A/N: A little one-shot for the Autumn Changes Verse I've written to coincide with the UK only having a week left of the summer holidays.

Also, I'm thinking of writing another multi-chater fic with these characters soon, it will follow the Darcy kids as young adults, picking up after Rose's wedding from Slipping Through My Fingers. If you are interested in this then please write in a review if you would like me to write it because I'm in two minds about whether to write it or not.

As always, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I'm not Jane Austen.

First Day

Monday, 3rd September.

The summer holidays were over once again, bringing about the start of a new academic year.

She'd been through it twice before, helping her children get dressed into the brand new school uniform she had laid out then night before, watching as her children complained that the jumpers made them itch to which she told them that it wouldn't itch when it had been through the washing machine a few times. Yes. Elizabeth had watched her children go through their first day of school. Ally was starting year one after completing her reception year in July. Tom was about to start year two, already talking about his upcoming seventh birthday in November. But this year, her eldest daughter was about to begin the journey of Secondary School Education.

It had been a discussion the Darcy family had had many times. Elizabeth wasn't keen on the idea of sending her children away to a private boarding school in a different county. Will had argued that it wasn't like they couldn't afford it and she had protested against it because she couldn't bear to be away from her child. After all, she had found it difficult when Ally had been born prematurely and she'd had to leave her infant daughter every night in hospital until she was strong enough to come home with them. In the end, the two of them spoke with Rose about the matter and their daughter expressed her preference to attending the local secondary school with the friends she had made at Lambton Primary School.

So here she was, standing in the entrance hall at Pemberley at eight o'clock in the morning. They'd all eaten their breakfast together, just like they did every morning before she'd sent Tom up to his room to get changed whilst Alice had offered to get Ally ready and Rose went up to her room to change into her new uniform. Elizabeth had just finished changing Henry in the living room and put the one-year-old into his playpen when she heard her other three children coming down the main staircase.

And she smiled widely, taking a deep breath to stop the tears from falling and trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her chest as she realised that her children were growing up too quickly for her liking. It was as if, somehow, they had gotten even taller in the last day. They didn't look so small as they had all summer.

"Alright, picture time!" Will said enthusiastically.

All three children groaned in disapproval.

"Dad!" Tom whined.

"Do we have to?" Ally asked.

"We do it every year!" Rose groaned.

"And we'll do it every year until you're all off to university." Will laughed.

Elizabeth watched as her children stood on the staircase, standing completely still and smiling widely at Will who stood next to her, pressing the button on his camera to capture the moment. This year, only two of their children wore the navy blue uniform she had bought from the supermarket, the colours of Lambton Primary. Rose stood behind her brother and sister, wearing the black blazer with the stitched logo for the secondary school she would be attending. Once the picture moment was over, they all pulled on their coats, kissed Alice and Henry goodbye to start the school run.

Lambton Secondary was their first stop. Today was the first day for the year sevens and the returning first day for the new year eleven students who would help out the new and nervous eleven-year-olds. Rose bade goodbye to her dad, getting out of the car with Elizabeth and the two walked over to the school's reception to find out where Rose was due to start her school day.

"Are you nervous?" Elizabeth asked, "Because it's okay if you are."

Rose shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess I am a little bit. But I'm excited as well." her daughter replied.

"You have everything that you need."

The mother and daughter entered the school's reception and queued up. Elizabeth watched as Rose chatted to some of her friends who were also stood in the queue whilst she made small talk with some of the other parents. The other parents all expressed the same thoughts that she was thinking, how quickly it was that their once little babies were now pre-teens and starting a whole new journey. But Elizabeth knew that it was part of being a parent; learning to deal with the sinking feeling that your role as a parent would continuously change the more independent your child got.

Before they knew it, the receptionist was beckoning the two of them over.

"Good morning, may I take your child's full name?" the receptionist asked with a smile.

"Rose Olivia Darcy." Elizabeth replied.

The receptionist rifled through some paperwork and handed it over to Rose, instructing her on which year eleven student she had to go to when it was time to be taken to her tutor room. The bell rang throughout the school, indicating the start of the school day as parents began to say a last goodbye to their children as Elizabeth turned to face Rose.

"Have a good first day darling. I'll pick you up at three, okay?"

Rose nodded as she hugged Elizabeth tightly, as if not wanting to let go. In that moment, Elizabeth heard her daughter whisper 'I love you, mum.' before pulling away and giving her a smile before heading over to the year eleven student that the receptionist had pointed out to them. Elizabeth left the school and headed back over to the car and climbed in next to her husband, buckling her seat belt and let out a long sigh.

"Are you okay, love?" Will asked, taking her hand.

Elizabeth nodded sadly.

"Our little girl is growing up so fast." she sighed.

Will leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"I know. But, she'll always be ours and she always makes us proud. Rose will be fine. We'll pick her up at three and she'll tell us all about her first day. And I'll bet you that she'll tell us that she had a good first day."

Nodding in agreement, Will started the car and drove away from the school to take the younger two children to their school. Glancing at the school in the mirror, watching as it got smaller and smaller until she could no longer see it reflected back at her, Elizabeth knew that her husband was right. Rose would be fine. She always had been and always would be the most adventurous girl she knew. After all, the first day at a new school was an adventure.