Write My Name On A Sidewalk and Hope It Stays
Rated: T
Disclaimer: Remember, kiddies, to always spay and neuter your lawyers.
Dedication: All y'all reviewers – you make me incandescently happy.
Songs: All To Myself by Marianas Trench (for Darcy).
Reviewers (who are freaking epic):
Notjustanothervoice: Awesome. :D Well, not going crazy… but, yeah. I'm glad you love this. Thanks for reviewing even though was being bad.
Amandald98: Cool. I didn't know Guitar Hero had drums! Go play, now, the awesomeness calls. Yes and yes, lol. Really? That's not okay, that's pretty epic. XD
Lynniern: Not for long… Thanks. :) Lol, I'm happy you do because it's really fun for me to write.
Clarinetto14: Aww, thanks. :3 I'm glad that scene came out right, lol.
HappyAbbey: British accents rule. Awesomeness, I thought I might be the only one. X3
Badass-Angel-Sefaria: Thank you. :D Lol, I couldn't be an author, there's too many problems with my writing.
Annette Silhouette: Woot, another new reader! Hello there. :) Thank you, lol.
CrossroadsofLife: Darcy and Lizzie would disagree with you, lol. Thanks. C:
Mary: I feel the same about them; people also discredit Mrs. Bennet for not loving Lizzie when she really does. Really? I've never viewed Charlie as stupid, just a tad gullible and insecure. Thanks. C: Lol. Your question will be answered this chapter. No, Charlotte isn't married to Collins, and I am going to get her together with someone other than him since I totally agree with you on your point 27/8 and unmarried in this day and age is a-okay. Dang it, you guessed my surprise. XP For the Emma bit, I just considered it – the story idea I gave was another P&P. Thanks, again, lol – someone not liking another enough in modern times is just BS, so, yeah, had to change it. Thanks, again, for all your reviews. :)
Nuigarien: It would… but I have my reasons. ;) I don't remember if Darcy did in the actual book or not, so you'll have to settle with him telling Mark. Thanks for the review.
- Keeping my King -
"So, we're gonna take a dip in the pool, you want to join us?" Elizabeth asked Maria once she was back into their room, spotting the younger girl flopped haphazardly across her bed with the TV remote dangling from her fingers. Maria looked up from the TV screen, frowning slightly.
"Will Darcy be there? And Richard?" She asked, cheeks burning red. Even though she preferred the latter, she had seen the former shirtless; Maria knew she wouldn't be able to stand how many hours they'd swim with her older sister making comments about them being exceptionally good-looking. Heck, she was pretty sure she'd faint if she saw both of them shirtless, together, and dripping wet. Elizabeth looked at the younger girl for a minute before turning to her suitcase, rooting through it for her swimsuit. She was almost positive what had happened when Maria had given the boys their jackets back now since Maria wasn't being cooperative at all.
"Yeah, they will be." Elizabeth hummed softly, knowing the answer already. Maria was impeccably shy when it came to the other sex since she'd lived with Charlotte, who was probably born saying the doctor was nice eye candy, her whole life.
"I'll pass." Came the expected answer.
"You'll have a hellish time, y'know, if you don't woman up soon and face them. I have a feeling Ritz won't let us have a lazy day, snow and cold be damned." Elizabeth told her when she found her swimsuit, standing back up and giving Maria a hard look. Maria just flushed darker and shrugged, turning her attention back to the TV until her roommate came out of the bathroom dressed in a bottle green one piece with an open back, one of the complimentary Rosings towels wrapped around her waist.
"Have fun." Maria said with a weak smile, waving to Elizabeth. Elizabeth returned the wave as she left, surprised to see Richard and Darcy waiting in the hall. Both men had on a pair of swimming trunks, Darcy's being navy and Richard's being black, and a white undershirt on; Richard had a towel wrapped around his neck while Darcy had one thrown over his shoulder. Elizabeth was slightly surprised that Richard, who struck her as someone who never wanted to grow (or look) old, wasn't wearing board shorts.
"Fitz won't leave with out Georgie, so I decided to keep him company." Richard explained, rolling his eyes.
"Like you weren't going to wait anyways." Darcy countered, crossing his arms over his chest; Richard just shrugged, wearing a sheepish half-grin. Elizabeth smiled slightly, deciding to join them on their wait since it had been her best friend keeping Georgiana from changing.
"Hey, Ritz, no board shorts?" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her; Richard smirked down at her, shaking his head.
"Can't stand the waistbands of those things. I grew up before the fad, tried it, and Fitz got a good laugh out of it when I did. He tried it, too, but had the same results; I had a great laugh at him then. It was really hilarious, because the—"
"Richard. Shut up." Darcy interrupted him, face bright red. Richard cackled but refrained from finishing the story, making Elizabeth pout.
"Hey, can you tell me later when Mr. Stick-up-his-arse isn't around?" She asked, poking Richard in the ribs.
"Sorry, lass, my mouth diarrhea got the best of me. It's best if you don't pursue the subject… ever, if you want to live. Either Fitz would kill you, or you'd die laughing. Charlie actually wet himself when this was happening… he wears board shorts, so it was even funnier to him." He replied, somewhat ruefully, lulling them into a silence until Charlotte and Georgiana came out of their respective rooms, Bill tagging along with the former. Unlike the other two men, he wasn't wearing a shirt, showing off his muffin top and sickly pale, smooth torso over his brightly designed board shorts.
"My frat brothers introduced the wonders of board shorts. Have you two tried them? They give you so much more freedom, and—"
"We're more comfortable with trunks, thanks." Richard interrupted him, starting down the hall towards the elevators. Had anyone else brought up board shorts, he would've laughed, but even he couldn't warm up to Bill. Richard was slightly worried about how a guy like Bill could get a girl like Charlotte; he could only come up with insanity, weird fetishes, or gold-digger. He was hoping it wasn't any of those since he rather liked her company.
"But trunks are indecent! It is far too easy to flash innocent women and children when you wear them." Bill said, eyeing the cousins reproachfully; he was sure they were good men because they were related to Lady Catherine.
"We have biker shorts underneath, for your information." Darcy replied shortly, suddenly impatient to get to the pool. Even though Darcy's words consoled Bill, it didn't stop him from stating the differences between board shorts and swim trunks and inserting his own opinion about them into the jumble.
"So, Darcy, how come your hair is curly?" Elizabeth said loudly, stopping Bill's rant, after they got into an elevator. Richard immediately pat her head, Georgiana gave her a one-armed hug, and Charlotte let out a quiet sigh of relief; Bill, however, looked affronted to be interrupted.
"The heat uncurls and flattens it." Darcy replied, wishing Elizabeth had chosen someone else to divert the attention onto from Bill since the elevator seemed to be growing smaller as every second ticked by with everyone looking at him. Elizabeth just nodded, turning back to the elevator doors, but Bill, sadly, was able to start talking about how the heat affected people's hair – not like he'd know, though. No one could get out of the elevator fast enough when it stopped on the first floor, Richard leading the way to the pool by singing, "We're Off To See The Wizard," arm-in-arm with a stony silent Darcy, skipping and trying to get him to do the same. Although many people stared at them, the group of six arrived at the pool in no time, and there weren't many people already taking a dip or lounging in the hot tub since it was too close to dinner time. Only a small family of three was already present, the mother playing with her son in the shallow end of the pool while the father reclined in the hot tub.
The pool was luxuriously large, starting at three feet deep and descending gradually to five and a half feet deep where a waterfall descended from the hot tub's side. The hot tub sat on the very edge of the pool and rose up instead of going down, having a small set of stairs on the vacant side so kids could climb into the toasty three feet of water. Not too far away from the main pool was a large square pool for babies and toddlers starting at a foot deep and dipping down to one and a half feet deep in the middle. All around there were lounge chairs and tiny tables set up, and in the corner closest to the kiddie pool was a large tub filled with pool toys and floating devices. Only Elizabeth looked shocked at the sheer size of the room and pools as she was the only one who hadn't been there before.
"You're catching flies, love." Darcy said quietly, taking Elizabeth's lowered jaw in his fingers and closing it for her, smirking and tapping her once on the nose affectionately. He found her surprise utterly adorable and made him feel proud he owned a small portion of the Rosings hotels; he could easily get her into the lavish hotel chain on a regular basis if she wanted. Elizabeth blushed slightly, ignoring him and heading over to the chairs Charlotte, Georgiana, and Richard had already thrown their things on to. She was acutely aware of Darcy watching her unwrap the towel from her waist and felt unnerved by it, wondering what his problem could be with her. Elizabeth wasted no time to join the father of the family of three in the hot tub, slouching down into the warm depths on the step in it, sinking down up to her armpits.
"Party pooper! You're supposed to get in the hot tub last, right before you leave!" Charlotte called from the pool, pausing in her splash war with Georgiana and Richard; they got her good for not paying attention to them. Bill sent a nervous glance to Darcy, as he peeled off his wife-beater after dropping his towel onto a chair lazily, wondering if Darcy would get mad if he joined Elizabeth in the hot tub. He knew Richard would probably be Darcy's partner in crime this time, and, though he knew both men had to have good morals and such, Bill wasn't sure if he'd risk getting questioned by the nearly identical cousins since Charles Bingley was a stick and Richard wasn't. Taking a good look at both cousins, Bill chickened out and ended up getting a bed float and drifted around the pool innocently, trying not to look too long at Elizabeth or Georgiana. Darcy, meanwhile, was wearing a conniving half-smile as he watched Elizabeth from the lounge chair he was sitting on the edge of; he waited until the family of three left after about fifteen minutes or so before making his move.
"I think Fitz is about to…" Richard whispered, pressing his lips together to keep form laughing; Georgiana caught on, too, and starting grinning widely.
"I thought he only did that to me!" Georgiana whispered back, a giggle escaping her lips. Charlotte looked at them both, confused, before turning to Darcy to see what he was going to do. Darcy's smirk turned to a feral grin as he stepped up to the side of the hot tub where Elizabeth was sprawled over. He grabbed her by her armpits suddenly, hauling Elizabeth up and out of the hot tub before she knew what was happening and threw her unceremoniously into the pool where the water temperature was quite different than the hot tub's. Elizabeth's yell of astonishment was cut short when she landed in the much colder water, and she surfaced, sputtering since she'd swallowed some, to the maniacal laughter of Darcy, Richard, Georgiana, and Charlotte.
"Fitzwilliam Something Darcy, you asshole!" Elizabeth shrieked, attempting to keep her head above water while pointing dramatically at Darcy who was doubled over and slapping his knees.
"You never let yourself go in a hot tub with a pool near by if you're around Fitz, never." Richard crowed, wrapping his arm around Georgiana's shoulder.
"I've learned that the hard way, just like you." Georgiana said, smiling brightly. Elizabeth pouted, unaware that Darcy wasn't done. She was starting to swim to a place where she could stand when he cannonballed into the water not two feet away from her, sending waves to slap at her. Only Bill, other than Elizabeth, didn't see the humor in the situation. As soon as Darcy surfaced, Elizabeth swam over and started slapping and punching him while hopping form one foot to the other to give herself a bit of leverage, calling him all sorts of profanities.
"- You firetrucking low-life scum bag who sucks – hey, you have chest hair. No way, you totally strike me as the manscaping guy."
Darcy stared down at Elizabeth, wondering if she was serious or not about just noticing he didn't have a smooth chest; Richard, who had already been laughing at the odd scene they made, started clutching his sides. Charlotte and Georgiana dissolved into guffaws at the sudden realization of Elizabeth's.
"Lass, you are the most entertaining thing I've ever seen!" He hooted, not noticing how close his face was to the surface of the water, in danger of inhaling some on accident. Elizabeth turned in the water to face him, about to give her thanks, when she noticed his torso was adorned with hair, too.
"Okay, you really strike me as the manscaping guy, Ritz, since it's the fad now." Elizabeth said, irritation giving way to curiosity.
"If women complain about stubble on my chin, they'll be even more vexing if I've stubble on my chest. Besides, I've no time for it." Darcy sighed from behind Elizabeth, nudging her forward until she could stand up in the pool.
"Stop poking me! Like any woman would want you, old fart." Elizabeth said, glancing over her shoulder at him and sticking her tongue out. She immediately regretted the action when he smirked and an almost predatory gleam entered Darcy's eyes, making her think back to Georgiana's words from earlier and the time in the stables with him and then Caroline. Elizabeth was not going to let him that close again.
"Yeah, I probably would if I was younger, around Charlie's age, say, but the lasses like me like I am. I actually don't have any time to spare to keep it up, either; Fitz there is just too lazy to and too proud to admit it. Although that stubble bit is good… Hey, Fitz, does Charlie still shave off his little bits of fluff?" Richard said, slightly winded, when he'd calmed down. Nearby, Bill was taking notes mentally, wondering if women would like him more if he didn't "manscape"; however, he knew Catherine de Bourgh didn't like men with chest hair. It was a hard choice for him to make.
"Yeah, he says he hasn't got enough to keep it, and it's also really pale blond, almost the same color as his skin. He's young, anyways, so no one will care currently. Why are we talking about this, exactly?" Darcy replied, eyebrows knitting together. Richard just shrugged before splashing Elizabeth, starting another splashing war that Darcy didn't partake in; instead, he hefted himself out of the pool and took over the hot tub. When Elizabeth noticed, she scowled, immediately jumping to the conclusion he'd thrown her out of it to have it all to himself; she was still trying to make sure Darcy was still the guy she'd known from the summer: a jerk with some nice moments. So far, he was being a sweet guy with some jerk moments, and it didn't settle well in Elizabeth's mind since she didn't want to fall for him any harder than thinking he was quite fetching, smelled good, and had a divine voice. Darcy also made her feel secure, and he had defended her from Bill and Caroline those times even if she didn't want him to. Jane furthermore said he had been the one to take care of her when she'd gone to the bathroom in Bob's bar and disappeared; plus he was always letting her steal his bed when Charlie had them over. Additionally, he had gotten her dirty clothes washed and loaned her clean clothes; moreover he had loaned her his heavy jacket. Now he was calling her "love" as well as "Ellie", which was different, and he also tapped her nose again… not to mention that almost-kiss…
Elizabeth stopped in the middle of her splash war, looking up at the mess of dark curly locks over the lip of the hot tub in something akin to wonder. So intent of finding fault in him, she'd never gathered up all the good he'd done in her mind before.
"Sex on legs, right?"
Elizabeth jumped, yelping, after Charlotte whispered in her ear; she hadn't expected it nor knew she'd been staring at the back of Darcy's head for so long. She immediately flushed, shoving Charlotte awkwardly, wanting to contradict her but unable to since Richard, Georgiana, Bill, and Darcy were all near by.
"What? Am I voicing your thoughts? I mean, he looks pretty rigid – I prefer Ritz over him, kind of, since he's only got eyes for you – but he's totally sexy. All muscle, all man, all sex on legs." Charlotte continued on, still using quiet tones, smirking as Elizabeth grew redder and redder as she spoke. Elizabeth shook her head furiously, chewing nervously on her lower lip.
"I was just thinking… of all the things he's done – the good things." She murmured, glancing over at Richard and Georgiana suspiciously, as both were watching her and Charlotte, colloguing as well.
"You're just now noticing all of them? Wow, and I thought you were smarter than that, Lizzie-Bell. You were always berating him because of that first comment and because he's a bit up-tight – and, yeah, I know I was geared to dislike him, too, because of that first comment… but he's been around here for a while now, with Georgiana and Richard, too, and he's actually got a wicked sense of humor. Darcy is actually pretty considerate, too. I think Caroline was lying to you, y'know." Charlotte mumbled, winking at Georgiana. The younger girl beamed at her before turning to Richard with a smug look, elbowing him in the ribs playfully.
"… But… what she said matched with what Wick said, Char…" Elizabeth said, perhaps a bit too loudly, because Georgiana's cheerfulness dissipated immediately and Darcy turned around to face the pool, looking serious.
"Okay, it's been quiet for far too long with all of you down there. Is it time to go or break out the pool games? Like Marco Polo?" He said, looking directly at his sister at his last sentence. Georgiana brightened slightly, a melancholy smile lighting her features; Richard apparently got the secret message, too, since he nodded vigorously. Elizabeth noticed the change in the atmosphere and flinched, knowing it was her fault; she also noticed how, when Darcy mentioned Marco Polo, Georgiana looked better. There had to be a story behind it.
"Good idea, Fitz! Get your arse down here and let's start with you being it." Richard said, waving him over. Charlotte observed how Elizabeth, still slightly pink, turned her back to Darcy when he stood up in the hot tub and jumped over the side into the pool; she smirked slightly, wondering how much of his unconfirmed past would affect Elizabeth's opinion on him. People learned form their mistakes, and, even though Charlotte didn't have a reason to doubt Wick's story, she also didn't have a reason to doubt Darcy. Charlotte knew Elizabeth had to be confused about her feelings since her dating history was scant and Darcy was more experienced and older than anyone she'd ever considered before (exempting famous actors and such, the untouchable dreams), and with such misleading in addition to, as she'd heard Elizabeth say, bi-polar dispositions and accounts of his attitude, she wasn't surprised. Elizabeth just needed a push in the right direction, and this trip, Charlotte knew, would be just what she needed.
Bill joined in on their Marco Polo game, and the group of five played it until more guests at Rosings appeared, choosing to leave then. Charlotte, as promised to Georgiana, grilled Elizabeth about her feelings about Darcy when they retired from the pool, but she came up empty-handed as Elizabeth wouldn't give her anything more than, yes, she thought he was attractive. It was a good start, though, so Charlotte wasn't too concerned yet.
- (Crappy break line) -
"Wake-y wake-y, eggs and… bake-y? Whatever. You yanks are weird. Get up, lassies!"
Maria and Elizabeth both made noises of discontentment at waking up to Richard's yelling and banging on the doors. Elizabeth was pretty sure Maria threw a pillow at the door after she'd yelled at him to shut up, but it didn't deter the Brit as he strolled into their room not a minute later.
"Good morning, star shines, the world says hello and get your arses up! Now!"
Five minutes later (accompanied by the presentation of two coffees and condiments), Richard had himself two semi-woken young women glaring at him over the rims of their coffee cups.
"Living with mini-Fitz, you'd become a morning person, too; only problem is, I'm naturally a night owl. So, no complaining, you two. We're taking all of you out today – first, to the Central Park Zoo because they're awesome and open 24/7, and then, after dinner somewhere, we're going to go ice-skating at the Rockefeller plaza rink. Now, dress warmly, as we're not coming back here, and head down to the main floor for breakfast." He said, beaming brightly, strolling out before either girl could voice her thoughts (or questions of how he'd gotten into their room with out the card key).
"… That wasn't weird at all." Maria said, causing Elizabeth to laugh softly.
"I wonder what he meant by mini-Fitz…" She said, looking over to Maria who just shrugged.
Half a cup of coffee and twenty minutes later, Maria and Elizabeth found Darcy in the hall waiting for them patiently, ready to lead them to where the Rosings breakfast bar was; the former ducked her head coyly, not looking anywhere near his face.
"Hey, Darcy, what would Ritz mean if he said mini-Fitz?" Elizabeth asked as he led the quietly to the elevator, eyeing his clothes and raising an eyebrow. Darcy had on a white turtleneck with a navy blue sweater over it and black, heavy-looking pants; in his arms was the jacket he'd leant Elizabeth the day before, a navy blue scarf, and his beanie.
"He would mean when I was younger, before my growth spurt. What did he say?" Darcy replied, running his hand through his hair with trepidation; with Richard, he could've said anything. He eyed Elizabeth and Maria with a critical eye, wondering if they'd stay warm enough in their long-sleeved shirts, blue jeans, and heavy jackets. Darcy was sure they hadn't experienced much cold down in Texas and wondered how they'd take it. He, himself, didn't fare well in the cold even though he'd grown up in England's wet, cold climate; Darcy had had to take a couple cold pills already from not wearing his jacket yesterday and knew his nose was red regardless if he was outside or inside.
"He said living with mini-Fitz, you'd become a morning person. Care to elaborate?" Elizabeth said as they stepped into the elevator, glancing back at Maria quickly. She was curious to see if she'd get over seeing Darcy like she had (from her behavior, she ascertained he'd probably been shirtless or very close to it) and act normal again.
"Ritz lived with me for a while when we were younger, since my house is better than his – he wanted to impress his girlfriends or something, and I used to bang on his door or use a blow horn on him when I woke up to get revenge. As I was going to primary at the time, I woke up earlier than usual to watch the telly." Darcy replied with a slight smirk and an evil glint in his eye, remembering the childhood he'd had before he became exceptionally reclusive and introverted. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, staying silent until he elevator binged, notifying them they were on the bottom floor. Though he said it with tenderness, she couldn't help but find his words about his house vain.
"What'd you watch?" Maria asked, surprising both her older companions. Darcy led them with out answering her right away, considering if he should tell the truth or not.
"… I watched the news." He finally said when he showed them the breakfast bar, causing both Elizabeth and Maria to laugh at him.
"Yup, always a serious one, this one. Mini-Fitz wanted to be an anchor man, you know; I think it was the early stages of wanting to see big boobs." Richard said, overhearing Darcy since he was near by, making Maria laugh harder but Elizabeth stop. Darcy immediately noticed the different reactions and wondered what Elizabeth had been told about him.
"Hardly. I thought the anchor man in the morning looked smart, and I thought he knew what was going on all the time." He said, hoping it would ease Elizabeth's mind from whatever was troubling her. Darcy wasn't positive, but he wouldn't be surprised if Wick had fed her lie after lie about him.
"Whatever, mate. You're boring and no one likes you. So, you lassies get your breakfast and we'll go, alright?" Richard said, rolling his eyes; he hadn't noticed the dissimilar responses from the girls. Maria blanched when she saw the empty, dirtied plates on the table where Richard was; Anne, Georgiana, Charlotte, and Bill were sitting with him as well.
"We're the last ones?" She squeaked, self-conscious already. Richard affirmed her speculations but told them to take their time as they were in no hurry. Darcy hovered behind Elizabeth and Maria when they went to see what breakfast options they had, explaining how things worked or what was what, carrying their drinks for them after they'd filled plates. Elizabeth was once more a bit surprised, though that was dwindling down to expectance, at his considerate behavior. With everyone else waiting on them (patiently), Maria and Elizabeth ate quickly, Darcy trying a few times to strike up a conversation with the latter; he was unsuccessful as she was trying to hurry and ended up ignoring him for the most part.
"Sorry, we just wanted to be quick." Elizabeth found herself saying quietly to Darcy when she was done, her face apologetic. A soft smile replaced Darcy's slightly quirked eyebrows and he nodded, contented by her answer; Darcy was starting to worry he'd done something wrong and upset her.
"Okay, lassies, Fitz, and Willy – who is going in which car?" Richard said, taking note of the hushed exchange between Darcy and Elizabeth. Something was up, he knew, and he wondered if he should meddle or not. Georgiana would, obviously, but would she be enough?
"I can take Ellie, Georgie, and Anne… I believe." Darcy offered, eyeing Anne's wheelchair up and doing mental calculations on if it would fit in his trunk or not.
"Why don't you just take Lizzie and Georgie – my rental can fit everyone else in easily." Richard said, his mind running along the same lines as his cousin's; he didn't want to make Anne uncomfortable should her wheelchair not fit in Darcy's trunk. She was already even more introverted than Darcy because of her accident, and he didn't want to accidentally offend her and make her delve deeper into her relatively new shell. It saddened both men greatly that their aunt blamed Anne for the accident and put her through mental abuse daily, but there wasn't much they could do about it since Catherine would fight tooth and nail to keep custody of her daughter. Anne was also soft-spoken, even before her accident, so she never went against what her mother said even though she was already considered a full adult.
"Right, then, come on, girls." Darcy sighed, giving Anne a light pat on the back as he rose from his seat, leading his sister and Elizabeth to where his car was parked.
"How old are you, Lizzie? Aunt Catty never wheedled it out of you yesterday. And where are you from? You've got a funny accent, nothing like the kids at Julliard I talk to!" Georgiana asked as soon as she and Elizabeth were safely buckled up in the backseat of Darcy's car. She had wanted to sit next to Elizabeth on the ride over to the zoo.
"Georgie, you only talk to maybe two kids – four tops." Darcy said before Elizabeth could answer, wearing a lopsided half-grin.
"Nu-uh, Fizz! I talk to Amanda, Betsy, Harry, and… um, Professor Hawthorne is only 24, does he count?" Georgiana countered loudly, sounding like a child who'd just been told she couldn't have a cookie, leaning forward in her seat obstinately.
"No." Darcy replied, grin growing wider.
"Bollocks. But that's three, so, HA!" Triumphantly, Georgiana turned back to Elizabeth, the likeness between her smile and Darcy's rare one, like the one he'd worn when he and Elizabeth had gotten pizza at Netherfield when Jane was sick, surprising Elizabeth.
"I can't be too much older than you, Georgie… you're 20 or so, right? I'm only 21. I'm from Austin, Texas – keeping it weird." Elizabeth said, laughingly, looking from one Darcy sibling to the other, just waiting for them to do something. They fell silent for a few seconds before Darcy broke it, chuckling deeply, and Georgiana just shook her head.
"I'll be turning 18 in February, Lizzie." She said, holding back her own giggles. Georgiana was quite used to people over-estimating her age and then being shell-shocked.
"No way! I thought you looked young, but… how?" Elizabeth asked, trying to ignore Darcy's intoxicating chuckles, failing miserably.
"I have an evil older brother. Fizz taught me before I went to primary – enough to skip two grades. He thinks I'm just smart, but I know it's because he was teaching me to make up for daddy ignoring me." Georgiana explained, shooting her brother a loving look.
"Evil, moi? Never. Also, Georgie, you are very smart. I can't take any credit for your natural brains, love, or your prodigal talent at the piano. Stop trying to fool everyone you meet."
Elizabeth's lips parted slightly, astounded, as she had half-expected Darcy to claim the credit, but also due to the absolutely adoring glance he gave to his younger sister before turning his gaze onto her own person, still penetrating even though Elizabeth saw it in the rear-view mirror. It didn't help the same tender gleam meant for Georgiana was still present in that deep gaze. She was silenced by the look for the rest of the ride, but the Darcy siblings bickered in good humor the rest of the way, filling the car with a homey feeling that Elizabeth couldn't escape. Somehow, she wished she'd grown up in a family like this instead of her own; although loving, her family had sharper edges and more hurtful barbs, intended or not.
"I'm sorry, Lizzie – you've been awfully quiet. Do we creep you out? Because we can ditch Fizz if he does." Georgiana addressed Elizabeth after Darcy had parked the car, being the first to remember the guest.
"Georgie, you said we… then me, singularly. I'm bloody sure it's you who is being too weird."
"Shut up, Fizz. Everyone knows you're the odd one, don't be daft."
"You're worse with Georgie than Ritz, Darcy." Elizabeth laughed, unbuckling and getting out of Darcy's car, avoiding answering Georgiana's question. Darcy snorted, following her lead, looking at her over the roof of his car as Georgiana had taken the seat behind him and Elizabeth the one on the right side.
"We used to be just as bad for a time, perhaps a bit worse, if you don't recall, Ellie."
Georgiana froze in exiting the car when Darcy spoke, eyes widening slightly; she looked up at her brother curiously through her low fringe, pushed down by her lime green beanie cap, wondering how much he hadn't shared with Richard or how much more specific he could've been. Even with the girlfriend he'd been most affectionate to, a beautiful Greek woman, Darcy had never gotten comfortable enough to banter with them. Noticing Georgiana's frozen form, Darcy mentally slapped himself, knowing she'd already clued in on how much he'd fallen already. It might not be love, but he was teetering on the edge, willing to fall with out a parachute if Elizabeth gave him the right signal.
"Yeah, well, that's when I vowed to hate your guts." Elizabeth said, frowning slightly; she didn't notice Darcy blanch. She did, however, notice the rather loud bang of Georgiana hitting her head on the roof of the car on accident. Georgiana ignored Darcy's immediate concerned questions, rounding the car swiftly and crossing her arms over her chest crossly, glaring down at Elizabeth who realized she'd said, quite possibly, the most offending thing she could've in the younger girl's presence.
"Charlotte said you fancy Fizz! And no one can hate him – not after Marco Polo, not after Vince's death, not after sacrificing everything—"
"Georgiana. That's quite enough."
Neither female had noticed Darcy coming up behind his sister and placing a hand on her shoulder, face apathetic. Elizabeth had been too preoccupied with trying to rectify her mistake, and Georgiana was in full rant mode. After all he'd done for her, Georgiana wouldn't stand for anyone's abhorrence of her brother (not even Wick's); in her eyes, he should've been sainted long ago and that he could do no wrong.
"… I'm sorry, William." Georgiana said quietly, head dropping so she could stare at her shoes like a child who'd just been scolded (which wasn't too far form the truth).
"It's my fault, so I'm sorry – both of you. I used past tense, Georgie: that was, when, vowed. Darcy… he said something offending and then continued to be arrogant, but he apologized so we could make up. He's –" Elizabeth stopped, suddenly remembering the Jane and Charlie incident. Darcy had to be the crux or catalyst for it. The man in question, however, was relieved she'd cleared up the fact she didn't detest him anymore while he was also reeling at the thought of Georgiana almost revealing their past. As it was something Darcy wasn't proud of, he didn't like revealing and reliving the memories.
"Come on, loves, let's go find the others." He said pacifically, tapping each Georgiana and Elizabeth on their noses once before turning his back on both of them and starting towards the front gates of the Central Park Zoo. The girls faced each other for a bit, Elizabeth looking up and Georgiana gazing down, before the former held out her hand.
"I'd rather not fight with you, Georgiana, as you seem to be a wonderful girl. I'm sorry I offended you by stating my past feelings, but I'm not sorry for feeling them. Friends again?" She explained when Georgiana gave her a questioning look. In return, she got a look similar to what Darcy always gave Caroline: cool and blank; it seemed as if the Darcy siblings had another thing in common.
"No one should be able to hate Fizz. No one." Georgiana knew she was being naïve and narrow sighted, but her brother was her world. Someone who used to abhor him shouldn't catch his fancy.
"I never said I did hate Darcy, Georgiana. I said I vowed to hate him - which is different than actually holding him in disdain. Even though he was a total jackass about 95% of the time, the other 5% kept me from ever really falling any deeper than extremely disliking him at times. He's very confusing, you know… I thought he detested me, so I became pretty bent to do the same." Elizabeth explained, looking past Georgiana for a bit, looking at the pair of broad shoulders of Darcy's. He'd stopped a couple cars down, most likely out of earshot, patiently waiting for the two of them to sort out their differences. It was then Elizabeth noticed his shoulders, which she'd assumed were always taut and impeccable straight, were relaxed.
"… Fizz does have his arsehole moments, especially around Caroline Bingley or new people. He can't stand either." Georgiana relented slightly, already aware of how her brother usually acted in a crowd of new people or when Caroline was close by; she could forgive Elizabeth's slight since she assumed this was how they met from Elizabeth's words. It relieved her that Elizabeth had never really loathed Darcy, but Georgiana would be cautious in her meddling with that thought, just in case she made the verdict that Elizabeth was either not good enough for her brother or Elizabeth didn't actually like him. With that in mind, Georgiana took Elizabeth's hand and shook it before flouncing over to the waiting Darcy. Elizabeth watched as Darcy wrapped his arm around Georgiana's shoulders just from a light touch to his back, reflecting back to the way the latter had reacted, teeth bared and hackles raised, to her words and then to what Georgiana had almost said, trying to think of what it meant. Even though she and Jane were tight, it looked like, to Elizabeth, that Darcy and Georgiana had a much closer relationship because of what happened to them, whatever that was. Wick hadn't been very detailed on retelling the story, but no one else had even attempted to.
"Ellie, I hope you don't plan on freezing your arse by standing by my car. I don't think anyone would like an Ellie-ice lolly." (1)
Elizabeth snapped back to reality, finding her gaze settling on Darcy, who had a brilliant smile on his face and was half turned back to her, left arm around Georgiana and the other outstretched towards her, beckoning her to the warmth his side would provide. Exultantly, she joined the Darcy siblings, wearing a bright red blush when Darcy tucked her neatly into his side with a welcoming squeeze.
- (Crappy break line) -
Richard, Bill, Charlotte, Maria, and Anne were waiting for the trio at the entrance of the zoo, bearing their tickets.
"What took you cozy people so long?" Richard said accusingly, eyes narrowed in playfulness.
"Traffic in here for a parking spot." Darcy lied smoothly before Elizabeth or Georgiana could even open their mouths; no one of their trio wanted to retell what had almost happened. Georgiana was still trying to wrap her mind around how someone could even want to loathe her brother while he was still reeling a bit that Elizabeth probably wasn't teasing or flirting with him way back when like he'd originally thought, and Elizabeth didn't want any more of Darcy's close family to rebuke her. Ignoring Charlotte's waggling eyebrows, she extracted herself from Darcy's warmth to take her ticket from Richard; while Elizabeth missed Darcy's slight pout, Richard and Charlotte didn't.
"Okay, you lot can go see whatever you'd like, and I'll take this lot. We can meet back up at lunch and switch zoo buddies, maybe. Any objections?" Richard said, taking charge, pointing to Darcy, Georgiana, Elizabeth, and Anne before gesturing to himself, Charlotte, Bill, and Maria. Charlotte was a bit put-out that she had to spend at least half of the zoo trip with Bill since she'd been so good at avoiding him since coming to New York, but she knew Richard wouldn't let Bill command the conversation or where they went.
"And where would that be, Rizz?" Georgiana asked, smirking slightly. Richard paused for a second before consulting the map of the zoo he'd gotten.
"The Leaping Frog Café, of course… at around, say, 1:30?" He replied swiftly, once he found the café that was neatly tucked away in a corner. As no one had any objections and cell phones were charged should something happen or change. Darcy took the back handles of Anne's wheelchair and started in after getting his, and Anne's, ticket from Richard and led the large group into the zoo.
"Okay, I don't bloody care what we see as long as we find somewhere warm to hide away in every now and then. You three decide between yourselves where we go." He said once Richard had marched off with Maria and Charlotte on his arms, Bill scrambling behind them, telling all those who would listen that they were seeing the sea lions.
"Penguins! I absolutely need to meet Skipper and crew!" Georgiana replied at once, giddily looking around for a directory or a sign to tell her which way to go.
"… I've never been here before, so…" Elizabeth mumbled, cheeks tinged pink, shrugging in an apathetic way.
"Red panda…" Anne supplied quietly, everyone in her party almost not hearing her.
"Why don't we get a map first…" Darcy sighed, leaving to find one, hoping Georgiana wouldn't give Elizabeth the cold shoulder or another tongue-lashing. It had never occurred to him how heavily his younger sister would defend him, causing him to be appreciative and concerned at the same time. He hoped, despite Elizabeth's past feelings, that they'd get along well together since Darcy didn't want his sister disliking his girlfriend (whenever the chance came up, he'd decided to ask her out). Darcy was happy to see, when he returned, map in hand, that Georgiana was filling Elizabeth in on the animals in the zoo with Anne making a few helpful comments.
"Alright, ladies, here's the map. Where to first?"
"The red panda, then the polar bears, and lastly, to Skipper and the gang!" Georgiana beamed, dancing zealously from one foot to the other. Shrugging, Darcy let his sister and Elizabeth have the map and lead the way to the little creature Anne wanted to see.
Roaming around with Darcy (and Georgiana and Anne), Elizabeth got to get a good look at him, gauging his disposition. It seemed to her he was being even more open and teasing than those few times shed been alone with him, causing her to be confused. If Charlie was his best friend, shouldn't he act like this with him, too? A niggling feeling in the back of her mind told Elizabeth she was missing something big in her puzzle of Darcy, but she couldn't really find the piece. She knew Georgiana said he didn't act well in Caroline's company or surrounded by people he didn't know, but, really, she hadn't been that bad to him and the crowd wasn't very large. Soon they were approaching the birds in black tuxes, and Elizabeth got to see something that made her smile for the rest of the day.
Georgiana had taken over in pushing Anne, saying Darcy was walking too slowly, and talked zealously with her older cousin. When they arrived t the fence holding the crowds back, a little boy ran up to Darcy, a wide grin plastered across his freckle stained face.
"Hey, mister, can you give me a lift? I can't see!" He said, exultant expression winning Darcy over.
"No problem, laddie." Darcy said, smiling softly and crouching down into the light layer of snow that had started to fall, the ice crystals crunching beneath his weight. The child's grin grew as he leapt into Darcy's awaiting arms, in awe at how easily he was lifted onto the broad pair of shoulders Darcy had.
"My name is Samuel, but you can call me Sam. What's your name?" The boy identified himself, small hands bracing themselves onto the back of Darcy's beanie-covered head, swinging his feet enthusiastically but being careful not to hit Darcy's chest; the penguins caught his attention, however, causing him to call out to them. Darcy laughed slightly, resting his hands right above Sam's knees on his lower thighs, just in case he lost his balance, waiting for him to stop being over the moon at the penguins to answer.
"Well, Sam, my name is rather funny. It's Fitzwilliam, but you can call me Darcy if you can't say 'Fitzwilliam'." He said, glancing around the small crowd accumulated by the penguins. Darcy didn't find a fair-haired adult that resembled Sam, but he did catch Elizabeth staring at him with a warm expression. He flashed her a bright smile before turning back to the penguins, not missing her flush and turn away quickly.
"Fiiiiiiitzzzwilliam. I can say it! My front tooth just came back in, so I can talk like a normal kid again. I miss being able to put a straw through the hole, though, when I drink my juice… it grossed all the girls out." Sam said gleefully, tongue immediately going to the new permanent tooth that had grown into his gums recently.
"Good job! I remember doing that; it was a blast. Girls have nasty cooties, right?" Darcy said, an impish grin on his face as all three young ladies in his group turned and gave him a glare. Sam caught them all glaring and nodded quickly.
"Yeah, icky cooties!" The boy stuck his tongue out at the girls, laughing when Elizabeth and Georgiana returned the favor.
"I'm Sam! Who're you gu—I mean, girls?" Sam said, excited at the prospect of having new friends, even if they were girls.
"My cousin, Anne, my sister, Georgiana, and my… friend, Elizabeth." Darcy said answered for the girls, fully expecting the two punches to the chest he got. Sam laughed joyously, knowing he'd picked the right man to ask for a lift since he was tall and looked strong; his thoughts had been confirmed.
"Eeeewww, your giiiirlfriend? My daddy's got a girlfriend, but she's all right. For a girl, that is." Sam said, sneering and reeling back from Darcy slightly, feeling the large, warm hands tighten slightly on his little legs.
"Okay, Sam, you're getting some cooties!" Georgiana said, playfully puckering her lips at him; Sam shrieked with laughter, pulling disgusted faces.
"Ewww, no! Anything but cooties!"
"I say we get Darcy here to put him down and tickle him." Elizabeth said, grinning mischievously at her fellow females before turning to the boys. Anne smiled softly, nodding while Georgiana pretended to crack her knuckles thoughtfully. Sam gulped, throwing his torso forward and hugging Darcy's head tightly to his skinny chest covered by many layers of clothing.
"Don't hand me over to them, Fitzzzwilliam!" He crowed, drawing his feet up slightly in a vain attempt to keep his extremities out of Georgiana and Elizabeth's reach.
"Put him down here, William!" Anne said, quiet voice carrying up to her older cousin's ears.
"Sorry, mate, but Lady Anne wishes it done." Darcy said, grinning up at the child on his shoulders; Sam screamed, dismayed.
"Sammie! Sam! Put my son down, you—"
"Daddy! Fitzzzwilliam was about to hand me over to Georgiana, Anne, and Elizabeth to be tickled!" Sam addressed the man that had the same pale complexion and hair as him, a large pout on his face. His father stopped in his run, a bit dumbfounded, before flushing darkly.
"I'm so sorry if Sam has imposed on your visit, sir and ladies… my name is Harold, and I'm his father. Sam, did you even say thank you to this kind man for picking you up?" Harold said ruefully, rounding on his son. It was Sam's turn to blush.
"Thank you, Fitzzzzwilliam." Sam mumbled almost incoherently, ashamed he'd forgotten his good manners.
"You're welcome, Sam. Do you want down now?" Darcy said sympathetically, remembering himself as a child; while not as sociable, he did forget his manners sometimes, as well. Sam eyed his father's vexed face before nodding forlornly.
"See you later, then, Sam."
As soon as Sam was herded away by his chastising father, Anne, Georgiana, and Elizabeth burst into laughter.
"That… that was so darn adorable! I didn't know you were a softie for the little'uns!" Elizabeth choked out, not expecting Darcy to pull her to his side and give her a light-hearted noogie accompanied by a gruff, "Quiet, you."
Anne and Georgiana just laughed harder.
A/N: (1) Ice lollies are what some Brits call popsicles; others call them ice pops. Ice lollies just sounded cooler to me…
So, um, yeah. Sorry for the late update. :\ I had three reasons for taking so long: 1. The US Open started (Go Roger! :D) 2. School started, and I've actually got homework this year. Spectacular… not. 3. The P&P story that I mentioned a few chapters ago (with Charlie and Jane as dogs) and a new idea decided that they wanted to be planned and written. Stupid plot bunnies won't leave me alone. BUTBUTBUT… some fluff and extra long chapter? Yeah. I was originally going to have this day of fluff as one chapter, but it evolved and grew to two-ish chapters. XP So, yeah… nothing more to say other than R&R, por favor, for random little boys in zoos and equally as random body hair chats in pools?
~ Tobi
