Chapter 19: Riddles

The last place Lizzy wanted to go on Monday was back to work.

The past week had been a lot to take in; almost too much, really. She felt like she had met a number of individuals suffering from dissociative identity disorder. There was "Carefree" Greg and "Scared Stiff" Greg; "Tender and Considerate" Will and "Ready to Murder" Will; "Distant, Snippy" Caroline and "Drunken Best Friend" Caroline; and she didn't know what to make of any of them. I guess it's really not surprising that Charlie and Jane are the only normal ones.

Flopping down at her desk, she decided to start the day off slowly by going through some emails. She was surprised to find one from Charlotte.

To: ebennet

From: clucic

Subject: Riddle

Lizzy,

What fastens two people but only touches one?

~Char

Lizzy checked to make sure that her anti-virus software was running and that she hadn't just doomed her computer to a life of pop-ups and crashes. Now you too, Charlotte? I swear, ever since that dinner at my parent's house, almost everyone I know has flipped their lids. Charlotte is never cryptic. Blunt - brutally honest, even - but never cryptic.

Lizzy exited her office and walked down the hallway that led to Charlotte's.

Charlotte was looking at her screen with her chin propped on her hand; she was intently examining whatever was in front of her. Seeing Lizzy approach, she looked up. "Hey, girl! How was your weekend?"

Lizzy shook her head and waved the question off. "That story is going to have to wait until lunch. I'm here because I think your email may have gotten hacked."

"What, you mean that riddle I sent you? No…Lizzy, I actually did send you that."

"What? Why?"

"Well…what's the answer to my riddle?"

"I dunno Charlotte. I hate riddles."

Charlotte gestured her left hand in front of her. "Guess!"

"I don't want to. Is this some sort of weird revenge for when I made you guess about what Will did in my meeting?"

"Will? He's Will now? Whoa, we do have things to talk about at lunch." She positioned her left hand at her chin. "Come on Lizzy, think with me."

"Char, this is annoying."

"What could possibly fasten two people together while only touching one of them?" As she said this, she reached up and scratched the side of her head in a mock thoughtful gesture. That's when Lizzy saw it: the flash of light that bounced off the walls when Charlotte's left hand passed in front of her window.

"Oh my god, Char. Is that what I think it is?"

"YES! He proposed!" she squealed. "On Halloween." With that, Charlotte proudly displayed her left hand for Lizzy to get a full on inspection of her delicate engagement ring.

"Char, I'm speechless. Congratulations! But…it's a little soon, no?"

"You know, I knew you would say that."

"No. No…I'm happy for you, I am. I told you I would support you and I meant it. But marriage is huge! I guess I just didn't realize how serious you were about him…how seriously you felt about each other, even. I have yet to see him again since Toshi's, remember."

"I know. We did move fast. But he's crazy about me, and I think he's got it pretty much together, you know?"

Lizzy didn't even want to approach everything she felt was wrong with that last statement. "How did he propose, Char?"

"Well…we went to his Boss' house for Halloween. She throws a small party every year, which she leaves in Roberts' hands to plan. This year he had setup a 'creepy touch station', where you place your hand in a darkened box and feel what's inside. There were 'eyeballs' which were really peeled grapes, and 'bat's blood' which was ketchup...those kinds of things. Anyway, I didn't want to touch anything; but in his best Dracula mind control impression, with his cape pulled up to his eyes, he told me that I had to." She giggled slightly at the memory. "When I got to the 'maggots', I was surprised to find that there was a really hard object amidst the cavatelli."

Lizzy was cringing inwardly at this narrative. She instantly pictured Charlotte withdrawing her hand from the "maggots box", an engagement ring caked with smooshed pasta bits captured in her palm. She then further pictured Robert Collins placing the filthy ring onto a sticky finger already coated in ketchup, before celebrating with a sweaty kiss involving plastic fangs. The entire image was enough to make her want to take a bath in hand sanitizer.

Charlotte continued, "His boss had known what he was planning – she's been telling him to get married forever - so the whole room had been watching this happen. They all toasted us. It was sweet."

"I'm truly happy that you're happy, Charlotte."

"Spoken like the 'master of words' marketing woman that you are, Lizzy. Well, you'll be happy to know that I have the perfect opportunity for you to get to know him better so that you can be more comfortable with this."

Lizzy was puzzled.

"Every year his boss, Catherine DeBourgh, takes a January trip to a warmer climate. It's a family vacation of sorts, and she brings Robert along to handle all of the little details. She invited me to come as his fiancé. Of course, I immediately accepted."

"Wow, that sounds amazing Char. I don't think either of us has been on a vacation since we started working here. I might actually be a little jealous."

"But, it doesn't stop there," she returned playfully. "She then told me to bring a friend, so that I would have some company while Robert was busy with work. Lizzy, I would really love it if you would come with me. We would be going to the Dominican Republic, and all of your expenses would be paid. You would just have to buy the plane ticket."

For a blissful moment, the past weekend was momentarily forgotten in her immediate delight. Her eyes glittered as she said, "You can't be serious Charlotte? You know how badly I've always wanted to go to the DR and explore my heritage, especially since our mother practically hid us from it."

"Yeah, I do." Charlotte gestured between them to acknowledge their friendship. "Obviously. And I'm completely serious. Now, tell me that you'll come?"

Lizzy rushed forward and gave her friend a long overdue hug. "Of course! Char, I don't think I could ever thank you enough." Lizzy laughed, "I'm getting the one thing I think I needed after this weekend: a vacation!"

Lunch with Charlotte had been great. Hearing her talk about her relationship with Robert gave Lizzy more peace of mind about the commitment her friend had made. Although it was a type of relationship that she could never pursue for herself, she could see that Charlotte was genuinely excited about her future life as a married woman.

Suddenly, her office phone rang and interrupted her thoughts.

"Elizabeth Bennet Speaking."

"Lizzy? It's Will."

Elizabeth's heart caught in her throat. "Hi, Mr. Darcy. How can I help you?"

"Lizzy, this isn't a business call."

"But you called me at work."

"I don't have your cell number."

"Oh… yes, of course." She bit her lip as she thought about his anger and sudden disappearance the last time she saw him. "What's up?"

"Listen, I have to head out of town for a couple of weeks on an urgent matter of business. But, I want to talk to you." He took a deep breath. "I need to talk to you…about a few things. I'll be back late on Sunday, the 16th. Can we meet after work on Monday, the 17th? Have you ever been to Max Brenner? They have excellent hot chocolate."

Lizzy loved Max Brenner. The option he presented was tempting, but the question remained if she wanted to see him? His behavior at the lounge had shocked her; not only his rage, but also how he had left without giving any reasons, making any apologies or saying any goodbyes. It was just so rude…well, actually, that really isn't anything new for PNC, is it?

She then thought about the 'ugly stepsister' conversation hanging over their heads. She had promised herself that she would prioritize it, and here was the perfect opportunity. Lizzy knew that until she had aired out her feelings regarding his loathsome comments, she would never be able to genuinely move forward with any type of acquaintance with him. And due to her sister's relationship, it would be impossible for her to avoid running into Will Darcy. What she had to do was obvious: she had to try.

At least she had her answer. "I will admit that I have a small addiction to Max Brenner. I guess I could find you there after work that day…as long as you promise not to rip my head off."

She could almost hear him grimace on the other end of the phone, but it was accompanied by a sigh of relief. "Lizzy, I'm going to do the best I can to explain that when we meet, I promise. Would six be an OK time?"

"Sounds good Will."

A very pregnant pause ensued.

Finally, he spoke, "This might be really forward, but can I request that you not see Greg Wickham between now and then?"

Lizzy could not believe her ears, and felt her indignation rise. "You're right; that is really forward."

"He's dangerous Lizzy."

"Why do you walk around hating everybody, Will?"

"If you can ask me that, I think I need to ask you why keep insisting on willfully misunderstanding people, Lizzy?"

She took a deep breath. "Alright then, why don't you tell me why he's dangerous?" She was losing her patience and she could hear it in her voice.

More silence; then, an annoyed sigh. "You know what? I really shouldn't be surprised. Please be careful." The request sounded slightly more formal than it did genuine.

She was done with this conversation. "I'll see you on the 17th, Mr. Darcy."

"Yup. Bye Lizzy." His words were clipped.

The phone hung up.

It's confirmed. I'm in the Twilight Zone.

A/N

The timing for the story so far:

Chapter 1 - Sunday, Sept. 28

Chapter 2 - Monday, Sept. 29

Chapter 3 - Toshi's - Friday, October 3

Chapter 8 - Game of Life / 1st Meeting w/Darcy - Sunday, October 5 and Monday, October 6

Chapter 10 - Charlie Date / 2nd Meeting w/Darcy - Tuesday, October 7 and Thursday, October 9

Chapter 12 - Netherfield Dinner - Saturday, October 18

Chapter 15 - Poker Game Night - Sunday, October 26

Chapter 16 - Date with Wickham - Thursday, October 30

Chapter 17 - Ella Lounge - Friday, October 31

THIS CHAPTER 19 - Monday, November 3

Upcoming - Date with Wickham - Thursday, November 6

Hope this helps as we continue!