Darcy looked up from his work when he heard the knock on his door. He was going to consider whether or not he should let whoever was on the other side interrupt his work, but the door immediately opened and the matter was out of his hands.

"You will never believe what came in the mail today," snarled Aidan as he stormed into Darcy's office.

Darcy raised an eyebrow at his cousin's overly dramatic entrance. "I was trying to work, you know." He turned back to the papers covering his desk.

"Well work on this, why don't you?" Aidan said as he planted the letter he was holding in his hand on the top of Darcy's pile and huffed over to the wingback chair in front of Darcy's desk.

Darcy attempted to ignore the letter, but Aidan had fixed him with what would have been a terrifying stare had Darcy not known him all their lives.

"Fine!" he conceded, and picked up the letter. "What the hell are you so upset about?"

Aidan was silent as Darcy perused the letter. Darcy was trying to keep himself from laughing. He had known what the letter would say as soon as he saw Aidan in the doorway. He was, after all, supposed to know these things before anyone else and he knew that the minute Aidan and Georgiana's plans to visit Italy were finalized, Aunt Cat would have something to say about it. He knew Aidan would know this too, but Aidan had an unfortunate habit of tempting fate that he hadn't quite learned how to curb.

"Aidan, this letter says that Aunt Cat needs you to come to London in March."

"Exactly!" Yelled Aidan as he stood and paced around the room. "Do you have any idea how long I've been looking forward to this?"

"About as long as Georgie has been?"

"And Georgie! What about her? She'll be so disappointed. It was going to be her first Spring Break holiday."

Darcy was annoyed at Aunt Cat for ruining Georgie's holiday, but not for ruining Aidan's. Every season could have been spring considering how many times Aidan went on "Spring Break."

"Well, I can't say I'm too upset about it," Darcy admitted. "At least now I don't have to go alone."

Aidan looked abashed. "That's probably the most selfish thing I've ever heard you say."
Darcy rolled his eyes. "Right, Aidan. I am a selfish monster because I would rather not face Aunt Cat alone than send you and Georgie off to Italy for a week of fun by yourselves."

"I was only kidding you know. But honestly, why does Aunt Cat need me to be there? Why that week in particular?"

"You know why. She wants you to take a more active role in the family business. Especially since your parents don't want to. And she doesn't want you to be going on vacations when you could be doing work."

Aidan frowned. "I already take an active role in the business. I have spent more time working for Aunt Cat in the past five years than both my parents have in the last twenty. What more does she want from me?" Aidan growled again in frustration.

Darcy almost answered "your soul." Aidan's melodrama appeared to be catching. Instead, Darcy shrugged. "Who knows what that woman wants? All I know is, you showed an interest in the business and you're good at what you do, so she'll use you until you drop."

"Like you?" Aidan questioned.

Darcy grimaced at his cousin. "Of course not. I choose to work this way."

"Maybe," Aidan said as he got up and made his way to the door, "but only because you've got nothing better to do."

"What? What the hell does that mean?"

"It means go get laid, Darce." Aidan grinned at him.

"Perhaps you should follow your own advice, especially seeing as how you'll be spending your holiday in London with me and Aunt Cat and not on the beaches of the Mediterranean."

Aidan shot Darcy a scathing look as he left the study.

Darcy was actually very relieved that Aidan was coming to London with him. Now he might actually be able to get some work done. Usually when he visited his Aunt Cat for "work" he was paraded around a series of ridiculous parties and being presented to so many of Aunt Cat's colleagues and clients that his head would spin. His aunt was always showing him off and trying to get him paired off with one young lady or another. This happened so often that eventually he found himself thinking that maybe he was wrong about these women. Maybe Aunt Cat's choices shouldn't be so easily dismissed.

But then he brought Georgiana with him on a trip. She had laughed at him about Aunt Cat's matchmaking for almost a month afterwards. Darcy didn't like being teased, even if only by his sister. But in truth, it had been reassuring. Georgie's response had been exactly what his own was (albeit less restrained) and it reminded him that he had been right to refuse them.

It's not that these women were bad or ridiculous (although some of them were). In fact, it made perfect sense that someone like himself would end up with one of them. But no matter how many different ladies he was introduced too, he could never tell them apart. They posed no particular interest for him, and he always found his mind wandering back to his work when he would talk to one.

What was it Aidan had said? Something about how Darcy worked too much? Because he had nothing else to do? Well, maybe Aidan had been right, Darcy conceded. But if the alternative was to be constantly bored out of your skull by businesswomen in their suits, then was it really so bad?

Darcy left his desk and the work papers on it and moved to the window. It was always so relaxing when he was at home, even if it wasn't actually relaxing. Even if he had work to do and his sister was home from school and his cousin was traveling from room to room making a mess and demanding attention from one of them all the time. They were his family and he really wouldn't have it any other way.

He had finally arrived at home after spending the past three weeks with the Bingleys in Glasgow. He cut his trip with them short not only because he didn't think he could stand one more minute of Caroline's prattling but also because he knew that a certain long awaited package had arrived at the house.

Pretending to wait patiently in the library, he literally felt his stomach flip when he heard the doorbell which signaled the delivery man. In an effort to suppress his nervousness (which at this point was beyond ridiculous; he had gone as far as to buy the damn thing and then have it shipped across the Atlantic hadn't he?) he took another swig of the brandy in his hand and slowly rose to his feet. The look of surprise that flitted across his housekeeper's face when he realized his boss had been drinking brandy at noon on a Tuesday was almost imperceptible. Darcy chose to ignore it. He shouldn't have been drinking that early in the day anyway. He strode past the housekeeper and towards the men bringing in the tall thin package.

"Where ya want this, sir?" said the one holding a clipboard.

Darcy hesitated. He had certainly thought about where to put it, but now that it was actually here, he wasn't sure if putting it in his room was a good idea. It suddenly struck him as too… well, whimsical. As if it had been this impossible intangible dream. But putting it in his study would make it too real, not to mention it would constantly distract him from the work he had to do.

"Just leave it in the hall please."

"Ya sure, sir? It's quite heavy."

Darcy raised an eyebrow at him.

The delivery man sighed and handed Darcy the clipboard. "Very well, sir. Sign here."

So it sat in the hallway and it was still sitting there when Aidan brought Georgiana home. And it was still sitting there when Aidan found out his Spring Break was cancelled. As eager as Darcy had been to receive it, he was remarkably uneasy about actually opening it.

Darcy couldn't quite bring himself to call it cowardice. That wasn't it, he assured himself. It's just that every time he passed it in the hallway it began to look more and more like Pandora's Box. If he opened it who knew what kinds of horrors he would suffer? It's not like it wasn't already more difficult than he ever imagined it would be. He was certain that the out-of-sight-out-of mind policy would apply to Elizabeth Bennet, but, as always, his expectations were blown out of the water when it came to her. It felt like he was more in love with her way over here across the ocean than he had been when they had shared an apartment. No, not in love. Even in his overly dramatic mood he couldn't admit to being in love. And it wasn't obsession, he assured himself. He wasn't a freak. It was just that she had been troubling him more now that he was home. Yes, troubling was the perfect word for it. Worrisome and annoying, that's what she was, although why worrisome he couldn't for the life of him explain. Nor did he want to.

Yes, it was definitely good that Aidan was coming with him to visit Aunt Cat. If this kept up he wouldn't be able to handle her on his own.

Finally moving away from the window, Darcy decided he'd had enough self-reflection (God knows he'd had enough), and he decided to go bother his sister about something other. But as he opened the door, he ran right into her.

"Ouch, Wills!" Georgiana rubbed her head. "You got me right in the temple."

"My chin's not feeling so great either, Georgie." He said steadying her. "You shouldn't run."

She rolled her eyes. "You should remember to shave. Ouch. Listen I was gonna ask if you don't want that painting in the hallway, can I have it?"

Darcy looked at her sharply. "What?"

Georgie pointed towards the hall. "That painting that's all wrapped up and lying pathetically against the wall in the hallway. If you don't want it can I have it?"

Darcy sucked in the air he had forgotten to breathe and attempted to look somewhat natural. "You mean the painting that's all wrapped up and therefore you should not have seen because the only way for you to have seen it would be if you had opened it?"

Georgiana smiled at him. "Right, that one."

Darcy frowned severely at her, but before he could begin to lecture her on respecting other peoples' privacy (merely as a way to divert her attention from the fact that he didn't want to answer her question), he heard Aidan yelling from the hallway.

"Hey, Darce, this is great. Where did you get this?"

Quickly following Georgiana into the hallway to where Aidan stood in front of the opened painting, Darcy tried to prepare himself for the sight of it. Georgie must not have opened the whole thing because he watched as Aidan tore the rest of the paper away.

"Wow." Aidan stepped back to get a better look.

"It looks even better now," exclaimed Georgie.

"You mean now that it's not half covered by brown wrapping paper?" Aidan asked sarcastically. Georgie elbowed him.

"So, Wills, can I have it? You don't want it right? I mean, it's just been sitting here ever since I got home. You weren't going to return it were you? Because I want it, if you don't."

Darcy stared at the painting. He had overheard Lizzie's father bragging about her art being sold in galleries in the City and the next day, before he and the Bingley's left the States, he had tracked one down. It was very different than the one he had seen her working on in Charlie's flat. He bought it immediately and arranged to have it shipped to his home. As he took a cab back from the gallery he tried to convince himself that he bought it because he respected her as an artist and wanted to support her work. While these feelings were true, he couldn't help but notice how completely they were dwarfed by the overwhelming need to just have something of hers and the irrational fear that if he didn't then he would forget her as soon as the plane left the ground.

Georgie was waving a hand in front of his face. "Wills? I mean, I know it's beautiful, but come on. Do you want it or not?"

Darcy suddenly felt stupid. The painting was beautiful, but it didn't even come close to making him feel like Lizzie was there with him. In fact, the painting meant almost nothing to him. She had painted it before they had met and she had no idea that Darcy even had it. Not opening it had made him obsess (yes, obsess was the right word) about her way beyond the point his feelings could support. Yes, he admitted readily to himself. He liked her. Very much. But they were not even on the same continent anymore, not to mention the fact that they were completely incompatible. Now Darcy could see clearly. The painting would simply remind of the time when he had a little infatuation with a crazy American painter. He was practically laughing about it now.

"Wills!"

Darcy shook his head sadly. "Sorry, Georgie," he said. "It's just that I'm not sure I want it anymore, seeing it here in the house. Too bad. You know anyone you think might want it?"

Georgie groaned and elbowed her brother as he grinned. "Sure, sure. You can have it if you like. Let me know where you want it and I'll arrange to have someone come put it up for you," he laughed as he made his way back to his study.

Lizzie was rushing to get her things packed. She swore as she tore up her room looking for this shirt and that bra. She had known about this trip for two months and still had left all the packing until the last minute. Sure, she had made a list last night of all the things she needed to bring with her, but she had left all the finding of the things and the packing of the things until now.

"God, you're predictable," laughed Carter as he stuck his head into Lizzie's room.

"No time!" Lizzie shouted at him from under her bed.

"You have to be at the airport in an hour and you're not even packed yet."

"I'm sorry, I have no time for you!" Lizzie grinned and rapidly rolled up the clothes on her bed and stuffed them into an oversized suitcase.

Carter walked over to Lizzie's desk and sat down. "Luke told me to come over here and make sure your ass was ready on time."

"That's the problem with Luke," Lizzie panted. "Unrealistic goals."

"Why are you taking that huge suitcase? You don't even have enough clothes to go in there."

"I need room for my painting stuff. The canvases are too big to fit so I'm going to buy some when I get there. If you think I'm going all the way to London and not painting you're out of your mind."

"Can't you learn to do miniatures?" Carter asked, holding up his thumb and forefinger to indicate how small.

Lizzie threw a pillow at him.

"If you come back with a British accent then I'm going to throw you off a pier."

"Oh, shut up, Carter, I know you think they're sexy."

"I'm gonna miss you, Liz."

Lizzie ran over to hug him. "I'm going to miss you too!"

They were still for a moment. "You know," Lizzie spoke, muffled by Carter's shoulder, "I'll be back in three weeks."

"I know." Carter let her go. "You're going to have a great time. Despite the Hobbit."

Lizzie smiled up at him. "I know. It'll be so great to see Carly again. I do miss her so much, you know?"

Carter shrugged. "'Course you do. She's family."

"The apartment's not the same without her."

Carter's cell phone rang. "It's Luke," he said. "You'd better bring that down."

As he left the room, Jane came in. "Oh, Lizzie, you're going to have the best time! I'm so happy for you! Just think of all the wonderful things you're going to see. I can't wait to see what paintings you'll bring back." Jane enveloped her sister in a hug.

Lizzie hugged her back. "I wish so much that you could come with me."

"I've only got a few weeks of school left. I can't miss anything."

"I know. But it's still a shame."

Jane bit her lip self-consciously. "Lizzie, if for any reason you do end up seeing-"

"No." Lizzie snapped.

Jane grabbed Lizzie's hand. "Please, Lizzie! If by the smallest chance you do see him and you talk to him, please be nice. Don't ignore him or be rude. We have no idea why he decided not to finish his degree at Columbia. It probably had nothing to do with me."

Lizzie seethed. How many more times did they have to go through this? As far as she could tell there could have been a million reasons why Charlie should have gone to London, but none of them should have mattered if he really loved Jane like he'd said. It was very unlikely anyway, that they would see each other. So Lizzie decided to give her sister what she wanted.

"Fine, I'll be nice."

Jane breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I love you. Now go, before Uncle Luke drags you out of here by your hair."

Lizzie zipped up her suitcase and Carter helped her bring it downstairs to the cab. Later, Lizzie smiled as she fell asleep on the plane that was carrying her across the ocean, imagining all the things she was going to paint.