Well here is the next chapter...I'm a little busy right now, so the next chapter will take a little more time than usual but I'l try my best to hurry it up...

Thanx again to my betas, LADYAMADAUN and MAB35 for all their awesome advice!

Chapter 13

The week flew by in the blink of an eye. Lizzy finally had her long awaited reunion with Emma and the two chatted till the wee hours of the morning. Emma was thrilled with Jane as well and they agreed that Jane would be the face of Emma's new line of cosmetics slated to launch in the spring. Darcy and Richard continued to make impromptu visits to the Bennet' home and the trio seemed to fall back on their routine of years past, much to Lizzy's delight. Jane was usually out with Charlie and, not being a regular at nightclubs on weekdays, Lizzy found herself at home quite a bit and so the men's company was gratefully welcomed.

Finally it was Thursday, and the girls were busy getting dressed for Charlie's Thanksgiving dinner. Lizzy stood in her room, tying her hair into a ponytail. She smoothed a non-existent wrinkle out of her royal blue, one shoulder, satin jersey dress and slipped on a pair of matching blue pumps. Sapphire drop earrings and a matching ring were her only jewelry. Seeing as how the weather had taken a turn towards freezing, Lizzy opted for her winter coat but left her shoes on. There was, after all, no snow outside, she reasoned to herself. She made her way down to the foyer where Jane stood buttoning her coat over her black silk jumpsuit with a lace inset. The sudden peal of the telephone broke the silence.

"Who could that be?" Lizzy frowned. Jane just shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, we don't have time right now, they can leave a message." Lizzy searching for her keys in her bag but couldn't help but being distracted by the insistent ringing. She sighed in frustration and glanced at her watch.

"Umm, give me a sec. Whoever this is, doesn't look like they'll stop." She walked away towards the closest phone, in the sitting room to the left of the foyer, followed by Jane. She glanced at the number flashing but couldn't recognize it.

"Hello?"

"Hey sweetie!" the voice on the line brought a grin to Lizzy's face.

"Dad! Hi! How are you doing?" She turned to Jane, still grinning. Jane smiled gently back at her friend before slipping away to give her some privacy.

"I'm doing good honey. Busy as usual but you know I thrive on that." Father and daughter laughed together.

"I just wanted to call and say Happy Thanksgiving."

"Thanks Dad, Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. What are your plans for today?" She sat down slowly on the arm of the sofa.

"Oh the usual, busy at the office all day and I was coerced into agreeing to dinner with Gary and his family so I'm on my way over now." Michael sighed.

"Well, good! I'm glad he's making you go. Tell them all I said Hi and Happy Thanksgiving, okay?" Gary was head of the London branch of Bennet Corp and a long time friend.

"Will do honey. Okay, I have to get going, I'll talk to you soon."

"Oh…uh okay." She had expected him to stay on longer seeing as how they weren't even spending the holiday together. "but when are you coming home?" Lizzy knitted her eyebrows together, waiting for a response.

"I honestly don't know Liz. Soon, I hope."

"Please tell me I'll be seeing you before Christmas!" Lizzy said, half joking. Her father chuckled,

"Of course sweetie, or at least, I'll do my best." Michael knew she wouldn't like that answer but at the moment, he couldn't make her any promises. He heard her sigh but knew she would understand. This was a busy time for the company and he couldn't just sit back and relax. He could always make it up to her later.

"Ok well, I guess I'll talk to you later, Dad. Love you."

"By hon, I love you too. Give my best to Jane"

Lizzy heard the click signaling her father's departure from the conversation. She slowly replaced the receiver and pressed her lips together. Her dad had always been a workaholic. Even as a little girl, she remembered how he needed to be reminded by her mother to spend time at home. After her mother's death, he had made an effort, always trying to take her along for his business trips when she had a holiday. Not wanting her to be alone, he usually encouraged William and Richard's fathers to send their sons along and it had all worked out. She had never wanted him to feel the burden of being a single parent and so she had tried to make everything easy for him and never complain. But now, she couldn't help but feel that her dad didn't even make an effort to be around. There were plenty of others who could make these trips. And the other offices were stable and being run by capable men. He didn't need to be there at all times. She sighed and walked slowly back to the foyer.

Jane smiled at her."So how is he doing?"

"He's good," Lizzy buttoned her coat. "He says 'Hi' by he way."

Jane could sense that something was off about her friend and after giving her a moment to speak, decided to give her some space. The drive to Charlie's place was a silent one. Lizzy sat staring out the window lost in thought. She didn't like the way she was feeling right now and yet; she couldn't put a name to the emotion. Was it anger? Disappointment? Hurt? She frowned and swallowed hard. She wasn't a kid anymore! It's not like her father had to be around her all the time. He had his own life to live. It was selfish to feel like this…right? Kids always moved out of their homes when they went to college. She couldn't begrudge him his empty nest years. But he's had 8 years of those already! And wasn't their relationship supposed to be different? Weren't they supposed to be closer than other father/daughter combos? She shook her head a little as if to push the voice that threatened to interrupt her calming musings aside.

The dark sedan pulled up the curb and the driver got out and opened the backdoor for his two passengers. Lizzy, still lost in thought, stepped out without looking and splashed her shoe right into a puddle.

"Ahh!" She gasped.

"What? What happened?" Jane asked, her voice filled with worry.

"I stepped into a freezing cold puddle! Arrgh great, this is just great…watch your step when you get out." She stepped onto the curb and shook her wet shoe.

"Are you okay?" Jane asked looking at her foot.

Lizzy sighed, "Yeah I'm fine, let's just go. The two ladies walked into the building together.

"I can't believe I'm back here again." Lizzy muttered under her breath as they waited for the elevator to carry them up to the top floor "We were just here last weekend!" Her conversation with her father had completely killed her mood (the puddle didn't help things much either!) and right now, she just wanted to be at home, in her bed and under the covers.

"Did you say something?" Jane turned to her friend innocently. Lizzy smiled sheepishly at her,

"Nothing, just talking to myself." She shifted back and forth. "Man, my feet are freezing!"

"Oh my God, Lizzy! Why didn't you wear your boots?" Jane stared at her friend's feet, which were a little bluish in color.

"There's no snow outside, I didn't think I needed them." She lifted her right foot and tried to rub the top a little to get the color back but the elevator door opened. Lizzy sighed and followed her friend. A beaming Charlie opened the door.

"Hey, you're here! Come on in." He moved aside to let them by.

"Happy Thanksgiving Charlie." Lizzy couldn't help but grin at him. As usual his cheeriness was contagious. Jane smiled and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

"Come on. Everyone's in here." Reaching for her hand, he dragged Jane down the hall with Lizzy following.

"Are we late? Who else did you invite?" Lizzy asked. Charlie turned to look over his shoulder,

"No you're not late, and I decided to keep it small today, just us and Richard and Will." He explained. Lizzy nodded.

"Charles! Why are you answering the door? That's what the hired help is for!" Caroline's hissing greeted them as they entered the room. Her glare deepened when she saw her brother once again holding onto the hand of that two-bit gold digger. Charlie rolled his eyes.

"Caroline, I can answer the door in my own house. I'm not incompetent." Richard snickered from his place on the sofa.

"Oh really? Then why are your guests still wearing their coats ?" The hissing continued much to everyone's amusement and this time Charlie blushed as he turned to look first at Jane and then Lizzy.

"Oh…oops. Sorry guys. I guess I forgot to take those from you." He muttered, running a hand through his blonde curls. Lizzy and Jane chuckled. Caroline stepped forward, now with a smile plastered to her face.

"Yes, so sorry about that." She turned and snapped her finger at someone who remained out of everyone else's view. A timid maid stepped forward and waited patiently for the women to remove their outerwear.

"Elizabeth I must say, that Alberta Ferreti suits you perfectly." She gushed as Lizzy unbuttoned her coat slowly, unable to speed up because of her cold fingers that were taking their time heating up. It didn't matter that Jane wore a beautiful fur trimmed napolean coat; she was still ignored. As far as Caroline was concerned, she probably stole it from her friend's closet.

"Thank you Caroline." Lizzy smiled politely at her hostess. "You look lovely." She had come prepared to compliment Caroline even if it meant lying through her teeth, and that's exactly what she had done. For some reason Caroline seemed to have an affinity for the color orange and not the nice shades. She managed to pick out the ones that did nothing to enhance her complexion. On this occasion, she wore a one shoulder orange mini dress with a long train.

"Thank you dear." She answered with a smug, confident air. She knew she looked fantastic, but it didn't hurt to have someone of Elizabeth's standing acknowledge it. Caroline turned to the maid who stepped forward and took their coats before walking away.

"Now, please, make yourself at home and I'll return in a minute. I just have to check something with the chef." She smiled at Elizabeth, who didn't miss how Caroline kept speaking singularly as if Jane wasn't there. The two friends exchanged looks; it was a battle between Lizzy's 'I told you so' and Jane's 'don't start'. Lizzy shuddered and made her way over to the sofa to sit down next to Richard.

"Hey." She said quietly. Richard raised an eyebrow, surprised at her tone.

"What's with you kid?" He asked. She shrugged. Darcy leaned forward from his chair next to them.

"Lizzy, why is your foot blue?" he frowned looking at Lizzy's. Richard too, bent over to look down.

"I didn't wear boots and accidently stepped into a puddle and now my feet are cold." She answered them. Both men exclaimed.

"What's wrong with you? Do you know the temperature outside?" Richard scolded her as he pushed her away from him on the sofa.

"Hey!" Lizzy protested but before she could say anything else, Richard lifted her feet onto his lap, removed her shoes and began to rub them with both hands. Meanwhile Darcy got up and adjusted the heat on the electric fireplace.

"What were you thinking? Don't you know it's supposed to snow today?" He sat down in his chair again, watching Richard's progress with a frown on his face.

"I'm sorry, I'm not obsessed with the weather network like the two of you." She rolled her eyes as they glared at her. Charlie and Jane sat on the love seat across them watching in amazement as the men fawned over their young friend.

"Wow, you guys are like mama bears protecting their cub!" Charlie commented. Richard glowered at Charlie.

"What, you wouldn't do it for your sister?" There was silence as three of the other four occupants looked at him in bewilderment. Richard paused his foot rub and thought about what he had just said. "Sorry, dumb question. Never mind." He said shaking his head a little. Caroline returned and sat down.

"Sorry about that. What happened?" She asked when she noticed the odd position of the two friends. Lizzy shifted in her seat but Richard wouldn't allow her to remove her feet from his lap.

"My feet were really cold so Richard was just warming them up for me." Lizzy explained. Caroline sat still for a minute before nodding

'Better Richard than Will.' She thought to herself before speaking out loud,

"Oh I'm so sorry, dear. These electric fireplaces are nothing compared to the wood burning ones but the ridiculous co-op board won't allow us to have one. I heard Louisa Musgrove talk of the wood burning fireplace she had installed in her townhouse. She says it is the latest rage" She scoffed.

"Caroline, they banned the fireplaces in apartment buildings because the smoke was getting into other apartments. It's not safe, especially for kids with asthma." Charlie pointed out. His sister waved this information away with her hand.

"Well then, these families with asthmatic children should move out into a townhouse or even to the suburbs." Richard opened his mouth to protest when Charlie spoke up,

"Don't bother dude, she won't budge." Caroline glared at her brother before turning back to Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth darling, why don't you switch places with…your friend. I'm sure Charlie would love to help you with your feet." She looked between her brother and the heiress with a smile on her face. The two in question looked at her in confusion before Richard spoke up,

"Uhh, I got it covered, Caroline. Lizzy has us, she doesn't need her best friend's boyfriend giving her a massage." He looked at her with a bemused expression, wondering what she was up to. Caroline repressed a sigh but decided to move on.

"So Elizabeth, that color is simply breathtaking on you. It really makes your eyes stand out. They're so blue. Don't you think so, Charles?" Caroline turned back to Charlie but he was busy chatting with Jane and had missed her question.

"That's 'cause she's wearing blue. Her eyes change colors." Richard explained lazily.

"Yeah and when she wears black they turn bluish green." Darcy remarked absently. Richard nodded,

"Yeah kinda like…turquoise-ish?" He turned to his cousin for confirmation. Darcy thought about it for a minute,

"I think so." The two men looked up and found everyone staring at them.

"Aaaand that's why they're both still single." Charlie laughed.

"I think it's sweet that they're so close." Jane smiled softly at the trio, "I've never had anyone in my life with that type of closeness. It's rare."

"Well, now you have Charlie." Lizzy winked at her friend who blushed but didn't say anything. Caroline did not like the grin on her brother's face and sat thinking of any way she could redirect his attention.

"There," Richard stopped rubbing Lizzy's feet. "Now at least your feet don't match your eyes." Lizzy sat up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you." Lizzy thought around for any subject that would bring her out of her funk. " So Will, how's Anna? I haven't seen her since I got back." Lizzy leaned over to look at him. Darcy's sister was five years younger than Lizzy but the two had always been close and even during her stay in France, they had skyped regularly.

"And you won't be seeing her here. Like you, I want her to grow up away from all the…glamor of New York. I don't want her to worry about having her picture taken all the time for magazines and newspapers and being hounded for interviews. I remember how much you used to hate that and how far Michael went to try and protect you." Lizzy nodded in understanding.

"Why would you want that?" Caroline exclaimed in amazement, "She's a Darcy! She should know how to deal with these issues."

"And she will. When she's ready." Darcy spoke firmly.

"You're depriving her of her birth right. She's supposed to be in the limelight. She's supposed to be representing her family and being an example for the middle class. A role model of sorts. I'd be more than happy to show her the ropes."

"Being rich doesn't make you a role model, Caroline." Richard pointed out.

Caroline huffed, "Richard please. Middle class people need us to guide them. To show them how to behave. Without us they'd be like…barbarians."

"Because we have money?" Richard scoffed, "Caroline just because we have wealth and status doesn't automatically mean we're better than…the middle class. I mean, look at Paris Hilton for example. If she's a role model for the anyone then…I'm Aretha Franklin." He looked at everyone's baffled expressions. "What? Who else should I have said?"

"Umm…Brad Pitt maybe?" Lizzy asked. Richard rolled his eyes.

"Please, Brad Pitt wishes he was me. But Aretha…now she is one special lady. Man can she sing!" He sat back with his hands behind his head. Darcy broke the silence.

"Richard…are you…sure …you're heterosexual?"

"Ha ha very funny. Relax I'm straight. If I wasn't, you'd know."

"Back to my point," Caroline interrupted, "Paris Hilton may not be the right example but surely, you're not suggesting that Anna is on par with Paris?"

"Caroline, the so-called upper classes have a lot of skeletons in their closets. They turn a blind eye about it and pretend they're clean all the while judging others for making the same mistakes but not being able to hide it as well." Darcy put in his two cents.

"Wait," Charlie sat up, "Caroline, we are middle class. We grew up in Ohio, our parents were-"

"CHARLES! Can I talk to you for a minute, please" She cut him off before he could continue and stood up to leave the room. Charlie rolled his eyes before following her out.

"You went to Harvard, you're best friends with William Darcy, you have a top position at Bennet Corp and you live in a penthouse apartment on the upper east side and now you have Elizabeth Bennet in your life. You may be confused about your position in life, probably because of the low company you insist on keeping, but I am not. Do not ever insinuate that we are middle class." She whispered angrily. "I've worked very hard to rid myself of that stigma and I will not go back because of your carelessness. Now stop letting that hussy keep you distracted and pay some attention to Elizabeth. You've been neglecting her all afternoon." She pushed him lightly back into the room before he could comment on anything she had said. Charlie looked at his sister with a baffled expression on his face before taking his place beside his girlfriend. Caroline glowered once more before returning to her seat. She didn't notice Richard fighting to hold back his laughter.

"Excuse me Miss Bingley." The maid returned. Caroline turned to look at her. "You have an important phone call."

Caroline sighed, "Excuse me please." She got up to leave the room.

"You're sister is a piece of work man." Richard let out a sigh of relief at her departure. Charlie nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, her goal in life is to…well is to be Lizzy." Jane and Lizzy looked at him in confusion. "Rich, famous and important." He explained further.

"Famous and important?" Lizzy asked incredulously.

"Seriously man, Lizzy's a nobody." Richard said solemnly. He was rewarded with a punch on the shoulder for his comment. Darcy stood up,

"I'll be back." He started walking out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Charlie looked up at his friend as he passed him.

"Hey man, when nature calls, you gotta answer." Richard answered with the tilt of his head. Lizzy turned to make a face at him.

"Ugh, Richard why are you so vulgar?" Her friend shrugged good-naturedly and threw an arm around her shoulder. She sighed and leaned into him, grateful as always for his presence.

Darcy washed his hands and walked out of the washroom. As he walked by Charlie's library/office he heard Caroline call out his name.

"William darling." Her voice was unusually high. He closed his eyes and sighed but stopped his progress to turn back and see what she wanted from him. She stood up and walked to him to take his arm. "I need help with something and I think you're the only one who can give it to me." She smiled winningly at him.

"What is it Caroline?" He asked warily.

"Well darling, I can't help but feel apprehensive about this gold digger who's managed to sink her claws into my gullible brother." Darcy opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off,

"I'm not finished. I think, and I hope that you'll agree with me here, that Elizabeth would be much better suited for Charles. Think about it, your best friend and…adopted sister of sorts. Isn't it perfect?" She looked up at him with wide eyes and an excited expression. Darcy fought to prevent the grimace that threatened to appear on his face at the thought of Charlie and Lizzy together.

"Caroline, I will not interfere in Chuck's personal life and neither should you. He's a grown man and can make his own decisions." He turned to walk away before Caroline tried one more time to convince him,

"Wait, William. I don't want to interfere but you know how naïve and humble Charles is. It's obvious to everyone but him that Jane doesn't care about him the way he cares about her."

Darcy's step faltered for a second before he continued. "Just leave it alone, Caroline." He walked away from her thinking about her preposterous idea of getting Lizzy and Charlie together. Lizzy didn't belong with some like Charlie! She needed someone different. Someone like…well whoever she needed wasn't important. She was young and had plenty of time to figure things out.