A/N: This isn't usually like me to post twice in the same month, so I'll take that as a win. I hope you all like this chapter. I won't lie it gets a little heated at the end so I have to ask you to let me know what level of 'heated stuff' are you readers comfortable with? I don't want to write heated moments if it makes you uncomfortable.

Enjoy!

Chapter Eighteen

Some weeks ago…

Reginald Darcy liked to think of himself as a cautious person. When it came to business, he did not make any investments until he was as sure as he could be before parting with his money that it was for a good cause. When it came to employing staff to maintain his ancestral family home of Pemberley, he hired a private investigator to investigate each and every person's background to ensure that they were trustworthy and wouldn't rob the silverware. And when it came to his children, he liked to ensure that their feelings were protected when they entered into new relationships. When his son and heir had married, he had ensured that Natalie could be trusted and watched as his future daughter-in-law ripped up the cheque that he had written for her. After that, he wished his son and his future wife well and developed a good bond with Natalie. Luckily, his children were unaware of his methods to ensure their partners were trustworthy, but he was not about to risk the family fortune on a potential scammer.

It was nearly dusk when the door to his study knocked, the sound of a fist hammering hard on the ageing wood. Reginald clicked the send button as he finished writing his email to a business associate and switched off the screen to his computer.

"Come in." Reginald called.

The door opened and in stepped his nephew. Reginald rolled his eyes as he caught site of his nephew, his neck covered in red marks and the top two buttons on his shirt undone. Richard closed the door behind him and strolled in casually as Reginald rose from his seat and walked across the room to the cabinet where he stored his good whiskey.

"For god sake Richard! At least have the decency to cover up your neck when you enter my home!" Reginald complained.

Richard took a seat on the other side of the desk and buttoned up his shirt before rolling up his sleeves.

"You wanted to see me, Uncle Reg?" Richard asked casually.

"Yes. Do you want a drink?" Reginald asked, pouring himself a whiskey.

"Go on then."

Reginald poured his nephew a whiskey and handed him the glass. Richard took a small mouthful as Reginald sat back down in his chair.

"I'm concerned about Fitzwilliam. He seems to be getting close to a young woman who happens to be in his employ." Reginald stated, getting straight to the point.

Richard raised his eyebrow and downed the rest of his drink in one before placing the glass on the desk in front of him.

"Good for Fitz!" Richard laughed, "It's about time he got back in the sack."

Reginald frowned.

"I want you to keep an eye on my son. Your cousin isn't a rake like you so when he gets involved with a woman it develops into something serious." He pointed out.

"What exactly do you want me to do?" Richard questioned.

"Get to know this woman, try and romance her away from my son. I don't want my son making a mess that he can't get out of." Reginald answered.

Richard leaned back in his chair and chuckled.

"I do like a challenge. But why are you so concerned about Fitz making a mistake he can't learn from?"

Reginald cleared his throat and looked at the photographs on the wall behind Richard and focussed on the one of his father as a young man.

"My father had a lot of similarities to yourself, Richard. He liked his women too, even though he had a wife. And the short version of the story is that our reputation was nearly ruined after my father got involved with one of his staff."

Richard looked at him curiously but nodded his agreement.

"Don't worry, Uncle Reg. I'll make sure that Fitz doesn't get into any trouble." His nephew promised.

Present day…

The last thing that Richard Fitzwilliam had expected to do was to drink in a grandad pub with Caroline Bingley. But having caught the red head spying on his cousin and Elizabeth, he was intrigued to know what she was doing and her motives for spying. As he leaned back in the rickety chair, Caroline placed a pint of lager in front of him before sitting in the chair opposite. Richard thanked her quietly and placed the glass to his lips, his hand holding the glass tightly. As he took a mouthful of lager, he observed Caroline closely. Her red hair was knotted, evidently hadn't been brushed for a few days. Her fingernails had been chewed down and her hands were slightly shaking. Her eyes were drooping with dark circles underneath the bottom eyelid, showing that she wasn't sleeping properly.

"When was the last time you took care of yourself?" Richard questioned.

Caroline's focus shifted from her wine glass to him and she glared at him through narrowed eyes.

"What are you implying?" she grunted.

"You look knackered, Caro. You look like you haven't slept properly in a week and your body isn't exactly screaming it's getting some TLC." Richard pointed out.

She continued to glare at him as she took a sip of her wine.

"I don't exactly have a comfortable bed to sleep on at the hotel." Caroline muttered.

"I thought you were staying with Charles?"

Caroline shook her head.

"He kicked me out of his house and my dad says he won't let me back home until I sort myself out."

"So, spying on Darcy is sorting yourself out, is it?" Richard asked amusingly.

Caroline sat up straight in her seat.

"It should be me that he's with, I know him better and I've known him longer than that whore!" she hissed.

"If you say so." Richard yawned with boredom.

The pair took another mouthful of their drinks in silence before Caroline cleared her throat.

"I know he would see sense if you could help me." She pleaded.

He had never seen Caroline Bingley look so desperate before. Of course, he had known her for years and he knew that she had always fancied his cousin. He knew that Caroline had tried to come between Darcy and Natalie when the pair were together, and he knew that Caroline had made attempts over the years to try and entice his cousin. But he had never seen her resort to spying and pleading for help to get Darcy to return her interest.

"What did you have in mind?" Richard asked curiously.

"Well…I haven't…the long-term goal is to separate Darcy and that slut! I want to make it seem like she is after his money, that she isn't the little innocent that he believes her to be…" Caroline replied shakily.

"You haven't thought it all out completely have you?" Richard chuckled.

Caroline glared at him again.

"Well I tried to soften up his daughter until the little brat spilled the beans. I got suspended from my job and Charles kicked me out for it! I need to make Darcy see that he is making a big mistake getting involved with her and I'll stop at nothing to achieve it!" she threatened.

Richard nodded his understanding as he took another swig of his lager.

"You need to think about this plan carefully, it can't be sloppy." Richard warned her.

"So why don't you help me? Why don't we pretend that we're a couple to make Darcy jealous? You could invite me along to family functions over the coming months as your 'girlfriend' and use it as an opportunity to get closer to Elizabeth. On the side you could woo her whilst keeping up the charade with me. I could make it seem to Darcy that I've well and truly moved on with you." Caroline suggested.

Richard pursed his lips as he thought over her proposal. On the one hand, it did seem like an opportunity to carry out Uncle Reg's request but on the other hand, he didn't exactly like doing a lot of work when it came to romancing a woman.

"I'll tell you what. Why don't you go back to your hotel and get a good night's sleep and I'll sleep on your offer? Tomorrow we can meet for dinner, my treat, to discuss it further after a night of thinking." Richard proposed.

Caroline smiled wickedly.

"You have a deal." She agreed.

They finished their drinks in silence before Caroline said her goodbyes and left the pub. Once Richard saw her exit the building, he pulled out his mobile phone and dialled Reginald's number.

"Hello? Richard, what is it?" his uncle questioned.

"Uncle Reg, I think we have a problem with Caroline Bingley."

ooOoo

Elizabeth woke up the following morning feeling strange. She wasn't used to waking up in her boss' guest bedroom. And she wasn't used to staying with her boss, friend and potential lover either. It wasn't that she was regretting her offer to help Will this week, she wanted to help him and Mia. But she found herself wondering if this week would change a lot of things. Would staying with Will change the dynamics of her different relationships with him? She wasn't sure that her professional and personal relationship with Will could merge into one relationship. But she knew that once her divorce was settled, she could make some definite decisions about her future with Will.

She kicked back the covers and got out of bed, walking out of the guest bedroom and headed downstairs to make herself some breakfast. When she entered the kitchen, she saw that Will was already awake and was filling the kettle with some water to boil.

"Good morning Elizabeth." Will greeted brightly.

"Good morning." She said back with a smile.

"Do you want some tea?"

"Please."

Elizabeth pulled out two mugs and handed them to Will. He took them from her and placed them on the kitchen counter before he took her hand in his and pulled her to him. She squealed with surprise as she found herself in his arms and his lips pressed to hers. Elizabeth giggled as she returned his kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. They kissed softly for a few minutes, savouring each other's lips until the sound of a click from the kettle interrupted them. Will broke away from her and released her from his arms as he turned his attention to the kettle and made them both a cup of tea.

"Did you sleep well?" Will asked finished making the tea.

"Yeah, I did, thanks. It was nice to not be woken up by my mother's shrieking." Elizabeth replied with a chuckle.

Will smiled and took a sip of his tea as he handed her a mug. The two walked through to the living room and sat on the sofa. Elizabeth tucked her legs underneath her bottom and sat comfortably.

"I want you to be comfortable here so if there is anything that you need, don't be afraid to ask." Will stated softly.

"I'll bear that in mind." She said gratefully.

"It's up to you how you want to go about doing the extra responsibilities you've offered to undertake. Alice has a routine, but I don't expect you to stick to that." Will said.

"I was thinking I'll load the dishwasher once we've all had breakfast and then go about doing laundry and hoovering the house. I know Alice cleans the bathroom once a week, so I'll stick to the day I know she does it for that job." Elizabeth replied.

"Go at your pace. If it gets done, I don't mind how it's done. But, are you absolutely sure you don't mind helping me out with Alice's job for a week?"

"Will, I don't mind. Before I moved back home it was my job to keep the flat David and I shared clean and spotless. I can manage."

"Okay. Let me know if there is anything you're struggling with."

The morning went by fast. After eating some breakfast with Will and Mia, Elizabeth jumped into the bath for a quick shower and then dressed for the day. When she headed downstairs, she saw that Mia had brought down the laundry hamper and had set it up in front of the washing machine.

"Alice does a colour wash today. Whites on tomorrow." Mia informed her.

"Are you nominating your services to get me used to Alice's routine?" Elizabeth asked amusingly.

Mia giggled.

"I want to help you. The sooner the housework gets done the sooner we can have fun." Mia reasoned.

"I'm not sure, Mia. If your dad knew-"

"Dad says it's fine, I already asked him if I could help."

Elizabeth smiled.

"Alright, let's get started."

Between the two of them, they loaded the dishwasher and put on a coloured laundry wash in the washing machine. Mia wiped down the kitchen cupboards whilst Elizabeth hoovered the upstairs and the downstairs carpets. Mia swept the kitchen floor and took out the recycling whilst Elizabeth changed the bin and took out the rubbish. Mia dusted the living room and dining room whilst Elizabeth mopped the kitchen floor. Once those chores were done, Elizabeth took the washed laundry and took it outside to the garden to hang on the washing line.

As she was putting the pegs on to some of Will's work trousers, Mia came running to the back door.

"Lizzy, there's someone at the front door." The little girl called.

Elizabeth left the rest of the wet clothes on one of the garden chairs and walked through the house to answer the front door. Upon opening the front door, she was surprised to see her father on the other side of it.

"Dad. What are you doing here?" Elizabeth greeted brightly.

Thomas held up a large brown envelope that looked like it was stuff with a lot of paper and smiled sympathetically.

"Is that-"

"Ian Forster dropped them off ten minutes ago, I came straight here to give them to you." Thomas said softly.

Elizabeth stood aside for her father to enter the house and closed the door behind him. As she led her father into the living room, Will came walking down the stairs.

"Elizabeth, was there someone at the door?" Will asked.

She felt slightly awkward that her father had come to deliver something personal to her especially as she was supposed to be working.

"Sorry Will… my dad had to deliver something to me…" Elizabeth apologised.

"No apology needed. Hello, I'm William Darcy." Will smiled, introducing himself to her father.

Thomas smiled and shook the younger man's hand.

"Thomas Bennet. Lizzy talks about you and your daughter constantly." Thomas said, looking at Elizabeth with that teasing look a father wore to wind up his daughter.

Elizabeth felt her cheeks going red as she tried to look for something else to focus her attention on.

"Oh, she does, does she?" Will asked innocently, looking at Elizabeth with a teasing expression.

Elizabeth wished in that moment that a black hole would swallow her up. One of the most embarrassing things was when her father would meet someone that was close to was that he would tease her. Of course, her father didn't know about her kissing her boss, but she could hazard a guess that her father knew that she liked him as more than a friend.

She met Will's gaze for a moment and then quickly turned her attention back to her father.

"Thank you for dropping this off, dad." Elizabeth said, gesturing to the envelope.

"Sooner they get signed, the sooner you can move on. If you want to talk about it…" Thomas said, trailing off.

"I know where you are, dad."

Thomas gave her a small smile and announced he was off to play cricket with some of his friends and departed from the house. Will closed the front door behind her dad and trailed his eyes to the envelope that she was holding.

"Is that-"

"Divorce papers." She confirmed.

Will closed the gap between them and held her hand supportively.

"How are you feeling?" he asked in a whisper.

How did she feel? Surprised that it would be this quick considering it was nearly four months since her marriage ended. She felt curious to see where her life was going to head the moment that she signed the divorce papers. And more than anything she found herself musing about how her relationship with Will could proceed without the obstacle of her divorce in the way.

"I'm okay." She replied quietly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Because it would be fine if you were upset."

Elizabeth gave him a small smile.

"I'm fine. Really."

And they left it at that.

The rest of the morning was spent playing outside in the garden with Mia. Because the Darcy's didn't have any netting, they set up a little row of garden chairs that they could hit a shuttlecock over with some badminton bats. Will had made them all some lunch and they sat together in the sunshine eating croissants. It was as they had finished eating that Will received a call from Maggie to give an update on Alice. Will took the call back inside the house as Elizabeth and Mia sat anxiously for news. Seeing that Mia was upset, Elizabeth held her arms open wide and gestured for Mia to come if she wanted. The little girl took her up on her offer, sitting on her lap as Elizabeth hugged her tightly.

Will emerged about ten minutes later and was smiling.

"Alice is awake, she's going to be fine." He announced.

Sighs of relief filled the garden.

"Can I go and see her?" Mia asked desperately.

"I'll take you tomorrow, she's still tired so let's give her a day with Maggie and James first." Will replied.

"But dad-"

"Tomorrow. I will take you tomorrow."

Mia nodded, a little disappointed that they couldn't visit Alice right away. After lunch, Elizabeth saw to the rest of the chores, folding the now dry clothes and bringing them inside the house. Mia had gone upstairs to her bedroom to play with some of her toys so Elizabeth could finish the last few chores. Once she had finished emptying the dishwasher and put all the plates and cups away into the cupboards, her attention fell on to the brown envelope that she had left on the dining table. Entering the dining room, she sat down and opened the envelope, reading through the settlement and looking at the division of assets during her marriage. David would be keeping the London flat, his car, the appliances they had bought for the flat during their five-year marriage. Elizabeth had been offered their life savings which would help her kickstart the new chapter of her life. She also got to keep their wedding photographs which she planned to bin when she received them. She had also been offered to keep some of the jewellery given to her by David's family, but she declined, stating she would reluctantly accept David's offer of their savings and nothing else. When she came to the last few pages, she saw that David had already signed the papers and the only space empty was left for her signature.

As she got up to look for a pen in the kitchen, she turned around to see that Will was leaning against the door frame and held out a pen for her.

"I thought this was what you were looking for." He said softly.

Elizabeth re-entered the dining room and took the pen from him, thanking him quietly as she sat back down in her seat.

"Are you happy with the settlement?" Will asked curiously.

"I didn't really want anything from him, but I'll take his offer because I can use the money for my future." Elizabeth mumbled.

"Any ideas on what the future holds?"

Elizabeth clicked the pen and signed the papers in the required spaces and placed the pen down on the table.

"I want to start my own childminding service and get a mortgage. I now have enough for a tiny deposit on a one-bedroom to get a mortgage from the bank and then the rest I'll save and add more to until I've built up enough to start a business." She announced.

"If I can help you develop those plans, you need only ask." Will offered.

"Thank you. Would you mind if I quickly dropped this off to my solicitor's office?" Elizabeth asked.

Will shook his head and she left the house to take her divorce papers to Ian Forster. She had no idea why her divorce had been finalised so quickly, but she certainly wasn't going to complain. Will had said that her solicitor's firm had a reputation for quickie divorces, she just hadn't expected it to be this soon, just two weeks off the four-month mark of David telling her he wanted to divorce.

ooOoo

Will was sat in his office when Elizabeth returned. He had just finished up some work emails and was waiting for a few housekeeping agencies to return his inquiries when there was a knock on the door to his study. He looked up and smiled when he saw Elizabeth standing in the doorway.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"It went okay. Apparently, David paid my solicitor's fees and requested they make it a top priority to get ours pushed through quicker." Elizabeth replied.

"They do like to get a client's divorce finalised quickly, usually within six months. How do you feel?"

"Relieved more than anything. I feel that there is one less thing standing in my way now, it's given me a little more clarity on my future."

Will sat back in his chair and studied her. She certainly looked a little less confused than she did weeks ago when he had kissed her outside Mia's school.

"I'm pleased that it's given you a clear head. So, a childminding business?" Will asked.

Elizabeth closed the study door and sat in a chair opposite the desk.

"I get my settlement within the next two to three weeks and then I can move on to the next stage of my life. Look at starting up a business and getting my own place." She replied.

Will looked at her hopefully, he hoped that she would be open to talking about their relationship soon. Of course, he wasn't going to pressure her or rush her into making any decisions, he supported her in whatever she wanted to do or how slow she wanted to take things between them. He even supported her if she chose not to take their relationship further. He would take things at whatever pace Elizabeth wanted to move at.

"It sounds like you have some productive plans to put in place." Will mused.

"I do. There's also one regarding a certain man and his daughter but I'm still working a few things out in my head." Elizabeth smiled.

Will leaned across the desk and grinned at her. Right now, it didn't matter that they were technically on the clock.

"I'm all ears for when you've worked out those things." He whispered.

Elizabeth met him on the other half of the desk.

"You'll be the first person to know." She stated, smiling widely.

He couldn't help himself, Will lifted his hands from the desk and cupped her face and kissed her fiercely. Elizabeth sighed into the kiss, her hands gripping his collar tightly as their lips moved together and their tongues battled each other. When he broke the kiss, he took a few minutes to regulate his breathing.

He wanted her. But he wouldn't go that far whilst his daughter played in her bedroom and especially not if Mia would need him or walk in on him or Elizabeth.

"I was thinking we could watch a movie together tonight, if you'd like?" Will asked softly.

Elizabeth let go of his shirt and nodded, standing up to full height and looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"How much of a movie would we be actually able to watch?" she teased.

Will sat back in his chair, reclining on it lazily.

"That depends." He chuckled.

"On what?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"If you're wearing those shorty pyjamas. They're very distracting." Will flirted.

"Oh really? How are they distracting?"

"Well Ms Bennet…you've got a pair of great legs…"

Elizabeth let out a little laugh. She placed her hands flat on the desk as she looked down at him.

"And have you thought about my great legs wrapped around your waist as you kiss me?" she whispered teasingly.

Will felt a knot in his throat as the mental image of her with her legs around him tightly flashed into his mind. He remembered the other times she had done so, how thrilling it felt to have her so close to him. God. He needed to stop thinking about that right now.

"You're good at that…" he said hoarsely.

Elizabeth's eyes flashed deviously as she stopped leaning on the desk and walked to the door.

"I'm glad you think so." She said brightly.

And without another word she flashed him a quick and teasing grin before leaving the study to check on Mia.

ooOoo

That evening Elizabeth had made toad-in-the-hole for dinner for the three of them. Will had told them that Alice's doctors were monitoring the housekeeper as she complained of headaches and some memory loss but were hopeful that she would fully recover. Elizabeth was relieved that Alice would be okay but knew that it would be a while before she would return to work. After dinner, Elizabeth cleared away the plates and loaded the dishwasher as Will put Mia to bed. When she was finished, she yelped in surprise as Will turned her around to face him as she had finished wiping down the kitchen sides.

"Hello." She whispered.

"Hello yourself." He grinned.

"What movie shall we watch?" Elizabeth asked teasingly.

Will didn't respond with words, instead he captured her lips with his own and kissed her slowly and teasingly, expressing an ember of desire as his tongue met hers. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck, eyes closed as she sighed contentedly into his mouth. Will placed his hands under her bottom, lifting her up and wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her through to the living room, setting her down on the sofa all the while continuing to kiss her.

She felt hot. Her body was aching to be under his hands as she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him on top of her. Their bodies pressed together as he lay on top of her and she tightened her grip around him with her thighs. Will broke away from her lips and groaned hotly in her ear, pressing his lips to the exposed skin on her neck. Elizabeth sighed happily as she angled her head upwards to give him better access.

Kisses turned more heated as Will brought his lips back to hers, taking her bottom lip between his teeth and biting lightly which caused her to gasp.

"Will…" Elizabeth moaned.

She felt his hands move under her t-shirt, gently caressing her ribcage as his hands moved to her breasts. He kissed her heatedly, his tongue seeking entrance to her mouth and battled her own. Elizabeth wove her hands into his hair, feeling the soft curls as she gripped lightly as the kiss grew more passionate. He broke away from her lips as he placed his hands over her bra and cupped her breasts.

"I want you…" he rasped.

Elizabeth arched her back, pressing her upper body into his hands as she tucked her legs around his and pressed her pelvis into his. Will let out a throaty groan as he squeezed her breasts gently, moving his lips to her neck. Feeling bold and hazy from where Will was kissing her, she lowered her hands to the hem of his t-shirt and started to lift it up. Helping her, Will lifted himself off her and took the shirt off, tossing it on the floor as Elizabeth pressed her lips to his chest.

"Oh…god…" he breathed as her hands ventured from his chest.

Her hands travelled lower and lower until they reached the waistband of his shorts. Will captured her mouth with his once more, thrusting his tongue into hers and kissed her urgently with as much passion as he could muster. Elizabeth moaned into his mouth, unbuttoning the button to his short and pulling them down over his hips.

"Will…take me to bed…" Elizabeth pleaded between heated kisses, feeling her whole body ignite under his touch.

The increasing want and need within her was overtaking her mind. Right now, it didn't matter how nervous she had felt in the beginning about her evolving relationship with Will and it didn't matter how many reservations she had had over the previous weeks. Will broke away from her lips and sat up, pulling her with him as they breathed slowly. Elizabeth felt her heart race as she looked at him, his skin was flushed, his hair unruly and the way he looked at her with a flame in his eyes made her squirm where she sat. She felt a shiver rush down her spine as she he looked at her, taking her hands and kissing her palm softly.

"Before this goes further…we need to talk about a few things…" Will muttered.

Elizabeth exhaled slowly after taking a deep breath and nodded, trying to slowly pace her fast beating heart.

"Okay…" she breathed.

Will cleared his throat.

"I stopped us going further because I don't have any condoms in the house." He said quietly.

"That's responsible…" Elizabeth said admirably.

"I haven't had the need to keep them in the house, I've never dated seriously since my wife died." Will explained.

"You don't need to explain," Elizabeth said quietly, "It's none of my business what you got up to after your wife died."

Will took her hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"It is your business if we're planning to sleep together. I want you in all ways, Elizabeth but I would never presume that we're sleeping together without taking precautions."

"No, I like that you initiated this conversation. It definitely gives us some things to think about."

"Well…I just want you to know that I haven't been sleeping around, I've literally just been raising my daughter alone for the past six years. Even while I'm involved with you, I'm not sleeping with anyone else." Will stated.

"I wouldn't think any less of you if you had a few sexual partners, Will. We're adults and make our own choices. But you don't need to worry because I don't exactly have a long list of sexual partners either. In fact, David was my first." Elizabeth said shyly.

He kissed the back of her hand and stroked his thumb against her knuckles tenderly. Will looked at her cautiously, biting his lip as she gave him a reassuring nod to indicate that he could ask her whatever he was debating if he should ask her.

"You said that you can't have children…" Will said softly.

She felt a pang of tightness in her chest.

"Ah." She sighed.

"Elizabeth, I don't want to be insensitive…"

"Female contraceptives don't protect against STIs." She reminded him.

"I'm aware but I want you to know that you're safe with me and you can talk to me about anything. I can only imagine how much it hurts being told you're infertile, but I want you to know that I don't see you as broken or not fulfilling a purpose." Will whispered softly.

Elizabeth nodded, tears filling her eyes.

"It hurts, like an invisible knife stabbing you in the gut. In one day, I was told my dreams of being a mother weren't going to happen and my ex-husband used that as the reason to end our marriage. I thought having a child with David would make me happy, as it turns out it was probably for the best that I couldn't. I realise now that it wasn't love that was keeping me with David, it was all an illusion. I wanted to make the marriage work and I would have done anything to do so. I even suggested going to counselling but he said no. In the end, it was a good thing that David said he wanted a divorce." She sighed tearfully.

Will wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him. She snuggled into his chest and inhaled, trying to prevent her nose from getting stuffy.

"It doesn't make you a bad person for wanting to make your marriage work," Will murmured, "After Mia was born, she became my everything along with Natalie. And my marriage changed in a lot of ways, one of which my wife and I didn't get so much alone time as we did prior to Mia being born."

"You drifted apart?" Elizabeth questioned.

"In some ways. Natalie wanted us to reconnect our sex life and suggested we try for another baby, but I didn't want another child so soon after having Mia. I wanted to wait a few years, until Mia was more independent and older enough to understand that we didn't love her any less if we gave her a sibling. Of course, it was never meant to be." Will answered.

"Would you ever want another child?" Elizabeth asked before she could stop herself.

Will looked down at her and kissed her forehead as she met his gaze.

"I've never really thought about it to be honest. If I were with the right person and it happened, I would be thrilled. Mia wasn't a planned pregnancy and once I got my head around it, I was overjoyed." He replied.

Elizabeth hummed softly as she felt his lips press against her forehead for the second time. In his arms, she felt calm and safe and for the first time in weeks she hadn't felt too much pain at the talk of her past life with David.

"Elizabeth…If David asked you for a second chance…what would you say?" Will asked curiously.

Looking up at him, she smiled.

"I would tell him that I didn't love him anymore and that I was happy as I am. That I'm content with you and Mia in my life." Elizabeth replied honestly.

Will placed a light kiss to her forehead and the pair sat in silence as they tried to steady their racing hearts and calm down from the high. They had shared an honest conversation and Elizabeth was grateful for it. Perhaps now, she mused, she could think about the dynamics of her work relationship with Will and head out on a first date with him before they took that step in the physical aspect of their relationship? One thing was clear, she wanted to pursue a relationship with Will, they just had to sort out the complicated stuff first.

ooOoo

The rest of the week had flown by before Will knew it. Every day he would complete his work as Elizabeth took on Alice's role as well as her own looking after Mia and deep down he was starting to become anxious over not having her in his house once she started up her dream of a childminding business. He was thrilled for her that she wanted to start a business in a field that she enjoyed but he knew he would miss her not caring solely for Mia.

It was the Friday and he had just finished a phone call with Alice when Mia knocked on the door of his study. He ushered his daughter inside and turned off his computer screen to devote his full attention to her.

"How's Alice?" Mia asked worriedly.

Will opened his arms and circled them around his daughter as she sat on his lap. It occurred to him in that moment that she was no longer that little girl he could easily bounce on his knee. Mia was nine in two weeks' time and had had a growth spurt recently. She could easily rest her head on his shoulder now instead of bury her head into his chest. Why did things have to change so quickly?

"She's okay sweetheart. Her memory is a big foggy, but she will be well enough to come home soon." Will replied.

"Maggie said she would be going back to Pemberley for a while. Is she going to live back with Grandad and Auntie Georgie?" Mia asked.

"Only for a little while as she recovers but hopefully soon after that she can come back here like it used to be."

Mia nodded, the faraway look evident on her face. Will poked her gently in her ribs, causing Mia to jolt and giggle at the tickling sensation.

"What's up?" Will questioned.

Mia sighed heavily.

"Dad, does Lizzy have to stop being my childminder?"

Will smiled sadly as he kissed his daughter's forehead gently.

"If she wants to start her own business looking after other children then we can't stop her."

"Yeah but…it would mean that she's not with us anymore and we're really happy since Lizzy came to us."

"We are," Will agreed, "But we will keep in touch with Lizzy."

Mia looked at him curiously.

"Are you and Lizzy going to get married?" she asked.

Will felt his heart racing. He and Elizabeth had so far been careful not to act out of the ordinary in front of Mia. They didn't kiss or anything like that in front of her because they needed some boundaries and still needed to discuss their pending relationship.

"We're…Elizabeth has just got divorced…so no we're not getting married…"

"But you like her?"

Will nodded, he wouldn't lie to his daughter.

"I do, kiddo. I do.

"How much?" Mia asked.

Will chuckled, "A lot." He replied.

"Do you want her to be in our lives forever?"

"Yes."

Mia chewed on her lip lost in thought and only spoke when Will gently poked her in the ribs again.

"Dad…there's something that I really want for my birthday, but I don't know if you'll give it to me…" Mia muttered.

Will raised an eyebrow. He had already bought his daughter's birthday presents so he didn't really want to spend more money. But he told her to go ahead and tell him.

"I want Lizzy to adopt me and be my mum."

As he tried to process his daughter's request, he knew that he definitely hadn't seen that coming.