A/N: My favorite chapter thus far:) Lots of scandalous drama between Quentin and Will! LoL Hope you enjoy! ;0)

CH 3

"With all due respect, Madame, I truly don't see why it matters. You always look absolutely beautiful."

Maggie paused, regarding her servant with weary eyes before returning her gaze back toward her reflection. Why did her appearance suddenly matter so much? She hadn't cared about how she looked since the days back when she and Quentin dated.

Running her hands along the folds of her blue pleated skirt, Maggie smiled, then dismissively shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, Beth...maybe I'm just being foolish."

Ignoring this comment altogether, the blonde dutifully straightened out her mistress's blouse before revealing, "Mr. and Mrs. Loomis are stopping by later this evening...I assume, though, that you already knew this? Master Quentin said he gave you a head's up yesterday evening."

Maggie froze. She had completely forgotten! And yet...no...her subconscious was not making her dress up for Will. As far as she was concerned, she had absolutely nothing to do or say to that insatiable usurper of a man. How dare he betray Carolyn like that when she loved him so? How dare she, the Mistress of Collinwood for...

Maggie closed her eyes. The memories of herself and Will writhing and pulsating about between his thin cotton sheets made her stomach do an agonizing flip, her bottom lip trembling as she suddenly grew weak in the knees. His hands had been so warm, so soft...

"Mrs. Collins?"

Maggie gasped, suddenly finding herself face-to-face with Beth's fearful countenance as the blonde anxiously gripped at her wrist.

"You look as if you've seen a ghost" Beth whispered, searching her mistress's eyes for any hint of illness. "Are you not feeling well, Madame?"

Maggie placed a hand to her temple, remarking rather softly, "No, I suppose not...I-I think I'll go lie down for a while."

"An excellent idea, Madame" Beth agreed, taking the brunette by the arm before leading her out into the hallway and toward her own bedroom.

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"Will, are you absolutely certain that this paisley blue dress flatters my figure? I don't want to go in there looking like death, itself!"

Will regarded his wife with critical eyes, noting how loosely the dress clung to her skin and bones figure, the pale blue pill hat on the back of her head somehow leading him to be reminded of a flight attendant. The honey-blonde of her hair hung freely about her shoulders and the ends were slightly curled, thus giving off a very 60's appearance.

Being the fairly decent husband that Will was (in spite of the adultery), he took Carolyn by the arms and declared that she had never been lovelier, the newfound sparkle reflecting within his wife's eyes leaving him with a rich sense of accomplishment.

Despite the fact that he hadn't felt sexually attracted to her in quite a while, now, he could still find himself basking in her simple beauty from time to time. He knew that this alone kept Carolyn going on, thus why he was absolutely determined to keep up their rare moments of chaste smiles and sadly pathetic eye contact.

Finally seeming to be satisfied with her state of dress, Carolyn moved to knock on the great double doors of Collinwood, only to let out a startled yelp the moment they swung open in triumph. "Oh!" she exclaimed, grasping at her throat, "M-Maggie! I'm so terribly sorry...I'm just such a spaz!"

Maggie laughed, then swept her arm toward the interior of her home. "Come in, won't you? Quentin will be down momentarily."

Will and Carolyn immediately did as they were told, the infatuated one of the two admiring how Maggie's skirt clung to her hips and rump as she walked, her shapely legs well exposed and reeling him in with their ridiculous amount of enticing sexuality. The memories of what he had done to those luscious legs made his mouth go dry, the sudden desire to have yet another taste of the dark-haired beauty only escalating as she bent over the coffee table in the drawing room in order to serve them their tea.

When Will received his drink he released a barely audible squeak as his thanks, Maggie eyeing him strangely before turning toward Carolyn and giving her a cup of tea, as well.

"Mm, thank you...I haven't had a good cup of tea in what feels like forever!" the blonde praised enthusiastically, her eyes rolling back in her head in utmost delight as she took a small sip. "What is this, anyway, ginseng?"

"Oh, well it's-"

"Ah! Well if it isn't the Loomises!" a deep, jocular voice remarked from loudly abaft, thus causing the party of three to turn about in order to discover whom had so suddenly interrupted their social mingling.

"Quentin!" Carolyn exclaimed, absolutely overjoyed. "It's so good to see you, again! It's been what, a couple of weeks at the most?"

"Too long" Quentin agreed, bestowing each of them in turn with a warm smile before leaning in and giving the blonde a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. Holding her out at arms length he added politely, "Might I also comment on the fact that you look absolutely radiant tonight, Carolyn? That dress suits you very well."

Carolyn threw her head back in a delighted laugh. "Oh, well thank you! I found this old thing lurking about in my closet earlier this evening...I was so afraid it wasn't good enough!"

Will couldn't help but smirk at this declaration, knowing all too well that his 'dear wife' had gone out on a last minute shopping spree at around noon and hadn't returned until she had purchased the nicest, most expensive thing she could find.

Throwing his arm across the blonde's shoulders he decided to play the 'doting husband' role, commenting sweetly into her ear, "Darling, everything you wear looks absolutely breath-taking the moment you put it on - hell, you could bedeck the drapes and you'd still be a knock-out!"

"Oh, Will!" Carolyn cooed, buying the bait as well as their host and hostess before snuggling into his arms and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Turning to look at Maggie she added, "There, you see? Every now and then they'll come through."

Maggie laughed, yet it was completely devoid of all mirth. Quentin had only been romantic back when they were dating, immediately failing to notice her once they had taken their relationship to the next level and gotten married. Oh, if only he could look at her differently - if only he could take her in his arms and willingly make love to her like he used to!

Growing weary of everyone's sudden lack of verbal speech, Quentin took both Maggie and Carolyn by the arm and forced them to sit on the sofa, revealing jovially, "In order to make the most of this evening, I've decided that we're going to play a little game."

Maggie made a face. "Oh, Quentin, surely that's a little too childish for-"

"Nonsense! The Loomises are completely willing to play...correct?" Quentin regarded Will and Carolyn with almost menacing eyes, thus why they both nodded their consent. It was common knowledge that getting on the Master of Collinwood's bad side was like jumping into an ocean full of sharks - stupid, and twice as deadly.

"Splendid!" Quentin exclaimed, clasping his hands together before seating himself as well and motioning for Will to do the same. Once everyone was settled he continued, "Is everyone in this room familiar with the game Who's Who?" When his company shook their heads he sustained, "The objective is quite simple, really - one person will go and then, without being too obvious, they will describe another person in the room and everyone will try to guess who that person is. If they get it right, they're the next person to go...simple enough?"

Maggie rolled her eyes before leaning back against the sofa. "Oh, honestly, Quentin, that is so childish...no one will want to play!"

"Gosh, you're such a party pooper, Maggie!" Carolyn shot back. "I think it's a grand idea!" Turning to Quentin she added, "Who do you think should go first?"

Quentin smiled warmly. "Well why not you, my dear? You are our guest, after all."

"Oh...well alright" Carolyn agreed cheerily, folding her hands in her lap and squirming about in order to get more comfortable. Once she was satisfied with her position, she thought a moment, then began, "This person is very kind, sweet, and beautiful...she has an incredibly generous heart and is always giving, not taking."

Will rolled his eyes. "Carolyn, that was way too easy - it's Maggie, of course! Who else in this room's sweet and beautiful?"

Carolyn threw a hand to her cheek, clearly offended. "Oh, well I-"

"It's Will's turn" Quentin hurriedly interjected, eyeing his guest with a newfound interest. "Go ahead, won't you?"

"Certainly" Will obliged, leaning back in his chair before steepling his fingers and crossing his legs. Briefly locking eyes with Maggie he began, "This person is very crude, arrogant, and selfish, yet in spite of all this women continuously fall at his feet. His better half is a stunning young creature who deserves so much more, not the pompous ass and a half that broods over a love now lost. He's also a self-absorbed prick and pays little to absolutely no attention to his wife, and for this reason I despise him more than Satan, himself."

"Well why don't you just go ahead and accuse me out in the open, Will Loomis?" Quentin barked, shooting up from his seat and upsetting a lamp in the process. The glass from the piece of furniture sprayed out across the carpet and glittered upon the floor, both Maggie and Carolyn watching on in terror as Will merely smirked in return.

"Come now, Quentin, can you honestly tell me that you don't treat your charming wife like dirt?" he demanded, leaning forward in his seat before releasing a small chuckle. "After all, you're far more in love with Angelique's essence than you will ever be with Maggie."

"How dare you!" Quentin snarled. "I invite you over to myhome and this is the hospitality that I receive in return? Get out! Go on, both of you, get out!"

"Oh, Quentin, no!" Maggie protested, immediately leaping up from her perch so as to apprehend him. "To be fair, this is all your fault, darling...you were the one to initially suggest playing the game."

At this admonition Quentin couldn't help but release an ireful snarl, his body acting before his brain as he reared back and clocked Maggie clear across the face, her head twisting to the side at an odd angle as her petite form plummeted to the floor in a graceless pirouette. Shocked, Quentin threw his hands to his face in horror, barely even registering what was going on as Will frantically pushed him out of the way and dropped down to Maggie's side.

"Maggie!" he exclaimed, taking her hands in his before giving them a frantic shake. "C'mon, can ya hear me? God, Maggie, please!"

Groaning from somewhere deep within her throat, the dark-haired beauty slowly opened her eyes and whimpered, somehow managing to block out everyone in the room but Quentin. He had harmed her...he had actually harmed her! After six months of marriage she never thought him capable of marital violence, and yet here she was, dazed and confused and lying in a near unconscious state on the drawing room floor.

"How could you?" she whispered, tears forming along her lashes as Carolyn and Will continued to tend to her as though she were a child.

Quentin merely turned away at this question, the powerful blue of his irises mellowing out as he placed an arm against the fireplace and sighed. "Would an 'I'm sorry' suffice?" he demanded, clearly not understanding his wife's immeasurable heartache as Maggie's eyes widened upon such a ridiculous answer.

"Would it suffice?" she reiterated, thoroughly stunned. "Quentin, you nearly knocked me through a wall! Of course it won't suffice!" Turning her attention back toward Carolyn and Will she silently indicated that she wished to stand, her coarse gaze never leaving her husband's as they helped her up and to her feet. From that moment forward she resolved to be a stronger woman and wife, whether having to forever deal with Angelique's spirit or not.

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Maggie wearily entered her bedroom, briefly making a mental note that it was 10:00.

'Quentin should be in his study by now' she thought as she shut the door softly behind her and leaned against its cool surface. 'All I can hope is that he won't forbid me from visiting with the Loomises because I...wait! I care nothing for Will! I'm only worried that I'll never see Carolyn, again!"

"Maggie?"

Letting out a cry, the dark-haired beauty threw a hand to her bosom as a tall figure emerged from the shadows, it soon becoming quite evident that it was Will Loomis, himself.

"What are you doing here? Don't you think you've done enough, already?" Maggie jeered, defensively taking a step back toward the door. "You've slandered my husband's name tonight more than you could ever possibly know!"

Will frowned deeply. "What, so now you're defending that creep? Mere hours ago you were agreeing with and defending me!"

"I have absolutely no obligation to you, whatsoever, Will Loomis" Maggie hissed, taking a step forward so that they were now eye-to-eye. "Unfortunately for you, I'm afraid that you've snuck into my room for naught, for we've got absolutely nothing to discuss. In fact, I have every right to call the authorities."

"But you won't" Will returned, daring to reach out and caress the softness of her cheek. "Deep-down beneath that tough exterior I know you care about me, Maggie...it's meant to be."

"Don't you touch me, Will Loomis!" Maggie spat, striking him so hard that his head swiveled to the side with a sickening pop of the neck.

Despite the searing pain from his throbbing cheek, Will turned his attention back toward her charming face so that he was able to gaze deep into her eyes, his voice quivering every-so-slightly as he ventured, "Remember back when we were together at the Old House, Maggie? When we made love in my bed and nothing else mattered 'cause all we needed was each other?"

Maggie immediately looked away, a light blush spreading rapidly across her cheeks. "Please don't" she begged. "I've been fighting with myself for so long over what's happened, so please...if you really care about me, you'll leave things along."

"But why, Maggie?" Will demanded, his luminous green eyes now reflecting his utmost despair. "How can we just keep on denying ourselves true happiness when I know that you're the one I want?"

"Because Quentin and I are married - that's why!" Maggie shot back fiercely. "I don't know about you, Will, but I actually believe in fidelity!"

Will fell silent, then, his sorrowful eyes mulling over Maggie's flushed cheeks and glittering eyes, his bosom subconsciously fluttering with desire as her chest continued to rise and fall along with her great distress. He never truly understood why his friends had always claimed that women were most desirable when angry, but now that he actually had the chance to witness it firsthand he was absolutely spellbound. Her piercing eyes, her full cherry lips...God, he was losing ground fast.

"Why are you staring at me like that, Will?" Maggie demanded, raising a delicate brow before taking a cautious step backward. "Really, now, I'd very much like it if you'd leave, so-"

"Make love to me, Maggie" Will breathed, his being humming with desire. "Please...touch me...make me feel alive, again."

"Will" Maggie gasped, closing her eyes once her former lover placed his lips at the crook of her neck and tugged at her waist so that her hips molded snugly against his own. "Will, please...I can't do this, again. I-I'm too afraid."

"I'll take care of you" he assured her, tracing his palms along her firm backside before squeezing her bottom and groaning into her ear. "Please...just let me hold you, tonight."

The rapidly growing hardness between his legs left Maggie with a dazed and fearful paralysis, a small whimper escaping her lips the moment that Will claimed her mouth hungrily with his own and began to rock his hips against hers in a slow and deliberate grind.

"Will" Maggie gasped, blindly groping at his shoulders as she desperately sought for any shred of rationality within her being. "Oh, God, Will...what are you doing to me?"

This spoken query left Will with a pleased smirk upon his lips, his mouth coaxing her own in a sensual and bruising dance that left his former lover's mouth intolerably dry.

"Don't" she suddenly pleaded, panting within the crook of his neck as his hands began to fumble with the buttons to her blouse. "Please...don't."

"I love you far too much to give up now, Maggie" Will whispered, his strong olive-green irises boring into her own before he leaned forward and placed his lips desirously against her own.

That was it - she was officially gone.

With that single kiss Maggie's world had melted away and all that now remained were she and Will, a sigh full of passion escaping her lips once her lover took her by the hand and lead her slowly toward her bed...

A/N: Soo, was it any good? Hopefully you liked it since it was my favorite chapter so far! PLEASE review! ;0)