Chapter Six
In the next few days, Lizzy and Will established a schedule. After he picked her up at home in the morning they would either go to class or, depending on the day, Charlotte's diner for breakfast and then class. Afterward, he would meet up with Rob or Wickham for some face time. Sometimes she joined him and sometimes she didn't; despite agreeing to do what she could to help take down Wickham, she didn't like spending that much time in the psychopath's presence. Will was understanding, and to compensate she made all the effort of making sure he and Rob got along.
When the weekend rolled around, she let him know she would be spending it out of town, and that he would be on his own for a few days.
"Where are you headed, anyway?" he asked from the living room as she packed an overnight bag full of clothes late Friday night.
"My mother's place," Lizzy answered unenthusiastically. "I usually spend the weekend before school starts but she and my step-dad were on a cruise at the time."
"That should be fun," he called back, a kind of questioning tone in his voice. She smiled as she zipped up her overnight bag.
"Fun," she repeated, joining him in the living room where he was lounging on her couch drinking a beer. "Right. A weekend full of her trying to tell me to move in with her while I finish school, or take me shopping because my clothes are all 'rags', or set me up with one of the guys my step-dad works with," she sighed as she sat down next to him, taking the proffered beer he had waiting for her. He shrugged, and she was sure he was trying to come up with something diplomatic to say. "I'll get to see my sister, Jane, though and I'm happy about that."
"You two are close?" he asked, clearly happy to have the conversation shift.
"She and Charlotte are my best friends. I haven't seen her much lately, she's been dating this guy she's really into. She said she'd stay over this weekend too, though, so that should take some pressure off," Lizzy replied.
"So, you lived with your dad, but she lived with your mom?" Will hedged, clearly curious but wary of overstepping.
"That's right," she shrugged casually to let him know she didn't mind his line of questioning. "They got divorced when I was two, and I moved back in with my father when I was about five, but Jane stayed with mom. We saw each other on the weekends and holidays and stuff like that but I mostly lived with my dad and she mostly lived with my mom and our half-sisters"
"Why didn't she move back in with your father as well?" Will wondered. Lizzy took a drink of her beer.
"I was the bad kid and Jane was the angel," Lizzy said simply. "My dad was really the only one who could get me under control, so I moved in with him about the time my mom remarried."
"That must have been rough," Will glanced at her, sympathy clearly written on his face. She shrugged again
"I guess it sounds like my mom shipped me off, but it was really a better situation. I love my mom but, we butted heads too often. I was more like my father, I guess. I missed Jane most of all, but we saw each other regularly and spoke all the time, so…" Lizzy trailed off, remembering. "Anyway, this isn't a good neighborhood for Jane. She wouldn't have fit in here."
"She's not like you, then?" Will asked. Lizzy thought a moment about what the question meant before shaking her head and smiling.
"Picture my opposite. I mean opposite as far as looks as well as personality," she paused a moment so he could do just that before continuing "She's tall, blonde, blue-eyed and genuinely thinks well of everyone she meets," Lizzy described her sister affectionately.
"I can see why you would like to keep her out of this neighborhood then," Will commented. Lizzy hated the way he was always taking shots at her hometown but had to admit that's exactly why she was glad Jane stayed at their mom's upper-class suburban neighborhood.
"So what about you, any siblings?" Lizzy redirected the conversation, aware that this was a perfect opportunity to learn more about the mysterious detective.
"A sister. She's about sixteen," was all Will said in response, tearing at the label on his beer.
"Big age gap," she replied, testing his mood. He was usually tight-lipped at the best of times, but was he short now because that was his nature, or did he not want to talk about his sister for whatever reason?
"Yeah. I was also close to my cousin growing up. We went to different schools, but spent the summers together," he added, clearly more comfortable talking about his cousin than his sister. She wondered if he was hesitant to tell her personal details about himself for fear of her turning against him and using the information to harm him in some way. Part of her was indigent at this thought, for all she was risking for his sake, but she had to be honest and admit that part of her understood where he was coming from. If she were in his shoes, she wouldn't tell anyone about Jane.
"So what are your big plans for your weekend alone?" she asked with a smile, steering the subject into safer waters. He took in and let out a deep breath, stretching a bit.
"I hadn't thought that far ahead. I'll try to hook up with Wickham, I guess. Maybe Rob if he's in the mood," he replied, taking a sip from his beer.
Will left shortly after that. She promised to text him Sunday night to let him know she got back home okay, and he promised to pick her up on Monday morning for school.
Saturday morning she was on the earliest bus out of town. It took a few hours and a few stops, but she eventually made it to her sister's place at around eight.
"Lizzy!" Jane opened the door enthusiastically, hugging her tightly. Lizzy smiled and hugged her elder sister back just as tight. "It's so good to see you. I love your hair!" For her mother's sake, Lizzy had gotten it trimmed and styled. At the moment she had pulled some of it back into a clip to keep it out of her eyes. She was sure it was half a mess from the early morning and travel but thanked her sister nonetheless. "Come in, come in."
"Thanks. I tossed my bag in your car already. You really shouldn't leave it unlocked when it's on the street like that," Lizzy scolded her lightly.
"Oh, I know. Charles is always on me about that," Jane tsked at herself, leading Lizzy into her brightly lit living room.
"You look great Jane," Lizzy commented. She was wearing a long-sleeve white top and jeans, but Jane had a way of taking t-shirts and jeans and turning them into elegant attire.
"Oh, thanks," Jane smiled demurely. "Lizzy, I want you to meet –"
"Faucet's fixed." A man with short red hair and a big smile came out of the kitchen, rubbing his hands with a dishtowel.
"Thanks, Charles. Charles, this is my sister Lizzy. Lizzy, Charles," Jane introduced them with a happy smile on her face. Lizzy remembered being told about Charles a few months back. He was the guy Jane was currently head over heels for, which she gleaned from her knowledge of Jane-speak when she told Lizzy 'He's really nice' and 'We have a great time together'.
"Ah, Lizzy! It's so great to meet you finally; Jane talks about you all the time." Charles came forward and offered her his newly cleaned hand. Lizzy took it with a smile.
"It's good to meet you too," Lizzy replied with a friendly smile, sizing him up. He was dressed in khakis and a colored blue shirt that showed off his bright blue eyes. They two would have adorable kids, Lizzy thought with a smile.
"Well, I know you two want to hit the road soon, so I'll get out of your hair. But the three of us have to get together for dinner soon." Charles said as he gathered his coat and gloves.
"That sounds fun," Lizzy replied, interested in getting to spend more time with him.
"Great," he smiled once more, clearly happy at the prospect. He wants to get to know her family? That's definitely a point for him in Lizzy's book. "Well. Have a fun weekend. Call me when you get in so I know you got there safe."
"I will," Jane promised with a smile, leaning up to give him a quick kiss. "Thanks again for fixing the faucet."
"It was no problem," he grinned back at her. Lizzy stifled a laugh at the way the two were goofily smiling at each other like love-struck fools. "Well, bye then." And then he was gone.
"So," Lizzy turned to her sister with a teasing smile.
"Oh, I know," Jane covered her cheeks. "I'm a grinning idiot," Lizzy laughed and Jane joined in.
"It's not a bad thing," Lizzy told her, happy to see Jane so happy. "Charles seems like a nice guy."
"He is," Jane said earnestly. "He really is."
"Come on, tell me all about it on the ride to mom's," Lizzy said, taking Jane's overnight bag by the door on the way out.
Jane took Lizzy up on her offer ad spent most of the ride to their mother's house gushing about how great Charles was and how happy they were and how much she looked forward to Lizzy getting to know him too.
"Well he sounds a lot better than your last boyfriend, that's for sure," Lizzy teased.
"Oh, Tommy. Poor Tommy," Jane frowned at the reminder.
"Poor Tommy!" Lizzy barked out a laugh. "Jane, you are too sweet"
"Well, I did feel bad having to break up with him right after that misunderstanding at his job. " Jane replied.
"Misunderstanding? Jane, the guy got caught embezzling. He was lucky he didn't go to jail," Lizzy rolled her eyes.
"Here I am talking your ear off and we're almost to moms. How are you doing?" Jane asked her, expertly changing the subject.
"Alright. I'm finishing up community college this semester and I just have to figure out where I want to go for undergraduate school," Lizzy replied with the familiar story.
"Have you narrowed it down yet?" Jane wondered.
"I have an interview with the State about a scholarship opportunity," Lizzy replied, leaving out the part about Charlotte's ultimatum if she didn't go to the meeting. "If I get a full ride, I'll probably go there," Lizzy replied.
"That's great!" Jane answered, far more enthusiastic about it than Lizzy was. "What's your major going to be?"
Lizzy groaned. "I don't know yet. I don't know what I want to do."
"I still think you'd be a great teacher. You tutored all those kids all the time and you were great at adapting your style to their needs," Jane offered.
"Yeah. I guess it wouldn't be terrible. I just wished there was something I loved; Charlotte works at the dinar almost 24/7, and she still loves getting up every day. You are working your butt off at the hospital, and you still love it. I want something like that," Lizzy bemoaned, not for the first time.
"I know you do. I wish you knew what you loved as well. Your dream job is out there, you just haven't found it yet," Jane replied sympathetically.
Shortly thereafter, they pulled up into their mother's house. Lizzy felt tired already, but she valiantly followed Jane to the front door, a smile strategically placed on her face. Before either of them could ring the bell, the door flew open and both were caught up in the whirlwind that was their mother. She managed to hug both of them tightly while also pulling them into the house. Their bags were then pulled out of their hands and tossed to the side so Franny Long could size her girls up.
Jane was deemed beautiful and perfect; Lizzy was told her hair looked very nice for once, but those clothes! They would have to find time this weekend to all go shopping, and wouldn't that be nice? After being pulled into another hug while simultaneously being scolded for not coming by to see her mother often enough, Lizzy managed to roll her eyes at Jane, whose face only held an affectionate amusement.
Soon there was the sound of feet pounding down the stairs and Lizzy, Jane, and their mother were joined by Lizzy and Jane's half-sisters. The four girls exchanged hugs and greetings while their mother exclaimed over finally having her children all together again. Lizzy reminded her that they had all been together just two short months ago for the holidays, but she was ignored.
"Well, who's hungry? Come on to the dining-room girls, your father should be finished making brunch by now."
Franny ushered all of them through the living room and into the dining room. The table was already set and had two salad bowls, chips, cinnamon rolls, bacon, and oatmeal in one of those warming bowls and a platter of varied sandwiches cut into little triangles. Henry was a chef and owned three restaurants, and Franny loved to overdo it with the meals when they were together. To be honest, this was tame considering the last time they had lunch together, Henry had made steamed buns with barbeque pork filling, little goat cheese puffs, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, homemade éclairs, and chocolate crepes.
"All done," Henry Long, who was Lydia and Catherine's father, emerged from the kitchen holding a platter of waffles and omelets.
He sat it on the table in the middle while Lydia and Catherine took their seats and then gave Jane and Lizzy hugs, telling them he was glad they could make it for the weekend. Lizzy like Henry, and had never resented him for taking her father's place in her mother's heart. To be honest, she couldn't believe her parents had ever been married in the first place; Henry and Franny were much better suited for each other.
"Dig in everyone," Henry gestured to the table and the next few minutes were filled with the sounds of plates shuffling and Hey pass me that and Oh my God, Henry this tastes amazing.
Once everyone had their plates full, questions were thrown around the table to be updated in each other's lives. Lizzy asked Cathy, who was a semester into her first year at college, about her classes and how she was liking campus life. Cathy excitedly told her about the friends she was making and how she was thinking about taking a dorm next year if she could convince their mother. Lydia teased her about not taking advantage of the benefits of being in college by going to any parties yet but Lizzy couldn't help but congratulate her sister on focusing on her studies. Cathy beamed at the praise from her older sister while Lydia rolled her eyes.
Lizzy knew the praise was probably unexpected; Lizzy herself had always been the laid back older sister while Jane had always been the responsible one. Whenever Lizzy came into town she took them out of school for a fun day of goofing off, thinking that the advantage of bonding with her sisters far outweighed whatever they would be learning in school that day. She took them to scary movies, let them drive early, and generally played the role of the cool older sister.
Now that she had gotten her priorities straight, Lizzy was glad to see Cathy was maturing out of her and Lydia's bad influence and commented on how great the college life seemed to be treating her. She was always more like Jane anyway, afraid of getting into trouble rather than excited by the thrill of breaking the rules. Unfortunately, Lydia had always been more like Lizzy and she feared her bad influence had only made her youngest sister worse. She hoped she could undo her careless example and persuade her sister that letting loose every once in a while was fine, but she was getting older, and thinking about her future had to take priority.
Lydia was due to start this year but convinced her parents she needed a year off of school to gain some life experience before starting college. Secretly Lizzy agreed, but she worried that Lydia would like the free life too much and would not see the benefit of getting a degree. Lizzy knew the mentality well; she felt she wasted too many years on 'life experience' and had often wished she could go back and go right from high school to college. She thought the years would give her time to figure out what she wanted to do with her life, but she was twenty-six and still clueless. She knew she appreciated college now more than she would have at eighteen, but she still wished she could go back and do it over again. After her father had died, she decided to be clueless but on her way to a degree. She still may not know what she wanted to do with her life, but at least she would be done with a bachelor's by now.
Franny had been grilling Jane almost the whole meal, mostly about her new boyfriend and how serious it was. Jane was looking uncomfortable from the long interrogation, so Lizzy attempted to sway her mother's attention.
"Oh mom, I forgot to tell you, I started seeing someone too," Lizzy chimed in.
To say everyone gasped and dropped their silverware in shock was perhaps a bit of an overstatement, but Lizzy still didn't appreciate the raised eyebrows from her two younger sisters, nor the way her mother was left speechless for a minute. It was well worth it for the grateful look Jane sent her.
"Well, that's wonderful! Who is he?" Francis asked, honing in on her like a tractor beam.
"He's… a guy from my school," Lizzy replied, once more thinking of what an idiot she was.
Why could she not think before she spoke? He was an undercover cop trying to take down a murdering drug dealer. Oh yeah, and they weren't really dating. Still, she guessed if anyone had the means or inclination to ask her family if she were dating anyone, it would be good that she told them.
"Well, that's certainly a nice change!" Francis smiled. "What's he like?"
"He's…"
He scowls at me all the time. He's quiet unless he's bossing me around. He's super-hot and seems to know it, but not in a sleazy way. Lizzy mentally shook her head, then thought of Will, not Darcy.
"He's smart. Nice. Funny. You know, all that good boyfriend material."
"And what is he in school for?" Francis wanted to know.
"He's a mechanic," Lizzy replied.
"Oh," her mother looked disappointed, but that didn't stop her from asking Lizzy a dozen more questions until finally, Lydia interrupted her.
"Mom, are we going shopping or what?" her sister asked.
"Oh yes!" her mother exclaimed, standing up. "We better leave soon if we want enough time this afternoon," Lizzy thanked God for the interruption until Lydia caught her eye and winked; at which point she sent her sister wide smile and a grateful nod.
The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping. Their mother dragged them all to almost every clothing store in the mall so that by the end of it Lizzy was laden down with numerous bags and exhausted. They managed to make it home in time for another one of Henry's gourmet meals during which Franny went over everything they had bought and who they had bought it for. Lizzy was grateful for the new clothes despite the harrowing experience of shopping with her mother and three sisters.
As early in the evening as it was, all she wanted to do was go to bed after dinner. She headed up to the guest room to unpack with Jane.
"We should have bought a suitcase for all these new clothes to take home," Lizzy teased, pulling out new clothes and old and hanging them up in the closet.
"Poor mom. She does seem to get so happy from buying us new clothes," Jane smiled.
"Could be worse," Lizzy shrugged. "She does make it easy to make her happy. Come home to eat gourmet food and go shopping for a new wardrobe. Once in a while tell her about a new boyfriend."
"Speaking of that," Jane pointed at her with a shirt she just pulled out of her overnight bag. "You let me go on and on about Charles on the way here and you didn't think to tell me you were also dating someone?"
"We just started dating," Lizzy replied. "It seemed so unimportant next to Mr. Perfect."
"He's not Mr. Perfect," Jane argued, then smiled. "So tell me about him"
"He's everything I said. Quiet, smart, funny. A mechanic," Lizzy said, feeling guilty for not tell her the truth.
"Cute?" Jane hedged.
"Very cute," Lizzy smiled.
"Who's cute?" Lydia asked, walking into the room she and Jane were sharing, Cathy on her heels.
"Lizzy's new boyfriend," Jane smiled at her sister.
"Really? How cute?" Lydia sounded interested.
"Pretty cute," Lizzy shrugged.
"Wait, pretty like pretty boy cute, or pretty like slightly cute." Lydia wanted to know.
"He is not a pretty boy," Lizzy shook her head. "And he's not slightly cute, he's very cute."
Lizzy caved and pulled out her phone, on which she had taken a picture of Will. He was sitting forward on her couch with a beer in his hands, his sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He was kind of scowling, because she sprung the picture on him at the last minute, and he was arguing against her point, that she should have a picture of her boyfriend on her phone. It was still a good picture of him, in her opinion. Her sisters all crowded around her phone to see him; Lydia immediately wolf-whistled while Jane and Cathy simply commented on how handsome he was. Lizzy felt a guilty sort of pride but didn't dwell too much on the scruples of being pleased with the approval of her sisters for her fake boyfriend.
The conversation stayed on Will for a while, but they generally got an earful during dinner, so it wasn't long before Jane and Lizzy were asking Cathy and Lydia about their respective love lives. Cathy admitted to liking a boy from her biology class but said it hadn't progressed passed running into each other in the cafeteria and having lunch one day. Lizzy and Jane gave her encouragement while Lydia suggested she not wait and ask him out instead. Kat replied that she didn't want to seem too forward, but her sisters knew she just wasn't bold enough to ask a guy out.
"What about you Lydia?" Lizzy asked as Jane yawned deeply. "Any interesting guys?"
"I just broke up with Carter," Lydia replied. Jane and Lizzy offered their sympathies but Lydia waved them off, clearly not upset about it. "Things were getting so stale. Plus he's all into college and I could see it wouldn't be long before he dumped me for some girl he meets there, or cheats on me with one."
"Well, I'm beat," Jane said, yawning once more. "Night girls."
"What?" Lydia exclaimed, shocked. "It's so early. I thought we could all go out tonight."
"Sorry, not tonight. I had to work twelve hours to get this weekend off and I'm exhausted," Jane shook her head, already pulling out a pair of pajamas and heading to the bathroom.
"What about you guys?" Lydia turned to Cathy and Lizzy.
"I have to work on a speech for public speaking." Cathy shook her head as well. "I have to do a lot of research, I haven't even started it. Sorry, Lydia. Night Lizzy," she added, heading to her room.
"Lizzy? Please tell me you, at least, aren't going to crap out on me on Saturday night." Lydia said, hands on her hips. Lizzy winced, wanting nothing more than to say all she wanted was to hit the hay.
"What did you have in mind?" she asked.
Lydia checked over her shoulder to assure they wouldn't be overheard. "Let's head into the city and go to a club."
"Are you kidding me? I just came from the city," Lizzy rolled her eyes.
"I know, so you'll know the best clubs to go to." Lydia grinned.
"You got a car?" Lizzy raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, duh. Who doesn't have a car?" Lydia laughed. Lizzy scowled at her, forgoing the argument of it not meaning much when her wealthy parents bought it outright for her.
"Fine. What about money for gas and drinks?" Lizzy countered.
Lydia rolled her eyes, walked to the edge of the stairs. "Hey, mom, Lizzy, and I want to go out. Can we have some money for the movies and gas and food and stuff?"
"Of course!" was their mother's immediate reply. "I love seeing you girls have fun together. Check my purse, I should have enough cash in there."
"That's just wrong. Maybe I should move back home," Lizzy shook her head while Lydia grinned at her.
"Let's get dressed!" Lydia replied excitedly. Lizzy sighed, resigned.
She picked out one of her new outfits and headed to Lydia's room, passing Jane in the hallway and letting her knew she and Lydia were going out and not to wait up. Jane smiled at her sympathetically and promised to let her sleep in as long as possible tomorrow morning.
"You know all these clubs card at the door," Lizzy pointed out as they got ready together.
"Please." Lydia rolled her eyes, pulling a card out of her dresser drawer. Lizzy took it, looking it over. It looked just like a real license, right down to Lydia's real birthday, minus a few years so that instead of eighteen she was now twenty-one.
"Wow," Lizzy commented, impressed. "Where did you get this?"
"See, that's why I love you, Lizzy." Lydia smiled. "Jane would have already been starting on the lecture of the dangers of underage drinking and Cathy would have been whining about how much trouble we could get into with fake IDs but you are just cool."
Lizzy frowned, wondering what that said about her. "You know, underage drinking can be really dangerous-"
"No, Jesus, please spare me." Lydia waved her off. "I meant that as a compliment. I'm just saying you remember what it's like to be eighteen, done with school and ready for some real-life experiences."
Lizzy shrugged, feeling like her vow to be a better role model was failing miserably.
After taking the time to get ready, including telling Lydia to tone down the makeup and talking her into far more comfortable shoes than she planned on wearing, the sisters collected the proffered cash from their mother and hit the road. Lydia opted for a tight black skirt over black leggings and boots. In contrast, her white top was loose and showed off different patches of skin, depending on how it was sitting at the moment. Lizzy was trying out her new black tube dress. It went nicely with her tanned skin and dark hair and came down to her knees.
Lydia drove, immediately blaring Sean Paul's 'Get Busy' on her iPod. Lizzy laughed, surprised that despite her fatigue and misgivings on taking her baby sister into the big bad city, she was looking forward to the evening. Things may have been easier when they were younger and all she had to do was take her sister to a movie or out for ice cream, but Lizzy was looking forward to being friends with her youngest sister. She couldn't deny the truth of what Lydia was alluding to earlier; Jane and Cathy were the sweet, honest sisters and she and Lydia were the thrill-seeking rule breakers. She knew from experience that nothing besides Lydia would be able to change Lydia's mind, and so she did her best to at least be there and teach her how to be safe in these unsafe environments.
It was close to eleven once they reached the city. Lizzy directed her to one of the more well-known clubs in the city. It was pretty far from both the Families territory and Wickham's, so it had the benefit of being a good chance she wouldn't run into anyone she knew. Besides that, she knew the DJ and could get them in easily. Lydia was impressed at getting to skip everyone in line to be waved through and excitedly headed to the bar for her first drink. Lizzy caught up with DJ Lance and greeted him, thanking him for putting her on the list and asking him how things were going for him. He was a great DJ and rumor had it there was a label that was thinking about picking him up. He confirmed the rumors were true but seemed to be keeping a level head about it. He let her know that he wasn't counting on anything until it was time to sign the papers. They spent some time getting caught up before it was his time to play and she wished him luck then went off to find her sister.
"Lizzy. This place is awesome." Lydia gushed at her, sipping her drink. Lizzy couldn't help but see the little girl in her face and wondered, not for the first time if she was right to bring her here. Suddenly, she seemed so young.
"Come on, let me get a drink," Lizzy said, pulling her sister back to the bar. They hung around the bar drinking until DJ Lance started his set. Lydia's mood improved further when a few guys hit on them at the bar, but followed her elder's sister example by being friendly, but distant. The sisters finished their drinks and went out to dance for a while.
The rest of the night followed the pattern of drinking and dancing until it was the last call. Lizzy and Lydia were both pretty drunk, so Lizzy called a cab for them, directing them to her apartment. She figured they would get up early and pick Lydia's car back up before heading home for brunch. Before she forgot, she called Jane up, hoping to get her machine and not actually wake her up. She said goodbye to DJ Lance and led her sister out to hail a cab.
"Hey, Jane," she said into the phone. "Lydia and I are…" she trailed off and Lydia practically collapsed onto her and she had to catch her before she fell down. "Jesus," she said, surprised at the assault and dropping her phone in the process.
"Tired," Lydia mumbled.
"We're going home I just have to get a cab," Lizzy replied, bending down to pick up the phone while still trying to keep Lydia upright. She said again, hoping the message was still recording.
"Jane, I need you to…" She saw a cab approaching and tried to signal it while keeping a hold of her phone and her sister. "Lydia help," she said, exasperated. Lydia hugged her, mumbling an apology about not being able to drive. Lizzy sighed but did manage to get a hand free and waved the cab down.
"We won't be home until tomorrow afternoon," Lizzy said, hearing the long beep that signaled the message had been cut off somewhere in the middle of her last sentence. She pushed her sister into the cab, giving the man her address and debating whether to risk waking Jane by calling again. She sighed, leaning back against the seat and realizing she was drunker than he originally thought. They were at her apartment in no time, and she had to figure out where Lydia was stashing her money to pay the cab then practically carry her up the three flights of stairs to her apartment.
"Keep quiet, so we don't wake up Charlotte," Lizzy warmed, whispering in the loud way only drunk people managed to do as they finally made it through the door. Lizzy directed her trashed sister down the hall to her own room. Lydia sank gratefully into Lizzy's bed, moaning loudly with satisfaction. Lizzy shushed her, almost making more noise in trying to quiet her than she was making in the first place, then giggled at that realization.
"I'm hungry." Lydia wined.
"No, you're drunk," Lizzy assured her. They both giggled. Lizzy pulled her shoes off and took the pins out of her hair. She managed to make it to the kitchen and come back with a glass of water and some Advil, which she gave to her sister. She told Lydia where the bathroom was, made her promise to try and not wake up her roommate, then left her to sleep.
"I had fun tonight Liz." Lydia murmured sleepily.
"Me too," Lizzy smiled.
"I made out with some guy," Lydia confessed.
"I saw that," Lizzy couldn't help but laugh, and Lydia joined in. "Good night," she closed the door behind her, getting her own glass of water and taking Advil before finally passing out on the couch.
Lizzy woke up the next morning with her head pounding. She groaned, putting her arm over her eyes and willing the pounding to go away. She wasn't sure how much time had passed until she finally realized it wasn't her head, though there was plenty of pounding going on there as well; someone was pounding on the door.
"Open up." A muffled voice commanded. With great effort, Lizzy pulled herself from the couch, unlatched the chain, and flipping the deadbolt. Before she could turn the knob, Will burst through the door.
"Hey," she said relieved to see it was just him. "How did you know I was home?" she wondered, heading back to the couch to pass out again.
"I figured I'd check. Is your sister here too?" Will asked.
"Lydia? Yeah, she's in my room. Why?" she asked, burying her face into the couch cushion and not really caring about the answer. Will didn't reply but headed back to Lizzy rooms to check and see that Lydia was indeed there. Satisfied, he came back to sit on the coffee table opposite Lizzy.
"Are you alright?" he asked, surprisingly gentle. She opened her eyes at his tone, curious. He looked relieved to see her and even reached out to smooth her hair back from her face to get a better look at her. She was sure she looked terrible after sleeping in her dress and makeup, but Will continued to stare.
"I'm hungover, but I have a feeling that's not what you mean," Lizzy replied, pulling herself up to give him a quizzical look. "What's going on?"
"Your family called the police this morning, saying you and your sister had gone missing," Will replied. Lizzy's jaw dropped. "My partner flagged anything that contains your name or mine, so he caught it pretty early and let me know. I've been there and back today looking for you. I came by earlier, but no one answered. I checked with the club you guys were at last night and found your sister's car seemingly abandoned. After talking with the valets and security I learned you guys took a cab home. Finally, I stopped by the diner to talk to Charlotte who said she saw you sleeping on the couch this morning before she left for work, so I came back."
"I didn't hear you earlier, I guess," Lizzy pushed her hair back. "I can't believe Jane thought we were missing, I left her a message last night."
"I know. I heard it," Will replied.
"So why did everyone think we were missing?" Lizzy asked confused. Will pulled out his phone, pushing some buttons until Lizzy heard her own drunken message played back.
"Hey, Jane. Lydia and I are…" there was a loud noise. Lizzy recognized it as her phone being dropped. There was static, then, "Jesus. Jane, I need you to…" Once more her voice cut off until "Lydia help…. We won't" and then the message cut off. Lizzy winced at how bad the message sounded in light of day.
"I didn't realize it sounded like that," Lizzy explained lamely. The things Jane must have thought after hearing that terrible sounding message.
"You can imagine Jane's worry after waking up to hear that message, followed by the news that neither one of you had returned, combined with the fact that no one could get ahold of either you or Lydia," Will told her. Lizzy winced, feeling terrible. Will was being gentle, but Lizzy definitely felt his disapproval.
"I'll call her," Lizzy said, pulling out her phone from the couch cushion it had been lodged into. Lizzy remembered attempting to set her alarm but falling asleep in the middle of it. She flinched at all the missed calls on her messages before speed dialing her elder sister. She spent the next ten minutes assuring Jane that she and Lydia were fine and apologizing profusely for making everyone worry. Once things had calmed down, she explained what had happened and how she would be bringing Lydia home once they picked her car up. Jane promised to try to calm their mother and step-father down in time for them to return home.
"What a night," Lizzy sighed, dropping the phone and rubbing her eyes. "I'm sorry I caused all this trouble."
"I'm just glad it was a false alarm," Will said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Lizzy looked up at him, giving a sheepish smile and feeling pleased by the relief in his eye. It may have been his job to keep her safe, but it didn't stop the flutter she felt in her chest at the clear signs of his care.