Given that it has been ages...almost a year since I last updated...you are due a recap. Lizzy is pregnant but hasn't told her papa. When her father called, William answered the phone and let the cat out of the bag. It didn't go well, he hung up and Lizzy never got to speak with him. Pregnancy hormones ensued and she got upset and walked out of the apartment...leaving William alone and feeling bad. So that's where we pick it up. I now have a working keyboard - essential to writing. And I have a few business trips planned so hopefully time for writing. Will try to be better...if anyone is still interested in this story.

The cool Spring air of April in Boston startled her. It took her momentarily outside of the swirling thoughts and made her pause. Looking up towards the top floor of their building she could see a dark shape leaning against the floor to ceiling windows. William. His slumped posture, body pressed against the glass; she only needed to see his outline to know the thoughts racing through his mind. With less than a moment's consideration she pulled her phone from her pocket.

"Hi. Will you walk with me?"

"Yes." It was as much as sigh as it was a word.

Phone tucked into her pocket she walked back into their building and waited by the elevator. It couldn't have been more than two or three minutes before he was pulling her into his arms. "I'm so sorry. I'm really very sorry."

Not quite able to speak, Lizzy shook her head from side to side. "Let's walk."

Moving, walking, running, had always been the way in which Lizzy had worked through any problem. Activity and forward motion had given her the outlet she needed in middle school and high school to work through the stresses and strains of her life. Her track coach at BLS capitalized on that need to great effect and while she never ran competitively in college, running had been her constant companion. With William by her side, it would be a walk that would suffice.

Slowly making their way alongside the Charles River, Lizzy tried to tamp down the feelings of frustration and anger towards anyone besides her father. Her rational mind didn't always cooperate with her emotions however and she needed to voice her thoughts out loud in order to move past them. "I'm disappointed, angry...upset. And I know all of those emotions should be directed at papa. It's hard though. For weeks I've been rehearsing the conversation with him: how I was going to tell him about the baby and the one year break I'm taking from school. I know you didn't intend to tell him. And I know you didn't mean to end up in an argument. But those things took away my chance to tell him in my own way, to try and make him understand."

William stopped walking and pulled on Lizzy's hand to direct her to stop with him. Directing her face towards his, he stroked her cheek. "I do understand how you're feeling but I also know that your father is wrong about so many things. All I can ask is a question. Don't answer until you think you can honestly do so... In your heart of hearts, do you really believe your father would have reacted differently had you told him the way you wanted?"

The pair resumed their walk. It was a beautifully clear evening, the moon reflecting on the river and the trees beginning to generate new buds of life. Lizzy turned her mind to William's question and she already knew the answer. She simply needed to come to terms with it. Reaching out to grasp his hand, William looked over at her, glad for the contact. He could feel her thawing.

A few more steps and she suddenly stopped, her hand flying to her belly.

"What is it? Are you ok?" William asked, a look of concern across his face.

"Yes. I just...I can feel him."

"Who?"

Lizzy looked at William incredulously. Swatting his arm, "The baby! That's who. I've been feeling these flutters for awhile but I actually think I felt a real kick."

"You can feel the baby? For real? That's... incredible." He looked at her in amazement.

"Let's go back home. I think you might be able to feel him too."

"Wait. Before we go back. Are you ok? Are we ok? Do you forgive me for telling your father about the baby?"

Lizzy sighed, "Of course. I'm sorry I freaked out. I am upset but I think I'm upset at the right person now. I just have to hope that once papa cools down he'll see reason and call back or something." They walked a bit more, hand in hand. "I'm frustrated with him. Every time something happens that doesn't agree with his plan, he runs away or shuts down or something. How is that being an adult? How is that being a parent? And yet, I still love him. I want him to approve of my choices. And that makes me wonder if there's something wrong with me?"

William struggled for the right words to make her feel better but he was just as frustrated with her father. "Is it enough if I say I understand and I don't think there's anything wrong with you? We don't chose who we love and you can't change him. I don't think his reaction is the right one. I haven't agreed with how he's handled much over these past few months. But, I understand that he is your father and that is reason enough for you to want things to be good between you."

Once home, William and Lizzy snuggled into bed. Will very patiently waited for any sign of movement within her. His hand gently rubbed her belly while he spoke to their little one. A twinge of excitement, or was it nervous energy, colored his voice as he pleaded with the baby to make itself known to him. After twenty or so minutes, Lizzy was certain there was no more movement to be felt so William renewed his interest in peppering her belly with kisses.

"I will always be there for you baby. Even when you do something I don't like. I promise, I will still stand with you. I love you," Will whispered.

Tears pricked Lizzy's eyes. Did her father once think similar thoughts? Had he been as devoted at one time? It was an unfair question and totally unanswerable so she set it aside choosing instead to focus on Will and his whisperings to their baby.

Lizzy woke well rested. There was truly nothing more comforting than being wrapped in William, thoughts of her papa no where in her mind. William was already awake, gazing down at his wife. He was still anxious for her. She had been tossing and turning during the first hours of the night and only truly settled once he'd been able to tuck her securely into his arms. He was relieved to be greeted by a brilliant smile. "I take it you're feeling better this morning." A look of confusion crossed her face before she recalled the events of the prior night. William regretted providing this reminder as he watched the smile fall from her lips. His own face seemed to be a mirror of hers and she instantly regretted making him feel bad once again for something that was purely her papa's fault. Reaching up she pulled William into a kiss, designed to reassure and invested with her love. His response was immediate and he gladly pushed them back down into their bed to signal a slower start to their day.

It was finally time to emerge from their self imposed cocoon and deal with the new day. "Are you going to be ok?" William tentatively asked. "I know you had trouble settling into a deep sleep. You were very upset last night."

Lizzy sighed, shook her head and gave him a weak smile. "I'll be fine. I'm frustrated - with papa and with myself." She could see her remark warranted further explanation and yet she wasn't equal to further discussion on the subject. "I'm going to take myself for a run. Hopefully I'll come back later with my mind sorted and will be back to my normal self. Do you have a lot of work to do today?"

"Unfortunately I do. My trip to New York was productive but also gave me a lot I need to follow up on."

"How close are you to finishing up your final paper?"

"I'm close." A quick smirk crossed his face, "I guess I had better be given the semester and my educational career is rapidly coming to an end."

Lizzy was glad to see a smile on William's face as he reflected on his fast approaching graduation. It was a momentous thing to end this phase of life. Pushing those thoughts quickly away from her own mind, she thought to her own pressing deadlines. "I have a bunch of work to finish this weekend too but I know that I won't be able to focus until I've got this nervous energy out of my system."

Will reached over to give her a kiss. "Take your run. I'll get some Pemberley work done while you're out. Maybe this afternoon we can head over to Widener. I've tried to incorporate all of the comments from my advisor but the quiet of the library will probably help me focus on a last read through and markup. I'll save making the edits for tomorrow so that maybe we can go out somewhere fun for dinner tonight."

"Sounds good. Want to check in with Charlie to see if he and Jane want to join us?" Lizzy asked.

"Yea. I'll do that. I haven't talked to Charlie in a week and it would be good to see him."

Lizzy changed and then peaked in to give Will a quick wave before heading out. "Hold on Charlie," William pulled the phone away from his ear and dropped a quick kiss on her lips, "I expect to see you nice and sweaty when you get back."

A final kiss and Lizzy pulled herself away before she changed her mind on the run.

"Well hello stranger!" Maddy said as she happily welcomed Lizzy into her home. "Let me guess, no coffee for you but perhaps a cup of tea?"

"I think I'll start with a glass of water but a cup of tea to follow would be welcome," Lizzy accepted gratefully. Sinking down into the deep sofa, Lizzy sipped her water while Maddy resumed her prior activity, pairing clean socks and folded a never ending pile of t-shirts, jeans and sweatshirts for her family of six. Lizzy's own hands remained idle for only the length of time it took to finish her water before diving into the pile of clean clothes.

"There is no need for you to be folding our laundry," Maddy intoned.

"And yet I'm happy to do it," Lizzy responded.

Maddy shook her head, knowing full well that Lizzy would do what she wanted, and asked, "You look wonderful. Pregnancy definitely suits you. Is everything well? Is there anything I can do for you while we're folding my family's clothes?"

"I'm feeling great and I'm not here with a tale of woe. I think I've spent enough of the past six months doing just that. I'm trying not to be a constant burden to my friends."

Maddy took a closer look at Lizzy. This was a young woman who lived life as if her glass was overflowing and yet the past six months had been taxing, and would not necessarily get easier in the next six months. Lizzy looked mostly fine but there was something in her eyes which told her there was bothering her young friend. "I hope you know that Ed and I will always be here for you. You've always tried to solve your own problems, something I admire, but I've been married for 15 years and had four children while balancing a career. I'd like to think I've learned a few things with all of this life experience. Try me out...I might have some perspective on whatever is troubling you."

She sighed, "Someday Maddy I will show up on your doorstep only for a cup of tea and a chat about our children's lives, and our respective accomplishments."

"And I look forward to it. Until that time, I am honored if you'd consider me a sounding board, friend and possibly a mentor," Maddy said with a knowing smile.

It took only a few minutes of "Papa called last night. William talked to him and inadvertently told him about the baby. It didn't go well," Lizzy frowned still struggling with her frustrations of the prior night.

"Did you really expect it to? I mean, I can only imagine the reaction my father would have had if he'd received similar news while I was still an undergrad. Even being married, my father would have freaked."

Lizzy was stumped by Maddy's reaction. That her papa's response was in any way reasonable seemed irrational to her. Why? But then she knew her reasoning. It took her only a minute to decide he had lost his right to a reaction when he left town. Actually, it was when he didn't take any steps to try and regularize their status years ago. That was what she believed. It was these thoughts she shared with Maddy.

"You are, of course, right to feel the way that you do. Your father left you to deal with the consequences of his choices. But he is still your parent. Those instincts don't simply stop." For that reason alone Maddy had some sympathy with Mr. Benetez's reaction. "Do you remember how you reacted when you first learned of the pregnancy? The shock you felt? Your own worries and concerns?"

Another sigh escaped Lizzy. Maddy was right. Of course it would be a shock for her papa. She should have anticipated such a reaction. It was just hard to be questioned. Lizzy had a fierce pride in her own abilities. This pride had carried her through many a challenging situation but it was not unreasonable to think that others might need more than a few minutes to process what a baby would mean for the goals she had been working towards. Now, after weeks of planning, she had confidence it would all work out. But it had taken her some time to get there so it was probably reasonable to think it might take some time for others to get there.

Maddy could sense the acceptance of her papa's reaction. "Is William ok with everything? I can't imagine it was an easy conversation to find himself in."

Lizzy shrugged. "He apologized." Seeing Maddy's reaction she continued. "He felt bad that the news slipped out inadvertently and I will admit to not reacting well when he told me what happened."

Shaking her head Maddy shot her a stern look. "I know your temper Lizzy. I hope you didn't overreact."

The guilty look on her face caused a sigh to escape Maddy's lips. "He loves you, probably more than most would reasonably expect but you are quick to anger and men - especially the quiet ones - are more fragile than you might think."

Lizzy thought back to how quiet William had been last night and his need for reassurance this morning and knew that Maddy was right. 'Alright Lizzy, your temper got you in trouble again. "I should probably head back home. Thanks for the chat as always. What am I going to do when we're in New York? Who's going to straighten me out?"

"There is always the phone," Maddy reminded.

"Then its a good thing I have an unlimited plan," Lizzy half-joked.

Lizzy slipped in the front door quietly and went directly to the shower. She'd thought of nothing but William since she left the Gardiners' and she had been kicking herself the entire time. There was absolutely no reason for William to be feeling bad and for her to have caused his unhappiness was completely unacceptable to her mind. She was still thinking of his unhappiness as she reached for a towel to dry herself.

William had been deeply engrossed in his plans for the company when he thought he heard the front door open. After pausing for a few minutes with no sign of Lizzy he shook his head and turned his attention back to the document that had so drawn his attention. She was the sole person who could keep him from his usual level of intense focus. It was a pleasant surprise then when he felt her arms snake around his shoulders, her lips pressed to his neck. "Hi. When did you get home?"

"About twenty minutes ago. I was pretty sweaty so I thought you'd rather I shower before coming to find you. Can you take a break?"

William sighed, stretching himself within his chair. Swirling his chair to face Lizzy, he pulled her down onto his lap. "You have good timing. I'm very ready for one. I've been slumped over these notes from my meetings this week and could use some distraction."

Lizzy snuggled against his chest, placing more kisses along his neck and chest. "Don't get me wrong, I am loving all of this affection, but to what do I owe these kisses?" William asked.

"I'm sorry," Lizzy mumbled into his chest.

William pushed back a bit, confusion etched on his face, "What?"

Lizzy's face was still facing down but as she began to speak she looked directly into William's eyes. She needed him to know what she was thinking and feeling. "I talked to Maddy and she made me realize that I really didn't handle things well last night. I'm sorry for making you feel bad about the conversation with papa. I realized...I'm really no better than papa. I walked out, rather than talking to you about it. I know you didn't mean anything bad when you told him about the baby. It all came from a place of love. And yet, what did I do? I walked out, blaming you for what? Sharing your excitement about our baby? That's wonderful. I never should have made you feel like you did something wrong and I never should have walked out. So? I'm sorry. I will try to do better."

William looked into Lizzy's eyes, with a small shake of his head, it seemed he acknowledged her words. Pulling her in close to hold her tightly to him William whispered a soft, "Thank you."

They sat together holding one another until Lizzy squirmed. "Umm. The baby. He's moving again. I feel him all the time now." Lifting William's hand she placed it directly over the spot where baby Darcy was making himself known.

Ok. I wish I could say when I will update again. I know it's not ideal. My kids continue to bug me and that is definitely in the best interest of anyone who is still following this story. Someday I will finish this and edit it. For now, Lizzy and William are at peace. A better place than where I left it off last time. At least I now have a functioning keyboard...that was at least part of the problem.

Love you all!