NOTE: DUE TO THE GLITCH ON THIS WEBSITE LAST WEEK, MANY PEOPLE DIDN'T GET THE EMAIL ABOUT CHAPTER 17 WHEN I POSTED IT THIS PAST WEEKEND. SO, BE SURE TO READ THAT FIRST BEFORE STARTING CHAPTER 18. Also, if anyone is interested in seeing how this story and other stories develop, as well as character artwork and photos of the locations mentioned in the story, I invite you to check out my Facebook page (username is my pseudonym, DM Hadsen...the profile picture for the page is a squirrel jumping over the moon). :-)

Chapter 18

Your eyes, they shine so bright

I wanna save that light

I can't escape this now

Unless you show me how

When you feel my heat

Look into my eyes

It's where my demons hide

It's where my demons hide

Don't get too close

It's dark inside

It's where my demons hide

It's where my demons hide

- Demons, Imagine Dragons

I shuffled into the dimly lit waiting room where I found Jane and Charles sitting together on the couch, deep in conversation. I took the empty seat next to Jane on the sofa. "I assume Richard told you Will's awake."

Charles nodded. "He did."

"How's he doing?" Jane asked as she turned toward me and leaned back against Charles's shoulder.

I gave her a tired smile. "Loopy, but otherwise okay. The doctor said he should be fine. They expect him to be able to go home in a few days, barring any further complications." I crossed my arms over my chest and settled back into the cushions. "So, when are you planning to tell Mom about your engagement?"

Jane groaned and tipped her head back to stare at the ceiling. "Never."

I laughed. "There's no time like the present." I glanced down at my watch. "It's three a.m., which means it's ten o'clock back home, so she's still awake. She's going to find out, and the longer you wait, the more of a chance there is that she'll find out from someone else."

"Fine," Jane mumbled.

I glanced at Charles, who was watching our exchange with an amused expression.

Jane withdrew her phone from her pocket and opened the video chat application.

I stood to move to another seat to give her and Charles some privacy, but she grabbed ahold of my arm and yanked me down next to her again.

"Oh-ho! No, you don't," she said with a dry laugh. "If you insist that I call our mother to tell her that I'm engaged, I'm not going to do it alone. Besides, you've got to tell her about what happened yesterday before it hits the news."

I closed my eyes tightly and couldn't help but think how incredibly weird it was to have anything I was involved in considered newsworthy. I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes beneath my still-closed lids. "Fine." Jane was right, as usual, but I was loath to admit it aloud. I pulled my knees to my chest and nervously chewed my thumbnail.

Jane nudged me as she tapped Mom's contact picture to start the video call. "Lizzy," she whispered, "stop! Do you want her to lecture you about biting your nails?"

I pulled my hand away from my mouth and swept my hair back from my forehead.

Mom answered on the third ring. "Hello, Jane!" my mother exclaimed with a wide-eyed look at the camera.

"Hi, Mom," Jane smiled, giving a small wave – with her right hand, I noticed.

"How is your trip going, dear?" Mom asked in a too-loud voice.

I cringed and glanced at Charles. His face showed nothing but tenderness as he looked down at my sister beside him. Jane's smile widened. "Everything is wonderful, which is why I called. I'm engaged!" She held her left hand up in front of the camera to show off her ring.

Mom's jaw dropped and she started bouncing up and down, fanning herself with her free hand. "Oh! Janey Jane! I knew it! I knew Will would see the light and realize that you're the one for him! Oh, I've never been so happy in my—"

"No, Mom," Jane cut her off, hiding her annoyance at my mother's wrong conclusion far better than I ever could. "I'm not engaged to Will." A smile returned to her lips. "I want you to meet someone." Jane's eyes rose to Charles with an unspoken invitation, which he eagerly accepted by leaning over her shoulder and into the video frame.

"Hello, Mrs. Bennet," Charles greeted in a cheerful voice.

"Mom, this is Charles Bingley, my fiancé." Jane looked up at Charles with an expression of adoration.

"Not Will Darcy? What could have gone wrong? Well," Mom grumbled, "I tried." She released a long-suffering sigh.

Jane blushed, and I along with her. Charles just smiled wider, apparently finding humor in the situation.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," he greeted, interrupting the embarrassment-charged silence that held Jane's tongue. "I can see where Jane gets her beauty from."

And that was all it took for Charles Bingley to win my mother over.

After twenty-five minutes of the three of them discussing engagement and wedding plans had passed, I began to believe I had gotten off the hook. Jane, however, had other plans.

"Lizzy has something she needs to tell you, too, Mom," Jane glanced over at me and flashed me an apologetic smile. "No time like the present," she whispered when I glared at her.

My stomach lurched when she handed me the phone. "Hey, Mom," I reluctantly greeted.

"Sit up straight, Lizzy, and don't slouch. Goodness! How do you plan to ever have a man notice you if you sit hunched like a gargoyle with your knees pulled up to your chest like that?"

I pressed my lips into a hard line but didn't budge. "Mom, something happened, and you're probably going to hear about it anyway, so I thought I'd tell you myself."

Mom sighed heavily over the speaker, her eyes rolling toward the ceiling. "What have you done, now?"

I bit my lower lip. "There—"

"Stop biting your lip!"Mom interrupted. "That's a terrible habit!"

I automatically bit my tongue instead and winced at the sharp pain. "There was an incident yesterday," I began slowly. "Will was hurt. He was shot actually, but everything's fine, and I'm fine, and the guy who shot Will is going to be fine, even though I shot him," I quickly mumbled the last few words, hoping they wouldn't stand out. It was a vain hope.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" my mother screamed.

I cringed.

Charles reached over to take the phone from my hand. In a calm voice, he explained, "Lizzy saved Will's life, Mrs. Bennet. The two of them were out for a walk when someone shot Will. Lizzy was able to disarm the attacker and, in self-defense, and defense of Will, she shot him in the leg, just to prevent him from doing any further harm. There won't be any legal action; it's a clear case of self-defense."

My mother was silent for several moments. Finally, she said, "Hmph. Well, that does sound like something Lizzy would do. May I speak with her again, please?"

I dropped my head back onto the sofa cushion and stared up at the ceiling. It was really great to know that my mother thought me likely to shoot another human being. Not. I felt a tap on my shoulder and rolled my head to the side. Charles held the phone out to me. "Thank you," I whispered. He winked in response. I lowered my eyes to the phone screen.

"Now, Lizzy,"Mom began, her expression grim, "I know this whole situation has probably been stressful for you, and I know how you like to eat when you're stressed, but please watch your figure. You know you have your grandmother Bennet's thighs, and the camera adds ten pounds, and you don't want to look like a puffalump in any of the pictures the paparazzi might snap."

I practically choked on my tongue and my cheeks blazed with embarrassment. "Mom. Oh my gosh!" I finally choked out. I glanced over at Charles and Jane. Jane looked sympathetic. Charles intently studied the carpet beneath his feet, while he casually rested a hand over his mouth to hide his expression. I could tell from the laugh lines at the corner of his eye, however, that he was hiding a grin.

I returned my attention to the screen. The corner of my mom's mouth curled up in the barest hint of a smile. "I want to tell your father about all of this before he goes to bed, so I have to go. Tell Jane I'll call her later to discuss all of us flying over for an engagement celebration."

"Mom! You can't just invite yourselves over here! Will's in the hospital and I—"

"Oh, psh,"Mom shushed me. "We're to be family, he won't mind!"

"You're not gonna be Will's family, Mom! You can't possibly just barge into his home! He has plans—"

Before I could object otherwise, my mom interrupted, "For once in my life, Lizzy, I'm glad your father raised you to be such a tomboy." And with that, she ended the call.

I turned to my sister. "Jane, she can't come here. They can't come here."

Jane took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled slowly through pursed lips. "I know. But we can't stop them if they're determined."

I rose to my knees on the couch cushion. "We're going to have to! Will is in the hospital! When he gets home, the last thing he's going to want to deal with is a barrage of Bennets trespassing in his home!"

"They can stay at a hotel," she suggested.

"Mom will listen to you! Just talk her out of it!" I pleaded. "Do you really want her and all of our sisters here?"

She gave me a placating look. "Not any more than you do. I'll handle it. I'll have her plan an engagement party at home after we return. If she has that to work on, she won't have time to come here. She glanced up at Charles for confirmation, and he nodded.

"Thank you," I stood, relieved.

When Jane looked down at her phone screen, Charles spoke up. "If your mother isn't amenable to the idea of staying home and planning an engagement party, I'm sure Will and Georgiana wouldn't mind hosting them, Lizzy, after all—"

I made a slashing motion across my throat with my hand and stabbed him with a murderous glare as I shook my head.

Charles raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, then. I've learned over the course of the past twenty-four hours that it isn't wise to anger you, and I will refrain from doing so. For now, anyway," he winked.

I tilted my head to one side and gave him a narrow look. "Dang skippy," I grumbled as I walked toward the door.

The last sound I heard before I left the room was Charles's quiet laughter.

oooOOOooo

Later that morning, in the darkness before dawn, I was slumped in the recliner that I'd pulled up against the side of Will's bed. I drew the thin, scratchy, white cotton blanket over my shoulders and shifted to my side in the uncomfortable chair to face the window. There was no sunrise to speak of that morning, just a lightening of the sky from black to dull gray. My eyes had just begun to drift shut when I felt something warm brush against my lip. I opened my eyes to see Will's own focused on me. He brushed my lip once again with his thumb. It stung, and I inhaled sharply.

"This again?" he asked, obviously noticing the still-raw gouge in my lower lip from when I had bitten it in the shower, not to mention all the times I'd done so since then.

"Oh," I raised my fingers to cover my mouth. "That was me. It's fine." I pulled back and his hand dropped to the mattress at his side. I pulled my legs to my chest and laid my head on one knee. "How are you feeling?"

He raised his hand once more and caught my fingers with his own. "I feel fine. Just very tired."

I glanced up at the IV pole and saw the small plastic bag of pain medication hanging next to the saline solution and an antibiotic. I turned my eyes back to his. "I'm sure. That'll do that to you," I said, nodding toward the medication bag.

Will looked down at my hand as he rubbed his thumb over my knuckles. "Elizabeth, about what I said last night…what I wanted to say yesterday afternoon before all this happened…we need to talk."

I raised my head and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I would love nothing more, but not until you're home and thinking clearly, okay?"

He lowered his brows.

I raised an eyebrow in a silent, challenging reply.

"As you wish," he finally acquiesced.

oooOOOooo

Will was moved from intensive care to a room in the high-dependency unit later that afternoon. I hadn't seen Richard all day, and when he finally returned late that evening, he didn't look very happy. I was seated in the recliner in Will's room while he slept. Richard glanced at his sleeping cousin and then pulled up a chair next to mine.

"Hey," I greeted. "What's up?"

Richard took a deep breath and nodded absently. "Oh, oodles and gobs of fun things. Where is everyone else?"

"They took Georgiana out for fresh air and dinner. We had to practically drag her out the door."

"But they couldn't drag you, eh?" he smirked.

I elected to ignore his question. "So, spill. What did you find out?"

Richard leaned back in his chair and stretched his long legs out in front of him. "I found out where Wickham is. He was treated here at the hospital and then transported to the prison infirmary this morning. It seems he'll be just fine. He's being held on charges of trespassing, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, carrying a firearm with criminal intent, aggravated assault, and two counts of attempted murder. You, on the other hand, have been cleared of any wrongdoing, and rightly so. Neither Will nor I want you attached to any legal proceedings, so you won't be."

My eyes widened. "Yowsa. How will that work? I was there and pulled the trigger."

"The connections of the Fitzwilliam and Darcy families are vast and varied," he answered drily.

I cleared my throat. "Well, that's…incredibly convenient."

Richard exhaled heavily. "Quite. But wait, there's more."

I raised a brow.

"The story made its way to the press, and they're camped outside the hospital entrance. The report is supposed to be on the news at nine," he paused to glance at his watch. "Let's turn it on, shall we?"

I cringed. "I think that's the last thing I want to do right now."

"I know," Richard replied. "But we're going to have to face it sooner or later, so we may as well get it over with now."

His words sounded strangely like my own to Jane earlier that morning when I had talked her into telling our mother about her engagement. Blasted karma.

Richard grabbed the remote from Will's bedside table and turned to a local news channel.

We watched in silence as various news reports and the weather were relayed. Then, Will's picture flashed across the screen before the display returned to the news anchor. I held my breath while I listened to the middle-aged woman positioned behind the news desk on-screen, dreading what was to come.

"Will Darcy was critically injured during a shooting incident at his home in Derbyshire yesterday. Sources say Darcy's girlfriend, Elizabeth Bennet, came not only to her own rescue but to Darcy's as well during the shooting on the grounds of his estate, Pemberley. Authorities say Darcy's ex-publicity agent, George Wickham, threatened Bennet and attacked Darcy, by shooting him twice – once in the chest and a second time in the arm. Bennet had the presence of mind to disarm Wickham and reach the weapon. When Wickham attempted to attack her again, Bennet fired the weapon at her attacker, inflicting a non-fatal but incapacitating gunshot wound to the leg. Bennet then called for assistance and administered first aid to Darcy until help arrived. Darcy was taken by air ambulance to a hospital in Manchester, in critical condition. No update on his condition is available at this time."

I slumped in my chair, pinching the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger as my insides – and my face – burned with humiliation. "Agh, that was so incredibly awkward," I groaned.

Richard was watching me closely when I finally dared to look up. His eyes danced with humor and his lips twitched. "From now on, I'm going to refer to you as a self-rescuing princess."

The tense atmosphere and exhaustion of the past two days finally eased a little as we both laughed.

When my laughter subsided, I dropped my face into my hands. "No, you're not. And if you do, I promise you that I'll make your life even more difficult than I do already."

Richard flashed me an unrepentant grin before his expression sobered once more. "I hope you don't mind but I told the press that you would not be interested in giving an interview."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

He gave a single nod in reply. "Have you eaten today?"

I shrugged. "I had breakfast. Jane said she'd bring something back for me. She's going to drop it off before they head back to the hotel across the way. They were able to get the last two rooms available. It sounds like you'll be sharing a room with Charles, and Jane will be sharing a room with Georgiana."

"And what about you?" Richard asked.

I turned my head to the side, my eyes resting on Will's sleeping form. "I'm going to stay here with Will."

"You need to get some rest, Lizzy."

I turned to him with a tired smile. "I will. The recliner lays flat. I'll be fine. I can't leave him."

Richard blinked, his expression warm. "Will's a lucky man."

I shook my head. "I'm the lucky one." And I was.

oooOOOooo

Four long days later, Will was finally able to return home. Richard helped him to his room while I shuffled across the threshold of my own bedroom and dumped my duffel bag on the floor before sinking down onto the bed. I must have dozed off – the consequence of sleeping in a recliner all week – because I was awakened by a muffled crash and a curse some time later.

The room was dark when I opened my eyes, and I quickly reached over to switch on the bedside lamp. I listened carefully for a moment, but when I didn't hear any further noise, I got up and made my way out into the hallway and over to Will's door. I knocked lightly and when there wasn't any answer, I cautiously poked my head inside the room. I didn't see him, but light poured out of the open doorway of his dressing room. I walked in to see him lifting his duffel bag onto a small table in the middle of the room.

"You're supposed to be resting, not unpacking," I said, laying a hand over his as he reached into the bag.

Will shook his head. "I've been resting for days. It feels good to be up and doing something."

"Let me help. Please."

He looked into my eyes for several moments before his gaze shifted to the bag, where my hand still rested on top of his. He turned his palm over so that he could close his fingers around mine before he raised my hand to his mouth and lightly brushed his lips over my knuckles. Wordlessly, he turned away from the table and took a step toward me. He exhaled slowly as he rested his forehead against my own. "I haven't been able to kiss you all week, you know." He released my hand and tucked my hair behind my ear before running his fingers lightly across my cheek and down my neck to my shoulder.

I closed my eyes, lost to his touch. "I know," I whispered in an embarrassingly breathy voice. When his fingertips ghosted over my collarbone, I sighed.

"I love you," he whispered.

I opened my eyes, the intensity of his own stealing my breath. A shy smile spread across my lips. "I love you, too." I stood on my tiptoes and pressed a light kiss against the top of his chest – the highest spot I could reach.

Will gave me a disappointed look. "Well, that kiss was extremely unsatisfying."

I shrugged. "It's not my fault you're ridiculously tall."

His eyes narrowed. "You'd better watch those insults."

"I wasn't insulting you, I was stating a fact," I countered.

He gave me a tired, half-smile. "I deserve it. I'm sorry for leaving you to your own devices so often this summer because of my work obligations. I feel like I've only been able to spend small, stolen moments of time with you and that's not how I envisioned your visit."

"I understand," I assured him.

"It will change, I promise," he whispered before he bent to kiss me.

I quickly returned the kiss and pulled back almost immediately. "Better?" I teased.

He shook his head. "Not even close." With that, he pulled me against him with his good arm for a tender kiss, fisting my shirt in his hand against my back as he did so. As Will deepened the kiss, his fingers crept underneath the hem of my shirt to trace the curve of my spine, making my skin burn beneath his fingertips. He slipped his other hand beneath the front of my shirt, slowly moving his palm across my waist, and over my abdomen, drawing an arch against my skin with his thumb, just below my ribs.

My heart pounded in my chest and my mind raced. Thoughts of how close I had come to losing him forever, and the sensations and need his touch and kiss were creating, warred with the instinctual fear and unease that the current level of intimacy provoked in me. His left hand dropped to my hip, where his fingertips dug into my soft flesh as he pulled me hard against him, while the thumb of his right hand lightly brushed against the side of my breast.

A surge of adrenaline and panic blacked out all thought and feeling and the edges of my vision went fuzzy. I couldn't breathe as I was sucked into the vision that my mind's eye conjured of a semi-dark garage and felt the weight of hands holding me down. The smells of automotive grease, gasoline, metal, damp pavement, and alcohol drowned out the clean smells of cedar, soap, sandalwood, and spice. I struggled for breath and balance as the world closed in around me.

"Elizabeth!"

The sound of my name barely registered as the hands that held me tightened around my arms and gently shook me by the shoulders. No, no, no! My pulse thundered in my head and chest as I instinctively raised my hands and forcefully pushed my captor away, rapidly taking several steps backward as I did so.

A loud, male groan of pain snapped me back to reality. I took several deep breaths and eyed my surroundings wildly. It took a few moments for my brain to register the fact that I was in Will's dressing room. The clean cedar smell of the walls and shelving assailed me, anchoring me to the present. My eyes found Will. He was bent over, holding his left hand over the injured right side of his chest.

. Remorse and concern for him instantly banished any lingering fight-or-flight response. I gasped and covered my mouth with my hands. "What happened?"

"You pushed me away. Hard." He said through clenched teeth, his face screwed up in a mask of pain.

"Oh, my gosh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, Will!" I moved to his uninjured side and put a supportive hand on his back. "What can I do to help? I'm so, so sorry!" I apologized again.

Will's tense expression eventually relaxed a little. "It's okay," he said, his voice tight with pain.

"Let's go sit down, okay?" I suggested, leading him out of the dressing room and over to the sofa in front of the fireplace. "Here, sit. Can I get you anything? Some medicine?"

He nodded toward the nightstand beside his bed. "My pain medication is over there. If you could get two for me, I'd greatly appreciate it."

Still feeling shaky and a little disoriented, I hurried over to the nightstand and retrieved two pain pills and a glass of water from the bathroom. I returned to the couch and handed them to Will.

"Thanks," he nodded once before popping the medication into his mouth and chasing it down with a swig of water.

He grimaced a little as he leaned back into the couch cushions and patted the space beside him.

I tentatively took a seat next to him, perching on the edge of the cushion.

"What happened? It was like you didn't even know me. Why did you push me away like that?" he asked quietly. His face was still tight with pain, and his eyes held a guarded look.

I dropped my eyes to my trembling hands in my lap. I hadn't had any control over my mind, let alone my reaction, and that worried me. I thought I had put all my fears regarding intimacy to rest, but apparently, that wasn't the case. The events of the past week had been trying and slightly traumatic, to say the least, and I'd had little sleep. Was my control over my emotions really so tenuous? Everything had seemed so real. Was I losing my mind? The thought was unsettling. I felt Will's hand come to rest lightly on my back and I jumped in my seat.

"Elizabeth?" he whispered.

I straightened and looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. It felt like everything came rushing back, all at once, and then it was like I wasn't even here anymore. I just reacted and I had to get away. I didn't mean to. I just kind of snapped and reacted. I'm so sorry, Will."

He gave me an understanding look and gently stroked my cheek with the backs of his knuckles. "I would never, never hurt you."

"My heart knows that," I sighed. "Sometimes though, I worry that my subconscious mind isn't on the same page."

The corner of his mouth inched up. "You know, on the first day we met, you compared yourself to a glitch in the Matrix."

I felt myself begin to relax. Humor was exactly what I needed at the moment. I bit my lip and shook my head. "Yeeeah. I'll bet you're wishing you would've picked the blue pill instead of the red one, right about now, eh?"

He gave a short laugh. "Not a chance. I brought it up to illustrate that I'd still make the same choice, no matter the difficulties that lie behind, or ahead of us." He straightened his fingers to cradle my face in his hand and brushed his thumb against my cheek.

I swallowed hard and tried to smile. "Pain and all?"

He nodded slowly. "Pain, exasperation, frustration, stubbornness, and all."

"Hey!" I laughed unevenly.

Will gave me a soft smile. "So, about that question I've been trying to ask you for the past week."

I gently poked him in the middle of the chest with my index finger. "You just took drugs. Remember what I said – no serious questions or decisions while under the influence."

He gave me an incredulous look and scoffed. "Yes, two minutes ago. They haven't kicked in yet and won't for another thirty minutes at least."

I sighed, half dreading what I'd hear. A nervous knot formed in my stomach and my heart jumped into my throat.

Will lowered his hand from my face and took my hand in his. "I wanted to ask you if you'd consider moving to England. I don't want us to be apart."

Post note: I'm going to try to get another chapter out within the next couple of weeks, but with our family's impending move, I can't guarantee it...I apologize in advance if it takes longer than I want it to. As soon as the defense bill passes, we will be moving with like a day's notice.