Chapter 29: Butterflies

Lizzy had to admit, choosing the shark option was made slightly easier by the fact that Charlotte had also selected it. She found it strange that Char hadn't gone on the same excursion as her fiancé, but didn't want to pry too deeply into what was almost certainly an uncomfortable situation.

Instead, Lizzy knew that this would be a good time for her to learn more about who they were staying with. Richard's sort of friendly, sort of flirty introduction had contrasted heavily with the rest of the large crowd who had unceremoniously stared her down for her late arrival. She hadn't been given an opportunity to meet any of them before they departed, and she was extremely curious to discover what Will's family was like; his sister in particular. The roar of the Jeep Rubicon on the dirt paths would make it difficult for the others to overhear their conversation, so Lizzy leaned over to Charlotte and began, "Obviously, I need the 411 on these people ASAP".

Charlotte gave her a sidelong glance. "There's a bit of drama, as you can imagine; this is a family reunion after all. Are you really sure you want to know?"

Lizzy returned her an incredulous look. "Of course. I think I need to, considering the circumstances."

Charlotte shrugged her shoulders. "Fair enough. In this group we have Ms. DeBourgh, who you sort of met, and her brother. Mr. Henry Fitzwilliam. He's actually an Earl of sorts back in England. Robert could tell you more about that; he thinks it's the greatest thing."

"Aren't they in their sixties? I'm…surprised that she would want to go on a shark expedition."

Charlotte snorted to herself and turned knowingly laughing eyes towards her friend. "Well, who better to swim with sharks than someone who pretty much acts like one? Catherine DeBourgh can be vicious when she wants to be, Lizzy; she has a very set idea for how the world should turn. She's pretty much the matriarch of the entire family. When she chose this expedition, her brother immediately decided to join her…something about 'having family business to discuss'. "

Lizzy nodded her head in understanding.

Charlotte continued, "I think the rest of the group didn't find the idea of swimming with sharks as enticing. Even Robert, who follows her like a puppy dog all of the time, chose the coral reef."

Elizabeth saw her opportunity and took it. "You know? I noticed he wasn't here. Are you sure you're OK being separated from him already?"

Charlotte chewed on her nail before answering. "He gets into these…moods…from time to time, and the partly failed scuba excursion this morning didn't help. The moment he chose the scuba, I chose the sharks to give him some time to himself. Everybody has their faults, you know? You just learn how to deal with them as best you can."

Elizabeth knew that she had entered dangerous territory, and she didn't want Charlotte to feel like she was openly criticizing her relationship again. Stopping herself from commenting directly on Robert's behavior, she deftly shifted the conversation back to its previous course. "Alright. So, besides Robert, who's in the other group?"

"Well, Mr. Darcy you already know. Then there's Anne, Ms. DeBourgh's daughter. She was wearing the blue one piece. Really quiet…doesn't say much. Mrs. Linda Fitzwilliam, Henry's wife, was also there; along with their two sons, James and Richard. Richard is around your age, and James is a few years older. Obviously, you met Richard too. They're all cousins: Will, Anne, James and Richard. The only one missing is Gianna, Will's sister. She goes to Dartmouth and couldn't come; something about a winter session class. Ms. DeBourgh was not happy when Will said that she couldn't make it…he came to his sister's defense admirably, though."

As they were talking, the jeep had arrived to a pier and was beginning to slow down. A tour guide approached and welcomed them to the Marinarium Shark and Ray Experience. He explained that the tour began with a Catamaran trip to the Beaches of Bavaro to provide an introduction to the native marine life found there. Then, snorkeling equipment would be provided so that they could swim with the local sting rays and nurse sharks in an aquatic petting zoo of sorts. Afterwards, the boat ride back would serve cocktails, and even offered bartending lessons for those interested in trying their hands at new skills.

This was not the shark expedition Lizzy was expecting; images of Great Whites, metal cages, bloody fish bait and all types of extreme things had been flashing through her mind since their departure. She was relieved and excited to find the reality of the trip to be much more her style. Ms. DeBourgh, on the other hand, did not seem amused, and Lizzy soon realized that she probably had been hoping for her own private Shark Week experience. Leaving her to commiserate the disappointment with her brother, Charlotte and Lizzy walked over to the beautifully clear water and put their feet in as they waited for the other passengers signed up for the tour to arrive.

Twenty-five minutes later, it was announced that the Catamaran was boarding. Once on the sprawling white deck, it was very obvious that Ms. DeBourgh and her brother were no longer with them. Lizzy turned and gave Charlotte a questioning look, wondering if they were also expected to depart the excursion.

"Hello, ladies," a vaguely familiar voice called out to them. Looking up, Elizabeth was shocked to find Richard and Will walking the length of the deck over to where they sat. Richard was beaming a friendly smile their way, while Will followed awkwardly a few steps behind. Lizzy refused to allow herself to look Will in the eyes and instead focused her attention entirely on Richard.

Richard squeezed himself into a non-existent seat between Charlotte and Lizzy, draping his arms over each of their shoulders and casually crossing his leg. Both Charlotte and Lizzy giggled at his exaggerated, overly-familiar antics; Will's only option was to stand over them as his cousin took center stage. "Well, this could not have worked out any better. It seems auntie dear had a hankering for scuba, and when she found out that this was only a snorkeling tour, immediately called to see if any of us wanted to switch. I'd just been in the middle of telling Darce how we should have asked if this tour had room for more than just four of us, so when the call came in we were more than happy to oblige. We see each other at least five times a year; it's fantastic to finally have some new faces around. Don't you agree Will?"

The threesome looked up to find that Darcy had walked away from them and was currently leaning on the railing looking out over the water. Although Richard looked perturbed, she was no longer surprised by any rude behavior; in fact, Lizzy contentedly thought that everything so far showed a rather promising start. Good riddance. Maybe this will all work out after all.

Will watched the shimmering water pass smoothly by as the bright Caribbean sun reflected off of its gentle waves. Ever since their encounter in the airport his mind had been reeling: the shock of seeing her standing there had been more than enough, but watching her drag her friend to the rest room just as he was about to walk over and say hello was extremely disconcerting. None of that compared, however, to the humor of being able to watch her exit the ladies' room unobserved from the nearby café; he could only shake his head at the half tip-toeing, half sprinting, comedic dash she employed to grab her luggage before making a grand escape to the airport exit.

She is definitely avoiding me.

Even now, being on the same tour, she had yet to even glance at him. Her friend seemed more aware; occasionally darting her eyes back and forth between them with an observant and concerned expression on her face. He knew that Lizzy's friend looked familiar, but he simply couldn't place her.

He sighed as a small part of him acknowledged that he deserved her avoidant behavior. As much as he wouldn't change his actions the last few months, he knew that she must have felt abandoned by him. It was a necessary evil; and fortunately, something that he now had the opportunity to begin rectifying. Bingley had just recently given him the go ahead, although the simple mention of Lizzy's name had made his friend go white as he thought about her sister. Gianna's trial had been delayed again due to another crafty maneuver of Norman's, and was now set to begin around mid-March. Any additional time they had to find Wickham, the better, and a March trial date provided plenty of opportunity to discover exactly what Lizzy knew about Greg. If they were going to be together, he couldn't be afraid of her past; he was going to have to learn how to trust her, and he could only do that with her help.

Over their time spent apart, as he grew to acknowledge her integral role in his happiness, his nightmares had morphed from vile and threatening to simply being filled with loss: many involved Elizabeth and he being separated by insurmountable challenges, such as erupting volcanoes and floods. Every time he would inevitably lose her; most times, she would even die despite his valiant efforts to save her life. His emotions were raw as a result of the onslaught; it was almost as though his heart was telling him that if he waited any longer he might actually lose her in reality.

He had to admit, it felt good to be able to look over his shoulder to see her smiling and alive, even if her exuberance was being directed at his cousin. Richard had a gift for gab, but he was jealous of how readily Lizzy opened herself up to him – welcomed him into her world, really – without so much as a second thought. Although he and Lizzy had shared their moments, he knew that he had never been able to experience that with her – a free and laid-back exchange of affability; of ease. From the very beginning – Toshi's, the work meetings, Wickham - it had always been so damn complicated between them; going forward, he knew the only way to make it work would be to follow Gianna's advice. Keep it simple.

However, the temptation he felt to over-complicate matters by immediately claiming her in his arms was powerful. She looked like a goddess against the white backdrop of the Catamaran, the radiant sunlight causing the auburn highlights in her hair to shimmer and her swimsuit to seem partially made from a precious metal. The familiar longing to know her intimately made his blood race as he began to wonder how the hell he had even managed to resist her for so long. Things had to change – he had to be near her - and he was determined for the metamorphosis to begin immediately. There's certainly no time like the present, particularly in a place as beautiful as this. It's now or never.

Lizzy knew that she was experiencing a powerful interaction with nature; the majesty and grace of the sharks and rays swimming around her legs and underneath her floating form was incredible. The docile creatures even bordered on friendly; the rays would swim up to your fingertips and allow you to glide your fingers over their silken skin, passing a wide circle around you before coming back for more. Charlotte and herself had even managed to take an incredible photo holding a very large ray in the water together.

Swimming off to an isolated side of the "exploration zone", she began taking photos of an elegant shark swimming lazily by some brightly colored coral with her underwater camera. Rising to the surface to briefly adjust her goggles, Lizzy was ejected from her reverie by a voice she knew all too well addressing her from behind. "They're rather amazing, aren't they?"

Jerking her head erect and stiffening her shoulders, Lizzy glanced right and left, but there was no sign of Charlotte anywhere. It is brand new and already the first test of the Darcy Alert System has failed miserably. Pursing her lips, she wondered that maybe if she didn't answer him he would simply swim off, or fly home, or walk off a bridge, or something.

He tried again. "I'm sorry, Lizzy. I'm sorry that I couldn't be there that night. I didn't mean to offend you." Nope. Still there.

That did it.

She whipped her head around to face him and incredulously returned, "Excuse me? You actually feel the need to apologize now, almost two months later? Seriously Will…the time for that has long since passed."

He looked surprised, but undaunted by her response. "It was complicated. Please try to understand, Lizzy…I needed to be there for Bingley."

Now it was her turn to be surprised. "For Bingley, huh? Do you care to explain to me what exactly happened with Charlie that you needed to, 'be there for him'?"

She watched as he seemed to consider her carefully; he was obviously weighing a variety of thoughts against each other. Finally, he spoke. "I am not at liberty to discuss those details. It's between Charles and your sister."

Pompous jerk.

"Oh, okay…well, maybe you would like to tell Charles that it could only be between them if he actually communicated to her what he felt was wrong."

"She hasn't heard from him at all then?"

"No, she hasn't," she seethed. "Are you really that surprised?"

"Charles is his own person. He can decide for himself what is necessary under the circumstances."

Lizzy lightly stomped her foot under the water. He was only reinforcing her own thoughts on the situation; it was unfortunate that he was able to sound so rational regarding the break-up. She didn't want to discover that they thought alike in some ways.

He continued, "Listen, I know that you're upset with me. I would like it if we could at least try to be agreeable with each other during our week here. It would be a shame to waste the time bickering when it could be an incredible vacation for both of us."

She folded her arms over her chest and squinted her eyes at him. Where was this coming from? Certainly ignoring him hadn't bothered him that much. "I don't know. You and I don't seem to get very far when we try to be 'agreeable'." Mostly because your attempts at 'being agreeable' equate to the pleasure of hearing nails on a chalkboard, she smirked.

He gave a wry smile, almost as though he entertained a similar thought about her. "Failure or not, I'm willing to try all the same. What do you say?"

Lizzy bit her lower lip. He always managed to do this. Her defenses could be sky high and he would still find a way to slip through the backdoor without raising a single alarm. She tiredly looked down at the water as she realized that it wasn't even worth attempting to confront him regarding their previous disagreements any longer: too much time had passed and, with Jane and Bingley no longer together, she would only see him for a week before almost certainly never seeing him again. Even at work her communications with Darcy Motors were accomplished via assigned contacts within his organization - nothing passed directly between them anymore. "Alright. If only to avoid awkward dinner or poolside conversations, I suppose we can agree to be civil. I wouldn't want to make anyone uncomfortable." She extended her hand in acknowledgment of their new arrangement.

And then, it happened. The smile – the one she had witnessed at her parent's front door – spread across his face as he expressively clasped her hand in agreement. Her body's response was immediate; she had indulged in multiple Will Darcy fantasies inspired by that smile alone, and it was impossible to remain entirely unaffected. Although her head told her that he shouldn't give her butterflies – that a more appropriate response would be to run screaming in an opposite direction - her stomach, and the happily dancing sensations therein, decidedly thought otherwise.

A/N

Ok, I think it's finally where I want it to be. I just want to thank you all for your patience, and the amazing fact that Magnets has reached 300 follows! I am so happy that you all are enjoying this modern. I promise to do my best to keep it interesting as we move forward!