Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. We get a slight twist here today, and I hope you enjoy it. Once again, I owe huge thanks to the best friends an author can have, Linnea, Juliet, Mary, Ashley, Sophie, Julie, Susan and Betsy! They are the best!

Chapter 37

Saturday morning proved a perfect opportunity for two habitually early risers to "sleep in." True, each had spent a few minutes in the bathroom, and Will had let out Hershey, but they did not officially leave the bed until nearly ten.

As soon as she was dressed, Elizabeth grabbed her phone and noticed she'd missed a text message from Jane:

Running errands and some shopping. Thinking of working in yard this pm. Like your help but ok if ur busy. –J

She smiled and relayed the message to Will.

"Do you want to?" he asked.

"You know how I feel about yard work, but it is my responsibility too. I probably should."

"Okay. You think 2, 2:30 should be all right?"

"Sounds good." She grinned.

They were met by Hershey at the foot of the stairs, but saw no sign of Maggie, even as they entered the kitchen. There was certainly evidence of her presence though. The table was set for two, with a basket of apple spice muffins and a carafe of hot coffee.

"You do live a charmed life," Elizabeth teased.

"I used to think I was just lucky," Will answered, "but now that I can share all this with you, I'll agree with your assessment."

They sat and ate muffins – occasionally feeding each other – and were feeling quite cozy when Will's phone rang.

He sighed, but answered it. "Darcy," he answered. A moment later, he continued, "Bonjour Guy," then continued to rattle off something in French. Without meaning to listen, Elizabeth did, but could only make out a word or two, and a minute later, he hung up.

Frowning, he looked at Elizabeth. "Small problem. I need to connect to work for a while. It shouldn't be more than an hour. You're welcome to do as you like... Swim or watch TV. You can relax upstairs or bring your computer into my study. My home is yours."

Elizabeth smiled slightly with understanding. "I have some things I should do online too. You sure I won't bother you if I sit in your study?"

"Not at all," he answered. "In fact, I'd like it very much."

They kissed and parted ways in the hall. Elizabeth then went up to the bedroom and made sure she had everything she'd be taking home that afternoon, then took her backpack down to Will's study.

Before she even entered the room, she could tell he was on speaker, so she stepped in quietly and settled herself on the sofa with her notebook, and quickly set to checking her email and her system reports from work.

She glanced at Will, staring at his computer and conversing on the phone in French. Believing he would still be a while, she opened Trillian and chatted with a couple of friends while she checked her favorite fanfic sites, finding and deciding to read an update on a Mansfield Park story. Just as she was reaching the end, she heard Will finish his call and hang up the line.

Will let out a deep sigh and shook his head. "I'll just be a couple more minutes," he said.

"No rush," she replied. "I'll be right here." She quickly read the last couple of paragraphs of the update and glanced at Will. She had a minute, so she jotted off a comment to the author before she put her computer in stand by and closed it. As she slid it back into her bag, she watched Will stand up and stretch.

When he noticed her gaze, he smiled at her, and walked over to the sofa. He held out his hand and helped her to her feet, then into his arms. "This wasn't exactly what I had in mind this morning," he grumbled softly in her ear.

"I understand." She snuggled her head against his chest. "It goes with the territory… It could have been me…"

Will rubbed her back, not replying as he thought about what she had said. Sure, he knew she was technically 'always on call,' but it hadn't really registered.

"All right." He nodded his head. "I'm still sorry."

Elizabeth shook her head as she looked up at his face. "I hope everything's okay."

"It's not the ideal outcome, but it's better than it could have been." He frowned, resigned. "It was good he called." He bent down and kissed her lips softly. "Let's get out of here."

After considering a few options, including the great temptation of returning upstairs, they decided to take a short walk in the woods. Before they departed, they found Maggie in the kitchen, and she promised lunch would be ready when they returned.

From the backyard, Hershey led the way into the woods, where they soon met a path.

"If you follow this about half a mile, you'll meet up with the Horse-Shoe Trail and can follow it into Valley Forge," he told her, though they didn't intend to go that far.

They walked a while, talking and watching Hershey romping around, pretending to be the hunter he was theoretically bred to be. When they met the main trail, they turned back, arriving at the house just before one.

As expected, the patio table was set for three with Chicken Caesar Wraps and iced tea. They sat, and Maggie soon joined them, and they talked about several things, but mostly the email Maggie had received that morning from Tiffany.

Afterwards, Will and Elizabeth decided to head out to her house for the afternoon. Elizabeth suggested taking Hershey, and a long conversation about vehicles, sleeping arrangements and morning church services ensued. When they finally addressed the possible options, they packed what they needed in the back of the Jeep and along with an eager Hershey, headed toward Elizabeth's.

As they approached the house, both were surprised to notice a dark blue Chevy Silverado, with two small trees standing in the bed, parked in the driveway.

Will glanced at Elizabeth quickly, enough that she could understand his question.

"Chris," she stated matter-of-factly, though unconsciously she shrugged her shoulders. "No clue why..."

Will parked on the street, but he hadn't even turned off the engine when Hershey jumped up, and they all spied the front third of Hamlet atop the back yard gate, his whole body shaking with happiness.

Elizabeth waited for Will to pull out the key, then got out laughing, "You silly Lug. Did you miss me?" She adjusted her seat for Hershey, who jumped out eagerly. "Or is this who you're looking for?"

The dogs sniffed each other excitedly from either side of the fence as Will and Elizabeth walked toward them at a more casual pace.

Once there, Elizabeth patted Hamlet's head as his whole body quivered anxiously. Once she flicked the latch though, Hershey virtually pounced on Hamlet, then both took off into the yard. She and Will walked in and closed the gate behind them, and began walking along the side of the house. Before they reached the back corner, they spied Jane and Chris walking toward them.

"Lizzybit!" greeted Chris, stepping forward to hug her. "Looking great," he added with a kiss on her cheek.

Deep down, Will wanted to physically intervene, but consciously hoped it didn't show.

As soon as he released Elizabeth, Chris turned. "Will, right?" And when Will nodded, Chris offered his hand and they shook politely.

"I guess you can see where my shopping took me this morning," Jane said with a silly grin and a slight blush. "I was driving by Green Mansions, and decided to stop in. I know it's not the ideal time to plant trees, but they had these two Eastern Redbuds, and we've talked before about getting them for out front." She paused, and Elizabeth nodded. "So I called Chris, and he agreed to help me out."

She smiled at Chris, then Elizabeth and Will. "I know I was only planning on light gardening today, but do you guys think you could help us?" Jane nodded her head encouragingly. "I've already agreed to cook my Apricot Pork for dinner tonight in return for Chris' help."

Will and Elizabeth smiled and nodded and agreed to help her out, and soon the foursome was planting trees, after which, Elizabeth led Will to the back of the yard to help her with her roses, and to take advantage of the large old, obscuring oak tree.

They all had a great time during their meal, and all four cleaned up afterwards. Will couldn't help but like Chris, but his casually intimate manner with Elizabeth really got to him, especially when Chris hugged and kissed the cheeks of both Jane and Elizabeth as he left.

Try as he might, he couldn't hide his uneasiness from Elizabeth, who teased him promptly upon locking themselves in her room.

"I told you Chris was a good guy," she baited.

"Yeah," Will answered. "But I don't like that he hugged you like that... Twice."

Elizabeth grinned as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I've known Chris forever, Will. He's always been more like a brother." She raised her head and kissed his cheek. "Besides, there's only one man for me, and he's the only one here." Her lips brushed his, but he responded quickly, and their lips were soon completely engaged.