Chapter 9

Seeing her dad after she'd sort of come to terms with who he was, flaws and all, was... well, awkward.

Elizabeth's dad was as he always was, but his cutting witty remarks didn't elicit her own remarks as it would have in the past. Perhaps, her father wasn't the one who had needed to change. Her dad was unlikely to change after all, and if Elizabeth truly wanted things to change then she had to change. Still, most of her attention was focused on Will and Georgie. Georgie knew her family, so she wasn't all too worried about her reaction. Will, on the other hand, had met her family at a party at their worst. While she tried not to, Elizabeth had a tiny little niggling worry in the back of her mind - what if this Thanksgiving visit proved to be disastrous?

So, really, Elizabeth should not have been surprised when her father greeted Will by saying: "Ah, Will Darcy. Out of all men, honey? As glad as I am about Wickham being gone, you didn't have to fly to the other end of the spectrum."

Elizabeth's hold on Will's elbow arm tightened a bit, but his dark, steady gaze kept her from saying something that would completely ruin her relationship with her father. "It turns out that jokes and easy smiles aren't much to sustain affection, dad."

As soon as it slipped out, Will stiffened slightly at her side and Elizabeth belatedly realized that she may as well have said the first thing that popped into her head. Her father kept his eyes on her, even as her mother tittered in the background about how much more attractive Will was and how he suited her daughter much better than Wickham ever had (Elizabeth knew she would later attempt to scourge her memory of her mother saying things like 'look at his arms'), but as her arm stayed interlocked with Will's her father seemed to let her words go. Elizabeth knew that he wasn't stupid, he was by far one of the smartest men she knew. Yet, he didn't address it then or later when he invited her into his office to speak about her new boyfriend. Her father may have been callous with her mother's and sisters' feelings, but he seemed to be attempting to tread lightly. Elizabeth had a feeling that he also wanted to avoid fighting with her.

"Will Darcy, huh?" Her father tipped back in his chair slightly and rubbed his five o'clock shadow. "I thought you hated him."

"I was..." Why was she fidgeting? Why did she feel like she was back in high school sitting in the principal's office after being caught ditching fifth period to smoke a joint? She was an adult. She lived alone. Her parents had no say over who she dated. "I was wrong about him. About everything, really."

It struck her as funny, in a bitter sort of way, that her chest still tightened as her father came to a decision over whether to approve of Will or not. She still cared so, so much what her father thought.

"I suppose you include me in that, as well."

The loud ticking of the large clock on the mantle seemed to pound in Elizabeth's head. Why could he have not left it alone? Did her father enjoy causing others to feel distress? "I suppose I do, yes."

"Lizzy." Elizabeth's eyes were glued to her fingers, which were fingering the cloth of the chair. "Elizabeth."

Elizabeth's eyes raised to her father's. He was pained. She was somewhat surprised to see emotion splayed across his features. Usually, his face was set in a placid, indifferent expression with the occasional smirk and laugh. Elizabeth thought of her vibrant, talkative, affectionate mother who had to live with that - who had lived with a man who clearly cared very little for her feelings. She finally ground out: "Yes?"

"What is wrong?" The words came out rushed, as if he was growing desperate.

"Only everything, dad. Only everything." Her eyes shot to her fingers before the anger swelled in her. "Do you hate mom? Do you hate the rest of my sisters?"

"Of course, I don't hate them."

"Of course, you don't. You don't feel much of anything - hate would go against everything that you are, it's too strong of an emotion."

"Elizabeth!"

"You wanted to know what was wrong, dad, and that's it. It's - god, I don't know why you two are still together. It's hard to be around you two, and watch you... just make fun of anything mom ever says or does." Elizabeth took a breath. "So, don't lecture on me on Will. Will is - Will is one of the best men I've ever known."

"And I'm not on that list, am I?"

Elizabeth stayed quiet. The silence continued for several seconds before her father sighed and shifted in his seat. He was unlikely to say anything further, and Elizabeth did not want to lose control over her tongue again. For all of his faults, he was her dad and she loved him. Shakily, Elizabeth stood. "I should go."

Without waiting to see his reaction, Elizabeth escaped out of her father's office and swiftly made her way to the downstairs bathroom.

The sky turned gray and cloudy on the way home. It was nearing dark - it'd be nightfall by the time they'd make it back to New York. Elizabeth curled up on the passenger seat and stared out the window, all while wondering if maybe they should have accepted her mother's pleas to spend the night. But, no, it would have been impossible.

Her head was aching. Her temples were pounding, and she knew that the sobbing in the bathroom after that fight with her dad - luckily, she'd swallowed her tears long enough to reach the bathroom sanctuary - probably was the reason for her headache. Absently, she attempted to massage her temple.

"Lizzy?" Georgiana's quiet voice brought her out of her melancholy. Elizabeth straightened in her seat and turned to look at her. "Are you okay?"

Mustering up a small smile, Elizabeth reached out and squeezed her hand. "I'm fine, Georgie."

"I have ibuprofen." Georgie's wide green eyes were gazing at her with silent questions and statements. "Do you want some?"

"Yes, please." Elizabeth's response came out softly, and she startled slightly when Will's right hand drifted from the gearshift - a leftover habit from his days of driving stick. His hand landed one of her denim-clad knees, and she gave him a half-hearted smile when he quickly shot her a glance from the corner of his eye. Georgie rummaged through her purse before she pulled out a pill bottle. Elizabeth easily twisted off the cap and shook out two small white pills onto her palm. She clutched them in her palm as she attempted to unscrew the cap on her water bottle, something she knew she probably should have done before grabbing the pills. Finally, after wedging the water bottle between her chest and an arm, she got it. Elizabeth swallowed both quickly and returned the pill bottle back to Georgiana.

Will's hand was still on her leg, and she didn't dare move back into her earlier position. Instead, she focused on the warmth she felt spreading from his palm and on the endless gray, gray sky before them. She couldn't wait to be home, under the covers, preferably wrapped around Will.

...

"What happened?" Will's voice came out in a whisper. His breath fanned out from under the blanket and made it rise a tiny bit. The light from the lamps in the bathroom shined through the thin cotton and illuminated his face. Will had never been more boyishly cute than when he was hiding under a sheet with her. It felt like she was getting a glimpse into the past.

"I talked to my dad." The sheet rose and fell again. "He brought it up. I was going to pretend, to ignore... and I - now, I can't. Perhaps I never should have been doing that."

Will stayed silent for a few beats. In the warmth of his room, under his sheet, he linked their fingers together. "He's your dad. No one blames you for having done that."

Elizabeth took a shuddering breath. "I know. I think - my guilt over that has somewhat... dissipated. Now, I'm just... sad. It will never be the same again."

"I know, Elizabeth. It won't be the same." Will pulled their linked hands up and settled them higher up between them. "But he's still here, and he's still your dad. It may not be the same, but isn't that better than nothing?"

Elizabeth simply traced the threads of the sheet with her eyes for a few moments. Was it better than nothing?

"I guess." Elizabeth sighed. "I mean, of course. It is better than nothing. I'm sorry."

Will scooted closer and pressed a kiss against her temple. "There's nothing to apologize for."

Elizabeth turned and met his gaze. "No, there is absolutely something for me to apologize for."

"Really, Elizabeth," Will shut his eyes tightly for a second. "It's... not necessary."

Elizabeth's other hand rose up to trace his cheekbones. Will never said much about his parents. Not after their first, getting-to-know-you conversations or the casual 'my mom used to like that' additions. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Will's eyelids fluttered as her thumb lightly stroked the apple of his cheek. His clear blue eyes gazing at her. He looked pained and uncomfortable, and it all made Elizabeth wish that she could take back her previous words. "We don't have to, if you don't want to."

"No," He whispered softly before he cleared his throat as he snuggled in closer. "No, I want to. My father was... my father was hard-working. He loved us, I know he did, but he spent much of his time at the office or on business trips. My mom was... she was beautiful, Georgie's her mirror image. She had her own set of problems, too - I mean, you've met most of the Fitzwilliams, so it's understandable. She was the one who was often with us. She was, in some ways, the opposite of my father. My mother was the life of the party wherever she went, while my father was more like me. I'm sure if I'd had the chance, I would have had fights and disagreements with both of them - most likely with my father - but it's hard now. It's been so long that it's - it's hard to just remember normal stuff about them, much less any insignificant disagreements I'd had with them before they were gone." Will shook his head as a dry chuckle escaped him. "I remember my friends from school would often tell me how lucky I was to have such normal, functional parents."

Elizabeth's thumb resumed her circuit around the apple of his cheek. "You can always talk to me about them, you know. Anything you remember, whatever you don't want to forget."

The hand that had cradle hers between them squeezed her fingers tightly for a second before he let go. He wrapped an arm around her waist and brought himself closer. "Let's take a nap. It'll ease your headache."

...

Caroline Bingley was, somehow, more grating once Charles Bingley was out of the picture. It was strange to think that Caroline had been tempering her personality at all for Jane's sake.

And now, Elizabeth was tolerating her for Will's sake, who insisted on being polite to his best friend's sister. It was nearing midnight, and Elizabeth was sipping an apple martini Caroline had ordered for her after gushing over how good it was (something Elizabeth could not exactly agree with, surprise, surprise), all while the birthday girl chatted up some Wall Street banker. Not that the rest of the guests were any better - Lou, Caroline's sister, was attempting to impress some accountant who barely looked at anything but his phone. Anne De Bourgh, for whatever reason, had come down from her ivory tower to party with Caroline. So, of course, the only thing to do was stick close to Will. Almost immediately, the two of them had taken a couple of shots in order to try to enjoy the evening.

Once Elizabeth had knocked back the last shot, and had turned to face to the bar as she pondered over her next drink. She had been in the middle of trying to get the bartender's attention to order two beers they could nurse as they waited for the tequila to hit them when she glanced down the counter to the others milling about. At the sight of a familiar silhouette, a shiver ran down her spine. He stood at the end of the bar, chatting up a poor girl. Her stomach twisted at the thought that, at one point in time, she had found him attractive and had slept with him too many times to count. All while he fucked other girls - young, sweet girls - behind her back. The asshole had practically instilled the fear of God in her - she'd never gotten tested before (the few men she'd been with had never given her cause to go that far, they usually produced the results of their tests.)

A slight pressure on her lower back brought her attention back to the bartender, and she shot Will what she hoped was a comforting look. George Wickham could fucking burn in hell, for all she cared.

That is, until the girl he was chatting up twisted around to sip her drink (all while giggling - for fuck's sake, how old was this girl?). The girl, with the long shiny, pin straight hair was her sister Catherine. Catherine! The sister, who according to her mother, was spending a few days with her friends in the city before heading back for the spring semester.

Elizabeth glared at their two forms and stalked off in their direction without turning to see if Will was following. From the slight grazes along her waist, she could bet he was.

"Cat!" Elizabeth yelled, once she was close enough. Catherine froze around the sound of her sister's yell over the bar's loud electronic music. God, Caroline had bad taste. And, also, she was going to kill her sister. "Just what do you think you are doing?"

"Lizzy!" Cat's eyes flew wide. "I - uhm, nothing. I was doing nothing."

"You're about to start doing nothing. And, you. Get lost, you fucking perv." Elizabeth soared one single furious glance for Wickham, whose easy-going smile slipped off into a cocky smirk.

"Lizzy, Lizzy. No need to fight for me. All you had to do was ask, babe."

"Oh, go fuck yourself. I sincerely doubt anyone else wants to, as I'm sure by this point, you are practically radioactive." Several people nearby winced and some women who'd been eyeing Wickham turned away in sudden disgust.

Wickham's eyes glanced around before he stepped forward and hissed out, "Are you serious?"

"Take a step back, Wickham." A rumbling low voice piped up from directly behind her. Will's form brushed up against her back as he stepped forward in an obvious signal to Wickham.

"Of course," Wickham sneered. "You're back. Should've known. If you ever get bored, and I'm sure you will, you know where to find me."

Will's presence had immediately turned Wickham's ire from herself to Will. His glare had melted at the sight of him as he made to lean forward and drop a kiss on her cheek, in what Elizabeth figured was a last-ditch attempt to provoke Will, but Elizabeth stepped back further before he made contact. "I wouldn't hold my breath."

Wickham's mien darkened further before he stole out of the loud, kitschy bar. Cat's eyes were still blown wide, and she was beginning to tear up. "Lizzy, oh, I am so sorry! I know - I know girl code, but Lydia insisted that you wouldn't mind because you broke with him - "

"Cat! Cat," Elizabeth struggled not to roll her eyes. "That is not why I am angry. I broke up with Wickham for a reason. I'm sure you noticed it tonight. He's not a nice guy, okay? Stay away from him."

"Oh, Lizzy! You're such a bore, I swear. You're done having your fun with him, so we can't?" Elizabeth almost groaned out loud at the sound of Lydia's nasal whines. "He's a hunk of a man, sister."

"Shut up, Lydia," Elizabeth glared. "And what are you both doing here?"

"Having fun!" Lydia crowed.

"Yeah, that's over. If your definition of fun is sleeping with a fucking pedo, you need to go home." Elizabeth turned and gestured towards a bumbling bartender. "They're underage!"

The bartender's expression turned grim as he nodded. "I'll take care of it."

"I'd get home quickly. I'm calling mom and dad. Lydia, I wouldn't expect to leave the house any time soon." Lydia and Cat's expressions turned to horror. They were still living at home, and were not yet mature enough to consider anything else. Lydia was not 18, and her parents could really restrict her. What the hell had her mother been thinking?

Both of them scrambled out of the bar in their inappropriate slinky dresses, and Elizabeth let out a shaky breath. Darcy cleared his throat and said, "Elizabeth, we should take them home."

Elizabeth glanced at him and groaned in frustration as he voiced the tiny concern she'd had in the back of her mind. But they needed to learn how to be responsible, right? And she was so tired of dealing with this shit.

But, still. They were her sisters.

"Fine. You're right." Elizabeth flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I'll grab my card from the bar. Will you say goodbye to Caroline and Lou for me? I'll stop them and meet you out front."

He kissed her forehead before he turned back to the bartender and requested both of their cards. While the bartender rushed to close their tabs, Elizabeth pulled out her phone and typed out a quick text to Cat.

Stay outside. We're taking you home.

Cat responded with a single sad face emoji. Elizabeth rapidly signed the receipt before pocketing her card and weaving her way around the bar stools and tables.

Fifty-five minutes later, his white sheets gleamed under his ceiling light, even under the warm orange ambience setting that didn't make her eyes hurt after a long night in an extremely loud and crowded bar. Will attempted to get the taste of cheap tequila out of his mouth with an extending tooth-brushing routine, probably something she'd walk over and attempt immediately after, and he already had their two cups of water lined up for them to drink before bed. Will suffered his hangovers like he did everything else – in complete and total silence with the occasional grimace – while Elizabeth normally stayed in bed and tried the 'maybe if I lay super still I won't throw up' technique that had a ~60% success rate. Together they'd grown, and now instead of dealing with the fallout, they attempted to get out in front of it.

Elizabeth hadn't drunk all that much, honestly. It certainly wasn't the drunkest she'd ever been. Her buzz had been taken down several levels when she'd spotted her sisters. Elizabeth had decided to drop them off at her apartment for the night before they headed to Will's place, with Jane's firm promise to keep them in line. Despite the sharp turn the night had taken, she must have still been tipsy because the next thought in her head was – my mother always told me to avoid anything white. White is so much harder to keep clean. Did that even apply to bedsheets?

Will's hand lightly wrapped around the dip in her waist as he motioned for the bathroom. "I'm done… if you were waiting."

"Oh! Yeah, thanks. I – um, I'll be right back." Elizabeth shook her head as she miscalculated the distance between her and Will's spacious bathroom (practically the size of her bedroom back in her apartment) and stumbled slightly before shutting the door behind her. She sighed as she pulled off the navy number Jane had forced into for the night before shoving her out, one she admitted looked really well on her (she'd have to remember to thank Jane and apologize for being so stubborn), before slipping off her heels and grasping her toothbrush.

Ten minutes later, she was out of the bathroom with one of Will's bath robes covering her. She'd found the fluffy robe tucked on one of the shelves behind her after she had experienced brushing her teeth while topless for the first time, something that had been admittedly entertaining. Will had seen her naked a hundred times by then, but walking out topless? It was too much, even for her lower inhibitions. With the plan to dig through Will's dresser for a tee to sleep in, she awkwardly stumbled back out with her dress and her shoes were both held in one hand when Will gallantly (if not, slightly clumsily) took both and set them on a footstool near the window. "Time to drink some water, Liz."

"Liz?" Elizabeth wrinkled her nose but allowed herself to be led to the dark wooden dresser where he'd set the cups of water.

"You don't like it?" Will blinked at her as he handed her one of the cups of water.

"Mm, no, not really. No one's ever called me Liz before, I think. And you call me Elizabeth, usually," her smile was hidden as she proceeded to drink the entire cup in a few gulps.

"Your family calls you Lizzy," Will pointed out after he'd drank his own cup.

"Yeah, since I was little." Elizabeth shrugged. "It's a family nickname. I like it when you call me Elizabeth. It doesn't sound so harsh when you say it. Well, now. I used to think it sounded harsh."

Will's going-out outfit, which was pretty close to his normal work outfit minus the blazer and the tie, was gone. He was down to a simple white tee and his boxers. In the warm, orange light Elizabeth thought that he'd never looked so handsome.

"Thank you," His dimples were out and about and – oh, she'd said that out loud. Before she could ramble on, his hands were by the cinch of robe and were slowly stroking the dip in her waist. Drunk Elizabeth only needed a slight touch from Will for her to be lit on fire, apparently. "You look beautiful, of course. You always do."

"Thank you," Elizabeth tried to pretend that his slow stroking wasn't working her up – through a thick robe, mind you – and began to giggle. His dimples were back out in full force before he dipped to swallow her laughter with a kiss.

"I didn't think you were in the mood tonight," he started as he began to walk backwards towards his bed, "or at least you weren't back at the bar."

Elizabeth raised her arms from his shoulders to his tousled hair and she let out a small sigh as he nipped just below her ear. "I wasn't – well, I wasn't in the mood for anything. Especially – ah, not after..."

"Your dress," Will ground out against her neck as his arms found their way under her robe and on her bare skin. "I've wanted to do this all night. I was kind of looking forward to slipping it off."

Elizabeth slipped her own hands under his tee and pressed the pads of her fingers into his shoulder blades in an effort to bring him closer. "Is the robe making up for it at all?"

The sleeves of the robe were now caught at her elbows as he tilted her further into him and explored the newly exposed skin. Her breath caught as he lightly grazed one of her exposed nipples, which had pebbled when she had peeled off the dress in the cool air of the bathroom. The brush of the robe against her had been delicious in her mild haze and yet it fell short to the feeling of the Will's tongue giving her a rough lick. Her breath came faster as he released it.

"You have nothing to make up for," Elizabeth could only swallow her groan when he returned his mouth to her lips and he easily turned them, so the back of Elizabeth's legs pressed up against his bed. Her hands fell out of his shirt as his hands easily caught her waist and lifted her on to it. Her robe fell open and she enjoyed seeing Will's expression darken further with lust at the sight of her in his white robe and a simple pair of black lace panties. Her knees rose up and fell open in an obvious invitation. Will ripped his tee off before he took her up on the offer.

...

"Will!" Half a beat later, Elizabeth huffed out a breath and attempted to blow the strands that billowed in front of her eyes away. Her arms were aching – the straps of her leather tote bag had given up mid-way to Will's apartment and she'd had to hug it to her side in order to carry it. The small reusable bag of groceries became not so small after that first block. It had been embarrassing when she'd had to press the elevator button with her elbow, and the awkward angle her back had taken in order for her elbow to be able to reach the button itself, when she'd already declined the doorman's help.

"Elizabeth? Are you okay?" Will's voice called from what sounded like the living room. About to answer, Elizabeth opened her mouth when a blond head poked out of the living room. A head that was most definitely not Will's.

"Elizabeth!" Charles Bingley was decidedly friendly and chirpy, as if he hadn't broken her sister's heart just a few months prior.

"Charlie." His name fell flat, and Will rushed out from behind his best friend. Elizabeth was frozen in the entryway, wondering if he'd stay long and if she should call her sister and cancel their dinner. It would not do to force Jane to sit through a dinner with Charlie.

"Elizabeth, here, let me help you." Will took the grocery bag and the keys she'd been clutching in one of her hands. He dropped her keys on the wooden stand that Elizabeth had hauled from their room for exactly that purpose. She'd gotten tired of running around the apartment in search of her keys.

"Oh!" Charlie sprang into action and he carefully took her bag from her. For a few seconds he looked lost, as if he regretted having taken hold of it, before Elizabeth murmured a simple, "you can just set it on the ground, it's my work bag."

Will had taken the floral bag into the kitchen and Elizabeth began to feel the nasty bite of sheer awkwardness between her and Charlie. He had hurt her sister, no doubt. And months ago, she would have sniped at him at the first opportunity. But now, being faced with him, and knowing her sister fared, her ire did not rise. Elizabeth felt the pricks of resentment towards him, and instead of throwing fists, it made her closed-lipped and cold.

After floundering for a few more seconds, Charlie sheepishly followed Elizabeth back further into the apartment. In the kitchen, Will had set the bag on the counter and seemed to be deliberating over whether his presence was needed to diffuse the situation. Once Elizabeth and Charlie joined him, his gaze sought out Elizabeth's.

"How have you been?" Charlie asked, seemingly enthusiastic.

"Fine," Elizabeth responded before her eyes returned to Will's form. He was putting away the milk and lemonade she'd bought and when he turned away from Charlie to place them in the fridge, he gave her a searching look. "And you?"

"Oh, I've been – fine, also." His eyes fell to the countertop and Elizabeth suddenly felt a surge of compassion for the guy. His gaze flew up for a second and Elizabeth recognized the pain and discomfort in it. "And your family? Are they… well?"

"Yes, they're all well." Elizabeth stressed the word ever so slightly without even meaning to. "Jane lives in New York now, and she's pursuing her masters now. She's doing really well, actually."

The truth was that Jane was doing really well. Her new boyfriend was innocuous, really. He sang and played guitar. He had been extremely patient with her mother when he'd walked in the living room one evening during a video chat that had resulted in a virtual interrogation. Elizabeth, personally, didn't see the appeal after she'd gotten to know him, and it quickly became clear that Jane was also rapidly losing interest in him. Usually, immediately after thinking that, Elizabeth would berate herself and would tell herself not to force any harsh opinions down her sister's throat. And, besides, did Elizabeth really know who he was? She wasn't the one dating him.

"Right," Charlie's brows furrowed, and his expression shuttered. Elizabeth sighed internally and wondered if she would ever stop meddling. She had been trying so hard to be impartial, and it'd all gone to shit a minute into bumping into Charlie.

Will drew out the wine bottle out of her bag and loose bell peppers. "You didn't have to do this by yourself, Lizzy. You could have texted Mrs. Crew and she would have added it to her grocery list."

Mrs. Crew – or Judy, as Elizabeth referred to her - was Will's housekeeper in New York. She was tall and intimidating, and she ran Will's apartment flawlessly. She'd been with the family since Will's mother had been a child and had then been employed by the Darcys after the marriage of Anne Fitzwilliam to George Darcy. Judy had been more of a mother to Anne than her biological mother, it seemed, and Elizabeth could not deny the tenderness and care that she showed for both Will and Georgie. Still, her graying hair and slower movements had caused Elizabeth to protest the continued demands of the job for her. Despite Elizabeth's concerns and reassurances, Judy seemed worried about would happen to her relationship with the Darcys if she retired.

"She already did the grocery shopping for the week, and I didn't want to bother her on her day off." Elizabeth shrugged as she made her way around the counter to reach Will's side. "Plus, it was a sort of last-minute thing."

Will's arm reached to wrap around her middle and he dropped a chaste kiss when she tilted up her chin. "I could have sent a car, too."

"It wasn't a problem. Well," Elizabeth laughed lightly. "At least, it wasn't before the straps of my bag gave out. Still, though, it's nothing I can't handle."

Will's hand grip on the dip of her waist tightened for a second and raised his eyebrow slightly in her direction before he turned back to Charlie. Charlie was staring at them with a sort of incredulity that reminded Elizabeth of the fact that she hadn't seen him in months. Her own family had been surprised to see the ease between her and Will, and she knew it'd be especially surprising to Charlie who had witnessed their many arguments (or enthusiastic debates, as Will called them). Elizabeth had practically moved in to Will's place before their three-month anniversary, and she really only went back when she felt guilt for leaving Jane alone for so long or when Will had to go on business trips. Really, even Elizabeth herself had been surprised at how comfortable she felt with Will. She had thought of moving forward with their relationship with a slight trepidation at first, and Will had been incredibly understanding and patient that, like everything with them, things naturally and gradually progressed.

"Where's Georgie?" Georgie had chosen to follow in her mother's footsteps and was planning on attending Yale. The Fitzwilliams, primarily Catherine De Bourgh (neé Fitzwilliam), had taken that a sign that the tide was turning. That is, until Georgie had revealed that she'd declared herself as a music major.

"Attempting to squeeze in a few more hours with Emily." Emily Rose, as Page Six referred to her, was the daughter of a prominent movie director. She hadn't been Elizabeth's favorite, exactly, but she was an acquired taste. She was straight-forward, and her air was commanding in that way that Elizabeth would have immediately abhorred at first. She realized that she had fallen in love with the man radiated power and self-confidence, and she was sure that if she had met Will when he was seventeen he would have been much more similar to Emily Rose. Will's manner had softened and he'd become more comfortable the more time he spent around Elizabeth, but seeing Emily turn her commanding presence against those who wished Georgiana harm had endeared her to Elizabeth. Georgiana would most likely never be able to affect that sort of privileged and entitled act, but her self-confidence had already rebounded.

"She's flying back to L.A. tonight?"

"Yes, and she's already attempted to persuade me to allow Georgie to go thirty times. And that's just today!" Will rolled his eyes and made an exasperated expression towards Bingley. "It didn't seem to matter to her that Christmas is in just a few days."

Elizabeth sighed as she began to undo the buttons on her coat. The heat was turned on all the way up in Will's apartment and just a few minutes in, she was beginning to feel too hot. Her light cotton sweater felt like such a difference when her bulky pea coat was off. "Did you invite Emily over instead? Perhaps Christmas doesn't matter to her for a reason, Will."

Will's arm reached over to wrap around her waist before he dropped a kiss on her temple. "As usual, you astound me, Ms. Bennet."

"Get to it, Mr. Darcy!" Elizabeth draped her coat over one arm as Will removed his arm and plucked his phone from the kitchen counter. Elizabeth quickly returned to the foyer to hang up her coat and adjusted her sleeves as she made her way back to the kitchen. Were her and Darcy about to cook dinner with his friend watching? Most likely. The sight of Bingley's wide eyes almost made her sigh out loud before she pulled the wooden cutting board from within one of the kitchen drawers. "Will you be joining us, Charlie?"

Charlie jumped to attention and just as quickly dropped his gaze to his watch. "Oh, shoot. I've – ah, I'm sorry, I've got a dinner with my mother."

Elizabeth waved it away as she washed her hands and dug around from a knife. "It's all good. Another time, then?"

It was meant to be rhetorical – the polite comment indifferent acquaintances shared whenever they bumped into each other. Elizabeth realized her mistake, her error in judgement when Charlie responded with an enthusiastic, "Of course! I'll ask Darcy when you two are free, and we'll set it up! I really should go, though. My mother will eat me alive," an affectionate eye roll and half shrug accompanied his words before he followed Will into the living room. "I'll just say bye to Darcy and get going."

"Alright, bye!" If Elizabeth cut into a bright red tomato a little too sharply – enough to hear it smack against the cutting board – no one was around to hear it. If half an hour later, when Jane showed, Elizabeth seemed a little jumpy and all too happy to spend the evening discussing the previous night's escapade with her younger sisters Jane was none the wiser.

...

Somehow, despite the feeling of being eaten alive by the expressions of a guilty and unhappy Charles Bingley (as the man had relocated to New York and was understandably spending time with his best friend), Elizabeth held her tongue. Well, more like bit her tongue. Elizabeth was not going to be the one to inform her dearest sister that her ex was back in town. So, all she did was try her absolute hardest to keep Jane from accidentally bumping into Charlie at Darcy's place.

Elizabeth still managed to be taken by surprise when just two and half weeks after that first visit, Jane told her sister that she'd known Charlie was back in the city almost as soon as he'd returned. Elizabeth had forgotten that phones exist, apparently.

"So, I'm thinking… of ending things with Tom." Jane gave Elizabeth an awkward grimace as Elizabeth's jaw dropped. "Not because of Charlie. That's over. He's over it. I'm over it. But that doesn't mean I have to be with someone, right?"

"Oh, uh, that's…" After placing the pot on the stove with enough water for the pasta she would later drop into it, Elizabeth struggled to maintain her cool. Friday night dinners at Darcy's place were turning out to be so interesting. "Unexpected. Everything seemed to be going well, what happened?"

That was a damned lie. Just a few weeks after knowing Tom, Elizabeth had come to an opinion on the man using the many safe details of Tom What's-His-Name. Even his singing and his ability to pull off a black t-shirt couldn't get him a pass.

"He's a nice guy," Jane supplied with another grimace and telling sip of her rosé.

Elizabeth sipped her own glass and gave Jane a studied look as Jane attempted to give Elizabeth a level look. After years of dealing with her sister's incredible manners and her inability to say anything bad about anyone, Elizabeth had developed an instinct for when Jane wasn't expressing her true feelings.

"Okay, he can be a little… pretentious, I suppose." Jane glanced down at her glass. "Especially with music and literature. He read Tolstoy once and ran with it."

"Jane!" Elizabeth let out a giggle at the small dig, which for Jane was actually a great insult. Still, Jane was not lying. At how many dinners had Elizabeth wanted to stab her eyes out whenever he began to lecture her on her taste? And usually before they even ordered entrées! The guy was harmless, that was true, but he wasn't Jane's style. His decided and loud opinions completely overpowered her sister.

"He doesn't – he's not malicious. He tends to run on when he speaks, that's all. And he's relentless if he catches me listening to anything even remotely Top 40." Jane's eyelids fluttered, and Elizabeth imagined she had rolled her eyes, which gave her a strong signal to her sister's changed relationship status in the coming days. "The new Taylor Swift album is just really good, okay? She's matured, and I like seeing people grow and do well!"

The corner of Elizabeth's lips quirked up. "Yes, I got your half-dozen links to your picks from the album. It's good. Even Will agreed, and Will is a bit of a music snob, too."

"He won't 'submit to consumerist ideals,'" Jane's eyebrows and hand rose in tandem as she did air-quotes, "and watch the big blockbuster movies, and he practically lectured me after I mentioned my interest in the new Black Widow movie."

"I guess you didn't tell him of the weekend we all spent watching the Fast & Furious movies, huh?" The Fast & Furious movies were now too numerous and none of them could really say which number they were on or what they were on, as the plot lines from the first two or three were the most memorable. The rest tended to blur together, and even Georgie would admit that you needed no prior knowledge of, really, any of the movies to watch the next one. The entire weekend had come about from Georgie's pleads for Will to see the Hobbs & Shaw movie with her, a movie that was technically canon but not a Fast & Furious movie as Georgie had so gleefully informed them. Georgiana had particularly delighted in their binge-watching.

"God, please, no."

Elizabeth laughed at the sound of her boyfriend's dry tone as he strolled into the living room. His briefcase was nowhere to be seen, as well as his blazer, and his shirtsleeves were already half-rolled up to his forearms.

"Hey, Jane." Will gave Jane a smile before sidling next Elizabeth and brushing a kiss on her cheek. "I thought we were done with those movies."

"We are," Jane nodded, emphatically. "They're not for everyone."

"Oh, Jane! See, that's the thing! They're for everyone! There's action, drama, romance, cars – "

"Well. There's no way out of this now, is there?"

"No, it looks like I got her started."

" – national security, friendship, family, global threats, terrorism – "

"Lizzy!"

"Elizabeth," Will laughed. "You know you've exhausted the list, love."

"Yeah, I'll admit that I have." Elizabeth shrugged. "I probably should've saved that for whenever I see Tom around. That guy doesn't know what he's missing. Those movies guaranteed a good time."

Jane shook her head good-natured amusement at her sister and her boyfriend. It was strange to see them act so like them with their debates, only for them to hold hands and find a dark corner to slip away into later. That weekend, in between Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift and Furious 7 (after Georgiana had insisted on watching them in chronological order), Will had murmured a jokingly severe 'this is all your influence' to which Elizabeth had only adopted an overly sweet smile before snuggling in closer into his side with a promise not to stare for too long at Dwayne Johnson. Jane had averted her eyes when she saw his finger find the spot under Elizabeth's ribs that made her sputter and squirm.

"Really? You enjoyed them?" Will's questions were dry, but his eyes were twinkling down at Elizabeth.

"Oh, yeah. Having you as a live commentator through all the movies was really the highlight of it all, I think."

"Lizzy," Jane rolled her eyes. "You forget that you tend to do the same thing. You both just talked the entire time!"

Elizabeth's jaw dropped in mock offense as Will laughed. "She's right – I wasn't the one who mocked Vin Diesel throughout the fifth and sixth installments."

"Fine, whatever. Still a good time," Elizabeth gave Will a sly look as he laced their fingers together. "And I think my Vin Diesel impression is now top-notch."

"You two are cute," Jane smiled sweetly at them. "With your 'arguments' and cinephile tendencies."

"Except for Elizabeth's downright refusal to watch anything even slightly snooty."

"Will, for the last time, I don't speak French and there were no subtitles!"

After dinner, Will had gotten the feeling that he'd interrupted an important conversation when he'd gotten home. With a kiss to Elizabeth and a quick apology and an invitation to stay as long as she wanted to Jane, he made a vague work excuse and made his way to his study.

"He learns fast," Elizabeth shrugged and offered to refresh Jane's glass of wine.

Jane snorted, a rare unladylike look for her, and Elizabeth knew that she was on the brink of spilling everything. Jane handed her the near empty glass and Elizabeth gave her another half glass of rosé.

"Alright, buttercup. Time to tell me everything. What's going on, Jane?"

Jane's bleary blue eyes stayed glued on the finger going around the rim of her wineglass, "Charlie called me up. When he got back in New York, I mean. He – He said he wanted to talk."

"Okay," Elizabeth nodded in an effort to encourage her to continue. It was too bad Jane was still staring at her glass most determinedly. "Did you?"

"I – uh, yeah. We met up. At our apartment, actually."

"What? Where was I?" Immediately Jane raised her eyes and gave her a look. Elizabeth groaned. "Never mind, don't answer that."

"We talked. He apologized and explained everything. He told me how he was scared. He told me how his sisters made him doubt our relationship, and how he was just scared of how fast everything was moving."

All were things Elizabeth had known or figured. Was it terrible and hypocritical of her to dislike Charlie for feeling the same way she had just a year ago?

"It made… sense. I told him about my feelings. I told him how hurt I was. We, uh," Jane cleared her throat. "We kissed."

Elizabeth gasped and shot forward in her seat on the couch. "Jane!"

"Yeah, I know. It was terrible and foolish and – and, god! I'm such a bad person." Jane dragged her free hand through her messy blonde hair.

"So, this is why you're dumping Tom." Elizabeth let out a breath as she relaxed back in her seat.

"No. Yes. Well, it's part of the reason why. I feel bad, okay? It was so terrible of me to do that, I mean, I legit forgot – "

"Who wouldn't?" Elizabeth mumbled and almost immediately apologized at Jane's stern look.

" – about Tom. And, I just realized that I'm not interested in Tom like that. I don't want to waste his time or hurt him any more than I already have." Jane relaxed her shoulders and nodded as if reaffirming her decision.

"So that's that." Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously composed sister. "And what about Charlie?"

Jane shrugged and sipped her wine. "What about him?"

"What do you mean 'what about him'? This fucking guy broke your heart, Jane. And not even that long ago! You're just going to – I don't know, get back together?" Elizabeth stomach twisted at the memory of her sister showing up to her apartment in tears.

Jane exhaled forcefully. Her rosy cheeks expanded in the motion before she pursed her lips. "Honestly, Lizzy, I don't know. We're not back together, no. Are we going to? I don't know. All I know is that no matter how badly he hurt me, I still love him. That doesn't seem to be going away any time soon. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. I'm still dealing with it all, and Charlie seemed different, Lizzy. Dating someone else to get rid of this – of this feeling didn't work, so I'm going to try this. Charlie and I are just friends for now, and unless he can rebuild the trust between us, it will likely stay that way. I know you think that I should cut all ties, but don't we all deserve a second chance?"

The question froze Elizabeth's limbs. Fuck, she hated when her sister turned things on her. It was also clear that Jane had clearly worked this out by herself. She'd figured out what she was comfortable with and what she wasn't. Elizabeth nodded and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I guess we do."

...

A/N: Alright, alright. So, here we are. So sorry it took so long to get here... so long that it took quarantine for me to get my shit together. I know I said there was maybe one more chapter left, but Jane and Bingley are really tripping me up, so it might be more. Will and Elizabeth are in a good place right now, but I think there's more there to sort of address, so we'll see.

As usual, thank you for reading and reviewing! Special shoutout for Windchimed who left a very cool review that included constructive criticism, I will definitely have to take a look through all of these chapters once they're completed to clean them up.

Quarantine update: I managed to watch the new Emma movie before the theater was placed on lockdown (so beautiful, by the way) and I watched Clueless last night (not only an iconic teen movie, but also a modern-retelling of Emma for those who haven't watched it). SO yeah, that's where my life is at right now. Also, no, I am not a huge fan of the fast and furious movies (I haven't seen the last two or three), but it was a pretty big joke when I began to write the chapter (it all started with them pushing back the premiere).

Also, someone mentioned that the M-rating wasn't totally warranted, so I tried my hand at it. How'd I do?

Stay home and wash your hands!

b&m