I'm back! I've been meaning to get back to my writing and while I was gong over the story I realized that I have a chapter that I wrote last year and never posted so here it is! Sorry for the delay guys... I promise to try harder and not leave such huge gaps between posts. Here's hoping it doesn't happen again!

thanx again to my wonderful betas Ladyamadaun and Mab35

Chapter 15

Lizzy slowly opened the door and peeked out. Jane had not turned the lights off, buther steady breathing indicating she was fast asleep. She sighed in relief making her way to the bed before turning off the lights. She climbed in quietly and lay on her back with her hands clasped over her chest. The room was silent. Lizzy pursed her lips and stared at the ceiling. She wasn't tired. Craning her neck to look at her friend, she waited a few minutes to ensure that Jane was in fact in deep sleep. When she was sure of this, Lizzy tossed aside the duvet and slowly climbed off the bed. She tiptoed to the door and left the room.

She made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, Lizzy leaned over to inspect its contents.

"Can't sleep?" Lizzy jumped when she heard a voice speak up.

"Oh my God, Richie you nearly gave me a heart attack!" She finally noticed him sitting on the counter and wondered how she could have missed him. She clutched her chest as if to calm her rapidly beating heart. "What are you doing up?" She asked him. He raised a glass of milk and she grinned at him.

"Milk?" she chuckled.

Richard shrugged, "It's a tradition, I like to have a glass of milk with another piece of pie when everyone else is asleep. Care to join me?" He hopped off the counter.

"For milk? No thanks." She smiled at him and shut the fridge door. She followed Richard out of the kitchen and into the living room. He sat down on the floor in front of the coffee table and waited for Lizzy to sit across him before he pulled out a bottle ofscotch.

"Well, this is more what I had in mind formyself-"

"Excellent. Pour me some too will you?" She got up to retrieve a glass for herself and sat down. He raised his eyebrows as she held it in front of him, waiting for him to fill it up.

"Are you sure? I mean, you did have a lot of wine tonight Squirt." He gently reminded her.

"Please Richard, just a little." She pleaded with wide eyes. Richard thought for a minute before pouring some in both glasses. Lizzy took a sip and made a face as the unfamiliar liquid burned her throat. Richard smirked at.

"A bit strong for you?" He sipped confidently from his own glass. Lizzy shook her head at him.

"Nope, it's exactly what I wanted."

"And what is it that you want, Squirt?" Richard leaned forward as he spoke, keeping his tone gentle. Lizzy shrugged and looked away. She sipped slowly from her glass and looked around the room, at the furniture, the walls, at anything but the man sitting in front of her.

"Lizzy," He prodded tenderly. Lizzy finally made eye contact with him. "You know you can talk to me right? I mean, I'm here if you need advice, or even just a sounding board…" he trailed off. Lizzy half smiled at him.

"Thanks for the offer Richie but really, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."

"Really?" his voice was skeptical. "Because you don't seem fine. You've actually been acting weird lately."

"How would you know what normal is for me anyway, Richard? You don't know me all that well." She challenged him.

"I know you." He watched as she smiled indulgently at him. "I know you're lonely."

"I'm not lonely! I have dad and I have Jane!"

"You don't have your dad and that's why you're lonely and Jane, yeah you have Jane but you won't talk to Jane about Michael. That's why I thought you might want to talk to me."

"And why wouldn't I talk to Jane about my dad?" Lizzy challenged him with a roll of her eyes, "She is my best friend."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't want her to get the wrong impression about your dad. She hasn't known you long enough and she definitely doesn't know your dad enough so if you complain to her about your daddy issues." Richard watched carefully through half-closed eyes. "She might think he's a horrible person who doesn't love you and you don't want that." He knew he'd found a truth watching as the smile slowly faded from Lizzy's face and she sat frozen with wide eyes, not contradicting him.

"And that's where I come in. I grew up with you and your family. So I know that he loves you and I won't suddenly start to hate him or anything. I care about you and I care about your dad and nothing you say is going to change that." He sat back and watched her struggle with her emotions. Richard knew to be careful as he waited for his young friend to cave. She fiddled with her glass and suddenly drained it, silently holding it out to him for more which he gave, reluctantly. Lizzy took a sip from her glass before setting it on the table and facing Richard.

"What do you want me to say? That I'm angry that he's never here? That I'm sick and tired of being left behind for whatever business comes up? That I'm tired of feeling like I don't even have a father?" She snapped at him suddenly.

"Well, yeah…it's a start." He crossed his arms and watched her with a serious expression as he waited . She sat quietly drinking for a minute before sighing.

"What good will that do Rich? It won't change anything." Richard didn't like the defeated tone in her voice.

"Well you won't know until you try. It might change things, or at least make you feel better. Stop being all waspy. You're not your mother." He winked at her and Lizzy smiled softly at his comment.

"Remember my mom, Richie? She was great huh?" She watched him nod and smile before continuing. "Sometimes I feel like I'm idealizing or at least forgetting the bad stuff because, there is no way she could have been that perfect. I mean, I remember being so happy and complete when she was around. She knew just what to say and when and she knew how to get dad to stay home for the important stuff."

"You're not idealizing. Your mom was awesome. It was so fun trying to get her to lose her temper!"

"Yeah but she rarely did! Even with your best efforts."

"I guess I'm no match for a Connecticut wasp!"

"Well, you were once. Remember when we were on vacation one summer and you guys tricked me into knocking over that beehive?"

"Oh yeah…wow was she ever pissed! Will went into hiding after that, he was terrified!" Richard laughed over the memory.

"Umm excuse me, so were you! You almost wet your pants!" Lizzy reminded him. They laughed together and then sat silently.

"She kept our family together. I never thought she would leave us."

"She didn't leave you Lizzy, it was her time to go. She didn't really have a choice." Richard spoke softly.

"I know, I know, I'm not angry about it. It just…sucks. Everything just fell apart after that. I could see dad struggling to juggle being a single parent with work. I knew it wasn't easy and I never wanted to make it harder for him than it already was. That's one of the reasons I left to go live with Aunt Maddie and Uncle Ed." She paused and chuckled wryly, "Dad was so worried about letting me go. I remember he made me promise to skype him all the time. I guess he didn't realize that he wouldn't have the time."

"Lizzy…"

"He was so busy trying to keep his multi-billion dollar company from failing that he just didn't have time for his only daughter." She rolled her eyes, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "But you know what," Lizzy paused and looked at Richard with hard eyes. "He saw me more and spent more time with me when we were living on two different continents!" She emptied her glass again and reached out to grab the bottle before Richard could stop her.

"Lizzy you know your dad loves you right?" Richard kept his voice soft as he looked at her sympathetically.

Lizzy laughed derisively, "Well, he sure has a weird way of showing it." She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a swig.

"Hey, that's not such a good idea." Richard leaned over to take the bottle from her but Lizzy held it out of reach and frowned at him. He sat back and sighed as she continued her rant.

"He never has any time for me. He barely calls, his texts are short, it's like he's forgotten all about me. Like his job as a dad is done and he can disappear now. Well it's not! I gave him eight years off! Eight years! I thought that would be enough time for him to delegate and you and Will were old enough to take on more responsibilities. But noooooo, he still has to continue being a workaholic! He's loaded for God's sake! He doesn't even have to work. If Bennet Corp. went down tomorrow, he would stillhave enough money to live nicely." She leaned forward and wrapped the coffee table with her knuckles. Richard looked at her questioningly.

"Knock on wood." She explained beforeswallowing another mouthful of whiskey. "You know what, I bet it didn't even occur to him to be home for Thanksgiving. Everyone in the country celebrates with their family but not me, oh no, I can't have that. People like Caroline, who probably don't even appreciate their family, they have it but I can't. Because I have to have a crappy life. My mom had to die, and my dad had to abandon me."

"He didn't abandon you Liz-" Richard tried to interject but Lizzy wouldn't allow him.

"Well it feels like he did." She snappedback. She stretched out her legs in front of her and leaned back against the loveseat behind her. Richard looked at the bottle and groaned. She had finished off quite a bit.

"Lizzy, you are going to have the mother of all hangovers tomorrow, you know that right?" he moaned as he covered his eyes with his hands. She didn't answer him. They sat quietly for a few minutes; the only noise was the sound of the wind howling outside as the snowstorm raged on. A hiccup escaped Lizzy and she closed her eyes. When she spoke again, her words were a little slurred.

"What's wrong with me Richie? Hic-why doesn't anyone want me?"

"Oh wow, you are officially drunk now." Richard sighed. He reached over and grabbed the now almost empty whiskey bottle. When he sat back again Lizzy nudged him with her toes. "I'm serious. Everybody leaves me. No one stays…" her confusion riddled voice trailed off.

"I'm not going to bother saying anything now, because you won't remember this part of our conversation tomorrow. When you're sober, I'll share my pearls of wisdom. For now, you can just vent okay?" He clasped his hands behind his head and watched as Lizzy pondered over his words before grinning at him.

"You're a good friend, Richie. You won't leave me…You know who else is a good friend? Jane. She's so nice and friendly and sweet…"

"Uh huh." Richard rolled his eyes at Lizzy's tone.

"That's why I'm going to do what I can to make sure she doesn't leave me. I'm going to make sure she gets her dream job. And as long as she has Charlie, she'll want to stay here with me. Charlie will be her anvil." She sighed. Suddenly a creaking sound at the door made them both turn in that direction and wait for a while. When nothing else occurred, they looked at each other.

"Probably nothing." Richard shrugged. "What were you saying? Charlie will be Jane's anvil? What the hell is that?"

"Yeah, you know, like on a boat. It stops it from moving." Lizzy spoke as if she was pointing out the obvious.

"Oh you mean an anchor!" Richard chuckled as Lizzy frowned as she tried to figure out the difference between the two words until it finally dawned on her.

"That's it. You're so smart, Richie." She tapped the side of her head as she closed one eye and nodded at him. Richard rolled his eyes again but said nothing.

"I know you hang out with me because you have nothing else to do, and no one else to be with but are you gonna ditch me when Jessi comes back?" Lizzy asked pathetically.

"Of course not, Lizzy. You're my family. Jessi gets that, don't worry. And I would never leave New York." He comforted her with a serious expression on his face. Lizzy stared at him for a minute before smiling.

"I knew you'd be there, Richie."

"And Will too. Don't forget Will." He added lazily. Lizzy sighed heavily.

"Will…you know he was one of the reasons I left?" Richard sat up alert and looked at her.

"What was that Squirt?" He asked hesitantly. Lizzy nodded slowly.

"Yup, I wanted to get over him so I left and that's why I didn't visit either." She sighed again.

"And did it work?" Richard felt like a heel asking but he just had to know. Lizzy frowned as if she was working out an exceptionally hard math problem in her head and just couldn't get the answer right.

"I don't know. I thought it did but sometimes…I don't know." She closed her eyes and Richard struggled to keep from asking her more questions about her feelings for his cousin. After a few minutes, he heard Lizzy's soft snoring and knew that she had fallen asleep. Richard stood up with a half smile and walked over to her sleeping form. He bent over and picked her up, one arm supporting her back while the other was under her knees. He walked slowly up the stairs, saying a silent prayer after every step that Lizzy wasn't as chubby as she used to be. He grinned knowing that if Lizzy could hear his thoughts, she wouldn't hesitate to kick him. Knowing that Jane was in Lizzy's room, he tucked Lizzy into his bed instead. He brushed aside her hair and looked affectionately down at her as she slept. They would need to have a talk soon. A sober talk.

Grabbing the extra pillow and blanket, he went back downstairs and made his waytowards the sofa. He grumbled to himself as he punched his pillow and twisted his tall frame to get comfortable on the narrow sofa.

'Whoever says chivalry is dead should be shot!'

Darcy twisted and turned in his bed, unable to sleep. He had a lot going on in his head. Lizzy, Charlie, Jane. It felt like he had a million things buzzing up there and he couldn't focus on any one in specific.

It was clear to him that Jane's feelings for Charlie were not as strong as his feelings for her. Charlie went out of his way to be with Jane, to talk to her and hold her hand while Jane just seemed to…tolerate his advances. Maybe Jane was the type of woman that needed to have a boyfriend at all times and so would take the first decent guy and keep him around until she found someone she wanted more. Darcy growled to himself. It frustrated him that he couldn't read Jane LaFountaine 100%. Was she or wasn't she a gold digger? What threw him off the most was her relationship with Lizzy. Lizzy had always been an expert at picking out phonies and yet, here she was, befriending Jane and encouraging her relationship with Charlie. It boggled his mind. He wasn't sure if he should talk to her about it or Charlie instead. He didn't want to anger Lizzy with his assumptions. Things were going so well between them lately and he didn't want to shatter their peace.

Lizzy…whenever he thought about her, he could feel butterflies in his stomach. She was everything he had ever wanted in a woman; beautiful, independent, intelligent, lively, funny. He could go on and on. She was amazing and he couldn't help but admire her. But it was just a crush…right? It would pass. He smiled dryly to himself as he thought of Lizzy's childhood crush on him. A comment Richard had made a few months back came to him. Did he want Lizzy to feel that way about him now? What would he do if Lizzy liked him? Would he jump at the opportunity to be with her? His first answer was Hell yes! But the more he thought about it, the more it made him want to change his initial assessment. No, he wouldn't. What if they got together and then broke up? It could ruin their friendship. It would ruin their friendship. And as far as he was concerned, it was not worth risking just for a passing fancy. And that's all it was really…

Darcy turned to look at the clock on night table. It was late but he couldn't sleep. He threw his comforter aside and sat up. He was thirsty and wanted to get a glass of water. He walked to the door leading out of his room and slowly turned the doorknob. Not wanting to wake anyone, he tiptoed quietly down the stairs and towards the kitchen, grateful that he had not run into anyone. He was after all wearing a borrowed pair of pajamas from his friend and seeing as how Charlie was a few inches shorter than him, the pants ended just at his ankle. Not his best look. Darcy grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and walked out of the kitchen. As he was walking down the hall, he heard voices coming from the living room. He pressed his ear against the door and heard Richard's voice,

"When you're sober, I'll share my pearls of wisdom. For now, you can just vent okay?"

What were they doing in there? Having a party without him? He was about to open the door and join them when he felt the jealousy bubble up inside him at Lizzy's words.

"You're a good friend Richie. You won't leave me...You know who else is a good friend? Jane. She's so nice and friendly and sweet…"

Richard a good friend? What about him? Wasn't he a good friend too? He continued listening,

"Uh huh."

Darcy could practically hear his cousin rolling his eyes. Lizzy however, sounding extremely drunk. Her words were fuzzy and she spoke slowly and almost childlike.

"That's why I'm going to do what I can to make sure she doesn't leave me. I'm going to make sure she gets her dream job. And as long as she has Charlie, she'll want to stay here with me. Charlie will be her anvil."

He stepped back suddenly in surprise, wincing as he heard the creaking sound he had just made. Darcy froze for a minute praying that he wouldn't get caught in his eavesdropping. He closed his eyes andwaited. When he heard the murmur of their voices again, he slowly turned and walked away, rushing to his room as quickly as possible all the while trying to remain as quiet as a mouse. He climbed back into his bed and placed the now forgotten bottle of water on the night table.

Lizzy wanted Jane to stay in New York. She was desperate for it. Desperate for companionship. And she was willing to do anything for it, even if it meant sacrificing Charlie's feelings! He didn't blame Lizzy for it; her abandonment issues were clearly clouding her judgment. Jane was the manipulative one in this equation. She was using Lizzy's vulnerabilities to her advantage. Jane must have noticed Lizzy's issues with Michael. It explained so much. This was why Lizzy hadn't seen through Jane's deception. She was just trying to hang onto her friend. Well, he wouldn't allow this to continue. First he would talk to Charlie. With any luck, once Jane realized that Charlie was not going to sign over his deep pockets to her, she would leave and look for a sugar daddy elsewhere. He knew that even if he threw all this information at Lizzy, she would still be defensive over her friend. No, it was best he dealt with this and that Lizzy be left in the dark for now. She would thank him eventually. He hoped.

When he thought about her sitting and confiding in Richard, Darcy felt green with envy. What was Richard doing? For a guy who had absolutely no interest in Lizzy, he sure was having a hard time staying away from her! Had he forgotten about Jessi already? He could feel his inner green-eyedmonster begin to rear its ugly head. Why didn't Lizzy talk to him? Sure she laughed and joked with him as she did with her close friends but with Richard, she seemed to let down her guard even more. As if she felt safe with his cousin. Why didn't she feel safe with him? Was she still holding his previous behavior against him? She sure hadn't acted like it. Lizzy had been completely friendly with him and always looked happy to see him. And he couldn't forget her comments about liking him when he was relaxed. She had said those words just a few hours ago. So why was she sitting with Richard and sharing her thoughts with him? And if it was innocent, why hadn't they called him? Feeling like a five year old who's been abandoned on the playground by his two best friends, Darcy huffed and tried to convince himself that he didn't care. If they wanted to stay up all night chatting, it was fine with him. He turned over and tucked his arm under his head. He would have to have a talk with hisdear cousin tomorrow. Find out just what his intentions were. Darcy shut his eyes and willed all images of Lizzy with Richard out of his head. The last thing he remembered before finally dozing off was Lizzy's smiling face as she told him that she liked him "like this".