Last Chapter Synopsis: Lizzy is taken against her will and then separated from her sister, whom Greg has drugged heavily. Greg seems to be working from an agenda only he knows, and at the end of the chapter he drugs Lizzy to make sure that she doesn't see where he is taking her next.

Chapter 43: ...Can be Cause for Regret

Lizzy felt her pulse beating in the base of her skull as she slowly came to. The sickening smell of old fish and musty wood wafted past her nose, forcing her shoulders to hunch in a motion they weren't quite ready for, and causing her to wince as a result. She was incredibly stiff; the mattress she was lying on not thick enough to provide any cushion between herself and the grainy wooden floor. Closing her eyes in an attempt to stop the swaying motion she couldn't seem to get rid of, she soon realized that the rhythmic movement wasn't a result of her mind playing tricks on her. A boat. I'm on a boat.

And then she remembered a tense stroll through Central Park, a gun, and her sister lying passed out on a bench. And then she pictured a pair of dull, lifeless blue eyes paired with an unpredictable and sinister smile that curled tight, thin lips. WICKHAM.

Adrenaline quickly prompted her to pull her arms to the front of her body, forcing Lizzy to realize that not only were her arms still tied tightly behind her back, but something now securely bound her ankles as well. As she moved, her legs kicked a piece of plastic tarp draped loosely by her feet, knocking it a few inches to the left. In the quiet of her surroundings, the rustling plastic could have been as loud as canon fire.

She held her breath in the hope that he hadn't been close enough to hear her movements. Unfortunately, the very next sound she heard were rapidly thudding footsteps coming from somewhere below her.

His voice rang out long before he entered her field of vision. "Lizzy! Good to see you awake. Hungry?"

Lizzy just glared in response.

He sighed, flopping down in a computer chair and setting a plate on the small desk in the corner. "I'm trying to do right by you Liz but you are not making this easy."

Lizzy felt her courage rise as she stared back into his soul-less eyes. "Then let me go."

"You know I can't do that."

"I honestly don't see a reason for you to keep me here."

"That doesn't mean you can just be free to leave."

"I'm serious. Let me go Greg. I'm sure their searching for me by now."

He laughed his dark laugh again, the one that made Lizzy's skin crawl. "Oh really? Who exactly would be searching for you?" Reaching his hand between his legs, he grabbed hold of the chair and wheeled it closer to her. "I'm all ears, Liz. This should be good."

"Kitty…my parents…Will. All of them are probably working with the Police as we speak."

"OK. Let's go over this one more time. Kitty will not remember seeing you. I made certain of it, so just stop hoping for that altogether …And, I hate to have to say it, but for all your parents know you're just home unpacking from your trip. Your sister is abroad, remember? There's no one there to say that you never made it home. It's going to take them another few hours to even begin to realize that you're not where you're supposed to be; probably even longer."

She knew he was right, and the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach did nothing to help her mounting anxiety. Unwilling to allow him anymore triumph, however, Lizzy determined in that moment never to let him see her fear. She bit the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from saying anything she might regret later and set her eyes squarely on his face.

He continued. "And Will? Let's just say he's given you up for good."

Lizzy felt her stomach knot. "He would never do that."

A self-satisfied smirk spread across his face. "If he thought you were working with me, he would."

"What?"

"I took the liberty of sending him a message from your cell phone while you slept earlier. Took a few pictures of us cuddling, too, while I was at it. Shame you never took me up on my advances, Lizzy; we make such a cute couple in photos."

"He'll never believe it."

"We'll see. If I know Will the way I think I do, he's going to have a very hard time seeing past the blinding rage he'll feel once he reads that email. I mean, that guy's trust issues are just…You know what he says, don't you?" Greg puffed his chest and pulled his shoulders back in exaggerated mockery to continue, "'His good opinion once lost, is lost forever'…blah blah bullshit! All that bloody, self-righteous deuchebaggery and nothing to show for it."

Lizzy briefly recalled Will's decisive and incorrect reaction to Andy's email in November, and once again felt the ball of panic bounce rapidly up and down in her stomach. Didn't Will know her better now? Would that even matter considering the content of the email Greg had sent? What exactly had he sent? Taking a deep breath in a concerted effort to control the alarm in her features, she pursed her lips and replied in a confidence not really her own, "You're going to get caught, Greg."

Lizzy immediately saw his eyes grow cloudy at her observation, almost as though he slipped away from their conversation for a second. Sighing, he grabbed the plate he had set down on the desk and gestured it towards her one more time. "Are you eating, or not?"

Lizzy narrowed her eyes in disbelief at his level of detachment.

"Eat or don't eat. I really don't care." Walking up to the edge of the mattress, Greg laid the plate on the floor near Lizzy's face, exposing a soggy peanut butter sandwich to her view. The smell of peanut butter mingled with the smell of fish and made her stomach turnover.

And then his footsteps once again disappeared below deck.

Lizzy rolled from her side onto her back and squeezed her eyes shut to block out the nightmare surrounding her. It was all wrong; at that moment she could still be in England with Will, enjoying his presence and probably well on her way to confessing her feelings for him. They would be making jokes and lightly bickering regarding who had it worse as the Maid of Honor or Best Man, all while he went the extra mile to ensure that the end of her trip was entirely unforgettable. They would be talking…and touching…and breathing in each other so deeply that they would begin to forget where one ended and the other began.

But no. That was another life now. Instead her only, and quite possibly last companion was someone who was cunning, and dangerous, and - she gritted her teeth as she acknowledged that his behavior allowed for no other possible conclusion – disturbingly unstable.

Although she fought it with every ounce of her strength, Lizzy felt a solitary tear sting the corner of her eye before sliding a lonely path down her cheek towards her ear.

William Darcy saw red.

That really was the only way to describe it. The monitor was red, the office walls were red…hell, even the bloody black keyboard was bright crimson in that moment. Slamming the mouse down on it's pad, Will abruptly stood and walked over to his study window, ignoring the three books that had fallen when his chair slammed into the bookcase behind his desk.

There were no thoughts. Just anger and red.

His Lizzy. NO. It couldn't be. She wouldn't.

Peering over his shoulder at the monitor, an image of a cascade of brunette curls greeted him in return. She seemed to be snuggling under the covers, but Greg wouldn't let her rest, kissing the back of her shoulder and snapping a photo of the two of them in their intimate moment.

He looked for the nearest object to throw, but stopped himself short when he realized he was holding his mother's portrait.

GET A GRIP, Darcy.

Resigned, Will collapsed in his chair and stared blankly at the floor.

It just didn't make sense.

Two days. Two days were all that they had had together; two days when they weren't fighting, or misunderstanding each other, or jumping to ill-founded conclusions. Two glorious days spent feeling more in tune with another individual than he had ever felt before in his life. Or so he thought.

It had all fallen into place so neatly, so effortlessly; and it had felt so natural he had no inclination to question it. But what could he really know about Lizzy Bennet from 2 days of pleasant, non-combative interaction?

He loved her. That was certain. But did she really love him in return? Had those moments been real, or were they all a front? A ploy to get close to him and his sister. A scheme to once again attempt to destroy his family from the inside, out.

If that was all it was, she was good. Very good. He had never had a clue.

Or had he?

A vision of a nightmare he had experienced in November, with Greg and Lizzy who had snakes for eyes, suddenly gripped him. His subconscious had worried about this back then, before the DR and long before England. No wonder Wickham had known how to find Gianna: Will had told Lizzy. Well, hadn't he? His muddled thoughts couldn't remember clearly enough.

Red. Dejection. Indignation. Will felt a migraine begin to wind its' way from behind his eyelid up to his temple at the futility of his mind's wanderings.

In that rare moment of defeat, his mind took control, demanding he find clarity in the things that he could analyze. Feelings be damned…What exactly DID he know about Elizabeth Bennet? For certain?

He knew that Lizzy was bright and capable. He knew that she held a fierce loyalty to those she was close to, like Jane and Charlotte. He knew that she treated her employees with decency and respect. And he knew that she was not afraid to stand up for what she believed to be right.

He also knew that Wickham was cunning, and dangerous. He knew that even if someone as intelligent as Lizzy had decided to fall into cohort with him, it would still be possible for him to manipulate the relationship - particularly if he had deceived her into feeling loyal towards him previously. And Ella Lounge had shown him, without a doubt, that Wickham had gotten to her first.

Could Lizzy be relieved of all blame? No. But it would be lessened somewhat.

A smaller corner of his mind also demanded to be heard, although its' argument seemed largely beyond reason. It resonated however, clearly; imploring him to question what was before his eyes. Whether from love or blind loyalty he could not be sure, but this part of his conscience begged to remind him that it was possible not all was as it seemed. That was certainly much less likely: the email was sent by Lizzy herself, and she did not seem to be uncomfortable - in any way, really - in the photograph.

But possible, yes.

Fortunately, both circumstances dictated the same course of action. He had hidden Greg away long enough; a blind and misguided attempt at saving his family from shame and further heartbreak. However, he now realized that his only chance at separating both Lizzy and his sister from the negative influence that Greg insisted on maintaining over those he cared about was to do what he had once deemed unthinkable.

It only took a moment to ring his attorney, Phillips.

"Norman? It's Will. We need to speak with the judge. We need to get the gag order rescinded."

He paused as he realized that he would soon be taking his feud with Greg Wickham to a level even his foe would not be expecting. It was an offensive maneuver that would never have crossed his own mind just three months prior.

"Immediately."

Norman seemed lost for words. "Of course…Mr. Darcy. But…are you certain?"

"Absolutely. I'll be flying to the U.S. shortly. Keep me updated once he has granted the repeal."

"He is fair game to give us a bit of pushback, you know. You recall how hard you fought for it."

"Do whatever is required to get it revoked Norman."

"You got it."

Hanging up, Will stood, his mind flying in one thousand directions at once. Glancing over his desk, Will realized that his mail had begun overflowing its' wicker inbox, along with a dozen other signs that he hadn't attended to any business matters for a few days. A sad smile tugged at his lips as he thought, 'Lizzy really did keep me busy. I've never let it get that bad before.'

Grabbing the entire pile of letters and shoving them into his briefcase, Will rang his secretary to instruct her to book the next flight out to Vermont and to call his private car.

A/N: Can we see where this is going yet? I know that the circumstances our dear characters are in are awful, but this chapter was a bit of fun to write. I hope you all have started to see the light at the end of our tunnel!

As always, thank you for your kind words, favorites and follows. I really do love hearing from you all and hope you all are inspired to review after this chapter! :)

Until next time, dear readers.

Update 7/22/2015 - Hello Everyone! I am so sorry that you have not heard from me. Life always has a way of catching up and right now I am in the middle of moving. I have not forgotten this story - there simply is a few big things coming up and I just want to make sure it's all perfect before I post the next few chapters. I wish I could give you more of a timeline but my life simply gets in the way of writing more than I would like to admit. Thank you so, so very much for staying with me - the reviews that have been posted lately have really warmed my heart. Please stick in there and stay with me - I promise to finish this. I love this story as much as you do!

Warm wishes to all, Coastercrazed