Author's Note/Warning: Like my previous story "A Series of Misunderstandings" this is a modern piece, based on the characters of Pride & Prejudice yet not a modern adaptation of the classic. This story is a work-in-progress, and once I have a clear idea of the posting schedule I'll include in in the author's note for the current chapter that's up. Thanks for reading; would love to hear from you - click on that review link! -DCM


Chapter 1

December 18

The milling crowd was borderline unruly tonight, and for Manchester Airport that was saying a lot.

There were two chief reasons behind the current pandemonium. One was that it was the week before Christmas, and the overseas travelers had begun to come into the country in abundance to reunite with their families. The second was something unexpected. Scattered snowstorms were presently – very leisurely – traversing their way over several areas of Europe; as a result leaving some passengers stranded in the terminals for an indefinite period of time. People belonging to the latter group were, as expected, feeling the effects of the long day; and coupled with the uncertainty of their situation, were showing signs of growing irritation.

Lizzy Bennet was very glad to be part of the first group of travelers. Weary as she was, she was at her final destination for the holidays and was eager to spend the two week-break with her sister's family - especially her 10-month-old goddaughter Andrea.

In fact, she had expected them to be waiting for her at the end of the gate when she walked out of the chute – Charles with that ever-present smile on his face, and little Andrea in Jane's arms – and had been fairly disappointed when, after searching through the loitering crowd, saw that they were not there to meet her. It was to be their first Christmas together without Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, since their parents had decided to spend the holidays on a cruise ship roaming the Caribbean for their 40th anniversary.

She took out her mobile and immediately saw the blinking icon that signaled an awaiting voicemail. Lizzy smiled, expecting Jane's breathless apology as she pressed the button, Charles' voice melding with Andrea's baby giggles in the background. When she had first come to visit her new niece, she had waited for over half an hour at the airport, receiving calls from her sister every few minutes as she alternately apologized for their lateness and detailed their exact location in traffic. Charles, doting father that he was, had taken pains to prepare everything his daughter could possibly need for a short car ride; forgetting that he himself also had to get ready for the drive, resulting in the entire family's running behind schedule. Lizzy had found his behaviour so endearing that the delay had not bothered her at all.

If, nine months later, Charles still hadn't worked out an orderly routine for the baby when they traveled, then she would not stress over it. Lizzy smiled as she pictured little Andrea's chubby-cheeked grin, and already her weariness started to dissipate.

Her smile began to fade when Jane's distressed tone filled her ears. "Charles and I are stuck in Amsterdam with his parents for the next few days, as there are no flights out from here due to the snowstorms. We feel terrible for leaving you hanging like this, but don't worry – we've made arrangements for you to be picked up and taken cared of." There was a pause and a scuffling sound, and Lizzy wondered if that was the entire message when she heard Jane again, this time speaking in a much-lowered volume. "Please forgive me for doing this Lizzy but it's our only option at the moment. W—"

The phone made a frantic beeping sound and then went dead. She sighed, suddenly annoyed with herself for not remembering to charge her batteries the night before. Lucky me, she thought, wondering what Jane's cryptic last-minute message meant. Hopefully it was nothing that couldn't wait. She guessed she ought to stay near the gates and begin looking around for someone holding a board with her name on it. The sooner she got to the hotel, the better. The vision of a freshly-made bed waiting for her triggered her exhaustion; she had not been able to rest much on the flight.

She scanned the crowd with a sigh, her eyes moving automatically to the people in suits. Wondering if the hotel's representative would maybe wear a uniform of some sort, she raised her gaze, passing over the bare heads, in search of one with a chauffeur's cap. A tall figure moved into Lizzy's line of vision, and her eyes fixed on the familiar face. He was the last person she had expected to see.

She loved her sister dearly, but that did nothing to stop the next thought from going through her mind: I am going to kill Jane.


Approximately three hours earlier…

William Darcy replaced the receiver, heaving a deep sigh. His conversation with his sister had been brief and useful; only now, miles away from her, he felt quite useless.

Scattered snowstorms blowing across most of Western Europe had ensured no planes would be taking off in the cities affected. Georgiana had flown to Vienna the week before to visit an old classmate; and was now stuck in the city until flights resumed. Both siblings had agreed to rebook her flight for the 23rd so she would be joined by their aunt and uncle, who were coming to stay with them over Christmas.

He was a bit disappointed, but thought not to make too much of a fuss over the situation; after all, he much preferred that she travel with company, even if it meant he would be spending the next five days alone in Blackwell House after the next evening's charity function.

He had then finished unpacking his things, gone for a walk around the hotel's grounds and had a light dinner. It seemed he had a night of leisure ahead of him, and he wasn't exactly sure what to do. William smiled wryly to himself. Had it really been that long since he had had a vacation? It was only nine in the evening, and he'd already completed his list of tasks for the day: unpacked, made sure Georgiana's room was ready (not that it mattered much now), gone over his schedule for the next few days, and had his formal jacket and trousers dry-cleaned by the hotel's laundry service. He let himself into the suite, standing in the alcove for a moment before moving to sit down on the large sofa.

The news anchor's voice filled the silence as he switched the television on. "It may be a day or two before the snowstorms over Western Europe abate. As of tonight they are quickly spreading to the North – expect delays in flight schedules for the next few days til Christmas…"

William sighed and switched stations, stopping at what looked like a sitcom. Laughter from the studio audience rang as the woman jumped into a muddy shallow-looking puddle and ended up fully submerging herself in the water. He smiled. It was amusing, even if he had no idea why the woman had done what she did. A tall, dark-haired man with a pretty blond woman crossed the puddle, stopped, then continued walking through the field. William couldn't keep from chuckling when the submerged woman's head floated through the dirty water's surface. The audience's laughter was fading when he heard his mobile ringing, and he jumped up to retrieve it from his coat pocket.

"Hello?"

"Will, it's Charles. I'm terribly sorry to be calling this late – we were supposed to back in England this afternoon – but our flight's been postponed til the snowstorms have passed, and my parents have asked Jane and I to stay a few more days here in Amsterdam. Any reason for them to spend extra time with Andrea. But we will be there by the 23rd at the latest. We wouldn't want to miss dinner on Christmas Eve."

William received the news with little surprise. By this time he expected delays in all plans made; and he pleasantly acknowledged Charles' apprehension. It was when Charles handed the phone to his wife that he began to worry.

Jane, though always gracious and polite, had never before spoken to him on the phone except to trade basic civilities; and he had a feeling she had no intention of asking him about the weather or his work. Not during a last-minute phone call of apology.

"William, hi, it's Jane," she greeted, her voice soft. "I need your assistance with something," she continued, and William wondered what the favour could be. Last-minute requests for little Andrea? He and Charles had already made arrangements for those details more than a week ago.

"Lizzy's landing in ten minutes from New York, and there's no one to meet her. We were supposed to pick her up and have her stay at the house but seeing as we're stuck here… "

William swallowed the huge lump that had suddenly formed in his throat.

"Could you, maybe, pick her up, please? Just, maybe, see her to a hotel, just… make sure she's got a place to stay… I feel terrible for asking you to do this, but it would really make me feel better knowing she's with someone, at least til she's settled… Charles and I've tried calling hotels but we haven't had much success finding something available… "

He breathed silently into the receiver, and Jane pressed on. "We'll be picking her up as soon as we arrive on the 23rd. If it's not too much to ask, if you don't mind, please, Will?"

He had not seen Elizabeth in four years... and four years was a long time. Images flashed through his mind in a blur: large brown eyes sparkling merrily; that teasing smile of hers-

"William? Are you still there?"

"Yes, Jane, don't trouble yourself further – I'll take care of it," he said, replying to Jane's relieved murmur of thanks with a quick "no worries". William returned the phone into his pocket, then quickly put his coat on. He barely remembered to turn off the television before leaving the room, his car keys already in hand.

Parking his car took quite a while; this time of the year, there were naturally more relatives and friends on hand eager to meet loved ones flying into the town, and the long line of vehicles waiting to get into the garage was something he had anticipated.

Thoughts of her raced through his head as he walked down the airport's corridors, moving towards her gate. He wondered if she knew that he was coming to pick her up rather than Jane and Charles. He wondered – if she did – how she had taken the news. He wondered if she would openly disregard her sister's instructions once she found out that he had been sent, and choose to look for alternative accommodations herself (knowing it was futile, as the last phone calls he had made to several establishments had yielded nothing)… the Elizabeth he had known four years ago had been terribly headstrong and stubborn, and he was certain that she was capable of such an action. He wondered if she still thought of him with animosity and scorn. All of the uncertainty was starting to give him a headache.

A green sign indicated that he was nearing Gate 9, and he slowed his pace down, trying to manage his erratic emotions.

William spotted her by the payphones, her head turned away from him. Her hair had now grown several inches below her shoulders but that did nothing to prevent his recognizing her – the slight tilt of her head and the curve of her posture as she stood gave her away. He watched as she placed something in her bag, pull her suitcase closer to her as the crowd surged, and then move her head from side to side as if in search of something.

He could pinpoint the exact moment that she saw him. A look of surprise crossed her face once her seeking eyes met his steady stare, and he held her gaze calmly, his expression revealing none of the emotions he felt upon seeing her. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he walked the last few steps to her side.

"I've come to pick you up."