Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. They are all of Jane Austen's creation. I also do not own the first two paragraphs. Anything that is in quotes and italicsand sounds like it is from the book probably is.

Summary: We all know the scene where Elizabeth gets the news that Lydia has run away with Wickham and Mr. Darcy comes in. What would happen if he allowed his feelings control?


"' Oh where, where is my uncle?' cried Elizabeth, darting from her seat as she finished the letter, in eagerness to follow him, without losing a moment of the time so precious; but as she reached the door it was opened by a servant, and Mr. Darcy appeared. Her pale face and impetuous manner made him start, and before he could recover himself enough to speak, she, in whose mind every idea was superseded by Lydia's situation, hastily exclaimed 'I beg your pardon, but I must leave you. I must find Mr. Gardiner this moment, on business that cannot be delayed; I have not an instant to lose.'

'Good God! what is the matter?' cried he."

"But first, you must sit down. You are not well enough to tell, let alone find your uncle." As he said this, Mr. Darcy gently took Elizabeth's elbow in his hand and proceeded to lead her to a chair. She, at first, resisted; but when she felt her legs tremble beneath her and a wave of dizziness pass over her, she complied. Satisfied that she would not do anything rash or run away, the gentleman called for a servant and ordered that Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner be found at once and brought to the inn. Shutting the door, Darcy turned and pulled a chair up to where Elizabeth was sitting and gently took her hand in his own.

"Would you like anything, Elizabeth?" he asked kindly. "A glass of wine or water? You look quite faint and pale."

"No... no... thank you... no..." she murmured. A tear coursed down her cheek and Darcy's heart swelled with the desire to take her in his arms and kiss her tears away. Instead he only reached out a hand and clasped her hand gently in both of his.

"Can you tell me what has distressed you? Is there ought that I can do to help?"

Elizabeth took a deep shuddering breath and shifted the papers in front of her. Darcy, his eyes drawn from her eyes that were swimming with tears to the movement, noted that they seemed to be letters of some sort. His theory was proved true as she began in a shaky voice,

"I have just received word from my sister, Jane, that Lydia has... she has..." Here, the tears spilled from her eyes and Darcy murmured soothing comments to her and massaged her hand until she was able to continue.

"Lydia has eloped with Wickham."

Elizabeth's voice broke as she uttered the word "eloped" and "Wickham" was drowned in her tears as she sobbed quietly. She put her head down on the nearby table and sobbed as Darcy looked on helplessly. His heart twisted in pain as he watched the woman he loved suffer so. He contorted his hands in his lap and made little noises that couldn't be interpreted until Lizzy had calmed down a bit. When she lifted her head from the table, he offered her his handkerchief to wipe her eyes, although he would have rather done it with his own hand... Still, one cannot have it all.

Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy sat in silence for a while, each digesting the news. Suddenly, the lady gave an exasperated cry and shot up from her chair, as the gentleman looked up in shock at this display. She walked around the room muttering to herself.

"If only I had revealed Wickham!" she cried. "If only I had been more persuasive to my father! If only I had watched her more! To think that I could have prevented this! I cannot bear to think on it!" Her pacing became faster and faster, her words more agitated as she wrung the poor handkerchief in her hands. Darcy watched with concern in his eyes. She was obviously distraught and her pale face still worried him. Realizing that she would work herself to a frenzy in this state, he got up and grabbed her by the arm as she strode by him. Pulling her to his chest, he whispered softly in her ear,

"Elizabeth, it wasn't only your fault. Do not stress yourself over what you could have done. I should have revealed Wickham after I discovered what he had tried to do"

"Bu-" the lady started.

"No buts," Darcy said firmly. "Look at me, Elizabeth"

She obeyed without a murmur, looking up into his face. Her eyes were still swimming with tears and her lower lip trembled slightly with suppressed emotion. Darcy couldn't bear to see her in pain any longer and her warmth and perfume had quite intoxicated him. Without thinking, he lowered his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. Elizabeth, surprised, stood there for a moment before responding. Her arms crept up around his neck as he tightened his hold upon her, deepening the kiss. Time passed as they lost themselves in each other. Pulling away, Darcy kissed Lizzy's eyelids gently and kissed away the tears on her face.

"I will take care of Wickham," he assured her, his voice slightly strangled from repressed passion. A sound in the entryway caused him to jump slightly before kissing her once more. Then, he pulled away, and, putting on his hat, strode out the door.

Elizabeth stood in the room, stunned; her fingertips pressed against her lips where she could still feel Darcy's pressure upon them. She heard him pay hasty respects to her aunt and uncle before the door shut behind him. Rushing to the window, she watched him mount his horse. As he wheeled his mount around, he bowed in his saddle slightly to her and gave her a comforting smile before galloping away. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner found Elizabeth standing in this position, staring into the empty street as they walked into the room. They didn't question her about her strange attitude or the look in Mr. Darcy's eyes. Instead, they simply began packing for the return trip home.

On his horse, Mr. Darcy fingered the handkerchief he had taken from Elizabeth as he had left. He could still smell her on it and it was still warm from where she had held it in her hands. He tucked it gently into his breast pocket so that it could lie next to his heart. Her response to him had given him hope that she had learned to love him. As soon as this unpleasant affair with Wickham was taken care of, he would return and bare his soul before her. Hopefully, he would receive the answer he dreamed of this time. And the woman he worshipped would consent to not only be queen of his heart, but queen of his house and home as well.


Well, I hope all of you enjoyed my first Pride and Prejudice fic! Before, I've only done Scarlet Pimpernel, but this just came to me as I was reading the book. Please review and tell me what you think. This style of writing is slightly different from my usual, so let me know how I did. Click that little button that says Submit a Review, si'l te plait! Anything is welcome! Just no vulgar language, please!

If you liked this, look for more postings soon and read my other two fics in the meantime!

Au revoir!