"She's little miss popular isn't she?" Carolynn said not quite amused yet almost in humor as she watched Elisabeth Bennet change dance partners constantly before finally settling with one that even she thought was handsome, almost as handsome as Will, just in a completely different way. Everything about Will was handsome but slightly cold from his eyes to his natural rigid posture from being raised in an all boy's school that had been rather strict on manners. Lissa's dance partner though had a natural smile and a masculine laugh accompanied with soft blue eyes and and an easy persona that invited people in.
"Hmm," Will tried not to comment as he led Carolynn in the dance.
"Look at her," Carolynn said in shock as she watched the good looking male mock bow at Lissa, the two of them laughing before he twirled her in her bootleg jeans and sequined white top, her open red cardigan the only thing swirling around her.
"I don't have to," Will sighed as he tried to avoid looking in the direction of the laughter that even he could tell was Lissa Bennet, without looking. Elisabeth Bennet wasn't like the women he grew up with. She laughed with her whole body, never mind that the whole room could hear.
"And those women, you might as well be a filet mignon after a month's diet." Carolynn said as she laughed, poor Will, too handsome for his own good.
"Please, do not remind me." Will sighed before he tried to move but was cut off as another couple danced by.
"This place is just so..." Carolynn move on to a new subject, however trailing off as she couldn't quite find the word to describe the dance hall she was currently in. "I can't believe my brother-"
"Excuse us," A male said as he walked past them with Lissa in tow.
Hazel and blue eyes met briefly. No words were exchanged but Will could feel Lissa's contempt with him while she could feel him eyeing her and Shane, her ex boyfriend from high school. A dance for old time's sake and a beer to make up for missing his own engagement to a woman in New York, where he was currently living, but staying with his parents for the wedding. Like as if he could miss Jean's wedding.
~~~
"So Jean got herself Prince Charming." Shane said as he handed Lissa a drink, his blue eyes lit with humor as he gestured for them to toast.
"Yes, with a royal treasury to Mom's delight." Lissa said, raising her glass to clink against his, trying not to sound too judging, cause she really couldn't. Even the little time she'd been around her sister and Chase, she knew that money was the last thing on either of their minds.
"She giving you a hard time?" Shane asked, concerned this time because he still remembered the family dynamics of the Bennet family. With a family of five girls, there was always a lot of drama. Lissa was the most like her father and least like her mother so the two butted heads more than any other. There was also Jean who Lissa could never escape being in the shadow when it came to their Mom.
"No, not really. I think with Jean engaged to Chase, Mom doesn't think our family is doomed anymore. But..."
Shane turned his head to the direction. "Oh no, not you too." When he saw that it was Will Darcy that Lissa was looking at.
"No! Shane it is not like that!" Lissa hit his arm. She was more worried about how her sister was going to have a happy marriage with Will Darcy acting like one of the signs of the Apocalypse, Pestilence would be her guess.
With a laugh Shane nodded mockingly. "He's pretty handsome, even I must admit."
Lissa scrunched her nose in distaste. "Please, not you too." She mimicked.
"I've missed you," He said with a laugh.
"I've missed you too."
"None of those Italian guys have anything on me?" He grinned.
"Never, I don't know any that can whistle Uncle Kracker for a full song."
~~~
"Who's that?" Will couldn't help but ask, as at last Carolynn was done complaining and was presentable for the Bennet family, so he could sit down from the dance.
Resting his arm casually over Jean's, Chase looked up to where his best friend was gesturing to but seeing the brown haired male talking to Lissa, he didn't recognize him either.
"Oh," Jean smiled softly. "That's Shane! He was Lissa's boyfriend in high school."
When both Will and Chase turned to her in shock.
"They're just friends now though. They've known each other since preschool, too long to not be friends after they found out being more than that didn't work. He's engaged to someone else, but none of us have met her yet. He lives in New York with her but he's here for the wedding too."
Will's brow rose as Jean's elaborated more and more about Lissa and her ex.
"Wow, I don't think I've ever been able to stay friends with any of my exes." Carolynn commented.
Chase couldn't help but snort. "Sis, you make them either into mindless robots and then get bored with them or cause them to run the opposite direction when they see you."
"Chase, I think Jean would love to know just who's in your little black book." Carolynn said as she gave her brother a half smile with arched brows that relayed just how much she would love to tell Jean.
"Carolynn!"
Will just sighed before looking in the corner of his eye as he watched Lissa go back on the dance floor with her ex, the two of them laughing as the whole hall seemed to line up for the electric slide.
"Take me home, I think I've seen enough." Carolynn sighed asking Will.
"I don't know if those women will let Will leave without even a dance with one of them!" Chase laughed as Jean leant to him, laughing quietly at him and her sister. She had no interest in knowing Chase's exes, they were the present and his past girlfriends wasn't anything that could change how she felt for him now.
~~~
Later that night, Will couldn't help but toss and turn, unable to sleep as too much ran through his mind. It was that thing that Carolynn had said during their dance. Chase was foolish and maybe Jean wouldn't be his ruination, but the family just might. Already Chase had apparently bought Marie a new grand piano to practice on and Lindy wasn't asking but Chase was seconds away from handing over his credit card and letting the girl buy a whole new closet for the whole family. And their mother... Will sat up as he ran a hand through his sweaty locks. He couldn't help but feel like as if Chase just wasn't ready yet. He was too in love and didn't quite know the proper way to express it yet and Mrs. Bennet was going to be his only mother. Since they were teenager when both of their parents had died in a plane crash from Switzerland, Chase wanted nothing more than a mother figure again. He had even dated this women well in her forties, his freshman year, that Carolynn had thankfully chased off before she latched her gold digging claws into him.
Not sure what else to do, he turned on the lights. He looked around him before groaning and flinging his head back. What he would give to be in a hotel room like Carolynn. Those sheets, the quietness, the non-squeaking furniture and the professional pianists with a mini bar right there. Speaking of bar, he could use some water right now.
However getting to the kitchen, he wasn't the only awake at the godforsaken time.
Standing in the doorway, he just watched Lissa Bennet in a ridiculously frilly red and white apron, making what looked like a midnight breakfast and crunching on an apple as she did so.
~~~
"Follow me, everything is alright. I'll be the one to tuck you in at night," Lissa sang and hummed the song that had been her and Shane's song since they first heard it playing while in detention, the two of them in trouble for flicking food at each other and then at some girl who had jealously called Jean an ugly giant for being taller than any of them at their age.
Hearing a cough though, she froze and the lyrics on her lips died. If it was her mother she was dead, she wasn't technically allowed to eat after a certain time, it was supposedly bad for her metabolism... but that certainly didn't sound like her mother...
Lissa blinked as she saw that it was Will Darcy who was now approaching her. In reflex, she brought her spatula up in a defensive position.
"What in the world are you doing?" Will asked in humor at seeing her stance. His Caribbean blue eyes full of mirth. " Is that supposed to scare me?"
~~~
Pic on the side is Shane!