Chapter One

Lizzie found herself getting off the plane at LAX not as the same nervous-wreck that she was boarding the plane in Helena. She had never really traveled before, and if she had, it was always a family road trip involving a cramped car and her mother's constant nagging.

And it was the first time in her life that she had been to California, and she was nervous as coming off as the small town girl from Helena, Montana that she knew she was.

She was groggy and barely aware of her surroundings as she walked idly to the exit of the airport, where her older sister was waiting with a large sign; welcoming her to LA.

Jane had been waiting for Lizzie for a little over thirty minutes, she arrived early to make sure she was there before Lizzie was. Jane Bennet had a soft spot for all her younger sisters, but her and Lizzie were best friends since, well, since either of them could remember (their parents agreed, that there were only two years of Jane Bennet's life that she was not close with Lizzie, because the second Bennet daughter had not yet been born). She looked down at her wrist to check the time again, and noticed the acrylic paint that had found its way onto her hand. She grumbled to herself that she always forgot to clean up when she was painting. In the midst of her grumbling she looked up to see her sister, dazed and confused, walking by.

"Lizzie!" Jane yelled out to get her sister's attention. Lizzie quickly snapped her head up, registering her sister's voice. She smiled and walked over to Jane with her suitcase rolling alongside her.

"Jane," she said soothingly, as she engulfed her in a hug that resulted from best friends being separated for nearly a year, "I've missed you so much, mom's gone crazy without her only level-headed daughter there," she laughed.

"Well, now she'll go even crazier without her sarcastic daughter there to argue with her every day," Jane answered, scanning Lizzie from head to toe, "How does it feel to be fresh out of grad school?"

"I graduated over three months ago," Lizzie retorted, "I just couldn't find a job in Montana, and Dad suggested I try a city bigger than Helena or Missoula; thanks again, for letting me live with you, my beautiful, accomplished, talented artist of a sister." Lizzie leaned in to ruffle Jane's hair.

"I'm a graphic designer," Jane corrected, "I sit in front of an overpriced Mac desktop all day, and if I found luck her with my career here, so I'm sure you will, too, Lizzie." Jane began as she took the suitcase from an unwilling Lizzie, "Let me take it Lizzie, you look exhausted,"

Lizzie sighed, "You would be too if you had to get up at three in the morning to make your flight," she let Jane take the suitcase, "and jeez, I hope I find a job, I need to start paying off my student loans, I haven't been brave enough to look at how much I owe, yet… is LA always this hot?" Lizzie asked as they walked outside into the late afternoon sun.

Jane laughed, "You get used to it, it's actually not a bad temperature, and it's year round."

"Come on, Will," Charlie Bingley pleaded to his friend, "Please come with me, I'll never ask anything from you ever again, I promise it won't be as awful as you think it will," he paused as Darcy gave him a pointed look, "ok maybe it will, but it's one evening. And Caroline is dying to see you,"

Darcy groaned at this, he enjoyed Charlie's company more than anyone, except maybe Gigi, but his sister, Caroline, was an entirely different story. Caroline Bingley may have looked the part of an appealing woman, but had rigid personality.

"Please," Charlie crowed again, "it's just one evening, and what are you doing anyway?" Charlie hesitated looking at his friend, "Okay, I'll do something for you, anything you ask."

Suddenly interested, Darcy looked up, "Don't force me to go, how about that?"

Charlie laughed nervously; he had to get Darcy to come because he had promised Caroline he would bring him.

"Okay…anything besides that,"

"No,"

"Look, Will, I promised Caroline," Charlie explained, taking a different approach, "And I will never hear the end of it if you don't come,"

Will Darcy paused and considered, Would one night be so bad? He could avoid Caroline the entire time…

"Only," Will said emphatically, "because you're my friend, and I don't want to see you be skinned alive by your crazy sister,"

Charlie's face illuminated, "Thank you, thank you," he said as he tried to wrap his arms around his friend who pushed him off, "I could kiss you right now,"

"Please don't,"

"Hey, Lizzie," Jane called out to her sister, who was unpacking her things into the drawers Jane had emptied for her, "some people from work got invites to some sort of party, one of my coworkers has some serious connections,"

Lizzie stood up, and leaned on the frame of the doorway as Jane continued to explain, "Anyway, they invited me, and I told them I was with you, and they said you could come, too, what do you say? How about some LA nightlife on your first 24 hours here?"

If it weren't for the power nap Lizzie had indulged in earlier that day, she would've said no, but she felt spritely, a typical side effect of power naps.

"Sure, yeah, sounds fun, but what should I wear?"

Author's Note: Hey, so this is really the first attempt at anything ever, so I realize it is, well, rough. Anyway, I hope to add stuff soon.