by Teg
Fragments By Teg
Chapter One
There she is again...
No, it wasn't Elizabeth. It was never Elizabeth when he had these episodes.
Elizabeth was gone and she would never return.
When will my mind realise that, accept it?
Will Darcy shook his head, anger and frustration welling up with a force that nearly drove his fist into the side of his car. At the last moment he was able to control that primitive instinct, avoid the distasteful display of uncontrolled emotion.
“Are you coming?” Charles Bingley waited for his friend to respond,
wondering not for the first time where Will's thoughts ran when he became
silent and moody for these extended periods of time. He'd like to think it wasn't his sister-in-law who had captured the attention of one of the most sought after but reclusive wealthy men in the country. However, Charles would have been blind not to notice the way Will's eyes followed her every move, his entire body tensed as if ready to spring on her like some primitive carnivore stalking its prey. Through all of their years of friendship, the wilder student days at university to the austere, responsibility laden existence of the present, Charles had never witnessed Will crack over a mere woman. Elizabeth Bennet was
certainly different. Not his own type but his friend was a man of particular tastes, some of which Charles Bingley would never understand. Nor did he
overly concern himself with the differences between their preferences. Charles had Jane and that was, in his opinion, all that he needed in this world.
“Will?” he prodded again. Looking in the direction the other man was staring, Charles failed to see anything of interest. “We're going to be late.”
“Right.” Will quickly made himself comfortable in the driver's seat of his low slung sports car and slammed the door, wincing slightly at the lapse in his control. “Where is this place again?”
“Your office?” was the reply, Charles staring at him incredulously. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I'm fine,” snapped Will, throwing the car into gear. Fine for a guy who needs to have his head examined. He thought, not for the first time, that he was truly losing his sanity.
Charles pulled some sheets of paper from a portfolio lying on the backseat.
“Here is the proposal, Will. I made a few small changes to the wording, all to ensure your protection in case of mismanagement on the part of the company.
You'll have time to look it over before signing.”
“I don't need to look it over if you wrote it.”
Muttering an oath, Charles scowled. “Will, I'm acting as your lawyer here, not your friend. It's all well and good that you trust me but don't be a fool when it comes to business. You've never been lax before. What's gotten into you?”
“Fine, fine. I'll read it when we get there,” the other man replied, avoiding the question. “Recap the important bits for me.”
Charles shook his head and proceeded to read the sections highlighted in
yellow on the pages. Every once in a while he looked over at Will and was
frustrated to see a faraway expression. The idiot was not listening! Charles gave up and returned the papers to the folder. After a few moments of silence, Will glanced over.
“That's it?” he asked.
“That's it?” his friend mimicked. “You didn't hear a word. Be grateful I didn't send Caroline to do this job. She'd have had you sign a marriage license and you'd not have a clue.”
Will snorted. “I wouldn't trust her to draw up a parking pass for me.”
“Thank goodness your wits are still functioning that much, at least!”
Throwing a sharp glance at Charles, Will quickly returned his gaze to the road ahead. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Charles did a rapid backpedal. “Nothing. I just hope you're paying closer
attention in the meeting this morning. Could you throw off whatever is
distracting you? I'd hate to be presenting you with a bill for my services if you're just going to ignore my advice.” He was surprised to notice his friend's knuckles whiten as he gripped the wheel. A sudden deep concern took hold of him. “There is something wrong, isn't there? I think we'd better cancel the meeting. You aren't ready for it and without one hundred percent of your
attention it's going to be a disaster.”
“No.” A deep breath restored Will's equilibrium. “I'll be fine. This deal is too important to put off. Please, Charles. As long as you are there I know you'll keep me on track.”
I don't like the way he sounds. “When was the last time you took a vacation?”
“Your wedding,” was the impatient reply.
“That was hardly a vacation! What little I recall of your time at the resort was spent in your room, at your computer, when we weren't involved in the
wedding and preparations. You didn't even see the sun, did you?” Charles
frowned. He'd always thought Will worked too hard and when he'd brought
along the laptop to what was supposed to be a romantic tropical getaway, there was no denying that his friend had some serious quirks to work out in his view of what relaxation meant.
Will laughed, however. “Well, looks who's talking. Did you even open the
blinds during the second week there?”
“I was on my honeymoon,” the other man retorted. “You should have been
finding yourself some company instead of becoming more intimate with your
email.”
Will's eyes narrowed and he focussed intently on the traffic ahead. At least email doesn't rip out my heart and throw it back in my face. “Let's just drop it.”
“No, let's not,” said Charles with vehemence. “You have something on your
mind, Will. Spill it. Tell your old buddy what's really bothering you because I've never seen you so turned inside out before and, to tell you the truth, it scares me.”
“Now is not the time.” Will's lips pressed together firmly and his friend knew there would be nothing more said on the subject until Will Darcy decided the time was right.
Charles was not so easily discouraged. “Okay, maybe not now, but you will
talk to me. Later.”
“Thank God that's over.” The morning's work had stretched on into the
evening. Charles had managed to hide his frustration over Will's lack of
comprehension with the finer points of the transaction. It was strangely
frightening to see the typically cool, intelligent head of a multinational corporation floundering in simple contract language. If nothing else came of the day's efforts it had given Charles a stronger motivation to get his friend alone for a heart to heart talk. He even began to suspect more than a friend's ear would be required. Will just might need professional help this time.
“I'm sorry, Charles,” Will sighed, his face hidden behind his hands. Elbows resting on the bar, he rubbed tired eyes before picking up the glass of whiskey that sat in front of him. “I should have listened to you and cancelled. I hope I haven't blown it.”
Charles laid a hand on the other man's shoulder. “It's done. Forget about it now.
Come back to my place and we'll get something to eat. I don't know about you but I'm starved.”
“Yeah, sounds good.” He tossed back the drink and fished in his pocket for the car keys.
Charles removed them from his grasp. “I'm driving.” Will opened his mouth
but Charles shook his head. “Don't argue. You won't win.”
Inside the car silence reigned for most of the ride. Just before turning into the driveway Will spoke. “Thanks Charles but... I've changed my mind. I'll just go home now.”
Charles didn't even look at him. He simply turned the engine off and
pocketed the keys. “No, you aren't.” Getting out of the car, he walked around the other side and opened the passenger door. “Come on.” He followed Will through the front door and into the house.
Jane Bingley called from the kitchen, “Is that you, honey?” Will's nerves jolted at the sound but the adrenalin rush faded when Jane appeared, wiping her
hands on a towel. “Oh, hi Will! Did you guys just finish? That was a long
meeting. How did it go?”
Charles shook his head slightly, enough to give Jane warning to stay away from that topic. “Long is right and no dinner break. Have you got anything for two hungry men?”
She chuckled. “I'll fix you something. Will, what can I get you? Coffee, juice, beer?”
“Coffee, please,” he said after a pause, as if his mind had been elsewhere.
Jane shooed him into the living room to wait while she and her husband went to the kitchen. “What's wrong?” she immediately asked once they were far
enough way that Will could not overhear. “Did the negotiations go badly? Will looks like he's in a daze.”
“He's been like that all day, Jane. I don't know what's going on. We were lucky to make a deal at all today. A couple of times I thought Will was going to leave when we recessed. It was as if he hadn't heard anything being said.” Charles laid down the spoon he'd used to stir the coffees. “I'm really worried about him.”
Alone in the other room, Will's eyes took in the comfortable furnishings and subdued colours in his quest to find one face among the collection of photos on display. At last his gaze fell upon a small picture in a ceramic frame and he quickly crossed the room. Placing a finger on the glass surface he closed his eyes and remembered......
She smelled of springtime, fresh air and a hint of honeysuckle. Images replaced words in his mind and he was silent when he should have spoken. Instead of telling her how beautiful she was, how much he loved her, he merely watched; the spark of humour in her eyes and the way her lips teasingly curled upward in a mischievous smile.
Voices broke into his reverie. Will drew his hand back, putting it in his pocket and stepping to the window. When the Bingleys entered they saw the familiar figure looking out at the night sky.
Jane called softly to him. “Will, coffee's ready.”
He turned and smiled, appearing completely at ease. “Thanks.” Seeing the tray of sandwiches, Will took one before sitting down.
“I'd love to stay but I've got a class to teach tonight. Sorry.” Jane grabbed her purse from one of the chairs and dug out her car keys. “I'll be back in a couple of hours, though. Will you still be here?”
“Probably,” replied Will with a grimace. “Charles has a lecture to give me.
Those are never short, you know.”
Jane laughed, waving on her way out the door.
“Okay, you can stop acting now. It's just you and me.” Charles folded his hands together and rested them against his chin.
“There, you're in your lecture pose. Go ahead. Tell me how stupid I was.”
“You were very stupid. Happy now?” Annoyed, Charles dropped his hands and
picked up his cup to occupy them. “You're like Jekyll and Hyde, Will, up one minute and down the next. I seriously wondered if you were having a
breakdown. You've never been confused by contract language before but today it was like you were a novice!”
“So I was a little distracted.” Will shrugged. “I made you earn your money for a change.”
“Stop trying to avoid the issue.”
Will's irritation was growing. “What's the issue, then?”
“When was the last time you saw a doctor?” Facing a problem head on was
Charles' preferred method. He saw his friend's eyes narrow and knew there was a storm brewing behind them.
“You're straying a bit from the professional path.”
“Oh, for God's sake, Will! I'm your friend. Don't retreat behind
that professional mask. I consider you a brother more than a friend. If I can't be concerned about your health then who can?” He couldn't help the anger that coloured his voice. “Now, have you seen a doctor recently or not?”
Will forced himself to relax against the back of the chair, giving every
appearance of indifference. “I had a physical last month so you may rest easy.
No brain tumours, no strange lack of reflexes and my heart is as strong as a bull's. Does that answer your question?”
Not quite. “Did you do the psy test?”
“It's not part of the routine.”
“It is under your company policy. You aren't exempt from the rules, Will. I can take it to the board of directors if you'd prefer.” He left the threat hanging in the air between them.
Finally Will said, “I thought you were my friend.”
“I am. Looking out for your health is part of my responsibility as your friend but as your company lawyer I have an additional responsibility to look after those interests. You aren't doing your job, Will. You aren't up to the stress, that's obvious. If you don't want to open up to me about what's bothering you, fine.
Just don't expect me to ignore the signs and let you fall apart without doing something to stop it.”
“I think you're being melodramatic.” Will adamantly refused to discuss his state of mind, however, although he relented where the psychological examination was concerned. He had no choice; Charles would make certain of it.
Chapter Two
“You know I can't tell you anything about his results,” Dr.
Sarouk reprimanded the younger man for his question.
“Of course. I didn't expect details but can you at least let me know what you will report to the board? He's like a bomb about to go off and I don't want to see anyone caught in the blast.” Charles had slipped out of his office for an hour just to meet the doctor without Will being aware.
“Look, Mr. Bingley, I can see you have a tremendous concern for Mr. Darcy so I'll give you a brief summary, no more than I could say to the company
directors. As far as the test scores go, he is well within normal parameters.”
The doctor lowered his voice. “Now, that can mean one of two things; he is coping with whatever elevated stress is in his life right now or he has mastered the art of concealing the strain. My opinion, for what it is worth, is the latter.
My report contains only the information as it pertains to the test scores, as the company contract requires that alone.”
“Damn.” Charles shook his head, disappointed. “I was hoping to force him into taking time off. He'll never do it voluntarily.”
“I'm sorry this was not helpful,” apologised Dr. Sarouk. “If I can be of any other use, please let me know.”
Charles left the doctor's office feeling less hopeful than when he went in. He would just have to find another way to get his friend to see reason.
“Will?”
He stared at the phone, then at Charles sitting on the other side of the desk. “Hi Georgie. What's up?”
“I wanted to give you warning that I'm coming to visit you,” she teased.
“Oh. When?” Will picked up a pen and flipped open the calendar on his desk.
“Tomorrow.”
The pen dropped. “That's a bit short notice. Some emergency conference that you have to attend?”
“Can't I just want to see my big brother? It's been almost a year.”
Will suspected his friend of having a hand in this timely trip but refused to voice that thought aloud. “Sorry, Georgie. Of course I'd love to see you, too.
What time shall I send the car to pick you up?”
She gave him her flight details. “I love you, Will. See you tomorrow!”
Slowly replacing the receiver, Will gave Charles a penetrating stare. “What did you say to her?”
“Nothing. Jane called her,” he smugly replied. “And now that I've managed to get your signatures where I need them, I'll leave you to your beloved work.”
“Bring Jane for dinner Friday night,” Will called before the other man left.
“You can fill my sister in on all the gory details then.”
“Thanks! It will save me the trouble of sneaking around behind your back.”
Charles' laughter could still be heard after the door closed.
Will frowned, touching the pen to his lip while he thought of how to survive the next week as easily as possible. There was little left of the afternoon. He soon gave up hope of accomplishing any more project reviews and decided to go home early. His housekeeper would need to get Georgiana's room ready and no doubt add some of her favourites to the grocery list. The rest of the evening Will spent quietly with a book, although few pages were turned in those hours of silence.
Mired deeply in paperwork the next afternoon he was startled when his office door opened and a rush of fresh air rolled over him. Georgiana Darcy barely paused in the opening before covering the distance separating her from her brother and giving him a hug. After releasing him from her grip she sat on the corner of the desk and flung her purse onto its surface, sending a few papers flying.
“When you said you'd send the car I figured you'd be in it, Will. What a bore it was, riding alone from the airport.” She grinned sheepishly. “You always make me feel like a little girl when I see you. Do you think I'll ever be grown up in your presence?”
Her enthusiasm elicited a chuckle from him. “I hope you aren't this intimidated by your patients, Georgie.” Seeing the excited sparkle in her eyes brought an unexpected feeling of calm settling around him. The sensation was almost
unfamiliar; he had been too many months in a state of heightened tension.
Georgiana examined the files spread over the desk then clucked her tongue in disapproval. “You spend too much time here, Will. You always have. I forbid
you to come to work tomorrow. It's Friday, so you can make it a long weekend and we can waste the day together.”
He knew better than to argue. Like him, Georgiana had inherited the
Fitzwilliam stubbornness. When they were younger it had been a cause of
much strife between them. They had both learned to give and take, knowing
when the other person could be persuaded and when any effort was useless. “I can promise you the full day if you allow me to finish up just two more things now.”
