He smiled. "I hope so. Why?"

"No reason," she shrugged. Darcy looked at her, doubtful. "Really!"

"Then why bring it up?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him. "Well, I did notice something when I met them a few days ago."

"Like?"

"Like the way they looked at each other."

"Women! Always imagining something that might not be there!" he teased.

"It was not my imagination! If it were, well... never you mind!" she smiled. "It was like a smoldering look... a simmering heat."

"Now just how did they look at each other with heat?" he smirked.

Elizabeth scooted her lounge chair closer to Darcy. "Like this," she tilted her head toward him and looked at him from under her lashes and out the corner of her eye.

"And how did he look at her? Like this?" Darcy stared straight ahead.

Elizabeth laughed. "No silly! Like this," she positioned Darcy's head; it was lowered and tilted. "Now, look at me. See?!"

"Good Lord, with all that sneak and peek mess, who drove the car?!"

They both laughed heartily.

"Well, anyway, it's about time!" Darcy smiled. "They used to date a few years back."

"I knew it! But when?"

"When Charlotte and I were at Harvard, Fitz came to visit. The first time, they both acted really shy towards each other, but I knew... because they're both normally boisterous and outgoing. The next time he came to visit, well... they were all over each other!"

"You didn't interfere, did you?" she teased.

"No, I didn't," he smiled. "Neither one of them had that 'happy-go-lucky, wide-eyed farm boy, first time in the big city' look on their faces like Charles did."

They both laughed.

"They continued their relationship when we graduated and came back home, but a few months after that, Fitz went undercover and couldn't contact us. He did manage to slip in and out of my father's funeral. But he comes and goes as the situation allows. He even helped me stay out of jail for beating up Wickham."

"Then how is he your Chief of Security?"

"That's a lifetime position my father gave him. He's very good at what he does and this way he'll have something to occupy his mind when he retires from whoever he works for now."

"I think he's ready to retire now."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he has a two bedroom apartment downtown."

"And just how do you know this?" Darcy raised an eyebrow.

"Um, he told me."

"Hmm." Are you interested in my cousin? "I hope it does work out with Charlotte, she was devastated when he left."

"I can't believe Charlotte was ever devastated over anything."

"She learned very early to put on that façade, but like the rest of us mere mortals, she lets her guard down sometimes."

"Yeah." Although I've never seen it! "I hope it works out for her too. She deserves some happiness."

"You don't think she's happy?"

"Not really."

"And you think her happiness hinges on a life partner... a husband?"

"Well... Charlotte pretends she's not the romantic type, yet she's always wanted the whole husband-kids-white picket fence thing. I think she would even accept Billy Collins if he asked her."

"Impossible!" he dismissed, but then Darcy thought about it. "Really?!"

Elizabeth shrugged. "She's always talking about her maternal clock fading into oblivion."

"Hmm?" I'll have to talk to Fitz about that. "What about you?"

"I, uh, my maternal clock? Well, I never really thought about it."

"You never thought about a husband and kids?"

"Not really. I believe I should fall in love first."

"You've never been in love?"

Elizabeth chuckled. "I've been in like, in lust, I'm not sure, um... in lunacy, that's subjective," she snorted, "but never in love. What about you?"

Darcy shook his head. "Nope, I've never been in love either. In like, several times. In lunacy... I don't think so."

"What about lust?" she asked eagerly.

"I will not admit to being in lust... because lust is confusing."

"How so?"

"It takes over your senses, your sanity even. It makes you feel things that aren't really there. It makes you accept things that you normally wouldn't."

"That sounds more like in lunacy."

"Whatever it is, it does more harm than good!"

"But you eventually snap out of it, right?"

"Yeah, but only after you realize what a fool you've been. Then you hope and pray you can undo the damage."

Elizabeth was quiet and reflective for a long while. But then asked, "Do you ever think of settling down?"

"Yes, but like you, I want to fall in love first."

"Nothing but love will induce you into matrimony?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"I always assumed money married money."

"Hmm."

"But then again, those are the only women I associate with."

"Speaking of which... I've never seen you with a date. I mean, someone in your position without a beautiful thin model-like creature on your arm is, well, practically unheard of."

"I can get those anytime. But as far as a 'girlfriend', I've been in a dry spell." More like celibacy! "I noticed you didn't have some hunk hanging on your every word either."

"You mean, other than Billy Collins?"

They both laughed.

"Well?"

"Too busy," she dismissed."

Elizabeth and Darcy ate quietly.

*****

Elizabeth had come from the back porch to the kitchen sink to wash her hands when she heard 'Uh oh!' from her laptop. She jumped at the sound, shook the water off her hands and lunged toward it.

It was what she was waiting on! The man in California checked out all right, but the woman had vanished into thin air. This was a great place to start! But she left no forwarding address, no nothing; just her name and age.

Elizabeth sighed and typed into her ICQ send message box.

Reply:

Reply:

Reply:

Darcy was standing in the doorway. "Well?"

Elizabeth looked up. "Do you know a Sarah Anderson?"

"No. Why?"

"She quit her job with the 'House Beautiful' cleaning service, a day after she cleaned your apartment. Now, she's vanished."

"So what do you do now?"

"I wait... I have a few of my people out there trying to find some things out. Then I shall be out of the house in a flash!"

Darcy followed Elizabeth back outside.

"A few of your people?" Elizabeth nodded. "Who are your people?"

"Contacts."

"Beggars, druggies, etc.?" he uttered disdainfully.

"Damn alarm clock!" she spat.

"So whatcha got for me?"

"Most of her neighbors couldn't remember her, but one, a Mrs. Catherine Tilney, described her as a green-eyed blonde..."

"But you said she was a brunette!"

"That's how she appeared for work at House Beautiful." Dramatic pause. "There's something else." Elizabeth waited; she knew how this man worked. "Mrs. Tilney recalled a night-time visitor. To be precise, a tall dark-haired man."

"That could be anybody!"

"You're right, but she also heard him whisper his name at her door." Another dramatic pause. Elizabeth patted her foot; he was just being annoying! "The man's name was George."

Elizabeth gasped. "Could it be?!"

"It might be."

"Where was all this taking place?"

"Arlington," he looked at her wearily.

"My sister Lydia lives in Arlington... Hmm? What's the address?"

"2707 Shepherd, apartment 39."

"I think that's right around the corner from Lydia... but I'm not sure."

"So, where is this going?" he asked.

"Nowhere," she shrugged. "Just thinking out loud." Elizabeth looked at her surroundings. "So why am I here?"

"I had a nice talk with Mrs. Tilney, but she was holding something back. I thought maybe you'd have a crack at her."

"She'll be suspicious..."

"Oh, I told her you were my sister and I was trying to hunt down an old high school friend of yours..."

Elizabeth had been gone for nearly three hours and Darcy hated it already! How is it possible that you can miss being with someone that you've only really known for a few short weeks?! Darcy could not tell you the answer, because he did not want to acknowledge the truth!

Elizabeth had not mentioned a thing to Darcy about her latest adventure. He tried to look in her laptop for some clues, but he did not know the password. He thought of every possible word that might be a symbol or reflection of herself, her family, and her friends, as far as he knew, but to no avail. Nothing worked!

He then decided to go somewhere; anywhere away from this house! Darcy walked outside, however, there was one obstacle and she was guarding the gate like St. Peter watches the gates of heaven! Bud was snapping and growling and snarling like mad.

Darcy held out his hand. "What's wrong girl?" Bud snapped at it and Darcy pulled it back quickly. He seethed. "You mean I'm not even allowed to leave the compound?!" Bud barked. "I was just going fishing!" Bud snarled. "Okay! Alright!" Darcy headed around back. "Damn dog!"

Darcy fumed and paced on the back porch. He wished he had somewhere to go to kick and scream and shout and throw things, but he had already cleaned up the tantrum room. What to do, what to do?

Bud had an answer as she bounded around the house carrying a blue Frisbee in her mouth. At first Darcy ignored her, he was still mad that she held him prisoner. But Bud danced and pranced around him, she rubbed her head against his hand or leg begging him to play with her.

"I give!" Darcy chuckled.

Bud dropped the Frisbee on the ground and ran towards a big ol' rickety shed. Darcy tossed the Frisbee and it sailed across the yard. Bud dashed after it, sprang into the air like a corkscrew, and snapped it out of the sky. Darcy was amazed at the dog's grace; big as an ox, ugly as a mongrel from hell, and strong enough to tear a man's arm off, but in actuality, not much more than a lovable pup. Bud loved running, attention, and obviously chasing after a Frisbee.

Darcy had a thought as Bud brought the Frisbee back to him. He tossed it in the opposite direction from the first time. Bud did her act again and brought it back.

"I'll be right back!" Darcy ran into the kitchen.

Bud waited outside until she heard a sharp whistle coming from the front yard. She ran around the house to Darcy who was standing on the front porch.

"Good girl!" He gave the dog a liver snack, her favorite. "What a good girl!"

The treat disappeared in a gulp, Bud was all eager to play again. Darcy rubbed the dog's head and patted her side.

"Okay Bud! Let's go!"

He flung the Frisbee toward the front gate. As Bud ran after it, Darcy stepped off the porch.

Darcy did this several times, each time inching further away from the house and closer to his real destination, so far Bud had not noticed. With any luck, Darcy figured as long he had enough treats in his pocket and Bud continued to want to play, that might carry him right through the front gate with Bud prancing happily at his side.

"You're a good girl, Bud!"

Darcy gave the dog another treat, more pats, more praise, then sailed the Frisbee right up to the gate.

"Go get it Bud! That's it! Good girl!" he exclaimed as he stealthily moved towards the gate.

Bud ran back and nearly stumbled over Darcy when he wasn't where she expected him to be. But then she lumbered happily to Darcy's feet, dropped the disk, panted, and pleased as hell.

This time, Darcy flung the Frisbee toward the porch. When Bud dashed after it, he stepped a few feet even closer to the gate.

"Good girl! Bring it here!"

The dog raced back and dropped the Frisbee. Then she looked at the gate and back at the porch as if realizing that something was not quite right.

"It's okay, girl. Yeah, you're a good dog."

Darcy spent a bit more time on the patting and praising, then he sailed the Frisbee towards the porch again. Bud's hesitation was ever so slight that the disk had barely started its downward arc when she caught it. Then the dog stood looking back and forth; at Darcy, at the porch, at the gate, all the while holding the Frisbee in her mouth. Finally, she sat down on her haunches and stared at Darcy.

"Come on, Bud! Bring it here, girl?" Darcy took one of the liver treats out of his pocket and offered it invitingly. "It's okay girl. Come on."

Bud looked at the treat in Darcy's hand, looked at the gate, then dropped the Frisbee, covered it with her paws, and huffed.

"Come on, girl! Come on." Darcy knelt on the ground and offered the treat again. "Come on girl?" he coaxed. Bud wolfed in reply. "You're a good girl! A smart girl!" Damn smart! Too smart! "Bring it here."

Bud looked at Darcy's outstretched hand; he was now sitting on the ground, no threat, and no indication that the man might cut and run towards the forbidden gate. After a moment, the dog picked up the Frisbee, plodded to Darcy's feet, dropped the disk, and accepted the treat. Bud chewed it more slowly this time, as she watched Darcy with a wary eye. Yes, they were becoming friends and fun was fun, but the dog knew her job.

"You're a damn good dog," said Darcy, meaning it.

Darcy picked up the Frisbee and decided he'd pushed his luck enough for today.

*****

"Well, young man, you are persistent!" she exclaimed.

He smiled. "I told you I'd be back! Mrs. Tilney, this is my sister, Elizabeth. You remember I told you she was looking for Sarah..."

"Of course dearie! I may be old, but I'm not senile!" she laughed. "Not yet at least! Come in, come in!"

"Thank you," smiled Elizabeth as she sat down.

"You hungry?"

"No Ma'am."

"Thirsty?"

"No Ma'am."

"I guess you wanna get down to business then... As I told your brother, Sarah kept to herself."

"Sarah was always like that. Always... But I managed to bring her out of it, sometimes." Elizabeth sadly looked away.

"Now how did you two meet up?"

"We went to high school together. In a little town of no consequence, but in the last year or so, I lost contact with her..."

"She only lived here 3 or 4 months, but I felt like she was hiding something. I have this feeling about me. I can tell when someone is hiding something, you know?"

"What do you think she was hiding?"

"Oh I don't know. But I just don't understand why a licensed nurse would be cleaning houses and such!"

"How did you know she had a nursing degree?"

"Oh I saw the plaque sitting on her end table. You know that was the only time she allowed me in her apartment. I think I locked myself out on that day... Yes, I do believe that's what it was."

"Do you think she lost her job?"

"One never knows, does one?"

"My brother tells me that you said she had a boyfriend..."

"Oh I wouldn't call him that! My mother always told me that a man should never come to visit during the night hours, unless he was your husband, of course. And even then, you could tell him you had a headache or..."

"You said his name was George, didn't you?" interrupted the man.

"Well, that's the name he whispered at her door one night. It might have been a code word, but... I really can't say. I looked out my peephole that's how I know what he looks like. Handsome, dark, um hmm. Now in my younger days I had some handsome gentlemen callers, you know? And my Henry, was a rather striking young man, if I say so myself."

"Would you recognize him, if you saw him again?"

"Henry? Henry's been dead these fifteen... Oh, you mean the other one. Well, I'm not sure. I suppose so... but I'm not sure. Now why is it that you wanted to know all this?"

"As I said, I lost contact with her over a year ago and now there's no trace of her. She hasn't even contacted her family!" Elizabeth let out a soft sob. "I fear the worst."

"Come on sis, I think we should go..."

Elizabeth stood up. "Can I leave my cell phone number with you, just in case you think of something else?"

"Sure dearie!" Mrs. Tilney stood. "Do you travel much?"

"Yes. Yes I do." Elizabeth pulled out a pen and pad, wrote down her number, tore off the sheet, and placed it in the lady's hand. "Thank you for your time."

"Come by and visit an old lady next time you're in town, okay dearie?" Elizabeth nodded. "You too!" she pointed at the man.

They left.

Once they were in the car and driving away, the man began, "Great acting job! I was ready to bawl myself!" he sniffled.

"Oh shut up!" she laughed. "It worked didn't it?"

"Yeah and now you have a friend for life!"

They both laughed.

"Are you staying in town tonight?"

"No, I'm heading back home after you drop me off." She looked around the familiar area. "Ooh! Turn here!"

"Why?"

"I'm hungry."

"But there's nothing but fast food restaurants around here."

"I just have this thing for McDonald's french fries."

He laughed.

On her drive back, Elizabeth called Charlotte and they chatted about their respective day.

"Liz. Liz." Darcy shook her. "Liz!" Elizabeth opened one eye. "You fell asleep here."

"Aw damn!" She sat up, wiped her mouth with her hand, stretched, and yawned. "I really gotta learn how to get up and go to bed!"

"You can go to bed later. We have to get to the grocery store."

"Oh yeah, right." She was momentarily confused. "The grocery store..."

Darcy opened wide the refrigerator door. "See, no food!"

"I got it."

Elizabeth ran upstairs to shower and change, while Darcy made breakfast.

Later, they went to a local grocer for supplies; Elizabeth did not think it wise to subject Darcy to the town of Granbury yet, or vice versa.

*****

"Do you have anything planned today?" asked Elizabeth as she placed the last can of whatever on the shelf in the pantry.

"I was going to start throwing some of the stuff away in the tantrum room." Darcy closed the refrigerator door. "Is that okay?"

Elizabeth nodded and shrugged. "You'll excuse me if I don't help, won't you?"

"Sure."

She padded out of the kitchen. "Try not to make too much noise!" She lumbered up the steps. "Oh and don't throw any of those papers away!" She labored down the hallway. "And if you can fit any of the men's clothes, keep 'em!"

Darcy chuckled to himself.

*****

Darcy paced frantically in the tantrum room. Should he wake Elizabeth? Or should he wait? She had been asleep for a few hours now. But hell, this was important! He made up his mind and strode through the walk-in closet.

"Liz," he knocked. "Liz?" He heard her mumble something in reply and took that as a sign to enter. "Liz."

"Hmm?" she answered in her pillow.

"I found something... something important. I think you'd better take a look at it."

Elizabeth swung her legs from the bed and pushed her upper body from the softness. She rubbed her eyes. "This better be good!"

"Oh, I think it'll make your day. It definitely made mine!"

Elizabeth followed Darcy into the tantrum room. He handed her a stack of papers. Elizabeth's interest was piqued from the first page; she devoured the rest. As she read, gasps escaped her, groans, mutterings, and expletives followed.

It was piecemeal at best and not all there, but according to those papers, in late 1994 George Wickham was testifying against a person of ill-repute, a small town loan shark to be exact. While on the stand in Del Rio, Texas, a lone gunman opened fire on Wickham. The aim was true, Wickham took a bullet in the lung and shoulder, but as all hell broke loose, the gunman fired at anything and everything. In the ensuing chaos; he killed the judge instead. The gunman was killed trying to flee the courtroom. After surviving emergency surgery, the State hid Wickham in a safehouse to await a new trial.

Twilight had crept up on them and Darcy had turned on a desk lamp. When she finished, Elizabeth tidied the papers in a nice pile and placed them in her lap.

"So Wickham actually slept here in this house." It was not a question, merely an aghast statement and she shuddered at the thought. Darcy nodded. Call an exterminator! "And they brought in a home care nurse to take care of him."

Darcy handed Elizabeth the love notes. "I found these in the mess as well. I placed them in an order I thought best suited the situation."

Elizabeth chuckled as she read them.

"That must be how they met."

"Yet there is nothing recorded about her in these papers, except the days she came to visit."

"There must be some way we, I mean, you can find out..."

"Wickham, probably. Regardless of what the FBI says, their Witness Protection Program is penetrable."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. There's always some family member or friend that they just have to keep in touch with. And there have been plenty of people that were erased that have later been found killed or tragically handicapped."

"You're absolutely right! He kept in contact with me back then and I had no idea what he was up to." Darcy looked pensive; he did not want to know anymore. "What about the nurse?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I looked for a Sarah Anderson on the Internet all night long. I found squat!"

"Try Sarah Young."

"Why?"

"I think that was the name of Wickham's girlfriend, the chaperone."

"Shit! Why didn't you tell me this earlier?!" she jumped from her seat.

"It just came to me."

They both flew down the stairs to the kitchen to the laptop.

"There it is! Clear as the nose on my face!" she pointed. "Sarah Young graduated from the now defunct Odessa School of Nursing in 1972!"

"Is there anything else?"

Elizabeth typed and browsed and searched. "Nope. It's just public record now," she sighed. A moment later, an idea hit her. "But, I could get some of my friends to see if her name has appeared on anybody's payroll lately."

"Hmm? But that's such a common name..."

"Then I'll check every last one of them out!"

Elizabeth sent an email to Charlotte and a few of her other contacts, including a special agent of an undisclosed government body... Just between me and you, it's probably the IRS. Shh!

"Now we just wait and see." Elizabeth password protected her laptop and stretched. "I'm starved! Got anymore of that Chicken Parmesan?"

*****

"I assume Charlotte is the only one that knows about this house."

"She knows about it, but not it's exact location."

"Why are you trying to hide it?"

Elizabeth sighed. "I'm selfish... We moved around a lot when I was younger. In my childish dreams I believed that once we settled, things would be a lot smoother." Darcy raised an eyebrow. "My parents..." she cleared her throat. "Let's just say it is not the best of marriages."

Darcy nodded in his head, but outwardly showed no sign of movement.

"Jane in all her sweetness and innocence just ignored the fact. Don't get me wrong, I love my sister dearly and I'm not saying she was ignorant to all of the goings on in the house, but she can turn a blind eye to almost anything! And that bothers me. The other three... I don't talk to them much, nor do I care to. Mary has seemingly found herself in Lala land, Kitty is still trying in Euro-Disney, and Lydia doesn't care who she is."

Darcy still did not understand, but said nothing; hoping she would go on.

"Everyday I question my father's wisdom as to why he married Frances. I'm not saying that it's all her fault, 'cause I've seen enough from my father to see why she acts the way she does. You yourself have seen the dissimilarities in their personalities. What do you think?"

"I, uh, well, um, I'm not sure."

"Well, I think I know now. It was something you said the other day... about lust or rather, lunacy. I mean, Frances still is a beautiful woman, and they were married a few short weeks after they met, so..."

"That still doesn't clue me in as to why you want to hide this house."

"Well, this house is fully paid for. I only want to do this for another 2 years and then I'll retire. I already have enough in the bank to live comfortably. But I don't want any of my relatives to feel that they can just stop by and stay. Well that's all moot now, since you bought the Dojo... my father paid off the house. Of that I know for sure. But as I said, I'm selfish. They can all live happily ever after under the same roof in the house in Irving for all I care. If I want to be seen, I'll show up for a few days or stay in a hotel nearby, but my peace of mind is here. This is my cocoon. I don't like chaos, or storm clouds, or bad karma, unless it's my own," she smiled. "That's a round about way of telling you my story, but that's it."

"I understand just how you feel about peace and quiet. But I'm still a little fuzzy as to how you became who you are. Tell me how you grew up?"

Elizabeth was born in Korea to the oldest daughter of the Karate Master's family that Mr. Bennet resided with. Elizabeth was born in love and the deepest devotion. The young woman, Jung Yee Kim, had dreamt of going to America with her American GI and talked of it incessantly, even naming her child outside of tradition. Although her English was not that understandable, everyone who knew her, grasped the fierceness of her intent. Unfortunately she never made it. A mere 3 months after Elizabeth was born, Jung Yee had been killed by an undetected landmine while harvesting in the fields. A distraught Mr. Bennet begged the family to take Elizabeth to America; he insisted that at least Jung Yee's daughter would be able to live her mother's dreams. The family agreed, for the little girl would be shunned in her own village, because of her unsanctioned parentage.

If you think the homecoming was a pleasant one, you would be wrong... VERY wrong! Francis Bennet was beside herself and hated the newborn laid at her door. Thoughts of gossip swirled in her head and warped her brain; her never-ending fits of nerves were... well, never-ending! Yet she would not divorce him. Almost immediately upon his return, Clarence Bennet moved his wife and family away from her relatives, hoping Frances might calm down. They first moved to Dallas, but the bustle of the big city and the overhanging threat of scandal was even more trying on Mrs. Bennet's nerves. They tried other places but to no avail. The last and final move was to Irving; a little less big city and a little more country, or that's how it was when the Bennets moved there. Frances was finally settled in, or rather, Clarence was fed-up with the constant moving. Mary was born in Ft. Worth, Kitty in Arlington, and Lydia in Irving. Mr. Bennet is now 64.

They stayed up very late that night as Elizabeth weaved her tale of childhood misery. Even though there was anger and avarice in the household, Mr. Bennet would eventually give in to his wife and go to her bed; hoping that a little tenderness to her would go a long way towards her being a mother to Elizabeth. I'll just say it took years, but in the meantime, her younger sisters teased her mercilessly about it, while Jane was a constant source of comfort. Eventually, Mrs. Bennet succumbed... a little. Even Mary had put aside her prejudices... somewhat; once Mary got religion, she deigned to forgive Elizabeth her part in an unholy union. Kitty and Lydia were not so forgiving; they had tried to break her, pretending to be the loving sisters, only to hurt her again and again. And with all that, Elizabeth steeled herself to the world and other than Jane and her father, she trusted no one in her immediate family. Trust was even harder to dish out amongst her other relatives and acquaintances, but she did find some true friends, not many, but a few.

You are probably asking... Why did she believe Caroline, despite what she knew of her? Well, if you examine her family, most of those that should have loved her, lied, teased, and/or degraded her; so in Elizabeth's mind, only someone who despised her, even hated her, she thought, would tell her the absolute truth without thought or remorse. It's a bit twisted I know, but those are the rationales that guide her wounded soul.

Even after all these years, the emotional scars remained fresh as the day they were hewn. To Darcy, it seemed that Elizabeth was no closer to exorcising her demons than he was. However, within her, it seemed to him, that there was something deeper. Unsolicited betrayal perhaps? Unfathomable sorrow? Unquenchable thirst to forget? Unattainable hunger to forgive? He knew not what.

*****

Darcy woke up first. As he was making a late breakfast, the cell phone rang.

He flipped it on. "Charlotte?"

"Will, we got a ransom note!"

"What?! When?!"

"Today. It was delivered to Pemberley and your investigators picked it up."

"What does it say?!" Elizabeth padded into the kitchen and Darcy waved her over. "Liz is here, hold on." Darcy bent down to share the phone with her. "Okay, we're both here!"

"It says:

That's it."

"That's it?!" cried Darcy. "That's it?!"

Elizabeth took the phone from him as he cursed and slammed his fists down on the counter. Bud growled and snarled.

"Char, is there a postmark?"

"Yes. It's from San Antonio and it's dated yesterday."

"Okay. Have you heard anything on Sarah Young?"

"Not yet, but hopefully this will pinpoint a location."

"Hopefully." She watched as Darcy went out onto the back porch. "Email that note to me and the envelope."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"No. Just keep us posted."

"Alright."

They hung up.

Elizabeth finished up making breakfast, letting Darcy cool down.

*****

After retrieving her email, Elizabeth leaned out the kitchen window. "Will, breakfast is ready." He growled in response, but did not move. Elizabeth went outside to join him; Bud followed. "You have to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"You need your strength." Elizabeth put a hand on his shoulder. "We may need you..."

Darcy shrugged it off and moved away. "You don't need me."

"Yes we do. I do. I need to pick your brain some more."

"For what?"

"I won't know till I find it." She moved closer to him. "But I need you calm and in control," she whispered. "Even if I have to get you drunk to do it."

He turned to her with unshed tears glistening in his eyes, then smiled slightly. "You don't have any liquor."

"If that's what it'll take, I can get you a bottle or two."

"It'll take more than one or two to keep me calm."

"Then I'll get you a whole case." He nodded. "Any preferences?"

"Brandy. French."

Darcy walked back into the house and sat down at the kitchen table. Elizabeth and Bud followed.

Elizabeth fixed Darcy's plate and placed it in front of him. "I'm gonna make a run down to San Antonio today. I'll pick you up something while I'm gone. Okay?"

Darcy nodded.

Elizabeth fixed her plate and sat down; they ate in silence.

*****

Darcy pulled Elizabeth to him and embraced her. "Be careful, Liz."

She pushed back slightly. "I'm just going down to talk to a few friends... Nothing serious."

"Still, be careful." He let her go.

Elizabeth knew that she should have looked away, but the concern that filled his gaze was real. It was also gratifying and promising. Elizabeth had read somewhere that kidnap victims often developed an emotional attachment to their captors. Complete dependency on a person for food, shelter, human companionship, and approval, created false endearment. Was this... happening here? And if so, why am I feeling it too? Actually, Elizabeth knew why, but she was not ready to admit to herself the full force of her feelings. She had revealed herself to him, like unto no other. It actually felt good! Warm! Tingly! She shook her head and concentrated on her tasks.

"I will."

They walked to the car. "How long will you be away?"

"Hopefully, I'll be back tomorrow, but I'll call you tonight to let you know."

He opened her door. "Okay."

"Keep that phone with you at all times!" She slammed the car door.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" he saluted as she started the car.

"See ya!" she waved as she drove off.

"Yeah," he whispered in her dust.

*****

Darcy went back into the house to lay out dinner. Bud nudged her bowl over to his feet and whined.

"Hungry again, girl?" Bud barked and nodded. "Okay." Darcy went to the pantry and looked around. "How about some... seafood something or other mess?" Bud barked and jumped around happily. "Expensive tastes I see!" He laughed and commenced to fix the dog's bowl.

Bud ate ravenously. Darcy had a thought. "How 'bout some exercise?" Bud raised her eyebrows and Darcy could only laugh. You don't forget a damn thing, do you? "No, we won't try the front gate again." At least not today... "I promise. We'll stay in the back," he pointed. "In the back, okay?"

Bud nodded and ran off to find her Frisbee. Within moments, Bud returned with Frisbee in mouth.

"Alright girl," he stood up. "Let's go!"

Bud ran back out the door, while Darcy grabbed the liver treats. When Darcy joined Bud outside, the dog had dropped the Frisbee, ran off a little ways and pranced and danced in eager anticipation. The afternoon waned into early dusk as Darcy and Bud played toss and catch. It was a lazy day for Darcy; he did not have that much to do, except fling the Frisbee. However, it did keep his mind off his troubles, although Bud did all the work. But one particular toss got Darcy's attention; the Frisbee had sailed out of Bud's reach and skidded under the doors of the rickety shed. Bud barked and Darcy walked over to investigate.

The shed had two large doors latched perilously together and no lock. Darcy pulled hard on the latch finally freeing it from its rusty entrapment. Then he pulled one door open and smiled at what he saw. He proceeded to pull open the other door to let in some light.

"A pickup truck? Hmm?" he mused as he surveyed it. "It looks relatively new, maybe a few years old, but..."

Darcy looked around for a light but did not see a switch, then he looked up and saw a long string dangling from a huge florescent light on the ceiling. He reached up, tugged on the string, and there was bright light to be had all over the shed.

Bud slithered under the truck to retrieve her Frisbee, while Darcy scanned the shed. He espied aforementioned power tools placed neatly on shelves and garden tools hanging from some sort of contraption on the walls.

He thought for a moment as he looked upon the small grass-cutting tractor and laughed. "No need for that! The grass is all brown and probably dead!" Bud nudged him out of his merriment. "Wait a minute, girl. There's something I want to check out first."

Bud watched as Darcy opened the door to the truck, pulled on the hood latch, closed the door and peered under the hood. It was not as he suspected; the engine was not rusted through, no hideous smells, everything seemed in place and in working condition. He did not know much about cars, but this one he assumed would do nicely in case of an escape.

He slammed the hood down, dusted off his hands on his shorts and scanned the room again. "Aha!" Darcy espied a set of keys hanging on the back wall and nearly ran to them. Bud watched carefully.

Darcy got in the truck, noticed it was an automatic transmission and sighed in relief. He tentatively put the key in the ignition and nearly spewed out a few 'Hail Mary's' as the truck cranked into an idle rumble.

In his glee, he did not see nor hear Bud barking feverishly and snarling viciously as she was rooted on the hood of the truck. But all too soon, reality set in. Where would he go? What would he do? He still needed Elizabeth and Charlotte and whoever else was helping to find his sister. Try as he might, he would not get anywhere without them; he would just be running in circles.

Darcy sighed heavily, turned off the engine, climbed out of the truck, slammed the door, returned the keys to their holder, pulled on the string to turn off the light, closed the doors to the shed, latched it and walked away.

Bud followed, but a distance; she knew there would be no more play today.

As Darcy trudged slowly back to the house, he pondered his predicament. What if? What if I knew where Gina was? These were obviously dangerous people, killers even. He had no weapons and even if he did, he did not know how to use them. What if the kidnappers wanted him in exchange for his sister? He would do it in a second, but that would not solve anything. They probably wanted him dead. Then his thoughts turned darker... What if the exchange went bad and someone he knew got killed in the melee? Oh God! He shuddered at the thought. What if the kidnappers killed Georgiana? No! No!! No!!! He shook his head to dismiss that thought.

Distracted, he washed his hands in the kitchen sink, seasoned the meat and vegetables, and placed them on the grill. Befuddled he sat, as did the sun. Puzzled, he listened as the food sizzled. Bewildered, he wondered... Why him?

It took 7 hours! Two hours longer than she had anticipated, but the rush hour traffic seemed not to care about Elizabeth's whims. Of course, she stopped off at her favorite fast food restaurant's drive thru. Elizabeth arrived just in time to see her old friend locking up his business.

"Stan!"

He turned suddenly. "Lizzy! Girl, it's good to see ya!" They embraced. "Whatcha doin' down here?"

"I need a favor?"

He squeezed her tighter. "Don't ya always?" he laughed and let her go. Then he unlocked the door. "Get in, I don't have all night!"

"Thank you," she smiled as he held the door open for her. "I'm not going to take up too much of your time."

"Spill it, girl?!"

"I'm after a kidnapper." Stan Weston did not blink. "We got a ransom note this morning posted from here."

"Does it have a PB Meter?" Elizabeth nodded. "Good, that'll at least give us the nearest post office..." She pulled out a sheet of paper with the info written on it. Stan read the note. "An exchange, huh?" He basically said that to himself. "I assume this here's a rich family." Elizabeth nodded, she knew better than to interrupt Stan's thought processes. "Big influence down here?"

"They're headquartered in Austin, but I believe they reach down here."

"Hmm," he flipped on his computer. "The kidnapper's wanna be close, but not too close or somebody'll spot 'em. Any suspects?"

"George Wickham and/or Sarah Young."

Stan signed onto his computer, clicked on an application icon and typed in Wickham's name. The computer grumbled, burped, and flashed.

"Ya got yourself a WPP?!" Elizabeth nodded. "You don't seem surprised."

"I found some papers. I knew that he was under the Witness Protection Program, but I don't have the facilities to crack it and I know you do."

"The FBI's cracking down on hackers, ya know?"

"I know, but see what you can find out. I need to know where he's been in the last year or so."

Stan typed, the computer continued to growl. "Come on baby! Let me see whatcha got?!" The computer beeped and flashed. "Ah, a gambler!" Elizabeth leaned over his shoulder as he pointed to a few misdemeanors in Texas and surrounding states. "We gotta lotta illegal gamblin' joints round here, ya know?" Elizabeth frowned. "And I ain't even considered Mexico!"

"So, what do we do?"

"If you and I do it, it could take weeks!" Elizabeth exhaled in a puff. "I'll have to round up some of my boys and see what's on the pipeline."

"I'll take care of the payment, Stan."

"Ya betcha will!" he chortled.

Elizabeth kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, my friend."

"Ya welcome, Lizzy. Hey, what 'bout that Sarah Young? Don'tcha wanna see what's up wit' her?"

"Of course!"

Stan typed, the computer burped and snarled and growled and finally buzzed.

"Nothing!"

"Damn!"

"You think she's wit' 'em?" Elizabeth nodded. "Well, I'll tell ya, she's probably the one bringin' in the steady money. Gamblers don't work... late hours, ya know? Probably working under the table somewhere though... dancin', waitin' tables, bartendin', probably working the same joints as this guy. Maybe even spying for him?"

"Spying?"

"You know, checkin' out the other player's hands and signalin' him on the sly."

"Hmm?"

"Don't worry, we'll find him."

"And when we do, you'll have a nice little retirement plan."

"Speaking of retirement..." Elizabeth groaned inwardly. "Have ya given any more thought to takin' over my little establishment?"

"Stan," she sighed. "My answer is the same as it was earlier this year. No."

"Come on, Lizzy? I taught ya everything ya know!"

"And I am forever grateful to you for that Stan, but I have my reasons."

"I know, I know," he pouted. "Can't blame me for trying." He shut down his computer. "Come on by the house tonight, Mabel'll be glad to see ya."

"Well, I was hoping to see Mabel before I took off."

"Good!" he stood up. "Where ya stayin'?

"Nowhere, yet."

"Girl, ya know you're always welcome at my house!" Elizabeth feigned a protest. "Nope, nope! I won't hear another word from ya mouth." Stan gently pushed Elizabeth out the door.

That night, over a sumptuous meal, Stan, Mabel and Elizabeth talked of old times and new.

*****

"Mabel," Elizabeth patted her stomach. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying make me stay here!"

"Lizzy!" she laughed. "You know I'm a straight shooter."

"Yes Ma'am, I do," smiled Elizabeth.

They embraced at the door.

"Don't be such a stranger."

"As soon as things calm down, I'll visit. I promise."

"I'll hold you to it."

"See ya!"

Mabel closed the door behind her. Stan was trying to peer in her car's tinted windows.

"From what I see, ya got yourself a beauty!"

Elizabeth smiled. "She's been good to me." Elizabeth hit the alarm button to disarm it. "Take a look!"

Stanley Weston was impressed! His little protégé had exceeded his expectations by miles. He knew she would be successful; he saw her potential the moment she knocked on his door. It became even clearer when she opened up her mouth and had the balls to ask him to teach her everything he knew. He laughed at that memory; it was still fresh in his mind like it happened yesterday. What's that old saying? The student exceeding the teacher! He had others, but none he would trust with his business or his life, except Elizabeth. In the 8 straight months of training, she became as a daughter to the childless couple; living with them, helping with the housework, and an eager beaver when it came to casework, even the boring stuff.

Stan peeped his head out from inside the car. "Whatcha gotta do today?"

"I was just going to go back home. Why, you got something for me to do?"

"Well yeah," he stood up. "I wanted ya to meet some of the boys. But it's too early for them to be up and about."

"When I come back, you'll introduce me, right?"

"You betcha!" Stan grabbed Elizabeth in bear hug and shook her until she squealed.

"Stan, what will the neighbors think?"

He let her down. "That my little girl has come back."

Elizabeth kissed him on his cheek. "You got my number, right?" Stan nodded and held the door.

"I'll call ya!"

Elizabeth blew a kiss to her friend and mentor, turned the car over, put it into gear, and took off.

*****

Darcy padded around the kitchen in a murky mood; he had not showered, nor did he care to. His disposition was listless and overwhelmed, and sleep or lack thereof, did not help him. Normally when one falls asleep outside and unprotected, the mosquitoes have a field day, but the little bloodsuckers did not faze Darcy with their damage.

Mechanically, he fixed Bud's bowls of food and water, then popped some bread in the toaster and brewed some coffee. There was not much else to do. He could surprise Elizabeth and try and fix that old shed. But what did he know about fixing things? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Or he could try on those men's clothes in the tantrum room. His stomach flip-flopped that they could actually be Wickham's clothes and he decided that was not an option.

Bud wanted to play again, but Darcy was not up to it. Bud found her entertainment elsewhere, Darcy was too tired to contemplate where or if he had a chance to escape. Everything was looking so bright before he had those gruesome thoughts last night. But now all was dark and dread-filled. I will kill him, if he's hurt my sister! I swear I will!! He thought as he sipped his coffee and chewed on his plain toast.

He could scrape the burnt meat and vegetables, turned ash, off the grill. But that would take energy to which he had none. But it was the most menial task he could think of, so he took the garbage can, some dishwashing liquid, and a scrubber outside.

By the time Darcy finished with the grill, it was all shiny and looked new. He admonished himself at what a neat-nick he had become. But it felt good and the hours passed without notice. He needed a beer.

When he turned around, there stood Elizabeth.

"Liz!" he exclaimed and stood up. "When did you get back?!"

"A few minutes ago," she sighed.

He swept her into his arms and embraced her tightly. "I missed you," he whispered. "Talk to me, please?"

Elizabeth was mystified at his display and had no words that would come out.

At length, Darcy let her go. "Solitude is one thing, but every once in a while I need to hear your voice!"

Elizabeth smiled. "I was only gone for a day."

"I know." He put his head down. "But you didn't call..."

"I'm sorry, it was late before I thought of it. Was there something..."

"I had such horrible..." Darcy shook his head. "Tell me everything is going to be all right, please?"

Elizabeth heard the anxiety in his voice and led him to a chair. A hot bath is what she really wanted, but he needed her right now.

"I looked up an old friend of mine. We did some checking and things are looking better." That was not enough to perk Darcy up and he looked away. "I can only share with you the hope that I have," she said soothingly. "I can only say what my gut tells me to..." She stroked his arm. "And I believe in my heart that we'll find Gina soon. Very soon." With any luck...

Darcy sniffled. "You hungry?"

"Yes, but that can wait. I want you to tell me what has you in this mood."

Darcy shook his head, cleared his swollen throat and told her all he felt.

Elizabeth was not surprised when Darcy broke down and cried. In these last two weeks, other than a few stray tears and short outbursts, he had not reacted as a normal person would have under these circumstances. No, he was all business. It was unsettling to watch, but she tried to keep the atmosphere as light as possible. However, she knew it was only a matter of time before the floods came and only hoped that she could be there for him. Elizabeth stroked his hair lovingly, softly kissed the curls on the back of his head, and whispered words of comfort as he bewailed bitterly in her lap. She even shed tears of her own.

Elizabeth was making a salad as Darcy returned from his shower.

He leaned over her shoulder. "What are you making?"

"Tuna salad."

"Why?"

"In the last few days, I've been stuffed like the proverbial fatted calf. I'd like to keep my girlish figure, thank you very much!" she laughed.

"Maybe you should lay off McDonald's for a while?" he chuckled.

"Never!"

"I'm sure," he smirked.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah," he sighed and looked around. "I'm a meat eater. I have to have some form of animal fat in my body to stay alive." He opened the refrigerator door and pulled out 2 burger patties, then went to the stove and pulled out a frying pan. "Want one?"

Elizabeth tried not to laugh. "Can I have half of yours?"

He shook his head and smiled. "Nope."

She raised her eyebrow. "Not even a corner?"

"Un uh," he teased.

Elizabeth put her hands on her hips. "Will Darcy, don't you know how to share?!"

"You got your salad and I don't want any! So why do I have to share mine?!"

Elizabeth had no retort, so she stomped over to the refrigerator, took out a patty, and struggled to break the frozen thing in half.

Darcy laughed and rescued her. "Why don't you wait until it's cooked. You might decide to eat all of it."

Elizabeth took a playful swipe at him. "Why I ought to..."

He grabbed her hand. "No ass kicking today. I've done enough damage to myself, don't you think?"

She felt the heat of his firm grasp and closeness of his body as he bore his dark eyes into hers; she could only whisper. "Okay."

Darcy let go of her hand and set to the frying of 3 burgers, while Elizabeth calmed herself by whipping the tuna salad into mush.

The remainder of the evening was filled with cheerful banter and impish quips. Flirting, if you will. There existed the subtle changes in their relationship, as they sat out on the back porch and talked and thought out loud; at present, a sweet and tender coexistence flourishing under unpleasant circumstances.

*****

Elizabeth laughed as Darcy came down to breakfast in a baseball cap and overalls nearly twice his girth. "What in the world are you doing in that outfit?!"

"Is that a compliment?"

"No," she snickered.

"Well, if you must know, I was going to power up those tools in the shed and play handyman for a day."

Elizabeth guffawed and choked. "Thank you! You've made my day already!"

"At your service, Madam," he bowed. "Now I must be off to toil in the heat."

"You haven't even had breakfast yet," she sniffled. "I don't want you swooning over that tin wreck of a shed and falling from the roof!"

"Madam, I know nothing of roofs. I only know of screws and hammers."

Elizabeth grabbed his arm and dragged him to sit in a chair. "You probably know nothing of those things either."

"Ah, you have found me out!" he sighed dramatically. "Now what am I to do?"

"You really have this over dramatic thing going for you. Have you done theatre?"

"'Tis a far, far crazier thing I do today, than I have ever done before."

Elizabeth smiled, Darcy's mood had not dampened from their repartee last night, but it actually got better.

"Here, eat my prince! For you'll need your strength to slay the great and terrible dragon-shed!"

"Thank you my fair princess. And if I must perish, then let it be from your cooking!" he laughed haughtily.

"I am your humble servant my lord," she curtsied, "but I thought you liked my cooking?"

"Your cooking is divine, my dear, but I do wish the peasants had not rebelled and left you to slave away in this kitchen to do my bidding."

"Enough!" she laughed. "Enough!"

"Okay," he chuckled. "I was running out of things to say anyway."

"You weren't really going to tackle that shed, were you?"

"If you wanted me to, I'd try."

"That's sweet," she smiled. "But why don't we let it stand as it is and I'll have some professionals come over to fix it up."

"Or tear it down," he smiled. "I went in it yesterday."

"You did?"

"I even started the truck." Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, you have an excellent guard dog."

"She can only do so much."

"Believe me, I had a lot of thoughts run through my mind, none of them any good. But then, I thought you'd kill me either way, so I turned off the ignition."

Elizabeth did not know what Darcy meant by that last comment and bristled at her introspection, so she changed the subject. "So, what did you want to do today?"

"No clue! I just thought I'd do a little fashion show for you."

"I appreciate it. Maybe I'll do the same for you... someday."

Darcy raised an eyebrow. "I'll look forward to it then."

Elizabeth watched Darcy eat and he inwardly reveled in it. He took his time eating to profile for the lady, staying on his best side (or what he thought was his best side; Elizabeth was fine with either), flexing his biceps, and showing off his dimples. Elizabeth enjoyed the show, but did not let her face betray her feelings.

As he ate, Darcy talked more about his childhood; Elizabeth listened and nodded. Darcy's voice had the rich sensuousness of dark velvet. It enveloped her like a plush warm cloak in the middle of winter; she liked the sound of it. She also liked the strong line of his chin and the cleft that dug snugly in it. The way his dark curly hair fell over his forehead. She shook her head.

"There's a jukebox in the basement, that I've been dying to see if it works."

"It's not yours?" he asked.

"No. And I found a whole other box of 45's. I just need a strong man, a big man to carry it up the stairs."

"Oh? Are they coming here today?"

Elizabeth giggled. "I was referring to you!"

Heavy labor did not appeal to him in the least. "Liz, if I may quote you, I've never done a hard day's work in my life!"

Elizabeth gasped. "I said that more than a year ago."

"Some thing's you never forget."

"And some thing's you might want to try before you say no."

Darcy threw down his napkin at the challenge and scooted out of his chair. "Alright Gunga Din, lead the way!"

"What?! You're going to leave a dirty dish on the table?!"

Darcy chased Elizabeth down the steps.

*****

"Whew!" Darcy leaned up against the jukebox, panting. "I hope this is where you want it?"

Elizabeth dusted off the glass with her tee shirt. "It definitely doesn't belong in front of the steps, but I'm not sure where I want it right now."

"Wherever you want it, you'll be moving it yourself!" He stumbled toward the kitchen and got himself a few beers, not even thinking to offer one to Elizabeth.

A few minutes later, Elizabeth went into the kitchen, but did not see Darcy. She went out on the back porch and got the show of her life. Darcy had pulled off the straps of the overalls from around his shoulders and gathered them at his waist. One-by-one he poured the beer over his head and down his naked chest and back. It was a frothy good time!

Darcy heard Elizabeth gasp and laughed to himself. "Don't worry, I won't track this in your house."

Elizabeth blushed and walked back into the kitchen; she decided to wash the dishes. Still she had a nice view of him and could drool without being embarrassed or noticed. Darcy turned on the water and hosed off, then sat on one of the lawn chairs to rest his aching back.

Elizabeth felt hot liquid rolling down her legs, but startled when she realized it was the water flooding over from the kitchen sink. "Damn!" She hurriedly toweled the floor before running off to shower and change clothes.