It has taken me a little while to find my way on this chapter and I tossed out a couple of false starts, but finally got into the groove. Enjoy!

Chapter 8

Jane kept fretting now and again about what might be happening with Caroline and about her failure to make sure no one had allergies. Elizabeth kept responding, "You didn't do anything wrong." But after a while she decided that a better approach might be to distract her sister, so Elizabeth began regaling them all with stories of her adventures making cookies with Jane and their grandmother.

After a while, Jane began to contribute also, "Remember when we left the tray of cookies on Memaw's counter and were watching TV and heard that crash from the kitchen? We all ran in and we all speechless for a while, but then Memaw yelled . . ."

Jane and Elizabeth looked at each other, widened their eyes and simultaneously looked straight ahead before shouting, "Fred! What the . . . " they stared at each other, and Darcy caught the little flick of Elizabeth's head indicating that Gigi was present, before adding, "fudge!" Then they both laughed.

Elizabeth explained, "Except Memaw didn't say 'fudge' of course, we are giving the PG version, but afterwards she insisted that was what she said. Because of course our very proper grandmother would never swear."

Darcy and Gigi found themselves laughing along with the sisters even though they were not sure who Fred was, or why a grandmother denying she ever said an obscenity was so funny. Anne just looked confused and uncertain how she should react.

"Was Fred a dog? Did he ruin all the cookies?" Darcy asked, curious as to what could have happened and eager to keep the story going.

Jane and Elizabeth looked at each other and burst out laughing again. Their amusement made their eyes shine and their cheeks pink. Objectively, Darcy acknowledged to himself that Jane Bingley was lovely by all conventional measures, but it was Elizabeth who he couldn't stop looking at. Her whole face transformed by her merriment, and though objectively none of her features were perfect, (nose slightly too long, unruly corkscrew curls, gap between her front teeth, lightly freckled skin, eyebrows a little too thick, but framing lovely dark eyes that sparkled with life and intelligence) somehow they were all perfect together and he couldn't help but smile too, just from seeing her smile. All he wanted right then was for her to keep smiling and it was with difficulty that he made himself listen to her explanation.

Elizabeth responded, "Fred was our Grandfather. Pop-Pop had become a bit simple, dementia, but he loved cookies and couldn't remember that he was a diabetic. Pop-Pop pulled the tray towards himself to snitch some cookies and somehow managed to tip the whole tray down onto the floor. We caught him stuffing cookies from the floor into his pockets and mouth, like he was a squirrel storing nuts for the winter." She puffed out her cheeks with air, to mimic the imagined cookie stuffed cheeks of their grandfather as she mimed stuffing cookies into her mouth and pockets.

Jane continued the story, "Memaw told him, 'Fred, give me the cookies,' but he took off running with his booty and got into the attic. Memaw was cursing up a storm as she tugged on the door knob which wouldn't turn; he'd somehow managed to lock the door."

Elizabeth continued, "You should have heard the filth that came out of Memaw's mouth. I have never heard its like and could never recreate it, can't even remember most of it, I think I was thirteen making Jane not yet fifteen, and although I had heard a lot of words in middle school, she proved to me that I was very ignorant of the fine art of foul language. We struggled for minutes and finally Memaw gave up and called 911. By the time the fire department busted open the attic door with an axe, there was nothing left but crumbs. Pop-Pop was smiling and patting his belly as they pulled him out. You wouldn't have thought that there was a thing wrong with him, but for the fact that his belly was noticeably bigger, as if he were Santa Claus." Elizabeth stood up, curved her shoulders down like she was an elderly man, patted the belly she had stuck out by pushing her whole torso forward, tipped her head to the side, and then offered a huge toothy grin.

Everyone save Anne (and Elizabeth who was doing her best to stay in character) was laughing now. Jane was laughing so hard that she was crying, so when her cell phone started ringing, it took her a few moments to calm down enough to answer it.

When everyone heard her say, "Hello Charles," they did their best to quell their laughter, but it was hard from hearing her half of the conversation. "Really? Her lips kept swelling and then her cheeks swelled up like a chipmunk?"

Gigi puffed her cheeks out and pushed her lips out, while Darcy glared at her just a little; it did not seem right to be making fun of Caroline for an allergic reaction. He whispered to Jane, "But is she better now?"

Jane nodded, while still listening to Charles. "Well I hope she doesn't have to stay too long."

Once she got off the phone call, Jane explained, "Caroline is a lot better now, but she hasn't even seen the doctor yet, so it may still be a while."

After that there was a lull in the conversation. "What happened to your grandfather?" Darcy finally asked.

"Ultimately he was okay after being given insulin and monitored. But that was the last time I really remember Pop-Pop smiling." Elizabeth's face looked wistful.

Jane added, "He only lived a couple of years after that. Memaw never made her Christmas cookies with us again; she said it didn't seem right to make them when Pop-Pop couldn't enjoy them. But she gave us both the recipe and told us we should keep up the tradition with our own family. But it wasn't quite the same making them at home."

"Thank you Jane," Darcy nodded at her, "Elizabeth," he nodded at her, too, his eyes lingering on her as he added, "for sharing all these amusing stories and for letting us decorate the cookies with you all." Darcy said, adding, "It has been too long."

"I wish I could have decorated cookies before this," Anne added. "We had fancy cookies for holidays, but we never made any."

"It's been since before Gigi was born for me," Darcy commented, and then looking over at Gigi, who knew what that meant, added, "I used to make cookies with Mom, she had a cookie recipe from our grandmother. I remember it had sour cream, lemon extract and a little ginger."

"That sounds good," Elizabeth responded.

"I'm sorry I never thought to make her cookies with you, Gigi."

Gigi gave him a tight smile, trying not to think about how much she had missed from growing up without a mother. Her mother died two days after she was born from a brain aneurysm.

"Do you still have the recipe?" Jane asked. "Maybe we can make that kind or something similar later this weekend."

Darcy shrugged, "I don't know where it is . . . but I think I know who does." He pulled his cell phone out from his back pocket and hesitated a moment before pulling up the text conversation with Catherine de Bourgh. First he scrolled past her angry messages from before which he hadn't yet deigned to read, before searching through "Happy Thanksgiving" GIFs until he found a Peanuts one. He sent it and then quickly tapped out, "Could I have Grandma Annie's lemon cutout cookie recipe?" After he sent that, he stowed the phone back in his pocket. He ignored the phone as it vibrated again and again with new messages. He knew whatever replies his aunt was sending immediately, wouldn't be the recipe.

It was half past seven when they finished decorating the gingerbread cookies. They had just started sampling the cookies when Charles called Jane again. After Jane got off the phone she told everyone, "It looks like Caro is doing well, but they are keeping her for a while to make sure she doesn't have a biphasic reaction," clarifying, "that's like a secondary allergic reaction when someone seems fine. They are hoping she is cleared to leave by nine or ten."

"That's good," Darcy told Jane. "I am sorry, though, that I didn't remember Caro's allergy sooner. I hate that they are all missing our fun." He couldn't help but think that it was more pleasant without Bingley's sisters, though Bingley himself would have added to the fun.

Gigi must have been thinking something similar as she responded, "Somehow I don't think Caro or Louisa are the cooking decorating type," Gigi commented, "nor the eating cookie type either, but I bet Charles would at least like eating them," she added right before biting the head off a bear she had just finished decorating.

"Your poor mama bear!" Anne cried.

"I was merciful," Gigi told her. "Better to just put her out of her misery all at once than nibble each limb off, one by one."

Anne pulled her own cookie out from her mouth, looked at it carefully and then commented, "I'm eating a star, so it doesn't matter which way I eat it."

"What should we do next?" Jane asked. "I was thinking about putting on a couple of Christmas movies but Q has monopolized the T.V."

Gigi, who had spent time in Quentin's company before, went to investigate. She reported back, "Q's asleep and your liquor's gone. I think we can put on anything now and he won't even notice."

After some debate about various Christmas DVDs, they decided on A Christmas Story to be followed by Elf. Gigi took a seat on the couch, hoping that her brother and Elizabeth would sit next to each other on the loveseat. However, apparently Anne wasn't remembering the plan on trying to get Darcy and Elizabeth together as she, herself, sat down on the loveseat and then asked, "Elizabeth, will you sit next to me?" Gigi ended up sitting with Jane and Darcy. Anne, who had never seen the movie before was entranced with watching all of Ralphie's travails.

When everyone seemed occupied, Jane slipped away to unload the now dry dishes. A minute or so later, Gigi followed. The TV was loud enough and the separation far enough that Gigi was confident they wouldn't be overheard.

"Jane, can I talk to you about my brother and your sister?"

"Sure." Jane put away the plate she had in her hands and then gave Gigi her undivided attention.

"Ugh, it sounds so junior high to be asking this," Gigi started fiddling with the edge of her top, letting the nubby surface soothe her, "but does Elizabeth like Darcy, I mean, like like him?"

"Well, if you had asked me before today, I would have told you that Lizzy said she hoped they could be friends. Now of course Charles and I thought there was more to it than that; I mean she's always had strong emotions when it comes to him. She found him annoying over our ski weekend but Darcy really got under Lizzy's skin at your aunt's charity ball when he asked her out while insulting her at the same time. She kept telling me that, well, that he was, and I quote, 'An insufferable prick,' but she felt differently about him after his Facebook message when he explained his actions and what George Wickham was really like. But Lizzy is plenty resistant to changing her opinion once made and hates admitting when she is wrong. She told me, though, that your brother in New York was like a whole different person. She never said anything about having romantic feelings toward him, but when she talked about him she would go all 'Bambi eyes' and given the way she's been acting toward him today, I think there could be something more there."

"That's good. I'll tell you that Darcy confessed that he really likes her. I saw the way they acted around each other in New York. It was a pity that her trip got cut short. He was really looking forward to seeing her again at your wedding but then of course Anne ended up in the hospital again."

They spoke a while with Gigi urging that they do all they could to forward the pairing, while Jane urged restraint. "If I know my sister, if you try to push her into doing anything, she will get all stubborn like a mule, sink her heels in and refuse to budge. Let's just make sure they have time to talk, and hopefully they can work everything out themselves." They returned to the living room just in time to see Ralphie open the special package his father had given him.

Between movies they took a little break. Darcy told Anne, "Your mom keeps blowing up my phone asking about you and the new alerts on my watch really kept me from enjoying the movie until I took it off." He omitted mentioning that he was watching Elizabeth's reactions to his favorite scenes, trusting that he wasn't being all that obvious in the dim, blue light. "I told your mom that you are fine, but maybe you should talk to her yourself."

Anne responded, "I already texted her and then I shut my phone off. I don't think I did anything wrong by leaving, but she won't rest until I go back home. I'm determined to have a fun weekend, but I think after that I should go home."

"You don't have to do that, you know." Darcy said gently.

"I know, but Mom needs me."

"If that's what you want, Anne."

"Does anyone want a drink or anything more to eat?" Jane, ever the consummate hostess, asked the room at large.

Darcy responded, "If you have the ingredients, I'd love to make homemade cocoa."

"What a great idea. We should have everything you need."

Darcy followed Jane into the kitchen and Elizabeth found herself following behind.

Before Anne could sit back down on the loveseat, Gigi intercepted her, thinking this was the perfect opportunity to talk to Anne. "Maybe you can sit next to me for the next movie?"

"But I am liking making a new friend!" Anne protested.

"I'm glad you like Elizabeth, but don't you remember the plan!?" Gigi hissed. "We want Elizabeth to be family and that'll only happen if Darcy has time with her."

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Elizabeth watched as Darcy made the cocoa. She couldn't help but admire his muscular arm as he stirred.

Later, as she held out her cup for a refill which Darcy dipped out with a soup ladle from a pot on the stove, Elizabeth told him, "This is just marvelous. I wouldn't have thought of a candy cane stirrer, but the chocolate mint combination is wonderful."

"I'm so glad you like it." Darcy sipped from his own mug before taking the half melted candy cane out of his mug, licking the drip of cocoa from the end before plunging the end into his mouth.

Elizabeth found herself drawn to his lips, tinged slightly brown in one corner from the cocoa, still chapped, and the glistening red and white striped candy cane sticking out on the opposite side. She found herself wondering, Would he taste of chocolate and mint if we kissed?

Elizabeth shook her head as if that would banish the thought, but instead was drawn into a fantasy in which she pointed out to him, "You have a little cocoa on your lip." He would swipe his lip with his tongue and miss it, and then she would reach up with her thumb (he was probably a foot or more taller than her) and wipe it away, sweeping her thumb along her lower lip until he captured her small hand in his much larger one, kissing first her palm and then her wrist.

Elizabeth inhaled sharply feeling warm, warmer than from just the hot cocoa. She wondered what it would feel like to be enfolded in his arms, not in a compassionate hug, but to be embraced while they kissed. She wondered what his wavy hair would feel like if she ran her fingers through it.

She stared at him and he stared back, but neither of them said anything. Jane interrupted the moment by asking, "Are you ready for the next movie? Everyone else is."

"Sure," Elizabeth answered distractedly. She followed Jane out.

Darcy for his own part had been thinking thoughts along similar lines to those of Elizabeth's. The two feet that separated them as they stood and sipped felt close, but insurmountably far. Two feet was the space of friends, but he dearly wanted to bridge it.

When he entered the living room, to his surprise he found that the only unoccupied seat was next to Elizabeth on the loveseat. Darcy was a tall man, but not wide enough that he was right next to her. Instead there were a few inches between them. But he was very aware of her proximity, making sure to keep his leg that was closer to her, several inches away from hers. If only she would lean into me! But throughout the movie they each politely remained on their separate cushions.

After the movie finished, Elizabeth stretched and yawned. "Jane, I'm starting to get tired and I'm wondering where we will all sleep in your house. You know me, I won't mind a couch or even the floor."

"That's a good question," Jane answered. "Originally, I had the Hursts in the second bedroom with the full bed and Caroline in the third bedroom with the day bed. I have an inflatable full sized bed that I could add to that room and then we could have three gals in there, but I think Darcy and the extra girl will have to bunk out here on the couches, well couch and loveseat."

"I want to stay with Gigi," Anne offered shyly. "It will be like a slumber party. I always wanted to have one of those! Can Elizabeth stay with us, too?"

Gigi had a ready answer. "Caro shouldn't have to be on a couch after all she's been through. So I guess Caro should have the day bed and Anne and I can share the inflatable bed." She gave Darcy a look and a smirk.

Darcy caught on quickly, "So I guess that means Elizabeth and I are out here."

"I hope that's okay." Jane looked concerned. "Lizzy, we can set up a spot for you in the master bedroom if you'd rather do that."

Elizabeth couldn't think of anything that would be more awkward than sharing a bedroom with newlyweds, not that they'd do anything while she was there, but still . . . . So she hurried to reassure Jane. "It'll be just fine; I can fit on the loveseat and Darcy can take the couch."

"Okay," Jane responded. "I'll let Charles know, so that he can tell the others."

It was a flurry of activity after that as Jane's guests took turns using the guest bathroom and getting ready for bed. By ten, Jane had finally nudged Q and gotten him to get off the recliner and head to bed, and Anne and Gigi had settled onto on the inflatable bed in the other guest room. Elizabeth and Darcy found themselves standing together alone in the living room, and they were both feeling awkward.

Darcy commented, "I guess we should stay up for a while as they will probably be back soon."

Elizabeth turned on some 24 hour news, before carefully sitting down on the loveseat rather than flopping down as she normally would. She wasn't really paying attention to the TV, but it gave her an excuse not to talk. She was hyper-aware of the man that she was sharing the room with, and feeling very awkward. Here she was in a loose blue t-shirt type nightshirt, very aware of the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra and that the nightshirt only fell to mid-thigh when she was standing and even shorter now that she was sitting. If he catches a glimpse at my polka-dotted panties, I would be so embarrassed! She quickly covered up with the fuzzy pink blanket covered with happy corgi puppies that Jane had supplied.

Elizabeth was reminded of the time when Darcy had come up to her hotel room in New York City as she had been in her pajamas then, too, but at least that time she'd had shorts. She wanted to say something clever to him, to be witty and nonchalant about the fact that they would be sleeping in the same room, but she could not think of anything to say.

Darcy wanted to sit next to Elizabeth on the loveseat, but as this was now to be her bed, that didn't seem right, so he plopped down on the couch, but on the end closest to the loveseat, which was at a right angle to it.

Elizabeth noticed that Darcy did not seem to be ill at ease in his running shorts and a sleeveless athletic shirt. The shirt was just a bit too tight and the shorts showed off a lot of his legs. She did not recall ever seeing him in shorts before; in New York he was always wearing suits, and he had been dressed up at the Rosings Ball. While he had been more casual during the ski weekend, he always had long pants and a long shirt on. It felt intimate to see him in these things, to see the hair on his legs, to see the outline of his chest. Perhaps, she reflected, it only seems strange because he is going to sleep in them.

Darcy was very glad he had packed his running clothes, as at Rosings he normally just wore boxer shorts to bed as his guest room had an en-suite bathroom. He wondered how best he could use this opportunity (which it was obvious that Gigi had arranged) while they were together to see about getting their relationship out of the "friend-zone." He wondered, Just what does Elizabeth think of me and Will I ever live down being a complete dofus at the Rosings Ball? If only she would give me a sign!

Darcy noticed that Elizabeth kept glancing over at him. Is this my sign? He wondered, half hopeful, half fearful.

"Darcy?" She addressed him, turning toward him as her nervous fingers bunched up the blanket in her lap, pleating it into sections between each finger.

"Yes, Elizabeth?" He answered huskily, turning to lean on the arm of the couch closest to her, so they were only separated by a few inches. He looked over at her with hopeful eyes. Elizabeth found herself leaning closer towards him also, the respective arms of their couches being the only real thing separating them.

Darcy never found out just what Elizabeth had planned to say as just then they heard a key in the lock and then the front door swung open. Both of them sat back as Charles held the door as first Caroline and then Louisa walked inside. Caroline was holding her high heeled shoes and walked in barefooted. Her face was still puffy and red.

"Are you okay, Caro?" Elizabeth asked, jumping up, hoping it was not evident to everyone that she had just been wondering what it would be like to kiss Darcy and whether it might have happened if she had just leaned forward a bit more. Darcy tried to focus on Caroline also, she deserved that at least, but a little part of his mind noted how much of Elizabeth's legs he was seeing, and how nice they looked. He was also regretting the interruption.

"Yes, and I may even look normal by morning." Caroline gave a little shrug and said in a subdued voice. "I am sorry I caused everyone so much trouble, but I am so glad that I have such a good sister and brother." She smiled at each of them in turn. "I am exhausted; I'm going to bed." The three of them wished Darcy and Elizabeth goodnight and walked out of the living room.

Once they were gone, Elizabeth said quietly, "Was that a body-snatcher moment or what? Who did they replace Caro with? If I knew an allergic reaction would make her that nice, I would have fed her pecans months ago!"

Darcy chuckled. "She isn't all bad. She been though a lot in her life, probably more than you know." Darcy spent the next little while telling Elizabeth what he knew about Caroline's upbringing. He was glad that he and Elizabeth were talking, but just wished the topic wasn't Caroline.

A little later, they turned out the lights and laid down to sleep, with their heads on pillows close to one another.

"I am glad you came, Darcy," Elizabeth mumbled, before she fell asleep.