Chapter 3: Reinforcements

"Hey, Charlotte!"

"Bing… what do you need?" A curt but amiable voice replied.

"I need to know about Lydia Bennet's disappearance."

He heard the sigh on the other end of the phone. This was against protocol. But Bing and Charlotte had been working together a long time. They were friends, even. Surely Charlotte knew that he wouldn't do anything stupid… right?

"Are you sure? Bing, this is- this could compromise you." Compromised. That's what everyone told him he was. His relationship with Jane Bennet could compromise him. Well guess what- he was so far beyond compromised.

Bing Lee was in love with Jane Bennet.

And right now, that was all that mattered.

"I know. Just… tell me. Please."

Charlotte began a checklist through the recent police reports, evidence files, report cards, discipline reports, news blurbs- anything and everything that could give them access into the head of Lydia Bennet. If there was a reason for her kidnapping, Charlotte Lu would be able to find out.

"Wuffles is really her password?" The look on Darcy's face was priceless.

Lizzie shrugged. It would take too long to explain.

They were in.

Lydia's background was a picture of herself and their cousin Mary. It was only taken last week, and Lizzie took a deep breath to keep from crying. The folders on her desktop seemed innocuous enough, labels ranging from "Bangin' Drink Recipies" to "Schoolwork" (That folder was suspiciously almost empty).

Darcy ran searches for code words like "secret" and "dangerous", but all that came up were Victoria's Secret ads and "Dangerous Make- Out Secret" articles. Her browser history was… slightly shocking, but nothing out of the ordinary. It looked like their search was turning up nothing.

Darcy was about to shut the computer down when a blip appeared on the screen. To most people, it would have been nothing, just a flicker on the desktop. But Darcy knew a hack when he saw one.

"Someone else is looking for something." He told Lizzie.

"Looking for what?"

"I'm not… sure. I'm good with computers, but I know someone who's better. I'll call in a favor." He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen.

"Hey Fitz, It's Darcy. I have something for you to look into…"

Georgiana played tennis. She knew the ins and outs of the game- every rule, every movement of the ball. She knew every ball boy's name at the court, had mastered all the women and nearly all the men, and had worn down every trainer who attempted to rein her in.

She was a force to be reckoned with, on and off the court.

And yet her overbearing, overprotective older brother refused to let her do the one thing she had wanted to do. He wouldn't let her join the Agency.

It was so stupid. She huffed, swinging the racket harder. Gigi respected her brother, and she knew that he loved her very much, and wanted her to be safe, and on and on and on.

This was the only career that she had ever wanted. Ever since she was a little girl waiting for her big brother to come home and tell her stories from his latest mission.

But no, Georgiana got to play tennis. The only reason she hadn't gone pro was to spite William. That, and she had held on to the smallest hope that one day she could be an agent, and would have to keep herself unrecognizable.

"Lizzie?" Jane knocked on her sister's door. When no one answered, she tapped again and pressed her ear up to the wood. Nothing.

She stepped back and looked around the hallway. She had definitely heard voices as she walked up the stairs. And there they were again, muffled but definite. They were coming from behind her, from Lydia's room.

Jane groaned internally.

"Lizzie!" She rapped on the door, careful not to disturb the crime scene tape.

A crack appeared, and Lizzie popped her head through. "Yes, Jane?" she answered, as sweetly as she could.

Jane knew Lizzie to be many things, but sugary sweet was not one of them. She craned her neck to see inside the room, but Lizzie moved to block her view.

"Is he on Lydia's computer?" Jane asked. What is this?

"Oh, uh… no, he just… um… Dar-William!" she scrambled, "Will… can you come here for a second? There's someone I want you to meet."

Jane heard the man shift from the bed and walk over to the door. He was tall, taller than her father, and he had short, neatly trimmed, jet-black hair. His face was long, at some angles almost gaunt, and his eyes seemed hardened, as if he had survived a war.

"Jane, this is William Darc- Darvid. Um, we met online and when he heard about Lydia, he… um…"

"I wanted to be here for Lizzie." William interjected. The couple exchanged a look.

Jane was not convinced. "Where did you two meet? Online, I mean."

Lizzie and William were both silent.

"In a class-"

" It was a chat room-"

They blurted simultaneously. "It was an online chat room for an online class!" Lizzie covered quickly.

Jane lifted her eyebrows, but she nodded her head.

This was not over.

Lydia tried to let her eyes adjust to the light. Her memories of everything before this moment were foggy.

There was… chlorine? And a Batman T-Shirt, maybe?

None of it made sense.