Disclaimer: I don't own Pride & Prejudice.

A/N: The kittens' eyes opened! They are so cute.

Professor Bennet had a hard time of keeping his students focused due to the winter holidays. When there was only a week left he labeled his classes rowdy; as the week continued they became chaotic. When it reached the last day of school it was absolute bedlam. However, this stout-hearted professor would not give up; continuously he had to repeat to himself, 'if you can't fight them join them.' With this in mind, he did everything in his power to teach history to his students whilst making it fun. There were no worksheets or homework, nothing that had to be filled out with a pencil. They played games, wrote on the boards, held debates, reenacted scenes from the past, and even held a wee mock battle out on the grounds; which of course helped release some energy whilst learning about the Roman Empire.

All in all, Professor Bennet felt quite satisfied; his students now knew that in the 1st century BCE, Judea lost its independence to Rome by becoming first a tributary kingdom, then a province of the Roman Empire. In 6 CE, Judea came under direct Roman rule, after Queen Alexandra Salome of Rome had died, leaving a civil war. Her two sons, Hyrcanus ll and Aristobulus ll fought each other for Roman rule.

Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great) had stayed in Judea to secure it for Rome after the Third Mithridatic War. When he returned, he restored Hyrcanus to the throne, however, political rule passed to the Herodian family who ruled as client kings. Eventually, in Judea, the Jews rebelled against their Roman oppressors in 66 CE in a revolt that was unsuccessful. In 70 CE, Jerusalem was destroyed and the majority of the population was either killed or enslaved.

Seventy years later, the Jews revolted again under the leadership of Simon bar Kokhba, establishing the Kingdom of Israel, which lasted for three years until the Romans managed to conquer the province for good. After the defeat of Bar Kokhba, the Roman Emperor Hadrian was determined to wipe out the identity of Israel-Judah-Judea, and rename it to Syria Palaestina, meaning 'invader'. The land had always previously been called 'province of Judea' by the Romans. Once again Jews were killed and sold into slavery; many Jews departed into the Jewish diaspora, however, there has never been a complete Jewish abandonment of their land. In truth, the Jews are the only tribe from ancient times to survive to modern times.

Professor Bennet was extremely proud of his students and congratulated them in this way:

"Good afternoon." He welcomed his sixth period, which included his daughters and their lads.

"I have a proposition for you -" They all leaned forward in anticipation.

"We are closing up on the Roman Empire and you know what that means." The class started sinking in their chairs now expecting the worst. This was not lost on their professor and he gave them a grin.

"That's right, you still have to take an end of the unit test; but you have two choices. Either, take it now and get it over with; or wait to take it when we start school again, which means you'll probably have to study during the holidays. Your choice." Professor Bennet rocked on his heels listening to the groans of his students. In the end they elected to get the bloody thing over with, much to the pleasure of their professor. The test was handed out and a disgruntled silence filled the room.

Somewhere in the middle of the test, someone broke the silence by letting a fart escape. The class, ready for any excuse to make noise, bent over their tables with uncontrollable laughter.

"Alright, alright. Settle down. Continue with the test." Professor Bennet called. His students checked themselves and returned to their tests with smiles on their faces. Lizzy was one of the first to finish and sat bored until the rest of her classmates were complete as well. They were given free time after that and they split into groups with their friends. Jane, Charlie, Lizzy and Darcy congregated by the windows and started discussing the Netherfield Ball.

"Mr. Collins arrived just last night and has agreed to accompany us tonight." Jane said. Lizzy looked at her funny.

"Tonight? What's tonight?"

"The Ball, the Netherfield Ball. Aren't you girls supposed to be on top of these sort of things?" Charlie inquired. Lizzy had completely forgotten the date and had assumed that it was sometime over the holidays.

"It's tonight? It's your job to remind me of these events." She said half accusing Darcy. He merely held his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry, but my mind was the same as Charlie's; I figured you would have dated it in your calendar."

"Oh, that's right." Lizzy sarcastically said. "How silly of me. I should have put it right next to my lunch with Madame Delamore; we were planning to have caviar you know. Are you crazy? I don't date things in calendars, I'm usually not attending balls...or weddings for that matter." Her friends laughed at her while she tried to think of what to wear.

"Is it formal?" She asked.

Charlie and Darcy exchanged a look and then gave an almost piteous one to Lizzy. The Netherfield Ball, as they soon explained, was where the high ranking professors, governors, super-attendants, etc. joined and socialized; recommending students for colleges and future jobs. Lady Catharine De Bourgh always attended and she set the dress code at the highest of formalities, encouraging her peers to do likewise. Only the upper sixth students were invited to the Ball as well as their family and close relations.

As Lizzy heard all this she started panicking a little. The only nice dress that she had was her new bridesmaid dress and she knew she couldn't wear that; anything could happen to it. Jane was always more into fashion than Lizzy and had a closet full of nice dresses, which she would have shared only to happily, but Lizzy wasn't the same size as her sister. She struggled in her mind as she decided what to do.

"Will, I'm sorry, but I can't go. I don't have anything formal to wear and I don't fancy being on the receiving end of one of your aunts lectures again."

"No Lizzy, you have to go." Jane begged. Charlie nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it would be no fun without you."

"I have an idea." Darcy spoke up. With three sets of eyes looking at him, he explained.

"You know Georgie? My sister." Lizzy nodded. How could she not, she was one of the things that Darcy talked of the most.

"Well, she's been wanting to meet you for a while now." Lizzy raised her eyebrows. "I've talked to her about you and she's always begging me to make arrangements. Today I was planning on taking her out for the afternoon - what if you joined us and the pair of you could pick a dress out." Darcy looked hopefully at Lizzy. She smiled but shook her head.

"I don't have any money to buy a dress."

"I'd pay." He quickly responded. Lizzy looked at him in amazement before saying,

"No. I'm not going to have you buy me a dress." She laughed. "Besides, I would probably only wear it tonight and it would be a waste of money for you."

"It wouldn't," he said. "But you wouldn't wear it once; you could wear it again when you visit Madame Delamore and have caviar with her." He teased. They laughed but Lizzy was unmoved. Desperately, Darcy threatened, "If you don't come tonight I won't go to the wedding."

Charlie gasped. "Oh no he didn't." Jane sighed at her goofy boyfriend as Lizzy gaped at her friend.

"But - but that's not fair. You have fancy clothes." She said.

"Yes, and I'm making it possible for you to have another nice dress. Honestly, Lizzy don't be so proud. I want to do this, I want you to come tonight and to meet my sister." A smile started creeping up her face and she finally submitted.

"Fine. But I'm going to choose a really cheap dress." She had to add. Darcy rose any eyebrow, as if to challenge her.

After school, Lizzy was in a crowd of students all wishing each other happy holidays and giving friends parting hugs. She was in search of Edina, they had decided to meet in front of the girls lavatories. Craning her neck she spotted many red-heads but none of them was her red-head. Lizzy started tapping her foot in impatience, Darcy was waiting for her and she still had to tell her Da. She was about to go when her friend ran up towards her.

"Lizzy!" Edina flung her arms around her and laughed.

"Did I scare you?" She pulled back and rested her hands on Lizzy's shoulders.

"No, shocked me more." She was smiling. "I hope you have a good holiday."

"You as well, but I was wondering, do you want to come over today. My mum and I are spending the season with one of her Jewish friends down in London, so we won't be able to see each other over the break." Lizzy really wished she could, but Darcy was expecting her and she didn't want to let him down.

"I'd love to but I promised Will that I'd meet his sister today. I'm sorry." Lizzy apologized.

"That's fine. We'll see each other tonight anyway." Edina said.

"That's right. Is your mum coming?"

"Yeah she is." Edina looked as if she wanted to say more but wasn't sure.

"Is there any thing else that you want to say." Lizzy coaxed. Her friend blushed, bit her lip and tucked a loose hair behind her ear.

"Does this have to do with a lad?" Lizzy smiled. Edina burst and started telling Lizzy in quickened tones.

"His name is Adam and he's been up here for a while. He's the son of my mum's friend that we're going to see and he's coming down with us but he's also coming to the Ball!"

"Ooh. Tell me more tonight, but I really have to go."

"Go, go." Edina said after she gave Lizzy one last hug.

The halls were still crowded and Lizzy had to push some people to get to the front doors of the school. Outside it was cold and she tucked her hands in her pockets, which didn't add that much warmth to her already frozen fingers. Hurrying down the steps, she rounded the corner to the back lot and headed towards her Da's car. However, when she reached her Da's usual parking spot, it was empty. Confused, Lizzy looked around until Darcy's car pulled up and rolled down the window.

"Jane and your Da have already left, she told him where you'd be."

"Oh. Alright." Slightly nervous, Lizzy opened the door and got inside. Not completely sure why she was so anxious, 'I mean, I have ridden in his car before,' she forgot to latch the safety belt. The car wasn't moving and Darcy was looking expectantly at her. Startled, she exclaimed, "What?"

"Seat belt."

"Oh." She put it on and leaned against the back of the seat with her eyes closed. They pulled out of the lot and down the road, heading north for Edinburgh instead of south to St. Abbs. On the road for a silent ten minutes, Darcy finally asked, "Are you alright?"

Lizzy looked to him and gave a quick grin.

"Fine." She sat forward again and realized that she was holding a breath. In a great gust she let it out - all of it out.

"Well, actually no. I feel sort of awkward with you today." She admitted. Darcy scoffed and asked the reason.

"You-you're going to buy me a dress and I guess I'm kind of nervous about meeting your sister and the Ball is starting to really freak me out; I don't even know if I want to go to college, and - and...well, yeah that's it."

"You got all that from me just asking you to meet my sister?" Darcy looked over at Lizzy who only nodded. He sighed.

"For the last time the dress is a gift, it's near the holidays anyway, it'll be your Christmas gift from me. Can you live with that?" He was giving her that smile that he only wore for her.

"When you put it like that, it's much easier." She agreed.

"Good. And as for the matter of Georgie, don't worry; I can already tell that the two of you will get along. You don't know how many times she had begged me to set a meeting for the two of you."

"That's sweet, but why does she want to meet me so badly? Has she never met any of your other friends?"

Darcy hesitated and with a hand, scratched behind his ear. "She's met Charlie and his family," he said at last. He shrugged his shoulders and continued driving. "I don't know, I guess I never really had that many friends worth introducing her to."

The energy after Lizzy's small confession was much lighter and more gleeful; they laughed and teased each other until they had tears in their eyes. Will, however, had to cut the antics short at times when he needed to focus on the road. Lizzy got comfortable by kicking her shoes off and tucking her legs in on the seat whilst enjoying the approaching Scottish capital of Edinburgh. The buildings looked somewhat familiar, but the whole atmosphere was different from her first visit in the autumn. Snow covered practically everything and smoke could be seen rising in tendrils out of the many homes and businesses. The pavements were covered in slush with the constant trampling of people walking to their destinations. It was turning into a foggy day and the clouds hung low on the spires of the buildings, creating a bleak city.

They turned on Leith Street and the buildings looked more modern. Darcy informed Lizzy that they would be meeting Georgie at a Subway in the Princes Mall. Lizzy had never heard of Princes Mall, in fact she had never been in a mall, but she looked excited nonetheless. Princes Street went down a long way and towards the end of it Lizzy could see the top of Edinburgh Castle. It was beautiful, but the historic monument looked somewhat odd against the backdrop of a bustling modern city.

'An enchanted forest would suit it much more.' Lizzy thought.

Darcy took a left and they turned into the shopping centre's parking lot. It was crowded with cars, no doubt people were scrambling for last minute holiday shopping. It took several turns of the lot until an empty space was available, and of course it was one of the furthest from the entrances. Lizzy put her shoes back on and grabbed her coat and scarf; as she stepped out of the car, a gust of cold wind thrashed upon her legs which were only covered by her stockings and school uniformed skirt. She shivered aloud and started running for the mall, nearly slipping on some ice.

"Careful!" Darcy called. Lizzy ignored him and continued to run until she was safe inside the warm interiors of the shopping centre. As she waited for Darcy she productively flapped her arms against her side and jogged in place for a few seconds, bringing warmth into her numb limbs. Many people passed her but few gave her odd glances; they all knew what the treacherous weather was like. Darcy appeared and stomped his feet to remove the snow from his shoes. Grabbing Lizzy's elbow, he guided her to the Subway where Georgie was waiting for them.

"I think that the school should consider pants for the girls' uniforms in the winter." Lizzy said. Her hands were pulling her scarf and coat away from her neck, she was already acclimating to the temperature of the mall.

"Why don't you bring it up to the principal?" Darcy suggested.

"I might, only I don't know where his office is." They could now see the Subway and a pretty young girl with light brown hair sitting in the window, idly swinging her legs back and forth.

'Oh yes. I could see Wickham going after her.'

A smile spread across Darcy's face and he hurried Lizzy to his sister - as well as quickly telling her the directions to the principal's office. When the pair of them entered the restaurant, Georgie looked up and saw her brother moving towards her with arms opened wide. She jumped from her stool and embraced him.

"Will! I have to tell you something funny...Oh, hello." Georgie just spotted Lizzy and leaned in towards her brother a bit more.

"Hi, I'm Lizzy. Apparently we've heard so much of each other that introductions seem pointless now." Georgie smiled and slid her arm out from under Darcy's to shake Lizzy's outstretched hand.

"You're right, I feel as if we're friends already, just meeting after a long time." She pulled Lizzy over and brought her to the stool where she had been sitting, Darcy happily following.

"So what was it that you wanted to say?" Lizzy reminded Georgie. She looked confused for a second but then remembered.

"Oh, only that Will is usually always early and I'm the opposite. So today I had my tutor drop me off twenty minutes before our agreed meeting time to surprise Will. But of course today he's ten minutes late." She gave her brother an evil eye who was sitting on Lizzy's other side.

"Sorry, that was probably my fault. He was waiting for me to say goodbye to a friend." Lizzy explained.

"It's fine, I just thought it was ironic. So, Will," Georgie eagerly addressed her brother, "what made you finally bring Lizzy?"

"The Netherfield Ball is tonight and she needs help finding a dress." Georgie gasped and her eyes widened in excitement.

"I take it you like shopping." Lizzy said.

"I take it you don't by your tone." Georgie smiled.

"It's not that I don't like it, it's just that I'm not any good at it. What I think looks good is usually laughed at by my sisters; so I let my twin Jane pick most of my clothes out."

"That's right, Will told me you had sisters. Well, today I shall act as your stand-in sister and help you pick out the perfect dress for tonight."

After eating, the trio made their way to the different shops in the mall; Georgie was clearly the leader as she navigated Darcy and Lizzy to all the high-end stores that she knew so well. She was aware of the importance of the Netherfield Ball, having heard endless tales of it from her aunt, and so picked out elegant, sophisticated gowns. Georgie rifled through racks with Lizzy dutifully beside her to await the bombardment of dresses that would be thrown at her to try on. Despite the overload of clothing in her arms, Lizzy was actually enjoying herself. None of her other sisters made shopping this much fun, not even Jane. True, Georgie was shy, but it soon wore off when she became animated with a conversation and felt comfortable with company; Jane tended to stay much more reserved in public, even if there wasn't anyone around. The two girls were walking towards the dressing rooms, both with things to try on, when Darcy came into view. He had told them that he needed to get a few things for himself.

"Let me see." Georgie coaxed.

"It's only a tie." Darcy said, holding up his purchase.

The dressing rooms were finely furbished, and there were lounge chairs for people to sit and wait. Mirrors could be found in every corner of the room and a glass chandelier hung from the centre of the ceiling. Darcy relaxed in one of the chairs as Lizzy and Georgie went into two separate changing rooms. The clothes fell in a reckless pile on a chair in Lizzy's dressing room. She held the first one up from the pile and examined it; it was a floor length black gown with spaghetti straps. She raised her eyebrows but tried the dress on anyway. It fit her but was too revealing for her taste, her cleavage showed too much in the low neck. A door clicked next to hers and she heard Georgie come out to show Will her dress.

"Lizzy, have you tried one on yet?" She asked.

"I have...but it doesn't look right."

"Come out so I can see, you might have to adjust something."

"Er...only if Darcy turns around." Lizzy said.

"It can't be that bad." Darcy exclaimed.

"Just do it."

Georgie told Lizzy when Darcy was turned and called her out. Her eyes widened and she started giggling.

"Will, she was right. It's a good thing you're turned around. Here," she came over to Lizzy and started pulling the dress up by tightening the straps.

"Oh, I didn't see that." Lizzy was looking over her shoulder at Georgie's work.

"Yeah, these do come in handy. I love your hair by the way, it's so long and thick. I wish mine did that."

"Before you embark on hair care, can I look now?" Darcy asked. The girls laughed and granted his wish. He couldn't help but stare and Lizzy playfully snapped her fingers in front of his eyes a couple of times. She looked at her reflection and felt weird seeing herself in this kind of dress.

"I feel like an adult. I'm going to try on the next one."

Several more dresses were tried on by both Georgie and Lizzy who modeled them for Darcy. At times, Lizzy felt so ridiculous that she pretended to be on an actual runway and copied their silly poses, trying to be as serious as possible. None of the many dresses that she tried on felt right, they were either to grown up or cumbersome when she walked or too revealing. She was starting to get tired and imagined Darcy was also, he was a bloke after all.

"Aren't you bored?" Lizzy called.

"No!" Georgie answered from the next stall over.

"Not you, Georgie. I know you're not bored. Darcy, you; are you bored?"

"Why should I be? I get to see two very pretty girls in pretty dresses." Just at that moment, Lizzy opened her door with an arch expression. She was wearing a red floor length gown with an embroidered floral design on the straps and chest.

Darcy had to clear his throat a couple of times but Lizzy didn't notice, she was making sure the dress fit and looked right in one of the many mirrors.

"Georgie?" She called.

"Yeah?"

"Is the dress supposed to be this low in the back? Or are there more hidden buttons some where?" Georgie peeked her head out of the dressing room.

"Let me see. No it's supposed to fit like that; wow, that looks amazing on you. I think that's my favorite so far; what about you?" Georgie inquired.

"Yeah, I like it. I like the colour as well."

"It goes well with your hair." Darcy added.

It was finally decided on; Lizzy would be choosing the red dress and Georgie would be getting three: one blue, one green and one purple. Lizzy put her school uniform back on and carefully carried the dress out to where Darcy was sitting. She plopped down next to him and they waited for Georgie.

"So...at this ball." Lizzy started.

"Yes?"

"Are people going to be coming up to the students and pressure them to join their college or something? Or are the kids aloud to have a little fun?" Darcy smiled over at her.

"The kids are aloud to have fun, don't worry, it is a ball after all. Though, there will be introductions and a few boring conversation probably, but it won't dominate the whole of the night." He reassured. Lizzy let a breath out.

"Good, because I would hate to waist there time; I'm most likely not going to college."

"Why?"

"It just doesn't feel like me. I want to write and travel and...and be free. If I went to college it would be like lying to myself everyday; it's not who I am. Not to mention, colleges now only produce the same graduate over and over again. It's too cookie cutter." A look of amazement crossed Darcy's face as he listened to his friend. The thought of not going to college had never crossed his mind before; it was always drilled into him that he would attend Cambridge or Oxford and continue with the family legacy.

"What about you? Will you be targeted tonight as a desirable candidate? No doubt you will, since you are Lady Catharine De Bourgh's nephew and heir to the Darcy name." Lizzy got a laugh.

"Yes, sadly I will be targeted, as you say. College has always been in the background of my life, though; my father always told me that to continue with the different enterprises that we own, I would have to get an education in business and commerce as well as social relations." A roguish smile appeared on Lizzy's face.

"I can see how the social relations might come in handy as a class. When I first met you, och, you were so indifferent."

"Was I?" He laughed. She gave him a disbelieving look.

"Yeah! Don't you remember how you would only nod or shake your head when I asked you a question?"

"I wasn't that bad." He said trying to defend himself.

"Oh, but you were. It was only until I slammed the door into your face that you opened up." They both snorted and Georgie asked if they were okay. She was nearly finished with the clothes and would be out soon. At the mention of clothes, a sudden thought came to Lizzy.

'I didn't even look at the price.' She didn't want Darcy to pay too much. It was as if he was waiting for her to do this the whole afternoon; as soon as he saw her hand searching for the price tag, he snatched the dress from her and ran out towards the cashier.

"Hey!"

"What?" Georgie called.

"You're brother's gone off with my dress!" Lizzy shot to her feet and followed after him.

"What?!" But it was not made clear to Georgie at that moment, since Lizzy was out of the dressing area. By the time she reached the front of the store, Darcy was calmly walking in her direction with a bag in his hand. He held it out to her with a cheeky grin.

"It's a gift." He reminded her.

"Was it expensive?" Lizzy asked.

"You'll never know."

Since it was about an hours drive from Edinburgh to St. Abbs, Lizzy would be going home with the Darcy's to their estate in Ratho. Slightly intimidated (she had never been to an estate before) Lizzy got in the passenger seat and Georgie scrambled into the back. They had spent nearly three hours at the Princes Mall; the two girls were now inseparable. Any time Darcy would try to join the conversation he was quickly responded to but then they would turn back to each other and continue talking as if no interruption had occurred.

Ratho was quaint compared to Edinburgh; there were large fields surrounding the small collection of houses and on the outskirts of the town was Pemberley, the Darcy estate. A frozen lake was the first to greet them as it was situated in the foregrounds of the manor. Naked trees, as well as some pine, bordered lanes and roads and a vast wood stretched for what seemed to be miles, but Lizzy knew it couldn't be that big. Could it? As they drove down the road to come to the front of the manor, Lizzy spotted snow-covered hills at some distance away from the estate, but she was told that it too, was on their land. The manor itself was a beautiful work of architecture; turrets stood proudly at each corner of the building and the windows were large and arched, giving it a medieval quality to it. The windows that lined the attic were latticed and under each sill was a flower pot, however, they were now bare of any life. Darcy pulled up to the front of the manor where a servant was waiting, he had called the house to let them know of their arrival. The man traded places with Darcy as the occupants exited the car, and drove it to the garage, somewhere in the back. A stable could be seen not too far from the house and Lizzy involuntarily took a few steps forward.

"Do you ride?" Georgie was already walking up the steps to the front entrance. Lizzy looked back and followed her with Darcy bringing up the rear.

"I do a little, but I don't get a chance to very often." She told her.

"Ooh. Why don't we go for a ride tonight?" The ever-hopeful Georgie asked. Lizzy turned back to Darcy.

"Do we have time?"

"It depends, do you take a long time to get ready?" He asked. Lizzy was walking backwards facing Darcy.

"No. I'll just slip the dress on and do something quick with my hair."

"I can help with that." Came Georgie from the front. Lizzy and Darcy shared a smile at the girl's eagerness.

"Then you have time for a very short ride; I don't know how enjoyable that will be."

"It'll give me an excuse to come back." Lizzy spun on her heel and missed the happy expression on Darcy's face.

The front doors opened wide and revealed its extraordinary splendor to the newcomer. Marble floors and pillars were the first things that one saw on entering Pemberley. Two grand stairwells paralleled each other until they met at the landing where black iron bars rimmed the sides with designs of vines and leaves. There was more to discover if you traveled straight back instead of climbing to the second level, as well as doors leading to the left and right of the front entrance, but what was to be found, Lizzy did not discover at that time. The Darcy's led her to one of the stairs and they ascended the steps with an excited sense of a hurry. An older woman was standing at the top of the stairs, smiling down at them.

"Mrs. Reynolds," Georgie shouted, "this is Lizzy. Lizzy this is Mrs. Reynolds she's our housekeeper as well as my tutor."

"Hi. It's nice to meet you." Lizzy actually felt that she meant it. When meeting new people, one always says something of that sort out of some sense of politeness. But Lizzy found that she never really meant it, it was just an introductory sentence; but something in the air at Pemberley was different. When she clasped hands with the aged woman, she was truly pleased to meet her.

"Are you hungry?" Mrs Reynolds asked them.

They were all fine and excused themselves to get ready for a quick ride. Georgie lent Lizzy a pair of riding boots (thankfully they were the same size) and a jumper. When they reached the stables the attendants brought gloves and helmets for the three riders. Once everything was fitted properly a horse was found for Lizzy. The mare was a Cleveland Bay horse; she was a little hesitant with Lizzy at first but soon became comfortable with her and acknowledged the commands given to her. The three rode to the top of one of the hills, a quarter of a mile away, and Lizzy was able to see a greater span of the land. It was marvelous, there were no other words. The wealth of the estate wasn't imposing but somehow subtle; the atmosphere was so relaxed and welcome that Lizzy forgot at times that she was visiting a historical building that has been the home of the Darcy's for over five generations. Lizzy, Darcy and Georgie rode around the grounds, chasing each other back and forth for a short time until it started getting later and they had to return to the stables.

"That was so much fun." Lizzy breathed. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was becoming frizzy under the helmet she wore.

"I know. You're such a good rider, though. Where did you learn?" Georgie dismounted and handed the reigns to one of the stable boys, normally she cooled the horse down and unsaddled it, but tonight she wanted to help Lizzy get ready for the Ball.

"During one summer at St. Abbs there was an equestrian instructor at our visiting centre and my sisters and I signed up for the lessons."

"They payed off." Darcy said, desperately trying to remain in the conversation. He was happy that Lizzy and Georgie became so close so fast, but he didn't expect that he'd be in competition with his sister for Lizzy's attention.

"We're going to have to leave in half an hour, we should start getting ready." He told Lizzy.

Georgie's room was bright; she had a corner room with windows on two walls, allowing plenty of light to enter and stream against the floor and furniture. The sun, however, had set as the three made their way to the house. The curtains were now drawn and a small chandelier lit up the space. A canopy bed sat luxuriously in the centre of the room with a vanity across from it. A door led off to the loo whilst a second one connected Georgie's rather large closet.

"I feel like I'm stepping onto a movie set." Lizzy told Georgie's back; she was rifling through her vanity to get the supplies needed for Lizzy's hair. When she heard the remark she laughed.

"A movie set? Why?"

"It's so...nice and fine." Without responding, Georgie practically pushed Lizzy into the shower.

"Don't be too long, it'll take a while to dry your hair."

Lizzy cleaned the sweat and grime from the ride off of her body and added liberal amounts of shampoo and conditioner to her hair. She needed it as orderly as possible for tonight. It took her a while to lather it all up, deep into her hair and at the roots, but she was finally rinsing and turning the water off. A towel sat waiting for her on a rack and she wrapped it around her head and started drying it. When she soaked up the excess water, Lizzy dried her body and stepped into Georgie's room with the towel wrapped around her.

"Here, put on your dress and then I'll see to your hair." Georgie took the red gown out of the bag and handed it to Lizzy. Careful not to get it wet, she slipped it on and placed the towel on her shoulders to protect the dress from her hair. Georgie was still in her riding clothes when she sat Lizzy down and began blow drying her hair.

"Are you not coming with us to the Ball?" Lizzy shouted over the noise of the machine. Georgie shook her head.

"Why not?"

"My aunt." She shouted.

"Lady Catharine?" Lizzy wondered. Georgie nodded.

"Why -"

"Later. I'll tell you later when I'm done drying your hair." Lizzy agreed and they were silent as the loud hum of the blow drier circled around her head and down her back. With only ten minutes left, Georgie turned off the machine and started pinning Lizzy's hair up like crazy. What she achieved was an elegant up-do with random wisps falling to Lizzy's shoulders; she looked beautiful. As Georgie had been styling she told Lizzy of her aunt's strict rules and how she didn't want Georgie exposed to the press yet, in any form, not even at a school ball.

"I'm sorry." Lizzy said. Georgie shrugged her shoulders.

"Someday I'll be able to make my own decisions without worrying about her, but for now I have to comply." She sighed, but then, determined to stay in a good mood, she ran to her closet and came back with a black wrap and a pair of red shoes. The wrap was crushed velvet with faux fur on the inside and the shoes had no straps with a small heel.

"Here, this will pull everything off." She offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it'll look better with your dress than the coat." Lizzy swung the wrap over her shoulders wiggled her feet into the shoes and went to examine herself in the mirror. Georgie came up behind her and rested her chin on Lizzy's shoulder.

"Is this me?"

"Yes," Georgie Laughed, "it's you. Now hurry down, Will's waiting for you.

Darcy paced the large foyer in an impatient, excited manner. His heart was pounding a tattoo in his chest, and his once greased hair was becoming loose from all the times his hand swept through it. He checked his watch repeatedly, not because he was worried about the time, but he needed something to do. A date. This was a date. They had both labeled it as one and over the winter holidays they'd be sharing another one at Charlotte's wedding. Darcy took a second, a third, a fourth deep breath until a figure appeared at the top of the stairs in the middle of the landing. The screw holding his jaw together loosened and practically fell to the floor. Lizzy laughed as she said, "didn't anyone ever tell you that it isn't proper manners to catch flies with your mouth?" His teeth clanked as his mouth shut. Georgie came down the stairs behind Lizzy with a smile plastered to her face.

The girl whose everybody's eyes were on (Mrs. Reynolds, as well as some of the other staff had come up to see the couple off) felt very self-conscience as she tried not to trip down the steps. She safely reached the bottom and took hold of Darcy's offered arm. Mrs. Reynolds came up to them and wished them a good-evening as well as telling Lizzy that she will no doubt be the prettiest lass at the Netherfield Ball. The pair thanked her and said their fare-wells to everybody else as they headed for the door.

"No naughty business between you two!" Georgie teased. Lizzy and Darcy didn't respond to that, but both blushed deeply.

Netherfield Academy was the place to be tonight, so it seemed. Car after car after car lined the streets of Dunbar, all sharing the same destination of the school. Lizzy and Darcy waited in line for a grueling twenty minutes until they were in front of the school and a valet went to park the car. Lizzy eyed Darcy with a questioning glance.

"Compliments of Lady Catharine." He said, referring to the valet. "She likes things done...in style." They were walking up the steps of their school but it no longer felt like a school; it seemed to be some foreign, high society, glamour show. Without realizing it, Lizzy leaned in closer to Darcy.

A throng of people was hanging around the entrance, which made no sense to Lizzy, as it was so cold out, but there they were. As politely as they could, Lizzy and Darcy made there way through the sea of people until they were safely, and warmly, inside of the building. However, it wasn't any less crowded in the halls; once again the pair cautiously made their way to the ballroom. There was an actual ballroom in the school, which now made sense to Lizzy as she saw what fuss was made about the event. A coat check was available and Lizzy gave them the wrap she wore and Darcy handed over his coat. They then entered the Ball. It was a large room that Lizzy had never been in before; it matched the style of the rest of the school in everything, except that there were curtained glass-doors that led to a large terrace. Tables lined the walls, carrying refreshments and appetizers. Lizzy had learned that they were going to be served dinner as well. Quite fancy. She was speechless as she absorbed the room and then looked at Darcy.

"And you're related to this?" He gave a sheepish grin.

"Lizzy!"

"Darcy!"

Charlie, Jane and Edina spotted the two of them and were making their way over.

"Wow Lizzy, you look amazing!" Edina said.

"That's such a pretty dress!" Jane exclaimed.

"You look alright." Charlie teased. They laughed and Lizzy and Darcy gave the quickened version of their day and then asked about Jane's and the Bennet's.

"Mr. Collins arrived just minutes ago with Charlotte, Lady Lucas and Maria. They would like to see you; and mum, Da and the girls have been here for a while. Charlie and I have been here for a while, Caroline came with us." She eyed her sister and Darcy nervously.

"What about you Edina?" Lizzy asked. "Are you here with Adam?"

"Yeah, he's over there by the punch bowl. Do you want to meet him?"

"Darcy." A mans voice called. "Come over here for a second will you, I'd like you to meet some important people from Oxford."

And so the first interruption of the night; Lizzy went to meet Adam, and Darcy went to meet Professors. Adam was a nice bloke and clearly had a very soft spot for Edina. He wore a yarmulke at the crown of his head and a Star of David hung from his neck. The three of them talked for a while, but soon, Lizzy was pulled away by Jane and Charlie.

"Mum wants to see you, she says she misses you." Lizzy was led to an area of tables where people could relax and watch the dancers. She saw her family, as well as the Lucas's and Mr. Collins.

"Lizzy! You look so beautiful! Did Darcy's sister lend you that dress?" Mrs. Bennet asked. Lizzy sat in an empty chair across from her mum; she saw her Da looking at her as if not believing that she was his daughter.

"No, actually it was a gift from Will, a Christmas gift." She could feel the colour rising to her cheeks as realized how they would hear that.

"Georgie, his sister, was with us and she chose three dresses for herself."

'Too late to back peddle.'

"Elizabeth, you look quite grown up since I last saw you." Mr. Collins had joined the conversation and sat next to her with Charlotte on his other side. The Bennet girls had become interested in something else, no doubt lads, and had left the table, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Jane, Charlie, Lizzy, Mr. Collins and Charlotte. Lady Lucas and Maria were out in the hall taking a breather.

"Yes, well, a pretty dress and new hairstyle does help." She replied.

Charlotte asked if Lizzy enjoyed her second trip to Edinburgh and the latter responded in the affirmative. She told them of all the buildings and Princes Street and Mall, of Edinburgh Castle and the many people that crowded the city at all times.

"Sounds like a headache." Mr. Bennet said quietly. Lizzy smiled but was a little disappointed that her Da wouldn't like the city, she was growing very fond of it. She then told them of Ratho and how beautiful and grand Pemberley is and how sweet Georgie was to her. Mr. Collins hung on her every word, reveling in the praises he was hearing of his patroness's nephew and niece. Lizzy talked so much that she didn't realize that half an hour had elapsed since she had seen Darcy, it wasn't until she looked at a clock hanging on the wall. She excused herself and went in search of her date. The room had become even more crowded from the last time she was walking around; the dance floor was a mix of adults and students swaying to the beat of the slow music. Lizzy stopped as she thought she saw a somewhat familiar face in the crowd, but it was gone in another instant. She tried to follow, however, fate intervened in the shape of Caroline Bingley.

"You said that you weren't dating." She accused.

"We've become rather blunt haven't we." Caroline's eyes narrowed.

"You think you've got him but you don't know the half of it." Without any explanation of her remark, Caroline turned and disappeared in the crowd. Lizzy shook her head and continued her search of Darcy, it didn't last that much longer, she found him talking to a bald man by the food tables. Warily, Lizzy approached him; she didn't want to get dragged into some boring conversation of, 'I say, old chap, you must come and join us at Cambridge or Oxford. It would be jolly good of you if you did.' No thank you. Nonetheless, Lizzy silently came up behind Darcy and slid an arm around his. He looked down startled, but when recognition dawned he proudly introduced her to the man.

'Just what I was dreading.'

"How do you do Miss Bennet? Oh, well, I won't detain you from your pretty date any longer, Darcy. Enjoy." And he turned away into the crowd. Lizzy raised her eyebrows.

'Huh.'

"So," Darcy started, "this isn't exactly how I planned it, but before someone else wants to talk, would you care to dance?" He bowed and Lizzy curtsied, taking his hand. He led her to the dance floor just as a new song started up. Mrs. Bennet saw this and whispered something to her husband, he jerked up and looked at his daughter and his heart sank. There was no denying it anymore, she was a young woman and whether she realized her feelings for Will Darcy or not, they were certainly there.

Lizzy was on a cloud. Her right hand was clasped in Darcy's and her left rested on his broad shoulder. She could feel his warm hand on her back as the dress came down low and her head was against his chest. They were like that even for a second after the song ended; and as the next one came on, Darcy led Lizzy out to the terrace.

Mr. Bennet rose in his chair but his wife constrained him.

"She'll be fine."

The terrace was surprisingly empty, Lizzy and Darcy walked to the bar and rested their hands on it. The chill of the night now felt welcome.

"Are you enjoying the Netherfield Ball so far?" Darcy inquired.

"I am now."

Simultaneously, they turned their heads towards each other and slowly their bodies followed. Without a word, Darcy cupped Lizzy's face with both his hands and traced her jawline down her neck with his finger. He leaned closer until Lizzy could feel his breath on her lips and she closed her eyes. He was almost there when -