*- I do not own any of these characters. Please review

Regret

He watched the engagement party from the outside. She was not hard to locate. She was smiling and laughing, her fiancé never far from her.

John Willoughby was not a man to believe in regrets, the past was what it was, what is done cannot be undone.

But he did have one regret, Marianne Dashwood. He did love her and if he could have gone back, he would be honest with her. Perhaps he might be the one standing next to her; it would be his engagement ring on her hand. But she was to marry Christopher Brandon within a month.

Handing the glass to the waiter, Marianne kissed her fiancé on the cheek.

"Do you want some company?" Chris asked.

"No, I just need a moment by myself, it's just a little warm in here, I will be back in a few minutes".

She was surprised to find outside the one person she thought she would never see again.

"What are you doing here?".

"I uh… you look beautiful" were the only words that John could utter.

"Where is your wife?" Marianne asked, John could feel the sting of her words. John had married Jessie because she was everything he was told he should have in a wife. And yet, she was everything he didn't want in a wife. She was cold, only wanting him for his name and money. Now he was stuck, his aunt threatening to cut him off if he left Jessie.

"She went away with her girlfriends for the weekend".

"I don't think you should be here, John…" she was stopped by her fiancé leaving the party to join her, who upon seeing John possessively placed his hand on Marianne's shoulder.

"Is he bothering you?" Chris asked.

"No darling, he wasn't bothering me. He was just leaving, weren't you, John?" Marianne asked.

"I do have to go. Congratulations to you both".

As he drove away, Chris asked "Do you still love him? If you do, I will let you go, free and clear".

"I thought I loved him once, but I don't anymore. Please don't think of him, I don't. I only want to marry you".

She kissed him gently, as his arms wrapped around her, but they were interrupted by Elinor.

"Is something going on out here? We were beginning to think you two had run off to Vegas".

"We're fine" Chris replied as he followed his future wife and sister in law inside, not knowing that John was still close by watching them.

John Willoughby was not a man who believed in regrets, but he was not a man who believed in love until he watched the one he loved, marry another. He was the cause of that.

It was his one regret.