Darcy had gone to take care of business in the city, leaving the two of them in the drawing room of the house on Brunswick Square, where they were staying.

Georgiana had not settled since they arrived back at the house, pacing almost angrily the moment Darcy had taken his leave, glancing out of the window each time her steps took her past it.

"What was it?" she asked, frustrated tones not hiding the fear.

Tav didn't know how to respond. He remembered Austen calling them gods, but seeming unsure of the definition herself. If that- that thing was what she'd been talking about, Tav wasn't sure how anyone could grant it the name of a god.

"I don't know," he finally admitted.

"'Twas not friendly. I'd wager. It looked angry, if one can say such a thing about a formless being."

Tav knew what she meant. Those red 'eyes', for want of a better word, had been the epitome of fury.

"I don't know what we need to do now. Lord Greencester can't help, of course."

"You need to woo my brother, surely. This challenge you have, to receive a proposal from him, it hasn't changed."

"I don't get it, though," Tav huffed petulantly. "How can I just change the law?"

Georgiana ceased her pacing, dropping onto the couch by his side.

"The law?" she asked, taking his hand. "I don't think anyone has thought about making a law. It might not be the done thing, but you just have to make my brother want you more than he worries about how society may treat him after the fact."

Tav turned to Georgiana in surprise, but she just looked back at him with peaceful confidence on her face before she let go of his hand and covered a ladylike yawn.

"This day has exhausted me. I must rest for a while before dinner. I'm certain you will come up with some way to sweep him off his feet within your deadline, and when you do that beast will be sent back to whence it came, I am sure."

Tav watched her leave before dropping his head into his hands. Another thing that had to have changed, without him even knowing. So, a relationship between two men had no prevention in law but only society prevented them from becoming a normality.

The air seemed to wave for a moment, and Tav let out a squeak when he looked up to see the shimmering figure of Jane Austen by the window.

"You're back!" he exclaimed, and she chuckled, the echo still there in the way she sounded.

"You are doing amazing things, young Octavius."

"A lot more is changing than I can tell. But the characters here aren't aware of the changes, so they can't even warn me. It's no longer illegal for men to be together? I've done nothing to change that law, I know I haven't."

"You are doing quite marvellously, young Octavius, surely, but not everything falls on your head. The Powers- well, they have been able to make additional arrangements, ones that had an earlier impact than yours, though this one remains an important step."

Tav stood, feeling a surge of frustrated anger at the woman's (or ghost's?) bewildering explanation.

"I don't understand. Things are changing that I haven't done."

"You have noticed Georgiana becoming braver? Saying her thoughts?"

"Yes?"

"The Powers have not liked how humans treat each other, I told you this. They have not liked the prejudice and bigotry. Older stories have had impact in how women behave, how they are considered, in this time, and in yours. The Powers have given themselves influence there, too, and that impacts Georgiana's character here."

Tav was trying to get his head around the changes he was seeing.

"Someone like me has been sent to earlier stories? So, you will have written her as a more confident person? Because of the changes that person made."

"Precisely. Do not underestimate the power of a story, young Octavius."

"And there have been other changes too? That make relationships between two men acceptable. Which will have affected how you wrote Darcy."

"Remember, I told you, I always had in mind there was something stronger than brotherhood between Darcy and Wickham. I always knew that, but there was a time I couldn't write it and it had to stay in my head. Speak to Darcy. I think you will now find that the knowledge of such a connection between the two of them does not have to hide in the shadows any longer."

Tav took a breath, his head pounding. "But society still doesn't accept anything more than youthful flings. So, marriage is still not accepted."

"You are picking it up."

"And that's what I need to change. What your 'Powers' want me to affect."

"There you are. You're blossoming, dear boy. I must leave. I am already overstaying."

"Wait!" he shouted as her form became even more shimmering. "The monster?"

"Monster?"

"A black cloud, vaguely humanoid, I suppose, with red glowing eyes and apparently very angry."

"No!" she gasped as her form began to fade more rapidly. "A chaos demon. They feed off the anger caused by unfairness within society. The demon wants you to fail in your mission – you mustn't let it win. They are not strong in this world but if it succeeds it could remove you and prevent your changes. You have to remove it before it gets to you..."

"Remove it how?" Tav shouted, but she'd vanished, merging with the late afternoon sunlight.

* * * * *

When Darcy returned to the house, Georgiana was still napping. Tav knew she supported this thing between him and Darcy, but he'd always felt awkward making too large a move on the man while his sister, and Tav's supposed fiancée, was close, despite what everyone understood about the situation. When the maid came in and informed them that Georgiana was taking supper in her room, Tav realised it was an opportunity to play things a little less subtly.

"Darcy, will you try this?" Tav tried to make his voice low and sensual – something he'd had little trouble with in the times they had naturally shown affection to each other – though he hoped Darcy didn't notice the awkward break in his voice this time as he held out a spoonful of the iced dessert. If he did notice he didn't say it, leaning forward to wrap his lips around the curve of the spoon.

"Will you call me Fitzwilliam?" he asked when he'd swallowed the melting ice.

"I can." Tav wasn't sure how to explain he liked calling him Darcy. It was probably a social faux pas here, if you wanted to do the kind of thing Tav was really starting to want to do with him, to continue to use surnames.

"Fitzwilliam," he began, blushing horribly. He'd dated before, obviously, and had the odd brief fling that was based a lot more off sexual compatibility than actually liking the other person, but this was new for him. He actually liked Darcy- Fitzwilliam. If he didn't have this messed up situation to resolve, he would have embraced being able to spend time getting to know the man properly. But instead, he was in the kind of world where it was completely acceptable to become irreversibly connected to another person for life within a week of meeting them. And, instead of a steady development of a relationship, he was expected to act in a way that would secure him that connection. He had no idea what he was doing.

"Tav," Darcy spoke softly before he could embarrass himself further, taking his hands and gently stroking his thumbs across Tav's palms. "Tav, I know you have helped my sister to avoid the difficulty that is my aunt. And that neither of you have feelings of betrothal for each other."

"That is the truth."

"And I've seen that, perhaps, you may be able to form feelings for me."

"Without a doubt. But, wait," Tav didn't know if he was blocking himself, but Georgiana had been a good ally to him, and he didn't want to abandon her, "if nothing happens between her and I, won't she get pressure again from your aunt?"

"Not at all. Aunt Catherine only insisted she make some effort. There will be no issue now."

Once again, a change in society that Darcy seemed unaware of. Tav was fairly certain that Georgiana rejecting a suitor would have been a problem before. Tav almost wanted to see their aunt another time to witness the changes in her attitude that may have taken place. Almost, but not enough to make it happen. This was more important, by far.

Tav stood, feeling an emotional tingling through his body strong enough to make sitting uncomfortable. He was unsurprised when Darcy stood too, re-taking his hands.

"Was I too forward?" he asked as he tried to look into Tav's eyes.

"No. Not too forward," Tav admitted, trying to avoid eye contact equally as hard, his cheeks still flushed.

"Will you allow me...?" Darcy let his actions speak, gently tilting Tav's chin until they were looking into each other's eyes. Tav could swim in the amber pools, made moreso by the tears forming in his own, blurring his vision. He'd never been so overwhelmed by a man's attention.

Darcy held his gaze, though, with warmth and a sweet smile.

"May I?" he asked again after several moments.

"Please," Tav whispered, sinking against the man as their lips met, feeling Darcy's strong hands on his back, pulling him closer.

It was chaste, compared to kisses Tav had received before, dry and closed lipped, but no kiss that had come before had made his head light up in that way, none had made him feel like he was safe, like he belonged, until this one.

They separated slowly, a little reluctantly, returning to looking into each other's eyes until Tav couldn't take the bubbling in his heart and glanced away with a weak chuckle. There was silence for a moment, and Tav let his gaze travel to the window, for refreshment and recovery from the previous impact. What he saw jolted his heart hard, painfully. In the darkness, from the opposing side of the street, glowing red eyes with inherent fury pouring from them, staring right back at him and Darcy as they embraced.