Write My Name On A Sidewalk and Hope It Stays
Rated: T
Disclaimer: Oh, copyright, oh, copyright – where for art thou, copyright?
Song: Touch by Natasha Bedingfield

- Of Whispered Nothings -

"Hurry up, Darce, we haven't got all bloody day!"

"Oh, shush, Charles! Take as long as you want, Will, dear!"

Darcy sighed as his friend and his sister waited at his door. He didn't particularly like parties (or people), but he was going to the party for Charlie's sake. Charlie had just moved into a nice neighborhood, nicknamed his house Netherfield under his sister, Caroline's, nagging, and was now going a party down the block (which translated to about four miles, as the block consisted of large ranches) for a college graduate. Charlie and his sister been invited by the friend of the graduate's father when he was making sure he was in the right neighborhood. Darcy only wished he hadn't been invited by Charlie; all he'd do was be a wallflower and get extremely pissed off at Caroline. Smirking, Darcy bent over and picked up a mewling cat, scratching the white animal's fur.

"Thanks for the donation; I'm sure Caroline will love you for it." Darcy said after a good minute of petting his cat, efficiently getting white hairs all over his navy blue button down shirt. The cat, Daisy (aka Sweet Pea), purred even louder at his compliment, somehow knowing she'd done something nice for her adoptive owner. Normally, Darcy was not on to look unkempt, but Caroline Bingley hated all men who looked disheveled. He wanted to keep her at bay for as long as he could during the night, so Darcy's normally meticulous attire was slapdash to an extreme. Though Darcy was still wearing something he normally would on casual days, as he had nothing else, he purposely buttoned up all his buttons, had his shirt half tucked in, let his black pants go a little low on his waist in pretend haste, and had just gotten white cat fur all over his middle. To top it off, Darcy had on an old pair of trainers, a five o'clock shadow, and had purposely made himself have bed head.

To say the faces of Charles and Caroline were priceless when Darcy opened the door would have been an understatement; Charles grinned, knowing his friend's antics to dressing out of the wont while his sister looked scandalized.

"The Darce man, letting himself go casual? Nice." Charlie laughed, snorting loudly.

"Will, come here, let me brush you off. Charles, this isn't a laughing matter! We don't have time; we need to get back…" Darcy made sure to steer clear of Caroline's hands, giving her the excuse of how unsightly it'd be if they were late even though he was sure no one would notice. He also brought up the subject that if she had allowed his two cats to ride in the same car as her they needn't have to pick him up at the hotel he was checked in at because he arrived earlier than them thanks to caffeine and sugar.

"Oh, you're right, as always, Will. Hurry up, Charles!" Caroline said, hurrying back over to the elevators of Darcy's chosen hotel, pointedly ignoring his other statement. Though both men thought the stairs would be faster, as Darcy's room was only on the third floor, they said nothing and went to join her.

"Want to keep my sis away, eh?" Charlie whispered, a knowing grin on his face. Darcy shrugged nonchalantly, hoping the car ride to the Lucas Lodge, as this ranch had been dubbed, wouldn't be too long. He liked his best friend well enough, but his sister sometimes made him wonder. Shaking his head at his silent friend, Charlie hoped Caroline would leave the poor sap alone for a while during the party. It wasn't soon enough for Darcy before the elevator ride ended (in which Caroline tried to say there wasn't enough room within it and press herself against him, efficiently scaring the two other passengers) and the car ride to the Lucas Lodge ensued. He was just glad he was able to get the passenger seat and Charles the driver seat before Caroline could try to con him into the backseat with her and Louisa Hurst, a married Bingley sister who'd stayed in the car while Charles and Caroline had retrieved him.

"Will, dear, do you smell my perfume? Doesn't it smell lovely?" Caroline asked after a bit, looking expectantly at the sliver of Darcy's face she could see. Though she hated men that looked untidy, she found Darcy could pull the look off quite well. In fact, he was starting to change her mind about men with stubble, at least; the clothing would need to be worked on during the party. She only wished his glasses for reading were ones he needed 24/7; they'd only help him pull off the sexy, young professor look she thought he was trying to pull off.

"It's too potent." Darcy replied evenly, with out remorse, wishing he couldn't smell anything. There was one thing Caroline Bingley wasn't… and that was innocent; the scent she had chosen seemed childish with her scarlet off-the shoulder low blouse, black pencil skirt, and strappy black heels. In his opinion, she shouldn't have gone for a light (but heavily applied) scent and instead have used one that was labeled "sexy" something. Darcy knew the scent Caroline was wearing currently was in his 17, going on 18-year-old sister's collection. He also wondered why she had dressed up, coming to the conclusion she wanted to impress him; the attempt was fruitless, however.

"Oh, Charles, those awful Bennets weren't invited, were they?" Caroline asked, looking a little putout by Darcy's opinion. Charlie's eyebrows leapt together and his expression, once close to laughter, showed his sudden befuddlement.

"Awful, the Bennets? Are you sure we're on the same page? That family is lovely." Charlie replied, though his mind was more on the eldest daughter instead of the family as a whole. Thomas Bennett, otherwise known as Tom, seemed a bit aloof but friendly and book-wise and was also the one that invited him to the party in the first place, and his wife, Faye Bennett, seemed a bit too materialistic and pushy for Charlie's tastes. She seemed amiable enough when she wasn't trying to get Charlie to date one of her daughters. The Bennett pair had five daughters, all of whom Charlie had liked to certain degrees, but his preference landed on Jane. Though he'd only met her once, Charlie was sure she was the one. Jane was also the reason Charlie had been hard-pressed to get Darcy to attend this party – to introduce them and get Darcy's opinion.

"Charles, I'm talking about the whole family, not just their oldest daughter. She, at least, seems a bit sane. The rest… well, they're a piece of work." Caroline snorted, lip curling. She couldn't understand how her brother seemed to make friends everywhere, or even tried to, since some people were absolutely atrocious.

"She's the reason I'm here, isn't she? That eldest girl?" Darcy asked at once, connecting the dots. Charlie didn't usually make him attend parties, but this time he'd seemed adamant against Darcy's not coming. There had to be a reason behind it. To confirm Darcy's speculations, Charlie turned a bit pink in the face.

"No." Charlie said, drawing out the 'o' part, knowing he was caught. Caroline just huffed, leaning back in her seat, rolling her eyes; Darcy smirked, shaking his head. His friend had just fallen for another girl. The car ride was silent until they arrived at the Lucas Lodge, a smaller one of Meryton's ranches in the neighborhood, and Darcy found out not only Charlie had nicknamed his place. On the few mailboxes they passed in the car to get to the Lucas Lodge (few meaning two), Darcy noticed names of properties presented on some sort of plaque next to or on them.

"Caroline insisted if we didn't name our property that we'd be left out." Charlie said, once he realized where Darcy's eyes had been trained on, as they slowly made their way up the driveway to the Lucas Lodge; the long driveway up to the house was already starting to fill with cars.

"Well, the last residents left with their plaque." Caroline huffed, giving no further explanation. Darcy just shrugged, the car lulled into silence once more until they pulled up and parked on the side of the Lucas Lodge's driveway.

"Let's find Dr. William Lucas." Charlie said cheerfully, killing the ignition and getting out of his car. His companions were a bit less than cheerful.

Across the street directly, the first ranch present on the right side of the road, the Longbourn domain was in a frenzy.

"Oh, Lizzie, put something a bit nicer on! Charlie, the dear, said he would bring his friend… it'd be a darn shame if that Charlotte Lucas got a hold of him. After all, she is so plain, and you, though not comparable to Jane, are a far cry above her." Faye Bennett chided her second eldest daughter, looking said girl up and down. Though Elizabeth was wearing something a step up from her usual shorts and t-shirt, Faye couldn't see why her daughter was against a nice skirt or dress instead of denim jeans and a tube top.

"Mum… I'm fine. I haven't shaved recently, anyways—"

"You can shave now—"

"The party starts in five minutes—"

"MU-UM! Lydia stole my perfume!"

"DID NOT!"

For once, Elizabeth was glad her younger sisters were fighting. It sent Faye away to break them up and leave her be.

"Saved by the bell? I think you look lovely, by the way." Jane cajoled, wrapping an arm around her younger sister's shoulders. Elizabeth snorted in a very unladylike manner Faye would have frowned upon, rolling her hazel eyes.

"Barely – and compared to you, I look like dirt. Though, Lydia and Kitty are coming? I wasn't aware." Elizabeth said, shaking her head at her sister. Jane, sweet Jane, was easily model-quality in looks, but she was currently in her second year of college, after getting her Associate's degree, studying how to become a teacher. She had the classic beauty looks: tall, thin, blond, and blue eyes. Elizabeth often wondered if her father couldn't give sperm to their mother, since all five Bennett sisters looked so different, and had to resort to having a sperm donor to have the girls; Jane and Lydia were tall blondes, Elizabeth and Mary were middle-height and brunettes, and Kitty, though also of average height, was a mix of blonde, brown, and red. All five girls also had different eye colors: Elizabeth had hazel, Mary had dark brown, Kitty had a mix of green and brown, and Kitty had green. Jane was the odd one out, though that wasn't a bad thing since it just added to her beauty.

"No you don't, stop berating yourself. You'll start to sound like mum soon. And, no, they're not; mum and dad don't think high school girls should attend a college graduate's party since there will most likely be alcohol." Jane chided, tapping her sister on the nose.

"I'm rather jealous of your ability to tan, Ellie-B. All I can do is burn up." The taller one sighed, after a minute of gazing at her sister's lightly tanned skin. While Jane remained either pale or red, Elizabeth could come in a range of colors when not sick.

"Don't call me Ellie-B. That's what they had to call me in primary because of Ellie-J, and you know that. Tanning might be hot now, but just wait until we're thirty and tanning is out once more. Then we'll see who's jealous of who." Elizabeth tried sounding scandalized, but with Jane, she couldn't. Jane just smiled, ruffling her sister's hair affectionately, before going back up to Mary's room to apply some last minute touch-ups. Though all three of the oldest Bennett girls were in college, only Mary remained at home because her college branch of UT was in Austin and they lived just outside of it. Elizabeth and Jane, however, went to the branch of UT located in Dallas; they had an apartment not too far away form the campus they shared. Because of this, Mary was obliged to house her two older sisters when they visited; she took the top bunk of the bed and Jane and Elizabeth, though a bit cramped, shared the bottom which had been Jane's until she moved out.

Elizabeth sighed as her father tried to calm down his two raging teenagers, who'd stomped right down the stairs and into his office when their mother told them they weren't going to Charlotte's party, in his own apathetic way. She was surprised her mother could even say no to her beloved Lydia's face; all the Bennets knew, to some extent, Lydia was their mother's favorite while Elizabeth claimed their father's esteem. Lydia was just like her mother in every way, from her naturally highlighted hair to her personality, and it would've been quite hard for them to not get along so well. Elizabeth had gotten on Tom's favorite list because of their shared literature likes and dislikes. Just like everyone knew the favorites, everyone knew the least favorite: Mary. Their mother constantly said she was the only plain girl, even if it was done affectionately so, and their father found her too studious and arrogant for his tastes.

It wasn't too long before Kitty and Lydia had been grounded (though no one knew why, as both parents would never enforce the grounded statement), sent to their rooms, and the rest of the Bennett girls were walking across the street and up the driveway to the Lucas Lodge. Five minutes later, they stood before the Lucas Lodge's door, Jane's hand reeling back after having pressed the doorbell. They were, perhaps, a smidge late as it was three minutes after six, but Elizabeth was sure they were not the last to arrive. After all, cars were still pulling up and parking along the driveway; Elizabeth wasn't sure when Charlotte had gained so many friends. She didn't mean to berate her friend mentally, but Charlotte wasn't the prettiest girl in town and most people went by looks and not personalities now-a-days.

"Hell—oh, hey, Lizzie, Jane, Mary! I'm so glad y'all are here. I had no idea when I said someone could bring a friend or two that those friends would bring friends, and this has really gotten out of control. I think I know maybe half of the people here." Charlotte opened her door, a droll expression on her face. She enveloped Elizabeth in a tight hug.

"Oh, Jane, Charles Bingley was wondering if you'd be here tonight. He's here with two of his sisters and some really hot guy who looks constipated or something. You can't miss them – I think the constipated looking one is the tallest in the room." Charlotte said, smiling at the taller Bennett over Elizabeth's shoulders. As the two best friends released one another and moved into the house along with Mary and Jane, so others could get in, Jane flushed.

"I, um… Charlie isn't that important to me, Charlotte…" Jane stammered, looking around. She saw an exceptionally tall man, who looked vexed, nearby, but Charlie escaped her vision even though both she and Charlie were tall.

"Oh, you know he is. Go look for him, would you? I'm sure he'd piss himself in joy." Charlotte laughed, waving Jane away to find her Bingley. Mary had already wandered off, probably in search of the karaoke machine that could be heard all around the house, leaving just Elizabeth and Charlotte.

"Oh, Lizzie, there's Charles Bingley's friend, just over there. Maria is nearby, so we'll use her as cover. I think you'll find him quite a piece of work, Lizzie; he's essentially got tall, dark, handsome, and rich patented." The star of the party teased, looping Elizabeth's arm through her own and turning her friend around. Elizabeth blinked in surprised when she saw Darcy, for he was, indeed, quite striking. Granted, he looked like he wanted to be far away and like he was a total mess, but he was a hot mess.

"You're quite right, Char; he is quite the looker. Look at those gorgeous eyes." Elizabeth whispered, giggling slightly, letting her gaze slide past the man in question to Maria, Charlotte's little sister. Darcy had the prettiest set of eyes she'd seen in a while: a clear, conspicuous gray. Charlotte laughed, too, nodding.

"Thought so. He is so your type in the looks department. Now, if only he'd take that stick out of his ass…" Charlotte's comment sent Elizabeth into a peal of repressed chortles, as they were near Darcy, and his intense stare focused onto Elizabeth, immediately shutting down all her laughter. She found his eyes to be such a turn on.

"Oh, hey, Maria. Are any of your friends here?" Charlotte asked, distracting Elizabeth from Darcy's passionate stare (read: glare) onto the girl around her age.

"Not yet, but, Elizabeth, Jane is already dancing with Charles Bingley." Maria said, pointing to the pair with a small smile. The duo was easily distinguishable through the throng of couples; their light hair colors and skin tones matched with dark clothing and their height made them a simple find.

"I'm glad mother isn't here, otherwise she'd think they'd be getting married in a few months." Elizabeth said, causing all in her party to laugh. Charlotte and Maria nodded in agreement, also silently glad Faye Bennett wasn't present. If someone like Darcy or the two sisters of Charlie's got to hear what Faye had to say, well, Jane would have a snowball's chance in Hell (not Hell, Michigan – the fiery pit and what have you) to date Charles. Faye tended to speak more about materialistic desires than actual feelings, why she married Tom Bennett, actually, and most people were driven away from her daughters when they got wind of her. It was actually quite sad the boys who approached any of the Bennett girls believed Faye's ramblings about being rich or poor mattered to her daughters as well.

"Lizzie, he's staring at you—oh, no, wait, there he goes with one of Charlie's sisters… erm, Louisa, yes, that's it: Louisa. Oh ho, look at Caroline Bingley… not happy, that one." Charlotte said, breaking the silence that had come over the group once Faye had been spoken of, chocolate eyes following Darcy. He was dancing rather stiffly with the shorter, brunette Bingley sister that was already married; her taller, redheaded sister looked like someone had just forced her to swallow a lemon.

"Look at her face!" Elizabeth whispered, sending her company into a bout of renewed laughter. After the laughter died down, because Dr. Lucas was glaring at his daughter to receive her guests, the trio parted ways. Maria promised Elizabeth to try to keep Mary, who believed herself to be an excellent singer when she wasn't, from the karaoke machine for as long as possible. Elizabeth thanked the girl mentally as she had a turn about the room, watching the people present. Half of the lackadaisical looking men were already drunk, and Caroline Bingley was dancing with one, getting pawed and enjoying it (Elizabeth had to laugh at that). What caught her attention after than was Charlie and his friend standing in the corner by the refreshment table; with the saying, "Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back," being played like a mantra in her head, Elizabeth made her way over to the men. Now that she saw them together, she was stuck by the age difference between them; it was almost obvious Charlie was a good few years younger than Darcy, making Elizabeth wonder how they'd met.

"Oh, come on, Darcylicious, there has got to be a girl around here that's not dancing. I know you might have standards, unlike my sister, but come on. I've only seen men that have gotten tipsy already, no girls." Charlie was saying, not too quietly, to Darcy. With a shake of his head, mussing his hair up even more, Darcy surveyed the room quietly like he was ignoring Charlie.

"Don't call me that, Charlie, and, yes, I have standards… the only one who meets them is the girl you're fawning over. Jane, wasn't it? Although, she smiles too much for my tastes." He said, after a few minutes of silence, making Elizabeth smile. Hopefully, she'd be able to get some dirt on what Charles thought of her sister now!

"Oh, yes, Jane is such a beauty – and she does not smile too much! She's like a ray of sunshine to me… clear, happy, and dazzling to the degree of needing to blink from the brightness." Charlie replied, with a smitten look on his face. Elizabeth pressed her hands over her mouth to hold back her laughter; Charlie Bingley, while a fine looker, was not much of a poet.

"… over there, her sister, Elizabeth. I know she meets your standards by looks – and that's all you've got going on right now, as you only know Louisa and Caroline. Why not go say hello and do a jig?" Elizabeth heard Charlie continue, after she knew she wouldn't laugh. Darcy snorted, rolling the gray eyes Elizabeth was growing to love.

"Please, Charles, my standards on looks are higher than that; and, besides, she already looks tipsy. Her disposition must not be too pleasant for me, either. Look, just get back to Jane, you're wasting your smiles on me over here." Elizabeth tried to look cool and composed as she poured herself a drink (of the punch that wasn't spiked, mind you), pointedly ignoring Darcy's stare. She could feel it on her back as she walked over to where she saw Charlotte standing.

"Charlotte! You won't believe what I just overheard a certain someone say!" Elizabeth seethed, wishing she could crush the cup in her hand. Darcy had commented on looks standards, but did he even look at himself in a mirror before he came? It was absurd that he thought her looks below his standards when he looked like crap! Well, hot crap… but that was beside the point. Charlotte raised a pretty eyebrow condescendingly, eyes sliding from Elizabeth's approaching form to the decidedly male one she'd just been near and was running from.

"Let me guess, Will Darcy said something about he has better beer from wherever his pretty British buttocks is from?" Elizabeth stopped at Charlotte's accusation, eyebrows furrowing. It appeared as if Will Darcy was stepping on quite a number of toes.

"Not while I was there, but he did say I was below his standards in looks. And look at him – unshaven, hair uncombed, covered with white hair, shirt only half tucked, sagging pants—"

"Oooohhh, you're right, his pants are sagging a bit. It's kind of sexy, don't you—"

"Charlotte! He's not sexy, he's an obtuse ass!" Elizabeth replied hotly, flushing. The sagging, however minimal it was, was sexy, especially on his type of waist. Will Darcy didn't have the triangular body of a bodybuilder, but the rectangular build of a guy who built up muscles by using them daily.

"Oh, right, obtuse ass who dislikes country slash American beer. Got it. What'd he say? Do you like his accent? I think it's sexy. Were you watching his lips, Lizzie? They're so divine and—"

"I love your bi-polarness sometimes, Charlotte, but now is not one of those. Either hop on my boat of the 'Darcy hate club' or hop on Caroline Bingley's boat with the 'Darcy is a sex god boat'." Once more, Elizabeth interrupted her friend, not wanting to hear the end of her sentence. She didn't want to look and find it true since attractive men were exceptionally hard to hate; it had to be a law somewhere that hating sexy men was difficult based on the fact their smiles, earnest or not, could melt hearts instantly or wear the stronger ones down over time. Elizabeth wasn't sure if Darcy could smile, however, since he had yet to even give the slightest hint of one.

"Well, be glad it's only on the topic of men, Lizzie. I'll join you on your imaginary boat because sharing one with Caroline Bingley sounds like hell – make-believe or not." Charlotte sighed, smiling slightly. Both young ladies knew of her tendencies around men; if they had a winning smile (or, in Darcy's case, face and accent), she was easily persuaded by them… or mentions of them... or their actions… or just them in general, even if he was a jackass.

"I just… you know what, never mind. I'll wait until when you're not drunk on his good looks or some sort of alcoholic beverage…"

"I'm not drunk, Lizzie; I'm pleasantly buzzed. Speaking of attractive men, there goes Charlie and Jane. Let's go spy!"

As the night wore on, spying or not spying on Jane and Charlie (read: planning their marriage and fighting over who got to be the first godmother), Elizabeth found herself becoming nicely buzzed and being watched by Darcy. It unnerved her at how impeccably rude he could be; first, looking sloppy to a nice-ish event and then being snobby and boorish to everyone. And the staring! Elizabeth couldn't fathom why Darcy wouldn't stop staring at her other than making herself believe he must be so offended by her subordinate presence that he'd taken to glaring at her until either she or he departed. The first to leave was Darcy, along with Charles and his sisters, Caroline pressing herself against him in a front of drunken stupor; she seemed to miss or ignore Darcy's look of disdain. Jane left after she, Elizabeth, and the Lucases cleaned up their house; it was a sight to see their usually flawless house trashed by a supposedly nice party. Red plastic cups, snack foods, and other unmentionables were scattered everywhere; Elizabeth was glad the bedroom doors had been locked for the duration of the party.

After cleaning the westernized house and hanging up Dr. Lucas's stuffed animals back up on the walls, Elizabeth and Charlotte crashed in the living room that smelled too strongly of disinfectant and cleaning supplies; neither noticed the smells, being too tired and already a bit used to them to really care much. Morning passed, and it was half past three in the afternoon when Elizabeth woke up, groaning and holding her hand over her eyes. A moan next to her told her she'd just woken Charlotte.

"Good to know y'all sleepy heads are finally up. Elizabeth, you need to get going, girl. Jane came by around noon saying you and she both were invited to a dinner with the Bingleys that starts at five thirty." Dr. Lucas's voice made Elizabeth remove her hand from her eyes, looking around until she saw him. Although he looked sleep-deprived, he looked just as perfect as he usually did; both Charlotte's parents were people that always looked faultless. Or, that's what Faye Bennet always said… also, she seemed to think Charlotte had to have been adopted. While both her parents were fair, Charlotte had light mocha skin; her chocolate brown eyes, though perhaps a bit large for her head, complimented the tone very well. Charlotte was always trying to make herself beautiful (read: "wonderful" like her parents) and always wore make-up; perhaps her hair, naturally fizzy and curly, could be worked with… but she was beautiful. Elizabeth wasn't sure how her mother, and all the male population who called Charlotte ugly, could see her in the ways they did.

"Hmph. I bet Charlie asked her on a date and Caroline weaseled her way into it." Elizabeth grumbled, removing her gaze from Charlotte's father to the girl herself. Charlotte moaned something about shutting up and turned her back onto Elizabeth and her father, pulling a blanket over her head that hadn't been there when she fell asleep.

"No, actually, she said Charles invited her on an outing since Caroline is… 'not well' this morning." Dr. Lucas said, smiling wryly at the end. Elizabeth scoffed, rolling her eyes as she ruefully crawled out from beneath the blanket one of Charlotte's parents had placed over her while she'd been sleeping.

"More like drunk off her a—"

"Language, Elizabeth."

"Does arse work with you? Mum and dad are fine with it…" Elizabeth trailed off, seeing arse did not, in fact, work in the Lucas household still from Dr. Lucas's disapproving look. Every time she asked is they allowed 'arse', but it was the same reaction every time. Elizabeth didn't know why Charlotte's parents were so tight about language; she was sure Dr. Lucas cursed during an operation at least once, if not many times. Apologizing quickly, Elizabeth bid the Lucases farewell and went back to her own home that was much, much messier and noisier. Clothes were strewn about the hallway to the girls' rooms, along with make up and accessories, and Kitty and Lydia were still bemoaning about having to miss Charlotte's party. Jane was Elizabeth's savior, ushering her into the room they were borrowing before Faye Bennet could catch sight of her (disheveled clothing, messy hair, bags beneath her eyes, hung-over look, etc).

"So, what's the real deal behind this dinner?" Elizabeth asked after Jane shut the door and locked it. Jane just shrugged, looking a bit confounded.

"Charles said he was sure Caroline wouldn't feel up to going to a nice dinner, so he invited me as well as you. It's not a date or anything… I mean, even before Caroline dropped out, Louisa plus her husband were going – and still are." She said, making her sister pout. Elizabeth had wanted Charlie to ask her out on a date, not a… family dinner thing! Family dinners were the farthest thing from romantic alongside with little kid parties and places.

"And that Will Darcy? Is he comin'?" She asked, making Jane look even more perplexed. Elizabeth went to the closet, in search of something nice for the dinner, waiting for Jane to reply; she looked like she was trying to remember something beneath her confusion.

"I… no, I don't think so. Why?" Jane said after Elizabeth had found a simple pale blue sundress to wear. It dawned on her that her elder sister had yet to hear of Darcy's pride, so Elizabeth filled Jane in on what was said by the man during Charlotte's party as she found clean undergarments and other supplies she'd need for a shower.

"Oh, I'm sure he didn't mean—"

"There was nothing to misunderstand, Jane; of course he meant to offend. Well, it probably wasn't for my ears, but still." Elizabeth interrupted Jane's doubts as she entered the bathroom adjoined to their room (Kitty and Lydia's room was also connected to it). Jane just shrugged, shaking her head, letting her younger sister take her shower as she only had an hour left before five. Elizabeth spent her shower wondering what Mr. Hurst, whom she hadn't met yet, would be like; if he married Louisa, he must not have good taste in… well, everything. Louisa, albeit pretty, probably behaved just like Caroline, and if Mr. Hurst married her because of her looks, he was a very shallow man indeed.

- (Crappy break line) -

At exactly 5:30 on the dot the doorbell to the Bennet household rang. Jane and Elizabeth scrambled to get to the door before their mother, both rushing to grab their things (Jane, a purse and Elizabeth, a sweater) as they did so. Even though they didn't reach the door first, Kitty got the door before their mother did; anyone, including one of their silly little sisters, was better than their mother.

"Jane! This isn't Charles Bingley!" Kitty crowed as Jane and Elizabeth hurried down the hall to the front door, both frowning exactly the same way in confusion. Jane donned a faint smile while Elizabeth scowled once they saw who was at the door… Will Darcy.

"No, but he is Charlie's friend, Kitty. He's going to this friendly outing with us. This is Will Darcy." The eldest Bennet girl explained, causing Kitty to look Darcy, Jane, and Elizabeth up and down. Two perfectly plucked eyebrows raised in disbelief as she did so.

"Friendly outing? Looks more like a double date type thing to me. I'm surprised Lizzie got the better looking of the two." Kitty said, grinning wickedly and running away before Elizabeth could retaliate with a good slap upside the head. Darcy just raised an eyebrow at the scene, drinking in Elizabeth's appearance with warmth. The sundress she wore fluttered around her knees, showing off slender, slightly tanned legs; though it was strapless, she had a white sweater to cover her shoulders in her arms should the restaurant be cold. Darcy was pleasantly surprised to not see a purse of any kind dangling from her arm or any make up painting her face.

"Louisa and Gerard couldn't make it tonight… Gerard isn't, ah, feeling well currently, either." He said, awkwardly placing his hands into the pockets of his black slacks. Darcy wasn't sure why, but Elizabeth Bennet showing up at her front door, slightly flustered and hurrying, in a sundress suddenly drew his interest in. Her caramel brown hair, which looked quite soft, was down in ringlets that reminded Darcy of how many flower girls had their hair done (1), and her eyes, those lovely hazel eyes, shone brightly with annoyance and amusement. Darcy couldn't bring himself to look away from her just like he couldn't at Charlotte Lucas's party; it vexed him to no end because he didn't know why he couldn't look away. Elizabeth Bennet wasn't the prettiest girl in looks that Darcy knew, somewhat (she was more along the lines of an average beauty and he preferred the exotic kind, or so he'd thought), but she was the only woman he'd ever seen where he couldn't seem to place his attractions to. Usually, it was because of the woman's looks, but Elizabeth was different, somehow. Perhaps it was her eyes… he'd seen the irritation in them after eavesdropping on he and Charlie at Charlotte's party… there seemed to always be a passionate expression in her eyes.

"Erm, shall we go, then?" Jane asked quietly, not wanting to break the stare-down Darcy and Elizabeth were having. Both seemed too tense, too ready to take offense for Jane's liking.

"Well, if Mr. Darcy would move…" Elizabeth said stiffly, not liking the way Darcy was staring at her. His eyes were unsettling when upon her person. Immediately after her comment, Darcy turned around and walked back to the stalled car in their driveway, taking the passenger seat; Elizabeth just rolled her eyes, preferring to stick with Jane as she locked the door before joining Charlie and Darcy in Charlie's BMW in the back seats.

"Nice car, Charlie. How'd you afford it on a student's budget?" Elizabeth asked, smiling warmly at the driver and owner of the car as she buckled up, Jane doing the same. Charlie shot Darcy a furtive glance before answering.

"My family has old money from way back when… you could say we Bingleys are loaded." He answered jokingly, putting his car in reverse and doing a 180 turn. Both Elizabeth and Jane's eyebrows shot up, for they hadn't realized their new neighbor was rich (well, they had a feeling since the ranch he'd bought was rather large). The subject died and so did any signs of a conversation for the duration of the ride to the restaurant; the Bennet girls got worried when Charlie pulled into the III Fork's parking lot.

"Erm, Charlie, about this place… we can't…" Elizabeth started, anxiously eyeing what she could of Charlie's face in the rearview mirror. He looked puzzled for a moment before breaking out into a smile, laughing with mirth.

"You think we'll let you girls pay for dinner? I invited you both, so I'll pay for you both. It's common courtesy, is it not?" Charlie said, after his laughter died out, killing his ignition before exiting his car. He got the door for Jane, but Darcy completely ignored Elizabeth. Although happy that he didn't get her door, Elizabeth was a bit miffed at his actions, believing he felt his pride couldn't shoulder the "pain" of being near her.

Inside, they were seated fairly soon, and Jane and Elizabeth were quite hesitant at ordering just about anything. Charlie kept assuring them to order whatever they liked, but only Elizabeth noticed Darcy's cool glare and ordered what she knew she'd like, even if it was expensive. Over the appetizer, Elizabeth examined Darcy when she could. He looked completely different from Charlotte's party; Darcy was cleanly shaven, wasn't covered in white hairs, his pants weren't sagging at all… all in all, he looked very nice and neat in his white polo shirt and black slacks. It irritated Elizabeth that he'd dress up with out looking like he'd hurried to do so for Charlie's little outing thing but not Charlotte's party. When the entrées came out, Elizabeth found the barely talking Darcy too boring and started giving her other two companions all her attention. Charlie looked very fine, if not like a carrot, in a green polo shirt and black slacks; Jane had unknowingly matched him by wearing a light green blouse with a white skirt. They looked adorable to Elizabeth, both wearing a light shade of pink splashed across their faces as they talked animatedly to each other.

Under Charlie's wishes, desserts were ordered and shared between he quartet; Jane and Elizabeth shared a chocolate ganache cake while Charlie and Darcy got their won desserts (Charlie got the same while Darcy got cheesecake).

"And what would you believe to be a good way to socialize, Elizabeth?" Darcy asked after the plates were served with fresh forks. Charlie and Jane had just been debating on the best ways to get to know people, and she was surprised to know Darcy was listening let alone cared for her opinion. Charlie thought a dinner with a group was the best way, but Jane preferred a smaller party of two. Elizabeth smirked slightly at Darcy, eyes dancing with glee.

"Parties… and dancing, even if your partner isn't up to your standards." Darcy stared into her eyes unabashedly even as she spoke his words, but Charles looked quite surprised. Jane pinched Elizabeth's elbow below the tablecloth, sending her a light frown, before smiling and trying to get Charlie's attention away from the loaded subject.

"And why is that?" Darcy asked, a bit quieter than before to not accidentally interrupt Jane and Charlie's conversation. Elizabeth scoffed, wanting to laugh at his arrogance. Of course someone with money wouldn't see the need of parties to socialize in parties!

"Well, for one, you get some one-on-one time with someone, right – with the dancing. Second of all, parties loosen almost everyone up… and people mingle. Now, unlike at your balls and such, you can really let loose at parties." Elizabeth sneered, letting Jane nibble a bit at their piece of cake. She knew she'd receive almost the whole dessert soon; her sister was far too dainty and distracted by Charles to care much for it. Darcy's eyebrows knitted together for a minute before he shrugged.

"But what if that partner is someone you'd rather not converse or have some one-on-one time with? And who mentioned anything about balls? All balls are meant for is tight-arse folk who fancy themselves important enough to gossip." He replied, causing Elizabeth to glower frostily at him. From his first question, she immediately assumed it was a jab at her meant in revenge from her jab at him.

"Well, then, you'd better pray to God that dance doesn't last long and that it's not a slow dance. Yes, that's why you go to balls, isn't it?" Elizabeth jeered, not liking how Darcy's eyes lit up with laughter until she made a punch at him. After her last comment, he remained silent for the rest of the night; it was a change Elizabeth wholly welcomed. After the bill was paid and they were back into Charlie's car, Elizabeth made sure to sit behind the driver's seat instead of behind Darcy again. Although she could see him staring at her now, it wasn't as creepy as knowing he was watching her from the side view mirrors. It still ticked Elizabeth off that he stared so blatantly at her. The girls had to sidestep their mother, who'd heard Kitty's double date comment from earlier, to run to the safety of their shared room. Mary was, surprisingly, out for the night so they had it all to themselves as they changed.

"Charlie is so handsome, Lizzie! And he's like every man should be… smart, handsome – of course, he has nice manners… funny, cute… oh, Lizzie! He's perfect!" Jane gushed as they changed into their PJs, still blushing slightly. Elizabeth had to laugh at her sister's zeal, happy for her that she'd found Charlie. Now, if only he grew a pair and asked her out on a date…

A/N: … So, yeah, another modernized P&P FF, lol. Hope y'all like it so far… and I hope I'm not shoving my views of what the characters look like down your throats. I know everyone has different views of the characters and everything… and if you're having a hard time envisioning what they look like, most of the cast will look like the 2005 movie version cast – except for Charlotte, m'mkay? (I prefer the 2005 cast but the 1995 way of TV-ifying the book… I wish I could combine them both.)

Just to warn you readers, there will be cussing, perverted moments, etc. I know that sort of thing will offend some people, so I'm telling you in advance. If it bothers you, please don't say, "Don't make them cuss," or something asinine… my story = my dialogue (which means Darcylicious will make frequent appearances because, well, I love that word/name), etc, 'kay? Good. xD Oh, yeah, and if I spell Austin (Texas) as Austen, please correct me; ever since reading P&P, I've been switching the 'i' and 'e' just about every other time I write Austin.

Edit: I was informed my break lines weren't coming through, so all y'all readers will have noticed, hopefully, the – (Crappy Break Line) – break line thing. I've no idea how to get a proper break line, or whatever the line is called, in there…. So, please deal with my ignorance and stupid-looking wanna be break line, lol. Sorry for all you watchers who probably got informed of a "new chapter" being published… or, like, five; I was trying out a few things before settling on this.

~ Tobi