will. You are the most precious thing he has," Gigi assured.
"The most precious thing for him is his damn business and when I divorce that jerk he will be left on the damn streets! That son of a b-h will wish he never left me in the first place!"
"Lizzy, you have to calm down! Charlie just called and they are on their way. He won't leave you. Not now, not ever."
"We are almost there, Mrs. Darcy. In the next contraction get ready to push," the doctor informed while nurses started to get ready for the delivery.
"No! I can't have this baby without him. I can't do this alone, I just can't. I won't have my babies without him." Lizzy started to cry, forgetting all the threats she had just yelled a few seconds ago. It was ten in the morning when a surprised Lizzy started to feel contractions. It would have been a relief to any women carrying a big weight around. But there was one thing: her husband was away.
Will had gotten a call three days before concerning a problem at the new branch in Sacramento. Therefore, he had left the next day believing he would have enough time to get back to his wife before she delivered. However, just like with all great plans, something had to go wrong and in this case neither had expected Lizzy going into premature labor. So, while Jane and Gigi tried to calm and assure Lizzy that Will would make it in time, Will and Charlie were rushing to get back in time. The moment Will had gotten the call about Lizzy from Gigi, he had booked the first plane ride to LA, not caring that he still had work to do at the branch. It had already been almost three hours and Will still had not appeared.
"Get ready to push Mrs. Darcy," the doctor said the moment the doors flung open showing a frantic Darcy in a blue hospital suit.
"Fitzwilliam!" "Elizabeth!" they yelled in unison while Will rushed to his wife's side. "Am I late? Please tell me I haven't missed anything."
"You're just in time Mr. Darcy. Okay, Mrs. Darcy, it's time to push."
In the next fifteen minutes all that could be heard were endearments being said by Will and yells coming from Lizzy until a high and piercing cry was heard.
"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, you have a healthy son." The doctor smiled at the couple.
"A son? We have a son, Elizabeth," a speechless Will was finally able to mumble. "I love you so much." He kissed her forehead not even caring that she was sweaty.
"Don't get comfortable yet, we still have baby number two, remember?" the doctor said with a grin.
"I don't think I can do it again," a breathless Lizzy said.
"Of course you can sweetheart," Will said. "I know you can and when we have both our babies with us it will be all worth it."
"That is easy for you to say, you didn't just push a human being out of a small hole. You're just lucky I'm the female because I doubt you would be able to survive this."
Laughing Will replied, "That is what I wanted to hear."
"I think baby number two is about to come," Elizabeth said after a small yell.
By two thirty in the afternoon, Elizabeth and William were able to hold their newborn babies. A beautiful son and daughter born just four minutes apart. Even though both babies were premature, they were healthy enough to be able to visit their parents for just a minutes. The new parents were amazed at the differences in the babies, even though they were twins. Their son and daughter had a few stands of black hair, just like their father but, while their son had blue eyes like his dad, their daughter had her mother's eyes. They seemed to be a hazel color that changed depending on the amount of light. Most of the main physical characteristics seemed the same, even though their daughter's face seemed less dominant and more delicate. Moreover, their personalities were already quite different. Where their son was quiet and just looked through his big blue eyes, their daughter was more curious and tried to grab whatever was in her grasp.
"We should name them before they leave," Elizabeth whispered while holding her son. Neither parent had wanted to know the sex of the babies beforehand. They only worried about the health of their twins. Therefore, they had only thought of a few names but both agreed that the official names would be picked when the twins were born.
"How about naming her after your mom like we had talked about?" Will said while holding his daughter, who was trying to grab onto his finger.
"Fanny? As much as I love my mom I never really liked her name. How about naming her Cindy after my sister?"
"Cindy? Would you like to be named Cindy?" he asked his daughter who let out what appeared to be a small laugh. "I think she likes it. Cindy Anne Darcy."
"I like it how about this little guy?"
"What about Alexander?" Will moved towards his wife and son.
"Alexander? I like it and we can call him Alex for short. However, I think Alexander is a long enough name to skip the middle name, what do you think, love?"
"What do you think, son? Do you like Alexander Darcy?" he spoke to his son, who unlike his sister just stared at his father.
"I don't think he will be as articulate as his sister." Lizzy laughed and they traded babies. "Something she got from her father no doubt."
"Me? I am not the one that was yelling loud enough for the entire hospital to hear just a few hours ago. And for your information, I was a very quiet baby, just like Alexander."
"Quiet? That is not what your parents told me the last time they were giving me parenting advise. If I remember correctly you used to yell because you couldn't take your baby teddy bear to preschool."
"That is a complete lie and you know it! Let's just hope our children won't be liars like their mother and grandparents."
"Whatever you say." She laughed. Becoming more sober, Lizzy looked at Will and with all the emotion she felt she said the three words that could still leave him breathless, "I love you."
For the first time in two years, Will and Lizzy experienced a love that transcended what they had thought possible. Holding their newborns was an experience that would forever be buried in their minds, just like the memory of their wedding day and numerous other special occasions. However, the depth of their love for each other was so profound that words were not able to describe it. Neither of them cared. They didn't take their love for each other for granted but they no longer thought about it and just accepted it for what it was.
It had been a hard journey to get to the point they were at that moment but neither would be willing to change it. The obstacles they faced helped their love grow and each new step they took together cemented the already existing love until nothing was able to diminish its existence.
Looking over at William, Elizabeth knew without a shadow of a doubt that the only reason why she was so incandescently happy was because of him. The moment he had entered her life was the moment she started to live again. It took almost eight years for her to realize she was just living without a purpose, without a reason. She looked at her William and remembered the day that would forever be the most important day of her life, only beating the birth of her twins by a few points.
Right after they had left the cemetery they made their way back to LA to announce their engagement to their friends and family. They had thought about their wedding for only a few hours but they both knew they did not want to wait. Therefore they decided to get married the week after Jane and Charlie's wedding. Jane had offered to share her wedding day with the new engaged couple but neither Darcy nor Lizzy wanted to take away the spotlight from them. In Lizzy's words, "It is your special day, Jane. You're the bride and you're supposed to have all eyes on you. Not even Charlie will take that away from you."
With all arrangements completed in record time, William and Elizabeth were able to get married on the beach with their closest friends and family in attendance. Compared to the Bingley wedding, which had included all of Meryton and what seemed half of LA, the Darcy wedding was very private and intimate. For the same reason that this was Lizzy's second time getting married, she had skipped the traditional white dress and gone with an ivory A-line, (princess) sleeveless wedding dress. The upper part of the dress was in a satin material that was draped all the way to the bottom.
Her hair was in her signature curls that bounced with ever step and made Will mad with passion. Darcy went with a simple black and white tuxedo combination with an ivory vest and tie. Even with the simple colors, Elizabeth's heart skipped a couple of beats when she saw him at the altar.
When Lizzy finally got her legs to comply with her brain, she walked towards the man that had forever changed her life. He was standing next to Richard, who was his best man with Gigi standing opposite of them as maid of honor. Ever since she was a teenager Lizzy and Cindy had talked about being each other's maid of honor. Their connection had been strong enough to forget about all their friends and choose each other for the special privilege. Therefore, when Lizzy had married Bill, she had been against having a maid of honor thinking it would be like forgetting her promise to Cindy. Yet this time, her wedding felt different. There was no more doubt, no more fear about making the wrong decision. Getting married to Will felt normal and correct in so many ways that she had not hesitated to ask Gigi to be her maid of honor, knowing that Cindy would have loved Gigi as a sister as much as Lizzy did.
Once their vows had been exchanged the group headed only a few feet away where the reception would take place. Looking around, Lizzy smiled at the group of people that had been part of her special day. The entire Darcy/Fitzwilliam clan was present, as well as the Bingley clan, except Caroline of course. She had gone back to France to further her modeling career once she realized that Darcy would not take her back. It was not that Caroline still loved Darcy, she was even pretty sure she never truly loved him in the first place but she wanted what he gave her, which was reliability. Caroline had been used to traveling all around the world and she had liked knowing that Darcy would be there in his house waiting for her to come back.
The Gardiner's were also present along with the Wickham's, even James who truly wished Elizabeth the best, and Lucas's. As a special tribute to Elizabeth's family, they showed a small slideshow of them with the tune of Steve Curtis Chapman's 'Cinderella', followed by Lizzy and Will's first dance with Jason Mraz's song 'I Won't Give Up'. By the end of the day, the newlywed couple was tired but excited to start a new life together.
After a long day and passionate night, Darcy had imagined Lizzy sleeping until late morning. Therefore, he was surprised when he woke up at five in the morning to an empty bed. Looking over to the balcony he spotted a figure facing the ocean, which was next to the hotel they had rented for the day.
"Aren't you cold Mrs. Darcy?" Will asked, hugging Lizzy from behind, bestowing kisses on her neck and shoulder.
"I will never get tired of you calling me that. I rather enjoy it, even if it's your mother's name as well," she spoke while leaning into his chest and allowing him better access to her skin.
With a jerk of the head, Will looked horrified by what she had said. "Please never say that again. Especially not when I am kissing you, Elizabeth."
Laughing, Lizzy turned to face him and gave him a kiss that drove away any thoughts about his parents from his mind. "Understood. Now, what are you doing up so early in the morning, husband?"
"I was about to ask you the same question. Here I am, a newly married man with the most gorgeous wife on the planet and I had to wake up to a cold bed? I had thought I had imagined the whole thing."
"How unfortunate you must be. What a wretched wife you must have to leave you all alone, especially after what I would assume would be the best lovemaking session of her life, am I correct?"
"Let us just say that by the time the night was over I saw stars and I might have just passed out for a few seconds."
"Silly, silly man!" She laughed. "I am truly sorry, William but I woke up just a few minutes ago and the ocean was begging me to come see the sunrise."
"Begging you? Well if it was begging then I wouldn't take away from you the pleasure of a beautiful scene but you must know I am terribly selfish and I wanted to spent the entire day in bed before we go on our honeymoon."
"Honeymoon! I completely forgot about that. Are you finally going to tell me where we are going?"
"I have told you every time you've asked: I want it to be a secret."
"What if you give me a clue and I guess where we are going?"
"I told you, it's a secret."
"Pretty please, with cherry on top." Lizzy gave her best pout.
"Fine but don't think that every time you pout you will get me to do whatever you want."
"That's what you think. Now, where are we going?" she asked excited.
"You said a clue and that is all you are getting. Let me think…it is a place where there is an abundance of trees."
"That is not a good clue, it's too vague. That's almost anywhere on the planet, except some parts of Africa of course."
"You never said it had to be a good clue," he said, earning a slap on the back of the head. "Alright, it was the home of a very ancient civilization."
"Mmmm…that still includes most of the continents. Is it on the northern or southern hemisphere?"
"That will give it away!" he said. "Fine, it is in the southern hemisphere."
"I know! Guatemala?" she said. With a nod of his head, Lizzy hugged him with all her strength.
"You never told me why you wanted to go there, anyways."
"Haven't I? Well it is a pretty long story but I think it completely romantic. It has to do with my grandparents and how they first met. As it turns out my grandmother loved to explore and travel all around the world and the place she loved the most was Guatemala. She always said the locals were very friendly and nice. One day she decided to move there and leave all her family behind. She was just twenty at the time and her parents were completely against it. Not only did they think she was too young to move to a different country but said country was also going through a revolution and it was too dangerous.
However my grandma didn't listen and left. It was two years later and she was working near Tikal, when she met this young handsome man. He was there as an archeologist and strictly on business. Yet, when he saw my grandma he fell head over heels in love with her and proposed three days later on the top of a Mayan ruin. She, of course said yes and they got married only a week after they met."
"The man was your grandfather?"
"Yup. They told me the story when I was really young and I had always dreamed of going there. My grandma moved back to the states, even though she would always travel with grandpa. Guatemala was always special to them. They tried to go every year and they did until the year before they died."
"If you always wanted to go, then why didn't go you before?"
"I don't know. I think the reason why I wanted to go when I was young was because I wanted to have a similar situation as them. They only knew each other for a week and yet they knew they were meant to be together. After the accident I just stopped thinking about going. Instead I got addicted to their coffee."
"Well, whenever you are ready we can head over to the airport where I have ordered the jet to be ready to take us there." He kissed her before she could say anything.
"You have been so good to me Fitzwilliam that I can never repay you," she said once they broke apart to breathe.
"I don't need you to repay me. I love you with my entire being and I would do anything for you, Elizabeth."
"I love you so much, Fitzwilliam."
It would take Elizabeth her entire life to show Fitzwilliam how much he meant to her. How much he changed her for the better and how much she owed him for saving her from the depths of loneliness. Their life was not without fights and given their personalities it did not come as a surprise to anyone. However, Darcy always remembered his mothers advise and they never went to bed upset with each other. They lived and saw many happy moments like the birth of their children, twins Alexander and Cindy followed Julie. And also the birth of the Bingley babies, Charlie the third and Nathan. As well as the many weddings like the unexpected wedding of Josh and Georgiana (who started hanging out more often after Jane and Lizzy moved out).
They also experienced tragedies like the miscarriage of one of their babies or like the death of Will's parents, George and Anne. Yet throughout all the moment's of their lives, Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth stayed strong and never did Elizabeth think of running from her problems, especially when her husband was giving her the strength she needed to be strong
So we are at the end! Thank you to everyone that has made it this far, it really means a lot. The biggest thanks goes to HAPPYABBEY! Would not have done it without you. Please comment and tell me what you think about the story. Lots of love.