((A/N here's chapter four, just to clarify this is not the netherfield ball, but the very first ball in the second chapter or so. Of course I don't own the plot or the characters that belongs to the wonderful Jane Austen))
Jane glanced in the mirror at her sister's reflection as she struggled to simultaneously put on her earrings and slid her foot into a silver heel. "I don't even know why I let you and Charlotte talk me into this." Lizzy said with annoyance as she fiddled with her dress. "Or how you guys talked me into wearing this dress!" She said as she glanced at Jane in the mirror. Jane and Charlotte had dragged her shopping the day before, and while she liked shopping as well as the next girl what she was put through yesterday was ridiculous. Still looking at Jane in a gold dress a few shades darker than her hair, Lizzy could imagine the look on Charlie's face when he saw her, and could see that tonight would be worth it. She tugged nervously at her own hem, trying her hardest to remember if she had ever worn anything that short before in her life. Nothing was coming to mind. Her sister's laughter floated down the hall, from the shrillness she could tell it was Kitty. Mary had elected to stay home and study and Lydia and Kitty were grounded for their latest curfew flouting so it was just her and Jane out tonight. Lizzy smiled, confident that despite everything she would enjoy herself without having to worry about her younger sisters.
The game had ended an hour ago, giving the entire student body time to change from orange and black to clothing proper for the homecoming. Not to mention it gave football players like Charlie a chance to shower. Lizzy glanced at her reflection and nodded before making her way to the stairs. She stopped at the top; debating if she was capable of walking down the stairs in the heels Charlotte had lent her. Deciding it wasn't worth it, she slid them from her feet and trotted down the stairs at her normal pace. As she bent over to put them back on the doorbell rang, short and loud. It must be Charlie. She ran to get it, leaving her shoes in a jumbled heap on the floor. She swung the door open to see Charlie standing on the doorstep a bouquet of roses in his arms. His hair was still damp from his shower and his bright blue shirt would look great with Jane and her dress. She grinned widely at him, "Hey Charlie," She said as she stood aside to let him in, "Jane's just finishing up she'll be down in a second." Lizzy smiled as he stepped shyly inside before pulling up short. Standing on her doorstep were Darcy and Caroline. Her smile grew slightly brittle on her face but she swept her arm towards the inside of the house in invitation. Jane was descending the stairs when she turned around from shutting the door. The look on Charlie's face was a priceless combination of happiness, surprise and something similar to being hit in the head with a very heavy weight. As Lizzy sat to put on her shoes, Mrs. Bennet waltzed into the room wearing a lucrative paisley dress, camera in hand. Lizzy groaned softly to herself, already a spectacle and her mother hadn't even opened her mouth yet. She didn't have to turn around to know Darcy and Caroline were surveying her mother with distaste.
"Oh Charlie is it?" Mrs. Bennet said with a grin, extending her hand. "Its so nice to meet you. Jane has told me all about you." Jane face flushed pink and Lizzy stared at her feet. "And you are?" She asked turning her gaze onto Will and Caroline.
"This is my sister Caroline," Charlie said as he turned his gaze off Jane and Mrs. Bennet. Mrs. Bennet turned a fawning smile on Caroline and quickly fired off a simpering complement for the slightly horrible orange dress Caroline was wearing. "And my best friend Will Darcy." Mrs. Bennet's eyes lit as she surveyed will in his tasteful but clearly extremely expensive pants and dark blue shirt.
"Ma'am," Will said stiffly with a short nod. Lizzy started slightly she hadn't noticed his slight British accent when he had spoke to her. Not that he had spoken much, if at all in the one class they had together. His eyes were dark and his expression allowed for no compliments to be extended. The smile dropped off of her mother's face with extreme speed before she hitched it back into place and raised her camera.
"Now we must have pictures. Charlie go stand next to Jane." She said with a grin. Her mother focused her attention fully on the couple leaving Lizzy with Will and Caroline. Will was standing awkwardly by the door, his hands clasped lightly behind him as Caroline sauntered to his side to whisper in his ear. A look of disgust flashed across his face before cold disinterest returned. Lizzy smirked as he met her gaze and his mouth tightened. "Are you driving us to the dance?" Lizzy asked Will, her smile barely contained.
"Yes." His gaze seemed fairly annoyed probably due to a combination of Caroline, the look on her own face and the fact that he had to drive them to the dance.
"Lizzy," Her mother called sharply waving her over, "Are you meeting Charlotte at the dance?"
"Yes mom." Lizzy could barely restrain rolling her eyes, but still, her mom hadn't been too bad tonight.
"Charlotte Lucas is a sweet girl, but she's so plain," Lizzy closed her eyes in mortification; she just had to go and jinx it.
"Mother," She hissed, her gaze flashing to Will who looked incredulous and Caroline who looked like she was about to burst into self-satisfied laughter.
"Lizzy, I know she's your friend but its true, there is a girl who will probably never marry. Jane has always been the beauty of the neighborhood," Mrs. Bennet smiled at the guests, "Last year there was this young man so in love with her, he wrote her some beautiful poetry."
"And so ended his appeal and his own love," Lizzy said cutting her mother off and smiling tensely. "Guess he didn't realize that writing poetry isn't the best way to a girls heart."
"I thought poetry was something women always appreciated," Lizzy looked up at Darcy with surprise.
"Perhaps if it's a mutual attraction and a confirmed relationship yes, but to be honest in most cases its just a bit creepy."
Will seemed to be straining against something, "So what would you say would be the best way to a girls heart?"
"Lizzy, do you still have those baby pictures?" Her mother called from the other room before she could answer, and Lizzy felt most of the blood leave her face.
"Um no but Mom we really should be going or we'll be late and we'll never find a place to park." Looking disappointed Mrs. Bennet followed them to the porch where she waved goodbye as if they were leaving for war. Lizzy finally rolled her eyes and relaxed her tense shoulders as she slid into Darcy's black car. It was nice she supposed, not that she knew much about cars. She turned her head to the window, ignoring the conversation between Charlie and Jane out of politeness and the somewhat forced conversation between Caroline and Will out of disinterest. Her evening was tanking fast and it didn't look like it would be getting much better.
Will fiddled with his dress shirt as Charlie changed his shirt for the eighth time. "What goes with gold?" He cried out in frustration as he had every time he had changed since he had gotten the text from his date earlier.
"Umm…" Will looked at the mass of clothes in Charlie's closet, thinking with a hint of sadness how his mother would have scolded him if he had ever kept his clothes this messy. "White goes with everything." He said falling on the staple shirt color of choice.
"But it should be a color, white will look weird." Bingley said with a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair again messing up the barely controlled curls.
Finally fed up with the entire situation he grabbed a sky blue shirt, "Here," Will thrust the shirt at Charlie. "This stands out and looks good with gold, can you change and can we GO NOW!" He shouted the last few words his pent up frustration getting the best of him. Charlie stared at him, surprised at the emotional outburst from his usually stoic friend. Will sighed, "Sorry Charlie, between your sister, my late soccer tryout, and starting at the new school I've been stress, I shouldn't have taken it out on you." He sat down on Charlie's bed as Charlie slid into the shirt and buttoned it up. He knew there was another reason for his short temper. Ms. Bennet, or Ms. Elizabeth Bennet. He made the mistake of asking Charlie if he knew her first name and had to deal with the resultant embarrassment of finding out not only was she one of five daughters that she was the twin sister of the girl Charlie had already fallen in love with. He rubbed the bridge of his nose between his fingers. She was stuck in his mind more than anything had and he had no idea why.
"CHARLIE!!!!" Caroline's scream from downstairs made both boys exchange terrified looks and run downstairs without any other prompting. Caroline smiled at Will, moving forward to wrap her arm around his waist. She was wearing a bright orange dress; perhaps in an attempt to show support for her new school, but with her tan and bleach blonde hair it was an off-putting combination. He extracted himself, knowing he would be spending a long night avoiding her.
"Let's go," he said the annoyance in his voice as he grabbed the keys to his car from the small table in the entrance. Caroline barraged the surrounding houses on the trip to Jane's house, commenting on the decorations or the size or the color in a way that made him subtly turn up the radio. He pulled up to the Bennet house; a tasteful well kept old Victorian painted a cheerful blue. Charlie, now looking slightly green, walked up the path with Will and Caroline following. The roses in Charlie's hand trembled as he rang the doorbell. The door was thrown open and Darcy was momentarily stunned. Elizabeth Bennet grinned a Charlie beckoning him in. Her hair was pulled back from her face, a few dark red strands falling in soft natural curls around her face. Her make up was noticeable, turning the skin around her eyes and cheekbones silver, making her look like an icy fairy from one of the old books he used to read. His gaze traveled down, over her dark blue lacy dress with a tastefully short skirt to her bare feet. He grinned slightly to himself as she finally noticed him and Caroline standing on the porch. The grin on her face seemed to freeze and the smile dropped from his face as she gestured mutely for them to enter. She went to sit on the stairs pulling on a pair of heels as her sister descended the stairs. Jane was definitely the prettier twin, having the perfect looks of a model. He nodded to himself; Jane was one of the few pretty girls at his new school. His gaze drifted to her sister who was smiling at Charlie and Jane and he briefly lost his train of thought. Suddenly a loud paisley-clad woman drove all thought of conversation from his mind. He stared flabbergasted as the loud obnoxious woman introduced herself as the mother of Jane and Elizabeth. He had seen their younger sisters around school, and he suddenly understood the younger daughters poor manners and judgment. He winced as Charlie introduced himself and money signs flashed in her eyes. He shuffled uncomfortably as she turned the same greedy look on him and he stared coldly back at her. As if sensing that she would not get anywhere with him, she dragged Charlie and Jane away for pictures and completely ignored her other daughter and her guests. Will ground his teeth. He hadn't wanted to move to the small town to begin with but Bingley's parents were his legal guardians until he turned 18 in June so he had no choice. The town while charming was provincial and almost uncivilized after living in Britain for the first fifteen years of his life.
Caroline tried to engage him in conversation, but received only monosyllables as his gaze returned once more to Elizabeth. She stood there her face flushed red at her mothers behavior as she barked a question at Lizzy before launching into a tirade about the appeal of her daughter Jane over all others. Will could feel a headache starting but Lizzy cut off her mother. He straightened his interest piqued. "I always thought women enjoyed poetry."
She shifted her expression fierce as she strived to keep the conversation from where it had been. ""Perhaps if it's a mutual attraction and a confirmed relationship yes, but to be honest in most cases its just a bit creepy."
He tried his hardest to keep a smile from his face and barely managed to succeed. "So what would you suggest as the best way to a girls heart?" He asked honestly curious. Before she could answer her mother interrupted calling for baby pictures. He watched as Elizabeth's complexion turned white before she subtly detached her mother from the couple and got them out of the door. Thrilled he threw himself in the front seat of his car, wincing as Caroline slid into the front seat and the Bennet sisters and Charlie sat in the back. Will pulled out of their driveway and began to drive the now familiar road to school, responding to Caroline's attempts at conversation. A glance in the rearview mirror showed Lizzy staring dreamily out of the window. He stared for a moment before shaking his head and returning to the road.
The dance was everything he feared it would be; loud music, bad food and lots of girls who wanted him to dance with them. He stood against the wall, staring at the lights flashing on the wall across the cafeteria from him. It had been going on for almost two hours already and he had had to fend of what seemed like the entire female population. Well except for one. His gaze went to Elizabeth again where she stood dancing with a girl he vaguely recognized from the halls and from seeing her with Elizabeth and Jane at lunch. That was probably the supposedly plain Charlotte. She wasn't bad, but she lacked the spark of individuality that Elizabeth had, that pull that drew the eyes back to her time and time again. He shook himself straightening before glancing suspiciously at his drink. Caroline broke from the crowd where she had been dancing to come stand beside him.
"This is by far one of the worst parties I've ever been to." She shouted as she drew even. He didn't reply so she continued. "Won't you dance with me Will?" She said pouting her lips in an attempt to convince him. He almost laughed as it had the completely negative effect on him. She attached herself to his side in a maneuver an octopus would rival and glared at the girls that passed. He let his gaze wander, and it did for a moment before it settled back on Elizabeth. The lights made the makeup around her eyes sparkle though he realized he didn't know what color her eyes were. Not that it mattered, he gritted his teeth in annoyance with himself.
"I bet I know what is bothering you," She said.
"I'm pretty sure you don't," Will answered with a wry smile.
"I'm certain you are thinking how horrible it's going to be to spend the next couple months with these people." She wrinkled her nose in distaste and I couldn't help laughing.
"Actually I'm thinking about how attractive I find a nice pair of eyes in a woman."
Though Will made a point not to give her any hint Caroline fluttered beside him, clearly under the impression he was talking about her. "Who may I ask has inspired these thoughts," She said with a laugh as if she was about to share a joke with him.
He was determined not to tell her but for the first time in his life his mouth seemed to act without listening to his brain, "Elizabeth Bennet," He said as he watched her leave the cafeteria to the brightly lit hallway outside.
"Oh really," Her voice was a combination of surprise and anger, "Wow, how long has she been a favorite and when will the town wish you joy?"
"Seriously, all I said was that her eyes are nice, that doesn't mean I like her or that we'd get married," He was extremely uncomfortable with what he had just revealed and right now he just wanted to get away.
"Imagine the wedding you'd have, from what I hear from Charlie her family is very well ranked. Her one uncle is a shop owner in town and the other works in New York City as an attorney." She laughed until tears ran from her eyes making her heavy make-up run. "Imagine introducing your new mother in law to your Aunt." She fell into fresh peals of mirth as his patience ran out.
"It would never happen," He said shortly, "Excuse me." He said as he strode towards the hallway. He sighed as he sat on the floor, not caring about the dirt on his black pants. It was about twenty degree's cooler in the hall and much quieter.
"Will!" Charlie called to him as he stood over him. "Is everything ok?"
"Caroline," Will said and Charlie nodded at the explanation.
"Come on Will, you should dance, that always makes me feel better. There are a ton of pretty girls and the music is quiet good."
"Thank you but no. I don't want to dance."
"How about with Lizzy?" Charlie said, "She looked very nice tonight and she's a lot of fun to hang out with."
"Listen," Will said as his temper snapped again. He had heard her name too many times, she made him give Caroline a whole new field to annoy him about, and he was sick of Elizabeth Bennet. "I don't want to dance with another witless girl who would immediately get attached to me and my money. I don't want to deal with a girl, and she's not pretty enough to be worth it. Go back to your date and enjoy her company." He spat the entire tirade out quite loudly and some people in the hallway turned to stare at him in shock. He glared at them until they turned away, the whispers already carrying. Charlie shrugged, used to his temper and went back into the dark cafeteria. Will stayed in the hall for the rest of the night, sitting on an old folding chair a chaperone dug up for him. He was counting the tiles in the hallway when a pair of small feet clad in silver heels made him lose count. Preparing to snarl at the girl who was stupid enough to try to get him to dance, he froze as he recognized Elizabeth.
"Hey," He said wincing slightly as he remembered his earlier tirade. She didn't deserve his anger, and she really did look nice in her dress.
"I just wanted to let you know I was going to get a ride home with Charlotte, so don't wait for me." Her voice was the iciest he had ever heard and he met her gaze with surprise.
"Okay," was the only thing he managed to say.
She turned to walk away but stopped just outside the door. "You asked me earlier the best way to a woman's heart," She turned her face to him, keeping her body towards the door. A wry smile was on her face when she spoke next. "I'd say dancing even if the girl isn't pretty enough to be worth it." She smiled satisfied at the stunned look on his face and turned disappearing into the darkness and the crowd before he could even shut his mouth. He stared after her the only thought that was registering beyond shock and embarrassment was that her eyes were a beautiful shade of dark blue.
((God, it's 1 Am here but you guys have been so fantastic I knew I had to give you guys another chapter :D might be a day or two till I post the next one but I'll get it up as soon as I can, though atleast 5 reviews would make me happy. Lots of review create lots of lovey feelings and make me post faster. Thanks to all who reviewed it makes writing this even better))