A/N: I still don't own Pride and Prejudice. I promise the proposal is coming soon, possibly at the end of this chapter; if not, it'll be in the next chapter. Also, Will is not allowed to talk as much as he usually does but you'll understand why at the end of the chapter. And I'm ever so grateful to all my reviewers.

Chapter Twenty-Two: And I Will Never Let You Down

Lizzie's POV

The next several months flew by. Will and I spent Christmas together in Meryton and it was on Christmas Eve after Mass that we had our first real kiss. I know that calling it a "magical moment" is cliché and retarded but it was a magical moment. We were walking back to his car after Mass and he opened the car door for me but before I climbed in, he told me that he loved me and then he kissed me. A week later, we were in Chicago for the New Year and it was amazing. I had someone to kiss at midnight, unlike last year when I'd spent midnight fuming over the fact that Damien had dumped me because I wouldn't sleep with him and being mad at Will for some perceived slight. I know he insulted me at Char's birthday party but after that awful beginning, he'd been nothing but sweet to me. I also remembered the tongue-lashing he'd given me the year before. Looking back, I know I deserved the way he'd talked to me about my relationships with men. He was right and I'd been stupid; there was no other way to put it. But now things were working out for us and I was thrilled. I was so glad that he had been persistent enough to break through my walls and barriers. He had won through all my stupidity and he'd won my heart.

I was happy with where I was in my life at that point. And I was amazed watching the changes in my friends' lives. Becca and Steve were expecting a baby in mid-June, a honeymoon baby. Char and Ethan were going to have their first child in August, around their first anniversary. Alex had asked Hannah to marry him in early December and I was going to be in their wedding in November of 2009. And then on Valentine's Day of 2009, Charlie proposed to my sister. I really wasn't surprised by that at all. It fit their relationship and they were ready for marriage. They were getting married the Saturday after Christmas and I was going to be her maid of honor. With being in Hannah's wedding and my sister's wedding, I would have been in five weddings by the end of 2009 and I wasn't even engaged. When I was twenty-three, I was in Beth March's wedding when she married Ted Baker and then I'd been in Char's wedding and Becca's wedding. And Jane's wedding would be the third wedding I'd been the maid of honor in. If it's "three times a bridesmaid, never a bride," what do they say about being a maid of honor three times?

But I don't think I'm going to be single forever. Will and I were getting pretty serious in our relationship. I was going to spend my spring/Easter break in Chicago; I'd be staying with my aunt and uncle but I knew I'd be spending most of my time with Will. Will also spent at least one weekend a month in Meryton and we talked on the phone as much as possible. I'd also gone to Chicago one weekend in February for Emily's first birthday party and it was wonderful. I loved that little girl; she didn't deserve her father and I understood Will and Gianna's decision to keep her existence a secret from her father, or at least to avoid telling him who her father was.

And discussing Emily's father brings me to another important event that occurred that year. On March 11, 2009, my youngest sister, Lydia Rose Bennett-Wickham, celebrated her eighteenth birthday. A week later, on March 17, 2009, my niece Madison Marie Wickham was born. From the pictures Lydia and Damien emailed to everyone they could think of, she looked like a pretty cute kid. She had blonde hair and blue eyes; the hair might get darker with time, but both her parents had blue eyes, so I wasn't surprised to see that she had blue eyes. The pictures reminded me a lot of Jane's baby pictures and now Jane has light brown hair. I showed Will pictures of Madison and he commented that he thought Emily was prettier than her half-sister. Even though Madison was genetically related to me, I had to admit that liked Emily more.

I saw Madison for the first time when Lydia and Damien came to visit my parents the week before Easter. I was busy with things for work that weekend due to a National Honors Society service project that Kyle and I were coordinating and I was also trying to make sure my life was in order before I left for Chicago. But I still made sure to be at my parents' place for the family dinner on Saturday night. I hated leaving Kyle alone in charge of the event during dinner, but he had other teachers helping him and Jenny was also chaperoning with him. The "event" was a weekend-long lock-in to raise awareness of what life is like when you live below the poverty line. The kids come to the school Friday night and leave Sunday night and the entire weekend is spent in poverty education and in living the way people live when they are below the poverty line. The food they eat, the conditions in which they sleep, and the activities they engage in are geared towards showing what life is like below the poverty line. The event, called "Below the Line", was pretty successful and always had a large attendance. It also raised a good amount of money to donate to local groups that worked with the poor.

But I took a couple hours off to have what my mother called "a nice family dinner." Jane was bringing Charlie, which could prove interesting consider that he was Will's best friend and Damien hates Will. Of course, the fact that I was dating Will could also prove a contentious issue. My mother was nervous about all of this and had begged Jane, Charlie, and me to behave ourselves and not provoke Damien. I wanted to point out that she really needed to worry about Damien provoking us but I decided to behave myself and not provoke my mother.

I showed up at my parents' place around six o'clock, pulling into the parking lot right next to Charlie's car. He got out of his car just as I did and so I asked him where Jane was since she wasn't in his car.

"She came over with Mary," he replied. "We're going out after dinner and we figured it'd be easier with only one car."

"Makes sense," I said. "Shall we head on in?"

He nodded. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." As we walked towards the hotel, he turned to me. "Are you ready for your break next week?"

I laughed. "Of course, the school day gets out at three o'clock on Thursday and I'm flying to Chicago on a flight leaving around 10pm."

"So you're leaving for the airport from Mass?"

"Yep, Kyle and Jenny are dropping me off at the Traverse City airport and then I'll fly to Chicago and they'll drive to Grand Rapids. Will is picking me up from the airport and taking me to my aunt and uncle's house."

"That'll be a long day for you," he said as we walked inside the lobby and headed towards the elevators.

"Yeah, it'll be a long day but I've got a week off after that. I can rest and relax. It'll be amazingly beautiful."

"Do your cousins have the week off from school while you're there?"

I nodded. "Yep, they go to Catholic schools. Actually, Will and I are taking them to the aquarium one day while I'm down there and just spend the whole day with them and Emily."

"That'll be fun," Charlie said with a smile. "Emily is such a cutie. It's hard to believe that she's fourteen months old already. It seems like she was just born yesterday or something. But she's getting so big so fast."

"I know; I just met her in July but it is weird. Will said she's already learning to walk."

"Kids these days grow up too fast."

Dinner was horrible, absolutely horrible. The food was wonderful; my mother made a pot roast with carrots, potatoes, and other great vegetables as well as a salad and homemade whole-wheat bread. Dessert was an apple cake with vanilla ice cream; the food was amazing. Mom really did outdo herself that night. But unfortunately, Damien just had to make things difficult. First off, he had to keep making snide remarks about and to Charlie the entire meal. And then he found time to ask me this fabulous question. "Why in the hell would you ever even think of dating an asshole like Will Darcy? Are you stupid or something? Or do you just like having some asshole take advantage of you?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I actually really like being with a man who respects me and whom I can respect. Also, it's great to be with a guy I'm attracted to and I love. It's a really great feeling to be with someone who respects you and whom you respect."

"And you see that in Will Darcy? Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you? He's so uptight and all he wants to do is control people. He'll take your money from you and manipulate you into the grave?"

"Is this true, Elizabeth?" my mother asked. "Is Will a controlling person? Will he try to take your money away from you and suck the life out of you?"

"Yes, he will," Damien answered her before I could even utter a word. My mother was already skeptical of Will despite the number of wonderful things he'd done for our family and how nice and respectful he always was whenever he was near our family. But she still distrusted him because of our initial dealings with him. And now Damien was playing on her fears about my relationship with him. If he had his way, he would destroy my happiness and Will's happiness just because he was a bitter asshole.

"Really, Damien?" I snapped. "So my boyfriend is going to take my life away from me? He isn't dating me because he loves me or anything; he's just trying to get his hands on my money because we all know that teachers in private schools make so much money. He's only interested in controlling me because Elizabeth Anne Bennett is a very easy person to control. We all know that I do whatever people tell me to do, just like my little sister. I'll sleep with any guy who asks me and I'm always oh so willing to get drunk with whatever guy I can find and then sleep with him. Never mind that he might be twelve or thirteen years older than me; I'll still sleep with him because he flatters me and I think he's hot. Yeah, Damien, that's exactly the kind of girl I am." I paused for breath and stared at my brother-in-law. "Get over yourself, asshole. I'm not some kind of easy slut who will sleep with whoever. I have morals and I actually think seriously about things before I get involved in a relationship." I pushed my chair back from the table and stood up. "Excuse me, Mother; I'll be leaving now. I don't like being insulted and if that's all that's going to happen while I'm here, then I might as well leave."

I left the dining room and went to get my jacket out of the coat closet. Unfortunately my mother followed me out of the dining room. "Elizabeth, what is your problem? I invite your sister and her family over for a nice family dinner and all you can do is insult dear Damien. You know that I'm not very comfortable with your relationship with William Darcy. And the things that Damien tells us about William make me even more suspicious of his character. You have to remember that Damien has known William much longer than you have. You only met him last year around Thanksgiving whereas Damien and William grew up together. I think Damien might be better acquainted with William's character. And secondly, I don't approve of the way you're speaking about your dear, darling younger sister. Your father and I are supporting Damien and Lydia in their relationship. I don't want to hear you speaking negatively of them."

I sighed. "Mom, he is thirteen years older than her. When they got married, she was seventeen and he was thirty. That's a huge age gap. When I was seventeen, you never would have let me marry a thirty-year-old man. And now, you believe everything that pervert says about my boyfriend. He's lying to you. He hates Will for some reason and he's always attacking him. You know what? It's not worth arguing with you about it. If you're not going to support me in my relationship with Will, that's fine. I love Will and that's all that matters to me." I put my black wool pea-coat on and opened the door to the penthouse. "I'm leaving, Mother. Call me when you come to your senses."

On my way back to the school, I called Kyle and told him I was going to need a couple minutes of alone time when I got back so I could call Will. When I walked into the school building, Kyle was waiting for me. "I'm not going to say anything until you're ready to talk. You can go talk to Will in your office and just let me know when you're ready."

I nodded and headed to my office. I talked to Will for almost an hour about what Damien had said and about my conversation with my mother. He was very supportive of me and he suggested that I might want to consider moving out of the condo I was renting from my dad. We discussed the possibility of me moving to Chicago and getting an Illinois teacher certificate. "You don't have to do it right away," he told me. "But if we ever get married, we're probably going to want to live in the same state."

I smiled at the suggestion of a possible marriage. "That's true. We'll have to figure out where we would want to live," I replied. "Of course you have more ties to Chicago than I do to Meryton. You have the Pemberley headquarters there as well as your job. And Gianna and Emily are there."

"You have so many friends in the Meryton area," he pointed out. "And then Jane and the rest of your family are there."

"And the Gardiners live in Chicago. I could go either way, really," I told him. "Honestly, I probably shouldn't make this decision right now seeing as I'm upset with my mother right now."

"You're probably right about that," he pointed out. "Just remember, Lizzie-Lou; just remember that I love you and you get to see me in less than a week."

"And we'll be together for over a week," I added, smiling to myself; I couldn't wait to see him. "Will, I really miss you. I can't wait to see you on Thursday night."

"I miss you too."

By Thursday, my mother was still avoiding me, Mary was giving me the silent treatment for disrespecting Mom, and Jane was "severely disappointed in me but I understand how you feel." My dad approved of what I said but it wasn't politically safe for him to say so. I just wanted to go to Chicago and be with Will. Damien, Lydia, and Madison were still staying with my parents and I never knew where they were going to turn up next. The idea of moving to Chicago permanently was starting to sound perfect. Will was there and so were Uncle Ed, Aunt Sophie, and their family. I could probably find a job there pretty easily. And I could be with Will. I wanted to be with my man.

I was so tired when I got off the plane in Chicago. I'd worked all day, then gone home and packed, then gone to Mass with Kyle and Jenny, and then driven an hour to the airport. And now I was in Chicago, Will's city. And he was waiting for me at baggage claim. I literally jumped into his arms and kissed him, practically crying. He hugged me and whispered, "I've missed you too," in my ear. Then I really did break down crying.

Will's POV

She was finally here in Chicago, here in my arms. Lizzie had flown in the night before and I'd picked her up from the airport. On our way back to her aunt and uncle's house, she fell asleep in the car, so we didn't really get to have much conversation then. But we went to church together on Good Friday and after the service ended, Emily and I headed over the Gardiners' house so Gianna could have a quiet house to study in. Emma Gardiner was currently curled up in her mom's rocking chair with Emily Darcy in her lap, talking to her about the importance of being named Emily and all the rights and privileges and responsibilities that went along with that name. They were so cute together and my niece was actually calm enough to sit still in Emma's lap and listen to her.

Meanwhile I got to sit on the couch and talk to Lizzie. I knew that she was the one for me and I was actually planning on asking her to marry me while she was in Chicago. More specifically, I was planning on proposing the next evening after Mass. We were going to the Easter Vigil with my Fitzwilliam relatives, the Gardiners, Gianna, and Emily. After Mass, I was hoping that the two of us could stay in the church and pray together for a few minutes while the church emptied out and then, there in the church, I was going to ask Elizabeth Anne Bennett to do me the great honor of becoming my wife. I had the ring and everything. And I'd asked her father for permission. Her mother didn't want us to get married and had flat-out told her husband that she wouldn't come to our wedding if he gave me permission to marry Lizzie. Mr. Bennett had told his wife to get over herself because I was the best thing that had happened to Lizzie in ages. I was glad that one of the Bennett parents approved of their daughter's relationship with me because I was so ready to get married and start a family. At this point two years in the future, I could be married and a father. It was so crazy to think about that. I had found a woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and I wanted to ask her to marry me.

I was really looking forward to asking her to marry me. It was so hard being around her and not just breaking down and saying, "Okay, Lizzie Bennett, I love you and I want to marry you. I left the ring at my place but whatever; who really cares? Say you'll marry me and I'll be the happiest man in the world."

But I couldn't do that. I had a romantic idea in my head and I was going to stick to it. I was a little worried about proposing around Easter because I knew that she didn't want a proposal on her birthday, Valentine's Day, or Christmas but I wasn't sure how she would feel about Easter. My thing was that this would surprise her and she was in town this weekend. And I wanted to propose to her in a church. I'm not sure why but it feels right. Maybe it's because she's Catholic and I'm Catholic and so it just fits. I want to propose to her in a church and we both really love my home parish in Chicago. It's a beautiful older church and I love the priest and the people. It's just a really good, solid place. And it's an important part of my life. Faith and God are really important for both Lizzie and me. And I want to do this the right way. And I want her to move to Chicago.

Saturday evening, Lizzie and I went over to Rick and Evelyn's house for dinner before the Easter Vigil. We had so much fun during dinner and it was great to see Lizzie with Connor, Logan, and Caitlin. Caitlin was ten months old and she was growing so quickly. She was a very smiley baby too. At one point before dinner, Lizzie was bouncing Caitlin on her hip and she kept smiling her big, goofy baby tooth with only two teeth. She looked so happy and Lizzie looked happy and peaceful. It was at moments like this, when Lizzie was with Caitlin or Emily or her cousins that I knew she was meant to be a mother. She looked at peace and at home when she was with little kids. She would play Legos with Logan and Connor or dolls with Elana; she was content, happy, and peaceful. I had vivid visions of a future where we were married and had a baby or two.

Lizzie was all dressed up for Mass but she still looked natural with a baby on her hip. She was wearing a lacy black skirt with a long-sleeved dark red sweater and simple black shoes, and a strand of pearls her parents had given her a few years back. She looked so beautiful. I wanted to keep her forever. And somehow despite the fanciness of her clothes, the baby just fit with it all.

Dinner was great. The food was delicious and the people were pretty fabulous too. It was just nice to be in a warm family environment. During one of my recent visits to Meryton, I learned that for Lizzie and many of her friends family dinners hadn't been a regular occurrence growing up. Their families had been too busy for family dinners. I'd learned over the past several months that family dinners were reserved for special occasions in the Bennett family. Otherwise, people fended for themselves. Lizzie was a great cook but she hadn't grown up eating dinner with her family because it just took to much time. People had other things to do besides eating dinner as a family. I know my family was weird but we still found time for dinner together. Dad wasn't there that much but my mom almost always found time to make dinner for herself and Gianna and me. It mattered to her. But that's what my mom was like; family mattered to her. That's probably why I'm so close to Rick and George. I know how much family meant to my mom and it helps keep her alive for me. And maybe that's part of why I want to have a family; I want to keep my mom's spirit alive as much as I can.

After dinner, we went to Mass. Somehow, Logan and Connor convinced me that Lizzie and I should take them with us to church. I'm not sure how or why we agreed to that, but we took them with us. Normally, they would have gone with their parents but they talked their way into a car ride with us. So we listened to the two of them chatter the whole way to church. But it helped me. I didn't burst out in a proposal halfway to church because there were two silly little boys in the car.

Lizzie's POV

I was almost positive that Will was up to something that night before Easter. There wasn't one thing in his behavior that was a dead giveaway or anything. He just seemed like there was something on his mind. I knew we'd been talking more about marriage than normal of late. But I didn't think he'd propose this weekend. I wasn't opposed to an Easter proposal the way I was opposed to Christmas, Valentine's Day, and my birthday. Easter was different; it was primarily a religious holiday for me. But it had also been around Easter last year that I'd told him to go to hell. We'd had a huge fight during Easter break last year. I couldn't see him proposing around that time of the year. In fact, I was pretty sure that he'd never do that.

I had been so sure that Will would never propose to me and then we were sitting there after the Easter Vigil ended while people left. He'd told me he wanted to pray for a few minutes after Mass and I was always willing to do that. Praying was great and praying with Will was even more wonderful. And then I looked around and realized that the church was empty except for the two of us. About two seconds later, he turned to me and said, "Elizabeth, I have a question for you."

I gasped as I realized that he was fumbling with something in his coat pocket. So much for my expectations that he'd wait until the summer; I'd really thought he'd wait until that summer when we were at Pemberley again. This year we were going to South Carolina but that doesn't really change things. Pemberley was what had helped us start dating and I just figured that would be the most natural place for him to propose. But maybe our conversation last weekend had changed things. I looked up into his dark brown eyes. "Will, is this going to be what I think it is?"

He smiled at me and then he held out a small black jewelry box towards me. "Elizabeth Anne Bennett, will you do me the honor of making me the happiest man on earth and becoming my wife? I love you and I want you to be there for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?"

Tears began sliding down my cheeks and I covered my face with my hands. I was shocked and I knew what I wanted to say but I couldn't force the words from my lips. I bit my lower lip and nodded slowly. He peeled my left hand away from my face and slowly slid the most beautiful ring I've ever seen in my life unto my finger. "Speak now or forever hold your peace, Lizzie-lou," he said with a smile on his face. "I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered. "And I can't imagine my life without you." I looked down at the beautifully simple white gold ring with a single diamond on my finger and then I threw my arms around his neck. "Oh, Will, I love you; of course I'll marry you."

He kissed my cheek and then led me out of the church. Once we were standing in the vestibule, he picked me up and spun me around. Then he kissed me on the lips. "You're wonderful, Elizabeth, absolutely wonderful. I'm the luckiest man alive."

"Well then I'm the luckiest girl in the world," I told him. "I get to marry the most amazing man I know and I don't care what my sister and husband say about you."

He kissed me again. "I don't care either. All I care about is the fact that I finally have you."

As we walked to his car, I realized how absolutely happy I was. I was going to marry William Richard Darcy. I wanted to tell the whole world. But I'd have to start with my family, Char, Becca, Jenny, Hannah, and people like that.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this. If you want to see what her ring and her outfit, check out my profile and there are links there. Please review!