Chapter 3: Fate

New College, Oxford
December 2001

"Remind me why we're doing this again?"

"Quit whinging Rich! It'll be fun! And we'll meet all the potential freshers first!"

"You think everything is going to be fun, Jamie. That's hardly an inducement. And Fitzy definitely isn't doing this to meet people; they won't tempt him. Not unless he's had a personality transplant!" Richard sniggered.

Darcy sighed. The Pride and Prejudice jokes were getting really old. Richard had been bad enough when he only saw him infrequently. Now they were all at college together, it was driving him insane. Deep breaths, this is for Davies. He was also currently sporting a bright red t-shirt with the college logo emblazoned on the front and 'Student Volunteer' on the back for Davies. They were all helping with the admissions interview week for next year's student intake.

"You know perfectly well why we're doing this, Dick. Davies needs to volunteer for college activities if he wants to get on the JCR committee next year, and he wanted help. It's good to be involved in college life. I did plenty of committee work at school, I don't see why we should slack off now."

"Well we wouldn't want Fitzwilliam Darcy to neglect his duty would we? Austen wouldn't approve."

God, he was such a dick! Darcy headed over to the porters' lodge to find some more congenial company. There was a girl with pretty brown curls and sparkling brown eyes laughing with Steve; she looked familiar. Darcy smiled. Maybe meeting potential freshers was a good idea after all! The girl turned and caught his eye, and the smile dropped from her face. She said goodbye to Steve and pushed past a stunned Darcy with a fearsome scowl. If looks could kill…

'What was that about?' he asked the porter.

'Don't ask me, mate,' shrugged Steve; 'women, eh?'

-x-

He saw the girl a few more times over the next couple of days. Her name was Lizzy. Darcy wasn't in charge of her group, and he wasn't sure whether to be grateful or not. He was intrigued by her happy bouncy personality around everyone else, but he really didn't want to know what has earned him the Medusa stare.

"Been charming the freshers have we?" Richard asked him.

"I haven't even spoken to her. I don't know what her problem is."

"Looks like it's you, mate." Richard laughed. "Excuse me!" he called out to the girl.

She turned and gave him a slightly less dirty look.

"She doesn't seem that charmed by you either." Darcy sniped. Richard ignored him.

"Yes?"

"Hi. I'm Richard. I was wondering how you're getting on?"

"I know who you are. We met a few months ago."

Oh shit, now he remembered, the girl that was really weird about Darcy :"You're Lizzy, the Pride and Prejudice girl."

Darcy started.

"I really don't like the association, I'm fairly sure I mentioned that."

"The Pride and Prejudice girl?"

"You don't know?" she looked incredulous.

"Erm, should I?" Darcy was slightly afraid of her.

"Elizabeth Bennet. Your Dad named me."

"My Dad?!"

"Yeah. Have you never heard the story?" She glared. He winced.

"No?"

She sighed. "Your dad and my dad were in the waiting room when you and my sister were born." How did she manage to sound bored and furious at the same time? "Your dad told my dad about your name, and my dad told my mum, and me and my sister got named Jane and Elizabeth."

She was actually tapping her foot.

"Sorry?" He tried to sound apologetic, though he was mostly confused why she seemed to think this was his fault.

Richard was looking between them like it was a tennis match.

"Your sister knows the story."

"You know Georgie?"

"You know I do!"

"I do?"

"I picked my brother up from her birthday ice-cream last year? You were very rude. Ring any bells? Maybe not. Maybe you're always rude."

Darcy went red. He was starting to remember. Richard had also recalled how much he had wound her up about Darcy, and realised it might not be quite so hilarious to anyone else.

"Erm, well I need to go to see..." he waved vaguely, and left Darcy to the firing squad.

"That was you? But you're gorgeous!" Darcy blurted out, and went even redder, though he hadn't realised it was possible.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I, er, well..." he stammered. "I mean, I'm sorry if I was rude. I remember I was impatient that day because I was about to get clamped. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I didn't realise you were so pretty."

Lizzy was disgusted. Austen's Elizabeth Bennet may have been charmed by flattery and hidden her dislike behind witticisms, but it was 2001 now. This Lizzy had no problems letting Darcy know he was a knob.

"So you're sorry you were rude because I'm pretty?"

"Yes." He noticed the raised eyebrow and belatedly registered her tone. "I mean no! I mean, I'm sorry and I also think you're pretty."

"Does that normally work for you?"

"What?"

"Flattery."

"That's not why I'm saying it. I didn't realise how pretty you were that day but I realise now. So I'm telling you. If I was as smooth as you're implying, I don't think I would be doing this badly."

She laughed. I made her laugh!

"You were really, really rude. You said my little brother had invited himself."

He didn't remember that; "I don't remember that! Oh God, I'm really sorry. I sound like I was a massive dick. I was so stressed out that day, could you maybe just ignore that I was a dick? Start over?"

Lizzy was determined not to give in. So what if he had a nice smile? She had self respect.

"I don't know. I heard some other stuff too."

"Like?"

"You call your best friend Bingley."

"I what? That's a load of crap! Who said I did that?"

"Richard." "Richard."

"Jinx!" she laughed. He really liked that laugh. "So you don't?"

"Richard likes to mess with me. A lot. It's why I call him Dick. Because he's a dick."

She raised her eyebrow again, but this time she was clearly holding back a smile.

"He 'had never done anything to entitle himself to more than the abbreviation of his name', huh?"

"What?"

"Austen, again. From Persuasion. It's about a Richard who only deserves to be called Dick."

"Can you say that to him? He deserves to be on the receiving end for once. He knows I hate the whole Pride and Prejudice thing. I don't even use my first name, everyone calls me Darcy."

"I think they do that in the book as well." She laughed. "I know what you mean though. I hate it too. Which Richard also knew."

"When did you talk to him about it?"

"We were at The Bridge at the end of August. For my sister's birthday. I met him then."

That rang a bell. "I knew you looked familiar! He told me you had a boyfriend."

She was definitely smiling now.

"Why would he tell you that?"

"I asked about you. He knew I liked you. He must have been worried I'd talk to you when you didn't fall for his chat up lines."

"Oh and you think I'd fall for yours, do you?" Lizzy was half enjoying herself, half disgusted with herself for how easily he was winning her over.

"I can hope."

He put his hand over his heart and gave her his best puppy dog eyes. Not smooth her arse!

"I'm not a fan of chat up lines from anyone. My sister Jane is the susceptible one, as your friend Jamie could tell you."

"You're that Jane's sister? Why did she never call Davies? He didn't shut up about her for weeks!"

She had the grace to feel embarrassed.

"He wanted her to call him?"

"Of course!"

"I think Richard might have messed with me about that too. He told me Jamie was a bit of a player."

"So that's why Jane didn't want to see him again?"

"Erm, well, actually I deleted his number, and then I told her she must have lost it."

He gasped. "Wow. That's a bit harsh."

"I might have overreacted. I had been drinking."

"So she liked him too?"

"I suppose. She'd also been drinking."

"I know how you can make it up to them. Let's all go for a drink together."

"All?"

"Well, you don't want anyone to be upset with you, let's say we're going for a drink and want company. It'll give them another chance, but we don't have to say what you did."

She considered. "When?"

"How about this this evening? Your interviews are over aren't they?"

"Yeah. But Jane won't be able to come until the weekend."

"Jamie's going home on Saturday but how about we go to the King's Head at lunchtime, before his train? They do a nice pie and chips."

"Ok. I'll ask Jane. Give me your number and I'll call you."

"I better take yours as well. In case you 'lose' mine."

That made her laugh again. When he left her, he felt like he was floating.

xXx

Headington School, Oxford
February 2002

"Lizzy! Lizzy! I got in! I got in!"

Lizzy looked up from her desk as Jane skidded into the room.

"Jane calm down," she laughed, "only dogs can hear that screech!"

"Sorry! But Lizzy I got in!"

"To Exeter?"

"Yes!"

"Jane, that's amazing! Congratulations!"

"Thank you! I'm so happy! Now I can really start to look forward to planning everything and researching all the sports teams and, oh, it's going to be amazing!"

Jane was really into sports, playing for various school teams, and though she hadn't narrowed down her exact career path, she knew it was going to be a sporty one. Sports Science was the perfect choice for her degree and Exeter offered one of the top courses in the UK. Lizzy already had a place at New College, Oxford, to read Psychology.

"You're never going to be home are you, once you move to Devon and take up surfing?!"

"Obviously! I'm going to leave all this behind me and never look back." Jane declared with a dramatic swing of her hand, before collapsing on Lizzy's bed in giggles. "It's going to be so strange not being together anymore."

"I know. No more being mistaken for twins."

"That only happened a few times Lizzy, we've been at school with all the same people for years."

"I know. I liked it though. I'm really glad we were born so close together. I feel sorry for Thomas, he's almost an only child, being so much younger."

"Yeah, but he's Mum's little miracle and he loves getting spoiled! Plus he has loads of friends. He's not exactly shy!"

"True. He'll miss you though. So will Mum! I don't know how I'll keep her from turning up at college on me."

"Live at home like she wants you to?"

"Er, no thanks! Maybe I'll suggest she would like a nice holiday home. I've heard Devon is lovely!"

"Don't you bloody dare! She'd do it too!"

"Nah, she wouldn't want to be so far from Thomas. You'll have to start calling him your miracle too!" Lizzy sniggered.

"You'll come visit though, won't you? Your terms are shorter so it should be easy enough."

"Of course! I'll want you to come see me too. Not just come home, but to college. You will, right?" Lizzy's expression turned teasing. "Or maybe you'll be visiting someone else..." Jane thumped her with a pillow.

"Don't! I think that whole thing is a bad idea." she said, sadly.

"Aw Janie, really? I thought you liked him!"

"I do! But we've hardly seen each other since we met, what with me losing his number..." Lizzy looked away, guiltily. "...and then he went home for Christmas, and he's really busy with the choir and music practice, and it's hard for me to get away from here, and..." Jane let out a massive, frustrated sigh. "Well, I'm going to be living in Devon in a few months, so..." She shrugged.

"That's not 'til September though. It doesn't mean you can't go out a few times. You don't have to be serious."

"I know. But I really like him. I'd want to be his girlfriend, I know I would, and then it'd be long distance and it just seems stupid so close to me moving."

"Well don't make any decisions yet. How about you just hang out as friends for a bit and see how you feel then? When are you meeting up again?"

"This weekend. Will you come? Jamie's said Darcy was asking about you. It was fun when we all went to the cinema, and at that lunch before Christmas."

"Erm, I suppose so. I don't want to encourage Darcy."

"I thought you liked him now?"

"That's the problem. I don't want to be a cliche."

"Not the Pride and Prejudice thing again."

"Come on, you know what it's like. You've been teased too!"

"I don't care about it the same way you do. I certainly don't think you should make life choices over it."

"Easy for you to say. You won't be going to college with Charles Bingley for the next two years. It's going to be bad enough without being his girlfriend too!"

Jane's eyebrows shot up. "I was just thinking about dinner, you got to boyfriend-girlfriend very quick!"

Lizzy blushed. "Well, we've been talking on messenger a bit. He asked me out."

"Lizzy!"

"Do NOT tell Mum."

"But Lizzy, she'll find out eventually…"

"Will she? Who says there'll be anything to know?"

"Isn't it fate?!"

"Seriously. I will kill you!"

"Ok, ok!" Jane laughed "I do see your point though, Mum would be a nightmare if she knew you were going out with him."

"Exactly."

"He is fit though!"

"Yeah" Lizzy sighed, "and sweet."

"So you'll come out with us?"

Lizzy groaned and stuck her head in a pillow. Jane could just about hear the muffled "I cannot believe I'm actually going to go out with bloody Fitzwilliam Darcy!"

xXx

Author's notes:

JCR: Junior Common Room. This refers to the undergraduate student body, and also to a literal room where they can socialise. The JCR committee is elected to represent the undergrads to the college authorities and the University and to carry out various tasks.

There is also an MCR (Middle, for postgrads) and SCR (Senior, for fellows).