I'm intrigued by the unrevealed details in the Wickham story arch. Darcy is all secretive about it and Gigi only talks about her affair. I have too many questions.
How did Darcy and Wickham become enemies from close friends? What's their story? Why is Darcy so overprotective? How did Wickham disappear from the Darcys life all of a sudden? Why did he get so obsessed with revenge on Darcy that he emotionally abused Gigi? Why did Darcy think that throwing money at him would be enough to stop him? How must Darcy have felt when he saw Wickham again in Lizzie's videos? How did he make sure that „he'd never be able to do this again"?
Chapter 1 - Impossible to resist
„How do you know that George…., I mean Wickham will never be able to do this… sex tape thing again?" – Lydia was the one bold enough to bring up the subject to Darcy. Obviously.
Lizzie and Gigi froze with fork in hand, in absolute parallel. They were having dinner in Darcy's condo. He brought the wine, Lizzie and Lydia prepared the main course, and Gigi travelled a long way to her favourite French bakery to get dessert.
Lydia spent two weeks with them in San Francisco during the summer break. It was Darcy's favourite evening programme to eat homemade dinner together with Gigi, whenever Lydia was around. The Bennet girls were good cooks.
But now it all went wrong in just one second. Three heads were turned to Darcy with what it seemed to him as a scrutinising glare.
„I made sure he wouldn't. Can we drop the subject? It has been a convivial dinner so far and I'd appreciate if it remained just so."- said Darcy.
„It's not that he appears out of thin air if we talk about him. Come on, Darceface, don't be mean! How can you be sure he'll never do this again to some other girl we don't know?"- said Lydia.
Darcy remained silent and continued to eat as if he didn't hear a thing. He may have seemed impassive for the inexperienced eye, but Lizzie and Gigi could see his nostrils dilate just the slightest bit. Always a bad sign.
„Is he in jail?"- asked Lydia.
Silence.
„Did he find a horse's chopped head in his bed?"- asked Lydia, not giving up.
„No." replied Darcy indignantly just as Lizzie interjected: „Lydia stop! You're being absurd."
„Well, I want to know and I won't stop bugging you, dearest of future brothers-in-law, until you tell me."- said Lydia matter-of-factly.
„I have good reasons not to disclose any particulars."- answered Darcy.
„Well, on the other hand, I have to express what I need, and ask it from the person who can help me with it. According to my counsellor."- replied Lydia.
„Would it be enough to say that I breach a non-disclosure agreement if I tell you?"- Darcy asked, hoping this would stop her questioning.
„Why? Is there a contract?"- asked Gigi eagerly. Darcy ignored her, choosing not to break eye-contact with Lydia. He was tense; inert.
„No." – Lydia replied leaning just a bit closer to Darcy because she knew it'd annoy him. They stared at each other for two minutes. Two minutes are very long if you have to spend it looking at your beloved partner and your vulnerable little sister giving the death stare to one another, so Lizzie was fidgeting nervously. Gigi was holding up better. Like Lydia, she also would have done anything to know.
„Come on Lydia, drop it!" – Lizzie said, since neither of them seemed to yield.
Lydia sighed and turned her head to inspect her polished nails. She was silent for ever so long. It was unbearable. Nobody cared for dinner anymore. Lizzie stood up to gather the plates and the remainder of their salmon steaks and salad. She was in the kitchen when she heard Lydia finally speak.
„It's just… I'm torn. In one way, I feel it would be a consolation if there were other girls stupid enough to… But then I'm ashamed, and I want to be sure that he's somehow prevented from taking advantage of anybody else ever again. I don't know. Like brainwashed or something. Buying out Novelty Exposures, it saved me. But it doesn't mean that other blinded-by-love girls are safe from him. He'll find a „Filthy Scenes" or a „Dirty Games." - Lydia was sobbing and Lizzie was now kneeling next to her on the floor, caressing her back, comforting her, whispering to her ear. Gigi's eyes were filled with tears and she looked at Darcy, a painful, pleading look.
Darcy was visibly shaken. He couldn't find words that he felt were appropriate. He feared that Lizzie would insist on reply for her sister's sake but she didn't. When the sobs subdued, he spoke in a very soft voice.
„I am deeply sorry. I really am. Your honesty is disarming. However, Wickham plays games with me too. It's like a duel. He attacks, I retort. I do something that he doesn't like, he takes revenge. And the stakes are getting higher. It's been on for more than 10 years now and the parts of the story you know must convince you that I am in earnest when I say that I don't want you to know the rest. It's… wicked."
He paused then he sighed.
„If I may be equally honest, he makes me use means that I'm not particularly proud of. Nevertheless, I wanted this to end for good this time. I wanted it badly." – he continued.
Lizzie smiled at him and he felt a little bit relieved. „It's safe to say" he went on „that he won't ever be able to do this again to any American girl, stupid or not."
Lizzie darted from the floor and jumped across his lap to give him a huge hug. She rocked him and she squeezed him and she sang in a high-pitched voice: „Is he abroad? Really? For good?"
She let go of him just enough to meet his eyes. „William, you're wonderful!" She crushed her lips to his and kissed him passionately. The other two rolled their eyes and exchanged looks grinning.
„Hm. Suddenly it doesn't seem such a bad idea to reveal as much."- he mumbled a little flushed.
„Lizzie will give you another of these if you tell me how you arranged it."- Lydia interrupted.
„Mostly luck. But I also had a convoluted plan." – Darcy replied to Lizzie more than to Lydia, and slowly bent in to kiss her again.
„I'm sorry that's not good enough for me." – Lydia sniffed – „How could you force a man of free will, in the 21st century to stay out of the country forever?"
Darcy looked at her with a half mocking smile. „I'm not above the law, you know. I can't."
„Did you threaten him?"- Lydia asked.
„No."- he replied plainly.
„Did you bribe him with an astronomical sum of money?"- Lydia inquired again.
„No." Darcy quickly glanced at Gigi saying that but she seemed all right, rather amused.
Lydia didn't give up. She changed tactics."O.K. Let's see if I can bribe you into answering my question. I'll stay over at Gigi's and leave the whole flat to the two of you tonight if you tell me how you did it."
Darcy shared a look with Lizzie that spoke volumes.
„I made him an offer he couldn't refuse."- Darcy answered straightforwardly.
„What?" Lizzie and Gigi exclaimed all at once with Lydia's „So you DID threaten him?"
„I didn't mean it in the Godfather context! God, it came out all wrong." He looked down in embarrassment just to find himself staring at Lizzie's cleavage.
He looked up at Lydia slightly blushed. „It's more accurate to say I made him an offer he couldn't resist. And when it comes to his welfare, he's always kept my conditions."
After he closed the door behind Lydia and Gigi, he walked over to Lizzie in the kitchen. He put an arm around her waist and held her close to him.
„I really shouldn't attempt at joking when there's tension in the air, should I?"- Darcy asked jokingly.
„No William, you definitely shouldn't." She planted a little kiss on his chin. „As yet. You'll get there soon enough."
I will update 4 more chapters to reveal the whole of the Darcy-Wickham storyline since their friendship to the present day. Usually their story is depicted of a serious tone in any of the adaptations, so I tried to brighten it up as well as I could. I hope you enjoyed it and nobody is mad because of the Godfather movie references. :-)
Huge thanks to RavioliRavioli for being my beta on this. Please check out her story "An Unexpected Pregnancy" if you haven't already, it is fun!
This is my first fanfic, so all your reviews are very welcome.