Woohoo finally ive got me laptop to work!! sorry for how long its taken me, i didn't realise how much time exams take up...

Thank you for all the alerts and reviews, this chp is for louise, cause she put up with me in londinium and because i fear for my life if i don't...

so this is where They first meet, but cause i tend to go on a tangent (really i'm trying to work on it Mrs H!), i've had to split it into two parts and i have no idea when the second part is gona come up- sorry! Anywho enjoy..

The Welcome Party. I.

The Meryton Assembly (more commonly and lovingly known as the Merry Ass) was packed out. Still everyone managed to turn at the exact moment Barnsley came through the double-door entrance with the light pouring in behind him… The entrance you would expect from a director, naturally. And it turned out he did have a kind of entourage with him. Just one much smaller than they had all been led to believe. The group consisted of two designer angels (if angels had hook nose slightly too sharp faces, but labels were showing that definitely marked them designer snobs, to Lizzie anyway), and another two guys, one of which seemed to be surgically attached to the smaller, more forgiving of the two girls, even still it was clear his attention was solely focused on the free-for-all bar. (Let's just say the year 11's had their contacts…). Barnsley himself was staring out into the crowd, all smiles, reminding Lizzie of a kid in the playground on their first day, eager as a puppy to make friends. Well, at least he's got the eyes for the analogy.

The other guy was towering over all of them at the back in the shadows, it was hard to give him any real description, Lizzie couldn't see him well enough, but he's looking down as if he's surveying his court… bloody cheek!

For a couple of seconds, no one moved. The seconds after that, when they were still stood in the door-way just became awkward. No one would ever admit this, but for once they were glad to see a teacher outside of school gate-crashing a party. Mr Lucas suddenly materialised at Barnsley's side and whisked him off to start the introductions. While everyone waited for their intro, the party went back into swing.

Lizzie turned round to raise an eyebrow at JD, but she saw that her friend's gaze had wandered off with Mr Lucas. It had been a while since she had seen JD like this, but she knew the drill. No talking, no shaking, no sudden movements. Lizzie sighed. She was beginning to regret having come out, it wasn't like she had a free night either, there was the article for the school newspaper (the Shout, usually filled with students rants), the Latin translation due last week, and biology revision all to do. Again a sigh escaped. And as usually luck had it, Toots was headed straight for them. Then fate decided not just yet. She was sidetracked by Lily, who was at that moment in time running around trying to have twenty conversations at once, and was getting the people mixed up…

Still, it was long enough for Chrissie to come over and spill the gossip. I might as well get something out of tonight.

"Go on then, you're going to burst if you're not careful"

"Well, if you don't want to know…"

Lizzie just looked at her. Chrissie was incapable of keeping idle gossip to herself.

"Oh, all right. You know who Barnsley is obviously, the two girls are his sisters – a family business it seems, one's his PR and the other's an aspiring actress. Becca and Casey, I think. Becca's the one with the attachment, as far as I can tell he's called Hurst but I don't think he has anything to do with the filming or he might… I don't know, he's not exactly coherent"

Chrissie finished off with a wide grin, Lizzie had known her too long not to realise this was an invitation to beg for more. Normally, Lizzie would have played Chrissie on who had the strongest will power to hold out, but her curiosity had already kicked in, so she didn't even try, in fact (not going so low as to beg, but) she asked.

"And the guy in the shadows? I can't believe you don't know"

"Just savin' the best til last. His name is Erik Darcy. He's a big shot, an eighteen year-old scriptwriter. Comes from a big Scottish family – sorry, clan – too. But he got his first script for 'Taggart' produced three years ago. So, sorry Liz, you've got some competition, it's his script Barnsley's directing."

"Ah, I see you've heard then", Toots had joined them, "Well, girls, if only I weren't married… Darcy is much more prestigious than Barnsley, don't you thing he's dashing, girls?!"

As horrifying as it was discussing the, errm, attributes of guys with a slightly over-enthusiastic-middle-aged-teacher-in-denial, the girls themselves did not have even a minute to recover, since the objects of their conversation were being led over to them by Mr Lucas.

"Ah, JD, Lizzie, just the people we wanted to see", Mr Lucas nodded to Toots, who quickly scuttled further down the bar, taking Chrissie with her, but not so far down as she was unable to hear.

"Girls, this is Charlie Barnsley, I've no doubt you've heard of him", Lizzie couldn't help but smile at that while Mr Lucas turned to Barnsley

"JD here is the school's best performer, quiet as a mouse off the stage though. Lizzie, of course I told you about, she's our very own writer, recently won the national short story competition, oh and don't try and argue with her, Mr West has her well trained".

Trying to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks, Lizzie the braver of the two in receiving compliments, asked Barnsley,

"Please… It's nice to finally meet you. How are you liking the North then?"

"Very well, I already feel at home. Everyone is so nice and friendly"

To cover up her slight cringe over the use of the word 'nice', Lizzie replied

"I'm glad we're able to prove we're not the northern barbarians everyone seems to think we are down south…"

At this moment Lily chose to run through them, waving, what looked like a pair of boxer shorts on a stick.

Lizzie cleared her throat, "And you?"

She had noticed Barnsley's glowering friend towering above behind them. Needless to say, she was more than anxious to divert his disapproving gaze from Lily. If Darcy had been startled by the question, he didn't show it, he just turned his dark eyes to Lizzie.

The look was very disarming. Darcy was an actual classic. Tall, Dark and Intensely Handsome didn't even begin to cover him. I will not blush, I will not blush… damn. But the look he was giving her, so powerful, it would have made even Snow White burst a blood vessel or two.

Thankfully, Barnsley, after some initial confusion, saved Lizzie by smiling widely and did the formal introduction ("oops, sorry, everyone, this is my good friend Erik Darcy The Scriptwriter"). After nodding his head once very regally, he flicked his stern eyes over the party, reducing all who came under them to very little more than molten puddles, he rested his gaze on Lizzie again. At least I'm still standing… Much to her annoyance she had seen Toots and Chrissie almost fall on to the bar for support. So to retain some dignity for women-kind, Lizzie took a deep breath and stared right back at him. He still hadn't answered her question,

"So? Do you like it here as much as your friend?" Must be polite, must not turn to goo…

"It's well enough"

After an initial confused pause, Lizzie wondered if she should be offended by such a degrading remark but she shrugged it off, for one of two reasons. The first was that Darcy seemed to full of his own self-importance for her to take anything from him personally, she couldn't really see them coming 'close' as it were, even if they both happened to like making up their own worlds. The second was that she just happened to see a goofy smile from Barnsley and the shy twinkle from JD. Since neither one was exactly forthcoming, Lizzie decided to try her hand at matchmaking…