Beginning, Section IV

Chapter 34

Posted on April 6, 2009

Elizabeth woke Thursday morning as the first rays of sun were just filtering into the room; his room. Though she couldn't say what had awakened her, her mind was alert, and she knew the likelihood of finding sleep again was slim. That was all right though; she was perfectly content as she was.

She smiled to herself, aware of Will's arm wrapped around her waist and the soft, even breaths that seemed to brush her neck. Her mind began to wander after a minute or two, recalling the evening before.

She could almost still smell the delightful aromas that met them as they entered the house; as the smells suggested, the meal had been delicious. The conversation had also been stimulating as she found several interests in common with Maggie.

After the meal, with the intent of relaxing in the hot tub, Will had taken Elizabeth upstairs to change. The only problem with that plan - although neither really considered it a problem - was that as clothes came off, other activities came to mind, and it was some time before swimsuits were donned.

They did eventually make their way out back, and after a game of ball with Hershey, Will and Elizabeth enjoyed a long, warm soak.

She closed her eyes again, unaware of the dreamy grin on her face. Her mind wandered no more, recalling in detail Will's kisses, his touch, and how wonderful everything had felt as they made love late last night. Before she could try to stop it, a forcible shiver ran through her body.

Will's arm moved suddenly, and just as quickly he was sitting up.

Elizabeth instantly felt the heat of blood rushing to her face. She knew she was responsible for waking him so, but she forced herself to open her eyes and smile at him. "Hi," she drawled quietly.

There was little else he could do but chuckle. "Good morning, love." He brushed her hair back from her cheek. "You've been awake."

She nodded. "I didn't mean to wake you though."

"I'm not complaining." He smiled, then lowering himself to his elbow and turning her to face him, he leaned forward and kissed her temple. His serious mien returned. "Whatever made you tremble so?"

"It just happened…" she blurted quickly. She took a small breath, trying to calm herself. When she resumed, her voice was softer, and each word came slower. "I was thinking about… last night." She lowered her eyes.

A wolfish smile appeared on his face, and a moment later, he kissed her cheek. "Hmmm…" Then with a kiss below her ear, he growled, "And here I am thinking about this morning,"

Her body quivered again of its own volition.

Will raised himself enough to look at her. "My goodness," he responded with a short, mirthless chuckle before he slid his hand down her stomach.

It didn't take long for them to develop a need for one another, nor to sate it, their physical actions transcending the emotional. They loved with their entire beings.

As they relaxed afterwards, she felt Will's hand slide down her back, and whispered, "That was amazing..."

"You were amazing, my love," he responded. "I've never..." He paused and collected his thoughts a moment. "I've never known anything like loving you, Liz."

She didn't answer, though he was pretty sure she had not fallen asleep, so they both lay together silently... until Will's alarm clock brought them back to the real world.

"So much for our little sojourn..." Elizabeth sighed, and leaned to her side, sliding slowly away from the man she loved.

"Sadly, yes, my love." He reached over to turn off the offending device.

They slowly began to rise, and as soon as Will was sitting up, Hershey bounded toward the bed, his tail lashing from side to side. He was rewarded by his master rubbing his ears.

Elizabeth even turned around, ending up lying across the bed on her stomach in order to scratch his chin. "You're going to be a spoiled boy this morning, aren't you, Hershey," she teased, seeming to make the dog even happier.

Will got up and grabbed his robe. "Why don't you jump in the shower, hon. I'll take Hershey out and come back with coffee in a few minutes. Shall I tell Maggie you want anything in particular for breakfast?"

Elizabeth sat up with a start. "Maggie?"

Will nodded. "She always makes breakfast on weekdays, she'd be offended if you don't want something."

"But..." Elizabeth blushed. "Well, I realize she knows... but... What'll she think of me?"

"Maggie?" He was rather stunned by her concern, yet seeing it was very real, he walked back to the bed and wrapped his arms around Elizabeth. "Maggie adores you. I doubt you could do anything that would cause her think ill of you, Liz."

"But, she must think..." She buried her head in Will's chest.

"Maggie's been a part of my life for nearly as long as I can remember. And while I never flaunted my past sex life in front of her, I'm sure she knows about it. Remember our first date, when I spent the night at your house?" When Elizabeth nodded, he continued. "She admonished me, telling me I'd better not be trying to mess around with you... that you were a good girl.

"Yes, Maggie knows you spent the night with me, but she also knows I love you like no one else ever before." He kissed the top of her head. "You know as well as I do, she'll be insulted if you don't let her cook breakfast for you."

"All right." Elizabeth nodded. "I have no preferences; I'll be happy with whatever she's making."

"Good." Will kissed her forehead. "I'd better get Hershey out."

As Will had predicted, the morning was uneventful and breakfast was quite enjoyable. Elizabeth was certain Maggie had made enough food for ten with the Belgian waffles, sausage and eggs. They had a lovely conversation over the meal, and Elizabeth was almost sad when it was time to leave for work.

The couple talked easily as they drove, and were happy to be making unusually good time. That changed, however, to no one's surprise, when they approached the Conshohocken Curve. All of their made up time was lost between there and City Line Avenue.

"I can't believe you used to do this every day," Elizabeth finally said.

"It's like so many facets of life. You get used to it. It's not until you've tried the alternative, and found it to be better, that you realize what you've been missing all along."

Chapter 35

At exactly 5:15, Elizabeth and Jane entered the office tower that housed the corporate offices of Darcy, Inc. They were scarcely ten feet inside the door when they heard the young guard at the desk speak up.

"Good evening, Ms. Bennet. Are you going up to Mr. Darcy's office?"

Elizabeth smiled at the young man. "Not tonight, Russ," she answered, recalling his name from one of her earlier visits. "Mr. Darcy will be meeting us down here." A broad grin spread across her face as she looked toward the elevators. "In fact, there he and Mr. Bingley are."

"You look great, Lizzy!" Charlie greeted her first, not certain he had ever seen her in dress slacks and heels.

Elizabeth thanked him politely, as she carefully watched for a look of disappointment on Jane's face – which she did not see – and the restrained jealousy so obvious on Will's. Immediately reacting, she reached for Will's hand and looked up at him endearingly. "I missed you at lunch. Long day?"

"Exceedingly," he sighed, and tried to force a small smile for her. "And very much looking forward to an evening with you." He tightened his hold on her hand.

"Good." She grinned. "We should probably get going then."

They all wished the guard a good evening and walked over to the parking garage elevators.

A few minutes later, they were crawling around City Hall in Will's Audi. "I swear we could walk faster!" Elizabeth grumbled.

Will glanced quickly at her and challenged, "In heels?"

"Easy." Elizabeth laughed. "I'd prefer my sneaks, but these aren't that bad. Nothing like those spikes my taller sister wears..." She nodded her head toward Jane with a teasing glare. "Ugh!"

Jane sat straighter. "It's not hard at all, Lizzy. Though walking that far would be a bit too much."

"Whatever you say, sis." Elizabeth rolled her eyes, eliciting chuckles from the men, who had experience enough with their sisters (and Tiffany) to realize that they would never understand women.

Fortunately, once they were on Chestnut, they began to move quicker, and all were pleased when Will cut down 8th Street to park by the Walnut Street Theatre. The gentlemen helped the ladies from the car and walked back to Morimoto.

Inside the restaurant, they were seated so promptly that Jane and Elizabeth were still taking in the décor as they were shown to a booth with color-changing seats. Without even looking at the menu, Charlie recommended the Omakase. "Do you ever watch Iron Chef America? It's almost like getting to be a judge on the show. You never know exactly what you'll be getting, but you know it will be delicious."

The others agreed to try it, as well as the Beverage Omakase, and they placed their order immediately. The waiter had only just turned away when Will's cell phone rang.

He glanced at it with a frown and, with a tense expression, answered it. "Darcy." After a few small acknowledgements to the caller, he said, "Hold on just a moment." He pressed the mute button and held the phone down in front of him. "I'm sorry to have to interrupt with business. Thankfully, this should be quick." Then turning to Charlie, he asked, "Weren't you working on the San Francisco acquisition today?"

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, Sandy and I sequestered ourselves for a couple of hours, poring over the numbers. It all looked good, and she emailed the info to Gail and Jim. I saw it in my inbox before I left."

"Thanks," Will answered, then unmuting the phone, he relayed the info to the caller. When he put away his phone, he sighed and shook his head. Quickly regaining his composure, he then tried to resurrect a more relaxed conversation. "So, did you all know that this is the first time Les Mis has been performed without a turntable?"

With that, they all relaxed, and conversation flowed easily throughout the meal. Afterwards, they began to walk back towards the theatre, but just as they were about to cross 8th Street, Elizabeth froze.

Standing on the opposite corner, atop an overturned Wawa milk crate, was Bible Billy. He waved his open, worn Bible in one hand and a sign that appeared to say "Support Rosings" in the other.

Jane was the first to snicker, but soon all four of them were laughing as they turned to walk to Sansom before crossing the street. Gradually they calmed, and they seemed quite their normal selves as they entered the Walnut Street Theatre. They wandered the foyer as a group, looking at the gift shop and historic photos – this was America's Oldest Theatre, after all – until the lights dimmed, telling them it was time to take their seats.

As they sat, Elizabeth and Jane were impressed. They'd never seen a show from the second row before, and were quite eager for the first act to begin.

Finally the music started. Since the venue, and hence the orchestra, was small, it wasn't as overwhelming as they had recalled from seeing the show before, but it was still exciting, and drew their attention to the stage. All of them were surprised to hear men's voices coming from behind as the prisoners were led up the aisles, instead of entering from backstage. Well, that explained the signs stating no one would be admitted or seated during the first five minutes!

Elizabeth and Jane, at least, were completely drawn into the performance, and by the time Fantine sang "I Dreamed a Dream", Elizabeth's head was nestled comfortably against Will's shoulder, while his arm was wrapped around her. They remained comfortably so until the much more upbeat music began for "Master of the House".

As they heard other members of the audience laughing, Elizabeth sat up, and soon joined the majority of the audience swaying and clapping along with the music. She glanced at Will, sitting still and watching the scene attentively. Finally, unable to resist, she nudged his arm with her elbow, causing him to look at her curiously before finally joining in. Oh, Will! What am I going to do with you! she couldn't help thinking.

The performance built up to the rousing "One Day More," and all four were happy to stretch their legs for a few minutes during intermission.

They were standing together in the foyer, laughing over one of the clearest observations provided by second row seats. "Didn't you find all the incredibly bright, white teeth distracting?" asked Elizabeth.

"Truly," replied Will. It's hard to imagine that, after nineteen years as a galley slave of Toulon, a poor pruner of Faverolles would have any teeth at all, let alone such brilliant ones!"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Only you would be able to rattle off that detail. Let me guess, you read it in French!" She had to wait for a response, but finally Will nodded his head a little, and Elizabeth laughed, turning closer to him and away from the others. "I do so love you, Will Darcy."

The couple was quite possibly risking distraction when Charlie interrupted them. "Excuse me a minute, I've got to say 'hi' to someone."

As he walked away, Elizabeth noticed the look on Jane's face. She was fighting it, but Jane couldn't hide the look of disappointment from her sister.

Elizabeth reached over and gently slid her hand down Jane's arm, trying to soothe her and draw her into a conversation with Will. With her help, Jane was just beginning to relax when Charlie returned with a tall, leggy brunette.

"Everyone, this is Jeannie Sinclair. We lived only a few houses apart growing up." He smiled at her. "Jeannie, I'd like you to meet Will Darcy and Lizzy Bennet." He then turned to Jane. "And this is Lizzy's sister, and my very good friend, Jane Bennet."

Jeannie stayed with them, as they all smiled and chatted politely for the remainder of the intermission.

When they returned to their seats for the second half, Elizabeth tried to talk to Jane and offer any support she needed, but Jane would hear none of it, smiling and talking to Charlie as though nothing was wrong (if only her sister didn't know her so well), with her hands folded in her lap.

"I really like this Enjolras," Elizabeth whispered to Jane, knowing him to be one of her sister's favorite characters.

Jane's eyes brightened a little as the music began, and she replied, "Me too."

Entwining her fingers with Will's, Elizabeth rested her head against his shoulder, knowing how emotional the second act was. She was absorbed as the barricades were erected and the tension built, and as Eponine sang "On My Own," she knew she'd be crying by the end.

Suddenly, she felt Jane grasp her free hand, startling her. She turned to look at her sister, and her jaw dropped. Jane's eyes were fixed on the stage, and tears ran freely down her cheeks as she mouthed the words along with Eponine.

As the rest of the audience applauded, Jane just stared at the stage, so Elizabeth squeezed her hand, but received no response. The next scene was beginning when Jane pulled her hand away, stood up, slipped past Charlie and disappeared up the aisle.

Elizabeth and Charlie looked at each other for a moment, stunned, before she turned to Will, who was watching her, and not the show. "I have to go," she whispered, hoping he could read her lips, and keeping low, she crept past Charlie before also running to the back of the theatre.

She looked around the foyer, and an usher tipped his head, pointing to the ladies' room. Elizabeth uttered a quiet thanks, and sped across to the door. She could hear Jane's sobs as soon as she opened it, and found her sitting with her feet pulled up and her face in her arms on the cushioned bench in the corner.

"Jane?"

After a moment, Jane quietly answered without raising her head, "I'm sorry, Lizzy... I just... I just realized... I'm Eponine."

Trying to understand what Jane meant, Elizabeth sat beside her and silently placed her hand on Jane's elbow, causing Jane to look up, allowing Elizabeth to see her red eyes, tears and smeared mascara.

"I love him, Lizzy." Jane sighed. "I've done everything I can think of, hoping he'll feel the same, but tonight I just realized... He may not have found his Cosette yet, but all I'll ever be is his 'very good friend.'"

"I'm not so sure about that. I've see the way he..."

Jane cut her off. "The way he talks about other women? I think his entire department is female. The way he walked off to talk to 'Jeannie' tonight. Did you see her! Did you see his eyes!" She shook her head. "No matter how hard it is, I have to accept this, Lizzy. Please don't make it any harder."

Elizabeth sighed and said, "Okay." She then pulled her sister into her arms. "You know I'll be here when you need me, sis."

With another sniffle and a big breath, Jane asked, "Even when you move in with Will and get married and have a houseful of kids?"

Unable to restrain a single chuckle, Elizabeth replied, "We're nowhere near that yet. But if and when that happens, you'll still be my dearest sister and my best friend. I'll always be here for you."

Jane relaxed a little and wrapped her arms around her sister. "Thank you, Lizzy... I love you."

"I love you too, Janey."

They sat together for a while, and when Jane was finally calmer, they tried to carefully fix her makeup and minimize the evidence of her excessive crying. Even for a woman as beautiful as Jane, the end result was not perfect, but it would do.

Jane then took a minute to compose herself, and they walked out of the ladies' room together to see Charlie sitting in a chair near the door, and Will pacing anxiously.

As soon as he spotted them, Will was at their side. "Is everything all right?" he asked, concern strong in his voice.

Charlie was beside them nearly as fast. "Jane?" he whispered quietly.

Elizabeth gave Jane a moment, but hearing no answer, she wrapped an arm around her sister's waist and said, "Jane isn't feeling well." She looked around. "Since you're both out here, maybe we could go home?"

"Absolutely," Will nodded, a motion mimicked by Charlie. "I'm sorry, Jane," Will added, and he put his arm around Elizabeth's waist and led the ladies from the building while Charlie followed.

In the car, Elizabeth opted to sit in back with Jane, and very little was said for the duration of the trip, even after they left Charlie by his car at the Malvern train station.

When they got to Jane and Elizabeth's house, Will helped them both out of the car. Jane, for the first time, quickly kissed his cheek and whispered, "Thank you for everything, Will," before walking quickly toward the front door.

Will then took Elizabeth's hand and faced her, looking sadly into her eyes. "Should I go?" he asked.

Elizabeth looked up at him for a long moment before shaking her head and answering, "I'd still like you to stay, though I can't say I'll be good company." She fell against him and wrapped his arms around his waist, a movement which allowed Will to embrace her. "I know it's completely selfish, but I just want you to hold me forever."

Chapter 36

Posted on April 14, 2009

Elizabeth woke feeling warm and secure. How could she not with her forehead resting on Will's bare chest and his strong arms wrapped around her, his hand rubbing her back? He's awake! At the moment, she didn't even realize she hadn't slept well. In fact, the comfort Will's love and body provided may have been the only reason she had found any sleep at all.

"Good morning, love," she murmured.

Will swept her hair back from her face and raised himself enough to kiss her temple. "Did I wake you?" he asked.

Shaking her head, she answered, "I don't think so." She placed a kiss on his chest. "If you did, I don't mind," she added and snuggled closer.

She felt Will tighten his embrace and smiled to herself. This was perfection... at least for the few moments before her consciousness began to remind her of everything else. Suddenly she sighed.

"You okay?" Will asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "I'm just... I'm sorry." She paused to collect her thoughts better. "I asked you to stay, then I abandoned you for Jane. And when I did come to bed, you were so patient and loving, and I had nothing to give you in return... I feel like I used you."

He shook his head. "My silly Liz." With a kiss on her hair, he continued. "I know what to expect from you, and I would have been shocked had you worried more about me than Jane last night." He kissed her again. "I wanted to be here to support you... and to be perfectly honest, because I wanted to hold you and wake up with you in my arms."

Will moved back a little and reached down, raising Elizabeth's chin so she looked at his face. "So who's being selfish now?" He grinned.

The corners of Elizabeth's lips turned up a little. "I love you, Will Darcy."

"And I never knew how much I could love someone until you came into my life, Liz."

They snuggled for a while, until some indistinct noise brought them back to reality. "I suppose I should be getting home," Will said. "Based on my experience with Georgie and Tiff, I'm sure Jane won't want me in the way if she wants to talk to you."

Elizabeth nodded; he was probably right.

They climbed out of bed and dressed quickly, then tried to tiptoe along the hall and descend the stairs quietly (a feat not easily accomplished when accompanied by a 170 lb. dog).

In the kitchen, Elizabeth poured two large mugs of coffee, noticing another had already been taken, while Will opened the back door for Hamlet. She turned and saw Will wave to someone outside.

"Jane's out there?" she asked, and when Will looked at her and nodded, she pointed to the table. "Let's sit in here. She probably wants space."

As they sat, Will asked, "Is there anything I can do for her?"

"I don't think so," she answered. "At least not yet... She was too upset to think rationally last night, and I suspect that's what she's trying to do now."

Will nodded, then turned the conversation to more mundane things until he could no longer put off his departure.

Elizabeth walked with him to the front door and kissed him goodbye before running upstairs to get ready for work herself.

After a shower and quick check of her email, she pulled Wednesday's dirty clothes from her backpack and threw them in the hamper. She then turned back and looked at the bag. Hmmm... A few minutes later, she was closing the bag, which now contained a pair of shorts and a few other items just in case she should spend the night at Will's. It probably wouldn't happen, she'd most likely beg off dinner tonight and come home with Jane... but just in case...

When she reached the kitchen again, Jane was sitting at the table, eating a half grapefruit and perusing the paper. "Hey, sis, how's it going?" Elizabeth asked, trying to be a little cheerful.

"I think I'm okay," Jane replied, looking up. "I should have known better than to let myself fall in love with him. He's just what a man ought to be though, sensible, good-humoured and lively. I think I was in love with him before I knew I had begun." She sighed. "I have to get over him, Lizzy."

"Are you sure that's what you want? Maybe you should talk to him."

"I've done everything shy of telling him outright, Lizzy! I can't do any more. I just have to convince myself we'll only ever be friends."

Elizabeth rested her hand on Jane's shoulder. "Well, I think he likes you more than that. But I have to admit, I'm at a loss why you two haven't figured this out before..."

"Obviously we were both wrong. I've got to get ready now, though. He'll be on the train, and I can't have him thinking last night was his fault." Jane stood up, then hugged her sister. "I'll be fine, sis. Thanks." She then walked out of the room, leaving Elizabeth a bit dazed.

The subject didn't come up again that morning, even as the train approached Malvern. Jane sat a little straighter and seemed a bit nervous, and as the train stopped, she took a deep breath, but Charlie was met with a warm smile. By all appearances, everything between them was completely normal.

Will couldn't help but notice that Jane and Charlie were all smiles and seemed to be as comfortable as ever. He looked questioningly at Elizabeth as he sat down beside her.

With a quick shrug of her shoulders, she leaned into him and whispered, "She seems to want to put it behind her... We'll see." She then began talking about other, lighter topics.

Nothing significant affected Elizabeth's workday, and she was pleased that she and Will were able to walk around Rittenhouse Square at lunch. Thus, she was rather surprised when Jane called her at 4:15.

"I'm not going home on the train tonight," she advised her younger sister.

"Okay," Elizabeth answered. "Is there a problem?"

"Not at all. I finally agreed to go out with Ron. I've told you he keeps asking me out."

Elizabeth stared at the phone, stunned. Trying to cover, she replied, "Okay, have a good time. If I'm not there, call me when you get home."

"'k sis. I will."

They hung up, and Elizabeth mostly shifted her focus back to her computer, though she couldn't help shaking her head from time to time, trying to understand what Jane was doing. She was still trying to figure it all out when she met Will and Charlie on the platform forty minutes later.

"Is Jane coming?" Charlie asked.

"No," Elizabeth answered, trying to decide exactly what to say. She regretted not having planned for this. "She's going out tonight."

"Oh." Charlie looked crestfallen, causing an awkward momentary silence. Fortunately his natural jovial demeanor reappeared, and he asked her if she had heard much about the new iPhone hype.

She laughed. "So far, I like my Blackberry better, but I wouldn't mind checking out one of the new ones. Still, I'm not so eager as to camp out overnight to maybe get one. The closest I've ever come to that is going to a Harry Potter party at Barnes & Noble, leading up to the midnight release..." Her cheeks flushed a little. "Of course, I did stay up, reading all night."

They chatted for another minute or so until the train arrived, at which time Charlie seemed to disappear into the crowd. As it was, Elizabeth had to work to not lose Will.

Once aboard, they found seats together, albeit having to sit with a third person since all of the double seats were occupied by at least one passenger. They didn't mind much, and settled into easy conversation for the duration, which continued through to their drive to Will's house.

Upon arrival, their first observation was the absence of Maggie's Prius. Given that, they did not even make it into the house before they began kissing and pawing at one another.

Moments later, they did opt to go inside, where they were greeted eagerly by Hershey. They let him out, and found a note by the door – Maggie would be out until late, vegetable lasagna could be put in the oven for twenty minutes at any time, and there were salads in the fridge.

With that information, little time seemed to be lost in finding their way to Will's bedroom, and bed. Their actions were eager and passionate as their touches, kisses and words reinforced their love; and they remained abed talking and snuggling for some time after their desires had been sated.

Eventually they put on their swimsuits and went downstairs. Elizabeth played with Hershey for a few minutes while Will waited for the oven to preheat. Once he put in their lasagnas, he joined her and they relaxed in the hot tub while their food cooked.

They dressed and then ate in the backyard, before spending the evening relaxing comfortably. Their sole interruption was Jane's phone call, but since she was home, claimed to have enjoyed herself and relayed that Hamlet had been fed and was content, it was a welcome one.

A little after 10:30, they returned to Will's room - where their lovemaking was less urgent, but no less passionate than earlier - and soon they fell asleep, wrapped securely in each other's arms.

Chapter 37

Posted on April 28, 2009

Saturday morning proved a perfect opportunity for two habitually early risers to "sleep in." True, each had spent a few minutes in the bathroom, and Will had let out Hershey, but they did not officially leave the bed until nearly ten.

As soon as she was dressed, Elizabeth grabbed her phone and noticed she'd missed a text message from Jane:

Running errands and some shopping. Thinking of working in yard this pm. Like ur help but ok if ur busy. –J

She smiled and relayed the message to Will.

"Do you want to?" he asked.

"You know how I feel about yard work, but it is my responsibility too. I probably should."

"Okay. You think 2:30, 3 should be all right?"

"Sounds good." She grinned.

They were met by Hershey at the foot of the stairs, but saw no sign of Maggie, even as they entered the kitchen. There was certainly evidence of her presence though. The table was set for two, with a basket of apple spice muffins and a carafe of hot coffee.

"You do live a charmed life," Elizabeth teased.

"I used to think I was just lucky," Will answered, leaning in to kiss her. "But now that I can share all this with you, I'll agree with your assessment."

They sat and ate muffins – occasionally feeding each other – and were feeling quite cozy when Will's phone rang.

He sighed, but answered it. "Darcy," he answered. A moment later, he continued, "Bonjour Guy," then continued to rattle off something in French. Without meaning to listen, Elizabeth did, but could only make out a word or two, and a minute later, he hung up.

Frowning, he looked at Elizabeth. "Small problem. I need to connect to work for a while. It shouldn't be more than an hour. You're welcome to do as you like... Swim or watch TV. You can relax upstairs or bring your computer into my study. My home is yours."

Elizabeth smiled slightly with understanding. "I have some things I should do online too. You sure I won't bother you if I sit in your study?"

"Not at all," he answered. "In fact, I'd like it very much."

They kissed and parted ways in the hall. Elizabeth then went up to the bedroom and made sure she had everything she'd be taking home that afternoon, then took her backpack down to Will's study.

Before she even entered the room, she could tell he was on speaker, so she stepped in quietly and settled herself on the sofa with her notebook, and quickly set to checking her email and her system reports from work.

She glanced at Will, staring at his computer and conversing on the phone in French. Believing he would still be a while, she opened Trillian and chatted with a couple of friends while she checked her favorite fanfic sites, finding and deciding to read an update on a Mansfield Park story. Just as she was reaching the end, she heard Will finish his call and hang up the line.

Will let out a deep sigh and shook his head. "I'll just be a couple more minutes," he said.

"No rush," she replied. "I'll be right here." She quickly read the last couple of paragraphs of the update and glanced at Will. She had a minute, so she jotted off a comment to the author before she put her computer in stand by and closed it. As she slid it back into her bag, she watched Will stand up and stretch.

When he noticed her gaze, he smiled at her, and walked over to the sofa. He held out his hand and helped her to her feet, then into his arms. "This wasn't exactly what I had in mind this morning," he grumbled softly in her ear.

"I understand." She snuggled her head against his chest. "It goes with the territory… It could have been me…"

Will rubbed her back, not replying as he thought about what she had said. Sure, he knew she was technically 'always on call,' but it hadn't really registered.

"All right." He nodded his head. "I'm still sorry."

Elizabeth shook her head as she looked up at his face. "I hope everything's okay."

"It's not the ideal outcome, but it's better than it could have been." He frowned, resigned. "It was good he called." He bent down and kissed her lips softly. "Let's get out of here."

After considering a few options, including the great temptation of returning upstairs, they decided to take a short walk in the woods. Before they departed, they found Maggie in the kitchen, and she promised lunch would be ready when they returned.

From the backyard, Hershey led the way into the woods, where they soon met a path.

"If you follow this about half a mile, you'll meet up with the Horse-Shoe Trail and can follow it into Valley Forge," he told her, though they didn't intend to go that far.

They walked a while, talking and watching Hershey romping around, pretending to be the hunter he was theoretically bred to be. When they met the main trail, they turned back, arriving at the house just before one.

As expected, the patio table was set for three with Chicken Caesar Wraps and iced tea. They sat, and Maggie soon joined them, and they talked about several things, but mostly the email Maggie had received that morning from Tiffany.

Afterwards, Will and Elizabeth decided to head out to her house for the afternoon. Elizabeth suggested taking Hershey, and a long conversation about vehicles, sleeping arrangements and morning church services ensued. When they finally addressed the possible options, they packed what they needed in the back of the Jeep and along with an eager Hershey, headed toward Elizabeth's.

As they approached the house, both were surprised to notice a dark blue Chevy Silverado, with two small trees standing in the bed, parked in the driveway.

Will glanced at Elizabeth quickly, enough that she could understand his question.

"Chris," she stated matter-of-factly, though unconsciously she shrugged her shoulders. "No clue why..."

Will parked on the street, but he hadn't even turned off the engine when Hershey jumped up, and they all spied the front third of Hamlet atop the back yard gate, his whole body shaking with happiness.

Elizabeth waited for Will to pull out the key, then got out laughing, "You silly Lug. Did you miss me?" She adjusted her seat for Hershey, who jumped out eagerly. "Or is this who you're looking for?"

The dogs sniffed each other excitedly from either side of the fence as Will and Elizabeth walked toward them at a more casual pace.

Once there, Elizabeth patted Hamlet's head as his whole body quivered anxiously. Once she flicked the latch though, Hershey virtually pounced on Hamlet, then both took off into the yard. She and Will walked in and closed the gate behind them, and began walking along the side of the house. Before they reached the back corner, they spied Jane and Chris walking toward them.

"Lizzybit!" greeted Chris, stepping forward to hug her. "Looking great," he added with a kiss on her cheek.

Deep down, Will wanted to physically intervene, but consciously hoped it didn't show.

As soon as he released Elizabeth, Chris turned. "Will, right?" And when Will nodded, Chris offered his hand and they shook politely.

"I guess you can see where my shopping took me this morning," Jane said with a silly grin and a slight blush. "I was driving by Green Mansions, and decided to stop in. I know it's to plant trees, but they had these two Eastern Redbuds, and we've talked before about getting them for out front." She paused, and Elizabeth nodded. "So I called Chris, and he agreed to help me out."

She smiled at Chris, then Elizabeth and Will. "I know I was only planning on light gardening today, but do you guys think you could help us?" Jane nodded her head encouragingly. "I've already agreed to cook my Apricot Pork for dinner tonight in return for Chris' help."

Will and Elizabeth smiled and nodded and agreed to help her out, and soon the foursome was planting trees, after which, Elizabeth led Will to the back of the yard to help her with her roses, and to take advantage of the large old, obscuring oak tree.

They all had a great time during their meal, and all four cleaned up afterwards. Will couldn't help but like Chris, but his casually intimate manner with Elizabeth really got to him, especially when Chris hugged and kissed the cheeks of both Jane and Elizabeth as he left.

Try as he might, he couldn't hide his uneasiness from Elizabeth, who teased him promptly upon locking themselves in her room.

"I told you Chris was a good guy," she baited.

"Yeah," Will answered. "But I don't like that he hugged you like that... Twice."

Elizabeth grinned as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I've known Chris forever, Will. He's always been more like a brother." She raised her head and kissed his cheek. "Besides, there's only one man for me, and he's the only one here." Her lips brushed his, but he responded quickly, and their lips were soon completely engaged.

Chapter 38

Posted on May 19, 2009

"So, what's the deal with Jane and Chris?"

Elizabeth looked over her cup, and met Will's eyes as she sipped her coffee. "I'm surprised it's taken you this long to bring up the subject." She set her cup on the table.

Will stared blankly at the bagel within his hand before raising his eyes to hers again. "I thought about asking last night; I just thought it would be a really weird topic when we were lying in bed."

A little bit of color infused her cheeks as she looked briefly at the table. "Especially since it used to be his room..."

Since Will only looked at her and didn't reply, she continued. "When they began having problems, Jane started sleeping in the larger guest room, and eventually she just moved in there.

"Then when I moved in, she said she had no desire to move back, and pointed out that I needed the space for my computers, so that's how I ended up with the master bedroom."

Will nodded. "That answers a question I've had, but not the one I asked."

Elizabeth took a bite of her bagel and watched him as she chewed in contemplation. Finally, she shrugged, and with small smile, she said, "Jane and Chris are a long story. They met when she was a sophomore in high school and he was a senior. They started dating immediately, and were virtually inseparable.

"After he went away to college, they just sort of broke up. I'm not even sure if it was her idea or his, or if it just happened. I know Jane never seemed upset."

"Obviously they got together again," Will remarked.

Elizabeth nodded. "She saw him a couple times a year after that, usually in passing or amongst friends.

"Then about three, three and a half years ago, they started dating again, and everything seemed perfect."

Will nodded and she continued. "Well, Chris asked Jane to move in with him, and since she'd just graduated Drexel, I was the only reason for her to stay in our apartment in University City. I said I'd be fine, and Chris gave me Hamlet, so she moved in with him.

"I didn't hear about it at the time, but apparently there were a few issues even then, but they decided to buy a house, and Jane fell in love with this one." She paused and took a sip of her rapidly cooling coffee and glanced at the wall clock, 6:15.

"They moved in, and gradually things got worse. Eight months later, she was moved into her room, and in another couple, we'd worked out the deal for me to buy out his equity." She sighed. "Dad had to help me a little, but it didn't take me long to pay him back once I started at CBL."

"Anyhow, Chris has always been great to us. It seemed once they weren't living together, he and Jane got on well. Either of us could call on him day or night. I even called him when my old car died late one winter night. He came out, and we sat in his car, talking until the Auto Club came. Then when I decided on my Audi, he took me to the dealership. To me, I guess he's like my big brother." She sipped the last of her coffee.

"The only thing that threw me off yesterday was that since Jane met Charlie, he's been her 'go to guy.'"

"So, whatever happened the other night..." Will's voice trailed off.

Elizabeth nodded. "Apparently." She searched his eyes, trying to decide if she should continue. She sighed. "Jane's in love with Charlie, but she's convinced he doesn't feel the same... I guess going out Friday night and calling Chris yesterday is her way of trying to move on."

Will stared at Elizabeth, surprised. "But Charlie's nuts about her! He used to fall for a new pretty face every week or two. I don't think he's been on a date since he met her." He shook his head. "He's completely devoted to Jane."

Elizabeth looked at the empty cup she was now holding in both hands. "I tried to tell her, but she didn't want my opinion."

"Tell him." Will said, as though it was obvious.

"She made me promise I wouldn't say anything to him. She doesn't want his pity, and says she'll learn to be 'just friends.'"

Will took Elizabeth's hand and squeezed it. "They should be as happy as we are," he said sadly.

"I know," she answered. "But it's for them to figure out." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

He immediately turned his face toward hers, catching her lips, and, scooting closer, they remained thus engaged for several minutes.

Finally they pulled apart, and Will looked at the clock.

"I know," Elizabeth said. "Do you want a cup of coffee for the road?"

"You don't mind?"

Elizabeth looked at him challengingly. "You're not going to spill it, are you?"

Will smiled. "I'm not intending to."

"Okay." Elizabeth stood up, making both dogs pop to their feet. She led the way through the back door, and went to the counter to fill a travel mug.

Their little group then walked to the front door together, stopping only briefly for Will to put on his suit jacket. Elizabeth then handed him the keys to her car. "Take care of my baby," she said as he took them, handing her the Jeep keys in return.

"I promise," he replied, pulling her gently into his arms, mindful of the mug of coffee she still held. "See you about noon?" He kissed her.

She pulled back after a few moments. "Around noon."

Will then bent down and petted Hamlet's huge head, then tousled Hershey's ears. "You be good for Elizabeth," he told his dog. He then took the travel mug from Elizabeth's hand and pulled her carefully out the door, shutting it behind her.

They kissed briefly, then when Will straightened up to his full height, he said, "I love you, Liz."

"I love you too, Will. Now, get going."

"All right," he said as he backed away from her several paces before turning and walking to her car. "I'll see you soon."

Elizabeth smiled and remained on the porch, watching until he drove out of sight. When she reentered the house, both dogs greeted her happily, and followed her around as she cleaned up the dishes and got ready for church.

Forty-five minutes later, she was sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop when Jane appeared, dressed and needing only a light breakfast before they left. Wanting to talk some, Elizabeth began shutting down her computer, and had just latched it closed when Jane sat across from her.

"It was good to see Chris yesterday," she started.

"Yeah, it's been too long since we had him over," Jane replied easily.

They continued to talk about Chris, but mostly of his current wellbeing and about nothing of substance. When she realized the conversation was going nowhere, Elizabeth mentioned Charlie, but Jane deftly avoided it and opted to talk about her plans to spend the afternoon at their parents' house.

When Jane was done eating, they went to the 8:30 service, and afterwards, Elizabeth changed into comfortable shorts and did a few minor chores around the house until she decided it was time to go to Will's.

Not wanting Hamlet to feel abandoned by his mistress leaving with Hershey, Elizabeth led both dogs to the Jeep, and they jumped in eagerly. By the time she turned the ignition, Hamlet was spread out on the back seat and Hershey was sitting, alert, in the passenger seat. Elizabeth simply had to smile.

A half hour later, she pulled the Jeep beside her car in Will's driveway. Once out, she followed the eager dogs around the house and into the back yard, where Will was reclined on a chaise, reading reports while Maggie sat by the table, knitting, and Mario Lanza's Santa Lucia came from speakers hidden somewhere beneath the eaves.

"Ah, Lizzy, it is good to see you," greeted Maggie, as Will was accosted by the dogs before he could speak.

Elizabeth smiled. "Hi, Maggie. Lovely afternoon." She then walked toward Will, who was pushing back dogs and trying to stand. "Hamlet!" she scolded. As Will made it to her side, she hugged him and kissed his cheek quickly. "Hi, love."

The afternoon was spent leisurely around the house and yard, and when the time came, Elizabeth helped Will prepare dinner, which the threesome ate around the patio table.

Though Will tried to convince her to do otherwise, Elizabeth and Hamlet left in her car about 7 PM. She still had to do her laundry and needed to catch up with a few people online, something she hadn't made much time for in the last few days.

Still, by ten thirty, she was missing him. She curled up on her bed and speed dialed his cell.

"Hello, beautiful," he answered.

"Hi." She didn't want to tell him she felt lonely, so she said nothing.

"Did you get everything done?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "I've still got my computer open here, but I'm thinking of turning in soon." She smiled to herself as she curled her toes under the fresh, clean sheets.

They talked for several minutes, but when Elizabeth audibly yawned, Will suggested she get some sleep.

"I love you, Liz," was the last thing she heard before she ended the call. She then set her phone on the nightstand and closed her computer. She snuggled under the sheets and after turning a few times, she reached over and pulled the other pillow – with its now mismatched pillowcase – to her chest. "I love you, Will," she murmured before drifting to sleep.

Chapter 39

Posted on June 7, 2009

The next week began uneventfully, unless Will showing up unexpectedly on Elizabeth's doorstep at 9:15 Monday night would be considered an event. He was welcomed warmly, and sat snuggled on the sofa with Elizabeth as she and Jane continued watching the In Her Shoes DVD they had already begun.

At some point, Elizabeth snuck up to her room and changed his pillowcase, and when the movie was over, they went up to her room and curled up in bed, just talking and cuddling until sleep overtook them. The next morning, as was becoming all too common, Will rushed home to ready himself for work.

Late Wednesday morning, Jane exited her boss' office to find her sister sitting on the floor, almost underneath his secretary's desk, doing something with the computer. "Lizzy!" she exclaimed quietly, wanting her sister's attention, though not at the expense of hitting her head. She bit her lip and looked around, glad to see no one in the general vicinity.

When Elizabeth turned around, Jane nearly squealed. "Guess what! I'm going out with Becky to visit some brokers in the area tomorrow and Friday. And I'm going to New York with Brad for a couple of days next week!"

"That's great, Jane!" Elizabeth answered. "I didn't know you wanted to get into that area of marketing."

"I just wanted to try something different, so I asked about possibilities. If all goes well, I'll get to do some traveling. I might even go to Chicago in a couple of weeks."

"Sounds wonderful." Elizabeth tried to sound encouraging, as she processed her surprise and thought how much she would not like Jane's job.

They chatted for a few minutes, but as Jane headed for her office, she turned back. "Oh, Lizzy, I won't be on the train tonight. I'm staying late with Becky to review everything for tomorrow."

"Okay, Jane," Elizabeth replied with a nod as she turned back work on the computer.

A couple hours later, after having lunched separately, Elizabeth was working in the computer room when Will called.

"I was wondering if you would mind changing our dinner plans tonight," he suggested hesitantly.

"Sure." She nodded her head, though no one could see her. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, not at all," he replied. "It's just that... Well, one of our larger customers had to come up here today, and dropped in this afternoon. I thought it would be good to take him to dinner."

"Oh, okay." She frowned to herself. "We can go out another night, no biggie." She tried not to sound upset.

"That's not what I meant. Ted's an old colleague of mine, and I'm not really intending to discuss business – though I was planning to invite his account manager. I thought we could all go to Bookbinders for dinner."

"It's all right, Will. I don't want to be in the way."

"Liz, you could never be in the way. I want you to come with us." His voice grew quieter. "I'd miss you."

Elizabeth hesitated. "If you're sure, I'll go with. But really, I'm okay going home. Much as I like it, I don't need you to entertain me."

She could almost picture Will, standing behind his desk, looking out the window and shaking his head. "I love you, Liz," he said. "We'll meet in your lobby at 5:30, if that's okay."

After a couple minutes of sweet goodbyes, they each returned their focus to their duties until it was time to meet.

Dinner turned out well. Elizabeth enjoyed meeting the other gentlemen, and conversation flowed easily amongst the group.

As Will and Elizabeth walked hand in hand toward Suburban Station, Will thanked her.

"Whatever for?" she asked.

Will smiled. "Mostly just for being you, and being there. Even though I've known both of them for years, I'd have likely retreated into the safety of work, rather than having the relaxed dinner I had hoped for..." He raised her hand to his lips and quickly kissed it as they continued to walk. "You just seem so easy with everyone... It all turned out perfectly."

Elizabeth grinned. "It did. I had a good time. The guys were really nice, and you know I enjoyed being with you."

Taking the slow local train, they didn't get to Will's house until nearly nine. They opted for a leisurely swim before calling it a night and retiring to Will's room.

As soon as the door was closed behind them (and Hershey), Elizabeth was wrapped in Will's eager arms. Their bodies did not cease touching as they made love passionately, then fell asleep, snuggled together.

In the morning, Will woke up disoriented in his own bed. The sky was just lightening, and he was alone. "Liz?" he called softly.

"Here, hon," she answered.

He rolled over and saw her curled up in the wing chair in the corner, wearing his shirt, her feet dangling over the arm. She smiled at him, but it didn't take him long to notice her eyes darting to the screen of the computer in her lap.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"SMTP Gateway crashed." Since Will wore a blank expression and didn't answer, she offered, "I have to reroute email; and if I can get in early, I probably should."

Will nodded as he sat up. "That's not a problem. You could borrow Georgie's car if you have to leave right away, but I don't have a problem going in early myself." He watched as she nodded and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm surprised I didn't hear your phone."

"I'm not," she answered. "I have my alerts set with a mosquito tone. I'd rather not have a lot of people knowing if I'm getting one, and in the middle of the night, there isn't any reason to wake anyone but me." She smiled at him for a moment before returning her focus to the computer.

Will slid his legs off the bed, and Hershey popped up from beside Elizabeth's chair and greeted his master. While scratching the dog's ears, he asked, "Would you like me to get you some coffee?"

"Sounds great. Thanks."

He stood and walked over to Elizabeth, bending to kiss her temple. "I may have to make it; I'll be back in a few."

"Okay. I've done just about as much as I can from here. I'm going to jump in the shower if that's all right." She began closing her remote session.

"That's fine." Will and Hershey were at the door. "I love you, Liz."

"Love you too, Will."

They both got ready quickly, trying not to rush too much, and they easily made the 6:37 train. They were waiting to go up the escalator from the platform when Elizabeth's phone rang.

"Is everything okay?" Jane asked.

"It's fine," Elizabeth answered. "We're at Suburban Station. Had a problem at work, so Will and I came in early. I'll see you when you get in."

"Okay, sis. Talk to you later."

That evening, Elizabeth was already on the train platform when Will and Charlie arrived. Both smiled at her warmly, and Will took her hand the moment he was close enough.

"Have you talked to Jane this afternoon?" Charlie asked. "I wonder how her meetings went today."

Elizabeth smiled. He asked about Jane before even saying hi. "Sorry, Charlie, I haven't talked to her since this morning."

"Oh, okay." He frowned for a moment, then just as suddenly asked, "Did you see the Flyers Schedule was released today? I'll take opening day against the Rangers if you don't want them." He then turned to Elizabeth. "You know Will has season tickets, right?"

While Will answered him, Elizabeth all but stared at Charlie. He had certainly changed the subject and his attitude quickly. Maybe Jane was right after all. She held back a sigh and forced a smile as the guys talked.

To Elizabeth's further confusion and consternation, when they boarded the train, Charlie sat promptly by a young blonde woman and greeted her with a smile. She and Will continued on until they found a seat together. As they sat, he started speaking. "I give away a lot of my hockey tickets; I just can't go to every game. I hope you'll go with me sometimes though."

"I'd love to. I haven't been to a game in a while, but I always enjoyed them."

After a few minutes, Elizabeth rested her head on Will's arm.

"Early morning getting to you?" he asked.

"Guess so," she answered quietly.

"Well, if you nod off, I'll wake you when we get to Paoli."

Chapter 40

Posted on July 1, 2009

Elizabeth loved waking up in Will's embrace. She smiled to herself as she relished the feel of his arms, his body, his smell. Without opening her eyes, she knew exactly where she was. But how did I get here?

Suddenly awake, she tried to replay the events of the night before. After arriving at Will's house, they had spent a few minutes together in his study, then dinner with Maggie, followed by a short walk. Upon their return, they settled in the media room, and finding nothing interesting on television, Will started a John Adams DVD. They had snuggled, and kissed, and… That was all she recalled. Oh God! I must have fallen asleep.

Knowing she was in Will's bed, her only conclusion could be that he had carried her upstairs. I can't believe this! She was sure she was blushing.

Moving only the tiniest bit, she inventoried the clothes she still wore. No jeans. Panties, shirt. No bra; how does he do that! She didn't dwell on it for long, as nature's call took precedence.

Grimacing at the thought of leaving the comfort of Will's arms, she slowly extricated herself and carefully crept from the bed. Hearing the clink of dog tags as she stood, she whispered, "Shh, Hershey. Stay." Then tiptoeing quickly, she slipped into the bathroom and quietly latched the door.

When she exited a few short minutes later, she was startled to see Will, sitting on the foot of the bed in his boxers, petting Hershey. "Oh, I didn't mean to wake you – it's not even five," she said quietly. She looked toward Will's feet and Hershey's paws, and frowned. "I'm so sorry."

Will stood and pulled her into a hug. "It's not a problem, Liz. We did turn in early, after all," he tried to joke.

He noticed the corners of her mouth turned up a little, but her countenance was otherwise unchanged. Kissing her forehead, he added, "I should have asked what time you got up yesterday. If anyone should be sorry…" His voice trailed off as he felt her lips on his neck and her fingers sliding down his shoulder.

"No more apologies," she muttered.

"All right." He kissed her ear. "I'll be right back." It was his turn to close himself in the bathroom.

When Will emerged, he paused for a moment in the doorway to watch Elizabeth lying in bed, petting and talking to Hershey. He walked over and slipped in beside her, reaching over her to pat the dog's head. "Good boy, Hershey. Now go lay down."

The dog looked up at his master with a sad look in his big, brown eyes, then quickly trotted away.

Will then closed his arm around Elizabeth, drawing her near so he could kiss her cheek. "I love you, Liz," he murmured between kisses.

"I love you too," she answered as she turned toward him, enabling their lips to meet in a searing kiss. Barely aware of her actions, she complied with Will's efforts to remove her shirt and panties before running her hand down his side, only to encounter the waistband of his boxers. With a sigh that was heard by neither, she deftly removed them, tossing them aside to join her discarded clothes on the floor.

Some time later, as Will's alarm buzzed, they resignedly rolled out of bed. "I have no idea what to do about clothes now," Elizabeth grumbled to herself. "I guess I should get the bag of Tuesday's clothes out of the car and see what I can do."

"I brought them in last night," Will volunteered. "I hope you don't mind. Knowing you had nothing else, I asked Maggie what to do. She said you should borrow a blouse from Georgie's room, but that you'd want your own jeans, so she took your clothes to wash them."

"Oh, she didn't have to do that!" Elizabeth gasped.

Will took her hand and waited for her eyes to meet his. "This would be a very sad place if we only did what we must, especially for the people we love."

Elizabeth smiled and squeezed his hand. "You're right. Thank you."

The remainder of the morning progressed uneventfully. Will brought coffee and Elizabeth's clothes back to his room after letting out Hershey, and they ate raspberry scones with Maggie before heading to the train.

Elizabeth set right to work at the office, and only took a break to text Will and to talk to Jane on the phone, since they would not see each other until night – provided Elizabeth didn't fall asleep on Will's sofa again; she couldn't help blushing, glad that no one could see her.

Fortunately, her concern proved unnecessary, as after dinner that evening, she and Will went for a swim, then took dessert back to her house to share with Jane. The three of them ate in the backyard under the starry sky while the dogs trotted around happily together.

They were quite happy to turn in, still somewhat early, eager to make love and content to fall asleep in each other's arms once again.

Chapter 41

Though Will, Elizabeth and the dogs didn't emerge from her room until after nine, Will and Hershey were gone before ten. As much as he might have preferred to remain in Elizabeth's company, he knew she had plans for the day.

Just after 10:30, Jane and Elizabeth drove into the parking lot at the Regal Cinema in Exton. They were scarcely out of the car when they spied Charlotte eagerly waving at them.

"The movie starts in ten minutes! Do you think you could cut it any closer?" their friend exclaimed as they walked up to the entrance.

"There's a reason I prefer morning shows, Char. I don't think we'll have a problem," Elizabeth teased. Still laughing at her friend's anxiety, she bought tickets for herself and Jane, and they all entered the theater to watch Mamma Mia.

A little over two hours later, they had moved their cars to the corner of Brandywine Square, and were sitting at Chili's, waiting for their lunch to be served. Charlotte was still gushing.

"You really do have it bad, Char. You have to be the biggest Colin Firth fan I know!"

"I won't deny it," her friend replied. "And I know you like him too. What I want to know is if you told Mr. Dreamy that you were going to the movies to ogle our dear boy?"

Elizabeth was grateful she'd swallowed her sip of margarita before the challenge. "I told him what movie we were seeing, and while I like several British actors, I don't drool nearly as much as you!"

The ladies continued to laugh and tease throughout their meal and while they browsed Talbots and shopped at DSW Shoes. They rounded out the afternoon by moving the cars once again, this time to the far end of the shopping center in order to attend to necessary purchases at PetSmart and BJ's.

While Elizabeth and Jane shopped, Will and Charlie met up for a game at Berwyn Squash and Fitness, after which they went to Will's house to relax and watch the [url=http://www.opengolf.com/ChampionshipGolf/TheOpenChampionship/History/PreviousOpens.aspx?eventid=2008060&view=">British Open. It was about 4:30 when Will decided to text Elizabeth.

Hope your coming over soon. Missing you. Charlie here. Staying for dinner. Jane welcome too.

Elizabeth and Jane had just finished bringing all their purchases into the house when Elizabeth's Blackberry vibrated. She read the message and grinned for a moment before looking up and watching her sister. "Will just invited you for dinner if you'd like to go."

Jane looked up, just a bit surprised.

When their eyes met, Elizabeth quietly added, "Charlie's there."

Something flashed in Jane's eyes for a moment. Anger? Pain? Then she grabbed the multi-packs of toothpaste and mouthwash and headed for the stairs, turning back before she reached them. "Are you two up to something?" she asked evenly.

"I'm not," Elizabeth answered flatly. "I doubt Will is either."

"I'll think about it," Jane said slowly, then quickly disappeared.

Elizabeth went back to the kitchen and looked out the window as she keyed a response.

Putting away groceries. Jane thinking. If she comes, I guess we do 2 cars or I leave with her.

A minute later, her phone vibrated again.

Jane welcome to stay. Or take one of mine in the am.

An hour later, Jane pulled her car into Will's driveway, biting her lip as she put it in park. She then uttered something to herself as she pulled out the key, but Elizabeth could only make out the word 'friend.'

Maggie met them at the door, making sure to scratch Hamlet's ears as he divided his eager affection between her and Hershey. She told Jane how happy she was to see her again, and the trio chatted for a few minutes. When they heard a buzzing sound in the kitchen, Maggie exclaimed, "Oh! The boys are back in the game room, if you'll excuse me." She started toward the kitchen.

"Thanks, Maggie," Elizabeth said. "Whatever you're baking smells delicious!"

The sisters walked toward the back of the house, stopping in the door of the game room, as they noticed Charlie leaning over the pool table, lining up a shot right in front of them. Jane's keys jingled, and both of them winced.

Fortunately, Charlie stood up and turned, greeting them with a huge grin. "Hi, ladies!"

Will, at the same time, smiled as he leaned his cue against the rack and walked around the table. "Glad you decided to come, Jane," he said, then pulled Elizabeth into his arms. "My love," he whispered just above her ear.

Elizabeth took a deep breath, inhaling his comforting scent. "Love you," she whispered back.

Once released, Elizabeth led Jane over to the bar and took out a couple Yuenglings, and they sat on stools, watching for the few minutes until Charlie sunk the eight ball.

Will congratulated his friend, put his cue in the rack and headed directly toward Elizabeth with a warm smile.

"Either of you play?" Charlie asked.

"I will," Jane answered, hopping off her barstool with her beer and walking over to the pool table.

Will claimed Jane's vacated seat and sat talking quietly with Elizabeth. From time to time, they would glance over to see Jane and Charlie looking as cozy as ever, especially when Charlie was helping Jane to line up her shots.

Dinner added Maggie to the mix, but as ever, conversation was lively and the food was plentiful. Afterwards, they all helped to clear off the table, and played poker at Charlie's behest.

All seemed to be going well until Charlie began sharing an anecdote about something that had happened during the week. "My secretary, Maureen, was in my office and..."

Will noticed Elizabeth's eyes were on her sister, and shifting his gaze to Jane, noticed the color draining from her face. Charlie, however, didn't seem to notice until he was done. They continued to play a few more hands, though with very little conversation.

As soon as she could, Jane yawned. "I suppose I really should be going," she said. "We had a busy day, and I have a lot to do tomorrow too." She forced a sigh. "Thank you for having me over, Will. Dinner was lovely," she said quietly as she stood from her chair.

Elizabeth followed her out, concerned, but Jane insisted she was all right, just tired.

"Right now I just want to go home; and I'll be fine by myself. Don't worry." Jane straightened her shoulders and tried to smile. "Besides, I have to work on my presentation in the morning. Do you think you could watch me run through it a time or two tomorrow?"

Agreeing to do so, Elizabeth hugged her sister, then watched her leave before returning to the dining room.

They played another three hands, and Charlie decided it was time for him to leave, too.

Not much later, Will and Elizabeth turned in for the night. They talked a little about Jane and Charlie, but mostly they just snuggled and fell asleep wrapped in warm embraces.

Sunday morning seemed to come all too soon. Will and Elizabeth woke to the alarm, reminding them that they had to get up and prepare for church. They had left no time for intimacy, other than a few stolen kisses before they left the house with Maggie at 7:10 – Will and Maggie in their own cars headed for their own churches and Elizabeth and Hamlet heading home in the Jeep.

When she arrived, Elizabeth found Jane was already up, puttering around the kitchen, with plans of working instead of accompanying her sister to church. "Are you all right?" Elizabeth asked.

Jane tried to force a smile. "I'm fine. It was just so... nice. I wanted to forget he'll never love me." She sighed and closed her eyes for a long moment. "It'll be okay though. With my trip to New York, I probably won't even see him until Thursday."

Elizabeth couldn't think of anything to say, and was surprised when Jane hugged her.

"I love you, little sis. This is just something I have to do, and right now I'm going to make myself focus on work. You go get ready for church, and if you really want to help me, let me try out my presentation on you when you get back."

Hugging back tightly, Elizabeth answered, "I'll be happy to." She then poured herself a cup of coffee and ran upstairs.

The rest of the day passed quickly, as Sundays are wont to do. She started a load of laundry and changed quickly to make the 8:30 service. Afterwards, she watched Jane do her presentation and did a few chores. Since they wouldn't meet up in the morning, Elizabeth hugged Jane and wished her luck, then hugged Hamlet and left for Will's.

Chapter 42

Posted on July 20, 2009

As the Great Valley Flyer sped through Radnor on Monday evening, Elizabeth gazed at her fingers, intertwined with Will's. As much as she loved him, she secretly looked forward to his disembarking at Paoli.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to come with me?" His voice broke through her thoughts.

She smiled up at him reassuringly. "I'm sure. I need to go home to Hammy; and you, at minimum, need to change clothes and get whatever you need for tomorrow. Besides, you know what traffic's like at this time of night."

Will frowned, but nodded in agreement.

"I have things to get done, and wouldn't be great company anyway. Come over about eight, and I'll be all yours."

The corner of his mouth rose for a moment, but his pout promptly returned.

Gosh, he's cute when he does that! Elizabeth was so tempted to kiss him, but she couldn't. Not here. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder and whispered, "I love you, Will."

He squeezed her hand. "Love you too, Liz."

A few minutes later, Elizabeth waved at Will as the train pulled away, then quickly extracted her laptop and opened it, willing it to wake up from stand by quickly.

Being in love had inspired several ideas, but offered few opportunities to commit them to Word. This one, she had run with, and she was excited about the chapter she had started at lunch. With luck, she could finish before Will arrived at her house.

She typed away for the next twenty minutes, and smiled to herself as she put her computer away. The chapter was flowing very smoothly.

At Thorndale Station, now eager to get home, she walked toward Jane's Mini, wondering how her sister was doing up in New York. Jane had texted that she had arrived okay and that she had really liked the Acela Business Class service, but Elizabeth hadn't heard from her since. Figuring Jane was busy, Elizabeth silently wished her well and decided to text her if she didn't hear from her before 7:30.

When she got home, she let Hamlet out, sifted through the mail, tidied a bit and made a plate of radishes, baby cut carrots and tomato slices. Then, taking her food, a bottle of water and her laptop, she settled herself up on a chaise in the backyard and returned to her writing.

By eight, she had sent off her chapter to her beta, talked to Jane – who said she was doing great – and was chatting online while intermittently throwing Hamlet's ball. When the large dog froze mid-chase and ran eagerly for the gate, she knew Will was near, and could not restrain her smile.

Elizabeth quickly said goodbye to her online friends and was shutting down when she heard Will's voice, "There's my buddy, Hamlet. Where's Elizabeth?"

"Come on back," she called as she saw him approach the gate and pet her dog.

He entered and sat down with her, so they could talk for a while. Soon thereafter, though, they went inside, and Elizabeth set her computer on the kitchen table. Almost immediately, she was lifted into Will's arms, and as promised, for the rest of the night, she was all his.

On Tuesday, the couple stayed abed until six, and only had to rush a little to make Thorndale Station by 6:55. The day was uneventful, and the evening was spent enjoying their privacy at Elizabeth's.

Wednesday promised to be nearly as mundane. Will left early to go home, and met Elizabeth again on the train. Jane arrived at the office about 1:30, but only had a few minutes to talk before both set back to work.

A little after three, Elizabeth realized it seemed to be getting dark, and stood up to look out her windows. Indeed, it was dismal out there. She watched people on the street, some without umbrellas running for shelter, and those with, leaning into the rain, though not always with success as she saw more than one umbrella inverted by the wind. When she saw an ownerless umbrella skipping along the street, she giggled for a moment, until she thought of its former possessor being doused.

As she moved her focus from down below to up above, she wondered if the people on the top floors of Liberty Place could feel the force of the wind.

Still, she knew there was work to be done, so sitting back at her desk, she pulled up KYW's website to listen to their streaming newscast. That proved an excellent idea when at 4:12 (Traffic on the Twos), she heard that due to power line problems, R5 service was suspended.

Elizabeth quickly dialed Will's cell. "Weather took out the train," she sighed when he answered.

There was a long silence, but she could tell he was still there. Finally, he spoke. "You've been through this before?"

"Yeah," she answered softly. "It seems to happen once every summer."

"So, what do you suggest we do?"

"Well, if you can't wait it out, you can try to get a cab, which'll be nearly impossible, though you might take the R1 to the airport and catch one there. Or if Maggie can pick you up in Radnor, you could take the Market-Frankford_Line to the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEPTA_Route_100">High Speed.

"I've always just made the best of it. Get dinner or stay in the office until you hear the trains are running again. And the one thing you most definitely do not want to do is wait at Suburban Station. It'll be crowded and hot. And the first couple of trains'll be packed."

"Okay." His voice sounded more relaxed. "Dinner it is. I suppose we should include Charlie; and is Jane back?"

"Yeah. She's been here a couple of hours."

"Good. How about we meet in your lobby about 5:30?"

"Sounds good. I love you."

"Love you too, sweetie. See you then."

As Will and Charlie approached Elizabeth's building, they were surprised when she, alone, emerged.

"Where's Jane?" Charlie asked anxiously.

"She's not coming. I just went by her office, and she says she has a lot to catch up on." Elizabeth frowned. Then trying to lighten their moods, she added, "On the upside, she's listening to KYW, and will call us when there's news.

The threesome walked to Walnut Street in the light rain to Alma de Cuba. They enjoyed the food and the atmosphere, and were just getting ready to leave when Jane called to tell them that the trains were running.

Stopping briefly to meet up with Jane on their way, they were soon on the platform, watching people squeezing into a train that already appeared filled to capacity. The next R5 was not quite as crowded, but also not an option, as it was only going as far as Paoli. They waited another ten minutes for the next.

This train was already relatively full, but once aboard, they managed only to find two seats, fortunately across the aisle from one another. Jane and Elizabeth sat, as Will and Charlie stood beside them. While full, at least they weren't as crushed as the passengers of the previous train had been.

Charlie, and then Will, eventually found seats, but unfortunately not near the sisters. It was not until Strafford that Will and Elizabeth claimed a seat together. They had three stops and less than ten minutes until they would part ways for the night. Making the most of it, Will wrapped his arm around her, and Elizabeth rested her head on his shoulder. Neither found words necessary.

Elizabeth and Jane were finally greeted by a very happy Hamlet just before nine. Their bags were left beside the door as Elizabeth took Hamlet out back and Jane poured two iced teas before joining her. Both promptly collapsed side by side on the glider, where after Elizabeth sent a text to Will, assuring him of their safe arrival, they sat until nearly midnight, talking.

R5 trains were perfectly on schedule once again Thursday morning. Will and Elizabeth sat together, as did Charlie and Jane, and all appeared to be right with the world.

Jane, however, was not on the evening train, and did not get into town at all on Friday. Knowing, or at least believing, it to be because of Jane's new job responsibilities, Elizabeth gave her absence little thought.

Stepping off the elevator on Will's floor at 5:40 Friday evening, a tall man ran straight into her.

"Elizabeth. Are you okay?" Rich Fitzwilliam asked. "I didn't expect anyone to be getting off the elevator."

"I'm fine." She tried to laugh. "Just meeting Will up here."

"I'll warn you then. I think Charlie's still in there with him. Will dragged him in there after our board meeting." Even though no one was around, he leaned closer and whispered. "I think Charlie's having girl problems again..."

"Again?" she couldn't stop herself from asking.

Rich laughed. "Every couple months, he thinks he's in love, and then the girl breaks his heart, and Will picks up the pieces." He tilted his head as he paused. "Been a while though... Who knows?"

He walked back to the door and waved his wallet in front of the access card reader. "Go ahead back." He held the door open for Elizabeth. As she walked past, he didn't bother hiding the way his eyes scanned her body. "You still don't look like a geek!" He grinned slyly and let the door close behind her.

Laughing lightly and shaking her head, she walked toward Will's office. When she reached his door, she raised her hand to knock, but stopped as she heard Charlie's voice from inside.

"Thanks, Will. I don't know... even if Lizzy says so..." His voice was getting closer. "But I'll think about it." The door opened.

Elizabeth had never seen someone's color change so fast. "Hi, Lizzy," Charlie stuttered, and moved out of her way. The moment her hand reached for the door, he walked swiftly away.

Chapter 43

Posted on July 25, 2009

Will sat with his eyes closed, head down, as he rubbed his temples. Realizing he hadn't heard the door click shut, he looked up. "Liz." He started to smile, then noticed her rigid stance and expression. "Are you all right?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Control yourself. This might not be as it seems. Shaking her head slowly, she answered, "I don't think so."

Will stood and started to walk around his desk, and Elizabeth put her hand up. He froze. "What is it?"

Their eyes met for a moment before she looked away. "I need..." Breathe. "I need to know what's going on with you... and your friend..." Stay calm! "And my sister." She had managed to keep her voice firm and even.

"Charlie..." he uttered involuntarily.

"Yes. Charlie. I promised Jane I wouldn't get involved."

"I know," he answered quietly. Then trying to meet her eyes, he continued, "But I had to. He can't go on like this; someone had to deal with this situation one way or another. They're both just hurting each other like this."

Elizabeth was gritting her teeth, and had to struggle to keep from raising her voice. "So, no matter what Jane wants, and without regard to what I've said, you saw fit to drag Charlie to your office and tell him he's breaking her heart?"

"That's not exactly it..." He took a couple steps forward.

"But close enough!" She tilted her head, almost as if she had asked a question, which was answered by his guilty expression. Holding her palms up in agitation, she challenged, "Then what exactly did you tell him?"

Will looked down and grabbed his left arm, squeezing it as he spoke, "I only meant to tell him that he needs to deal with his feelings for Jane – that he needs to tell her what's going on with him, even if he thinks she'll reject him. But when he started going on about how she's been avoiding him, I tried to explain... I tried to make him see..."

Elizabeth raised her voice, though not quite to yelling. "Exactly who are you, that you feel compelled to direct his life?"

"I am his friend! And I'm his employer..."

"His employer? You think that gives you the right to interfere? Thank goodness you're not my boss!"

Will closed the distance between them and took her hand. "You don't understand..." He was fighting to remain calm.

"Apparently!" she retorted, pulling her hand back. "I obviously don't know you as well as I thought either." She closed her eyes as she tried to collect herself. "Good night, Will." She turned back toward the door.

"Liz! Wait!" He grabbed her arms.

She bristled. "Unhand me. Let me go."

He released her. "But Liz..."

"No, Will." She stood stiffly, unable to turn and face him. "Not now... I need to go."

Liz! his heart cried. He had no idea how to make her stay. "Okay," he sighed.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and walked out of his office and down the hall, refusing to look back. She didn't recall ever feeling such pain in her heart.

Once the door closed behind her, Will stepped forward and placed his fingertips against it. "I love you, Liz," he whispered.

The hot afternoon air offered some comfort as Elizabeth emerged from the building. She looked up and down the street, not sure where to go. Rittenhouse Square! She needed to keep moving; to walk; to think. Why did he have to do that?

Twenty minutes walking the circular path through the park provided no answers. She had only succeeded in working up a sweat and, if anything, confusing herself further. I should probably just go home. Not wanting to risk crossing paths with Will, she opted for 30th Street, stopping at the newsstand for a bottle of cold Turkey Hill lemonade before going to wait near the platform.

What if Will is on the train? I'm not ready to deal with him. She sighed, wishing everything could be all right. Why!

When the train arrived, Elizabeth slipped into the first car, and found a seat facing forward. Resting her head against the window, she closed her eyes, not knowing what else to do as the train left Center City behind.

The commute only seemed to make her more agitated. She considered reading, or doing something on her computer, but she knew it was hopeless. All she could do was bide her time until the train finally pulled into Thorndale Station, then, rather than calling Jane, she would walk home. There was simply too much pent up frustration, and if she called Jane to pick her up, she'd just have to talk about things sooner. And there's another problem. What can I say to Jane!

As she approached her house at nearly 8:45, she noticed Jane's car was gone. Well, it's not like she was expecting me... She could hear Hamlet on the other side of the door as she went in, and once through the door, was sure this greeting was the best part of her day. Elizabeth realized that playing with her dog elicited the first smiles and laughs in hours.

Glad for the change in her mood, however temporary, she followed her dog into the yard and threw his ball for him several times. When he was worn out though, she left him outside, and went upstairs for a cool shower. The water eased her body, but not her mind, as her turmoil returned. Why did he have to tell Charlie? He promised! I should never have told him anything! Elizabeth banged her head lightly on the shower wall. Why?

Once she felt that at least her body was soothed, she let Hamlet in and made herself a cup of chamomile tea before retiring to her room. She sat in bed with her laptop, trying to read her email and the update of her favorite Mansfield Park story with limited success. All efforts were further hindered when her Blackberry vibrated. Though she knew what it was, she looked. A new message had been sent by Will, and she read the beginning without opening it: Liz I love you an

With a sigh, Elizabeth placed the phone back on her nightstand. Giving up on everything else, she then shut down her computer, turned out her lamp and lay down to stare into the darkness. She couldn't recall ever feeling so alone; yet somehow she preferred it to being with Jane or him right now. She tossed and turned a bit, refusing to face his side of the bed, and finally ending up facing her nightstand, her own pillow strangled in her embrace.

She was still awake when Jane got home, and she listened as her sister moved around the house. Eventually she heard a light knock on her door, but she ignored it. And when Jane opened it a crack, Elizabeth didn't move, even as Hamlet got up and Jane scratched his chin and whispered, "Shhh. Go back to sleep, Hammy."

Elizabeth squeezed the pillow tighter, and finally, though she'd fought it, gave vent to tears. Soon thereafter, she was asleep.

Will stared at the closed door for some time, shocked by Elizabeth's departure. He felt empty; bereft. No one had ever walked out on him before... Well, at least not since Rich, what, two years ago? He was almost tempted to smile, recalling the scene. He always did have a flair for the dramatic. Will tried to recall the reason for that argument, but could only recall laughing with his cousin over it a few days later.

Georgiana had stormed out a couple of times too, when she was much younger, but she always eventually conceded he was just being a responsible guardian. And as for the women he'd dated before Elizabeth? He'd never even argued with one; they'd always acceded to his wishes.

Will shook his head as he walked back to his desk. He loved that Elizabeth had her own mind and opinions. But how did everything go so wrong?

"Why didn't you let me explain, Elizabeth?" he asked the empty room as he began to replay the scene in his mind. He realized rather quickly that she had already been upset when she entered the room; but it took several minutes to realize that she'd said something about him dragging Charlie to his office. But how could she know?

He suddenly reached up and slid his finger into the half-Windsor knot of his necktie, and pulled off the offending article, then slammed his hand on his desk. "Damn it Elizabeth! Why wouldn't you give me a chance!" He threw the necktie toward his attaché, and dropped his head in his hands, digging his fingers into his hair as he pondered more. He was not sorry for having talked to Charlie; it had been the only option. He only wished he could have explained the situation to Elizabeth calmly. She has to understand!

After nearly an hour of dwelling on the situation, Will realized he was getting nowhere. Grabbing his jacket and attaché, he headed for the door.

He looked for her everywhere as he walked to the train, but never saw her. He also looked at all the passengers in the car as he found a seat. No Liz. He frowned.

Nothing at home eased his mind either, and after dinner, Will found himself pacing his study. By ten, he could fight himself no longer, and pulling out his phone he typed, Liz I love you and I want to talk whenever your ready. I'll be here. Always.

With a sigh, he and Hershey went up to his room, where he climbed into the empty bed, and fell asleep clutching Elizabeth's pillow, her lingering scent pricking at his heart.

Chapter 44

Posted on July 31, 2009

Elizabeth breathed in deeply, absorbing Will's scent and feeling a warm, tingling sensation throughout her body. Sure, it wasn't the same as waking up in his arms, but hugging his pillow had its comforts. His pillow! "Damn him!" She sat up and punched his pillow, then turned away from it. Looking at the clock on her nightstand, she frowned – 5:33. With a sigh, she lay back down, slipping further from the center of the bed and keeping her back to his side.

It didn't help though. After ten minutes, Elizabeth sat up again. There was no going back to sleep. It was time to face the day. She slowly got up and stretched, her head already beginning to throb. Slowly, she dragged herself to her bathroom and took two ibuprofen before declaring the official start of her day.

Reminding Hamlet to be quiet, they padded downstairs, and she let him out before making her coffee. This has to be the world's slowest coffeemaker!. When she was finally able to pour herself a cup of the strong brew, she took it and her laptop out to the backyard. She watched Hamlet for a while, and perused her email and a few sites, but her mind continually drifted back to the scene with Will. Rubbing her temples, she sighed.

I can't just sit around here like this all day! She shook her head and shifted her focus to the large dog for a minute or so. Turning back to her computer, she pulled up the R5 schedule. "6:43, and not another till 8:13." She looked at her watch. She could make it if she hurried.

Moving quickly, she packed her computer, found a serviceable outfit in the laundry room, and wrote a note to Jane, leaving it by the coffee pot. Then with a good rubbing of Hamlet's ears and a kiss to the top of his head, she was out the door.

She watched her clock and rushed just a little along the barren roads, and had no trouble making her train. Once aboard though, she was again met with the dilemma of what to do with herself. She read a couple of work emails on her Blackberry, then switched over to text messaging. There was the message Will had sent the night before. With a frown, she highlighted it and allowed her thumb to hover over the trackball for several seconds before finally pressing it.

Liz I love you and I want to talk whenever your ready. I'll be here. Always.

Tears welled in her eyes. I love you too... But you betrayed my trust. You...

She stared at the screen for a long time, even after it went blank, as the wheels turned in her head. Finally she wiped her eyes and began typing:

Can't talk yet. Sorry. Just hurts too much to think. Maybe tonight. IDK... I'll be out all day.

Before she could think further, she sent it. Then putting her phone away, she turned and pulled her feet up onto the seat, though she knew it was not allowed, and wrapping her arms around her legs, put her head down on her knees.

Will awoke with a start, though as he glanced around the still room and at the sleeping dog, he had no clue why. He shook his head and frowned before he buried his face in Elizabeth's pillow again and closed his eyes. Inhaling deeply, he smiled for a moment. He loved the scent she left behind, her eyes, her smile... He loved her.

But the last time he saw her, she hadn't been smiling. "Why?" he groaned. She should have known he'd never meant to disoblige her, but it had been necessary.

He sighed and tried to think of something else – anything else – but with little success. So, resigning himself to his fate, he sat up and looked at the clock – 5:44. Maggie's probably not even up yet. He rubbed his stubbly chin, then stood up and headed for the bathroom.

Before going downstairs, he checked his phone, but he had missed no messages. Frowning, he slipped it into his pocket and exited the room with Hershey. As they passed through the kitchen, Will flipped the switch on the coffeemaker, as it hadn't turned itself on yet. Then once Hershey was in the backyard, Will collected the Inquirer from the front step.

Fifteen minutes later, he sat in the backyard with his coffee, struggling to read about Wachovia's CFO and [url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/print.jsp?ymd=20080725&content_id=3195913&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb&affiliateId=CommentWidget">Charlie Manuel's team meeting. It was hopeless though; his mind just could not stay focused. He sighed and looked around the yard, then down at the dog lying by his side. "Want to go for a run?"

Hershey's head popped up and his tail swished excitedly from side to side. It was definitely a good idea.

They ran to Knox Bridge, and had just started back toward the house when Will's phone beeped, indicating a new text message. He continued running while he debated whether he should stop and read it, and didn't make it very far, stopping several feet back from the road, in front of [url=http://jim-frizzell.com/valley_forge_major_lord_stirling.htm">Stirling's Quarters.

He read the message, then continued to stare blankly at the screen. It pained him that she was hurting so much, and that his actions were the cause. But worse, she was prolonging it for both of them.

They needed to talk. She needed to listen. He needed... Hitting something would be nice, but there was nothing available. He needed to run. Putting his phone back in his pocket, he bent low and tousled Hershey's ears, and they resumed their exercise.

At home, Will showered, then ate a very quiet breakfast with Maggie, grateful that she did not inquire into the troubles that were likely written all over his face. Afterward, he went to his study and tried to work.

He managed to accomplish a few things, but by 10:30, he felt compelled to do something. Picking up his phone, he dialed Elizabeth's cell. Not surprisingly, it rolled to voice mail. "Hi Liz..." He spoke slowly, unable to hide his disappointment. "I got your message that you'd be out, but thought I'd try anyhow... I'd really like to talk to you... I miss you. Call me... please." He hung up and went back to his computer.

There was a new reply message in his inbox: Hey Will, I didn't get the attachment on that last email. No idea why. Can you please try resending? He checked his sent messages, and sure enough, he hadn't sent an attachment. That was unusual for him.

Half an hour after sending the file, he received another reply: Will, I've added some comments to the document. Some of the numbers on page 3 don't seem right to me, can you double check them? He opened the attachment, and the figures did seem off.

He rested his head in his palms and closed his eyes. What am I doing here? After a couple minutes of contemplation, he jotted off a reply stating he'd get back tomorrow as the issue wasn't really pressing. He then shut off his monitor and sat back, turning away from the computer.

I can't believe I'm letting this get to me so much. He spent a while looking at the picture on his desk he had snapped of Elizabeth sitting poolside before letting his eyes drift along his desk until they stopped at his Cross fountain pen. Maybe...

An hour later, he signed and set aside the letter he'd written, not knowing what to do with it.

Elizabeth sat down cross-legged on the white raised floor of her bright, white computer room at CBL Investments, and gazed at the tidy rack of computers and the new [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_server]Blade Server cabinet[/url) beside it as [url=http://www.metallica.com/Media/Albums/albums.asp?album_id=7">Metallica's Load album blasted from a computer behind her. She'd been focused on nothing but her computers and her tidy little room for hours, and couldn't help but smile at the results.

In time though, she stood up and went back to the console. As she began closing down applications, she noticed a new email had arrived. She clicked on the notification icon to open Outlook and see what it was. Please Read – from Will. Unconsciously, her lower lip stuck out, as if in a pout, as she stared at her inbox. Finally, she double clicked.

There was no text, the message was blank, which was highly unusual for Will. Even when he was sending an attachment – she had noticed the PDF file – he usually made some remark. She moved her pointer to hover over letter.pdf, but waited several long moments before curiosity got the better of her and she double clicked.

Dearest Liz,

As I sit here alone today, I find myself longing for your company, both as my friend and companion, and because I feel compelled to explain what happened last evening.

It was immediately apparent to me that you must have overheard some portion of my conversation with Charlie, and yes, we were discussing his relationship, or lack thereof, with Jane. I cannot apologize for my intervention, but I hope you will read this through and try to understand my position. Perhaps then I can seek your forgiveness for betraying your confidence.

You may already know that Charlie has been with Darcy, Inc. for nearly five years, and our CFO for just over eighteen months, but our friendship goes back much further than that.

In that time, I had often seen him in love, though most of his relationships were very short lived. Still, Charlie has always given his heart freely, and I have found myself supporting him after breakups time and again.

Once he met Jane though, the change was incredible. You know he almost always seems happy, but as long as she's been around, he's been... content.

In the last two weeks, however, he has been behaving erratically – more so than with any of his previous heartbreaks. I have watched him, and tried to give him a few hints (though I'm sure you know subtlety is lost on Charlie), as I have tried to honor Jane's request and your promise to her.

Unfortunately, yesterday, I became aware of evidence that his work is suffering, as well as his emotions. At this point, it seemed imperative that I speak with him, and I asked him to join me in my office after our afternoon meeting.

We discussed his opinions on the matter and then I added mine. I had hoped, rather than expected, that would be enough, but it was not, so I felt it necessary to add some of what you have told me. I did not explain the scene at Les Mis, nor did I repeat what you've said of her confession of loving him; I could not in good conscience share that information, though I thought at the time it might help.

I can only hope now that Charlie will decide to act, if not to pursue a relationship, then to give Jane the distance she needs to move on. Even so, it may be several days until we hear anything new. I obviously do not know Jane's schedule, but Charlie will be out of town on business for at least the early part of the week. I pray that they will talk and work things out.

I do apologize, not for speaking to Charlie, but for not considering your feelings. I never meant to cause you pain. I love you, Elizabeth Bennet, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

Will

Elizabeth was sucking on her lower lip as she reached up to wipe away the tear that trickled down her cheek. "I do love you," she whispered with a small frown.

She reached for the mouse and hovered the pointer over the reply button for a long while, but instead of clicking it, she slid it slightly to the right and clicked the print button instead. She'd have time on the train home.

Chapter 45

Posted on August 6, 2009

Elizabeth read Will's letter twice as the train traveled westbound, away from the city. She then folded it and slid it into the front pocket of her backpack before staring out the window for several minutes. Finally, she pulled out her cell phone and typed a message to Will:

Ur right we need 2 talk. Im sorry. Can I come over tonight? –L

She frowned to herself and quickly pressed the send button. She was reading his response not two minutes later.

Anytime is fine. Dinner?

She thought for a minute before she answered, I was thinking 7. CU then if thats ok.

Once she received his See you then. Love you, she put away her phone and closed her eyes, resting her head against the window. She needed a few minutes' rest.

A half hour later, Elizabeth walked in the door of her house, and was greeted by an excited Hamlet – no surprise there. She had just squatted to be face to face with her beast when she heard Jane's casual, "Hey, sis."

"Hiya," she replied without looking up, as she continued to play with Hamlet. Jane's presence was not unexpected - the room had great natural light, and Jane liked reading there. Elizabeth couldn't fairly accuse her of lying in wait. Yeah, right!

Standing up, she walked over to the sofa where Jane sat with an open paperback on her leg, and sat down on the other end.

"How'd everything go at the office today," Jane asked.

"Pretty well. You'll have to come check out the computer room on Monday. I got the new Blades setup, and the boxes are all stashed away, out of sight." She smiled smugly. "It's perfection."

"Unlike your office," Jane teased.

Elizabeth laughed. "Too true! I can only control so much chaos."

It didn't take long for the air to thicken again. Neither spoke for a long moment, until Jane finally asked, "So... everything okay?"

Elizabeth looked down, but nodded a little. "Will and I argued last night, and I was so mad... I've been struggling to make sense of everything – well, except for computers – since." She sighed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jane asked with concern.

"Not really," Elizabeth answered. She began to scratch Hamlet's ears, refusing to look up and make eye contact with her sister. "Will wrote a letter and emailed it to me. He wasn't too specific, but I see that even though I thought I had, I didn't really give him a chance."

Jane watched her sister closely as she considered her reply. "But you will now?"

Elizabeth nodded, then laid her cheek on Hamlet's head, closing her eyes. "I'm going over to his house this evening."

"Good," Jane answered, reaching over to take Elizabeth's hand. "I know how hard it can be, but listen to what he has to say; and be honest with yourself, and him. That's the most important thing. Okay?"

Lifting her head, Elizabeth forced a little smile. "Okay." She then leaned forward and hugged her sister.

Elizabeth pulled into Will's driveway at 6:58 PM. After pulling out her key, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Why is this so hard? Normally, everything was so easy with Will, and he had always been so understanding. "I've got to do this," she told herself, and slipping the keys into her pocket, she exited her car.

Will met her at the front door. "I'm glad you came," he said with a little smile before kissing her cheek lightly and taking her hand. "Is the study okay?" he asked as he began leading her down the hall.

"Sure," she replied, nodding her head as she followed him into the room and allowed him to close the door behind them.

They sat on the sofa and looked at one another, neither speaking for a very long moment. Finally, Will ventured, "I'm sorry I upset you, Liz." His eyes drifted downward for a moment before trying to meet hers again. "But I cannot apologize for trying to help Charlie. It was necessary... I just hope you can forgive me."

She nodded her head slightly before speaking in a serious, even tone, "Can you explain why you had to advise him? To share my comments or opinions?"

A little color suffused Will's cheeks. "I hadn't planned on it. I had noticed Charlie seemed a bit off lately, but yesterday, in a meeting... Well, someone pointed out an error he should have caught in the books of a company we're acquiring; something I'd never expected Charlie to miss. I knew something was wrong..." he trailed off.

After a moment, Elizabeth challenged, "So you had to drag him to your office after your board meeting to discuss Jane, because she's obviously the problem?"

"No, I..." He met her eyes suddenly. "That's the second time you've accused me of dragging him to my office, and I never said it was a board meeting."

"Oh." She blushed suddenly. "I ran into Rich when I arrived – he let me in. He told me. And that you routinely help Charlie with his 'girl problems.'"

Will clenched his teeth, then forced himself to speak coolly. "I should have figured that one out." He shook his head. "My cousin is a dreadful gossip."

"He is?" Elizabeth tilted her head. "And yet he's in charge of your data security..."

A small laugh almost escaped Will. "Oddly enough, I never thought of that." He shook his head slowly. "I trust him implicitly when it comes to business and the integrity of our systems... But he's just unable to control himself when it comes to our personal lives. It's why I never tell him anything before I have to..." He grinned a little, then sighed deeply. "Anyhow, I did have Charlie accompany me to my office after the meeting, but primarily to make plans for the trip he's now taking to Jacksonville on Monday morning.

"From there, I asked what was going on with him; and he told me he's been preoccupied since he thinks Jane's avoiding him. I had no choice but to discuss her then."

Elizabeth looked down at the sofa between them, noticing their fingers were still intertwined. "I had a very different impression," she said quietly.

Will shifted closer to her, and with a tentative smile asked, "Does that mean I'm forgiven?"

Biting her lip and refusing to raise her eyes, she answered, "I don't know... But I owe you a huge apology."

Since she refused to look up, Will reached up and gently lifted her chin until their eyes met. "Apology accepted," he whispered, leaning forward until their lips met.

One kiss became two, and two became several, but a minute later, Elizabeth pulled away. "I still want to know what happened with Charlie," she said.

It took a moment for Will to recollect his thoughts. "Part of me was inclined to tell him everything, but I knew it wasn't my place. I basically told him that he needed to talk to Jane, and he had to tell her how he feels.

"Then where did my name come up?"

Will frowned and began sliding his fingers around hers. "He was rejecting everything I said, and seemed more... despondent. I was getting frustrated with him, and after reminding him that I've had more opportunities to observe her lately, I added, 'And who knows Jane better than Elizabeth!'" He paused and looked into her eyes, letting out a long exhale. "I told him that you believe she loves him and that you couldn't figure out why he hadn't asked Jane out... And that you've been worried about her lately."

His free hand took hers and he squeezed both. "That's really about all... I just told him he needs to make a definitive choice so both of them can get past this stalemate."

Elizabeth looked deeply into his eyes, then crumpled into his chest as tears began running down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Will."

"It's okay, Love." He kissed the top of her head, and they sat unmoving for some time.

Will finally broke the silence. "So does this mean I'm forgiven now?"

She nodded, not lifting her head. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled into his shirt.

"Shh..." He kissed her head again and pushed her back so she could see his face. "I love you, Elizabeth Bennet. And thankfully, this is the end of our first fight, right?" He watched her nod slowly as her frown disappeared. "Then let's try not to do this again anytime soon."

A little color suddenly appeared in her cheeks as they twitched in a near laugh and her lips formed a little smile. "All right." Then with a sudden exhale, her shoulders relaxed. "I love you too, Will Darcy."

Will reached up and wiped her tear tracks with his thumb, then leaned in to meet her lips with his.

Chapter 46

Posted on August 28, 2009

"Night, Will. I love you too." Elizabeth ended the call and placed her phone on the nightstand, then picked up her notebook computer from the pillow beside her and leaned back against the headboard. With a few clicks, she was checking a fanfic site.

One of her favorite authors had posted, and she smiled to herself as she began to read. However, only a few paragraphs in, her mind began to wander.

She hadn't seen Will since the morning train. His Monday had been very busy, and had included a dinner meeting that kept him from getting home before nine. She wished she was with him now.

Her mind drifted back to Saturday night. When their talk was over, they went swimming, they watched a performance DVD Georgiana had sent, and afterwards... well, that hadn't gone so well. As Will became more amorous, Elizabeth felt herself withdrawing.

"Will, I'm sorry... I can't... I don't..." She buried her head in his chest as tears suddenly welled in her eyes. "I love you, Will. I do. But something keeps telling me we shouldn't... That we... I don't know!" She shook her head and felt the dampness of her tears on his shirt.

Will tightened his embrace and held her close. "Shh..." he whispered in her hair before kissing the top of her head. "It's been a long day."

She could still feel how secure his arms had felt. He was so strong in so many ways. Yet the look on his face as she backed out the driveway... She had never seen him look so sad.

Yesterday they'd had a lovely day, taking a tour of the Chadds Ford Winery and eating a late picnic lunch while listening to [url=http://www.scottphilipp.com/">Scott Philipp performing there.

Afterwards, they had gone back to her house. They'd held hands while Will told Jane about his conversation with Charlie. It had gone a lot better than Elizabeth feared.

Late in the evening, they barbecued hamburgers and corn, and ate it in the backyard. The weather was perfect, and everything seemed so right.

When it came time for Will to leave, though, she had walked out with him to his car. As they said goodnight, he'd held her. So snugly, so securely. It had felt like she was the most precious thing in the world to him...

"What am I doing!" she exclaimed aloud. She started the stand by sequence on her computer and jumped out of bed.

Forty-five minutes later, Elizabeth pulled her car into Will's driveway and parked. She then looked up at all the dark windows. Laying her arm on the steering wheel, she put her head down and groaned, "What am I doing?"

She startled when everything suddenly turned bright. Someone turned on the floodlights. She looked up to see the front door opening.

In what seemed only a heartbeat, she was out of the car and in Will's arms.

"Is everything okay?" he asked anxiously.

She snuggled against him. "Perfect," she murmured. After a long, but truly comfortable moment, she continued, "I don't think I can explain the confusion and insecurity I've felt the last few days... But I know now, absolutely, that I love you. I need you... so much it scared me."

When Will didn't answer, Elizabeth looked up, and their lips met eagerly. Thus they spent several minutes holding each other and kissing in the most brightly illuminated spot on General Alexander Road. If anyone drove by or observed them, they never noticed.

Finally, Will slid Elizabeth's car key from her hand and pulled away. He quickly grabbed her backpack and overnight bag from the back seat, then locked her car and set the alarm with her remote. Stopping, he kissed her briefly again, then wrapping his free arm around her waist, he led her inside the house and up to his room.

In one smooth movement, Will closed the door and set down Elizabeth's bags. He then pulled her into his arms and placed a small kiss on her temple before whispering in her ear, "I need you too, Liz." He kissed her cheek. "In ways I never knew possible." He then leaned down and captured her lips.

Thus engaged, their hands began to roam and to remove their unnecessary garments. Every move was slow and meticulous as they found their way to the bed, and even as they made love, cherishing every moment of the process.

Not long afterwards, Elizabeth began to drift to sleep, snugly spooned against him,

"I love you, Liz," Will whispered.

"Love you too," she murmured, closing her eyes, knowing she wore a contented smile.

"Move in here with me."

"Mmmm kay."

Chapter 47

The morning dawned on a couple unwilling to be parted. They made love before leaving the bed, then Will opened the bedroom door for Hershey, trusting that Maggie would let him out. They showered together, and talked as they dressed for work.

Maggie greeted the couple warmly as they entered the kitchen, and set the coffee carafe between them. She then pulled a quiche from the oven and sat down.

Conversation was light and easy over the meal, but soon it was time for Will and Elizabeth to leave. They took his car and held hands almost the entire time.

Even as they boarded the train, both smiled and said good morning to Jane as they passed her by, seeking a place where they could sit together. Once in Center City though, Will and Elizabeth had to go their separate ways. As they said goodbye at the top of the escalator, she looked so sad, he almost kissed her; but with a firm squeeze of her hand, he whispered, "I love you," then turned toward his office and began walking away.

Some time later, though in all likelihood, mere seconds had passed, Jane waved her hand in front of Elizabeth's face. "Hey, Doe Eyes!"

Elizabeth blushed and grinned sheepishly. "Oh, hi."

"So I take it things are all better with you two?" Jane grabbed her sister's arm and started walking toward their office.

"Completely." Elizabeth nodded. "I had to accept…" She paused, but when she noticed Jane's questioning gaze, she tried again. "I've never felt so vulnerable before. I've let Will past defenses I never knew I had." She bit her lip for a moment, and thought of how to continue as they cut through a crowd on 16th Street. "He has the power to hurt me, and it's scary… I'm so used to being in control..."

Jane squeezed her arm and smiled reassuringly when Elizabeth looked up and met her eyes.

Returning a small grin, Elizabeth continued, "I love him, Jane. And I need him… And I finally realized that what we have is worth so much more…"

Jane released Elizabeth's arm in order to wrap her own around her sister's shoulders and pull her close. "I'm glad to hear it, sis." She grinned broadly and let go so they could enter their building through the revolving door.

As they walked toward the elevator, Elizabeth, suddenly quite pleased with herself, said, "Oh, and last night, Will asked me to move in with him."

Jane's jaw dropped with astonishment. "And? So what did you say?"

"I think I said, 'Mmmkay,'" she teased as they stepped into the half full elevator.

"We so have to finish this conversation later," Jane replied, forcing herself to sound put out. Of course, work days progressing as they are wont to do, the topic did not come up between the sisters again that day, and despite frequent communications via phone, text and email between Will and Elizabeth, the topic was not revisited by them until that evening.

When they returned to Will's house, Maggie announced that she was going out for the evening, and once she served the Veal Piccata, they had the house to themselves.

Despite the deliciousness of the meal, both picked at their food, and soon, leaving their plates on the table, they slipped upstairs to make love. Afterward, they opted to soak in the hot tub, where Will finally reiterated his request. "Liz? Last night, before you fell asleep, I asked you..." He smiled with boyish shyness and brushed a lock of her wet hair behind her ear. "I would like you to move in here with me."

Elizabeth grinned, but could not conceal the twinkle in her eye. "If I recall correctly, I answered you last night."

"You did." He leaned forward and kissed her. "But since you haven't said anything, I wasn't sure you were awake enough to recall... or if you wished to change your answer."

Elizabeth moved, seating herself in his lap, and lightly kissed his jaw. "I'm pretty sure you heard correctly, but just in case, yes, Will, I will move in with you. However, I've given it some thought..."

"And?" he asked, tightening his hold on her and running his finger up her thigh.

She gasped and looked deeply into his eyes. "I..." She unconsciously licked her lip. "With Georgie coming home in a couple of weeks and the trip to the shore, and with how Jane's been lately, I think we should wait until Georgie goes back to California."

Will nodded slowly, agreeing with her reasoning, but still not liking the answer. Deep frown lines creased his brow for a long moment before a sly look appeared. "Fine, Miss Bennet, but if that is the case, you will have to pay dearly." He rested his hand upon the juncture of her thighs.

"Do tell, Mr. Darcy," she challenged as she ran her palm of her hand across the planes of his chest.

Suddenly their lips met, and conversation was forgotten.

Elizabeth sat in her office Friday afternoon, smiling to herself. She had just returned from a walk around Rittenhouse Square with Will, and the last four mornings, she'd awakened exactly where she was most content, in his arms. She was thus surprised when her sister walked in, closed the door and sat down. "Hey, sis, what's up?"

"I just got back from having lunch with Charlie."

"Oh, I didn't know he was back." Elizabeth shifted her full focus to Jane, trying to read her expressions and mood.

"He got back last night, but he missed the train this morning. He blamed Caroline, but I kinda wonder if it wasn't intentional." She glanced down at her hands folded in her lap. "Anyhow, we chatted online for a long time last night, and he asked me out to lunch today.

"We went to Brasserie Perrier, and were seated at a nice, quiet table, where we talked. He told me he was in love with me, and had been for a long time. Then he suggested we start dating." Jane shook her head. "And as much as I liked hearing those words, I couldn't get it out of my head that it had taken him this long, or that it was Will's prompting forcing him to do something."< /p>

"So, what now?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, it wasn't easy, but I told him that as much as I like him, I just couldn't handle it right now. As quickly as I'd have jumped at the chance a couple weeks ago, I can't trust that he's thinking for himself right now. I'm not even sure I trust myself.

"I think it's for the best that we both focus on our jobs for the time being, remain friends, and if the timing is right someday, maybe we can go from there." She bit her lip. "That is the smart thing to do, isn't it?"

Elizabeth got up, and walked over to kneel by her sister and hug her. "I can see the sense in it. But you know you're the only one who can decide what's right for you."

"Thanks, sis." Jane squeezed her sister tightly. "That helps."

Sitting back down in the guest chair beside Jane, Elizabeth asked, "What about Charlie? How did he react?"

"At first, he tried to convince me to give him a chance right now; and then when he realized I wouldn't be swayed, he got that sad little puppy look of his. That almost broke me down – more than his trying to talk me out of it. But by the time we left the restaurant though, he seemed perfectly happy."

"Well, I suppose that's good… As long as you're okay." Elizabeth ventured, still aware of the sadness in Jane's eyes.

"I think I am." Jane tried to sound sure of herself. "I'm just not feeling it yet."

Elizabeth leaned forward, and was about to put her arm around her sister when Jane's cell phone rang.

Suddenly sitting erect, Jane answered it, "Jane Bennet." She glanced at Elizabeth with her serious, business-like face. "Sure… Okay. I'll be right there." Pressing the end call button, she got up. "Thanks, sis. I'll be fine." She hugged Elizabeth quickly. "Gotta run."