A/N: I can only apologise for the lack of updates! It's been nearly a month since chapter 7. All I can say is life is very busy when you have a 5 month old and three kids with ASD/ADHD/Chromosome disorders. But, on a positive note, all of kiddos are now back at school/pre-school and I have a bit more free time for a few weeks until Uni and meetings for my toddler start up (Who is due to start school next year! Where does the time go?! *emotional mumma*). Again, sorry for going off on a tangent, here is chapter 8 and I hope to update in about 2 weeks.

Enjoy my lovelies :)

Chapter Eight

The start of July only brought more complications for Jane. It had been a rough few days with Lucy, who had broken the blackout blind in her bedroom which meant that Lucy was now only sleeping during the dark and short summer nights. From the crack of dawn her little girl would be wide awake and making noise and Jane would get up and sort Lucy out her breakfast and morning routine with her before getting Peter ready and drop the twins at preschool. One night she had decided to work on shift schedules for the bakery advancing well into the summer holidays throughout August and the start of September; with the thought of trying to reduce her paperwork for the bakery so she could spend a bit more time with the twins before they started 'big school'.

It was a Monday night and Lucy had finally given in to go to sleep. Tonight Jane felt lucky that she had a nurse working tonight to watch Lucy so she could get some sleep. She had given Peter his bath and helped him into his pyjamas and the two were sat in the living room reading a bedtime story. She had just finished the last sentence in The Gruffalo when Peter let out a little yawn.

"Are you sleepy my darling?" Jane whispered, kissing her boy's blonde head.

Peter nodded and snuggled tightly into her.

"I'll carry you to bed, hold on tight."

Peter wrapped his arms around Jane's neck and she stood up from the sofa, holding her son tightly to her as she crossed the living room and walked out into the hallway, walking up the stairs and stepping quietly across the landing to Peter's bedroom. She stepped across the few toy cars that still lay abandoned on the floor from playtime earlier and pulled back the covers when she reached Peter's bed. Carefully, she placed her son into his bed and tucked the covers around him, watching with a smile as he looked up at her through sleepy blue eyes.

"Mummy?" Peter yawned.

"Yes darling?" Jane asked.

"Those books you looked at, what are they?" her son questioned.

She hadn't realised that Peter had seen her reading through the leaflets that she had been given about the charity who could offer Lucy respite breaks.

"It's a place for children like Lucy who can go on little holidays and stay with people who look after them so everyone can have a break." Jane answered quietly.

"Is Lucy going to go there?"

Jane smiled sadly and shrugged.

"I don't know sweetie, mummy is thinking about it."

"Would she go forever?" Peter asked sleepily.

"No darling. Just for a week or two maybe every now and then. It just means Lucy would meet children like her and you and mummy can do some things together. But Lucy would always come back." Jane replied reassuringly.

Peter nodded with a smile.

"Don't worry mummy, one day I'll be big to look after you and Lucy."

Hearing those words from her little boy made her eyes start to well. She took a deep breath to stop herself from crying.

"You don't need to take care of us little man, that's my job." Jane said softly.

Peter shook his head and turned on to his side.

"I'm gonna take care of you mummy." He yawned.

With that, she watched her son close his eyes and mutter 'I love you' and drift off into a deep sleep. Tiptoeing out of the bedroom, she closed the bedroom door until there was a slight gap to let the light through and tiptoed across the landing into Lucy's bedroom. The nurse, Jenny, was knelt beside Lucy carefully taking her temperature.

"How's she doing?" Jane asked.

"Temperature is normal but we'll keep an eye on it every four hours," Jenny replied, "So far so good. If she can keep her temperature normal then we could possibly avoid a seizure."

The last few days had included Lucy suffering a lot of seizures which the hospital had stated was down to the hot weather which had spiked an increase in Lucy's body temperature. Luckily, Jane was able to get more help with a nurse coming out to care for Lucy during the night.

"Good. Do you need me to do anything?" Jane asked uneasily.

Jenny smiled, putting away her thermometer and pulled out Lucy's medical chart that the hospital had given to monitor Lucy's health at home.

"Jane, you ask this every time myself or a colleague is here to care for Lucy overnight. We're here to help you and give you a bit of a break. Take it. Go and have a cup of tea or turn in early and get a good night's sleep. Lucy will be fine." Jenny said reassuringly.

"But what if-"

"If she has a seizure, I'm here with her. I will be with her all through the night and my colleague will be here in an hour too. Lucy will be fine."

Jane let out a breath, feeling the slight relief on her shoulders. Jenny was one of her usual nurses before she had been granted more care hours for Lucy and the nurse was an absolute lifesaver when it came to Jane getting a good night's sleep. Bidding Jenny goodnight, she tiptoed out of the bedroom and headed downstairs. She sat back down on the sofa, placing the book she had been reading to Peter on the coffee table and picked up the TV remote. Flicking through the channels, Jane sighed heavily as she saw that nothing was on to take her interest enough when her mind was on other things.

Whilst the twins had been at preschool that morning she had attended an appointment with the director of The Netherfield Trust which offered respite breaks and activities for disabled children. When she had looked around the charity's base, she was quite impressed with how much land and the layout of the buildings. Even more so when she got to meet some other parents who accessed the charity's services and only heard positive things. Upon further talks with the director, she had been given more leaflets and sent away with a week offered for Lucy in case Jane wanted to put her in for a respite break.

She had spoken in length with her dad and her sisters on the topic and whether it was a good idea. All three had said it was for a lot of reasons. First of all, Lucy would be interacting with children just like her and an adult would be with her at all times. Secondly, the staff at the trust and even the volunteers were all trained and up-to-date with the latest research regarding children with disabilities and could look after Lucy properly. Thirdly, Lucy would be assigned an adult at all times whilst in the care of the charity. Finally, it meant that Jane could breathe and have some time for herself and give Peter some quality time which he sometimes missed out on. But despite the pros of it, she couldn't help but feel guilty; as if she was palming her child off on someone else.

But there was also the fact that she was exhausted. And her sisters had a point. She had lost her identity. All she had done for the last four years was parent and for the last two she had done it all on her own. Remembering what everyone had been telling her for the last few weeks, she silently made the decision to give it a go.

And then there was another matter on her mind; whether or not to give Charles a chance. It wasn't easy trying to find time for herself let alone trying to find time to pursue a romantic relationship with someone. Then there was the added fear of trusting someone and that made her hesitant. The last person she had been in a relationship with had walked out on her and their children because he couldn't handle having a disabled child. Her trust had been completely broken, along with her heart and she'd had to pick up the pieces by herself over the last two years. On top of that, her children had to come first and any new potential partner had to accept both her children and treat them the same, not differently just because one of them had a disability.

The thought of opening herself and her life up to someone new frightened her. She didn't know if she could bear it to love someone again only for them to decide that they couldn't handle the stress and pressures of raising Lucy with her. She knew that Lucy was hard work, better than most people knew. The sleepless nights, the seizures, the meltdowns, the making sure Lucy had a structured routine; all of it was hard work. But in her eyes, the struggles were worth it because she got to see her daughter's eyes light up whenever they made contact with her and she got to see the cuddles that Lucy and Peter shared despite Lucy not giving them to her brother that often. And how George could have walked out on all the positive things about their daughter only made Jane hate him even more.

Before she could think any more on the subject of Charles, her phone began to ring. Sighing, she hit the answer button and pressed the mobile to her ear.

"Hello Charlotte." Jane greeted.

"How are you doing? Have you made any decisions yet about Lucy?" Charlotte asked.

"Not too bad, I'm heading to bed in a minute. But I think I've decided to give the respite a try, it looks better than I imagined when it was first mentioned to me." She replied.

"Good. Listen, I didn't call to talk work stuff we can catch up on that tomorrow. I wanted to tell you that a good looking redhead came in today asking after you." Charlotte teased.

She sat upright, her heart racing.

"Charles?" she asked eagerly.

"Uh huh," Charlotte replied teasingly, "He asked me to give you his number in case you wanted to change your mind."

"And do you have it?"

Charlotte laughed, making Jane roll her eyes.

"I do," her friend confirmed, "I'll give it to you tomorrow."

"Thank you!"

Saying their goodbyes, Jane switched off the TV and giggled. Her heart raced faster in her chest at the thought of squashing her fears and texting Charles. Slow steps, she told herself. Get to know him first before you make any decisions on romance. With her mind made up, Jane got up from the sofa and headed upstairs for the night.

ooOoo

It was a balmy evening in early July, the lilacs and pinks of the sunset were painting the sky and Caroline knew that the dark blue night would arrive soon. She tossed her red hair over her shoulder and took a small sip of wine as she held the glass delicately to her lips. The light summer breeze swept past her and blew lightly against the back door to her brother's house. Just as she pulled the door back to its original position, having been moved slightly by the wind, she heard Charles calling her name from the kitchen.

"I'm in the garden, Charles!" Caroline called back.

Seconds later, her brother joined her; sitting in the empty garden chair next to her.

"Have you been enjoying yourself?" her brother asked, annoyance present in his tone of voice.

"I have," Caroline confirmed, her body slumped in the chair lazily as if filled with relaxation, "I have been really enjoying myself."

Her brother frowned at her in suspicion. Caroline knew that look well.

"I said you could stay for a few days. It's been just over a week." Charles stated.

Caroline rolled her eyes, her brother didn't like putting up with her for long periods.

"Your point?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"How long are you planning on crashing in my house? Are you here for other reasons than to spend time with your big brother as you so claimed?" Charles questioned.

"No, it's just been a while since we've spent any time together and I thought maybe by extending my stay, we could enjoy some quality sibling time." Caroline answered.

Charles made a noise but let the matter go as he got up from his seat and went back inside the house. Caroline knew why he was suspicious of her motives for extending her visit. In truth she wasn't just here to spend time with her brother, she was hoping to at least be able to see William Darcy.

She'd always had a thing for her brother's best friend when they were growing up. He was good looking, he had a gorgeous smile, lovely eyes, a body that made her dream the wildest fantasies. On top of that, he was rich. Very rich. His family came from 'old money'. William Darcy was what Caroline would define as a catch. And she knew that he was available. Very available. But there were a few problems. Firstly, she'd had a shot with Darcy and had blown it. About two years after his wife had died she had asked William out for dinner and he had agreed. She had gone all out on her outfit, getting her hair and nails done, having her make-up applied and had even gone to top up her fake tan. He'd been the perfect gentleman, he had picked her up for their date and they had shared a nice and expensive meal. He had driven her back to her flat but she had made the mistake of kissing him too heatedly and freaked him out by inviting him to spend the night. Big mistake. William Darcy wasn't the type to sleep around on the first date. Secondly, her brother had been told about her behaviour and had belittled her by giving her a telling off like a child caught putting their hand in a sweet jar. Thirdly, any hope of her getting another date with William had been dashed when Charles had threatened to tell their father of her attempts of seducing her way into the Darcy family to access their endless supply of money. And that threat had been the one to make her take a step back from her plan to bag William Darcy. Sadly, she needed her father to pay for the expensive lifestyle that she enjoyed.

But this time she was determined to get another chance with William Darcy and the way to achieve that was to go through the person he loved the most in the world.

ooOoo

After tucking Mia into bed, Will quietly walked down the stairs and saw Elizabeth waiting for him at the front door. It had become a nice routine for all of them. Elizabeth was now an invited guest for dinner most nights and Will drove her home after he tucked Mia in. Their drives together were filled with getting to know more about each other. He listened and laughed at stories she told him of playing pranks on her sisters and mother, how she had joined the school football team to prove that girls could play after a classmate told her girls couldn't play. She told him about her father's early retirement for health reasons and how isolated she had felt during her marriage due to the pressures and expectations on her shoulders. In turn he had told her about his family, the age gap between him and his sister but how close he felt to Georgiana. He had told her about how he had met his wife, their life together and the dark early days after Natalie's death.

Their friendship was developing. Already he knew that he trusted her and liked her as if he had known her a lot longer than six weeks. She was honest, caring and had a welcoming ear whenever he or Mia needed someone to talk to. Aside from Charles and a few of his work colleagues who he sometimes socialised with, it had been a long time since he had enjoyed someone's company the way he looked forward to spending time with and getting to know Elizabeth.

"Did she go off alright?" Elizabeth asked.

"She did, she's never been a bad sleeper. The only exception is when she suffered with seizures." Will replied.

"I understand. My niece has epilepsy too."

"It's not easy to live with, I hated it so much to see her suffer but now she's on the medication to treat it."

"My sister is still going through it, trying to find the right treatment."

"She will eventually. I hope your niece doesn't suffer too badly. If your sister ever needs someone to talk to, I have an ear." Will offered.

"Thanks." Elizabeth replied.

The two said their goodbyes to Alice and left the house, climbing into Will's car parked on the driveway. Will reversed off the drive and started driving. The sun was hanging low in the sky, a nice mixture of pinks, purples and a darkening blue and the nice breeze entered the car as Elizabeth wound down her window.

"Do you still want us to come with you on Saturday?" Will asked.

Elizabeth looked over at him and nodded.

"If that's okay. I don't want anything too expensive but I need my own car and I need your opinion on what one to buy." She replied.

"You're the one that has to drive it." he pointed out.

"True. But I will be taking your daughter out in it when the summer holidays come around. I don't want to buy a car that you aren't happy with. For your peace of mind about safety, I'd rather have your input." Elizabeth said softly.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"It means a lot to me that you value my opinion. That you would want me to help you and you care about Mia's safety so deeply." Will clarified.

He noticed her smile out of the corner of his eye. Her smile was infectious as he felt his mouth twinge at the corners.

"Mia is…a delightful girl. She is lovely and thoughtful and just what I needed." Elizabeth said brightly.

"Have you heard any more from your solicitor?"

"I had a list of things that David is willing to give to me in the divorce but I don't want anything from him."

"Why not? It's what you're legally entitled to." Will reminded her.

"I know. But our entire marriage was built on David's success. Now that we're divorcing, I want the next chapter of my life to be about my success. My dreams. And having money or anything from the previous chapter might taint that vision." Elizabeth said thoughtfully.

Will couldn't help but feeling the silent burst of pride at the woman sat next to him. He knew that she had struggles, the way she talked about her life with her soon-to-be-ex-husband was evidently more one-sided than a partnership. The sadness was present sometimes when she opened up about her marriage but it wasn't the type of sadness of losing the man she had loved for the past five years, it was something deeper. Like she had lost something that she had deeply wanted. Whatever it was, he hoped that one day she would be able to share that pain with someone. Not necessarily with him, just someone. Although he hoped and wanted her to feel safe enough with him to share that pain.

They talked a little more about the pending divorce, how Elizabeth had wrote a reply stating that she didn't want anything from her ex and wished to move forward with her life. He found it oddly refreshing to know someone who didn't care about money or material things, who just wanted to find some happiness. He hadn't known a woman like that in a long time.

As he pulled up outside her house and turned off the engine, he turned to look at her, her face illuminated under the streetlight lighting up his car.

"If you ever need to talk, I hope you know that I'm here for you." Will said softly.

She surprised him by taking his hand and giving it a grateful squeeze.

"I appreciate it, thank you." Elizabeth whispered.

But he didn't get a chance to say any more. The front door to her parent's house opened and a man began power walking out on to the street.

"THOMAS BENNET! WE HAVEN'T FINISHED THIS-"

He saw Elizabeth roll her eyes and mutter an apology before thanking him for the lift and getting out of the car. Watching her walk into her house and usher her mother inside quickly, he sat in his seat, his hand feeling the lingering softness of her touch.