A/N: So here's the next chapter and as a treat and a break from all the angst, this chapter is solely Elizabeth and Will with a few other characters in such as Mr. Bennet for example. I figured it was the least that I could do to ensure that the Darcy Sr., Caroline, Wickham and Eleanor plots doesn't completely overtake the story with all their schemes and plots and feeling sorry for themselves.

I don't know when the next chapter will be up, I'm hoping to post it within the next two weeks but I've been a bit ill recently and I have three assignments to complete for my university course before the end of April so that has to take my focus at the moment. So my apologies but I'm not abandoning any of my WIP's, I will be coming back to them when the stress of my life dies down a bit.

Here's to second first dates :)

Tuesday night came rather quickly, much to Elizabeth's liking. Ever since they had agreed to spend some quality time together alone, both she and Will had been eager for the night to come. The Sunday after they had moved Jane into Netherfield, they had taken Rose to London Zoo again and spent the day strolling around London afterwards; taking Rose to see the street performers at Covent Garden and walking through Hyde Park.

After the staff meeting had ended, she walked through the doors at Longbourn and after a little sit down with her daughter to read a book that Rose had brought home from pre-school, she took her shower and chose out a dress; a navy blue, knee length dress with three-quarter length sleeves. She pulled on a black pair of tights (it was November after all) and sat at her dressing table; plugging in her curling tongs as she began to clip parts of her up to curl the untouched parts of her hair in sections.

There was a knock on her door as she was halfway through doing her hair. Elizabeth shouted at the knocker to come in as she looked at the door through her mirror, smiling as her father came into the room and shut the door behind him.

"Rose is tucked up and asleep in bed, we hadn't even finished reading The Gruffalo." Mr. Bennet said.

"Thanks Dad." Elizabeth replied.

Mr. Bennet sat on her bed and sighed, causing Lizzy to turn around as she held the hot tongs to her head.

"What's the matter?"

"Lizzy, you know that I love you don't you?" Mr. Bennet asked.

Elizabeth frowned, "Of course I do." She replied quickly.

"I'll only ask this once and whatever you say I'll accept your answer and your decision. I've watched you grow closer to that young man you dated and conceived Rose with, it might not seem like I've always watched you but I have. I've seen the way that the two of you look at each other but I need to know that you're one hundred percent certain that reuniting with William Darcy is what you truly want, that it's the best thing for both you and Rose." Mr. Bennet stated.

Elizabeth sighed. In truth she had expected her father to have this talk with her at some point. Her Dad and her had always had a better bond than what she shared with her mother and her father devoted his time and attention to Rose more than the stereotypical grandparent would.

"Dad, you don't need to worry about me. I'm a big girl."

"I'll always worry about you Elizabeth. It's my job."

"Dad, I want to be with him and he wants to be with me. We're taking things slowly and it wasn't his fault about what happened between us, it was his father's and we're determined to make this work."

"Very well. I just wanted things to be clear between us and as long as he makes you and Rose happy and doesn't hurt either of you, then I'll be able to be happy for you both." Mr. Bennet replied.

Elizabeth smiled, releasing the strand of hair from the curling tong before placing in another strand.

"Maybe you should spend less time worrying about me and little more time worrying about Lydia?" Elizabeth suggested with a chuckle.

Mr. Bennet chuckled in return, "Perhaps you're right there. Your youngest sister certainly needs a little more of my time and worry." He agreed.

Her father left her bedroom as she glanced at the clock, she still had half an hour until Will would be picking her up for their date. Elizabeth finished off the last few strands of her hair and put it into the places she wanted before moving on to her make-up.

When she was satisfied with her make-up and hair, she stood up and left her bedroom; heading downstairs to see if Will had arrived yet.

ooOoo

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the front door of Longbourn three times. Will didn't know why he felt so nervous, it wasn't as if he had never taken Elizabeth out before. But then, maybe it was because they had only just reunited and this was the first time in four years that they were doing something as a couple.

The door opened and he stepped inside, only to be greeted by Elizabeth's father who gestured that the two of them head into the study. Will nodded and followed Mr. Bennet into the room, sitting in one of the empty chairs whilst he watched Mr. Bennet close the study door behind them.

"William, I wanted to have a little chat with you." Mr. Bennet stated.

"A chat?" William asked.

"Yes. A Chat. About you, my daughter and my granddaughter."

And now his nerves were kicking in a little more. He hadn't expected to have a conversation with Elizabeth's father about his reunion with her.

"I've spoken to Elizabeth and she's adamant that you both want to give your relationship another try and I respect her decision, it's her life after all. But I wanted to make it clear to you that I will be really unhappy with you if Elizabeth gets hurt again, the pain and hurt she felt the first time the two of you were separated was painful to watch. The first time there was nothing that I could do but support her through her pregnancy." Mr. Bennet explained.

"Mr. Bennet, with all due respect, it wasn't my doing that Elizabeth was forced to leave me. We've spoken of the true events that occurred and we want to be together in spite of what my father did."

"Yes, she told me that. But from a father's perspective, it isn't nice seeing your daughter return home from what she had always described as a wonderful summer, to be heartbroken beyond repair and carrying a child. Elizabeth and Rose mean the world to me and I want to make sure that you will look after them both."

"Mr. Bennet, you don't need to worry about my intentions or capability of looking after my daughter or the woman that I love. I love your daughter, I never stopped loving her if I'm being honest. I consider myself quite lucky to have Elizabeth back in my life and willing to give our relationship another chance. I lost her once and it hurt more than words can say, and now that I have her back again, I don't intend on letting her go. As for Rose, I loved her from the first moment that I was able to spend quality time with her. I lost out on three years with my child, I'm not going anywhere." William vowed.

Mr. Bennet gave him a small smile.

"I'll hold you to that promise, William. I only want my daughter to be happy and in turn, for my granddaughter to be well cared for and happy too." Mr. Bennet replied.

The two of them rose from their seats just as the study door opened and saw that Elizabeth stood in the doorway, frowning at her father.

"Please tell me that you weren't doing the 'protective dad' speech?" Elizabeth grimaced.

Will looked at her and smiled, admiring the dress she had chosen. She looked utterly beautiful, the way her hair fell to her shoulders in loose curls to the way her eyes sparkled when she caught his gaze.

Mr. Bennet chuckled, "We were just having a little chat, nothing to worry about." He replied.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, "Thanks for listening out for Rose for the night. Any problems, give me a ring." She said.

"No worries, you two have fun."

William left the study and took hold of Elizabeth's hand, slightly aware that Mr. Bennet was still watching them as Elizabeth reached for the door handle and opened the front door as they exited. Once they were outside, the cold November air hit them and he drew her closer to him.

"You look beautiful tonight." He muttered, smiling down at her.

She returned the smile, "Thanks, not too shabby yourself." Elizabeth replied with a grin.

The two of them got into Will's car and buckled up, pulling away from the prying eyes behind the windows at Longbourn.

ooOoo

They drove for a while, discussing how their days had been. She had learned that William had picked Rose up from pre-school and had spent the afternoon watching their daughter's favourite Disney films before taking Dash on his afternoon walk whilst Elizabeth told him how her day at work had gone.

When they eventually made it to Watford, they parked the car in one of the local all-night carparks and crossed the street to the shopping complex which held shops, restaurants, a cinema, a casino and a bowling alley.

"Where are we going?" Lizzy asked.

"I figured that since there were no Spanish themed restaurants local to you, a Portuguese theme would be the next best things." Will grinned, taking her hand and heading into the Nando's restaurant.

Elizabeth laughed as the server took them to their table where they had a look at the menu. She had eaten at Nando's a few times with Charlotte and Jane.

"Have you eaten here before?" Elizabeth asked.

William nodded as he looked at his menu.

"A few times with Charles."

After looking over the menu in silence for a few minutes, they both opted to have the peri-peri chicken, a double burger and a wrap for Elizabeth with a side of fries each, with Will choosing a medium spice and Elizabeth opting for the lemon and herb.

Will rose from his seat, only to frown when Elizabeth stood up and started to protest as he got his wallet out of his coat pocket.

"I'm paying." Will insisted.

"I don't expect you to pay for my meal- "

"Elizabeth, just let me spoil my girlfriend once in a while."

Girlfriend. The word had seemed so natural to fall from his lips that it surprised her. They hadn't established the 'boyfriend and girlfriend' label on themselves, they had only agreed to see how things between them went slowly. But hearing him call her his girlfriend, after all this time, was making her feel jittery on the inside.

"Fine, but I'll be slipping in my half of the money when you least expect it." Elizabeth warned with a smile.

Will rolled his eyes, "I'll be right back." He said quietly, kissing her on the cheek as he headed up to the tills to order their food.

She didn't know why, even after all this time, that it bothered her that William would insist on paying for a date when she had always liked to pay her way. Maybe it was because she had always believed in splitting the bill or the cost of anything she did on a date whereas when she and William had been together in Spain, he had tried to pay for everything they did together until she had to make it clear to him that she didn't mind paying sometimes or paying her half, something which had surprised him at the time.

Will returned to their table minutes later with two refillable cokes and sat down, a teasing smirk on his face.

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked.

"I was just remembering our first date in Spain, I took you out to one of the local restaurants like I'm doing tonight and it made you really uncomfortable when I paid. When I took you back to your Uncle's house, you had slipped some money into my pocket." William smiled.

"Well…. I think it's because I've always believed in paying my own way for things. Even when you pay for us to take Rose out on the weekends, I still get uncomfortable sometimes."

"Why? She's my daughter too, it's about time I started treating her to days out and buying her things she needs." Will replied.

"I know; I just wouldn't expect it of you."

Taking a mouthful of his drink, Will reached with his spare hand across the table to take hers.

"Elizabeth, I know you're capable of providing for Rose. You've had to do that by yourself ever since Rose was born. But now, we're back together and I want to be able to step up and be that Dad that also provides for his child. So if Rose needs new clothes, shoes, anything else then I'll get it for her." William said softly.

Smiling, she gave his hand a light squeeze. She supposed that he had a point, he wanted to be that kind of Dad that provides for his child then he should be able to do it without her feeling uncomfortable. He had really stepped up ever since Jane and Charles's engagement party and she could see that, even if they hadn't spoken about it much since he had left Pemberley, being able to be a parent to his little girl had made him truly happy.

They chatted about different things, as to whether to tell Rose that they were back together, to the stag and hen do's that they had to plan for Jane and Charles when the topic eventually turned to Will announcing that he was looking for a house locally to move into once Jane and Charles returned from their honeymoon in January.

"I was thinking that a two bedroom would be perfectly comfortable. I know it's a little smaller than what I've been used to my entire life but a two bedroom would be perfect for when you and Rose want to stay over- "

"Stay over? Already picturing us spending weekends at your new place which you haven't even bought or rented yet?" Elizabeth teased.

"If I'm being honest then yes I have pictured that. I've pictured us being a little family and other things but we agreed, we're taking this slowly so no pressure." Will replied, with a small smile.

"Then I should probably tell you that I've also been looking at moving out of Longbourn. I've got a property viewing to rent on Friday after work." Elizabeth admitted.

"You do?"

She nodded, sipping through her straw.

"It's just a viewing but I can't keep living at Longbourn forever. I'm twenty-two, Rose will be starting school next September so I want us to live in a place that we can call ours. Besides, Lydia is becoming more of a nightmare to live with."

"I imagine that your mother wouldn't welcome the news. Is that why you haven't told anyone?" Will asked.

"Well Matthew knows but yeah, that's partly the reason. My mother is still getting used to the fact that Jane moved into Netherfield at the weekend."

"Would you like me to come with you?" Will offered.

"You can if you want to."

"Before I left Pemberley, I managed the tenants that we rented out land and properties to so I can be there for a bit of support."

Elizabeth nodded, taking another sip through her straw as the waiter brought their meals over to them. Whilst they were on the subject of moving out, Will mentioned that Charles had asked Caroline to move out and was in the process of finding her a place to live. Elizabeth laughed when it was mentioned that Caroline had thrown a strop over the fact she had been asked to leave Netherfield but sympathised for the woman, it was after all Caroline's childhood home.

ooOoo

Their meals had been eaten and they had opted not to have dessert due to being full up. So they left the restaurant hand in hand, walking through the shopping complex where they passed several of the wine bars.

"So, considering that this first date went well, do I get to take you out on a second?" Will asked.

He loved the sound of her laughter as she looked at him through twinkling green eyes.

"You know that we've already done the first date, second date thing four years ago, right?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well this was our second first date considering that we're starting again. But that doesn't answer my question. Can I take you on a second date?" William asked.

They stopped as they reached the exit of the shopping complex, still holding hands as he eagerly waited for her answer. He hoped that he didn't sound too pushy in asking her if he could take her out again just the two of them but he had thoroughly enjoyed the evening and was beginning to feel happier than he had in recent weeks.

"I suppose that you could." Lizzy teased, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him.

William instantly wrapped his arms around her, drawing her in closer as his eyes shut and the kiss deepened; tongues slowly moving against each other as he felt her arms wrap around his neck. Ever since they had agreed to take things slowly and they had shared kisses, he had found himself thinking how he could have spent the last four years without being able to kiss her, to hold her in his arms as he was doing in this very moment. He was ruined, he knew that now that he had her back, he was never going to let her go a second time.

It was too brief for his liking. She pulled away from his lips and smiled up at him before stepping away and leading him across the road towards the car park. It was getting late and she had to be at work in the morning as well as taking Rose to pre-school before she was due to start her day of teaching.

The drive back was a peaceful and silent one. He drove with one hand on the steering wheel and the left holding Lizzy's right hand; only letting go when he needed to change gears or use the hand brake before returning to the warmth she offered.

When they arrived back at Longbourn, they both got out of the car so that he could walk her to the front door; feeling like he was a teenager all over again with the typical walking to the door scenario. They hovered in the doorway, not in a rush to say goodbye just yet.

"Thank you for tonight, I really enjoyed it." Elizabeth whispered.

"So did I. I'll text you tomorrow." Will said.

"Goodnight Will." She breathed.

Closing the gap between them, he bent his head down and pressed his lips to hers. Her reaction was instant, hands slipping inside his coat pockets to keep her hands warm as she matched the rhythm he set with his lips. His hands ran through her hair; the curls that had been so perfectly placed at the start of their night were beginning to fall back to their natural state of straightness, but the smooth texture of her hair made his hands relax into the curls.

Their kiss was interrupted when the front door opened and they both sprang apart, both with their hearts hammering away in panic as they looked upon the amused face of Mr. Bennet.

Mr. Bennet checked his watch before meeting Will's gaze.

"Five past ten. You've got her home safely and early, are you trying to score points Mr. Darcy?" Mr. Bennet asked with a laugh.

"Dad!" Elizabeth groaned.

"Goodnight William, I suppose I shall see you tomorrow afternoon when you drop Rose home." Mr. Bennet said, heading into the house.

Hearing the study door shut, William breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry about my Dad." Elizabeth mumbled.

William smiled, cupping her cheek.

"It's fine, believe me." He replied.

A pause.

"I better head in, goodnight Will." Elizabeth whispered, kissing him lightly.

He watched her enter the hall, her hand on the door but continuing to look at him.

"Goodnight Lizzy." He breathed.

With one last smile, she had closed the front door and he turned to head back to his car. As he breathed in deeply and placed his hands into his coat pockets, he frowned. A second later, he pulled out a ten pound note that he hadn't put there and rolled his eyes.

It was then that he came to the conclusion that it wouldn't matter if they fifty first dates which he would pay for because she would always manage to put her half of the bill back in his pocket.