A/N: I am so very sorry! I moved into Uni this week so I really had no time… and before that I had the flu. I hope this makes up for it!

Chapter Five: Alternate Agendas

Thursday morning greeted Lizzy and her two charges with gloomy gray clouds. Lizzy got back to her apartment at two in the morning, but the Blackberry alarm she forgot to turn off woke her up at 8:30. Growling, she got up out of bed, and went to check on her two young charges.

Strangely, she found Daniel and Ana sitting at the dining room table eating breakfast, already dressed to go out. Lizzy brought a bowl, spoon, and glass to the table to enjoy her Honey Nut Cheerios with her sibling and foster sibling.

"Dressed and ready to go at this hour? Where are you guys off to?"

"Actually, Lizzy, I wanted to show Ana where you work, if that's okay with you and all…" Daniel trailed off, waiting for Lizzy's response. Ana just sat, chewing her cereal very politely with minimum crunching noise, eyes bright with the idea of going to the designer's studio.

"I don't see why not! Hey, it would be very funny for you to drop in and see Charlotte, 'cause she probably has a headache and a half from Caroline's party," Lizzy smirked.

"You mean she has a hangover." Daniel smugly supplied.

"Ugh, you fifteen year olds think you know everything, but you don't! Ana, stop looking at me like I'm wearing a poodle on my head, I'm not that weird in the morning. I mean, my pajamas are on the right way this time!"

"Unlike last week," Daniel added.

"Again, you young folks are not smarter than the likes of me!"

"Yeah right, stop defending your old-age senility 'cause Ana's clearly trying to tell you something."

"Ah, yes, go on girlie,"

"I just wanted…to say that…I'm very, very…happy that…I'm living with…you… It feels like…a…a…"

"Family?" asked Lizzy.

"Yes! A…family."

Ana beamed.

~*~*~*~

The trio decided to forgo walking to the studio/office this morning and took Lizzy's car to the studio on Fifth Avenue. It was bound to rain any second, and Lizzy didn't want to take the chance of Ana getting her bandages wet. It was a smart move – right after Lizzy entered the studio, the sky opened and it began to pour.

"Wow Lizzy! That was a really close call!" called out Jane, who was currently posing for the latest campaign. She was wearing the dress that Lizzy wore to the party the previous night; only it was a size two instead of a size four.

"You bet! Thank goodness Ana wasn't caught in the rain!"

"Lizzy. Seriously girl, keep it down. My head is being crushed by ten elephants every time you open your mouth."

"Sorry Charlotte!" whispered a snickering Lizzy.

"Danny-boy, come over here and give your Aunt Lottie a hug! But don't talk loudly or I'll cry."

"Okay Lottie. Oh, you know Ana, right? She's visiting the studio today. Lizzy said she was going to make me and Ana interns!" Daniel pulled Ana over to greet Charlotte, who was rubbing her temples at the moment. Lizzy grabbed Charlotte a glass of water and two Advils which perked her up a bit. (Placebo effect).

"Howzit goin' Ana? Didja remember anything important yet? Like if you have any siblings or aunts and uncles or anything?"

"I…haven't remembered…anything…important as of…yet. All I know…is that…I'm pretty happy…here and…I think…I was…very…sad…before."

"Well in that case, you should just stop trying to remember and-"

"Charlotte!" Lizzy interrupted.

"-and just stay with Lizzy-"

"Charlotte!"

"-forever. What the hell do you want, Lizzy? Go give Ana a tour already."

"Stop encouraging her Lottie! If her real family shows up she mayn't want to leave!" Lizzy hissed.

"So? You don't want her to leave either – it's written on your face!"

"But…"

"Just enjoy the time you have, and for goodness sake, stop shlumping. You look like a depressed puppy."

~*~*~*~

Lizzy gave the teens a tour of her studio. Starting with Charlotte's section, she led them around to see the publicity, marketing, financial and legal aspects of the fashion industry. She brought them to see the photography area, where Jane was running in and out of the dressing room in different dresses and hair styles every hour and the lights kept flickering at different frequencies. And lastly, she showed them into her office.

Her desk was piled with dozens of sketchbooks, magazines, photos, and fabric swatches. Upon the wall were framed photos of celebrities that wore her designs to special events and pictures of Daniel and Grandfather Gardiner. There was a family portrait that showed her original family of six: her self, Daniel, Grandfather, Mom, Dad, and Lydia.

Ana was overwhelmed. She slowly crept towards Lizzy's desk, sat down in her swivel-chair, and pried open a sketchbook slowly, relishing in Lizzy's work. She sat there quietly and absorbed all of the sketches. Meanwhile, Daniel plopped up onto Lizzy's desk and peered over at her calendar.

"Lizzy, what does this say?" He was pointing to a note that was scrawled upon an up-coming Thursday (next Thursday to be exact, if you must know). Lizzy approached Daniel with confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"On your schedule. It looks like Bingley, but I was certain that you just had the orange witch's party yesterday."

"I have no idea. I never cleared any event on that Thursday. This isn't even in my secretary's handwriting! What in the world – MARY!"

Mary, personal secretary to Lizzy, entered the room. She was a little chubby, and more so shy, but she was a cute girl and had beautiful brown hair that fell in waves around her shoulders. Mary was the most diligent assistant Lizzy had ever had, which further perplexed the designer.

But Mary was already quivering in her knee-high boots, fearing the worst. As usual.

"Yes, Ms. Bennet?" came her meek reply.

"Two things, Mary. One, like I told you, call me Lizzy. Or Elizabeth. Or Captain Two Legs. Anything but Ms. Bennet,"

"Yes, Ms. Ben – oh sorry – Elizabeth." Mary gave a half smile at her employer's enthusiasm.

"Secondly, can you explain this?" Lizzy gestured wildly at the planner on her desk. Mary peered down at it.

"This is not my writing, nor Charlotte's."

"Then how about your primary assignment today is to find the source of this message? If the event is important, I cannot miss it."

"Oh okay then, Elizabeth! I'll get to the bottom of this!" she scampered off, glad that she didn't lose her job. Not that she would have, or anything.

Lizzy sighed, and turned around to find Daniel and Ana smirking.

"Captain…Two Legs?" Ana laughed.

"Yeah, Lizzy, what's with the new name? Can we call you that?"

"No. That was to make Mary feel more…"

"At home?" guffawed Daniel.

"Relaxed..?" chimed Ana.

"Oh, stuff it you two!" Lizzy stalked off.

"We'll be in here, Captain Two Legs, if you need us!"

"Ughhh!" came the only reply from the hallway.

~*~*~*~

Lydia Bennet was having the best day ever. Like, totally. She just ran into her idol and favorite socialite ever, Caroline Bingley. And she even invited her to lunch for tomorrow! So now, she, Caroline, and Caroline's sister, the-not-as-cool-wannabe-Caroline, Louisa Hurst, were going to dine at Nobu and then go to some awesome new spa for mani-pedis.

She would meet the two social-climbers at the restaurant, and order the most expensive salad on the menu, and get some seaweed dish that she didn't know the name of or what exactly it consisted of. But Lydia needed to look worldly or whatever and that would be the method to her madness.

Actually, it wasn't. The method, I mean. Lydia knew that she could use Caroline to her advantage. But she was still in the plotting stage, and wasn't quite ready to get the ball rolling yet. But boy was that girl mad. In more ways than one.

She dialed her old police officer friend and chatted about the latest fashions, among other things.

~*~*~*~

At five p.m., Lizzy was ready to head out and take the teens to eat. She wanted to check out Tenzan, the Japanese restaurant near the Met museum. There was a Pinkberry nearby, so she could take them there for dessert later. She was all ready to go and stuffing her sketchbook into her Degas bag, when Mary called:

"CAPTAIN TWO LEGS! I mean, Elizabeth! I've got your answer!"

"What do you mean, Mary?"

"The schedule-writer has been identified."

"Okay then, spill, girl!"

"It's Jane Smith."

"What do you mean, Jane?"

"Jane is the one who wrote it in the schedule. Her handwriting is atrocious, really. It's like she never took a penmanship class in elementary school and…" she trailed off, embarrassed.

"Listen, Mary, thanks for all your help. Send in Jane to me and then you are free to go home."

Mary brought Jane after five minutes into the office. Jane was still heavily made up from her photo shoot (she had six different outfits, four different hair styles, and three different "faces" today).

"Hiya Lizzy! What's the problem?" breathed Jane, incredibly sunny as usual.

"What is the meaning of this, Jane?"

"Oh, um… that."

"Yes, that. Now, out with it!"

"Charles invited us onto his yacht."

"Charles?"

"Bingley." Jane turned a lovely rose color.

"Okay then. And why exactly am I invited?"

"I needed someone to go with me because I'll be all alone and Charlotte…"

"Yes?"

"Charlotte will most likely embarrass me." Jane turned the color of a tomato.

"Listen, Jane, I can't go with you. I just found out about a new commission in Japan, and I need to get going on my designs and meet with the production company about the commercial that you're going to shoot the day before. I just don't think that it'll be possible."

"Oh. Okay. I'll go alone then. But promise you'll keep your phone on? In case I get lonely?"

"Sure gorgeous. It's always on for you. Just next time, clear everything with Mary. Just 'cause you're one of my best friends doesn't give you leave to drive me nuts and to mess with my schedule."

"Thanks Lizzy! You're the best! I'll see ya tomorrow!" Jane was slightly mollified, and as long as the line of connection wasn't cut while she was there, she felt she'd be okay.

Lizzy was glad that she was going to avoid the Bingleys. Charles, she could handle, but Caroline was another story. She was incredibly thankful she didn't have to see the Orange Witch anytime soon.

Unfortunately, as your honorable and always truthful storyteller, I can safely say that she wasn't thankful for long.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please review and let me hear what you have to say!