Summary: Lizzy Bennet does not consider professional football (soccer) player, Fitzwilliam Darcy, handsome enough to tempt her into behaving like a fangirl, yet she accidentally finds herself trespassing on his property. Modern Sport AU. One-shot.

Falling for You

What am I doing here? Elizabeth Bennet asked herself, standing against the barricade along with eager fans, waiting for the team bus to arrive. They had stood at the gate since five in the morning, hoping to be part of the chosen few allowed inside the grounds. At that moment, they stood in the visiting team section where the bus would stop outside the stadium.

"Please, Lizzy, zip up your jacket. You could cause a riot wearing that color," her sister, Jane, whispered urgently in her ear.

Sighing, she turned to Jane to tell her she was exaggerating, even though the teams were fierce rivals. However, as she did, she could see more than one person glaring her way. Swallowing, Lizzy zipped up her jacket to hide the red shirt of her team, Meryton FC. They were also known as the "Merry Men," with no reference to Robin Hood. Though "Marry Men" might have been better, since some women—like the Bennet sisters' mother—thought a rich, single professional football player must be in want of a wife.

Lizzy was a loyal supporter of the club. The football club, of course. Sure, the Merry Men were near the edge of being relegated to the lower league, but they had heart. Unlike the pompous players of Derbyshire FC. The salary of their top players per year was more than Meryton's entire budget for twelve months.

In defiance, Lizzy lowered the zipper just enough so a little red peeked out. Again, she wondered why she was standing in the cold, waiting for a bus she didn't care about. Fortunately, she was at least on home ground and not on enemy territory. The last fixture of the season for these two teams was in Meryton's stadium, Netherfield, and the match could see Derbyshire walking away with the League trophy. Again.

"Oh, I can't believe we were finally picked! I told you arriving early gets you noticed. I can't wait to see them," her youngest sister, Lydia, said. "Maybe I'll finally get Denny's signature."

"Don't get your hopes up, Lydia," Charlotte Lucas, their neighbor and friend, replied. "They don't always sign before heading into the stadium. They're focused on the match ahead."

"I heard that Denny might be transferring here in the summer," Jane said, stretching her neck to see if the bus was approaching. Lydia squealed in response.

Oh yeah, that's why we're in the enemy section, Lizzy thought. It was Lydia's birthday, sweet sixteen, and she had used her one birthday wish to get them to stand there. In the cold, with weather threatening to rain, while Lizzy wanted to be in the home section; she wouldn't mind getting a signature or two.

As the bus pulled around the corner, Jane unbuttoned her jacket to reveal a deep blue Derbyshire shirt. Lizzy nearly injured her neck as her head quickly turned to her sister.

"What are you doing?" she asked with disbelief. Inwardly, she thought, Traitor.

Jane touched her blonde waves. "I just want them to feel welcome."

Lizzy's eyes widened. "There is such a thing as being too nice, you know."

Lydia laughed. "There is nothing nice about it, sister dear. This has everything to do with that Bingley poster at the back of her wardrobe."

"What?" she exclaimed.

Simultaneously, Jane asked with red cheeks, "How do you know about that?"

Lydia shrugged. "You have nice clothes, and I like to borrow them."

"I knew you were the one who woke me up," Jane said, turning to her baby sister. All the Bennet girls still lived at home, except for Mary who was attending university. Jane worked nightshift as a nurse, Lizzy was an English teacher, Mary wanted to be a psychologist and the youngest two—Kitty and Lydia—were still at school. Let it be said that they did not appreciate having their sister as their teacher, and Lizzy was forced to keep her room locked at all times—it was better not to tempt them.

"Not now," Lydia said, folding her hands under her chin. "They are getting off the bus."

Lizzy took a deep breath as the screams around her increased. The first person of the bus was Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the team manager and coach, followed by Assistant Coach Collins. Next, the players began to exit and some of the players walked over to sign some autographs. The girl next to Lizzy—with a headband that supported the letters D-A-R-C-Y on her head—looked like she was about to faint as a tall guy with dark hair drew close.

"Not handsome enough to tempt me into acting like a fangirl," Lizzy said aloud, looking away to keep an eye on Lydia. However, she could feel eyes on her. Turning back, she froze as he stood in front of her and stared at her intently. She had no doubt that he had somehow heard her, and to be fair, he was handsome enough.

Blushing, her hands moved of their own accord to unzip her jacket. She stretched the bottom of her shirt toward him before she could think twice about it. Lifting an eyebrow, he stared at the insignia over her chest and then grabbed Fangirl's permanent marker to sign her shirt. He gave her another challenging look before moving on, and when she looked down, Lizzy fumed with anger; it was the largest signature he had ever made, she was sure of it. The intertwined F. Darcy covered the whole lower half of her shirt. She couldn't even sell the shirt, since she'd worn it on the day her team escaped the danger of relegation, which had coincided with her birthday. She had a soft spot for sentimental value.

Why did I do that? She angrily asked herself. Zipping up her jacket before her sisters could see—she would not hear the end of it if they did—she looked their way and saw Jane blushing as Charles Bingley signed her shirt. A little further down the line, Assistant Coach Collins was signing Charlotte's jacket, and she looked bewildered, no doubt wondering why he was doing so without being asked.

As the players began to move away, a few of them laughed as Darcy had to pull Bingley away from Jane.

"Oh, Lizzy, have you ever seen a man more handsome?" Jane asked with her eyes on his retreating back.

At that moment, Darcy glanced back and caught her eye. "No," she replied grudgingly without looking away.

In the end, Lizzy was so distracted during the match—her eyes refused to look away from the opposing team's center forward—that she really couldn't have said where her team lost it. She could, however, say that Darcy was brilliant, having scored his third hat trick for the season.

If she ever saw his blue eyes again, it would be too soon. She felt frustrated that she, a mature woman, had acted that way. One look and she was gone. Thankfully, she could avoid a close-up in the future, and she would not be waiting for the bus again. With Denny transferring, Lydia could always try next season for his signature.

~P&P~

A few weeks later, Lizzy bent over in front of her aunt's house in Lambton. Sure that the laces of her running shoes were properly tied, she straightened and stretched her arms. She breathed deeply before pressing "Play" on her phone, which was strapped to her upper arm, and then she ran through the gate and down the road.

She'd always loved the outdoors, and one of her favorite things was long runs. Taking in the scene around her, she returned a wave from the baker as she ran through town and followed the road until she left the outskirts of the village. Her heart drank in the sight of the trees and the cliffs in the distance that once in a while peeked through. She loved the place. When her aunt had invited her to spend her summer holiday with them, she couldn't say yes fast enough.

Stopping at her usual point of return, which was a dirt path off the main road with trees standing like guardians on either side, she paused and wondered where it led. She'd been meaning to ask her aunt, but it kept slipping her mind. From the road, only the dirt path and the trees were visible, since it curved to the right up ahead. Remembering that crime statistics were low in the area, she decided to follow her adventurous instinct and ran down the lane.

She followed the curve, but still the scenery didn't change as she continued. After another bend, the trees suddenly parted for a stunning view of a large manor in the distance. She stopped where the trees became sparser and looked at the imposing home. In front of it was a lake, and the path crossed over a bridge before ending at the magnificent house. Lizzy had never seen anything quite like it in her life.

Turning her head, she could see a walking path through the trees to the right, and she decided to return the next day with lunch; she would like something to nibble on while following the trail. There was no gate in sight and a place that big must be an old manor open to the public.

The next day, she returned with a small pouch strapped to her waist with a small apple and nutrition bar. She slowed as she walked the path, listening to the sounds as she followed it through the trees. Chewing on her snacks, Lizzy was some distance from the main dirt road that led to the house when she heard something. To her left, the lake and the house were much closer than the day before, and she'd crossed a wooden bridge awhile back. Turning around slowly, she stared at the dense undergrowth and saw the leaves move.

Fear ran cold down her spine when it happened for the second time. Where there wild hogs in the region? She felt like she should know something like that. When something suddenly burst through the bush and came at her, she screamed and turned away, running through the foliage in the direction of the open grass area around the lake. She planned on heading toward the house as soon as she was out in the open.

Glancing back as she ran across the grass, she saw movement and knew it was still coming for her. The next moment, she felt her foot sink as her foot hit the water and she tipped forward, causing another scream. The water was only knee-depth where she was, but it was enough for her to go under momentarily. Spluttering as she came up for air, she stood on her knees and brushed wet hair behind her ear. As she tried to stand, her feet slipped on the bottom and she went down again. Thankfully, she managed to keep her head above water this time.

All of a sudden, there was a hand in her line of vision.

"Here, let me help you," a masculine voice said.

As she reached out, her eyes traveled from the bare legs and haphazardly rolled up jeans, up his shirt and neck, until she was suddenly staring into a pair of familiar blue eyes. Eyes that almost caused her to fall again … literally. His grip tightened around her hand, pulling her up and closer to him, supporting her arm with his other hand.

Fitzwilliam Darcy. Stunned at the sight in front of her, the words left her lips quickly. "What are you doing here?"

"I think I should be the one to ask that, don't you think?" he replied, one corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Well, I obviously didn't plan to be chased by a hog into a lake, if that's what you're asking."

"I meant here, on my property," he responded, the smile becoming more prominent.

Lizzy's eyes widened. "Yours? I had no idea. You really should invest in a gate or at least a 'Private Property' sign. Though now that I think about it, that explains the framed signed posters everywhere in this town."

It was actually what drove her farther out of town than usual, since the moment before the match in Meryton was still in her thoughts. Instead of clearing her mind a bit, she had unknowingly run straight to him. Oh, the irony.

A snort came from behind him, and as she leaned to the right, she saw the creature that had chased her standing on the grass. Considering the way he lifted his snout and snorted, she almost thought he was laughing at her.

"That's Wickham."

Lizzy turned slowly to the man in front of her. "Excuse me?"

"Wickham. My sister's potbelly pig. He likes to explore the area sometimes."

"You have a pig named Wick-ham?"

He turned his gaze toward her and smiled broadly. "He has always had a preference for ladies and food."

"How fitting that you have a pig," she mumbled, pulling away from him before slowly making her way toward the grass.

"What did you say?"

Man, the guy has great hearing. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a deep frown on his face. "You ruined my shirt," she replied.

He stared at her incredulously. "You held it for me to sign."

Her brows lifted. "You remember me?"

"I thought we established that when I asked what you're doing here," he retorted, crossing his arms.

It took great effort not to stare at his arms muscles, but a quick glance couldn't be avoided. "Technically, I asked, and you could've meant in general."

"I didn't." His eyes remained on her.

Her heart rate increased and she desperately tried not to linger on the fact that he instantly recognized her. Looking away before the blush she could feel coming on made its presence known, she turned and walked slowly to the left before leaving the water some distance away from the snickering pig.

"He won't harm you."

"You know that, but I'm struggling to believe that when I've just been chased." She could hear a soft laugh behind her, and she did not like how it affected her.

"I'm assuming you're staying in Lambton. Come to the house, dry off, and then, I'll take you back." He stopped beside her, rather close considering there was so much open space around them.

Unexpectedly, a snort came as the only warning before Wickham bumped into her, causing her to fall towards the man who had been on her mind for weeks. She quickly righted herself by bracing herself against his stomach, but pulled her hands away as if they had touched fire when she felt his toned stomach.

Definitely handsome enough, she thought, swallowing. Not meeting his gaze, she said, "I can see why you keep him around. You probably need help in the romance department, and he is well trained."

"He is my sister's—"

"I'll accept your offer. Thank you," she interrupted and turned toward the house, walking away quickly.

He didn't say anything as he led her up the stairs, across the large stone courtyard and into the house. Inside she barely noticed her surroundings, too aware that she was dripping lake water as far as they went. He showed her to a guest room, pointed to the bathroom, and promised that clothes would be waiting on the bed when she came out. He would wait for her downstairs.

When Lizzy exited the bathroom with a towel around her, she found the clothes where he said they would be. Her mouth dropped open as she held up the shirt. It was deep blue with a number seven, along with his name: Darcy.

She smiled as she pulled it over her head, knowing that their story was just beginning.

AN: This idea came to me out of the blue, and I had so much fun writing this one-shot. I hope you had just as much fun reading it! Thanks for reading.

*Please note that this story is marked complete.