This is based on a soulmate prompt my sister sent me. Everything is black and white until you lock eyes with your soulmate.

I was originally going to make this a oneshot but in order to keep it brief, I'm going to make it multiple chapters. That sounds counterproductive but believe me it works. It will be very short-at most two or three more chapters. If you can't tell by my growing list of unfinished fics, I'm pretty bad at committing to writing and updating longer stories...I should probably do something about that.

Her father had been married eight months when color burst across his retina for the first time as the new kitchen maid scurried by him in the yard with a basket full of fresh eggs. Their eyes had locked for a moment, a mere breath of time, and the maid dropped the eggs. The yellow yolk issuing forth from the cracked eggs distracted him for a moment but he quickly found a more enticing sight. The maid's eyes were a warm brown color that gave him the feeling of sitting by a crackling fire with a beloved book. Her hair was a similar shade to the egg yolk but more subdued, gentler like the soft rays of new sunlight streaming down that morning. His heart clenched painfully in his chest as it was overcome with the sudden beauty of the world and the evergreen spectacle of yet-to-bloom rose bushes framing its crowning jewel: her. For ten seconds there was nothing but the immediate shock of life doused in color and the delightfully beautiful young woman before him.

She ran to the house, abandoning the basket of useless eggs on the ground.

His left hand raised to stop her but his voice caught in his throat.

And then the impossibly heavy weight of the wedding ring glittering on his finger in the sunlight silenced any attempts at voicing his desire for her return.

Mr. Bennet never told his wife and the kitchen maid relocated to another estate outside of Hertfordshire within twenty-four hours. He never asked for her name, never argued with her about the merits of her favorite novel, never learned what her voice sounded like after waking up softly beside him, never saw her glow in motherhood, never knew what it was like to be loved by his soulmate...

Elizabeth Bennet had grown up seeing the ramifications of this event on her parents marriage. Her father was distant from her mother and hid from the woman in his study for most of the day. Elizabeth knew there was no affection between them and knew it was not only because Mr. Bennet had decided waiting for his soulmate was not worth it before wedding his wife. Mrs. Bennet was not a good companion for her husband and it was a simple truth plain to see.

Her father had pulled Jane and herself inside his study the night of their first ball and with the strictest of emotional detachment, told them the story. He wanted his daughters to know what they could lose if they settled with their mother's plans and married only for wealth.

"There is more security in love than in money," he had said before wrapping them both in a hug.

This was why Elizabeth swore to never marry unless it was to her soulmate whom she would be fiercely in love with.

But for now, Elizabeth was quite content to take walks in the black and white countryside and choose simple black and white bonnets with Jane and visit black and white paintings in museums with her aunt and uncle in London. Elizabeth enjoyed her life and though meeting her soulmate sounded very exciting, she was in no particular rush. Though it would be nice to be done with-

"Mr. Bennet!" her mother shrilly called from the front door.

That.

As is usually the case with mother's who care too much for their daughters, Elizabeth felt trapped by her mother's expectations. At least once a week the woman spun yarn about the importance of marrying rich. She batted an uninterested hand at the "silly girls who frolicked after pretty colors." Pretty colors did not put pin money in your pocket or keep servants like Hill chasing after your every whim. But, Elizabeth decided, she would rather have a light heart than a heavy purse.

But Elizabeth loved her mother. She really did.

"Mr. Bennet! Oh, where is he!" Mrs. Bennet cried, bursting into the room where she and her sisters were enjoying a relaxing afternoon.

"I believe papa is in his study," Elizabeth supplied with a glance up from her book. Sometimes she wished she had a study to disappear into.

"Oh! That man!" her mother wrung her hands in knots. "I have the most exciting news and he must hear it!"

Elizabeth wondered if her mother ever made a statement without exclaiming.

"Nevermind, Mrs. Bennet. I am found at last," her father said from the doorway with a straight mouth but twinkling eyes.

"Oh, Mr. Bennet! Netherfield Park is let at last! I have heard it from Mrs. Long for she was just there." Mrs. Bennet leaned forward and grinned as if she were filling in the emotional gap her husband left in his indifference.

"Ah," was all he said before taking his favorite chair. He steepled his fingers and stared at nothing. Elizabeth noticed one corner of his mouth quirk up.

"Do you not want to know who has taken it?" Mrs. Bennet rounded the chair and peered at her husband with crossed arms.

Elizabeth, at least, found that she was curious as to Netherfield Park's new owner. She exchanged a significant look with Jane and they both turned their bodies slightly with intrigue toward the conversation. Mary, Kitty, and Lydia did as well-though with more giggles and quiet remarks to one another.

"I do not object to hearing it and you wish to tell me, so march forth," her father responded. Elizabeth stifled a grin.

Mrs. Bennet did indeed march forth and neared his chair with bright eyes. "Mrs. Long-who was just there-says a young man named Mr. Bingley with a large fortune has taken it. He came down Monday and is sending servants to settle it by the end of the week. Mrs. Long has it from Mr. Norris that he is a very amiable man. And he is very handsome and unmarried!" She threw up her hands as if to the heavens in thanks.

"Why should I care if he is unmarried? You are not thinking of my running off with Mr. Bingley in an elopement, I hope." Elizabeth could not conceal her grin this time, but ducked her head.

"Mr. Bennet! Do you seek to torment my nerves for the rest of your remaining life?"

"Heavens no, wife. But today will do just fine."

From there, Mrs. Bennet launched into many pleas of varying temperaments to convince her husband to visit Mr. Bingley. She smiled sweetly, narrowed her eyes, waved her hands, and took any angle by which to get her way.

The conversation concluded when Mr. Bennet resolved to call on Mr. Bingley solely to ask one question: would the young man wait for his soulmate or marry for connection and a lovely face? Mrs. Bennet scoffed and said that it didn't matter if colors sprung from his nose when he saw some plain girl in a ballroom because one look at Jane and he would never see another female again. Because Jane was more beautiful in black and white than anyone else in color.