A/N:Well, hello? again?

I told you guys my new moto is i'm publishing what I'm writing and let me tell you, after part 2 aired, I had thoughts... I had feelings...

And I know I am already writing a modern AU (i AM going to still write it - i am writing it -btw) and that I had already written my version of season 3 but after watching part 2 i felt inspired to write a season 3 fic again based on (shocker) how I would have written part 2 instead - so while the very beginning of this fic may be similar to the rules of propriety (plot wise), the rest will not be, as I will try to follow the themes they were going for on the show.

That being said, I imagined the beginning of this scene at the very last scene of part 1 and how it would change all of part 2. I thought a loit about it and realised that was exactly where I would start to change things (and you will see why I guess).

Anyways, enjoy!

When Colin Bridgerton saw Penelope Featherington leave in a carriage, his heart raced with a single thought: he had to catch up to her. Whatever he needed to say to her, he had to say it that night.

Even if he himself didn't grasp it yet, unable to articulate it to himself. Penelope was outraged, and rightly so. And he couldn't bear the thought of this irreparably damaging their relationship. But, worse of all, he had to say something because... because the fear of her marrying another man was a feeling he could never experience again.

However, three minutes too late, he soon realised that he wouldn't be able to catch up to her on foot. So Colin sprinted towards his carriage and committed the most ungentlemanly and unsettling act imaginable—he pursued her.

With no friends, having been rejected by her own mother, unmarried, and with no prospects, Penelope found herself with very little left. Yet, she did have Lady Whistledown.

And oh, how she hoped the ton would forgive her for her biting comments that day, but she couldn't shake off her sour mood. Honestly, she wasn't even supposed to be going to the print shop at that hour. If everything had gone according to plan, she would have been joyfully celebrating her successful engagement with Lord Debling at that specific hour.

But Colin.

Oh, Colin. Always… Colin.

With fervent intensity, she scribbled the words on the paper, causing it to grow thinner and the ink to spill. Frustrated, she muttered curses under her breath while she hurriedly scribbled down the words on that line, her hands becoming stained with black ink.

Finally arriving, Penelope exhaled wearily and made her way towards the print shop. She rapped on the door with force, noticing the flickering glow of the candles still burning inside.

"Apologies for the late order. There has been some confusion with the silk delivery," she said, as he opened the door. She handed him her manuscript and added, "You'll be paid handsomely for your rushed service."

The print shop owner then grabbed her papers and smiled at her, a sly grin that only money could conjure, saying, "Anything for Lady Whistledown."

With a satisfied smile, Penelope prepared to depart in her carriage. If only she hadn't caught sight of Colin Bridgerton the instant she turned around.

"Colin?" she asked stupidly, as if there was any possibility that someone else in that world would bear the same resemblance as Colin and be following her in the middle of the night.

He opened his mouth, but instead of speaking, he shook his head and let out a laugh devoid of humour, his eyes reflecting a mixture of disbelief and pain.

"Colin… I—"

He silenced her by raising one finger in the air, then shook it disapprovingly while avoiding eye contact. "Do not even attempt to deny it," he said. "I have heard you. I have heard him."

She continued to gaze at him, still in a state of shock. The situation presented numerous problems, but the most glaring issue was her complete lack of preparation. It was beyond her wildest fears for Colin to uncover that she was Lady Whistledown on that particular night. She was ready to unleash her anger on him, to despise him, and to shout at him about how he had destroyed her life. But this? Her emotions were so muddled that she couldn't even identify her own mindset. Was she still harbouring anger towards him, or was she consumed by shame? She couldn't say anymore.

"How could you?" he asked, a simple question as effective as a gunshot, as he looked at her with such hurt that she wondered if she imagined the moistening in his eyes. "You know what, please refrain from providing an answer, as I believe there is no justification you can offer," he stated.

Penelope's own eyes welled up with tears, causing Colin's image to blur. That day was just too much for her; she lacked the energy to fight her own stupid feelings.

"We shall ride back in silence," he said, paying off the driver of her hired hack and motioning for him to leave.

In a blink, she was yanked away from her sadness and thrust into a state of complete confusion. "Ride back?" she asked dumbly while observing her carriage depart as Colin made his way to his.

"Indeed, would you have anticipated me abandoning a lady on the dimly lit streets of London, making her way home on a hired carriage no less" he inquired, his pace quickening as he headed towards his vehicle. Penelope, with her short legs, struggled to keep up, almost comically running after him.

"Certainly, that is a superior choice compared to going back alone with you," she answered in an honest manner. Not only were they without a chaperone, but at that moment, it would be more desirable to meet a gruesome fate and be left to bleed in the streets than to endure another minute in the presence of Colin's escalating fury.

With an impatient glare, he swiftly opened the carriage door for her, not even waiting for the footman to assist.

As they both got in, he hastily adjusted his coat and replied almost before he settled into the seat across from her. "I was not aware that Lady Whistledown had concerns about being unchaperoned. In fact, I recall you mentioning this at the start of the season. Perhaps my only flaw is failing to notice it earlier," he said as the carriage rattled along the cobblestone streets.

In response, she shot him a piercing gaze, her embarrassment momentarily overshadowed by his deliberate attempts to provoke her. "Of course I do. I am a woman just like any other in society, one whose marriage prospects you have repeatedly ruined, I must add," she retorted, her voice rising to an unsavoury volume.

He was silenced for a second, and all he did was stare at her, as if he was remembering his own mistakes for the first time in the midst of all that rage. And just like that, the fleeting moment slipped away as he was suddenly reminded of something else.

"Oh, truly," he said in a mocking tone, leaning nearer towards her. "It is quite evident how deeply you concern yourself with the challenges faced by women in our society, given your treatment of Eloise and Marina," he remarked, his indignation so intense that he disregarded the need for formalities.

The unexpected blow left her momentarily dizzy, causing her to open and close her mouth in disbelief. "That was different," she said, her voice becoming softer with each word. "Both those situations were different."

Unable to believe her, Colin shook his head in disbelief. Leaning back on his seat, he crossed his arms and let out an exhausted exhale.

Increasingly annoyed at his antagonistic attitude, she leaned forward herself. "Eloise was being subjected to threats from the queen, and do you know what?" She tilted her head, a sarcastic smile spreading across her lips as her eyes sparked with danger. "I had the foolish notion of shielding you from Marina's lies. But if you are so concerned about my actions and her reputation, I fail to comprehend why you didn't choose to marry her. After all, if anyone could have aided her, it was undoubtedly you."

As she answered, Colin's heart became a mosaic of different emotions.

First, he had to admit that he did not know much about what was going on, or, more accurately, what had happened before. Second, he was surprised to see a trace of Pen beneath it all. Shield him? He couldn't fathom how Lady Whistledown's actions could ever be driven by a desire to protect him. It was utterly perplexing to digest. He consistently believed that she was an idle, resentful gossip, far from being someone with ambitious aspirations, and even farther from someone who might care about him.

This brought him to the third part of the story, in which she levelled the accusation that he was a hypocrite. That was precisely what she had done at the start of the season as Lady Whistledown.

Letting out an exasperated huff, he pointed a finger at her and said, "You truly are quite something, aren't you?"

With each scoot forward, he witnessed her raising her chin defiantly and delivering the words "oh really" with a level of assertiveness he had never seen before.

"Really," he nodded angrily, their faces in close proximity, their knees nearly touching — a physical closeness that would have been more noticeable if they weren't so consumed by anger. "You had the option of informing me personally that she was pregnant; however, you opted to do so in public in a way that would have irreparably damaged my family if I had done so."

Penelope's expression twitched imperceptibly as she had a sudden realisation. "Would you have married her if I had done so?" she whispered.

Colin blinked, his senses immediately picking up on the shift in the atmosphere. As he stared into her eyes, the soft glow of the moon illuminated her face, highlighting her delicate features. At the most inconvenient of times, it brought back memories of their first kiss. Her lips pressed against his, her skin velvety under his fingertips, a delicate fragrance lingering in the air. Roses and something. Perhaps Jasmine. It was the same perfume he could smell now, he realised.

Against his own will, his breathing became erratic and unsteady. And then it dawned on him that he was supposed to be answering her question. "Yes," he murmured in a quiet voice that mirrored her own, "I would have taken her as my wife, had she truly loved me."

In an unexplainable manner, the girl's eyes swiftly became filled with sorrow. It was an expression he recognised well, the same one he had seen on that fateful night of their infamous kiss. Her sadness, and her utter desperation.

It made him quickly realise that she had written about herself, and in doing so, she had brought ruin upon herself. Why would she do that? He had an even harder time understanding why she was sad now. He couldn't understand any of it.

"I see," she replied softly, which was peculiar because it seemed like all her fight had suddenly vanished.

What was even more peculiar was his strange desire to improve the situation and make her feel better, even when they were in the midst of a heated argument and supposed to be angry with each other. "However, she did not love me," he said.

But he did love her, was the unspoken phrase. He genuinely loved her, Penelope told herself bitterly as she averted her gaze. Despite her pregnancy from another man, he would completely ignore it and still choose to marry her. It was a love that only Colin Bridgerton could offer, the kind that only a few fortunate women were able to experience in their lives, and Penelope knew she wasn't one of them.

"I did inform you of that," she murmured softly.

Colin's brows furrowed as he recollected she had, indeed, done so. It was quite amusing how everything seemed to be transforming before his very eyes. For both worse and, perhaps reluctantly, for better as well.

What was once a moment of unnecessary concern from his old and sweet friend Penelope had evolved into something entirely unexpected. Pen knew precisely what she was doing at the time, and he was the only uneducated idiot in the scenario. Lady Whistledown herself had attempted to warn him, but he did not listen.

And now, Penelope wasn't just his friend anymore, was she? At least not in his heart. But if he was uncertain about what he should do before, now he was completely lost.

"I apologise," Penelope said, abruptly disrupting his state of deep reflection. He gazed at her with a perplexed expression, while she nervously nibbled on her lower lip before providing clarification. "Although there are numerous actions I have taken without remorse, I have also made many errors. I had believed that my actions were assisting you, but I now realise that my assessment was entirely mistaken. I apologise."

For a moment, Colin could only look at her. Her downcast countenance, her mournful tone. Lady Whistledown had always been a faceless enemy to him, but now he couldn't deny what he saw with his own eyes. Even with all her imperfections, it was clear that she was a person who could be influenced by everything around her, susceptible to making mistakes she would later regret.

While Colin pondered over these matters, Penelope's mind was consumed by an entirely different topic. She realised she had been foolish for meddling between Colin and Marina, especially when it was clear that he loved her deeply. She felt even more foolish for ever thinking she could be anything to the Bridgerton boy. And then, suddenly, another completely different thought came to her mind.

"Why..." Her brow then suddenly furrowed as if she was trying to understand something perplexing, "What compelled you to seek me out this evening?" she inquired.

Colin paused, feeling as if he had been caught off guard. Initially, he had hoped to express his very non-platonic feelings for her. However, due to a multitude of reasons, that had now become an unattainable feat.

"I...," he cleared his throat and anxiously readjusted his coat, "I wished to extend my sincerest apologies for my actions during the ball."

She blinked, her confusion deepening as she tried to understand his motives. "You chased after my carriage in order to accomplish that."

"I was concerned about you, naturally," he gestured anxiously towards her, fidgeting in his seat.

Penelope narrowed her eyes at him, her suspicion growing as his behaviour became increasingly suspicious. "For all you knew, Colin, I could have been returning home. It is unclear to me how this is such a significant development for you, as you had previously observed me departing without supervision."

He then opened and closed his mouth, rapidly reflecting on how he had found himself in the ludicrous situation of having his absurd actions questioned by Lady Whistledown herself.

""Indeed, we have yet to discuss the reason behind your pursuit of me at the ball. What was the reason for your interruption of my dance with Lord Debling? Why—"

He didn't know if it was the panic or his own fiery temperament, but his agitation and indignation were resurfacing.

"I deeply apologise for my failure to address those matters, as I was rather preoccupied with the astonishing revelation that my closest friend is none other than Lady Whistledown," he said, his voice rising and his face turning crimson for a variety of reasons.

After briefly tilting her head back, she leaned forward again, eager to uncover the reason for his intense avoidance of that subject. "Well, you must have become accustomed to it by now, so let's proceed with our discussion. Let's discuss why you have utterly spoiled the one chance your closest friend had," she said, emphasising the exact expression he had used before.

He stared at her incredulously. That couldn't be happening; she couldn't really be turning the tables that then she lifted her brow at him, folded her hands in front of her knees all businesslike, bending over her legs and giving him a tempting glimpse of the exposed flesh of her collarbones. And for the first time on that carriage trip, he understood he was in big danger.

"Very well." With another throat-clearing, he fought to block out any distractions and concentrate solely on his anger and logical thinking, determined to stay alive until they made it back home. Matching her posture, he leaned forward and said, "If you must know, I was only concerned about your well-being. How could I possibly allow you to make such a grave error?"

"So, causing a scandal by disrupting our dance was your preferred approach," she responded with a touch of irony.

Colin couldn't help but roll his eyes, partly in frustration with her attitude and partly to conceal his own embarrassment from his weak excuses.

"And then causing yet another scandal by pursuing me," she continued, gesturing with her hands as her mind struggled to comprehend the absurdity of his behaviour, "I simply cannot fathom your motives, Colin. For someone who now claims to be my friend so fervently—"

Annoyed, he let out a groan, feeling his stomach churn and a strange uneasiness permeate his bones.

"I am your friend. I was your friend," he corrected, his tone laced with a hint of bitterness, as if still needing to remind her of her secrets. "I was simply attempting—"

"Attempting to do what?" She interrupted him, her gaze locked onto his mesmerising blue eyes, her warm breath brushing against his face, and her lips slightly parted. He had never experienced such a profound sense of agitation, as if every fibre of his being yearned to burst free from his skin and unleash a primal scream. Crawl off of his skin and do something. Anything.

Penelope suddenly became aware of his intense gaze fixated on her lips, still leaving her without a response. In that moment, the only things that filled the air were his silence and the heavy rhythm of his breath. "Attempting to do what," she whispered again.

Then his gaze returned to hers. Something flickered behind them, and then he all but leaped forward, pressing his lips against hers.

As their lips met, Penelope let out a startled gasp, taken aback by his intense reaction. But then she felt his fingers gently weaving through her hair and surrendered to his touch entirely.

It was truly a hopeless situation. No matter how angry she was with him, her body remained indifferent. As he captured her top lip with his own, she reasoned that since everything was already revealed and ruined, surrendering to her desires couldn't possibly cause any more harm. Her hand quivered as it hesitantly approached his neck, feeling the rapid thumping of her own pulse against her fingertips.

Colin felt as if a monkey was dancing in the place that used to be his brain. This seemed to be the only logical explanation as he found himself leaning closer to Penelope, his hand reaching for her waist, pulling her closer to him, their knees intertwining. In a sudden moment, he found himself opening her mouth with his own, feeling the hairs on his arm stand up as she let out a low groan in response.

Her fingers yanked on his hair, causing a chill to run down his spine as his breath caught in his throat. A sense of urgency seized him, as a restless unease prickled beneath his skin, and a gnawing desperation clawed at the bottom of his stomach. In a state of breathless passion, his lips sought out her neck, their kisses transitioning from tender to fervent nibbles, teetering on the edge of biting.

Penelope whimpered, her grip tightening around his waist as she scooted even closer to him. The sound of her uneven breaths reverberated in his ears as she tilted her head, seemingly inviting him to kiss or bite her exposed neck as much as he wanted. Which he did.

While he continued to hold her, she discreetly moved her hand to his chest, gently tugging at his shirt, silently urging him to come closer. There was an unexplainable sensation coursing through her, as if her heart was on the verge of bursting out of her chest. His touch was everywhere, yet it wasn't sufficient.

"Colin," she exhaled, her voice filled with longing.

He grasped her unspoken words, his arm wrapping around her waist, drawing her closer until she was practically on his lap. His lips pressed passionately against her collarbone and trailed down to her shoulder.

And then a sudden, abrupt stop caused the embracing duo to almost lose their balance and crash onto the floor.

Breathing heavily, Penelope kept her hand on his shirt and glanced out the window, her eyes landing on her house. "We've come to a stop," she said, stating the obvious.

Colin, his chest rising and falling rapidly, stared in the same direction with a look of utter disbelief. What in the world was he thinking? He closed his eyes forcefully, his brows furrowing as he struggled to find the right words. "Pen, I..." His voice drifted off. What exactly was he intending to say? That he was sorry?

But whatever he was going to say would have to wait for a moment, as Penelope practically jumped away from him and quickly settled into her seat. "Your footman is approaching," she uttered, as if to forewarn him of the imminent risk of being discovered in an exceedingly compromising situation.

After quickly running his fingers through his hair and straightening his crumpled shirt, he had just half a second before the door swung open. With a glare at the interruptor, he stepped out of the carriage and reached out his hand to assist Pen as she descended to the floor.

With shaky hands, she accepted his assistance only for a a split second before settling on the floor, both looking at each other momentarily before averting their gazes.

"I..." he coughed, his eyes lingering on her house as he stood up straight, "I should not have done that."

Penelope briefly considered asking him why he had done it, but she didn't want to have to explain why she had kissed him back.

With a slow shake of her head, she cast a lingering glance at her home, as though it were the most captivating sight on the entire planet. "No, you should not have," she said.

A momentary flicker of unease crossed his face as he carried on, "Nevertheless, it occurred, and I am of the opinion that the best way to proceed is to pose the obvious question."

Unable to hide her curiosity, she furrowed her eyebrows and directed her attention towards him. Was he planning to address her emotions at that moment? Because that was definitely where she drew the line on that wild night.

He noticed her staring and turned his gaze towards her as well. Noticing her perplexed expression, he pressed on, asking, "Will you marry me or not?"

Her eyes widened immediately. That was certainly a predictable reaction to their situation, but also quite ridiculous at the same time. After all the heated arguments, the pain they had caused each other, and, most troubling of all, the ambiguity of his emotions, how could they possibly enter into matrimony?

"I have the belief that you will not find fault with me if I choose to decline your offer at this present moment," she said, her hands trembling slightly. At this present moment? What on earth was she babbling about?

Something indescribable flickered in his eyes, and as he straightened his posture. "No, I will not," he said.

Clenching her bottom lip between her teeth, she attempted to banish the memory of his lips on hers just minutes ago. With a nod, she then said, "Goodnight, Mr Bridgerton."

Memories flooded back as he recalled her dismissal at the start of the season, although the circumstances were completely different. At that time, the only problem he had was the revelation from his friend Penelope about how much he had hurt her.

Yet, during that night, their emotions became intertwined in such a complex manner that he couldn't even begin to fathom his own feelings. It hadn't even been an hour since he discovered her years of deceit, and just a few minutes since he fully succumbed to emotions he hadn't recognised in years. Seconds since he proposed to her and that her refusal left him feeling... unwell.

Perhaps all they needed indeed for the moment was some distance from each other.

He then bowed to her, his voice trembling as he said, "Goodnight, Miss Featherington," desperately craving a drink.

Then, without another word, she wobbled towards her house. And all he could do was stare, made motionless by her, wondering what would happen next.

A/N:That is it!

So I've made an playlist for this fic also, you can find the link to it on my profile! The first song is the intro and the second one is for this chapter (and let me tell you is one of my favorites)

I hope you guys enjoyed it. Let me know your thoughts and feelings on my likes and reviews haha

Have a wonderful day guys, God Bless you!