Hi, Thank You so much for the response! I was not expecting that :)

AmberS76 - Definitely but in my head Lizzie would make it a lot harder for Darcy to regain her trust. 21st Century Lizzie isn't a subaltern unlike her original eighteenth century counterpart, she doesn't need Darcy as much as she has a job and a voice. I hope that doesn't sound like a berk (sorry if it does)

Guest - I hope the list below helps, I think I've included everyone that was mentioned in either the first chapter of this one. Do ask if you want anymore info, I've created character pages that have way more info on them then I need in my drafts on Tumblr. I could post them and link them in here if you'd like?

Lizzie Bennet – 21 years old (2007) 27 years old (2013), 15th July 1986, studying PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) at St Edmunds Hall, Oxford which is a three-year course. Works for Barclays in Luxembourg

William Darcy – 24 years old (2007) 30 years old (2013), 12th November 1983, Management at London School of Economics (He had to come back from his gap year early after his parents were involved in a helicopter crash before taking another year out to help Georgie before swapping from PPE at Trinity College, Cambridge to LSE). Now works at the family insurance firm

Jane Bennet – 23 years old (2007) 29 years old (2013), 8th August 1984, English Literature at St Andrews University (4 year course), now studying for a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education at King's College, London). Teaches year 5 and 6 at a school in Peckham.

Charles Bingley – 24 years old (2007) 30 years old (2013), 19th December 1983, International Relations at St Andrews University (4 year course), spent his gap year playing cricket in Australia before going onto India, now works as a Risk Solutions Analyst at HSBC.

Charlotte Lucas – 21 years old (2007) 27 years old (2013), 23rd October 1986, History at Trinity College Dublin, is a four-year course. Journalist at London Evening Standard

Richard Fitzwilliam - 22 years old (2007) 28 years old (2013), 5th September 1985, studied Maths at Edinburgh University. Now a Captain in the Royal Engineers

Henry Tilney - 28 years old (2013), 28th March 1985, studied Economics with French at Cardiff University, Now works for the European Union in Luxembourg in Aid Development

Original Character - Damien Wallace - 22 years old (2007), 16th April 1985, studies Medicine at Queen's University, Belfast

N.B. to those from Britain (or anyone actually) the birthdate cut off points in Northern Ireland are different from England and Wales, by which I mean the date of birth that defines what age (and school year) you would start Primary School.

In England and Wales it's the 1st of September. While in Northern Ireland it's the 1st of July and Scotland the 28th of February. This means that both Lizzie and Jane would've been in the year above had they followed the same education programme as Darcy and Bingley (even though both Darcy and Bingley attended Public (Private) schools and Jane and Lizzie both went to Grammar schools. I will eventually explain it all in the story. Its just one of the joys of having four different countries controlled by three devolved governments and one big old Parliament in London.

Also university undergraduate degree courses in Scotland are four years long while in the rest of the UK its only 3 years (unless the degree involves a language in which case its 3 years studying in the UK and 1 year (after your second year at uni) studying and/or working abroad). In the Republic it depends what university you attend; at Trinity its fours year while at University College Dublin its 3 years.

30th December 2007

Jane and Lizzie Bennet had always enjoyed growing up in Belfast, it was only when they had left for university that they truly understood how they were perceived by everyone else within the United Kingdom outside the six counties of Northern Ireland. While they had been born with the innate knowledge of how to know another's political allegiance they entered a world where ignorance of the situation in the province prevailed as there was little understanding of what life was really like.

That was where Will came from, his earliest memories of Belfast were the images he had seen on the news as a child. Soldiers, men in balaclavas and bombs. Theses images had left a distinct impression of him that he was reminded of during the drive from the airport, as he passed armoured police cars and political slogans written on walls. It was a surprise then as they turned into suburban Belfast and eventually into Bennet's drive.

The large suburban home with the Audi and the Volkswagen Polo already parked out front could've been in any other part of the country, and to Will it looked like an ideal home from the home counties banker belt.

As they all began to clamber out the car a woman in her late forties can running out. "Jane, Charles.", she was closely followed by a dishevelled older man of was the epitome of a English Literature lecturer.

'Mammy' 'Mrs Bennet' came the calls from both Jane and Bingley.

"I've told you its Fanny Charles!" Fanny Bennet exclaimed as she hugged Bingley "Mrs Bennet makes me sound like my mother-in-law and I don't think I quite like that." And with a smile she had moved onto Darcy "You must William". She eyed him before she moved onto his sister "and you're Georgiana. Well, welcome I'm Fanny and that old codger is Thom." Nodding to the older man than now stood behind his wife." Now in the house all of you its freezing out here."

Within seconds, they were all ushered into the Bennet's hall, modern but warm with the wall of the staircase crammed with framed photos but within seconds of them relieving themselves of the coats and bags and kicking off their shoes they were in the Bennet's large kitchen diner being offered an assortment of refreshments. A lunch of broth and soda bread was serve as the discussion was filled with Mr Bennet and Jane's younger sister discussing the supposed depressing defeat of Ulster against Leinster though Will himself was left out as the only Rugby teams he had any knowledge about was Harlequins and England.

Completely, full soon Georgie and himself were lead to their bedrooms for the weekend. His clean but small and was obviously the spare bedroom but Georgie seemed to have been given the younger Bennet's room. Entering he saw Georgie sat on the bed of the light blue room staring at the photos that occupied one wall room, as he roamed the wall he saw images of the brunette developed from a school girl into what he could only described as partier. Photos of her with her friends and sister in their navy school uniform sat alongside photos of her obviously enjoying Belfast's party scene.

He was so captivated for some unknown reason with the photos he had noticed Charles walk in.

"That was a good holiday."

"What?" Darcy turned to his friend before he followed he friend's eye line to a cluster of photos that showed sunnier climes that the home.

"My first holiday with Jane." Darcy back to his friend he saw a dreamy look come over his friend, pulling one of the photos off the wall Will finally took a good look at the photo. In it he would see Jane and Lizzie Piggy backing on Charles and tall light browned haired guy's backs. "We'd gone to Santa Ponsa with a couple of our friends from St Andrews and a couple of Damien's friends from Queen's. Cracking place, full of Irish and cheap Guinness."

Will thought back to that time, he had just finished finished his second (and unplanned) gap year and had insanely jealous of the freedom that Charles was enjoying.

"Whose that guy?" pointing to the other guy in the photo.

'Damien. Lizzie's then boyfriend" Bingley replied passing the photo down so Georgie could see. "I studies medicine at Queen's. They were dated since she was fifteen"

And with that Darcy mentally did the maths in his head, "So she was sixteen

when this was taken?"

"Seventeen I think."

"And her parents let her go? Seventeen and she was allowed to go off to a foreign country with her boyfriend." Darcy stared bewildered at his friend

"They'd exactly gone away the year before as well." And for a second he thought perhaps for once in their friendship Charles was judging him. "She had been seeing him for awhile. Anyway Franny and Thom are pretty liberal."

"Oh I can see that from the fact that they let their fifteen daughter date someone that was at least seventeen years old. They'd have been the first to complaining when it backfired." Turning to his younger, innocent sister he made clear that would not be happening while he was guardian. "I'm not sure I want my sister staying in a room with these photos up."

"She's not going to suddenly learn anything Darce. Stop being stupid. Anyway, I've come to ask you something." he quickly changed the subject "A couple of their friends are having a get together tonight because Jane's finally back and I was wondering I you want to come."

"I can't leave Georgie" can the reply seconds later and almost automatically out of Darcy's mouth. He hated social situations with strangers at the best of times never mind with a loud Irish who judging by the photos on the wall liked to drink hard.

"It'll only be for a couple of hours and anyway Jane's got cousins around the same age that don't live too far. Georgie could play with them."

"I'd really rather not. Stuck in the corner while you make out with Jane, I have enough of that when we're at the pub in London with our friends."

"You wouldn't be, Lizzie's going. You can stick with her. You'd have a lot in common she's studying PPE at St Edmunds."

"I don't think someone who is state educated and goes to a mid-range Oxford College can have a lot in common with an Etonian whose family have been going to Cambridge for generations. Anyway, you've got the pretty sister I really don't want to be stuck in some sort of Taming of the Shrew type thing."

Charles, who incidentally had never really paid much attention to English Literature, had let his friend's final comment pass with a nod and 'Alright' before he left the siblings to themselves. And Darcy thought nothing more of the conversation until he walked into the Bennet's front living room, after living Georgie to read, which was at point in time occupied by Lizzie who had taken over the coffee table with books, folders and her laptop.

"So you study PPE?" Darcy finally asked after they had sat in silence for more than ten minutes.

"Yep" came the reply.

"I was supposed to study it at Trinity College, Cambridge."

'I suppose that's what you from an Etonian." Her reply this time was sent with a dirty look.

"Sorry, I don't quite know…" She soon cut him off from speaking.

"I mean what can a state school educated kid expect but ranks mid-way on the Norrington Table. Doesn't matter if she went to a grammar school, took the eleven-plus or actually followed her father to St Edmund's Hall. No the only people that should go to Oxbridge and have a legacy are of course to the upper class twits, because they've been so good to this country. That hegemonic masculinity that defined this country's life up until 1918 has so many shining examples of brilliance" Darcy befuddled at the situation that he now found himself was silently praying to who ever was up there to let the ground full in and swoon him up. Luckily for him it seemed that Lizzie Bennet was almost finished.

"Methody is actually one of the top state schools for getting students into Oxbridge. So shove that up pipe you Tory-boy snob." And with the she stormed out, passing a somewhat confused and embarrassed Jane and Bingley in the doorway.

31st December, 2013

Though he hadn't felt like it then he couldn't help but smile at the memory of it now. He had of course known he was in the wrong but he was so ashamed of the fact that she had heard him words that he couldn't open his mouth to even attempt to form an apology.

Bingley smoothing the way for him and once again making up for his social faux pas' only saved him because as he would late find out Lizzie Bennet can hold a grudge for longer than friendly disposition would suggest. There was a darkness that lay behind the bright, intelligent eyes and his heart ached for her.

With another gulp of Champagne he thought back to that oh so terrible mistake and the colossal it had on his life so far. He sat soaking in his self pity for while as smokers came and went before Lizzie's new man Harry can walking out to light up. He couldn't quite believe it when he saw it, the arguments he had when he had attempt to indulge his boarding school habit of smoking replayed in his mind. He was almost certain that Lizzie must not have known until he saw her too step out and hug the man from behind. He had to watch as a smile played on his replacement's lips, a smile of contentment, but it was like a car crash in slow motion and he couldn't quite take his eyes away no matter the pain he caused him.

I'm so sorry for the long author's note but a lot of the stuff is kinda confusing for me and I live in the UK.

Thank You much for the response!

Do let me know if you want me to link in the character profiles I've created.

Thanks again,

Millie :D

P.S. It's not letting me space the paragraphs like they are on my word doc (if anyone now how please tell me) so I apologise if it's a complete jumble.