The Love of the Game by IntuitiveIntelligence

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Elizabeth Bennet woke up in a bed that was not her own. She knew this instantly because her sheets were white and these were green. But had the sheets not caught her attention, the warmth of a firm chest pressed against her bare back would have been enough of a clue.

'Oh good lord… I've gone out and shagged someone on the first date.'

Lizzy was not a virgin to the one-night stand. But she had hoped she had better control over herself than to sleep with a footballer on her father's team. If anyone heard of this, it would be trouble. When Donolley heard of this, he'd have a field day. Who knows what Darcy would think of her?

Slowly Elizabeth tried to wriggle out from beneath the sheets only to have the forearm tighten around her and keep her there in a vice like grip.

"Mmm…" A deep male voice rumbled into her ear.

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"Lizzy! Lizzy! You've forgotten your earring." Jane called after her younger sister as Lizzy rushed to her car.

She halted in her tracks, nearly tipping over in her three inch heels as Jane passed over the dangling silver contraption.

"Thanks! I owe you one."

Jane shook her head as Lizzy climbed behind the steering wheel and took off at a hardly legal pace toward Magnolia. Had she simply taken three hours instead of four to get ready, there would have been no need to rush.

But Lizzy had wanted to look perfect –or perfectly hot, as Lydia would say. From her hair which was tamed into loose curls, to the black satin dress that revealed hints of her lithe form, Lizzy looked stunning.

"Its just dinner, Jane. And George Wickham is a very put together bloke, I'm only trying to keep up." Lizzy had said.

Watching the car disappear into the distance, Jane had to say she was concerned. But, Lizzy was a big girl capable of making her own decisions. Even if the decisions she made were poor ones.

As Jane continued to mentally admonish her sister, her mobile began to vibrate in her pocket. With some difficulty she fished it out and saw from the display screen that Charlie was calling her.

"Hello?"

Jane's smile transmitted itself across the speaker in the brightest of beams.

"Jane! How are you?" Charlie shouted back.

There was a lot of static and an occasional honk in the background accompanying his cheery voice.

"I'm alright…There's a lot of noise…What are you up to?"

"I'm actually driving right now to see the loveliest girl in all of England."

"Oh…" Jane's heart sank. She knew there had to be another.

"I thought I would surprise her by taking her on a night on the town…unless she has other plans."

"I don't know Charlie. Why don't you ask her?"

Charlie suddenly realized his error and nearly ran across the middle of the road when he cringed for his stupidity.

"No—silly. I mean… if you are not busy, how about a night in London?"

"Oh…I feel so stupid. Yes… that would be… really brilliant. I am just going to go pop upstairs and change."

"I'm sure whatever you have on right now is fine. Listen, I'm about to pull into your drive right now."

"So soon? Right, see you in a moment then."

"Bye Janie."

Jane had never packed for anything so quickly in her life. Articles of clothing she would never wear made it into her overnight bag along with a copious amount of make up and her toothbrush.

Racing back outside she saw Charlie smiling up at her as he leaned against the side of his Porsche.

"You see…what did I tell you? You are positively stunning in what you have on?"

Jane blushed and looked down at her faded jeans and white sweater before Charlie pulled her close to him and gave her a brief peck on the lips.

"Alright, we'll have to hurry if we want to make it into the city with enough time."

"Enough time for what?" Jane asked as she buckled herself into the leather seat.

"You'll see."

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Lizzy had been waiting near the host's podium for nearly twenty minutes when he calmly and politely suggested that maybe she should wait at the bar. Dejected she sat herself on one of the stools and ordered herself a margarita. Anxiously she flipped open her silver phone to see if George had phoned—he hadn't.

After another five minutes of waiting she dialed his number. It went straight to his voicemail. Her heart sank. He had definitely been too good to be true. No man with abs that nice could be without a flaw.

She ordered another margarita.

And another.

At around 9:15 pm, George Wickham waltzed into Magnolia's looking like he owned the world. His grey blue button up shirt did wonders for accentuating his chest, and his black pants made his legs look infinitely longer.

Through her alcoholic haze she noted that he was definitely the prettiest man she'd ever seen. And it was thanks to the margaritas that she didn't simply call their date off entirely

"Oh no, I'm so terribly sorry. I could have sworn we agreed to meet at 9. Oh you must think I'm the biggest ass in all of existence."

"—have one of the greatest asses in all of existence..." Lizzy mumbled under her breath.

"Lets get a table…I see you've started without me." George stated as he guided a slightly tipsy Lizzy with a gentle hand on her back.

"The margaritas are exceptional."

She waved the glass in her hand for emphasis before taking another drink.

"I don't doubt they are. Table for two. The reservation is under Wickham."

"Right… finally you show up. Follow me."

George's eyes narrowed at the host who had dared to give him sass and followed him back to their table

"I have to say, you look unbelievable in that dress."

"Really?"

"Entirely hot."

"Thanks, you aren't too bad yourself, soldier."

"Soldier?"

"I think you'd make an excellent soldier…a lieutenant maybe."

"Just a lieutenant? Not a general?"

"No…you are too self-centered to be a general."

"Ha! Fair enough."

The night passed by in a flurry of drinks, good food and stories about mainly Lizzy's past. She never questioned Wickham beyond what he offered, and anytime she ventured near a kernel of truth he'd steer her away with a dazzling smile.

As the evening drew to a close, Lizzy was feeling slightly brazen and was being more than suggestive with her dessert. George smirked, his eyes darkening as he watched her mouth move.

Then his mobile rang and he excused himself.

In his absence the waiter brought the check. Lizzy glanced at it casually and saw that they had done quite a bit of damage between all their drinks and copious amounts of food.

"Lizzy, I am so sorry. I've just gotten word that there is a problem with my flat –a leak of some sort. I need to go back there right away," He paused and glanced at the check, "Do you mind?"

"Oh…no its fine. You go. I'll get this one."

"You are a doll." Wickham kissed her briefly on the corner of the mouth and scampered out of the restaurant.

With a resigned sigh, Lizzy pulled out her credit card and slipped it into the check holder.

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Will had gone out for a drive to calm his nerves. Charles was out with Jane and wouldn't be home till the morning which left him only with Caroline for company. She had flirted with him the majority of the evening, and he couldn't take one more simpering comment from her. Eventually she caught on that he was one more turn away from snapping, and she retired to bed.

Darcy who was still on edge from defending himself all evening had to get out and expel his energy somehow. s his headlights slowly revealed the darkened road before him, he had to slam on his brakes to not hit a young woman who was walking on the side of the road in a cocktail dress swinging her heels back and forth.

"Elizabeth!?!" He shouted out of his window.

"Darcy? You need to drive more carefully. Stopping like that will destroy your brakes."

"What on Earth are you doing out here? It's the middle of the night! I can give you a lift back."

"Nope."

"What do you mean no?"

"I am resolved to walk. It's a gorgeous night, and I am going to enjoy nature at her finest."

"Lizzy…please?"

She paused at his use of her familiar name; he'd only ever called her Elizabeth. She missed the sound of Elizabeth.

"Alright…"

Darcy pushed open the passenger door, and Lizzy awkwardly climbed in. He couldn't help but stare at the amount of thigh she exposed in the process, but cleared his head of those thoughts as he made sure she buckled herself in

"Can I ask what you were doing walking home?"

"I didn't think it was safe to drive in my current state."

"Were you alone? Was there no one else to drive you back? Or you could have called a cab I'm sure…"

"He had to go. But all is well. You're here now aren't you?" Lizzy tilted her head to look at him and smiled tentatively as if she was unsure of his existence.

"Yes I'm here." Darcy smiled at her before shifting into the next gear.

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Darcy wasn't sure how Elizabeth had talked him into taking her back to Netherfield so they could have ice cream. Or when she had removed the pins keeping her unruly curls in place. He wasn't sure how she had convinced him to open another bottle of wine. Or how many glasses he downed in those first twenty minutes to calm his racing heart.

He vividly remembered her leaning over him to steal the cherry off of his ice cream after she had finished her own. He remembered how she smelt like velvet and everything forbidden to him. Everything was hazy except for her.

"So tell me Darcy, what is your favorite flavor of ice cream?"

"I am partial to a bit of chocolate actually…" He emphasized this by swirling his spoon over his ice cream dish.

"Not vanilla?"

Darcy's eyes were drawn to the way Elizabeth's tongue licked every ounce of ice cream off the spoon before she'd replace the metal utensil back into the dish for more.

"No, I feel vanilla is a bit bland." He swallowed heavily.

Elizabeth stood up with a heaping spoonful of ice cream in her hand. Slowly on unsteady feet she walked toward him and settled herself between his thighs where he sat on the stool.

"You were wrong about Bronte..."

"Hmm..."

"And you are wrong about this...vanilla is anything but bland…" She held the spoon to his mouth and watched with a smile on her face as he opened his mouth and devoured it slowly.

"Good?" She asked with a wicked smile.

Darcy nodded before his hands reached out and pulled Elizabeth down to him. He kissed her, frantically searching for the taste of vanilla and merlot until he found it lingering there on her tongue. Lizzy responded with equal fervor, the spoon clattering to the ground forgotten as she settled herself more deeply into his lap.

His hands played with the straps of her dress sliding them down her shoulders so he could revel in further contact with her skin. Lifting Elizabeth off his lap, they staggered up the stairs between lingering and heated kisses toward his bedroom. And for once in his life, instead of thinking things through, William Darcy abandoned all reason and thought and lived in the moment.

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"…Elizabeth." Darcy murmured in his sleep.

Lizzy thanked whatever Gods there were that he was not awake. Slithering out of his grasp, she looked down at the sleeping man whose embrace she had spent the night in. The sheet did not cover his chest, and even in her horror of what she had done she knew he was beautiful.

Hastily, she found her dress and shoes, slipping them off as she stole away from Netherfield before he could awaken. She took the back way, through the garden and forest paths, where she would not be spotted.

This was a walk of shame Elizabeth Bennet wished to take alone. She had not quite resolved herself as to what she had done, or what the ramifications might be. William Darcy was still the target of her story; he was not someone to form a romantic attachment to. And what of Wickham? He had been so delightfully charming the night before, and Elizabeth had gone out and shagged another man only a few hours later.

Elizabeth was in a pickle, and she needed Jane more than ever.

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William Darcy stretched, his arm seeking Elizabeth's warmth. When he did not find her in his bed, he began to awaken. Maybe he had dreamt the entire thing? Had he really imagined being with Elizabeth in such detail?

Sliding out of the sheets he realized that he was naked, and that it must have been some dream to have gotten him to such a state. He had been so positive that it had happened. That Elizabeth Bennet had finally given in to him and accepted what attraction was between them from the beginning.

As he slipped on his pajama pants, he noticed a silver glint on his carpet. Darcy crouched and picked up the delicate ornament in his hand; Elizabeth's earring.

It had not been a dream. Darcy's face lit up with a cocky self-satisfied grin. He couldn't hide it from the world if he tried. Whistling to himself, he placed the earring on the dish on his night table before heading into the shower

'Today is going to be a brilliant day.' He thought to himself.

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Hello lovely reviewers! Have you missed me? I know I've missed you. I've been so busy lately I haven't had the chance to update. This was going to be longer. I decided to break it into two chapters. I also never planned for Lizzy to end up in bed with Darcy. But the best laid plans of mice, right? Next chapter you can find out what happens when Darcy realizes Lizzy was out with Wickham and you can find all about the cute fluffiness of Jane and Charlie's time in London.

Wanna make a girl happy? Give me a review luvs.