A/N: Here's the latest chapter. It's probably not my best work but I've been under a lot of stress lately so please forgive me :) I'm not sure when the next chapter will come it will most likely be after Christmas so I wish everyone a Merry Christmas now.

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Elizabeth Bennet?" the nurse called.

Feeling her heart beating faster in her chest, Elizabeth picked up her bag and coat and took Will's hand, following the nurse into one of the little rooms off the waiting area. She was greeted by the sonographer as soon as the door shut behind them both, with Will taking a seat next to the bed. The sonographer instructed her to change into a gown and prop herself on the bed. Once changed, she handed her clothes to Will and hopped on to the bed, laying back on the pillow as the sonographer asked for permission to begin an internal scan.

The coldness of the room made her shiver as she tried to relax during the procedure. She felt anxious as she felt Will squeeze her hand whilst they waited for the sonographer to speak. But all the sonographer did was look intently at the screen whilst they carried out the procedure. Elizabeth took a deep breath, resting her head back on the pillow until the sonographer moved the screen round to them, smiling and offering their congratulations.

Elizabeth turned her head to the screen and saw the little blob with a tiny flicker beating faster and faster on the screen. All of a sudden, she felt her anxiety float away and felt a surge of happiness as the sonographer printed them a picture and told them she was due roughly in August but she would get a proper due date at her twelve-week scan. Once the procedure was over, Elizabeth got dressed and the nurse escorted them out, asking them not to open the little brown envelope containing their photograph until they were outside the hospital, due to the unit being the place where miscarriages were often diagnosed. As she walked through the hospital holding hands with Will, she couldn't help herself smile at the fact that she was pregnant.

"It doesn't feel real yet…" Will said breathlessly, sitting on a bench once they stepped outside the hospital entrance.

Elizabeth sat down next to him, continuing to smile as she pulled the picture out of the envelope and stared down at it.

"I know…it feels like a dream…" she sighed happily.

Will leaned and kissed her forehead, wrapping an arm around her as he looked down at the photograph.

"It looks a bit like a bean." He laughed.

Elizabeth nudged her boyfriend in the ribs but joined in with his laughter. They continued to gaze at the photograph, both filled with happiness and surprise that they were now confirmed to become parents again.

"How do you think Mia will take the news when we tell her?" Elizabeth asked cautiously.

"She'll love it. Of course, it is an adjustment, but this year is all about positive changes for us all. We are filing the paperwork for the adoption next week and then we'll learn the next steps from the local authority and have our several interviews with social services. We have the business opening officially in early February and now we are having a baby. We're doing this together, Lizzy and that's all that matters." Will assured her.

"I just don't want her to feel that she's not as important to me just because I'm pregnant. I love her and I want her to know that she will not be any less loved than this baby." Elizabeth said fearfully.

Will kissed her cheek and smiled.

"She'll know. The two of you have a strong bond and have done since you first stepped into our lives. That won't change." He replied confidently.

Elizabeth nodded and placed the photograph back in the envelope before pocketing it in her coat.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Will nodded.

"We have to get this over with eventually, I still want to come inside with you but if you feel that you need to speak with him alone then I'll wait outside for you." He sighed.

"Thank you."

The couple held hands back to the car and left the hospital to drive to the flat that Elizabeth had never thought she'd step back into when she left it for the last time.

ooOoo

"I wasn't expecting you to ever contact me again once the papers were signed." David admitted.

Elizabeth leaned against the doorframe, unsure of how she wanted to begin to get the answers she needed from him.

"Well I wasn't ever planning to contact you ever again," Elizabeth answered truthfully, "But before I can put our chapter behind me completely, I need some answers."

David raised an eyebrow.

"Answers? To what?" he questioned.

"About the last few months of our marriage, David. I want to know if you still have the paperwork from the fertility clinic."

David's eyes closed firmly, muttering under his breath words that Elizabeth couldn't make out. She tapped her food on the carpet impatiently as she waited for his response. She could only hear him muttering a few words, but nothing was clear. She watched as he rubbed his temple and then open his eyes to meet her stare.

"Liz…you don't need the paperwork…we've been through this already…" David sighed.

"No. We didn't have a discussion, so we haven't been through this already. You divorced me because I couldn't have children…I need to know what the findings were at the fertility clinic because if I do have any problems then I need to let my midwife know-"

"You're pregnant?!" David interrupted; his voice filled with surprise.

Elizabeth paused and took a deep breath.

"Yes. About eight weeks. It came as a shock." She replied.

"Wow. I didn't think you would have a serious relationship so quickly. Or is this a result of a rebound?"

She clenched her fists and took a few deep breaths to calm herself, even though she was seething with anger. How dare he assume that she was the type of person to rebound? Did he ever truly know anything about her?

"My relationship with Will is serious. I was broken when you so spitefully ended our marriage the way you did. I wasn't looking for anything aside from a purpose to get me through a dark period of my life. And then I met Will and his daughter Mia. They brought me out of that dark hole, and they made me whole again." Elizabeth growled.

"Well you have to admit that getting pregnant so quickly with a man you've been in a relationship with for less than a year doesn't look good, does it?" David sneered.

"I don't care what people think of me. I love Will. I love Mia. And we are building a life together. I am adopting his daughter later this year, we are filing the paperwork soon before the next steps go ahead. So not only am I having a baby, but I'm also becoming a mother to two children this year." Elizabeth declared fiercely.

"Well then…I suppose there's nothing left to say…I'm happy for you…" David said bitterly.

"But there are things left to say, David. What did the clinic say about my fertility? Can I conceive but there will be complications? Can I carry a baby to term? Are there problems with my womb? I need to know if I can have this baby healthily or not." Elizabeth cried desperately.

David let out a frustrated scream before banging his fist on the wall behind him, making Elizabeth flinch. Seeing him like this only brought back the memories of the times they argued during their marriage. It would usually result in David storming out of the house and ignoring her for days after. But this time, she was determined to get the answers she needed.

When he turned to face her, he looked like a stranger. Like she had not known him at all.

"Think back all those months ago, Liz. What were my exact words?" David hissed through gritted teeth.

Elizabeth felt her heart quicken. Anxiety setting in as she tried to calm herself.

"You can't have my child, Liz."

As she replayed those words over in her head, she let out a sob as she came to the realisation that she had taken his words to her the wrong way. He had not wanted a divorce because she was incapable of having children, she just could never have a child that was biologically David's.

"You…" she muttered.

David nodded stiffly.

"Yes. I am sterile. I can't have a biological child." He confirmed.

"But why…why didn't you clarify? For months I have believed it was my inability to have a baby…for months I have grieved that fact…and then I fall pregnant with Will's baby…" she cried.

David did nothing as she wiped the tears from her eyes. He just stared at her coldly.

"How was I supposed to know that you believed it was your fault? I was setting you free Liz. I knew you were unhappy, staying home whilst I provided for you did not make you happy. I thought giving you a baby might make you happy, but I could not do that for you. So, I thought setting you free might make you happy." David shouted.

"You know you're right? I was not happy. Our marriage was purely about your success and your gains whilst I compromised on everything I wanted to do. How could I be happy? So yes…maybe you did do me a favour as you are making out you did right now…but that doesn't explain why you didn't tell me in detail or let me read the letter or paperwork from the clinic. I had a right to but instead you helped me pack my bags and kicked me out that night!"

David groaned and walked across the room to the cabinet that stood alongside the wall next to where Elizabeth stood. He opened a drawer and started rummaging through before he pulled out a wad of paperwork and thrust it into Elizabeth's hands. Elizabeth opened the folded pages as David slammed the drawer closed, her eyes scanning over the results from their tests at the fertility clinic. She felt relief wash through her as she read that they had found no issues with her womb and should be able to carry a child to term. Once finished, she handed the paperwork back to David.

"Are you happy?" David asked stiffly.

Elizabeth nodded.

"I am." She confirmed, "Will is…amazing…Mia is amazing…"

"Well…I suppose I should say that I'm happy for you…" David sighed.

Elizabeth frowned, she knew that it was difficult for him to hear of her happiness, especially that she was pregnant with another man's child, but he seemed to be very bitter that she had found happiness.

"David…I'm not going to apologise for finding some happiness. But I am sorry that you can't have a biological child, but I hope that you come to terms with it and find a way forward." She said softly.

David scoffed, glaring at her. And what he said next shook her to her core. It made her heart sink in her chest as his words echoed in her head as she stormed out of the flat.

"I will come to terms with it one day, Liz. But I'm not the only one who needs to come to terms with the truth. Our whole marriage was a lie. I loved you but I was not in a rush to marry you. The reason I proposed to you so quickly was because your mother offered me money to make an honest woman of you. All because she didn't want two daughters letting her down."

Tears trickled freely down her face as she burst out of the building and on to the street. She collapsed in Will's arms and sobbed as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Lizzy, what's wrong?" Will asked, his voice higher in pitch with alarm.

"David…he's so…spiteful…" she cried.

Elizabeth felt his soft hands cup her face, bringing her watery gaze to his. Calmly, he soothed her and brought her back to him. Once calm, she told her boyfriend what her ex-husband had told her, how she felt betrayed and angry and hurt. How David had to bring a cloud of unhappiness over their day and how their marriage had been a lie. When finished, she looked up at Will and saw his jaw clench tightly.

What she had not predicted was to see her boyfriend cross from their parked car and start hitting the buzzer on the intercom, only for him to be ignored by David.

"Will…please don't…I just want to go home…" Elizabeth pleaded.

"We will go home," Will promised through gritted teeth, "Once that COWARD gives you an apology!" his voice raised on the last part of his sentence.

Elizabeth shuddered, walking from the car to her boyfriend and took his hands off the intercom.

"Will, he's always a coward and never gives a heartfelt apology. I just want to go home; I need to talk with my mother."

Will groaned.

"Lizzy…I can't just allow him to treat you this way…" he said angrily.

"Giving him more of our attention just takes away any positivity of today. Am I angry with him? Of course, I am. Am I hurt that he lied to me for five years? Yes. But I want to move forward from today. I want to firmly shut the book on that chapter of my life with David starting from today." Elizabeth stated.

Will let out another frustrated groan but nodded his agreement.

"Whatever you want to do, we'll do. But before we go and confront your mother, I need a coffee and we need to talk this through properly." Will said.

Elizabeth agreed and the two climbed back in the car and drove away. Elizabeth did not look back on the flat she had once called her home; she did not even look in the mirror to watch it fade into the distance as Will drove away.

ooOoo

Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth pulled out the keys and unlocked the front door of her parents' house. She stepped into the hallway, allowing Will to enter behind her as she closed the front door behind them. She could hear the TV on reading out the news headlines in the living room whilst someone was moving about in the kitchen.

"Lydia? Your home early love!" Thomas called from the living room.

"It's not Lydia." Elizabeth called back.

She heard her father scramble to his feet as he walked into the hallway. He stopped in front of the couple and smiled. Elizabeth noted how different her father looked. His skin was paler and dark circles stood underneath his eyes. As he hugged her, she could smell the lingering scent of cigarettes on his clothes, his hair and his skin and noted how different it felt to hug him.

"This is a pleasant surprise! We rarely see you these days," Thomas greeted, "How are you Will?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Will replied.

"Well that's good. We're expecting Lydia home in about an hour and a half and Jane is bringing the twins for dinner to celebrate Lucy's first day at her new school."

In all the commotion of finding out she was pregnant and confronting her ex-husband, Elizabeth felt a twang of guilt run through her. She had forgotten that Jane had won the right to send Lucy to the special needs school forty minutes away and that it was her niece's first day today.

"Ugh…that's great…" Elizabeth said quietly.

"Would you like to stay? I can ensure your mother makes extra?" Thomas offered.

"No thanks, dad. But I need to talk to mum, that's why I came." Elizabeth said.

Thomas looked at her and then turned to the kitchen and called for Fran to come into the hallway.

"What Thomas?" Fran snapped, entering the hall, her hands wet, "I was in the middle of washing up!"

"Elizabeth needs to speak with you." Thomas snapped back.

She met her mother's curious glare and took a deep breath as her heart raced and Will took hold of her hand supportively.

"Did you…did you bribe David into proposing and marrying me?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

The horrified expression on her mother's face came quickly as Fran dried her hands on her t-shirt.

"How…who…who told you that?" Fran asked quickly.

Thomas gestured for them to go through to the living room, something which all the adults complied with and sat in different chairs as Thomas turned off the TV. Elizabeth could feel a wave of anxiety sweep down her spine, but Will held her hand tightly, reassuring her that he was there, and they would get through this.

"Just answer the question mum, did you bribe David?" Elizabeth stated firmly.

Fran started muttering, her eyes darting away from Elizabeth as she started twiddling her fingers together; something which her mother only did when she was nervous. Although she could not understand what was coming out of her mother's mouth, it was not exactly a clear explanation, Elizabeth knew that David had told her the truth.

"I can't believe this." Elizabeth muttered.

"Lizzy…you have to understand…" Fran pleaded.

"Understand what? That you interfered with my life because you didn't want me to make my own choices or mistakes?" Elizabeth shouted.

"I went to David because I could see that the relationship was serious to you but having watched your sister get herself into a situation that was…less than ideal…"

"Less than ideal? Are you for real?" Elizabeth said with disgust.

"Your father and I were raised and lived in a different time, Elizabeth. Having a baby out of wedlock was shameful. Your sister got pregnant by a man who wasn't up to the task of doing right by her or the children. So…when I saw that you were falling in love with David…I ensured that the mistake wouldn't happen twice…" Fran explained.

Elizabeth scoffed in disbelief.

"You had no right to interfere. The last few years of my life have been a lie. David told me he wasn't in a rush to marry me and only did so because you bribed him into proposing. I assume the money you 'gifted us' was his incentive?" she asked bitterly.

Fran exhaled heavily and nodded, tears filling her eyes.

"You were never supposed to know…he wasn't supposed to tell you." Her mother cried.

She felt Will tighten his grip on her hand as she took a deep breath.

"Well he did. He dropped your little bombshell on me this afternoon after I went there hoping to clear up a few things." Elizabeth stated.

"Wha-what things?" Fran asked, panic present in her voice.

The tone of her mother's voice, her father's eyes widening as Elizabeth watched his eyes dart to her mother's…she felt her heart sink in her chest that there were obviously more secrets being kept.

"You know…don't you?" Elizabeth asked, sadness present in her voice.

"Know what?" Fran asked quickly.

"You know that David is the one who can't have kids, don't you?" Elizabeth questioned.

"What do you mean?" Fran asked, eyes diverting elsewhere other than staring at Elizabeth.

"Francine, it's best to come clean." Thomas sighed heavily.

Elizabeth looked straight at her father; his eyes filled with regret.

"You knew too, didn't you?" she asked, her voice breaking.

Thomas nodded sadly.

"Lizzy…I only found out a few months ago…"

"A few months?!" Elizabeth exclaimed, "You found out…hang on…is that why mum had an extended stay at Uncle Ed's?"

Thomas nodded again.

"I found out that your mother had visited David-"

"You visited David?" Elizabeth shrieked, looking at her mother.

Fran nodded, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Yes. I went to see him," Fran confessed, "To see if there was a chance that David would change his mind about the divorce."

Elizabeth felt a sharp pain in her chest, like she had been stabbed with an invisible knife. To find out that her mother had bribed David into marrying her was one thing. To find out that her father had been hiding information from her felt even worse. And though her mother still had to confirm that she knew that David was the one who was infertile, Elizabeth knew that her mother knew.

"Why would David change his mind? I have made it clear that I was moving on with my life, why couldn't you just accept that? So…I assume David told you when you made this little visit…" Elizabeth hissed.

Fran nodded, sniffing deeply.

"Yes, that's when he told me the reason why he asked for a divorce. He told me that he loved you but knew you weren't happy, that you had not been happy for a long time and if he couldn't give you a baby then he had to let you go." Her mother explained.

"Oh, that's so selfless of him!" Elizabeth stated sarcastically, "And why didn't you tell me the truth?"

"We were barely speaking as it was, Elizabeth. I was trying to make it up to you!" her mother yelled.

"Make it up to me? By lying to me and going behind my back?!" Elizabeth shouted.

"Lizzy…" Thomas muttered.

Her attention turned to her father as she stood from her seat.

"And you dad…you kept the truth from me for months! Do you two honestly not think about what you've done? Hiding the truth about my ability to have a baby? You saw the grief I went through when I came home…you saw how much I was hurting…and now you've both betrayed me…" she cried.

"Don't be so dramatic Lizzy." Francine tutted.

"Don't be dramatic? How would you feel if you believed you wouldn't be able to have children and then find out that your parents lied to you because it was actually your ex-husband who couldn't have a biological child?!" Elizabeth screamed.

Her mother rose to her feet and looked at her angrily.

"I know exactly how it feels young lady!" her mother scolded, "Before you three girls came along, I was told my chances of having a baby were slim. That it would take me years to conceive a child!"

Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief, tears of anger and devastation falling down her face as Will stood from his seat next to her, wrapping an arm around her.

"So, you saw me suffer with it…and you didn't offer me one moment of comfort?"

But Francine remained tight lipped.

Thomas rose from his seat, joining the other three adults and took a deep breath.

"Your mother made some mistakes Lizzy. As have I. We should have told you the truth and for that I am sorry. But arguing about this isn't going to help." Thomas sighed.

"Are you serious, dad? The two of you have kept vital information from me for months. You've interfered in my life, lied to me and watched me hurting over something which turned out to not be true. Parents aren't supposed to hurt their children the way I've been hurt today." Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Lizzy…let's go…it's been a long day…" Will said softly.

She felt Will's arm that was wrapped around her tighten, as if protectively and she took a deep breath to try and calm herself. Turning into her boyfriend she nodded stiffly, trying hard not to cry again. She felt drained and exhausted, today had been a real test of her emotions. Not only had she learned the truth about her ex-husband, but she had also discovered her parents were hiding things from her too.

Elizabeth did not look back on her parents as she allowed Will to lead her away from the house. She tuned out of Will telling her parents that they should be ashamed of themselves and let him guide her out of the house and back to the car.

Once inside, he held her in his arms as she sobbed. Today had started off great, she had seen the confirmation of her baby this morning and the day had turned disastrous with revelations coming to light. Elizabeth felt utterly devastated and drained. She could expect her mother to scheme and hide things from her, but she felt let down by her father who she had always shared a close bond. Learning that her father had known about everything felt like she had been stabbed in the back multiple times over. And she did not know if she would be able to forgive him for his betrayal.

When the tears had dried and she felt too bunged up and exhausted to continue crying, she asked Will to take her back to his place. She was silent on the drive, too tired to talk more. But she realised that she had nowhere else to go aside from Will's. She could not continue living with her parents after today's revelations and she did not want to just assume that she and Will were going to be living together. Despite their future being decided, she had not yet had that official discussion with Will.

When her boyfriend eventually pulled up on the driveway and switched off the engine, Will held her car door open and helped her step out. He looked down at her with concern and protectiveness in his eyes as he held her close to him. Elizabeth let out a shuddered sigh that ran down her spine as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"You're going to be okay, Lizzy. I promise." Will whispered.

"I have nowhere else to go-"

"You do. You are home with our family. Always." Will promised firmly.

Clutching him tighter, the couple stood on the driveway for a few more minutes before they headed inside for some dinner and an early night.