The Bar Scene

Darcy sat at the bar, morosely nursing an imported beer that he had not particularly wanted, watching the dance floor in the mirror. Bingley was dancing with strikingly beautiful woman - one that Darcy might have danced with had Bingley not gotten there first. Bingley and the lady had been dancing together half the night, or so it seemed.

Bingley always seemed to get there first. While Darcy would still be taking in a new place and getting a feel for the ambiance, Bingley would already be friends with half the people and slapping the backs of the rest. The half he was friends with were invariably the women, and the prettiest one would be his best friend of all.

As Darcy tipped back his head to take another sip of his beer his gaze in the mirror fell on the face of a woman sitting two places down the bar. She was laughing animatedly with the bartender while trying to spear a cherry from the bottom of her glass with her straw. She had the most gorgeous eyes he had ever seen.

Bingley returned to the bar with his dancing queen, jogging Darcy's elbow while gaining the bartender's attention to order fresh drinks. Darcy quickly looked back down to his beer, uncertain how long he might have been staring in the mirror at the woman nearby and hoping she hadn't noticed. A quick glance back showed him that she was now speaking to Bingley's queen while the barkeeper was mixing drinks.

"Darce!" Bingley exclaimed, "Still holding down the fort? Let me introduce you to the most captivating woman I have ever encountered!" Bingley snaked an arm around the waist of his queen du jour and pulled her, giggling, up beside him.

Bingley made the introductions after which his queen excused herself to visit the "little girl's room." Bingley grinned after her as Darcy gazed at himself in the mirror and rolled his eyes.

"I'm proud of you, Bing," Darcy said, "You actually got her name - Jane, right? Don't you usually only get their numbers?"

"Don't be like that, Darcy - it only happened once, and you know how bad I felt."

"Not as bad as she did when you called her 'Cindy.' Are you sure this one's name is really 'Jane'?"

Bingley looked worried for a moment until he caught the glint in Darcy's eye, the slight smirk at the corner of his mouth, then he punched Darcy in the shoulder, "Stop!" Darcy grinned at him, and his friend's glower deepened.

Finally, Darcy laughed and took a swig of his beer, while Bingley settled himself on a barstool to await the return of his latest girlfriend. Darcy looked back into the mirror, not realizing until he missed her that he was looking for the laughing girl with the arresting eyes. She was gone, and the momentary lift his spirits had gained from needling Bingley had gone with her.

"Jane has a sister, Darce," said Bingley, giving his friend a nudge.

"So?"

"A pretty sister," nudge, nudge.

"And?"

"And? And! And she's here too, you imbecile!" Bingley almost shouted, exasperated with his friend, "Will you meet her of your own accord or do I have to drag you, kicking and screaming, onto the dance floor?"

"Would you really do that, Bing? Kick and scream? Most unseemly..."

"You know what I meant," Bingley growled, "Why do you always act this way? Can't you just relax, meet a nice girl, and have a little fun?"

Bingley's scowl melted as he took in Darcy's wooden expression, "Come on, man, they aren't all bad," he pleaded.

"Very well," Darcy sighed and finished the dregs of his lukewarm beer, sharing a defeated look with himself in the mirror before turning his attention to the beer bottle and slowly beginning to strip off its label.

"Excellent," his friend said, and then with more feeling and a sunny smile, "Excellent!" Jane had returned to the bar and Bingley whispered in her ear. She nodded happily and hurried away only to reappear moments later dragging a protesting girl by the hand.

"Really, Jane, can't we just... oh, hello," the girl muttered as Jane pulled her forward.

"El, this is Charles," Jane said, smiling up at the good-looking blonde man, "Charles this is my sister, Elizabeth."

Bingley took Elizabeth's hand, exclaiming how pleased he was to meet her, then turned to Darcy who was still studiously peeling the paper off his beer bottle.

"Darce, this is Jane's sister Elizabeth. El, this is my good friend Will Darcy.

Darcy didn't seem to hear.

"Darcy!" Bingley gave him a rough shove, "Jane's sister!" he pointed with a scowl.

Darcy gave Bingley a startled look then turned to face the woman. There she was, the one with the beautiful eyes, looking at him hesitantly and seeming on the verge of flight. He stood so quickly that the bottle he'd been worrying fell over and spun mad circles on the bar. His eyes never leaving hers, he took her gently by the hand and without a word led her to the dance floor as Jane and Bingley looked on with amusement.

As they swayed to a slow song, Darcy smiled down at Elizabeth. The bottle on the bar made a final revolution and spun to a stop pointing at them. Perhaps tonight Bingley had not gotten there first after all.

"I'm embarrassed to ask," Darcy said, "but what was your name again?"

Oh look, there's a chapter 2!

-Kelly