A/N: I still don't own Pride and Prejudice. I do love my reviewers; you guys are so awesome.

Chapter Seventeen: It Had Better Be Tonight

Lizzie's POV

I was standing in the bride's room of my home parish in Meryton wearing a floor-length dark red dress. I really couldn't believe this day was finally here. My best friend was getting married at noon and it was ten-thirty. In an hour and a half, she was going to become Mrs. Ethan Collins; okay actually it was going to be Charlotte Lucas-Collins. She felt that for professional reasons she should merely hyphenate her last name, but I suspected that when they had kids she would probably change her last name. But that wasn't the point. The point was that I needed to help her put on her wedding dress.

Char was standing on the other side of the room eating a bagel and talking to her mother. Finally Maria and Emma came in with the dress. As Kyle often told his students, it was "go time." Maria, Emma, and I helped their mom slide the dress over Charlotte's head. The dress had so many petticoats and layers of crinoline it could have stood up on its own. It was the kind of dress you would expect a princess to wear or something like that. But it suited her perfectly. It was the best dress she could have picked out in a million years. She looked amazing. Her hair was styled perfectly and her make-up was exquisite in that subtle and natural way; it complimented her natural beauty. She was a radiant, glowing bride. "Lizzie, can you believe this is all real?" she asked as we walked up the stairs from the basement to the church's vestibule where her dad, the groomsmen, and the ring bearer stood waiting.

I smiled at her and shook my head. I still had trouble believing we weren't thirteen years olds gossiping over how outrageously gorgeous our latest crushes were. Now we were twenty-five and my best friend was getting married. And Will Darcy was in Chicago. He'd flown back three days earlier saying he'd be gone for ten days due to urgent business with a case he was handling.

According to Jane, his aunt, Mrs. DeBourgh, had arrived at the Netherfield the night before and was reigning from the Presidential Suite. My parents' hotel was overrun with Bennetts and Collinses, and at times it was difficult to keep my aunt Patricia and her ex-husband, Thomas Collins, away from each other. Their divorce nineteen years earlier had been messy with allegations of infidelity on both sides. His infidelity was proven with Michael's birth and Tom's subsequent marriage to Mike's mom. Nothing was ever proven about Aunt Patty although she's been married to her divorce attorney for the past seventeen years. And they have three kids together: Mina was fifteen, Adelaide was thirteen, and Josie was eleven. Ethan wasn't very close to his mom's daughters so he didn't want them in his wedding. Of course, he wanted his mother and his stepmother in the role of "Mother of the Groom" so it may be obvious of how oblivious he was to how Aunt Patty and Kimberley felt about each other.

Before I knew it we were ready to walk down the aisle. I was standing next to Philip Lowell watching as the other bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down the aisle. First went Norah Collins and Michael Collins, followed by Felicity Collins and Mark Lucas. Next were Emma Lucas and Paul Lucas and then went Maria Lucas and Andy Haas. When Carolyn Murphy and Tom Blake walked down the aisle, Philip and I knew we were next. When we reached the end of the aisle, Elinor and Nick walked down the aisle. And thankfully, they made it to the end at approximately the same time.

And then the organ began the wedding march. As Charlotte began walking down the aisle, tears started sliding down her mother's cheeks and my aunt wasn't far behind with the whole crying thing. The wedding ceremony was beautiful. Charlotte did start crying halfway through her vows, as Maria and I had predicted the night before. Mrs. DeBourgh had the most impassive face during the whole service. I couldn't tell if she was mad but she didn't look happy. But then she was probably annoyed at having to travel to Michigan for Ethan's wedding. She seemed to look down her nose on us in Michigan. But I didn't care. The wedding was beautiful. And afterwards, I would be able to spend time with Kyle.

But first I had to get through wedding party photos. They were annoying beyond words. "Turn this way, turn that way, and then spin around fifty-three times in an oval," was all the photographer would say. Okay so he never actually said anything about turning around but you get the idea. We might as well have been doing ballet or something like that for all the exercise I was getting. It was ridiculous. And Kyle was being a saint through all of it entertaining the younger Lucas children when they weren't needed for pictures. Isaac wasn't in the wedding at all, so Kyle was playing cards with him the whole time but he was also playing with Elinor and Nick when they needed someone to be their friend.

"Kyle, you're such a lifesaver," Mrs. Lucas enthused to him as he spun Elinor around in a circle on the church lawn for the millionth time. She grabbed my arm. "He's a keeper, dear; you won't want to let him go."

I watched him standing there in his black suit and silver tie spinning a seven-year-old girl around in circles on a hot August day and I knew she was right. Kyle Kilpatrick was a keeper; the thing was that I wasn't going to be the one keeping him. He wasn't my type and at moments like this that fact made me want to cry. He was perfect; he was good with kids and he was Catholic and he was everything I wanted in life, except for the fact that we weren't compatible. I couldn't explain it but I knew that we were meant to be brother and sister, not a couple. He was a great big brother but that was all he could ever be to me. It was just one of those things you know in life. Kyle was my brother, not someone I could marry and be with for the rest of my life.

He smiled at me and walked towards me. "Are you free yet?"

"Yep, finally," I replied. "No more pictures until the reception, but for now I just want to go sit down and get these stupid shoes off my feet."

"I've told you that heels are evil for years," he teased as he led me to a bench and helped me out of my "evil" shoes. "Are you finally learning to believe the Kilpatrick twins? Are you learning the all important lesson that we're always right?"

"I could have sworn that you, Alex, and Connor tried to teach me that years ago when we were all young and in college."

"Liza-Mae, Connor is in college now. He's twenty now; he was like fourteen when we were supposedly teaching you."

"And your point is?"

He started laughing. "You're my favorite Bennett sister and I think you're gorgeous."

"Well, you're my favorite Kilpatrick," I replied. "And you're not hideously ugly."

He smiled. "I know you always say I'm not your type but maybe we should go on a date sometime and test that theory out. Now, I know I'm no Will Darcy or anything, but I think we should at least make sure I'm not your type."

I smiled. Since I'd pretty much destroyed my chances with Will and I didn't see any other guys in my future, I guess it wouldn't kill me to go on a date with Kyle. I know I'd always insisted that he wasn't my type, but I was twenty-five, single, and lonely. "I guess that'd be cool. When were you thinking?"

"Next weekend," he replied. "It wouldn't be anything major. We'd just like do dinner and a movie; it'll be fun and normal, pretty much just like hanging out normally."

"That could be fun," I replied, massaging my aching feet. "Let's talk about it more after the wedding. But just to warn you: I've only dated one guy since college, so I'm kind of bad at the whole dating thing."

"You can't be," he told me with a smile. "I'm sure you'll be just fine. And even if things don't work out with us, I'm pretty sure I know someone else who wants to date you."

I was about to ask him who when Maria came running over to tell me it was time for the wedding party to head over to the reception hall. I hugged Kyle and told him we'd talk more later in the day. I really wanted to know who else would want to date me.

The reception was at Lucas Lodge and it was phenomenal. Jane and I had made the wedding cake together and it was my greatest masterpiece to date, if I do say so myself. It had three tiers, one was chocolate, one was vanilla cake, and the top was chocolate and cherry. Charlotte loved cherries so I used it in the cake and the frosting was just a simple vanilla frosting but I had also bought some Traverse City cherries and put them on the cake in the shape of rose bouquets. And then there were cherries lining the circumference of each tier of the cake and there were three red roses resting on the top of the cake.

"It's perfect," Charlotte had told me the night before. Now it was sitting on a table in the corner of Lucas Lodge's biggest ballroom with a spotlight shining on it and surrounded by red rose petals scattered over the table.

The whole ballroom was perfect. The lights were dimmed and there were candles in the centerpieces on every table. The candles were in glass globes surrounded by red roses and more rose petals resting on white tablecloths. Every guest was going to receive a little silver wire basket filled with various flavors of red jelly beans. It was so cute and exciting. I was glad they were married.

Steve Logan was the Master of Ceremonies for the reception. And he was amazing. First he introduced every member of the wedding party with an interesting title. The "flower girl" became the "little kid who runs throw meadows strewing peace and love everywhere she goes" and the ring bearer was the "guy who wants to be like Frodo from The Lord of the Rings." The bridesmaids and groomsmen were all referred to as the "ladies in waiting who are almost as pretty as the bride" and the "dudes who look awesome in their tuxes but that's just their natural excellence shining through the fine feathers."

And then Philip and I were the "best man, but he's not really best man because if Phil were really the best man, Charlotte would be marrying him instead of Ethan" with the "maid of honor, but I'm not really sure what that the means exactly. I know she's a maid because she's not married or anything but I'm not sure what the 'honor' bit means. Does that mean that Lizzie is really honorable or something?"

He had the whole room laughing and it was wonderful. After Phil and I were seated, it was time for the bride and groom's entrance. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to present to you the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Ethan and Charlotte Collins!"

At this the room burst into applause as the bride and groom entered the room. Char was blushing and Ethan was looking around the room proudly as if to say "Look what I did today."

I still wasn't crazy about my cousin, but I was glad to see my best friend looking so happy. The wedding was beautiful and now the reception was fantastic. The food was good, the music was perfect; they actually played everything Char and Ethan wanted. And dancing with Philip wasn't horrible. I don't know him very well, and he isn't the greatest dancer but it was still a lot of fun. And then I got to dance with Kyle who knows his way around a dance floor pretty well. Jane was there with Charlie and they were dancing together. And she wasn't drinking the way she'd planned. I guess having a date for a wedding changes your plans, especially when that date is your boyfriend.

My date wasn't my boyfriend but he was still fun to dance with. And I did have a date with him the next weekend. I never did get up the courage to find out who he thought wanted to date me. But when I tried to ask him, he put his finger on my lips and told me to "live and learn. If he really does want to date you, you'll know soon enough."

I also had to give a toast; I actually did that before dancing and all, but whatever. Phil's toast was first and he just talked about how happy he was for his two friends and then took a huge gulp of champagne. My toast was overly sentimental and focused on my many memories of Charlotte ranging from kindergarten and cupcakes to college and car accidents. I carefully avoided ex-boyfriends and late night gossip sessions but I made it clear that I loved Charlotte and Ethan and I was extremely happy for the two of them. I did mention their delightful meeting in eleventh grade but I left out the whole bit about her huge crush on Steve Logan; I figured that just wasn't an issue to bring up on their wedding day especially since Steve and Becca were getting married in a few short weeks.

I didn't cry, thankfully, but Char did cry. And then she hugged me saying, "I can't believe you remember all that stuff. I completely forgot about half of it. I forgot about the time I beheaded all your Barbie dolls because you said that brunettes were prettier than blondes."

I'd never forgotten that day. I still had all my headless Barbies in the closet of my old bedroom in my parents' apartment. I had told the then blonde ten-year-old Charlotte that brunettes like me were prettier than blondes like her. These days Char had light brown hair and she was gorgeous. I had apologized before for saying that she wasn't as pretty as me, but she'd committed the greater sin in beheading all my Barbies, including the Ken dolls and everything. Oh, and did I mention that I shared those Barbies with Jane and Mary? Yeah, she wasn't just hurting me; she was hurting all the Bennett girls.

But that was fifteen years ago. Now she was married to my cousin and I was dancing the night away with one of my closest guy friends. And I might be going on a date with that same guy at some point in the next week or so. Life was changing so fast.

At one point around ten o'clock, Kyle was off in the bathroom when Mrs. DeBourgh cornered me and asked in a horrible raspy voice, "Are you dating my nephew, William?"

"Why would you think that?" I replied, incredibly confused. As far as I could tell all he was interested in from me was friendship.

"I heard about you two went out on a double date with Charles Bingley and your sister last weekend. And I know how you two were spending time alone together in the kitchen," she said all this while wagging her finger in my face accusingly.

"I didn't go on a date with him. A bunch of us went out to dinner and he was in the group, but it was just people hanging out; it wasn't a date for anyone except maybe Charlie and Jane."

"Well, I've heard differently from Ethan and I believe him to be a much more reliable source than you. And I want you to stay away from my nephew; you're not good enough for him. Who is your family anyway? You are from Michigan. Yes your father's family has been in the hotel business for close to one hundred years but your mother's family is nothing. And then we could talk about your sisters. Your parents had to force your youngest sister to marry at the age of seventeen to protect the family from scandal. You are not worthy to be involved with any member of the Darcy family. Will's name is worth so much more than yours. You are inferior to us."

"Where are we? In the Indian caste system or Victorian England, those were places where name and social status mattered more than love. If your nephew wanted to date me, then I hope he would care more about how much he liked me rather than what social class I belonged to. Social classes might still exist but we don't live in the days of Napoleon or anything. This is the twenty-first century; love matters more than your last name."

"I will tell my nephew to stay away from you; you're nothing more than an insolent brat who wants Will's money and name. You're a gold-digger and a social climber. You are not worthy of a man like William."

"That is his decision not yours."

"Oh you are a little bitch," she said, slapping me across the face. "You need to learn your place in the world. And stay the hell away from William."

I stared at her in disbelief as she walked away from me. Kyle came running up to me a minute later and looked at my face. "That's going to need some ice, girlie. That old witch hit you pretty soundly."

"She told me I wasn't worthy to marry Will Darcy because I'm socially inferior to him."

He laughed. "Where does she live, Camelot?"

I smiled and leaned my head against his shoulder. "She said I needed to learn my place in the world."

"I think you know your place in the world pretty darn well," he said with a smile. "And I don't think you're unworthy of Will Darcy; I think his aunt is unworthy of knowing you."

Jane caught Char's bouquet; it was great. She was so happy and I had a suspicion that she probably would be the next one to get married especially after talking to Will last weekend. He was pretty certain that they both actually loved each other and that they were going to make things work this time. He was also committed to supporting and encouraging their relationship this time.

Will's POV

Monday morning, my aunt stormed into my office to inform me that "the insolent little bitch, Lizzie Bennett" seemed to think that she was important enough to marry me. "She thinks that social status and class don't matter anymore. And she thinks that her youngest sister's scandalous actions will not damage her potential when marrying into a family as prestigious as the Darcy family. I, of course, set her straight and made it clear to her as to the real role women like her play in the world. She could marry some person from her little hick town or something like that. But she could never marry into a family with a name and a reputation like the Darcy family. It's pathetic; I think she might actually be in love with you. Isn't that sad?"

I looked at my aunt and sighed. "You are not a Darcy and you have no reason to try to protect our last name from scandal. If I want to be involved in a relationship with Lizzie Bennett, that is my business and not yours. I'm not going to marry my cousin, Anne; that's disgusting. Stay out of my personal life," I told her firmly. "You are my boss and my aunt, but that doesn't mean you can tell me who to associate with or who to marry. Please just bug out and leave me alone."

I had decided I was going to drive up to Meryton and talk to Elizabeth. I needed to talk to her and find out what had happened in her conversation with my aunt. I had to stay in Chicago until Friday but Friday afternoon, as soon as I was done with work, I was going to drive up to Meryton and talk to Lizzie. I wanted to go now but I had a job to do and this court case was actually a huge deal. I was working on a custody case that had come out of a messy divorce. In my opinion, neither parent really wanted their three sons, but they were looking for any excuse to one-up the other one. I was representing the mother who would probably shove the kids off on a nanny but I didn't trust the father anymore.

The court case ended on Thursday around two o'clock and the mom won. I congratulated her and headed home to pack. I called Charlie and told him I'd be in Meryton by eight or nine o'clock. He told me I could stay with him for as long as necessary. I wasn't sure how long I would be staying. All I knew was that I needed to get up to Meryton and find out the truth behind everything. Based on my aunt's reporting of her discussion of Elizabeth, I was beginning to hope that I could have a future with the lovely Lizzie Bennett. I was just hoping that I wasn't too late to win the heart of the fair lady.

I pulled my car into the parking lot of the Netherfield around eight-thirty in the evening. I hadn't stopped since leaving my house around three o'clock that evening and we won't discuss the speeds that I drove to reach Meryton. I parked next to a black Chevy Impala that looked vaguely familiar but I couldn't remember where I had seen it before. It had a Michigan license plate but there were no other clues to suggest who might own the car. I grabbed my suitcase and headed into the hotel, calling Charlie as I headed in, hoping to just meet him in the lobby and not have to deal with receptionists or anything. He answered his phone and said that he or a friend would meet me in the lobby and take me up to his apartment, after which we would be joining a few people in the restaurant for drinks and dessert.

"Hey, Will! How are you?" Jane said enthusiastically as she walked towards me. "Charlie is talking to some customers so he asked me to show you to his apartment to take care of his stuff and then we'll come back downstairs and relax."

"Who all is here?" I asked her as we headed towards the elevator.

Just then, Lizzie came running over to us and said, "Jane, Charlie's looking for you. I'll take Will upstairs and you can go talk to your man."

Her sister made an indecipherable face at her and walked away. Lizzie pushed the elevator button and smiled at me. We got in the elevator in silence and then she pushed the button labeled "PH". I realized that we were alone and it was now or never; I had to seize the opportunity and ask her what I wanted to ask. "So I hear you ran into my aunt at Charlotte and Ethan's wedding last weekend," I said quickly.

"Yeah," she said rolling her eyes but refusing to look at me. "She gave me an earful."

I smiled grimly. "I heard about it and I'm sorry; you didn't deserve what she said." I turned so I was facing her. "You didn't deserve it and I'm really sorry. I don't agree that you aren't worthy to date a Darcy or be involved with a Darcy. You are a great person. Your social status doesn't matter to me nor do your sister's actions. Just because your sister does stupid things that I don't agree with doesn't mean that you are like her. I think you're a great person the way you are and I'm horribly sorry about what my aunt said to you."

She gasped and stared at me. "I don't know what to say."

"Lizzie Bennett, if your feelings towards me still are what they were last April, then tell me now and you will never hear from me again. My feelings have not changed in the slightest except for gain more respect for you with the passing of time." I paused for a moment to take a deep breath and make sure I could keep my composure. Then I began speaking again. "However, if your feelings have changed as I think they have since April, tell me now and you will make me the happiest man alive."

A bright smile lit up her face and I began to hope more than ever before that the next words that came out of her mouth would be the words that gave flight to my dreams and aspirations. "Will, how can you still like me after all this time?" she asked. "I treated you like absolute shit and everything that happened with my sister and with Damien and there have been so many horrible things that have happened between you and me and involving us. How can you still like me?"

I spoke the honest, completely clichéd truth. "Hope springs eternal."

She looked down at her light pink toenails and then back at me. "You've been so patient with me. My feelings towards you have changed and if you were to ask me to go out on a date with you again, this time I would accept with all of my heart."

A smile that could have lit up New York City hit my face and I couldn't help it at all. "How does tomorrow night sound to you?"

The smile on her face must have matched the one on my own face. "It sounds wonderful, William."

A few minutes later, we can back downstairs and our faces must have told the others waiting for us what had transpired in the elevator because Kyle Kilpatrick said, "Lizzie, don't worry about it. You figured out what I was trying to tell you last weekend."

After we sat down next to each other, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and she leaned against my chest. "What was Kyle talking about?" I whispered in her ear.

She smiled. "I'll explain it later, but basically he'd like to think that he had a hunch about the two of us."

"Well then we'll let him think that," I replied as I slid a few strands of her dark brown hair behind her ear. Then I smiled as I rested my cheek against her soft curls; I was finally where I'd wanted to be since the day after Thanksgiving.

A/N: Please review! I wasn't intending to have all of this happen in this chapter but the story had other plans. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.