A/N: Hello my loyal readers, it's been nearly six months since I last updated and I want to apologise for keeping you all in suspense. In the last six months a lot has happened in my life, some good and some bad but I really have been strapped for time for creative outputs. I've also been hit by the infamous writer's block and I was unsure of how to proceed with Chapter Thirty-Two. Whatever I wrote I was unhappy with and whilst this chapter is definitely not my best work, it is the most decent out of all the drafts I've written for the next update. I hope to end this story soon, there's some loose ends that I will be tying up soon and the long-term plans for ending the story are still in my head, it's just connecting them all together that's the trouble.

Also, for those asking, Autumn Changes is still in the editing and tweaking stage. I've only edited four chapters and currently on chapter five. I promise you all that I will keep you updated as I make progress on the publishing of it.

Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Two

Elizabeth couldn't sleep.

It was 3.53 in the morning, and she had only managed a few hours of broken sleep here and there. She groaned in frustration.

"Lizzy?"

She rolled on to her side, resting her left hand on her stomach and her right arm extended under her pillow to support her head. Her eyes met Will's, filled with exhaustion and concern as he let out a loud yawn. She couldn't even give him a smile when she felt his hand rest on her stomach, earning a sharp kick from the baby.

"Little one needs to keep strong." Elizabeth whispered.

"Have you gotten any sleep?" Will asked quietly.

Elizabeth shrugged.

How could she sleep when tomorrow her boyfriend would be risking everything that they had to end the threat of Caroline?

"How can I sleep?" Elizabeth sighed.

"You need to try." Will whispered.

"I have been trying but every time I close my eyes I think about Caroline. I can't get her out of my head!"

Will pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"It'll be okay. I promise."

No matter what she did, Elizabeth replayed the memory over and over again, trying to take comfort of a broken promise and wishing that she had the power to change things. She sat at the dining table, Mia was watching her shows on the TV in the lounge with Alice sitting with her and then checking on Elizabeth every fifteen minutes or so, but the house was mostly silent. Every so often, Elizabeth would feel her baby kick sharply, reminding her that he or she was okay. Reminding her that she was okay, and Mia was okay and that they were safe.

But they weren't all safe and they weren't all okay.

It had been two days since she had taken Mia and Alice to London to get away for a little while and their stay away had only lasted one night.

Will and Charles had tried to corner Caroline in an open park, but the encounter had gone horribly wrong. Caroline had come to the park with a weapon, and the situation had blown out of control.

Elizabeth remained sat staring into space as the front door opened and closed again. She could hear the footsteps in the living room, but she was too tired, too exhausted to turn her head to look who had arrived at the house. She also didn't want to get her hopes up. The last she knew, Will was getting looked over at the hospital and due to long wait times in the A&E department, she wasn't sure when he would be home.

No texts. No calls. Nothing but an earlier visit from the police to inform them about what had happened.

"Dad!" Mia cried with surprise.

At that outburst, she turned her head slightly and saw Will standing in the lounge. Elizabeth stood shakily, not even knowing or caring where she found the energy and walked to the doorway, leaning against the frame as her eyes met his.

Will was a mess.

His hair was unruly, more than usual anyway. He had bags under his eyes and his eyes were red and puffy. His lips twitched in a slight smile, a ghost of a smile was a more accurate description because his eyes didn't light up, he was still slouching just a little and all the joy seemed to be gone. But still, Elizabeth watched and let out a sigh of relief as Will hugged their daughter and that in itself was something she had been fearful over.

She had been fearful that Mia would never get to hug her father again. She had been fearful that the baby she carried would never get to be hugged by their father ever.

"Are you okay, dad, what happened?" Mia asked frightfully.

Will had his arm wrapped around her as they walked the few steps to the sofa and sat together.

"It's going to be alright, we're safe, that's all that matters." Will replied, trying to reassure Mia.

"What about Uncle Charlie, is he okay?" Mia asked quickly.

Elizabeth held her breath.

"He's going to be in hospital for a little while, sweetheart. But he will be okay." Will promised.

Mia nodded, a tear falling down her pale cheek.

"Why don't you go and get ready for bed, wash your face and brush your teeth and then we can say goodnight?" Alice suggested.

"Not right now!" Mia protested.

"Mia, do as your told." Will said firmly.

Mia stood up, glaring at her father whilst Elizabeth watched on.

"You can't just send me to bed when you've been hurt, dad! I'm not stupid, I know that something happened!"

"I will send you to bed because it's been a stressful and tiring day for everyone! I know you're worried but you are my child and I asked you to do what you were told to do!"

"That's not fair! I need to know what happened!" Mia shouted.

"Go to your room and put your pyjamas on!" Will shouted.

Elizabeth stood up straighter, her heart racing. She had never, ever seen Will act this way with Mia before. And it was evident by the look on Mia's face that this outburst from Will shocked her. With tears in her eyes, Elizabeth rushed after Mia who ran out of the room and up the stairs sobbing.

"I'll go and check on her." Alice mumbled before exiting the room.

Elizabeth turned and glared at her significant other.

"I know you're stressed and scared but you don't get to do that to our child!" Elizabeth snapped.

"I know!" Will groaned, "I know, I've never snapped at her like that before, I've never argued like that with her before."

"She's been waiting impatiently for you. She knows that you were in the hospital, and I couldn't tell her why because I don't know the full extent of what happened." Elizabeth yelled.

"I feel awful, but can we put this fight on hold for now? There are more important things we need to discuss." Will requested softly.

"This fight and what you may have to discuss with me are the same thing." Elizabeth pointed out.

"You're right. But I'd rather discuss calmly than argue with you about it. Arguing isn't good for anyone." Will stated.

Elizabeth sighed in annoyance. She sat down at the opposite end of the sofa, tucking her legs under her bottom and pushed a cushion behind her to support her back. Everything ached and it was impossible to get comfortable added to the anxiety she had been feeling over the last few days.

"Firstly, I want to apologise. I should have listened to you and should never have gone with Charles. I thought the plan was good to finally draw Caroline out and put the whole matter to rest but you were right. It was reckless and stupid." Will sighed.

Elizabeth nodded, taking in his apology. She only wished that Will had listened to her in the beginning.

"I understand that you're angry with me and you have every right to be. If I had been the one to be seriously hurt, then you would be left to raise our baby alone and the adoption isn't even finalised yet so I imagine my father would have fought you for Mia."

"I'm not angry Will, I'm livid!" Elizabeth hissed.

Will nodded, looking at her pleadingly.

"I'm so, so sorry, Lizzy." He whispered.

"Carry on."

Will cleared his throat.

"We waited in the park, the police surrounding the exits and some plain-clothed officers patrolled or sat on benches to try and blend in. And we waited about an hour before she showed up and she looked entirely different. I've never seen her look so possessed before. And we chatted for a while and even as we talked, Caroline wouldn't focus on reality. She believed that she was my wife, that she was Natalie who had been cast aside for you. She wouldn't listen to Charles who was trying to get her to understand she wasn't Natalie. That she was obsessed with me and that she wasn't well. She didn't understand that we were trying to help her. And when Charles mentioned you, she flew into a rage."

Elizabeth nodded but remained silent.

"She had a sharp shard of glass, like she had broken a mirror or something. She got it out of her pocket and started crying, I couldn't even make out what she was saying she was screaming so loud. She lunged for me, sobbing and got my arm a few times," Will said, gesturing to his bandaged arm, "But Charles- h-h-he pushed me…out of the way and she…."

Elizabeth's facial expression softened as she saw Will let the tears flow freely as he cried. She moved over to him, placing his hand in hers and stroked the back of his hand. Will took a few deep, calming breaths before continuing the explanation.

"Everything happened so fast after that. The officers had her pinned to the ground and cuffed whilst she screamed abuse at me and Charles. Other officers were tending to Charles and looking at my cut until the paramedics arrived. At the hospital, I met Wesley and stayed with him to offer some support."

"So what's happened with Charles and Caroline?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Charles suffered some deep stab wounds to the arms and chest, they had to operate to get the shards out that were embedded in his chest and repair the damage that Caroline made but he's going to be okay. As for Caroline, Wesley finally had her committed and apparently, he found it very difficult to do so because his late wife also suffered with some mental health problems." Will answered.

Elizabeth scoffed.

"So he's been reluctant to pay attention to Caroline's declining mental state because he didn't want to believe that history was repeating itself?" she asked.

"I don't know. But as a parent, it must have been hard for him."

"And now you're making excuses?"

"I'm not, I'm trying to-"

"I understand that Wesley Bingley must be in agony! His late wife had mental health issues and it's very apparent that his daughter does as well! But Caroline has put us through hell regardless! And now his son is lying in a hospital bed because his other child stabbed Charles! For months this has been going on, with the stalking, the house breaking in and Alice's assault. What else has been going on? Was Richard part of this too?"

Will sighed defeatedly.

"I don't know. I guess so. He was dating Caroline for a bit a while back."

Elizabeth let out a groan of frustration. Everything that had happened made her feel anxious, scared, worried, angry. And even though she knew that Will would be okay and that eventually, Charles would also be okay, it didn't make her feel any better.

"I think we need to talk to Mia, answer any questions that she might have and then get some sleep." Elizabeth sighed exhaustedly.

Will nodded.

"Elizabeth…I'm so sorry for everything that's happened…" he apologised again.

"I know you are. But your apology doesn't put me at ease Will. I'm still angry. I'm still anxious. And I'm still worried. Caroline is locked away, that's great news. But I still don't feel safe in this house. Alice doesn't feel safe. And more importantly, Mia doesn't feel safe in her own home! The place where she's grown up. How are we supposed to put all that right?" Elizabeth sighed.

Will shrugged, a look of desperation filling his dark eyes.

"I don't know," he uttered, "I wish I knew but I don't know how."

Despite all of her mixed emotions, she held out her hand and Will took it without even hesitating. She knew that the weeks ahead would be tough and arduous to overcome, and she knew that they would be many sleepless nights, possibly some night terrors and lots of work to do to ensure that their family would be safe and happy once again. In this moment, she didn't want to push Will away, she needed him to work with her. She needed him to focus on the family that they were building now that they could stop being haunted by Caroline Bingley.