Pride, Prejudice, and Denial

Headington, Oxford
May 2002

"Lizzy, I need to speak to you about Darcy."

"What about him?"

"You know."

Jane had continued to see Jamie and they had, tentatively, agreed to be boyfriend and girlfriend until Jane went away to uni and maybe after. She was still worried about the long distance issue, but Jamie had persuaded her to live for now. Their relationship meant she saw a lot of Darcy, and that meant she knew just how hung up on her sister he was.

Lizzy looked at her blankly, a little too blankly to be genuine.

"He asked you out months ago and you've seen him lots, but nothing more has happened."

"We're friends." Lizzy shrugged.

"He really likes you. And I think you really like him, too."

Lizzy was dismissive. "People usually like their friends."

"I mean like like. Can't you give him a chance?"

"Jane you know my reasons." Lizzy pleaded.

"I know they're stupid! You can't let a book determine your whole life. If you like him, you should do something about it. He's a lovely guy and you're just stringing him along. I know about all those long chats on messenger."

"We're friends!"

"You know he wants to be more that friends. You're being cruel." Jane was Lizzy's biggest fan, but she wasn't afraid to be the big sister and tell her off when she needed it.

"I'm not stringing him along!" Lizzy crosses her arms sulkily. "I like going out with you and Jamie. I can't stop Darcy coming. He knows how I feel."

"That's what worries me. You say you just want to be friends, but you don't act like it. Flirting with him on nights out with another couple isn't how a friend acts. It's not fair."

Lizzy kept stubbornly quiet, her face screwed up with defensive anger. She couldn't look more like a stroppy teenager if she tried. Jane would laugh if she wasn't so frustrated.

"Lizzy, they way you act you are practically going out with Darcy anyway! And I know he hasn't so much as kissed anyone else since you two met. I noticed you haven't either. Give him a break and admit you like him!"

Jane had decided to have this discussion in the kitchen, and, somewhat naively, had taken no precautions against their mother hearing.

"Is it true?" Fiona asked, excitedly. "Are you really going out with Darcy? That Darcy? The surgeon's son?"

Lizzy threw Jane a dirty look.

Jane tried to rein her in; "Darcy is Jamie's friend Mum. Lizzy came with us on our night out. It doesn't mean anything."

"That's not what you just said. Lizzy?"

"Mum, it's really nothing."

"But you went on dates!"

"It's not the fifties, Mum. We happened to be at the same place at the same time."

"What about these message thingies?" Fiona had clearly been listening at the door for a while.

"Mum, seriously, it's no big deal. I talk to lots of people on Messenger. He's Jane's boyfriend's friend..." Now it was Jane's turn to throw a dirty look, but Fiona ignored that news in favour of Lizzy's more interesting situation. "...and he's studying the same subject I will be. We have common interests, that's all."

"Where does he study? Isn't Jamie at Oxford?" Lizzy groaned at her slip up.

"They're both at New College, Mum." Jane was such a suck up!

"OOOOH!"

"Mum, please."

"Sending messages, and going on dates, and you'll be at the same college?" Fiona's eyebrow rose and her face settled into irritating smugness. Lizzy was going to murder Jane.

"Thom!" shouted Fiona, turning to run into the study, from where the girls could still hear her. "Oh you won't believe this! Lizzy is going out with Fitzwilliam Darcy. I told you it was fate!"

Lizzy was going to murder Jane very slowly and very painfully.

"Oh I just knew how it would be!" mocked Lizzy. "Does she think she actually is Mrs Bennet?"

"But Lizzy, she is actually Mrs Bennet."

"Argh! You know what I mean!"

Jane didn't think this boded well for Darcy's chances.

"And I haven't been flirting!" Lizzy stormed out.

Xxx

MSN Messenger
May 2002

LizzyB: You don't think I flirt with you do you? Jane just told me off.

Darcy is typing.

Darcy is offline.

xXx

Zizzi's, George St, Oxford
June 2002

Lizzy leant her shoulder into Darcy and he found it hard to breathe. They were out for dinner with Davies and Jane again, officially providing them with chaperones or support or whatever, but everyone except Lizzy knew that was an excuse.

"Are you really going to make me call you Darcy our whole lives?"

His stomach gave a thrill at 'whole lives', but he couldn't let himself be distracted when the topic was this important.

"You're not calling me Fitzwilliam!"

"And I suppose Fitzy has bad memories of Dick." She giggled. He raised an eyebrow, but was secretly thrilled that she took his side over Richard's.

"Fitz?"

He gave her a look. "No."

"Not even on special occasions?"

"It would have to be an incredibly special occasion."

"Well, maybe I'll test that out some time." He marvelled at her skill in making a raised eyebrow seem so wildly provocative. "I suppose William works, but I don't really like it." She mused. "Would you consider Will?"

"My Dad called me Will."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She put her hand on his forearm and her look was soft and sympathetic. "Is it too painful to use it?"

Not when you look at me like that, he thought. "Not so painful. Georgie calls me Will too. It might be a bit strange, though."

"Can we try?"

"You can. I don't promise anyone else can."

By the following term, most of College called him Will and he actually liked it. It was like a weight had lifted off his shoulders and the years of hating his name just... went away. Lizzy was a wonder.

xXx

Headington School Leavers Ball, Oxford
July 2002

"I cannot believe you talked me into inviting Darcy. I hold you responsible for Mum." Lizzy huffed. The last week of her Mum going on about Darcy had killed any enthusiasm Lizzy originally had for tonight.

Jane rolled her eyes. Her sister was ridiculously persistent in insisting that all the time she spent with Darcy was forced upon her. Jane had given up trying to persuade Lizzy otherwise.

"What time is everyone getting here?"

"In about 20 minutes." Now it was Lizzy's turn to roll her eyes. "I don't know why they all need to be here. They've seen us in dresses before. It's basically the same as prom."

"They're family. They want to be with us on special nights."

A car door slammed, interrupting Lizzy's grumpy response. Jane peeked out the window and gave an excited little jump.

"It's Jamie!"

"I don't see why they had to come here either. We could have met them there."

"Lizzy, please don't spoil our night. I know Mum has been a pain but I had a word with her. And its only a little while, for pictures."

"Ok," Lizzy sighed, "let's get this over with."

-x-

Darcy's mouth went dry as he watched Lizzy descend the stairs. She was so beautiful. He was pretty sure he had fallen in love with her. They had spent so much time together in the last few months, he felt like he knew everything about her. He tried to chat with her on Messenger at least once a day, and whatever she said, she definitely flirted. Any chance he had, he made sure to tag along with Davies and Jane; Jane always got Lizzy to come too. Darcy had even danced with her on nights out and it drove him crazy. He knew she knew about his feelings, and he was fairly sure she had some feelings about him too, but she was determined not to give in. She had a bigger chip on her shoulder about Pride and Prejudice than he did. But he was determined too, and he wasn't going to give up on her. Tonight was his big chance to show her he was worth taking a punt on.

Within 5 minutes he thought he could cheerfully strangle her mother. It was now painfully clear exactly why Lizzy was so reluctant to go out with him.

Mrs Bennet had been very kind to him on his arrival. She had even got them champagne and canapés to start their night. Then Lizzy came downstairs and it had started. He shouldn't have been surprised; she had named her children after the novel, of course she would be excited by the idea of Darcy and Lizzy. He listened with increasing dismay as she compared him to Colin Firth (he had to admit, she wasn't wrong about the similarities), and pointed out that Lizzy's dark curls weren't so very different to Jennifer Ehle's. Mr Bennet laughingly interrupted to remind her that the actress had worn a wig, but Darcy still watched Lizzy shrink into herself and away from him. This was a nightmare.

By the time they went out to the garden for photos, Lizzy had barely said two words to him. He was devastated.

A rather knackered looking Ford Cortina pulled up, interrupting his internal pity party.

"Jesus," he muttered to Davies, "who invited the Clampetts?"

Lizzy banged her shoulder into his arm as she pushed past him.

"Auntie Daisy! Uncle Onslow!" She called. "Where's Rose and Grandad?"

Fuuuuuck.