Charlotte was awoken the next morning with the sweetest kiss. "Char," Richard's voice called to her tenderly. "Baby, wake up a moment."

Groggily, Charlotte opened her eyes and blinked until Richard's smiling face was in focus. Her eyes met his and she smiled back warmly, reaching her arms up to him and bringing him close for another kiss.

"Good morning," he purred happily, and then told her in his usual voice, "Char, Hilary is on the phone. Do you want to talk to her?"

Hilary was the therapist Richard was working with. They had been treating his addiction with daily phone calls to touch base and twice a week therapy sessions. Charlotte had been a part of some of these sessions, and had some sessions of her own.

She weighed blowing off the call and going back to sleep with the grim facts about yesterday that were starting to awaken in her brain. Yawning, she nodded and took the phone, as Richard left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Hello, Hil."

"Good morning, Charlotte," said the woman, with a voice softened by the slightest blur of a Welsh accent. "How are you doing today?"

Charlotte stretched, feeling the muscles in her lower body throb with memories of last night. She knew that Hilary would have all the details on what had happened. "I'm good, really good." She stared up at the ceiling, "He made love to me, Hil. The sex was completely incidental. He just loved me."

"How do you feel about that?"

Charlotte thought for a moment, as the warmth in her body ebbed away, and then frowned. "Scared shitless."

"Yeah, I would think so."

"He's gotten to me, Hil. All the distance that I thought I had from him; it's all gone. I mean, I've always loved him and all, but my God." She stopped, resisting the urge to tremble as the knowledge of her vulnerability hit her. "Shit" she whispered.

"What exactly are you afraid of?" Hilary asked.

"That he'll hurt me," Charlotte snapped, uncomfortable with her feelings. "That he'll find someone else and leave me. That I'll trust him and he'll betray me."

"Okay, I want you to think with your brain, not your heart a moment, and tell me: how likely is that to happen?"

Charlotte followed her directions and found herself brought up short. "Not very likely," she admitted. "He's not going to leave me for someone else, at least. Richard's never had the urge to be with anyone long term. It's a weird blip in his emotional landscape that he wants to be with me."

"Don't knock that blip. It's helping him. Giving him a reason to find himself." Hilary told her, encouragement warming her voice. "What else are you afraid of?"

"That he's going to get bored with me and regress. That he's going to decide that monogamy isn't for him." She felt a sick lurch in her stomach as she said those words. It was true that Richard would never leave her for one other woman, but what about all other women? How was she to compete with that?

"Okay, good, now we are getting somewhere. Charlotte," Hilary said calmly, "You were never the poster child for monogamy before now, what is keeping you from getting bored?"

Charlotte's frown faded a bit, "Well, last night didn't hurt."

"Don't you think that last night was just as meaningful for him?"

Charlotte found herself biting her nails as she thought. "Yes" she whispered uncertainly. "But..."

"But what?" Hilary asked after a pause.

"It's so easy for him to fall. He's done it so many times; it's nothing to him to pick some girl up and..."

"We've always known this was a possibility, Charlotte. You know it better than I do. Why are you so much more afraid of it now?"

Charlotte shut her eyes, "Shit Hil, it's first thing in the morning; do we have to go there now?"

Her voice softened, "No, not at all."

"I'm afraid that if he slept with someone else now, it would make me feel like last night wasn't real." She spat the words out angrily. "And I so want it to be real."

"Tell me what he was like this morning? Was he different from last night, or was it still real?"

"It's still real," she said, letting the memory of his sweetness touch her. "I'm just not good at any of this."

"You sure about that, Charlotte? Cause from where I'm sitting, you are taking a tough situation and handling it like a pro."

"But Hil, I know he's going to screw up, I know it and I don't know what I'm gonna do then."

"Charlotte, none of us know what's going to happen. Yes, there is a very real chance that Richard will have an incident, and I know it's going to hurt like hell. But you know that if he does, it's not about you. It's because the temptation got the better of him. It has nothing to do with his love for you. He loves you the best he can, and he wants to have a normal, monogamous relationship with you. Give the guy a little credit. Last night was hard, and he pulled through like a champ." She paused. "I think you both deserve praise for it."

"Thanks," Charlotte said quietly.

"Let's look at the big picture here; we knew that Richard would be tempted at some point to return to his old behaviors. Last night it happened, and he resisted it. Instead of going for that fix, he remembered what he really wanted and turned to you. That's great! And I'm so proud of you for letting him prove himself. It must have been hard to watch this and not go over and smack him silly."

Charlotte snorted, "You got that right."

"But you didn't and Richard didn't go off with her. He was with you. I know these first steps are hard, but you needed to go through this, and next time, it will be easier, and every time he says no, it will get more familiar to him, and easier for him to behave in the way he wants to."

Charlotte nodded. "You're right. I knew this was coming, I just didn't realize how it would affect me."

"It's hard to watch the people we love struggle."

"I love him so much," Her voice cracked.

"And you know that he loves you, Charlotte."

Charlotte nodded in agreement, finding comfort in the truth. He did love her. She knew that for a fact. Her attention was distracted by noise coming from the front room. "Charlotte?"

"I'm sorry; I just heard voices in the other room. Hil, I want to go see what's going on. I think we're good here."

"Okay, I'll speak to you on Wednesday."

Charlotte pulled on her tee shirt and jeans and entered the front room to stand next to Elizabeth. Together they watched Charles, Darcy and Richard working together. Darcy held his acoustic Martin with a sheet of music before him, while Richard held a small frame drum and Charles had nothing but some papers. They were discussing something, working together.

"Where's Jane?" Charlotte asked her friend quietly.

"Sleeping, "Elizabeth smiled. "I wanted to see the famed Slurry composing."

"What's going on?" Charlotte asked, as she watched with interest.

"Richard called Will first thing this morning. Said something about wanting to work on a song he was writing."

Charlotte turned and smiled. "He wrote a song?" she asked delightedly.

"Yeah." Elizabeth smiled understandingly. "Feels good, doesn't it?"

Charlotte blushed. "He's only written one other song, and that was when he thought I wasn't coming back to the tour."

"I heard about that, but he told me he wrote 'Control' too."

Charlotte eyes narrowed in surprise. "I didn't know he wrote that. Hm!"

Elizabeth's response was cut off by Richard, who had just noticed Charlotte's arrival. "Let's try it," he told his band mates as he glanced at Charlotte.

Together Darcy started playing out a simple melody; it was set in a minor key and sounded mournful and pensive. Richard tapped out a rhythm on the drum. Charlotte was immediately struck by the plaintive longing in the music.

Charles began singing words that Charlotte knew weren't his; the style was all wrong for him or Darcy, for that matter. She searched Richard's face as they moved into the chorus.

"In your house, I long to be
Room by room, patiently
I wait for you there, like a stone
I wait for you there, alone."

She grew still as they reached the bridge, and then Charlotte knew that this was about her. Richard was admitting his desires and fears, and his determination, that she would be his destiny.

"And on I read
Until the day was done
And I sat in regret
Of all the things I've done
For all that I've blessed
And all that I've wronged
In dreams until my death
I will wander on."

Richard joined in with Charles, singing the chorus a final time, as Charlotte stood very still, watching it all.

"It's good," Darcy offered when they were done.

"Kind of dark, don't you think?" Charles added. "Is it possible for either of you to write a song that isn't about death?"

"It's not about death." Richard corrected him. "It's about knowing what you want, for the rest of your life."

"Do you think we could move this up a few keys? It's really scraping the bottom of my range."

"Actually, I like it down there. It sounds gritty," Richard replied, and Darcy nodded in agreement.

"I have some ideas for a guitar solo, if you don't mind me playing with it."

"No, that'd be great, Darcy."

Darcy looked from his cousin to his fiancée and Charlotte. "'Alright, Lizzy and I have some work to do this morning. I'll see you at breakfast, " he said as he returned his guitar to its case.

Darcy, Elizabeth and Charles left the room, barely noticed by Richard and Charlotte except by their absence. "Do you like it?" he asked; his usual brashness was muted and his eyes were searching hers for understanding.

Charlotte nodded. "It's beautiful. Why is it so sad?"

Richard put his drum down and came close to her, clasping her hands and touching his forehead to hers and speaking so softly she could hardly hear him. "Because, I want, so much, to promise myself to you. I want to have your trust, and I don't dare."

Charlotte put her arms around his waist, her heart aching as she found the faith she had been searching for. "I do trust you. I do trust that you love me, and together we'll deal with whatever else happens."

Gently, careful of their worn and fragile emotions, they kissed, giving each other the strength and reassurance they so badly needed.

"So what do you think?" Elizabeth asked as she entered the suite with Darcy, breaking the silence they had maintained in the hotel hallway.

"It's a good song." At Elizabeth's impatient look, he added, "I think I hate not knowing what's going on, but clearly they haven't broken up."

Elizabeth nodded. "It is hard, not knowing. You just have to trust that they are okay." She laughed. "It's kind of like Jane's belly. We get these outward hints, but all the good stuff is hidden from view."

"And it is all happening in the dark," he agreed, reminded of their rehearsal the day before.

"Well, we're not in the dark," Elizabeth smiled as she hugged him.

"We aren't?"

"Nope, I know exactly what's going on and where we are going." He waited. "We're going to going to make our music, and be together, and be happy, for the rest of our lives."

"That's a little vague."

"The rest is all just details," she shrugged. "We can work them out as they come up."

"Lizzy-"

"For example, today I'm going to hire a PA so I can spend more time on fun stuff, like composing and you."

Darcy regarded her doubtfully. "That sounds a little simplistic. What happened to the stressed out woman who was here yesterday cursing out hackers and her network provider?"

"Oh, I sent her away," she laughed. "Seriously. I was thinking about it last night and Richard really made it all clear to me. We don't need to kill ourselves. There's no point. It's not like we need the money, and I'm tired of being tired and unhappy."

"Good," he told her with approval, kissing her. "I'm tired of you being unhappy."

"Are you happy?" she asked, her eyes searching his.

"I am. Falling in love with you, and doing everything I had to do to win you, taught me a lot about how to be happy. I'm glad you are learning it too."

"You could have told me."

"No, it doesn't work like that. You have to learn this. It can't be told."

"I notice you're still working hard."

"That's because it makes me happy, Elizabeth. This is the career I chose. I could have done anything, or nothing, but this is where I find joy." He paused to kiss her again, this time longer and with more passion. "And that is why I was unhappy with you not having enough time for your music." He stroked her cheek gently. "I want you to have joy too."

Elizabeth closed her eyes to the pleasure of his touch. "I have joy when I'm with you."

"Good," he whispered, kissing her again. "Let's skip breakfast and go back to bed."

"Can't," she frowned between kisses. "I planned to go over the resumes with Rachel this morning, and I have to call Suzy, and I want to check with Alex on the web page."

"Lizzy, what happened to joy?" he pouted.

She grinned, not falling for his look. "You got joy last night and this morning already. If we keep it up at this rate, your joy is going to fall off."

Darcy laughed and squeezed her tight before going off to take a shower, "Alone" he complained.

Elizabeth laughed to herself and dialed Alex's work number. His assistant informed her that he wasn't in the office today, and she called his home number.

"Yeah," he answered distractedly.

"Alex?"

"Yeah, Lizzy."

"Are you okay? You sound kind of weird."

"Um, no, I'm here. What's up?" Elizabeth could hear another voice in the background. "Have you picked an assistant yet?"

"No, I'm meeting with them later. I wanted to know how the web page was going."

"Oh. Um, well Sylvie is right here, why don't you talk to her."

She waited while the phone was passed over. "Bonjour Lizzy!" Sylvie greeted her brightly.

Elizabeth smiled to herself. "Hi Sylvie, found another appealing cake?"

Sylvie laughed. "Alex is a chocolate bombe. How could I resist?"

"Enjoy him. How's my web site doing?"

"Good," her tone shifted slightly. "I'm negotiating with a new hosting company. If they sign the contract, I should have the site up by Monday."

"You are getting a contract to cover all of Pemberley records?"

"Ouaip"

"Excellent! Sylvie, I should have hired you sooner."

"Oh, I agree," she purred.

"I'll let you get back to work," Elizabeth said with mock sternness.

"Hmm, yes, he's a big job," she smiled. "Talk to you later, Lizzy."

Elizabeth sat at the breakfast table with Darcy on one side of her and Rachel on the other. She had ignored her breakfast (except for her coffee) and was instead reading the résumés in front of her, highlighting important points with her pen.

"Did you talk to Suzy?" Darcy asked as he looked over her shoulder.

"Hmm, yes, she's going to call me back. She's very interested in the story, but she thinks Glamour is the wrong venue. She wants to see if she can sell it to a weekly, like Us or People."

Darcy frowned at the way she hadn't even looked at him, and picked up one of the résumés.

"What are you doing?" Elizabeth asked him indignantly.

"I'm looking at the résumés," he answered, somewhat obviously.

"Those are mine," Elizabeth asserted. "Don't you want my help?"

Elizabeth stopped and frowned. "I do, but I feel like you are in my space. Next time, could you ask before doing that?"

Darcy frowned as well, "Was I out of line?"

"How would you like it if I went through your business papers without asking?"

"I'm sorry, you're right." He picked up his mug and started to rise. "I'm going to go and work with Caro."

"No, Will," her voice carried her frustration. "Don't be like that. I do want your help. Will you be able to sit in on the interviews?"

"If you want me too," he said with studied indifference.

"Well, I think you should. We're all going to be working pretty closely."

Darcy settled back in his chair without comment and started looking at the résumés again.

"What do you think?" Elizabeth asked him, trying to sooth his wounded feelings.

"I think they are all pretty closely matched in training and experience," he said in his professional voice. "Any of them would be suitable based on what's here. Rachel?"

The young woman nodded. "Yeah, he's right. Alex did a good job with this. You're going to have to see whom you would feel most comfortable working with. Do you have your questions ready?"

"Yes," she smiled. Her phone rang and she answered it. After speaking for a moment, she got up and left the crowded room for a privacy of her suite. "Suzy, what have you got?"

"People is ready to give you next week's cover story."

"Oh great!" Elizabeth exclaimed, impressed. "That was really fast."

"Lizzy, don't you realize how big this is? I mean, Darcy's been on their cover more times than I can count. The press loves him. This is going to be huge. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"No," Elizabeth answered truthfully. "But for a pile of reasons, we don't have much choice."

"Jane's pregnancy?"

"That and other things," she sighed. "Look, how do you want to set this up?"

"You're off tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I'll get my photographer and a couple of assistants, and we can do this all then. I'll do interviews with one couple while he's photographing another. I know time is important to you. I don't want to take up all your whole day."

"That would be great Suzy. Thanks so much!"

"Don't thank me. Do you know how excited I am to be doing this? It's so rare to get interviews with Fitzwilliam and Bingley. I'm going to be famous. Not to mention the money I'm getting for this."

Elizabeth laughed at her enthusiasm. "I'll tell the others and we will see you tomorrow, around noon."

She hung up and her phone rang immediately. With a groan she answered it and was told that Caroline was waiting in one of the hotel's executive rooms with the applicants. She hung up, gathered her papers and went down to meet them.

As she hurried into the room, Elizabeth noticed the strangers waiting with Caroline. Elizabeth had never seen them but she was able to guess their identities from what she had read on their resumes.

Caroline stood up as she entered. "Here she is now. Elizabeth Bennet, this is Megan Dickerson, Doug Meyer and Wanda Littleton." Elizabeth shook each of their hands in turn.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she apologized. "I'm a little overwhelmed at the moment, which is why I need an assistant." She laughed nervously, and looked at Caroline.

"Megan, why don't we start with you," Caroline said smoothly, as she lead the two women into the adjoining room. They had decided at breakfast that Caroline would discuss the business details with the applicants, while Elizabeth would look at compatibility issues.

The adjoining room had a plain table with six chairs placed around it. Elizabeth moved to take the chair facing the door. When they are all settled, she smiled and said, "Megan, why don't you tell me about yourself and why you want this job."

Elizabeth watched her as she spoke. She was young, mid twenties, probably Elizabeth's age, with pale skin, dark hair and dark eyes. As she listened to Megan talk, she wondered at how different their lives were, and how Elizabeth had gotten where she was, and again, she was surprised by the power of her talent and her achievements.

"You realize that this job will involve traveling with the tour?" she asked, which sent Megan off, bubbling about how excited she was to be there and to be a part of it, and how she was used to 'roughing it'.

Elizabeth found herself being charmed. Megan was pleasantly enthusiastic, and when questioned, she also seemed highly organized and capable.

About fifteen minutes into the interview the door opened and Darcy and Rachel came in. Elizabeth stood up to introduce them. "Megan Dickerson, this is Fitzwilliam Darcy and his assistant, Rachel Brown. If you get the job, you will be working closely with Rachel."

Darcy approached Megan, and shook her hand, saying, "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Dickerson."

Elizabeth was about to sit back down; when she noticed that Megan's face had gone pale. "Are you alright, Megan?"

She was trembling and her hands were fluttering between her face, which was rapidly dissolving into tears and Darcy's arms. "Oh! Oh! Oh!" she gasped. "Oh god, I'm such a fan of yours. Oh my god!" she cried.

As Darcy attempted to soothe Megan, Elizabeth rubbed her forehead tiredly and wrote on her notepad 'KILL ALEX!!!!'. She had seen plenty of girls fall apart upon meeting Darcy. It was old hat to her at this point. His sexual magnetism and fame were just too much for them, she thought sarcastically.

Not that she didn't understand his sex appeal. She probably understood it better then anyone else on the planet. But she had never understood girls who broke into tears upon meeting him. No one ever broke into tears when they met her.

Caroline and Rachel got the crying girl out of the room and Elizabeth glared at Darcy.

"It's not my fault!"

"I know," she sighed. "It's just that I really liked her. For a moment there I thought I was all set. But no," she teased. "You had to come and work your mojo on her."

Darcy's arms slid around her. "Well, you know, my mojo is just too powerful to keep contained."

"I know," she agreed and kissed him softly.

When they broke off, she rested her head against his chest. "At least there are two others."

"One other," Darcy said coldly. "I don't like that guy."

"What?"

"That guy, Meyer. He stared at me when I came through."

At first, Elizabeth figured he had to be teasing her, but the look in his eyes let her know he was completely serious. "You don't like him because he stared at you?" Disbelief colored her voice. "Will, do you have any idea how many people you have stared at? Do you realize how crazy that sounds?"

"Lizzy, I mean it. Call it a gut reaction, but I don't like him. I don't want him working with you."

Elizabeth stepped back. "Are you jealous?"

"No," he said. "What would I be jealous of?"

"You tell me?" she said, clearly not mollified. "You come in and tell me you don't want me to hire this guy, and the only reason seems to be because he's a guy."

"It's not that."

"It better not be. It better not be because I've certainly noticed that all of your staff are women," she folded her arms across her chest. "Maybe you just don't want another male around me."

"Elizabeth," he snapped. "Look, you wanted my advice. You asked me to come here. Now I'm giving it to you. I don't trust that guy. Now you can take my advice or leave it, it's up to you, but I'm not jealous. I hired Alex, didn't I?"

Elizabeth bit her lip and looked away. "I think you better leave now."

"Yeah, I was thinking that too." He turned away and walked toward the door. "Let me know what you decide."

She closed her eyes to block out the sound of the door closing behind him. "Damn it!" she muttered to herself. She knew she was wrong. She shouldn't have jumped on Will like that. It did bug her that all his staff was made up of attractive females, but she recognized that they had been around a whole lot longer then she had, and if he had been interested in any of them, he would have made his move long ago.

Not that Darcy would ever date his staff, she acknowledged. He was too professional, too controlled. Just like her. It was a sign of how powerful their attraction to each other was in that it ripped away all that control. It left them strung out and unpredictable and needy. "Shit!" she said into the empty room. She needed to talk to him, and she would, but first she needed to get this done. He understood that. He had basically told her so when he left, but she still felt rotten about it.

Caroline knocked on the door before opening it. "Are we ready to continue?" she asked politely, but there was a note of understanding in her voice. Caroline knew better than anyone how Darcy could make a woman crazy. Elizabeth closed her eyes a moment, then opened them and nodded. A minute later Caroline and Doug Meyers entered the room.

"Mr. Meyer, please sit down and we can begin. I'm sorry that Mr. Darcy won't be able to join us."

Doug Meyer was a little older than Elizabeth. He smiled with straight white teeth at Elizabeth from an otherwise unremarkable face and body. "That's fine. I'm sure I'll get a chance to meet with him later."

Elizabeth returned his smile and invited him to talk about himself, which he did happily.

"You seem very highly qualified, Mr. Meyer."

"Please, call me Doug," he interrupted.

Elizabeth nodded, "Okay, Doug. Frankly, you seem almost overqualified. Why do you want a low level position as a PA?"

Doug again flashed that smile. "You're right, Lizzy. I could be working at any number of other positions, but I want this one." He leaned forward to emphasize his words. "I've done my homework, and this is the place I'm drawn too. You're on your way up, working with vital, creative people in a fast paced, exciting environment. That's what I thrive in. That's why I want to be with you."

Elizabeth kept her expression very calm, but inside, warning bells were going off. "You realize that the tour will be ending in four months?"

"Oh, yeah, I know that too; but I also know you are working on a number of different projects. You are still going to need an assistant after the tour." He paused and flashed an embarrassed grin, "I have to admit I'm very interested in Pemberley Records. My hope is that by starting out as a PA, when you need executives for Pemberley, I'll be at the top of your short list."

Elizabeth proceeded to ask some very careful questions about Doug's past work experience and was left with the distinct impression that his résumé was, to put it politely, padded.

Elizabeth leaned back in her seat. She understood him now. She had seen his type before. Aggressive bloodsucking leeches who wanted to ride her talent, since they had none of their own. "I see. Well, this has been very helpful to me, Doug. Thank you."

Doug sat back and smiled with faux embarrassment. "I really feel like we have made a connection, Lizzy."

"I see that," Elizabeth smiled politely. "And I thank you. If you will excuse me now, I need to interview Ms. Littleton as well."

"Of course," he said as he rose to his feet, "I realize that someone in your position can afford to appear unfair." He winked and exited the room.

As the door closed, Elizabeth pressed her face into her hands and sighed. Then she looked at Caroline, who said "No," before she could speak a word.

Elizabeth grinned, "Then we are in agreement. I should have trusted Will. He had that guy's number from hello."

"He understands that you have to experience this for yourself. Believe me, he'd love to do it all for you, but that's not going to help you in the long run." She smiled warmly, "Now let's hope we don't strike out with Ms. Littleton."

Wanda Littleton was an attractive African-American woman in her mid-forties. She was of average height with a crowning mass of auburn braids and a figure that was unashamedly womanly. Elizabeth was struck by her carriage, which commanded both respect and confidence. She moved with an efficiency of motions, with no action wasted in unnecessary gestures.

"Thank you for coming here today, Ms. Littleton," Elizabeth began when they were all seated.

"You can call me Wanda," she replied in a clear voice.

"Please, call me Lizzy," she smiled. "I see you have recently retired from being an officer in the Navy. That's very impressive. How did you end up here?"

Wanda smiled and began her story, "Lizzy, I've worked all of my adult life, and I've worked hard. I had figured that when I retired from the Navy, I would want to take it easy; grow a flower garden and work with church group, and basically be a lady of leisure, you know? And I did that for about two months."

"It didn't work out?" Elizabeth asked, smiling.

"Lizzy, I was bored to tears," she declared and laughed. "I'm just not ready for a quiet life yet. In the Navy I was used to being important and a part of something that mattered. My son is old enough that he's moved out on his own, but not old enough to give me any grandchildren yet," she smiled. "So I decided to find myself a job where I could be useful, with responsibilities, but not too many headaches. A friend of mine put me in touch with Mr. Lucas, and here I am."

Elizabeth found herself being reassured by the calm steadiness of Wanda's voice. She was reminded of the gentle warmth of her Aunt Maddie. "Well, you'd certainly be useful here. You don't have a problem with traveling?"

"Lizzy, come on," she scolded gently. "I'm an old sailor. Staying in one place is what I have trouble with." She laughed, a bold, friendly sound.

As Elizabeth talked to her, she felt a sense of relief coming over her. There was something trustworthy about Wanda, that told her that Elizabeth would never have to worry about her; that her secrets would be safe and her back covered. "Could you excuse me a moment?" she asked as she took out her phone and dialed Darcy's number.

"Yes?"

"Could you come down here, please?" she tried to keep her voice neutral, but a he recognized a hint of apology.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, none at all. You were right," she admitted. "I just need you for a moment."

"I'll be there."

Elizabeth returned to the conversation. Caroline was explaining the responsibilities of the position. Elizabeth took a moment to watch the two women, working together. They seemed to have formed a rapport already.

The door opened a minute later and Darcy came in. "Wanda Littleton, this is Fitzwilliam Darcy." Elizabeth watched hesitantly as Wanda shook his hand and they calmly exchanged pleasantries. "Will is leader of our little group and my fiancé."

Wanda seemed pleased to meet him, but otherwise didn't react unusually. Elizabeth's mind was made up. When Darcy asked if she needed anything else, she shook her head and thanked him.

"I'll talk to you later," he said, kissing her lightly on the cheek. Elizabeth squeezed his hand quickly, relieved that things seemed to be okay between them. They exchanged a look and he left the room.

After he left, Wanda gave Elizabeth a wicked grin. "Isn't he fine?"

Elizabeth and Caroline laughed. "Yes he is," Elizabeth agreed. "I hope you're ready to start right away Wanda, because I need you."

"I've got all my bags with me and I'm ready to begin."

Audio Credits: Like A Stone by Audioslave. Written by Audioslave, lyrics by Chris Cornell.