I am a very evil person. I have plotted this story; I just never can get around to it with all my university demands, jobs, and traumatic family problems. However, I'd still like a review? Please?

Chapter Ten: Movies, Memories and…Mocha?

She took the elevator up to the thirteenth floor and was about to unlock the door when it was slowly and creepily opened. It seemed as if the living room was entirely vacated, she saw no one. There was no sound, other than her footsteps. She peered beyond the doorframe, and screamed.

"LIZZY!" laughed her sibling and foster-sibling, "how was your stay at Chez Bingles?" continued Daniel.

"You guys just scared me senseless and you pretend it never happened. Strangely, I appreciate that."

"You avoided… the question!" giggled Ana, "you must answer it…under penalty of death!"

"Great, now you have the same cracked-out sense of humor that the 15-going-on-10 year old boy has. I knew he wasn't to be trusted!" Lizzy grabbed Daniel, squeezed him tightly, and ruffled his hair.

"So, spill. What happened at Chez Bingley? Did creepy Caroline pass out from only eating Beta-Carotene-infused food items?"

"Daniel Bennet, I suggest you shut that orifice you call your mouth before I stuff it!"

"With what? Surely tissues are the worst you could do!"

"Hon, you'd be surprised with how effective tissues could be!" Lizzy lunged at him, knocking the large box of tissues to the ground, successfully pinning Daniel on the floor. Lizzy, grinning, said, "Pinned ya!"

"What," Daniel laughed, "now we're quoting Lion King?" Lizzy managed to roll off of Daniel, leaving him convulsing in laughter on the floor. Lizzy stalked away, still ridden with laughter, to her room to unpack her things. Lizzy, while shutting the door to her room, bellowed,

"Ana, do something about that nuisance in the hallway!" Ana felt faint. She bolted to her room. Daniel, still in the process of removing himself from the carpeting, saw her face and scrambled after her, sure not to make a sound as to alert Lizzy of Ana's distress.

*~*~*

"William! Do something about that nuisance in the hallway!" bellowed her Aunt. "We cannot have new money in our house, do you understand!"

"Your rhetorical statements are so refreshing," muttered William under his breath. He did not notice young Georgiana hiding in the rather spacious coat closet. It was cracked open so she could see the tizzy her aunt was working herself up into – it was rather frightening, as her aunt was turning a putrid shade of blue.

"Honestly William, did you think before you befriended that Bangles boy! With that sister of his! That frightening, insipid, orange, whore! I am most seriously displeased, William, you should have had more sense! That Bangles boy! He grins like a puppy! He doesn't even have a summer estate, and he is Irish. Irish! I ought to spank you with a wooden spoon, boy!"

"Aunt Catherine," he took a deep breath, "firstly, his name is Charles Bingley, he is a loyal and kind friend who is helping me cope with my father's death, he is purchasing a summer home anyway, it doesn't matter that he is, as you say, new money, considering this is the twenty-first century (nor would that change my mind about our friendship). In addition, to the fact that he is Irish, I don't exactly understand your contention that an Irishman is not proper material for a friend. I have other Irish friends! Bingley isn't even a hundred percent Irish! And can you elaborate upon your wooden spoon idea; it implies some rather strange ideas, frankly. Tell me, do you only spank those above the age of eighteen? If not, I may just have to turn you in to the police. And regardless, that is still tortuous behavior. I could sue - "

"Don't get impertinent with me, FITZwilliam! You should know better by now to sass me! I am your Aunt; you WILL do as I say!"

"I'm sorry Aunt Catherine, it won't happen as you desire. I'm sorry, but I'm going to request that you leave. Goodbye."

The guards came for Catherine de Bourgh, wealthy socialite and snob extraordinaire. Catherine bellowed at the top of her lungs; she did not leave the premises without a loud and significant exit not unlike herself.

~*~*~*~

She snapped out of her reverie, gasping for breath. A daylight nightmare.

"Ana?" came the voice of her new brother, "you okay?" He sat down upon the bed next to her.

"Daniel?"

"Yes?"

"I remember."

"Oh shit. Does that mean you have to go home?"

"I DON'T want to!" this came out of her mouth rather strangled and forceful, and the intensity of her voice shocked the two of them. Ana put her hands immediately to her mouth and blushed.

"You don't have to, well at least I won't force you… I mean, legally, now that you have regained your, uhm, memories, you need to go back to your appropriate guardian…"

"But my brother doesn't understand me like you and Lizzy do!"

"Well…"

"Well what Daniel? I don't want to go home, and Lizzy definitely doesn't want me to go home. Solution: you and I pretend like we don't remember. This does not come out of this room. I can't face Will, I just can't! After what I've said to him, and after I…"

"You what?"

"I actually haven't remembered yet."

"You are definitely lying. Your eyebrows always twitch oddly if you lie."

"Oh I know. But I'm not ready to tell at the moment."

"Tell me after dinner?"

"Maybe."

~*~*~*~

"I'd like a mocha latte with skim milk, please." Lizzy sighed and swept stray wisps of curls out of her face with her free hand. Her other was holding her wallet and a pencil she hadn't put away yet, as she was busy with her notes regarding the next photo shoot…and of course, sketching in the margins.

"I'd like the same, thanks." She turned, and again she was enveloped in that familiar spicy scent. "My treat." The man smiled. Lizzy internally cursed; his smile was disarming.

"William! Fancy seeing you here!"

"Yes, and you apparently like lattes too."

"Only those of the mocha persuasion, I'm afraid."

"Do you drink any other coffee?"

"Actually, no. Only those really sugary coffee iced things, but I get way too hyper from those." She laughed. He smiled, again. A rarity.

She didn't realize that by the time her drink was ready that William had paid for her cup too. She immediately protested, digging through her wallet for the bills she specifically kept for her coffee run. He protested.

"Didn't you hear me say, my treat? You officially can't pay me back for the latte."

"Unfair!"

"Maybe to me, but to you? I think not."

She fell silent.

"Wow. Cat got your tongue?"

"Resorting to clichés, much?"

"Guess it didn't then." A silence. Lizzy nodded towards the door, and they walked towards Lizzy's apartment.

"Wait."

"Wait what, Elizabeth?" Lizzy looked at him, in shock for a moment by the way he said her name. As the omnipresent author, I can definitely say that our dear William was a little dazed, as his eyes were a little clouded over. Lizzy did not realize this, however, despite her impeccable observational skills.

"Why are you walking this way?"

"Oh, well, I was going to go for a walk in the park, would you like to join me?"

"I actually just came from there, I need to go home and make sure my siblings haven't torn up the apartment!" She smirked.

"You don't have time?"

"Yeah, I need to find a replacement model for Jane – she is definitely not up to modeling this week, and I need someone fast. On top of that, I need to make some calls about the fabric shipments and fax my latest sketches, and then go over the photo shoot layouts that need to be set up starting tomorrow."

"Wow. I guess I'm not offended then."

"Well…" she laughed, "I've decided not to continue that sentence."

"Hmmph. I'm don't think I deserved that one."

"Again, I plead the fifth!"

"Okay, Miss. Artsy-Smart-Mouth, I think this is where I bid you adieu before you incriminate yourself."

"Oh, will you bow next?"

"Maybe some other time. However, I'd like to know if..."

"Yes?"

"You'd like to go to dinner sometime?"

"As friends?"

"Uh, sure…as friends?" he was definitely not happy about this one. Low blow, Lizzy.

Bennet: 1, Darcy: 0.