Sorry guys that I've been so awful with updating lately. I was starting off my school year which is always a crazy time cause I really really have to read in depth for class until I get to know my professors and their teaching styles and then my best friend is getting married this week and being that I'm her maid of honor . . . well, let's just say it hasn't been smooth sailing exactly.
I love that you guys loved the Bennett family!!! I really wanted add a modern and kind of humorous twist to them and I'm thrilled that it worked out well. Not to mention that I loved writing Logan in to the story line. To those of you who have asked if Wickham is Logan's father I can say without giving the story away, 100% no. The drama with Wickham will come from elsewhere.
noukinav018 - I actually haven't read a fanfic that has Lizzie being called Lizard. I don't doubt you that there are others out there and I apologize if anyone thought that I was lifting it from another fanfic, I actually thought I was being 'original' through adopting it from elsewhere.
Cygnet Shearwater - I wasn't aiming to write Mr. Bennett as the kind of "nagging, make-you-stay-at-home kind of parent" but rather a dad who loves Lizzie dearly and wants his favorite daughter close to him and wants the opportunity to practice law with her.
wannabehermy - Wow! I'm very impressed with your accomplishments and you should be too! That's absolutely awesome! Besides, not every school allows for you to do moot and law review, mine just happens to allow it and I was lucky enough to become staff members for both. I just have to ask, 2L or 3L?
Kath267 - I really appreciate your suggestions on how not to lose readers and how to keep my storyline moving, however right now I find that this is what works well for my writing style because it allows me to really paint a scene vividly, even if the chapter is short (not to mention cliffhangers!!! See below.) What I am going to do is try to go back to the stricter schedule I allotted for myself in the spring where I posted one chapter every weekend. That seemed to work well and hopefully I can keep it up during the fall semester (and maybe finish writing this story before Christmas). I can't tell you how many chapters there will be, cause I don't know! Even I don't know how this story ends yet!
And now to the answer to my contest . . . Lizard comes from the comic strip For Better or For Worse where Elizabeth is called Lizardbreath by her older brother Michael as an 'endearment' and later by her little sister April. I love the strip, and specifically love how Lynn Johnston wrote Elizabeth and the term Lizardbreath so I chose to incorporate it just a little by using Lizard (and by shortening it to Lizard I think I avoided any copyright infringements). Both Julie Brook and Karmencorn guessed correctly, but Julie Brook reviewed and supplied the answer first and is thereby the winner! Julie Brook, I'll be in touch soon (I'm hoping you have an account, I assume you do) regarding your story prize.
And now onward with the story!!!!
Chapter 15:
The remainder of Thanksgiving passed by relatively uneventful. However, the end of the holiday did not mean the start of the holiday season for me, but rather the beginning of finals season. It is a unique time of the year for a law student. Appearances no longer matter, women do not bother with hair or makeup, nobody wears contact lenses and everyone wears their most comfortable sweatshirt and jeans and looks like they just crawled out from under a rock. It is a time where an insane amount of caffeine is consumed, yet little is eaten, and students will go for days on only the smallest amount of sleep.
So there I was, the week after Thanksgiving . . . at work. I would have been in the library studying, but I could only afford to take two weeks off and I reserved those for the following two weeks, coming back to work right before Christmas. The positive part of it was that during my lunch break I could close my door and study for a full hour. Yeah, that wasn't much of a benefit.
"Liz?"
I looked up. At the door to my office was Maggie, holding a file.
"Hey Maggie. What can I do for you?"
"I have another case for you"
"Ah! From the great Darcy?"
"No, Josh sent this one your way. He thinks that you're ready to make your first appearance in court."
"Really?!"
"Yes, Liz. You've been doing good work around here. We've been very impressed with you."
"Thank you Maggie, that means so much to me. But why didn't Josh give me the file himself?"
"He had to go to Boston last minute for a client's real estate closing. Don't worry, he'll be back in time to supervise you at the court appearance."
"When is the case on the calendar for?"
"Thursday"
My eyes bugged wide.
"THURSDAY?!?!" I sputtered.
Maggie merely smiled.
"Welcome to the life of a lawyer." And she handed me the file and walked out my door.
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Thursday morning came and I popped into the office to pick up Josh and the case file before heading to court, only to be told that Josh's flight was slightly delayed and that he'd meet me at court.
"But what if the judge calls the case?"
Maggie took my shoulders.
"Liz, breathe. Everything will be fine. You've thoroughly prepared for today. It is a standard dead-beat dad who doesn't want to pay his child support case. Either the dad won't show up and a judgment will be issued, meaning you don't have to do anything or else he'll come, you'll argue and prove to the court that a judge signed an order for the dad to pay child support and he hasn't. No matter which one happens, the case won't start without Josh. You are a law student and are not allowed to appear on the court record alone. Should the case be called before Josh gets there, just explain that to the judge and he will wait."
"Ok."
"You better get going. Calendar call starts at 10 but will probably not begin until 10:30 but you still need to be there before the judge enters the courtroom."
"Ok."
"Don't be afraid to conference the case with defense counsel beforehand to see if you can come to an agreement."
"Ok."
"But obviously don't commit to anything unless Ms. Taylor approves and Josh gives the final ok."
"Ok."
"Ms. Taylor is going to meet you on the steps in front of the courthouse."
"Ok"
"And don't hesitate to call me if you have a question before Josh shows up."
"Ok." At this point I was just continually nodding my head while hoping everything would stick in my memory and trying very hard not to puke.
"Liz, you'll do fine. Now go!"
I dashed out the door and headed to the courthouse.
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I got to the courthouse, met with the client and then found the proper courtroom. Knowing that the case wouldn't start without Josh, Ms. Taylor decided to remain in the hallway where she could use her cell phone. I went into the courtroom to wait.
When I entered, I took a quick glance. The judge wasn't even here yet! I smoothed the skirt of my black suit and ran a hand through my straightened hair to make sure that there were no flyaways, and with the 'clip-clop' of my high heels, I made my way to the first row of the gallery, which is reserved for attorneys, and took a seat among the five people already there. I then took out my evidence notes out of my shoulder bag and settled myself in to study as I waited.
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After about twenty minutes, another one of the attorneys scooted over next to me.
"Spending the day observing? Cause you aren't going to see anything for close to another hour."
I looked over at him. Hmmm, pretty cute. Icy blue eyes, not too blonde hair which he spiked, face at very sharp angles, not usually my type, but hey if everything else checks out, who knows?!
"No actually, I have a hearing on today."
He smiled at me.
"Well aren't you the go getter? Your case wouldn't be Taylor by any chance?"
I nodded.
"Wonderful!" He stood up. I placed him at about 5 feet 10 inches. "Jeremy Wickham." He said, extending his hand. I stood up as well and shook it.
"Liz Bennett."
"Is your client here?"
"Yes, in the hall."
"Good, mine is here too." He tilted his head in the general direction of a man sitting on the left side of the courtroom in the back row. "I'll just tell him to stay put and then why don't you and I step out to discuss the case?"
"That's fine."
He went over to his client, said a few things and then met me at the door to the courtroom.
"Shall we?" he asked as he opened the door for me.
We both stepped out.
"Look, Liz, I'll be frank with you. I wasn't completely sure that my client was coming today. Since he did, I'd like to work out a deal."
"We might be amicable to that. What did you have in mind?"
"We draft a payment agreement for him to pay off the back pay of child support payments in installments."
"He'd pay all of the amount owed with interest?"
"Yes."
"And simultaneously be paying the current child support?"
"Yes"
"And if he is delinquent in payment the agreement would have a provision for a fine?"
"I'm not sure my client will agree to that."
"Your client, Mr. Wickham, already stopped paying once. In order for my client to enter into this agreement she is going to need some kind of assurance that it won't happen again."
"I'll speak to my client about it."
"Then I'll check with my client." With that I began to turn away from him.
"Oh, Liz!"
I turned back.
"There's one more provision my client needs in the agreement."
"What's that?"
"The payments won't start for a minimum of six months."
"Oh, that's not going to fly."
"Come on Liz."
"If that provision is in the agreement then we don't have a deal."
"I'll throw in drinks" He then winked.
Ugh, slimeball. I wasn't going to let him know that. Instead I used it to my advantage and played dumb.
"With your client?"
"With me, silly." And he gave me one of those wide toothy salesman grins.
"And Ms. Taylor?"
"And you Liz. As in you and me going for drinks on a date. Pretty good deal, right?"
"Um, let me think about it . . ."
I pretended to ponder the offer. I then opened my mouth to respond to his offer.
"No."
Except that while I opened my mouth to say that very thing, the response didn't come from me. It came from a voice directly behind me. I whirled around to see who was responding to both a settlement offer and a date request on my behalf and I nearly lost it.
Of course, who else could it?! Fitzwilliam Darcy.
Ok, another cliffhanger. And Darcy is BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to start writing again ASAP and hopefully, (HOPEFULLY) will update next weekend. Until then, review!!!!!!!!!!!!! ; D