***NOTE: I apologize for the wacky updates. For some reason, the Fanfiction website has been extremely glitch with its updates lately. Chapter 21 kept showing up as "not found" for me and many others, so I re-uploaded it earlier this week. Due to the ongoing issues, I'm also posting this story on Wattpad and AO3, so if you're having issues with this website, you can read it there as well.

P.S.: I wrote the toilet paper prediction line back in 2018 (I keep a running list of line ideas for stories). Imagine my surprise when that was indeed what the panicked shopping frenzy came down to in 2020. :(

Chapter 22

You know me better than I do

Can't seem to keep nothing from you

How you touch my soul from the outside?

Permeate my ego and my pride?

…I'm getting used to receiving

Still getting good at not leaving

I'ma love you even though I'm scared

P.O.V. by Ariana Grande

I invited Will to stay at my place that night, due to the fact that he didn't yet have furniture. After we'd eaten dinner, cleaned up, and watched a movie, he walked with me to my bedroom door.

He took my hands in his and looked down at my upturned face.

"Thank you for making me feel so welcome today," he whispered.

I gave him a mischievous wink and shrugged. "Well, I couldn't just let you stand outside with a perfectly good mocha turtle coffee."

He smirked and leaned down as if to kiss me but moved to the side at the last moment and whispered "So, that's the trick, eh? Bring you coffee, and you'll forgive me for anything?"

My breath caught when his lips touched my neck, just behind the corner of my jaw. "There was nothing for me to forgive. Quite the opposite, in fact," I replied, dropping my head back. He took advantage of the easier access by trailing kisses down my throat until he reached the space just above my clavicle. My voice made a short, involuntary squeaking noise, and my knees buckled.

Will's grip on my waist tightened, holding me up. The vibration of his soft laughter against my skin sent a warm current through my body. "Did you just squeak?" he asked, lifting his head to look into my eyes.

My face burned. "I refuse to admit to any such thing," I informed him with a dismissive toss of my head. "And, to answer your question, for future reference, I think most things might be negotiable if you begin parleys with chocolate and coffee."

He dropped his hands to my hips and bent to feather light kisses across my collarbones. "I might have to change my technique then," he whispered against my skin. And then he cradled my face between his palms and kissed me. Not a quick kiss, but a possessive, sweeping one.

As it so often did when he kissed me like this, everything else ceased to exist. There was just Will and me, my body against his. I needed more of him. I leaned back against the door frame and grasped the front of his shirt, pulling him closer and slipping my hands underneath the hem. I rested my palms against his muscled abdomen, his skin smooth and hot beneath my hands.

He grasped my wrists and brought my hands down to my sides, intertwining his fingers with mine. "Stop," he whispered in my ear, a note of humor in his voice.

I took a shaky breath and rose to my tiptoes to place a kiss on his chin before I leaned back to look up at him. "I still can't believe you're really here. I'm so afraid I'm going to wake up tomorrow and find that this is a dream."

He gave a slight nod. "Yes, I am. Here that is, not a dream." He traced a finger down my cheek. I searched his eyes and saw love and desire written there; a look I was certain was mirrored in my own. I rested my forehead against the warm safety of his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist.

He rubbed his hands up and down my back and pressed a kiss against my hair. "I'll be here when you wake up, alright?"

I raised my head and narrowed my eyes playfully. "You'd better be."

He brushed my cheek with the backs of his fingers and took a step backward. "Goodnight, Elizabeth."

"Night," I replied as I stepped inside my room and shut the door.

Sleep didn't come easily. I couldn't help thinking about Will. Part of me still couldn't believe that he was actually here. Memories of the way he'd carefully pressed me against the wall with his body when he'd first arrived kept replaying themselves in my mind.

Would he expect more? He'd said we'd take things slowly, but we'd never really talked about physical expectations and boundaries. We'd danced around it but never spoken of it directly. I exhaled heavily and pressed my fingertips to my temples. It was definitely an issue that needed to be addressed, and while I felt certain it would be an uncomfortable conversation—on my part at least—I knew it was a necessary one. Especially considering that rational thought seemed to abandon me completely when we were together.

All I knew was that when Will touched or kissed me, I wanted to be even closer to him. No one had ever made me feel the way he did, and that complete loss of control was at once intoxicating and terrifying. And now, unlike when we'd spent time together at Pemberley, there wasn't a house full of people to make being alone together difficult.

OOOoooOOOoooOOO

The next morning, I woke to the delicious aroma of fried eggs and bacon. I quickly ran into the bathroom to run a comb through my tangled hair and brush my teeth before I made my way to the kitchen.

Will stood over the stove with his back to me, wearing low-slung red plaid pajama pants and a snug-fitting gray t-shirt. Moriarty sat at attention on the countertop next to him while Will intermittently talked to him and fed him bits of bacon and green pepper. I leaned against the kitchen doorway and watched him for a while as he worked, thoroughly enjoying the sight of his back and shoulder muscles straining against the fabric of his t-shirt whenever he moved. I knew exactly what that shirt would say if it could talk; it would say, "Lucky me."

Shaking my head at the silly thought, I pushed away from the wall with my shoulder and walked across the kitchen. I stopped behind Will and wrapped my arms around his waist. The soft fabric of his shirt felt warm from the stove and his body heat.

He turned off the burner and placed his hands on top of mine, rubbing his palms over my knuckles. He slowly turned around and hugged me back before he bent to kiss me. He straightened and brushed the hair away from my face. "Good morning."

I smiled. "Morning."

He raised an eyebrow. "I've made breakfast."

I leaned to the side to peer around his arm at the frying pan on the stove. "I see that. Thank you. Want me to get the plates?" He nodded, and I stepped out of the secure circle of his arms and moved to retrieve two plates from the cupboard.

We ate our breakfast in companionable silence, both of us content just to be in one another's company. When I'd finished, I pushed my plate to the side. My revelations of the night before not forgotten, I mentally prepared myself to begin the dreaded conversation about physical boundaries. "There's something we need to talk about," I said, breaking the comfortable silence.

He looked up from his plate with an inquisitive expression but gave a small nod, indicating that I should continue.

I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "Like you said yesterday, now that you're here, I agree that this is a good time for us to work on building and strengthening our relationship."

I chanced a glance at Will. Though his brow was furrowed, he appeared to be listening carefully.

"I have some core beliefs that I won't compromise on," I continued. I pressed my lips together and nervously intertwined my fingers on the tabletop in front of me. "I know this probably sounds archaic, but as far as physical intimacy is concerned—aside from what you already know about my past and current struggles with it—I want to honor myself and my future husband by waiting until I'm married to consummate a relationship." I swallowed hard against the lump of nerves in my throat. I squinted my eyes shut as I realized how easily my words could be misconstrued. "Not that you wouldn't be him, my future husband, I mean; it's just that—" I paused, aware that I'd, yet again, put my foot in my mouth. I opened my eyes and proceeded to leap, feet-first, into the manure pit. "And not that you would be my husband. I…just thought you should know—" I stopped mid-sentence, letting the words hang awkwardly in the ether.

Feeling too embarrassed by the word salad I'd just served up to even look at Will, I rested my elbows on the tabletop and ground the heels of my palms into my eyes, silently praying for the power of invisibility. Or for a nuclear blast to kill me; after all, USSTRATCOM, located just a few miles down the road, was arguably the most strategically important military target on Earth. It could happen. The awkward silence stretched on and on until it put out a lawn chair, made a campfire, and started to roast marshmallows.

I didn't look up until several moments later when I heard Will's chair scrape across the floor as he rose from his seat.

His face was unreadable, a muscle working in his jaw the only indication that he'd heard anything I'd said. "Are you finished with your plate?" he asked softly.

When I nodded, he silently picked up his plate and mine and carried the dishes over to the sink. He came back to stand beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder before he pulled me to my feet and into his arms. I took a deep breath and rested my head against his chest. "I understand," he whispered, "and I respect you all the more for it."

I pulled back slightly and studied his face. If I'd learned anything over the past few months, it was that Will didn't say things he didn't mean.

His expression, sincere and intense, cemented the truth of his words. "My own beliefs notwithstanding, that's part of the reason why I love you: because you're not willing to give up what you believe in, no matter the cost, whether that cost is a career you love or a relationship."

"So, you're okay with that?" I asked hesitantly.

Will nodded. "Yes. I'm glad you told me. And Elizabeth?"

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Don't ever be afraid to talk to me about anything."

I nodded. "Ditto." The relief I felt, knowing he respected my choice and that we could move forward from where we were, brought peace to my heart.

OOOoooOOOoooOOO

Will's furniture and housewares were delivered the next day. Later in the afternoon, we decided to take a break from arranging the rooms and putting things away, and curled up on the couch in my condo to watch a movie; an apocalyptic one, as it turned out. It was depressing, to say the least. Finding myself in desperate need of some levity when the movie was over, I shook my head. "People are wrong."

Will's arms tightened around my waist, and I maneuvered in his hold onto my other side to face him. He pulled me against his chest. "About what?"

I shrugged. "In the end, it won't come down to a battle over the last morsel of food. It'll come down to the last roll of toilet paper."

He gave me a doubtful look.

"I mean, think about it!" I insisted in a joking manner. "You can grow, forage, or hunt for more food. But you can't for toilet paper."

He scrunched up his face and gave me a bewildered look. "You are delightfully odd. But I think you're missing the bigger picture. However, misaligned priorities notwithstanding, I'm glad to know that you'll be on my side should there ever be a zombie apocalypse."

"Just for the record, I only said that to get a reaction out of you and lighten the mood; that movie was far too depressing. And as far as the zombie apocalypse goes, I'd be an asset as long as long as I'm not wearing flip-flops. I don't recommend them for wear when running for your life."

Will smiled and traced my lower lip with the pad of his thumb. "As evidenced by the Lauritzen Gardens wasp incident this summer."

I gave a solemn nod in reply. "Exactly."

His expression turned thoughtful. "True enough, but if you hadn't been wearing the aforementioned footwear that day, you might not have tripped, and we wouldn't be here now."

I reflected on that thought for a moment. What would my life be like without Will? It'd be quieter and less complicated, that was for certain, but devoid of the once-in-a-lifetime love I'd found with him. I took a deep breath and gave my head a quick shake to clear it. "Speaking of the end of the world, I'm supposed to go to dinner at my parents' house tomorrow. Care to join me?"

He shifted his gaze to the ceiling. "I'd like that, actually. I need to speak with your father, anyway."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he gave me a quick kiss before he began to tickle me. I clamped my arm down on his hand to stop him. He sighed and sat up, pulling me up with him.

"Let's go get some coffee," he suggested.

I grumbled but followed him toward the door, though I felt slightly annoyed that he'd evaded my question. I knew I wouldn't get any information out of him, however, until he was ready to tell me.

OOOoooOOOoooOOO

Sunday dinner at my parents' house was relatively free of drama. My mom seemed to have resigned herself to the idea of Will being with me instead of Jane, and, besides, she was too preoccupied with finalizing plans for Jane and Charles' engagement party the following weekend to do too much damage.

After we'd finished eating, Will and my dad vanished in the general direction of the study. I resigned myself to listening to discussions about decorations, menu items, and music for the next hour. When they finally did reappear, Will looked no worse for wear. I breathed a sigh of relief and looked past his shoulder to my dad, who stood just behind him. Dad motioned toward the hallway with a sideways nod of his head, indicating that I should follow him. Puzzled, I rose to follow, pausing as I passed Will. He didn't say anything but gave me a soft smile and leaned down to kiss my forehead.

Once inside my dad's study, I picked up a throw pillow and settled into my favorite armchair, hugging the pillow to my chest. Unsure why I had been summoned, I watched my dad warily as he sat down in his own chair.

"Well," he began. "I just had an interesting talk with Will." He lowered his eyes to the floor, appearing to study the pattern in the rug for several moments before he continued. "I need to know how you feel about him, Lizzy."

Surprised by the bluntness of the question, I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. "Why?"

Dad eyed me over the rim of his glasses. "Just answer the question, Elizabeth."

Feeling very uncomfortable with the topic – as I imagine any daughter would when discussing her love life with her father – I hugged the pillow a little tighter against my chest and shrugged. "I love him."

When he raised an eyebrow, I knew he wasn't satisfied with my answer.

I gave a small shake of my head and sank back in my seat. "To be completely honest with you, I didn't even want to like him because I was certain I knew exactly who he was and how he'd be, but—for some reason I still can't comprehend—he was pretty determined. He proved me wrong." I couldn't help but smile a little. "I misjudged him. You see, he and I are so similar. We're both so stubborn. I was determined to dislike him, and he was determined to win me over. I still don't understand how I even drew his attention in the first place, I mean, other than the fact that I unwittingly humiliated myself in front of him on several occasions." I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, I guess, in the end, he's the more bull-headed of the two of us." I bit my lip and nodded slowly. "Which is really saying something."

His mouth turned up in a sad smile. "Ah. Yes, it is particularly incumbent on those who never change their opinion to be secure of judging properly first. I trust you've learned a lesson in that regard?"

I nodded. "Unfortunately, it was a difficult and rather painful one to learn."

He tilted his head to the side and eyed me steadily. "The most important lessons we learn in life are often the most difficult."

"I suppose so," I sighed. "So, what exactly did you guys talk about for so long in here?"

Dad raised a teasing eyebrow and stood. "That's not my secret to divulge. You'd better go rescue Will. He's been alone in the dining room with your mother and sisters for much longer than I'm sure he's comfortable with."

With that, we headed to the dining room, where Will stood next to a window, staring out into the yard. I went to his side and placed a hand on his back. "Ready to go?"

He nodded, and we said our goodbyes and left.

When we were on the road, I shifted in the passenger seat of Will's car to face him. "So, what did you and my dad talk about?"

He lowered his chin a notch, keeping his eyes on the roadway. "Nothing much."

I gave him a doubtful look. "You spent an hour in his study. Complete honesty and disclosure, remember?"

He sighed heavily and checked his rearview mirror before changing lanes and turning off the highway onto a gravel road. He drove about a quarter-mile in silence before he slowed and pulled onto the grassy shoulder, parking the car underneath a cottonwood tree that grew alongside the road. He turned toward me and, after a moment of hesitation, said, "He asked what brought me to town early. I told him that I purchased a condo in your building."

I grimaced. "I'm sure that went over well."

His mouth settled into a grim line. "Like a lead balloon. He expressed some very legitimate concerns. I have to admit, many of them were the same concerns that have kept me up at night on occasion." His expression softened. "He expressed concern about how much the tabloid stories affected you. He doesn't want to see you hurt or struggling, and I completely understand that. He's worried about what you'll do while I'm off filming and working. He just doesn't want you to spend your life alone. He's also worried about the fact that I've made some powerful and volatile enemies, as evidenced by the events of this summer, and he was correct to assume that George Wickham isn't the only one. He asked what I would do if I'm gone somewhere for weeks or months and something happened to you, or if you would, God forbid, find yourself in danger."

I patted Will's hand, which rested on the gear shift, and gave it a tight squeeze. "That's not going to happen."

He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "It very well could. The fact is, I've been giving my career a lot of thought. With me being gone frequently and all the media attention," he shook his head, "it's not worth losing you, Elizabeth."

I raised my hand and gently placed my fingers against his lips. "Stop," I commanded gently. "I'm not going to let you give up doing something you love because of me."

He exhaled heavily, his breath tickling my fingertips that still rested against his lips. He grasped my wrist and kissed my fingers before bringing our joined hands down to rest on his thigh. "I would if it meant that you'd be safe and happy."

I shook my head. "I couldn't be happy if I knew you weren't."

He looked into my eyes for several moments before he gave a nod and dropped his gaze to our joined hands.

"So, anything else?" I pressed. I suspected that my dad hadn't pulled me into his study to ask about my feelings for Will for no good reason.

He pressed his mouth into a hard line before he spoke. "He asked about my feelings and intentions toward you."

"And," I said, drawing the word out, "what did you say?"

He smiled slightly. "I told him the truth. That I love you, and I want to be near you." He paused, hesitating a moment before he continued, "I also told him that it is my intention to date you and to, hopefully, one day, sooner rather than later, marry you."

I gasped. "Are you asking me to mar—"

Before I could even finish my sentence, however, Will abruptly took my face between his palms and looked intently into my eyes. "No, Elizabeth, that wasn't a proposal. When I do propose to you, you won't have to wonder whether that was it or not."

I swallowed hard. "When you propose," I whispered, not believing my ears. "You mean you want to propose to me? You want to marry me?" I was shocked. I clamped my mouth shut when I realized that he looked downright stressed.

His eyes narrowed, and his mouth tightened, making his dimples stand out. "Elizabeth," he shook his head, "just stop talking," he whispered, a pleading note in his voice. With one swift motion, he raised himself up in his seat, leaned over the center console, and kissed me hard, effectively putting a stop to any further questions. After several moments, he pulled back slightly, a smile in his eyes. "Please, just forget I said anything…I'm only going to ask my wife to marry me once in my lifetime, and I want it to be worth remembering. Not in a car, alongside a gravel road, alright?"

I nodded, pressing my lips together to prevent my jaw from dropping. "Okay," I agreed, a little breathlessly, as the words my wife echoed in my mind.

He kissed me again before settling back into his seat, and then he buckled up and pulled the car back onto the road.

OOOoooOOOoooOOO

Will's presence in the building's gym seemed to have inspired a fitness revolution. I'd never seen the place so busy. Every female between the ages of 16 and 65 who lived in the tenement was hitting the gym, coincidentally—or maybe not so coincidentally—at the same time of day Will did. By Tuesday, when we left the gym under the watchful eye of a group of admiring, middle-aged women, I could tell that he'd had enough. When we were alone in the relative privacy of the elevator, I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the chin. I think it's time to invest in a home gym."

He nodded gravely. "I think you're right."

Unsurprisingly, he ordered some basic gym equipment that afternoon and had it delivered and set up by late Wednesday evening.

Georgiana, Richard, and Charles arrived on Thursday, and Jane, Will, and I met them at the airport.

Georgiana practically tackled me as she threw her arms around me just outside the terminal. "Lizzy! I missed you so much! I'm so excited to be here! I've never been to the U.S. before, believe it or not, and I want to see everything!"

I laughed and hugged her tightly. "I'm happy to see you, too! I've been looking forward to this every day."

Jane stepped forward to hug Georgiana and Charles, and my eyes landed on Richard as he strolled toward our group, towing his carry-on suitcase behind him. I was a little worried about how he would feel about seeing me. He had become such a good friend, and I was concerned that the latest tabloid story would affect our relationship. I needn't have worried. He swept me up in one of his bear hugs as soon as he was close enough to do so. "I've missed you very much, Lizzy," he said as he set me back on my feet and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. He stood back and gave me a critical once-over. "I see you're no worse for the wear. Looking a bit scruffy around the edges, perhaps, but nothing a pint of mint ice cream with me can't fix."

I laughed with relief and gave him another hug. "I missed you, too."

Will stepped forward to shake his cousin's hand. "Good to see you, Richard," he grinned.

Richard nodded. "Everything is arranged with the flat, then?"

Will nodded. "It is."

"Good, because that was a bloody long flight, and this old man is beat," Richard replied.

After we'd all gone out to eat and arrived at the apartment building, the six of us parted ways: Will, Richard, and Charles to Will's condo, and Jane, Georgiana, and I to mine.

.