We have a bit of a time jump but I plan to stick with this 24 hours or so to conclude the story. I have a feeling you will enjoy where we are at as we have left the major angst behind. This chapter strays a little into the "T" rating with the topics being discussed but I've done my best to keep it clean.

I basically know what should happen from here on out although it may take a few chapters to get there. I had these ideas that I could wrap it up with one. As usual, I was way too optimistic. Nope, not going to happen.

I've let the roman numerals inspire me before, but this story is certainly not going to venture into triple X territory. Instead, I think it would be more appropriate if it featured three good kisses. Whaddaya think? Unfortunately, they can't appear in this chapter, but they are coming! One for each of the three Bennet sisters.


XXX

The night before Jane's wedding, Elizabeth and Mary showed up at Charlie's and Jane's place on a mission. After they were let in (neither Jane nor Charlie being so rude as to ask them what they were doing there unexpectedly at 7pm), Elizabeth said, "Jane, we are here to kidnap you for the night. You can't stay with Charlie the night before your wedding; he is not supposed to see you on your wedding day."

"It is bad luck," Mary joined in, "and tradition."

"And anyway, we need one last sisters' night before we finally send you off," Elizabeth added.

"So, please come," Mary clasped her hands together in mock begging.

"Well, I had planned to stay here," Jane hesitated in accepting as she shifted a little from one foot to the other. "Charlie and I have had so little time with each other between work (trying to finish everything up before our honeymoon) and wedding planning. We just wanted a quiet evening at home."

Jane glanced over at Charlie. From the look she was giving him which featured wide eyes and one eyebrow slightly lifted, he was pretty sure that she wanted to go but didn't want to disappoint him.

Charlie gallantly decided to make the decision for her. It was obvious what she really wanted to do.

"Oh go, Jane. Sure, I'll miss you, but this seems like the kind of occasion when you should bow to tradition. The two of us, we will have the rest of our lives and we'll be spending so much time together on our European cruise that you may get sick of me." He winked at her. Yes, he had plans for that cabin after they had dashed around sight seeing all day.

"Never!" she gave him a slightly saucy grin and bit her lip. Jane was well versed by now in reading Charlie's expressions as well and she knew just what he was thinking. "Well I guess I'd better pack some stuff. The dress and all that is at Mom's and we are coming back here after the wedding before we catch the plane on Saturday, so I shouldn't need much besides some overnight things and makeup for tomorrow."

Jane dashed off and Elizabeth followed to help, which left Mary feeling like a third wheel. She knew she should probably just follow her sisters, should have already followed them, but now she was stuck in an awkward situation standing around with Charlie.

Mary took a moment to look around the living room. She noticed that Jane's art prints were on three walls, the fourth wall being taken up almost entirely by a massive TV. There was Monet's Giverny in Springtime with its pink blossomed trees, Renoir's Roses in a Pot that had one dark bloom surrounded four lighter pink roses, and finally Degas's The Pink Dancers, Before the Ballet. Each print had been reframed from the thin plastic frames from before, to substantial wooden ones in a dark brown stain with non-reflective glass which likely cost many times more then the original cost of each print. It made the art prints seem more substantial and refined. Mary wondered what had been on Charlie's walls before Jane moved in.

"Why don't you sit down, Mary," Charlie offered and so she did, on his brown leather couch, while he sat on the loveseat. It was a little more comfortable being seated. She noted that Jane's pink throw pillows with their faux fur were on either end of the couch and Jane's plush pink, brown and blue rug was underneath it, over the short, neutral carpeting.

Mary liked how Charlie had made such an effort to incorporate Jane's things, even if she wasn't sure that they really went with the rest of the room which was more sleek, an understated masculine mix of browns and chrome. Even Jane's plants were there (although repotted in substantial pots which had a pink glaze that Mary was sure Jane had either picked out or heartily approved of when they appeared), with the ficus in front of one window and the aloe on a stand in front of the other.

"How is your eye doing?" Charlie asked, leaning forward, forearms on his lap. He didn't feel the same discomfort as Mary, but sought to set her at ease and really did want to know.

"It is better," Mary easily covered the familiar ground. "I still have a lot of floaters, but I only get headaches now if I do a lot of reading. The eye pain is almost completely gone, unless I overdo it. The appointment ten days after went well and I have a follow-up in three months."

"I'm glad," Charlie responded. "You've been really brave about the whole thing."

"Brave? What choice have I had? When things happened there was nothing to do but to try to fix it."

"Well, maybe brave wasn't quite the right word," Charlie struggled to articulate what he really meant. "Stoic? positive? determined? Just, you seem to have coped well."

He did his best to explain. "When even little things happen to my sisters, they tend to whine and complain a lot. When Caroline broke her smallest toe, she practically lived with her foot up for the whole month, used it as an excuse to get us all to wait on her. Louisa's braver about this whole twin pregnancy, but she has complained plenty about her worries. You just went and got that laser surgery and then you only took two days off, even when your grandmother had her stroke, too, when you could have stayed out of work longer. And I heard you were practicing piano the next day even when you weren't yet allowed to read. That's all just awesome, like you are Wonder Woman or something."

"Gee, thanks," Mary told him, feeling a little embarrassed. They were both silent for a few moments and then Charlie thought of something else he could talk to Mary about.

"I've been meaning to ask how things are going with Henry," Charlie told her.

Mary's inner grammarian noted that he hadn't actually asked her, but she decided to go ahead and answer. "Really well, I think. Mostly we've been trying to get to know each other and it's been . . . " she struggled on how to characterize it ". . . friend-like. I mean we both know it is more than that, I think, but he's been very respectful."

Mary considered how much she wanted to tell Charlie. She liked Charlie as a person, thought he was good for her sister, but they'd never had a conversation alone before this one. Mary settled for adding, "I would like there to be more at this point. Maybe he just doesn't exactly like me that way," she confessed her deepest fear.

The problem had been nagging at Mary. She hadn't talked to Lizzy or Jane about it and they had never really asked anything all that specific about the two of them, apparently taking for granted that all was well. It wasn't like she even saw either of them all that much anymore. Jane lived with Charlie and Elizabeth was very preoccupied with her relationship with Darcy.

Twice in the last couple of weeks, Mary had come home to find Elizabeth and Darcy in the middle of a hot and heavy make-out session in the apartment living room. The first time, Elizabeth had acted all embarrassed. "I didn't expect you home so soon," she said as she adjusted her top.

"Really? I usually get home from work sometime after four o'clock and it is almost five now."

"I guess we lost track of the time," Elizabeth responded. Then they made awkward small talk until Darcy said he had to go.

The second time, Elizabeth had simply said, "Hi Mary, excuse us," and got up, leading Darcy by the hand to her bedroom. She closed the door and then turned some music on.

Since that occasion, Elizabeth had not been at the apartment much and Mary was pretty sure she had stayed over at Darcy's place more than once. When Elizabeth was home, she always seemed like she was in a hurry to do something, like get ready for class or run an errand. It never seemed like the right time to ask, "Lizzy, what am I supposed to about Henry and me? I think we are dating, but he hasn't really made any kind of a move so far." What advice could Elizabeth really offer when clearly she and Darcy had no problem in that department?

"More? like stay-over more?" Charlie asked Mary, interrupting her reverie.

"Oh, no, nothing like that!" Mary picked up one of the faux fur pillows and hugged it to herself. She was feeling embarrassed. "It has all been good but Henry's been so respectful, too respectful. So far he hasn't done anything more than hold my hand, give he a quick hug and kiss my cheek. I mean it is closing on three weeks. Shouldn't he have at least kissed me by now?"

"Oh, no!" Charlie said the words very differently than Mary had. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I . . . I might be to blame for that."

"What do you mean?" Mary's forehead was scrunched up with confusion. "You've only met him, what, twice? There was the one time at the hospital and then there was that family dinner when Mom spent the whole time complaining about how Lizzy should have been there even though she had already explained about the retirement party for Darcy's housekeeper."

"I didn't think I was that intimidating," Charlie said, mostly to himself, staring off into the distance. He turned toward Mary and explained. "You see, I was trying out my soon-to-be big brother role for you and Lizzy. So when we were coming back from the cafeteria with food for you all, I told Henry that he needed to treat you right and not rush things. I wasn't trying to keep him from kissing you or anything like that. He was just talking very seriously about where your relationship might go and I advised him not to do anything that could scare you off. In my defense, I also told him that he shouldn't let other people interfere with your relationship."

"Oh, okay," Mary considered. "You might be to blame a little, but . . ."

Whatever Mary might have said after that was cut off as Jane and Elizabeth came out from the back. "I've got everything," Jane announced.

"Let's go!" Elizabeth told Mary.

Charlie watched bemused as the women prepared to leave. Jane opened the front door and then paused as she mentally reviewed what she needed. He was waiting for it, "Oh, I need to grab my keys and purse," Jane noted, dashing to the mudroom where she kept such things.

When Jane came back into the living room Charlie asked, "Do you have your phone? I think you left it charging."

"You are right!" Jane ran back toward their room, her blonde hair bouncing as she hurried.

"Don't forget your charger!" he hollered after her. Jane returned a few seconds later, her phone and charger stuffed haphazardly in her dove grey purse, the white USB cord looping down to around her knees. She started to leave once again and then swiveled around just in time to hear him say, "And don't forget about me!"

Jane walked toward Charlie and they leaned toward each other to exchange a quick kiss and hug. Then the women were off, leaving Charlie to close the half-open door. He spent a few moments thinking about the fact that the next time he saw Jane, they would be getting married. It was a thought that filled him with a quiet joy, an amazement at how he could have lived his whole life before never having felt this way. No wonder there were so many love songs!

Then Charlie thought about what Mary had revealed and then his conversation with Henry again. Before Jane and Elizabeth had come out, he had been planning on asking Mary if he should talk with Henry, give him the green-light so to speak.

Charlie had Henry's number. He could call or text him, but either would be awkward and he was just not sure what Mary would want him to do. The whole thought of it felt very "high-school" to him. He remembered the silly note he had received his freshman year, passed to him from three rows over. "Madeline wants to know if you like her. Check a box." The options offered were "yes" "no" and "maybe." Naturally, he had turned around to stare at Madeline for a few moments. She was two rows back from him and blushing terribly, refusing to meet his eyes. Just then the teacher had said, "Eyes on me Mr. Bingley. Why don't you explain to the rest of the class the significance of the letter 'A' that Hester is wearing on her chest."

Charlie resolved to do nothing right now. Perhaps at the reception he might exchange a few words with Mary and sort the whole thing out. Maybe she might take the bull by the horns herself, but if she didn't or couldn't he would step up and do what needed to be done. He imagined taking Henry aside for a few moments and laying it out straight, "I didn't mean for you to think that you couldn't pursue an actual relationship with my sister. You should know, Mary wants you to kiss her." He definitely shouldn't do anything now.

To distract himself, Charlie grabbed the remote and flicked on the TV. He quickly found a college basketball game. Before Jane he had watched basketball almost constantly and he still liked it but it didn't seem as important anymore.

Charlie tried to immerse himself in the game. He should care whether his selected team would win and keep that branch of his March Madness bracket going. But when the men were not actually on the floor, his mind kept returning to his past conversation with Henry. It felt like there was something important from the conversation he should be remembering. It bothered him the way a popcorn kernel stuck between his teeth might bother him.

A commercial came on for jewelry. Charlie wasn't paying attention until the tag line rang out, "Tell her how much she means to you, that she's the one, with a piece from the Heart-Felt collection." Then in a sudden burst Charlie recalled talking to Henry about how he knew Jane was the one and how Henry advised writing some of that down and giving it to Jane in a card on their wedding day.

Charlie remembered agreeing that was a great idea and here he had nearly blown that opportunity by forgetting all about it. Charlie muted the TV and went off in search of some notepaper. He was going to start things off right being married to Jane, give her such wonderful memories that it never even crossed her mind again how he had almost backed out of their engagement. He was going to give Jane what she deserved, all of himself, by sharing all his deepest thoughts about her. It was going to be great!