Lizzie groaned as she realized she was face down on the couch in her living room. Why hadn't she made it to her bed last night? It's not like it would have been the first time she woke up on a couch instead of in her bed, but usually the couch was in someone else's apartment. If she was in her apartment then why hadn't she made it to her bed? She shifted slightly on the couch so she didn't look like some sort of contortionist. Her whole body was sore and her head was pounding. She knew if she stayed still and quiet for long enough, her mind would stop focusing on the pain and start remembering how she got here and why. She groaned again, but this time she was answered by another muffled groan from the floor next to her. Risking the opening of one eye and therefore a flood of blinding light, she blinked and tried to identify a blanket-covered lump on the floor.

"Carter?" Lizzie grunted.

"Hmm" was his answering reply.

"Ugh."

"Mmhmm."

"It's not coming back to me as quickly as it usually does, Carter."

"That's because you're getting old."

"Shut-up."

Carter flicked the blanket off his face and squinted at Lizzie. "Why are you talking? And why is your apartment so damn bright? Can't you invest on some curtains or something?"

"Something being steel doors that cover the windows?"

"Yes. I hate you for doing this to me, Lizzie."

Lizzie pushed herself up on her elbows indignantly. "What? Why? What did I do?"

"It's your fault I'm hung over and my spine will never be the some from sleeping on your floor. I think the floor boards must have warped from when your apartment was flooded."

"Please, it's not like I forced the alcohol down your throat. You were a willing participant. Also, I'm certain I offered you the couch, and even if I didn't it looks like I took it anyway, so you could have had my bed. Ugh!"

Lizzie flopped back down on the bed. "Looks like I'm going to need the whole weekend to recover from this."

"Funny, I remember you saying that after the gallery opening last week."

Lizzie groaned again, spectacularly.

"Lizzie shut up!" Lydia's voice called from her bedroom. Lydia herself appeared in her pajamas moments later. "I was trying to sleep, you know. You're not the only one who was out last night. And by the way, you should call Uncle Luke. He tried to get a hold of you three times yesterday. I think he wants you to talk to Carly. Apparently she's not
returning any of his calls."

"And he thinks I'll have better luck? I'm pretty sure Carly won't be talking to me for a while. He should ask Jane."

Lydia raised an eyebrow at her sister. "Liz, Jane left this morning at 6 am, remember? You were the one who told her to go, although I think it was a stupid idea. Charlie ditched her like she was radioactive. I think we have mom to thank, frankly. Jeez, you must have really gone for it last night, guys. You stink."

Lizzie groaned again as she pulled her blanket over her eyes. That's right. She had encouraged Jane to get away for a while. To take a break. Charlie had left only a day after the gallery opening with only a quick phone call to Jane to tell her he was leaving and wouldn't be back until the beginning of the next semester. At first Jane had been sick with worry that Charlie was in trouble or there was a family emergency, but a day after that she had gotten a short and snide email from Caroline telling her how they had all decided to go visit Georgiana, Will Darcy's sister, in Scotland for the winter break and
that she should email, but they were all going to be so very busy having such a fabulous time that they might not be so good about keeping in touch.

Lizzie had flown off the handle. She raved about how Caroline was the worst of human beings and how she was going to figure out some way to get her back. Lizzie was certain that Charlie's leaving had to do with Caroline and Darcy convincing him that Jane was no good. She could still see Darcy's face when she had caught him listening to her mother and her at the gallery. Disdain was written all over him. After a while Lizzie realized that her yelling was doing nothing to help Jane, so she stopped and put her mind to figuring out how to make Jane feel better instead of how to make Caroline and Darcy feel worse.

Jane was distraught. Lizzie hated seeing her beautiful, happy sister feeling so terrible. Eventually, she convinced Jane that maybe a change of scenery would make her feel better. A group of Jane's professors were going to a ten day long convention in Virginia and when Jane expressed an interest in going, they all jumped at the chance to have her come along. Lizzie thought that Jane could throw herself into her work and be in a place where everything didn't remind her of Charlie. Everything had happened so fast with him that Lizzie wasn't even sure it had really happened. She couldn't help but fume
every time she thought about how fast Darcy and Caroline had stolen Charlie away after meeting their mother.

And then there had been the other thing...

She was trying her best to forget the whole miserable ordeal.

Carefully, Lizzie sat up. Carter was already in the kitchen and brewing some coffee.

"You're a god, Carter."

"You know I didn't make this coffee for you. It's for me. You just happen to be lucky that I accidentally brewed too much."

"Mmhmm," Lizzie answered as she rubbed her face.

"So," said Carter as he made his way back to the couch with two cups of hot coffee, "are you going to call Luke?"

"I suppose I have too. Although I really don't think it'll do too much good. Why does he think I'm going to be able to make a difference? Carly's made up her mind."

"You should at least call him. Does he even know where they are?"

"I imagine he can guess. Where else would they go? I can't believe she did it. I mean, I knew she wanted to get married, but...Benjamin? She can't know he asked me."

Carter smirked at her. "Do you think it would have made a difference if she had?"

Lizzie stared at nothing in front of her. "I can't believe anything that happened this week actually happened."

"Lizzie, come on. It's time to face reality. Everything that happened this week did actually happen. Charlie left, Jane left. Benjamin proposed to you. Benjamin and Carly left. Now you have only one roommate instead of three and it's time to call your uncle before he releases the hounds to go after his daughter."

Lizzie glared at Carter. "Thanks for that, sunshine."

"Anytime," he patted her knee. "I have to head back out. Call me later ok?"

Lizzie nodded and made her way to her room to get ready for the ugly reality that was now her life.

Once at the gallery, Lizzie found Luke in his office on the phone, his elbows on the desk. From the sounds of it he had finally gotten though to Carly.

"Honey, I just don't understand. You had us so worried... I know, but a note doesn't explain... Carly, I have met this man only once... But where... Ok. Ok, when?"

Luke looked up at Lizzie helplessly. She had never seen him look so worn. She didn't realize until now that what Carly had done was not only supremely stupid, but also cruel. Luke had probably been up for three days, worried sick about her. Lizzie had been too busy being furious with her that she forgot that she was furious with her for an entirely different and much more justifiable reason.

Carly had hurt all her friends and family by running off with Benjamin on a whim.

"Carly, Carly, just forget about that for a minute. I'm trying to tell you that for now, I just want you to come home. I am worried about you--" Luke stood up and slammed his fist on the desk. "Goddamn, it Carly! I don't care about that right now! You've been missing for three days and I want to see my daughter, safe in front of me! Finish up whatever it is you want to finish up in Niagara. Do it fast and get down here with whomever you've legally bound yourself to, do you understand? We'll talk about the rest later."

Lizzie had never heard Luke raise his voice. Ever. She was looking at him with wide eyes as he listened to Carly. "Yes, honey. Yes... ok. Ok, I love you too. See you tomorrow."

He slowly hung up the phone and rubbed his face as he looked at Lizzie. "That was her," he said. "She'll be here tomorrow. With Benjamin. They married, you know."

Lizzie nodded. "I thought that might have been what they were going to do."

"Well, I didn't think they would. I don't even know this guy Lizzie. You met him, right? He stayed with you? What's he like?"

Lizzie sat down across from her uncle. "He's the son of one of my father's friends." She was determined to try to put Luke's mind at ease about Benjamin, as best she could. "I know he works for Catherine Burg, a very successful business woman, so he has a stable job and what appears to be a career with room for advancement. He is... a bit peculiar, but he has ambition and... a desire to have the best and be the best, especially for those he cares about." Lizzie realized as she spoke, that she hadn't lied. He was all of these things, and she was certainly in a position to list his qualities since he had listed them all to her only a few days ago.

Luke gave her a half-smile. "Really? Well, since I suppose there isn't anything I can do about it now, I my as well dwell only on his good traits." his smile faltered. "He'll be good to Carly?"

Lizzie's heart reached out to her uncle. It certainly wasn't the best that Carly could have done, but it certainly wasn't the worst either. "He will. He won't hurt her. I think they will be good for each other. I do. I think they'll be able to grow together." She reached for her uncle's hand. "And don't forget. Carly has a lot of family who will continue to look out for her. She's not alone. She'll be here tomorrow with Benjamin and you'll be able to see for yourself."

"Yes, you're right," Luke sighed. "It has to be alright. Carly is certainly old enough to make these decisions for herself. It's just...I've felt that she hasn't been making the best decisions since she broke up with her ex-fiance...not that he was right for her either. I hope I'm wrong. I hope she found a good man."

Lizzie smiled at him. "I'm sure she has," she lied.

"Thanks for coming in, Liz. I actually think I'm gonna take off. I thought working today would help take my mind off this whole situation, but I think I'd feel better if I just went home and mulled over it for while. Make sure it sinks in that my daughter is married and I have a son-in-law, otherwise, I might never accept it."

"I know, it is rather unbelievable. I think I'll head out too, then."

"Oh, uh, did Jane get out ok? I know she was reluctant to leave when we hadn't heard from Carly. She's such a great kid."

Lizzie again felt the absence of her sister. If only Jane had stayed! Lizzie missed her already, missed knowing that she'd say something to make Luke and herself feel better, knowing that she'd give them some insight into Carly's decision that would make it seem more comprehensible. But Jane needed to get out of the city. "Jane arrived in Virginia this morning. She'll be glad to know that Carly is on her way home."

Lizzie was walking home from the gallery when she saw Greg coming out of the Park. She didn't call out his name. Not only was she not in the mood to talk to anyone right now, but he hadn't spoken a word to her since before the gallery opening and she couldn't help but feel a little neglected. Unfortunately, he had seen her and came running over, a big grin on his face.

"Lizzie!" He kissed her cheek. "I've wanted to call you for ages."

"Then why didn't you?" Lizzie snapped.

Greg's smile faded. "What?"

"If you wanted to call me for so long, then why didn't you? I haven't heard from you in over a week." Lizzie continued walking at a brisk pace.

His smile returned once more as he sped up to her. "Well, first, I wanted to make sure our friend got the space he needed to pop the question, and another thing came up that I had to take care of--"

Lizzie stopped so fast that Greg bumped into her. "Wait, what? Who needed space? What are you talking about?"

"What, you don't know? He didn't get up the nerve to ask you? Aw, man!" Greg whined. "I thought for sure he would if I stayed away!"

Lizzie was looking at him furiously as he explained himself.

"See, Benjamin had been dropping all these hints about how he liked you and wanted to know if we had a thing going on. I wouldn't say a word, you know." He looked smug. "That's a private thing. Also, I wasn't quite sure what we had anyway. But then he just came out and said he was in love and he wanted to propose! Ha! Propose to you! I just couldn't resist, so I told him there was nothing between us and I may have mentioned that you had told me that you were a little enamored of a man that had just come into your life." Greg smirked again.

Lizzie's jaw dropped. "You said what?"

"Wait! It gets better!" Greg laughed. "I told him that the gallery opening would be a great place to do it, since you would be surrounded by the friends and family you loved! I really thought he had worked up the nerve. Shame he couldn't come to the point. That would have been hilarious!"

Lizzie took a deep breath. "So let me get this straight. You told a man you knew I couldn't stand that he had a serious chance at getting engaged to me. Then you told him the best place to propose would be a place that was not only inappropriate but full of people that would witness his humiliation and mine when I refused him, which you knew I would."

Greg's smile fell. "Well, when you put it that way."

Lizzie waved a hand furiously at him. "What was the other thing?"

"What?"

"The other thing that kept you from calling me this week, please try to keep up."

Greg seemed to take offense to her tone. "Well, not that it's any of your business, but this lacrosse thing really isn't working for me and I'm going to be leaving town."

"Well good riddance!" Lizzie yelled, and she started walking again. Great. One more person in her life was leaving. Not that Greg was really someone who she wanted around, but still... "And for future record, you're in no position to tell me what is and isn't my business since you can't seem to remember what your own is."

"Hey, what is your problem? I was only playing a little joke."

"Playing jokes like that with someone's feelings is cruel. How dare you?"

"You know what, Lizzie," Greg grabbed her arm and stopped her. "I was only playing a joke. Sorry if your feelings got hurt. Yes, your feelings, because I know that you don't care about Benjamin's. You probably would have joined in the fun if it had only been Benjamin I was playing with. So your anger is hardly worth noting. You've become some crazy psycho in the one week I let you out of my sight and I'm glad I have the opportunity to get away from you."

Greg was still gripping her arm and Lizzie was surprised to see him so angry at her. But not surprised enough to stay quiet.

"Just because you don't think I have a right to be angry, doesn't mean I'm going to stop being angry at you. What you did was shitty and even if you weren't leaving New York, I'd never want to speak to you again. Now get your goddamn hand off me, you smug prick."

Greg paused for a moment before letting her go. All Lizzie wanted to do was run in the opposite direction, but her pride wouldn't let her and he managed to stay her ground until Greg slowly backed away. After he had turned around, Lizzie, shaking, quickly hailed a cab and made for her apartment.

AN: Oooh! Wickham shows some of his seedier nature. He's such a snake. And poor Lizzie! All she has now is Lydia! Also, I don't know if you can elope in Niagara Falls, but for the sake of this fic, let's assume you can.