A/N: Hi there! Sorry for not updating sooner... but life happened and I also was quite busy writing up another story of mine... a Harry Potter fic called HP and the Winds of Change. Plz check it out on my profile if you're interested.

But for now, thank you for all the reviews and waiting patiently for this chapter... :)

Chapter 06

Elizabeth Bennet, affectionately known as Lizzie to her friends and family members, decided that if there was somebody up there looking down on her, they absolutely hated her guts. Because there was so other logical explanation for what she had been put through in the last week or so. First, there had been the sudden shift from Boston to New Haven, then there was the adjusting to living with her not-so-easy-to-live-with family again, on top of that, there had been that abysmal party the previous night and the last straw was this morning.

Her dad, usually a pretty intelligent man, had proved that he was still a man, and thus completely fallible, by totally forgetting that the Bennets were to expect a visitor that day. They'd all been having breakfast, a usually noisy affair at Longbourne, when someone knocked on the front door quite imperiously. Her always scheming mom, had immediately thought that it might be one of those two handsome gentlemen from Netherfield next door and had made Jane open the door.

But the person who'd turned up was neither Charles Bingley nor the dreaded Dr. Darcy. It was a Mr. Bill Collins, a second cousin, that had written to Thomas about being in the area and wanting to visit. While Thomas had found a lot to laugh about from the young man's officious letter, he'd completely forgotten to inform his wife or children about the impending arrival of their cousin, thus making them all suffer the truly odious man's company for the rest of the morning.

Elizabeth knew that while her own family wasn't without faults, she'd never seen a man that had so many of them in him, in her entire life. Bill Collins had the intellect of a flea, the disposition of a peacock and the dulcet tones of a crow. Oh and not to forget his unforgettable looks, well, it would suffice to say that they were quite striking, and not in a pleasant manner. The man had not an ounce of sense in him, the entirety of his conversation centering upon some Lady Catherine, who seemed to be his boss and God, all wrapped up in a bundle of supposedly ravishing looks, the information again, courtesy of Mr. Collins.

By the time breakfast was mercifully done, Bill had somehow managed to convey very tactlessly that he was there at Longbourne looking for a suitable wife, as the great and all-that-is-good-and-pure Lady Catherine had all but commanded him to get one, because she felt that as her secretary, he had to uphold a good social image and he couldn't do that without a hostess in his home. A home, which he had chosen to inform them was in a fashionable suburb of Boston, had six bedrooms and a heated indoor pool, complete with pictures of it going around the table on his newly acquired latest version of the ipad. By the time the Bennet family was ready to face the day, Frannie had come to know of his financial conditions down to his last dollar, and all thoughts of the two handsome men from the previous evening had fled.

Of course, she chose to inform Bill as discreetly as she could, which, so as to say, was by pointing at her eldest daughter and whispering loudly enough for the rest of the household to hear her, that Jane, while being a perfect candidate for becoming his wife, was already being courted by a gentleman. Just listening to her mother's words, made Lizzie want to disown her family and move to Timbuktu just so that she could escape their mind numbing nonsense. I mean... What century was she living in?... rather, what the heck were they thinking? Bill had all but told them that his only reason for dropping in on them suddenly was because his boss had told him to buy himself a doll to play hostess with, and her mother was actively encouraging his stupidity by telling him that while her eldest daughter was perfect, she wasn't available... that she was being courted by somebody else. Courted. What the hell was her mom playing at?... Charlie and Jane had spoken to each other for fifteen minutes and suddenly Jane was reputed to be courted by him... and what the hell was courting anyway?

Lizzie might've been reaching the end of her tether, but Frannie's next statement just blew the whole tether to smithereens.

"Like I said Jane is already being courted by a young man... but my other daughters are definitely single. I personally think that you and Elizabeth might be a great fit... She would need someone structured and strong to handle her... rather stubborn attitude... yes... I think you two will get along very well together"

"MOM!... Keep your meddling thoughts to yourself... and don't even think of interfering in my life. I am not... repeat... not getting married to anyone now, certainly not... this."

Her expression when she said 'this' would've explained her exact feelings about the man in question to literally everyone on the planet. But unfortunately for Lizzie, her mom and Bill Collins were either from Jupiter or were completely unconcerned with what she felt or wanted.

"But Lizzie.."

She was already out of the front door before her mom could say anything else, leaving the older woman looking like a peeved child who'd been told that she wasn't getting an extra helping of cake. But that was also only till the cousin came up to her and said

"I like her Mrs. Bennet. She has the looks of a well bred lady and isn't afraid to say what she wants... of course, I would have to teach her to obey me and show respect to me, my colleagues and my boss the most generous Lady Catherine, but I think she will do very well."

"Charlie... I can't do this anymore. I have to get back to Boston. Now."

"Come on Will... just one more day... one more. Not more, not less... please"

"Nope. Sorry... can't do it. I'm leaving and I'll see you at the hospital when you get back"

"Sorry Darcy... I didn't wanna do this, especially now. But you're kinda forcing my hand here... so... You owe me for that thing that night with the girl at the bar..."

William Darcy stood in front of Charles Bingley, his almost lifelong friend and gave a perfect rendition of how to look like a gold fish. In all the years he'd known Charlie, the man had never been this strong willed. And now that he had his unbearable sisters around him, he had the gall to call in a debt. And a pretty embarrassing one at that.

Charlie knew he was invoking a long standing pact... He and Will had made a pact a long time ago about embarrassing incidents that happened when Richard wasn't around. Darcy's cousin was one of the closest people to him and had no problems teasing Will and Charlie unmercifully if and when the opportunity arose. So the two of them had made a pact back in college, for their mutual benefit. If Rich didn't know, neither of them would enlighten him. Knowing Will Darcy, the guy who never broke rules if he could help it, there were many more occasions when Charlie owed Will for not telling Rich about something so embarrassing that it would take Rich about a month before he got onto something else.

But last month, there had been this very interesting blonde at the bar they frequented... and mercifully, one of the nights which Richard Fitzwilliam actually had to spend working... something that everyone knew he rarely did. Not to mention the fact that Will had almost let a scrub nurse make a mistake that day during surgery and was trying to drown the knowledge of his imperfections in alcohol... also a very rare occurrence. Needless to say, a drunk William Darcy plus a ditzy blonde... not that all blondes were ditzy... just that one. Anyways, a drunk William Darcy plus a ditzy blonde, also more than a little tipsy had meant, a completely embarrassing situation for the usually in control doctor... suffice to say it had involved something very close to public nudity and police incarceration.

Fortunately, Charlie Bingley had been on the scene to save his friend from doing something he might... no... definitely would regret later. And that was the debt he was calling now... something Will had never thought Charlie would ever mention again... basically because he'd almost ordered his friend to never do so, once he was close to being sober again.

Sighing and letting his head drop like a puppet cut from it's string, Will nodded.

"Okay... you got it. We stay here in this hellhole till you say we can leave. But I am not staying in this house around your sisters for a minute more. I need to get away from them and their inch long nails. I'm going for a drive... don't worry if I'm not back by dinner... I'll let myself in"

With that, not even waiting for his friend's response, Will was out the door and heading to the garage at the side.

While Will had never thought too much about the countryside or the scenery when they'd driven down, he was forced to admit that it was indeed quite a nice place to be, now that he'd had the opportunity to see it all at a not so hurried pace. Charlie's driving usually left a lot to be said... he was too fast and quite a bit more reckless than Will cared, but Will and Rich had both given up on trying to make Charlie drive slower... because any comment about his driving only made him more conscious about it and in turn, more nervous and speedier. It was why Will had spent most of the drive up clutching his door handle in a death grip but never made a sound.

Will knew that he needed some time on his own, especially about the party the previous night... or rather, his reaction to the second Miss Bennet... 'Lizzie' his mind sighed like a school girl with a crush and Will ran a slightly shaky hand through his hair as he pulled over next to a sign that said 'Oakham Mount Viewpoint'.

The amount of feelings that had rushed over him at the sight of the woman in concern had him feeling a bit unbalanced and bewildered. Never before had any woman managed to get such a reaction out of him and Will knew that while he'd been able to control most of it from showing, he'd never had to exert so much force over himself and his emotions around anyone before, just to maintain a semblance of normality.

But then, his behavior yesterday hadn't been normal... it had been a sliver away from being cold and rude. But that was what happened to him when he was around people he didn't know or wasn't comfortable around. Charlie and his other friends knew of this... but he was sure that his behavior at the party had made him no friends in the Bennets. Georgie and Rich called him actively antisocial... but Will knew that they understood. He'd never been around too many people n life and the ones he'd actually been with, other than his family and a few close friends, expected him to behave in a certain way just because he was the son of his father and the heir to the Pemberley estate.

He was still so involved in his thoughts had he couldn't remember when he'd parked and locked up the car because when he looked up, he found himself almost half way down the path that would take him to the lookout point. Sighing a bit again at just how much this one single woman had affected him, Will started walking again, making his way to the end of the path.

He was almost at the lookout point when he noticed that someone was already there. No... not just someone... the someone.. the one who he'd spent most of his morning thinking about. It was Elizabeth Bennet who stood at the railing that separated the lookout point from the cliff face. Actually, it seemed to be a very angry Elizabeth Bennet... he could see her ranting and raving about something as she stood looking out into the vista, which he'd absentmindedly noted was quite beautiful. But for the moment, his eyes and mind were stuck on Lizzie Bennet and the way her whole being projected the anger and frustration she was feeling.

Knowing that he had to make his presence known quite soon and hoping that whoever she was angry at wasn't him... Will stepped forward and almost into her line of vision. He was slightly gratified when her ranting stopped abruptly but it also worried him that she didn't make any attempts to say anything else... there was a slight blush creeping up her neck and into her face that fascinated him but Will knew that he had to stay focused on the important issues here or Elizabeth Bennet wouldn't hesitate to kick his ass.

He cleared his throat slightly before muttering a greeting to her

"Good Morning... Dr. Bennet"

Her greeting in return was a bit frosty and kinda reluctant but Will decided to let it slide as he knew she'd been quite angry before

"Morning... Dr. Darcy... excuse me, but I have to leave now. I... I... I have to get back to the college"

"Oh... I am sorry for disturbing you but I was just driving around and I thought this was a good place to stop and think some things out."

"Oh that's ok... I should be going anyway... I'll get late otherwise"

She seemed to be almost squirming with her hurry to get away from there and Will wasn't ready to forfeit her company... not yet.

"Can I drop you off somewhere?"

"Oh no... I can get back by myself..."

Will knew that she couldn't have driven there... there were no other cars nearby when he'd parked. And the college campus was almost two miles away

"It's no problem... You didn't drive here did you?"

"Oh..."

She'd just realized that she'd walked all the way from Longbourne to Oakham mount, a distance of almost a mile and a half, without even thinking about it. Oakham mount was one of her favorite places in New Haven and her feet had automatically taken her there when she was too upset to think. Her mother's comments and Bill Collins' mere presence had driven her out of her mind and Elizabeth found herself blushing anew at what the high and mighty Dr. Will Darcy must be thinking of her now. She knew that she'd been ranting like a maniac when he must've caught sight of her.

"Oh... yeah. I didn't. I just... I wasn't in a great mood today morning and I guess I just..."

"It's alright. No need to explain... Just point me in the right direction and I'll drop you off where you have to be"

The smile that accompanied the offer, complete with a dimple on one cheek left such an impact on Lizzie for a minute that she could've sworn she felt her knees buckle.

"Th..Thanks... "

By then, they were back to the parking lot and getting in, Lizzie told him the directions to the college building she had to get to, sat back and relaxed... somehow knowing that she could trust this man to get her there safe and sound. Not for a moment did she worry about his driving or his sense of direction... there was something about him that made her trust him implicitly at the moment... something that she couldn't say hadn't been there the previous night. Maybe it had... but it had just been a lot more subtle.

Will on his part was overjoyed at the developments. He'd wanted a chance to just clear his brain and here he was, taking the one cause of confusion in his life, to her office. He'd never thought he would come across Lizzie that morning but fate it seemed, had other ideas. And who was he to go up against fate?

"So... If you don't mind me asking... what was it that had you so fired up when I came?"

Will couldn't prevent himself from asking and was rewarded with another soft blush creeping up her face before she shook her head

"N-Nothing... It was just.. you know..."

"Wellll... I actually don't. That's why I asked"

Will couldn't believe that he was actually flirting with her. Granted, it wasn't what Rich would've called flirting but it was enough for him and he'd still not come to any conclusion about the Miss Elizabeth Bennet that seemed to love converting his brain to mush.

"It's... It's just that my family is so irritating you know?"

The whole thing came out in a rush and Elizabeth had started to look distinctly uncomfortable and unhappy with the whole thing after that. So Will decided that it was time he stepped in and tried to control the damage

"Look... if it bothers you so much you don't have to say anything. I just asked because you seemed quite disturbed and I was wondering if there was anyway I could help. That's all. You don't have to tell me anything... but I'm willing to listen"

She shook her head, as if trying to throw a certain thought out by the sheer force of her will

"No... it's ok. I'm fine. It's just my mom... She's so... so... frustrating"

"Oh..."

"Yeah. I know most moms aren't like her. Yours probably is perfect"

She couldn't stop the sarcasm from bleeding into her words and immediately felt bad about it. He didn't have to be nice to her but here he was, being as nice to her as possible and she was taking digs at his family

She turned to him, just in time to see his face close down, the shutters visibly coming down on his silver eyes

"My parents are dead. Mom died while giving birth to my sister when I was about 8 years old"

And now she felt like kicking herself. She'd just taken a jab at his mom who'd been dead for more than 20 years now

"Oh... I'm so sorry... I don't know what possessed me to say that"

"Its'...It's fine. Don't worry about it"

But the tone of his voice indicated that his mood, which had seemed a bit upbeat before was completely and utterly gone... vanished at the mention of his mother. Elizabeth felt like kicking herself again. Now she had no option but to disclose everything to this man who she'd met only the previous night.

"Look... I didn't mean to say anything like that. It's just that my mom is kinda obsessive compulsive when it comes to her daughters' lives. Some second cousin of ours, a perfectly horrible guy called Bill Collins had come over for the week and he unfortunately told my mom that he plans to get married soon. So my mom, once she knew that he was quite well off, had the absolutely amazing thought of setting him up with one of her daughters... namely, me. That was what had me so angry when you found me and I guess that anger is still kinda coloring my words... So yeah. I'm sorry about what I said. And I'm sorry about you mom too"

The car came to a stop smoothly outside the building she'd given him directions to... and he turned to her with a slight smile on his face. The expression indicated that he was still down but at least, he was making an effort

"It's ok... I understand. We all have our share of infuriating relatives. I hope your issue with this second cousin works out."

"Yeah, me too... Thanks for the ride"

"My pleasure"

There it was again... that dimple literally made her feel her heart race. Elizabeth knew that she had to get out of the car that instant or she might say or do something incredibly stupid. So, she almost scrambled out of the vehicle and without a second look behind her, pretty much ran into the building that housed her offices and lab.

Will, still staring at the spot she'd been in less than fifteen seconds before, couldn't really work out what was going on. He shook his head, deciding that women were a mystery that might never be unraveled and drove back to Charlie's house, preparing himself for the assault on the senses his sisters were.

It was a pity both Elizabeth and William were completely unaware of the tornado that was about to enter their lives and annihilate everything that could be developing between them. A tornado named George Wickham.

A/N: So there it is... another chapter done.

Please review your thoughts and ideas for the fic and don't forget to tell me what you thought of this chapter. The storyline is mostly going to follow the original but the motivations behind some actions will definitely be different. Or at least that's the idea in my mind right now... it might change a bit here and there later. Let's see...

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Lotsa luv and cookies

MB