Chapter 27 – Reunited… And It Feels So Good?

"Jane! Jane! Have you heard the news? Have you heard that… oh, it's only you, Lizzie."

"Nice to see you, too, Mom."

Eliza had arrived home for Cate's birthday dinner in mid-September only to be nearly run over by her mother, who was clearly excited about something. Eliza set down Cate's present and looked at her mother.

"What's the news, Mom?" she asked. Now that she lived on campus, Eliza sometimes felt very disconnected with the neighborhood and her family.

Her mother sighed and climbed onto the couch to look out the window.

"Charles Bingley is coming back to Netherfield! Mrs. Matthews told me… he's expected back in a week," her mother gushed.

Eliza's heart skipped a beat. Her thoughts, as they so often did these days, flickered to Will.

"Is anyone coming with him?" she asked hopefully.

"Carol didn't know… but who cares?" her mother replied.

I do, Eliza thought. She halfheartedly greeted the rest of her family, her heart now pounding. If Charles was coming back to Netherfield, it could only be for one reason: Jane. And it could only be because Will had given it his blessing, right? Right? she thought furiously. Unless he and Charles weren't friends anymore… but the odds of Charles suddenly growing a backbone were slim, she thought. So that could mean Will might be coming with him!

Eliza was lost in her thoughts until her mother shrieked and tore her out of her reverie.

"Jane's here!"

Eliza stopped thinking of Will for the moment; her stomach twisted as her sister opened the door and walked in. She was immediately overwhelmed by her mother, Cate, and even Mary. Jane glanced at Eliza in bewilderment as their mother and sisters babbled incoherently for a few seconds. Eliza gave her a pitying look and stood up.

"Mom… Cate, Mary… give Jane some air, sheesh," Eliza said, grasping Jane's wrist and guiding her over to the couch. Jane collapsed onto it, gift, grocery bags, and all.

"Did something happen to Lydia?" Jane asked.

"No, unfortunately," Eliza muttered.

"Bingley is returning! To the house on Netherfield Beach!" Mrs. Bennet burst out. Jane's eyes widened in shock, and she turned to Eliza for confirmation. Eliza nodded.

"Sorry," she murmured.

Jane seemed to collect her thoughts, and then asked, "When?"

"Next week," Mrs. Bennet said, sitting down next to her. "You didn't lose him after all!"

Jane rolled her eyes and set down the bags in her arms. "Well, it's not like he's coming here for me, Mom."

"Of course he is!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed. "Of course, I told Mrs. Matthews we didn't care that he was coming back, but I've already told your father to invite him over for dinner, and…"

"Come on, let's go put your stuff in the kitchen," Eliza muttered quietly to Jane as their mother babbled on. Jane nodded in relief, and they swiftly interrupted their mother and made a break for it.

Jane started emptying her grocery bags without saying anything, but her lips were uncharacteristically pursed. Eliza helped her, unsure of what to say.

"Jane…" she started but Jane shook her head.

"Lizzie, I really don't care that he's coming back. I don't even live here anymore, I might not even see him," she said.

"You're going to avoid him, you mean," Eliza said. Jane sighed and pulled out a large box of noodles.

"I have no reason to avoid him, Lizzie. We were friends," Jane said evenly.

Eliza sighed, as well, and sat on one of the kitchen stools. If Jane was feeling anything like what Eliza was feeling at this moment, she knew her sister had to be a total wreck.

"You weren't just friends, Jane," Eliza said quietly.

"Yes, we were," Jane said, an unusual bite in her voice. "He made quite sure of that."

She started folding the bags with a bit more force than was necessary. Eliza bit her lip, forcing herself to stay quiet.

"If I see him, I see him," Jane said after a minute. "I'll be polite, but nothing more."

Eliza nodded. She thought of Will… if she saw him, she was quite sure she wouldn't be able to restrain herself to just politeness. Making out fiercely with him in the middle of the living room sounded like a much more reasonable idea.

"Alright," Eliza said finally. "Whatever you say."

"You sure you can only stay for the weekend?"

Will sighed. Charles was still trying to convince him to stay for the full two weeks at Netherfield, but Will just couldn't. If he didn't see Eliza at all, it would be torture. And if he did see Eliza, it would be even worse torture. To see her, talk to her, see her smile, and then leave her… well, he'd probably just end up declaring his love to her all over again.

"Yes, I'm sure. I can't take any more time off of work," Will said to Charles, whose shoulders fell. It was a lie, but Will didn't feel too badly about it. As long as he was sure Charles was on the right path to getting Jane back, he could leave with his peace of mind intact.

That Friday, they left early in the morning for New York. It was only 7 AM in the States by the time they got there, so they drove to the house and unpacked for a few hours. The house was pretty much the same; it seemed a bit quieter and more relaxing without Caroline there. She had been in France when they decided to return to New York, and they had conveniently forgotten to tell her that they were going.

Over the course of the afternoon, dozens of people stopped in to say hello and welcome back. They seemed more enthused to see Charles, naturally, so Will generally hung in the background and replenished the supply of cheese and crackers. As the day wore on, however, he was getting more and more agitated to go to the Bennets' house. Mr. Bennet had stopped by for a few minutes to say hello, but had really only stayed long enough to tell them that they were expecting Jane and Eliza for dinner and so if Will and Charles stopped by around five o'clock, the whole family should be there. He didn't mention Lydia, and Will naturally didn't bring it up. He wasn't even sure if Eliza had told her family that they had spent time together in England… from Mr. Bennet's greeting, it seemed not. Will's heart had fallen a little at this; perhaps his transformation had not made as much impact as he had thought. But then he chided himself; he was being selfish. Obviously her sister's health had been a much more urgent topic. But still…

The day was warm, and Will and Charles spent most of it entertaining people out on the back patio. Around four o'clock, Will and Charles were finally alone for a few minutes.

"Well?" Will asked. "Would you like to go to the Bennets?"

Charles suddenly looked nervous. "Sure," he said halfheartedly.

"What's wrong?"

Charles brushed some crumbs off the table, and then answered. "She must hate me."

Will sighed and picked up the cheese tray. "Not necessarily. You just have to apologize. A lot. Show her you've changed."

"You think that'll work?"

"God I hope so," Will muttered. He'd had a pit in his stomach ever since Mr. Bennet had mentioned Eliza would be there; apparently she was living on campus now, but he said she would be at home for dinner. Perhaps if he just got her by herself… told her about how he'd found Lydia… she'd light up and fall into his arms…

That was nonsense, he told himself as he put the tray into the dishwasher. She'd think him more arrogant than ever if he told her what he'd done for Lydia. She'd think he hadn't thought her father and John could do it, and so had taken it upon himself to find her poor sister. He shook his head fiercely and went upstairs to take a shower, but unfortunately, she wouldn't get out of his mind. That was it, he thought to himself as he stood in his towel and shaved; he had to see her. As soon as possible.

Around ten to five, Charles and Will met in the foyer. Will smiled encouragingly at Charles, who was looking like a complete wreck. They nodded silently, and then left the house.

It was a short enough walk to the Bennets, but Will had to hold to Charles' elbow, because he kept threatening to turn around and walk back. At exactly five o'clock, they were walking up the driveway of the white house and knocking on the door.

One of the younger girls, Cate, opened the door. She smiled shyly at them, and invited them in.

"Charles! What a surprise!" Mrs. Bennet and all the girls were sitting around the sun room; well, all but two: Eliza wasn't there, and neither, logically, was Lydia. Will groaned a little; if Eliza wasn't here, this visit was going to be hell. Already Mrs. Bennet was eyeing him coldly after warmly greeting Charles. Will stood slightly behind Charles, and nodded in response to her frosty hello. He then shifted his attention to Jane, who was standing now and smiling at Charles. She was a bit red in the cheeks, but otherwise exchanged niceties with him with great composure. But then Will noticed her eyes; they never left Charles, even after Mrs. Bennet had reclaimed his attention with her incessant blathering. They were even a bit glassy, as if she was holding back tears. Will was surprised, but pleasantly so. He reminded himself quite forcibly that he was not here for himself or for Eliza, but for Charles, to be a friend and to make up for what he had done.

"There you all are!"

Screw Charles. Will turned to find Eliza in the doorway, wearing a denim skirt and green top, her arms loaded down with grocery bags. Her eyes widened at the sight of Charles and Will, but after a second she smiled widely, and Will had to place a hand on a nearby armchair for support. He wanted to run forward and help her with her bags, but then Jane did it instead.

"Hello, Eliza," Charles said.

"Hi!" she replied. "What a surprise," she said, looking straight at Will. He couldn't help but smile in response; God I love her, he thought. She looked even more beautiful than he remembered, if it was possible. She now had bangs that fell diagonally across her face, and her hair was down and curly.

"Will and I just came for the last bit of summer," Charles was saying. Eliza kept looking at Will, her smile becoming a bit more wistful.

"Well, you're just in time," she said. "How are you, Will?"

Will noticed her family's raised eyebrows at her cordial greeting, but ignored them for the time being.

"Fine, thanks," he replied.

"And how's your sister?" she asked next.

He smiled, thrilled that she'd asked. "She's well."

"Good. Tell her I said hi," Eliza said.

"She'll be delighted," Will said truthfully.

At that point, Eliza suddenly seemed to notice her mother and sisters' agape mouths, and she hastily mumbled something and left the room, Jane following. Charles awkwardly began another conversation, but Will kept gazing at the door. Yet again, he was in big trouble.

Eliza rushed to the kitchen and threw her grocery bags onto the counter. Her heart was pounding a million beats a minute. He was here! She had spoken to him… Oh God, what did I say? She couldn't even remember… she had been too concerned with staring at him, at his green eyes and his beautiful smile. She hoped she hadn't made too much a fool of herself; when she had noticed her family's shock, she had turned and ran.

"Lizzie, is something wrong? What was that all about?" Jane asked, entering the kitchen and setting her bags down on the floor. Eliza tucked her hair behind her ears and started unpacking the food she'd bought for dinner.

"What do you mean?" she said distractedly. "You should go back in there, Charles is here!" she said suddenly, pushing Jane's shoulder.

But Jane stayed at the counter, twisting the tips of her fingers together.

"Yeah I know," she said with a shrug.

"Jane…" Eliza said, forgetting about Will for a moment.

"Well, I'll be glad when he leaves," Jane said strongly. "Because after this, we can just greet each other as acquaintances."

Eliza let out an incredulous laugh. "Sure," she said sarcastically.

"Oh come on, Lizzie, you can't think I'm in any danger now," Jane said, starting to help Lizzie unpack.

"Oh Jane… I think there's a very real danger of you making him more in love with you than ever," Eliza said. I wish I could do the same, she added silently.

Jane rolled her eyes, but blushed. "Well, Mom said she'll invite them over for dinner on Sunday… will you come?" she asked, her eyes pleading.

"Them?" Eliza asked weakly.

"Yeah, Will and Charles… and probably some neighbors," Jane said, and then her eyes narrowed.

"Well, I'll have to see how I do on my homework, but…" Eliza trailed off noncommittally.

But Jane was looking at Eliza with her hands on her hips.

"Speaking of Will…" she said. "What was that about?" she asked, jerking her thumb toward the sun room.

"What was what about?" Eliza asked, turning away.

"You were… friendly to him. And you asked about his sister," Jane said. "I didn't even realize you knew his sister."

"Oh, well, actually… I spent some time with them in England," Eliza finally admitted.

Jane's mouth fell open. "What?"

"Yeah… Aunt Anne knew his housekeeper so we went to see his house, and he and his sister happened to be there," Eliza said.

"Wow…" Jane breathed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, with Lydia then and everything… I just sort of forgot," Eliza lied. But then Jane's amazement was too much for her, so she said, "Go back in there. Flirt with Charles. I'll be back in a minute."

Jane smiled and left, but Eliza never went back into the sun room. She just couldn't bring herself to face Will again in front of her entire family, to watch them be cold to him and ignore him, when they should all be thanking and hugging him. He and Charles left a half hour later, and dinner was spent discussing Charles and every single thing he had said.

Around eight o'clock, both Jane and Eliza were leaving the house and getting into their cars to go back to the city. Eliza was walking behind Jane until suddenly she ran right into her.

"Jane, what the-?" Eliza started to say, but then noticed why her sister had come to a sudden halt. At the end of the driveway, looking very nervous but smiling widely, was Charles. Eliza gave her sister a little push and then scurried toward her car, throwing Charles a wink as she climbed in.

"Hello," she heard Charles say to Jane. "Would you like to go for a walk?"

"Yes, I would," Jane said, and then with a fleeting smile to Eliza, they disappeared into the night.

Eliza was grinning as she started to drive away, but soon she started feeling jealous. She was happy for her sister, but she couldn't help but wish that it had been Will waiting for her when she'd left the house. Not that she ever expected him to do such a thing; indeed, she was thinking more and more that if she ever wanted anything to happen, she would have to be the one to initiate it. But how could she? He couldn't possibly still feel anything for her… although the way he'd smiled at her that afternoon suggested otherwise.

By Sunday, Eliza was itching to see Will again. As she had expected, Jane and Charles were officially an item, causing unending joy in the Bennet household.

"It was so romantic," Jane was telling her as they stood outside that Sunday, surrounded by neighbors and friends. Admittedly, Eliza was only half-listening to Jane; Will was sitting all alone at a table by the pool, and all she really wanted to do was go and talk to him. He'd been here nearly an hour and still she hadn't spoken to him; instead she had just fumed with jealousy of anyone who did speak to him. But she felt that she owed it to her sister to listen to what had happened with Charles, who was now standing in the middle of a large group of women, being cooed and fawned over.

"He said he'd just been a huge idiot and that he's been miserable all year. He didn't even realize I'd moved to the city. And he's going to put in a request for a transfer so he can live here in New York!" Jane said with a grin. Eliza managed to smile, but was grateful when her sister was pulled away by their mother. Eliza took a deep breath and crossed to the patio to sit down next to Will.

"Hey," she said.

He visibly brightened and smiled. "Hi."

She chuckled and looked around. "Now that I don't live here anymore," she said, "I suddenly realize how boring most of these people are."

He laughed. "So you like living in the city, then?" he asked.

"Love it," she replied. She paused. "And you? How's London?"

"Very nice," he said.

"Well, I hope the weather stays nice for your stay here," she said.

"Oh, well actually I'm leaving tomorrow."

"So soon?" Eliza said, and then bit her lip. He gazed at her for a moment or two, and she blushed and looked down at her hands.

"Well, yes, I have to get back to work," he finally said. "Besides, I'd probably be by myself a lot," he said, jerking his head toward Jane and Charles.

She smiled knowingly at him. "Yeah, go figure."

It was his turn to blush.

"Will…"

"Eliza! Come over here!" her sisters were calling her over. Eliza groaned silently, but stood up. Then, unable to restrain herself, she quickly squeezed Will's hand before walking away.

Dammit.

Will's left hand was burning from where Eliza had touched it. She was now standing a few yards away with her sisters, but for a whole minute she had been sitting at his side, talking. He glanced around the yard; he could easily sneak out of here without being noticed. He had to get back to England… he had been right, this was torture. She was being nice, friendly even – at times, it almost felt like she was feeling the same as him. But there was no hope for it, and now he had to leave. He loved her, but he still didn't have the courage to tell her again. It was easier to just leave.

Pretending to go inside to use the bathroom, Will sneaked out the front door and walked back to Netherfield Beach. He spent the rest of the day packing, and then pretended to be asleep when Charles came home. By the next morning, he was in an airplane headed back to London. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but somehow, someday, he would get over her. He had to.

A/N: Sadness! Poor Will… and poor Eliza. And poor us! Two more chapters… but I am so excited to write the last two chapters!!! They're going to make us feel all fuzzy inside… which is always good.

So school is busy, as usual, but I should be able to get the last two chapters out in a decent amount of time. In the meantime, review!!! Last chapter didn't get a terrible amount, and I was sad. So please review, especially now that we are coming to the end.

Love, luck, and flying Ringwraiths,

Emma the NazgulQueen