A/N: Thank you to all who have been so kind in your reviews. I didn't know I had it until recently, but I think I now get anxiety whenever I see in my mailbox that I got a review. I'm sure it will go away eventually. You guys are so great, and thank you for being patient with me. I hope I won't disappoint.

There were few things that Elizabeth enjoyed doing outside of dancing, singing and long runs in the morning. Spending time with her close friend from childhood was definitely among her favorites.

Though they shared little in a way of hobbies, Elizabeth found her friend's rational mind a calming balm in the storm of their other friends who were scrambling to get married because they feared the dating pool would only be getting smaller.

For her part, Charlotte did, in fact, want to still get married. It was just that she hadn't bothered to correct Elizabeth on the matter since there were no likely candidates coming to her door. She had spent her time studying the law and was now working at a firm. She never spent much time out of studying to date when she was in undergrad and then law school. Now she felt a pang of regret every time she was invited to her old college friends' weddings.

Elizabeth would be her companion to these events and would always give her a running commentary on the people who were attending. She'd whisper who had settled, who would most likely be getting a divorce in the future, and who were the possible suspects of cheating on their spouse. It was kind of a comfort to Charlotte, as her friend did her best to make her feel better about remaining single, but even Elizabeth couldn't combat the scene of a couple holding a newborn baby which wasn't the size of a basketball.

Even Elizabeth's cold heart towards men would melt a little at the sight of a gurgling infant. That is, it would for a short time before she remembered that she'd need a guy to bring that about. Also, if she was thinking properly, raising a child was expensive. Heck, she was basically helping to raise her younger sisters and she was exhausted. She couldn't imagine starting from the beginning all the way up to Lydia's age.

Today, the two ladies were sitting at a bar, that played live music during the day. Charlotte was on her lunch break and walked down the couple blocks to their favorite place to hang out, The Library.

A funny name for a bar, but it offered a place upstairs where people actually did come to just read, while others might think it absolutely hilarious to try and read while drunk.

Elizabeth related to her friend about the encounter she had with the 'Douchebag of a man who had the biggest stick up his butt that Charlotte would ever see'.

Charlotte for her part would try not to laugh at her friend's description of the man. She tried to figure out, through the obvious dislike her friend had of the man, to understand what he was really like.

"Was he at least a good dancer? He wasn't stepping on your toes and knocking you over the whole time, was he?" asked Charlotte after her younger friend stopped long enough to take a few bites of her burger.

"That's one of the things that annoy me actually. He knows how to dance! Why then does he need to come all the way to where I work to mess with me?" Elizabeth spat, slamming her water down a little more forceful than necessary.

"Maybe, and don't get angry with me before I finish, he likes you."

"Likes me?!" Elizabeth laughed at the implication, "Charlotte, I've never seen a man so...so distant and unpleasant as this guy. The first thing he said was that he didn't want to be there, I mean, if he really didn't, why not go home! Why actually force me to dance with him?" She was throwing her hands up by now in frustration.

"Perhaps, you aren't giving me the full picture, Lizzie," Charlotte said knowingly.

"It won't change anything to make him less like a jerk. When we started dancing, he started asking questions like if I had been in a bad relationship before with a guy who cheated on me. That was the first thing he asked me! What complete and total stranger does that?!"

"Why did he ask you that, I wonder?"

"Most likely because of the song by Jazmine Sullivan, but I will reserve the right to not be seen as someone who was cheated on. It's a good Tango song! Besides, a girl can listen to a song without being a victim."

"True I guess. It is interesting nonetheless that he would ask such a question."

"Probably he was looking to judge me, but I would not give him the satisfaction," Elizabeth took another bite out of her burger and then a few fries.

"Was that all he said?"

Elizabeth swallowed her food, "He asked me about dance. When I started and how I got into it."

"Oh," Charlotte nodded, knowing it had been her father who had first taught her how to dance long ago and that it had been their thing. Elizabeth had always been telling Charlotte how when she got married, she and her father would be doing ballroom instead of the cheesy pop songs usually done at the reception. It was back when Elizabeth held no dislike of men and still was less cynical, "Well, to be fair, I think you should give him some slack since he didn't know that was a taboo subject."

"If I'm lucky, he won't return to the dancing studio. Like I said, he already knows how to dance."

"Point made, but I still will reserve the conviction he might like you," Charlotte smirked as she lifted her soda up to her lips.

"You are a worse kind of friend, wishing me to be liked by someone I have disdain for."

Her friend shrugged, "That is your opinion. I mean you've only seen him like twice. He may prove better on further acquaintance."

"If I am forced in that man's company any more then I shall consider it stalking and get a restraining order."

The two ladies laughed at that before Elizabeth's died away with a groan.

"Oh lord, am I not to be free from insufferable men this week?"

Charlotte looked over her shoulder to see Bill Collins walk into the bar.

"What is he doing here of all places?"

"Preaching to the masses," Charlotte joked.

Elizabeth tried to shrink into her seat but was unfortunately seen by Collins already.

"Well if it isn't one of the elusive Bennet women," he grinned as he drew close to their table.

Elizabeth plastered a smile on her face, "Elusive would implicate that you actually stand a chance of achievement down the line, and I can assure you that will never be the case."

About a couple of weeks after their parents were killed, Collins had inappropriately given a grieving Jane a marriage proposal. One which Elizabeth boldly interrupted and answered decidedly for her older sister.

Not only was his timing absolutely atrocious, but that he used the death of their parents and the debts they left behind a reason she should marry him to secure her future.

Of course, the dense man saw this interference as being Elizabeth saying she wished for his feelings and subsequently, wanted to marry him. Though she said that that was not the case and was willing to say that in any other language to make the idiot understand, he attributed to her playing hard to get.

Elizabeth was astounded to how long a man could actually wait, though she avoided him like the plague not just because of his unwanted attention, but because of his bad breath. It was as if he decided to choose the most disgusting smelling thing to eat and left it to sit in his fridge for a month before eating it. That and never once brushing his teeth or bother to pop in a piece of gum every now and again.

Bill Collins was a missionary. One he prided himself, who has been to many countries. As a missionary, you'd have to raise funds to be able to go in the first place. He 'flattered' himself in thinking he was very popular and loved by all who donated to his going. Really, everyone he approached on the topic was eager after about five minutes to get him away from them as far as possible because of his breath and his ability to talk in monologues for a better part of an hour.

"Are you here for money?" asked Elizabeth, praying that was the case to get him on his way.

"No, my poor dear," no doubt adding the word to say that he believed she was still looking for another nickel to rub with her other one. Elizabeth successfully refrained from groaning out loud as he continued seeing how there was no easy way to shut him up. "I was actually looking for you this day to see if you have thought again over my gracious and self-less offer."

"Believe me, Collins, if I were to ever give you a positive response, Charlotte here has already been given permission to check me into a hospital for brain damage."

For a minute he looked a little irritated before rallying himself up again and placed a cool clammy hand over hers as he drew near, "I know that in time you shall see that my proposal is in fact probably the best one you may ever receive. Therefore, I shall not be disheartened."

Seriously, how many times must I say no?

"Let go of my hand," Elizabeth said as she pulled her hand out from underneath his. His breath was beginning to make her want to run out the building for fresh air, but she wasn't about to let this man force her out of the place she was at first.

"Collins, I don't know what gave you the impression that I could possibly be interested in you, but let me repeat myself when I say absolutely in no freaking way will I ever marry you. I am not broke. Nor would I ever, if I was broke, be willing to give up my freedom to be tied down to you. If what you say is even remotely true that I may never be proposed to again, so be it. I'd rather be single. More for me."

There was an awkward pause for Collins as he stood there with the women, not sure what he should do next. After about a couple of minutes, he looked towards Charlotte as if seeing her for the first time. He gave her a toothy grin.

"Hello, dear Charlotte, and how are you fairing today?"

"Fine," Charlotte said warily as it looked like his attention was beginning to shift from her friend to herself.

"Your father's brother is a pastor correct?"

"Yes, he is. How would you know that exactly?" She frowned.

"I had a conversation with your mother on the work of the church while shopping in the fresh vegetable section at the grocery market. I must say I didn't know you hailed from theologian roots."

"What?" the ladies asked in unison.

"That her family studied theology," Collins clarified, "It is all things beneficial in life to have a strong connection to the church and of course God himself."

"Is there like a point to this conversation," Elizabeth muttered as she drank the last of her water.

"Have you ever considered a life of ministry, Miss Lucas?"

Elizabeth's eyes bulged at the boldness of this man as he placed a hand on Charlotte's lower back.

"No, no, no, no, hell no!" Elizabeth pulled her friend away from the man's clutches.

"That man never ceases to amaze me with how incredibly dense and disgusting he can be. I fear sometimes for the people we force him on overseas," Elizabeth said once they were a safe distance away from him.

"For a man who claims to have talked to my mother, he didn't bother to find out that I was a lawyer, as in I'm making a lot more money than he is. I can almost feel his hand still on me," Charlotte shivered.

"Hey ladies," said a buzzed man, approaching them, "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Take a hike," Elizabeth shoved him away in irritation.

Charlotte chuckled at her younger friend's growing annoyance for their current situation. Collins was blocking the way to the exit and both had work to get back to soon.

"Hey Lizzie, you gonna sing us a song today? We're opening it up for Karaoke," called Jimmy Goulding from behind the bar.

Elizabeth looked at her friend and gave a smile, "You know what, I think we shall sing a song."

"We will?" Charlotte rose an eyebrow.

Elizabeth led her friend to where the microphones were set up and she selected the song. Her friend instantly grinned when she saw the title of the song and the music started playing.

Elizabeth began the opening, "Why am I always hit on by the boys I never like? I can always see 'em coming, from the left or from the right"

Charlotte picked up where she left off, "I don't want to be a priss, I'm just try'na be polite, but it always seems to bite me in the-"

"Ask me for my number, yeah, you put me on the spot

You think that we should hook up, but I think that we should not"

"You had me at "hello", then you opened up your mouth

And that is when it started going south"

The two sang the chorus together making their way through the bar, Elizabeth again pushing away the guy who had just recently tried hitting on her, "Oh! Get your hands off my hips, 'fore I'll punch you in the lips. Stop your staring at my hey!

Take a hint, take a hint. No, you can't buy me a drink, let me tell you what I think. I think you could use a mint. Take a hint, take a hint! T-take a hint, take a hint!"

Collins, ever the dense man, didn't seem to be paying much attention to the advancing lady's words, but rather to the fact that they were making their way over to him.

Elizabeth shook her head at the man who was grinning in front of her with bad breath, "I guess you still don't get it, so let's take it from the top. You asked me what my sign is, and I told you it was "stop". And if I had a dime for every name that you just dropped."

Charlotte grinned as she pointed at Collins, "You'd be here and I'd be on a yacht."

"Oh! Get your hands off my hips, 'fore I'll punch you in the lips. Stop your staring at my hey! Take a hint, take a hint. No, you can't buy me a drink, let me tell you what I think. I think you could use a mint. Take a hint, take a hint! T-take a hint, take a hint! What about "no" don't you get? So go and tell your friends.

I'm not really interested."

"It's about time that you're leavin'" Charlotte waved at him.

"I'm gonna count to three and-"

"Open my eyes and you'll be gone"

Elizabeth held up her fingers as she counted, stepping closer each time to Collins, "One,"

"Get your hands off my-"

"Two"

"Or I'll punch you in the-"

"Three"

"Stop your staring at my hey!"

The two ladies finished up the rest of the song together, "Take a hint, take a hint. I am not your missing link. Let me tell you what I think. I think you could use a mint. Take a hint, take a hint. Take a hint, take a hint. Woah! Get your hands off my hips, 'fore I'll punch you in the lips. Stop your staring at my hey! Take a hint, take a hint! T-take a hint, take a hint!"

To their relief, the man left just before the song finished. They laughed with one another and Elizabeth thanked Jimmy.

"Well, I do believe we got rid of him for about a week or so," Elizabeth said a little out of breath but happy.

"I forgot how much fun it was singing with you. That and singing a song from our childhood," Charlotte's face was flushed prettily as she gathered her things to head back to work.

"I'm telling you, we could totally sell out tickets if you did!" Elizabeth called after her.

Charlotte waved bye to her friend before pushing the door opening and leaving the bar.

Sighing, Elizabeth picked up her phone to check the time. Charles's private lesson was in fifteen minutes. She would need to start heading back over to the dancing studio.

"The things I do for my sister."

A/N: This song is from the Nickelodeon show Victorious. Take a Hint. Probably one of my favorite songs on that kids shows with my favorite character being one of the singers. I know it's kind of recent and most likely not heard of by a lot of you, but it's basically about two girls who were miserable and found themselves being hit on. The guys asked them to sing and so they did. The song the girls chose was probably not what they were expecting. No copy infringement intended. Just promoting my favorite songs I guess.