"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, thank you for inviting me," Charlie beamed nervously as he was ushered into the house forcefully by Jane's mother. Jane was standing next to Lizzie, and though she assured her sister that she was not nervous, Lizzie could see Jane biting her lip ever since her mother told her of Charlie's return.

Though he shook hands with a still grumpy Mr. Bennet, his eyes remained on Jane the entire time, a fact that sent Mrs. Bennet to the kitchen cackling happily to put the finishing touches on dinner.

"How've you been, Charlie?" Lizzie asked politely after a somewhat awkward silence.

"What? Oh, yes. I've been keeping very busy since I last saw you, Lizzie! Yes, I finished two films this year to keep my mind off of... some things. I've been taking classes too, I'm sorry we really didn't get to talk when I saw you in California, but yes, I have been keeping busy."

"That's good, a lot's happened over here, too," Lizzie began, but Lydia ran crying from the room when she rolled her eyes and Kitty smirked. Mr. Bennet's sudden act of defiance had been both a blessing and a curse for Kitty, for she was forbidden to date for a very long time, but it had also meant the downfall of Lydia's unfairness.

"Yes, I've heard," Charlie stuttered. He swallowed, looking at Jane, who was blushing profusely. "And how are you?" he asked quietly.

"Oh God," Mr. Bennet snorted and followed his wife into the kitchen. This only made Charlie blush more and he stared at his feet.

"I'm okay," Jane's small voice said, and Charlie looked up hopefully.

"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Bennet announced, nearly skipping out of the kitchen. "Follow me!" Everyone went with her to the dining room, where she sat Jane and Charlie together and herself nearby. During the course of the dinner Jane hardly got a word in as her mother gabbed away.

When the meal was finished, Mr. Bennet rushed the celebrity out of the house.

"Please come back again tomorrow!" Mrs. Bennet called. "And bring a friend, if you'd like! I love seeing you, darling!"

"Yes, thank yo-" he was cut off when Mr. Bennet closed the door.

"I am sick and tired of all these boys," Mr. Bennet grouched and went upstairs to bed.

Lizzie and Jane talked all the way up to their room and in bed. They talked about how much handsomer Charlie got, how nice he was, how sorry he looked. Jane couldn't stop blushing and Lizzie couldn't stop smiling for her sister.

But something told her, as it did after her father yelled at Lydia, that things could only get better from here.

***

"Oh, look who's here!" Mary called from the kitchen window, seeing Charlie's expensive car come down the driveway. "It's Charlie, and he brought a friend!" she snickered and Mrs. Bennet rushed over.

"Who'd he bring? Is it someone famous?"

Mary giggled. "Yes, someone very famous! He brought that Will character!" Mary jogged over to where Lizzie was reclined on the couch, reading a book. "Hey, Charlie brought that Will guy that you hate!"

Lizzie's heart nearly skipped out of her chest and she dropped the book. Normally she would have been upset that she lost her page, but now it was irrelevant. 'Should I fix my hair, should I redo my makeup... no wait, no time!' She guessed that she looked ill because Mary gave her a strange look.

The doorbell rung and Lizzie suspected that she looked as nervous as Jane did when Charlie had come the day before.

Will was standing there, as handsome and quiet as ever, and her heart clenched and yearned for him. The family ignored him as usual and focused solely on Charlie, which hurt Lizzie's feelings. 'If only they knew what he did for us,' she thought sadly and climbed down the stairs to stand next to him. He wasn't looking at her, but her quiet voice shook him out of whatever daze he was in.

"How are you?"

He thought for a moment, his expression unreadable. "I'm fine. Georgiana misses you."

Lizzie gave a little smile. "I miss her too."

"Let's all sit down for appetizers, now then?" Mrs. Bennet smiled uncomfortably at Darcy.

Mrs. Bennet thought she had done everyone a favor by putting Darcy at the foot of the table, surrounded by Charlie and Jane, the two people he wasn't bound to criticize. Lizzie was upset because she was placed on the other side of the table, between a broken hearted Lydia and an excited Kitty. Will hardly looked at her all dinner, and Lizzie solemnly resolved that he was no longer interested.

She ate none of her dinner.

***

"He asked me out before he left!" Jane giggled. 'There's far too much giggling going on here,' Lizzie thought crossly, but smiled for her sister's sake. "He's taking me out tomorrow to the Yacht Club! Isn't that wonderful?"

Lizzie smiled, but she figured it must've come out more like a grimace. "That's wonderful Jane, I am so happy for you!"

"Daddy likes him, he told me so himself! He was just grumpy last night because of Lydia! He's going to tale Charlie out in a while, you know, bonding stuff." Jane sighed as she hugged her pillow. "I am so happy, I must be the happiest person in the whole world!"

"I don't doubt it," Lizzie commented, combing her hair.

"He says that he had no idea I went to Boston that time," she frowned.

Lizzie shrugged and walked to her bed. "Caroline lied, I knew it."

Jane shook her head. "Lizzie, I love you so much. I only wish you could be as happy as I am now."

Lizzie held back a sob. 'So do I...' she thought miserably. "Well... maybe Collins has a friend."

That night, Facebook was in an uproar, and as was Mrs. Bennet.