Thank you for all the love for the first two chapters. Things are moving rather quickly in the story as these two dunderheads just need to be in each other's company for a bit to hash things out and to realize that they are finally on the same page. The only problem is that there are a lot of other people around, both those that want to be helpful but may unintentionally prevent the needed conversation from taking place and at least one who wants to sabotage any opportunity for Darcy and Elizabeth to be closer. I've had to cut this chapter shorter than I would have liked because I am traveling tomorrow.

Chapter 3

When Elizabeth got on the road she was still seething with anger, anger at her doofus of a cousin who couldn't seem to get it through his thick head that she wasn't interested, and anger at her mom for thinking she should dress like a hooker for Thanksgiving dinner to attract said middle-aged, balding man with the worst conversational skills she had ever met. She drove way too fast, anxious to get away from her trouble and to get to Jane. Fortunately, no troopers seemed to be out on Thanksgiving day.

The five hour drive had flown by, uneventful but for the jerk who honked at her. Where had he come from, anyway and why did that SUV seem to keep following her, albeit at a safe distance? Coincidence, she told herself, just coincidence.

But coincidence couldn't explain him following all her turns and driving down the driveway. Elizabeth paused before turning off her engine (which would make the doors unlock), grabbing her phone from her purse just in case she would have to call her sister or the police, but after she grabbed her phone, she finally studied the driver in her rear-view mirror rather than just the hulking SUV with the large grill which sported the Lincoln symbol that he was driving. Although he was in shadow, he looked like, "Darcy!" she exclaimed to herself. "But who is that blonde woman with him?" Girlfriend, her mind suggested. Elizabeth hurriedly tucked her phone back in her purse and went to get her suitcase before he would get out and she would have to meet Darcy and his girlfriend in the driveway.

But Elizabeth wasn't fast enough, mostly because her suitcase was too heavy to heft out of the trunk quickly. When Darcy turned up at her elbow and began reaching for her suitcase, Elizabeth felt a bit of gratitude but also annoyance, it should be her new brother helping her instead of him.

"What are you doing here, Darcy?" she asked.

As soon as Elizabeth spoke those words embarrassment hit her. She sounded petulant when she wanted to sound reasonable. It would only confirm what he thought of her.

Yet again she wondered what he must think of her and her family to invent that tired excuse of a sick relative to avoid standing up across from her at her sister's wedding and being best man for Charles. And worse yet was the fact that Charles and Jane actually seemed to believe that excuse, with them only expressing minor disappointment and no incredulity. She remembered Jane saying, "He wrote the kindest text after his hurried one explaining the circumstances. It was full of regrets; it is a wonder that he took the time given that he was at the hospital and so worried about his cousin."

Elizabeth held her tongue then about the fact that Darcy was obviously lying. It was nothing extraordinary at all to write a kind note when you were trying to keep your friend in the dark when you were ditching him. If Charles and Jane were oblivious, she did not want to cast a shadow on their big day.

Elizabeth felt disappointed with Darcy, that he wasn't the man she had almost thought he was, especially when she looked over at Quinton Hurst standing across from her where Darcy should have been. Quinton or "Q" as he preferred (he told her at the rehearsal dinner and said it was a reference to "NextGen;" he seemed rather put out that he had to explain to her that there was a character in Star Trek the Next Generation with that name) was wearing a suit rather than a tux as there was no time to obtain one. It was just the four of them up there with the minister.

When Elizabeth should have been listening to the words the minister was saying about what marriage meant, she was instead thinking about the fact that Darcy must not care about Charles all that much if he couldn't look past the fact that she would be there. Then she considered that maybe he still disapproved of Jane due to their family and knew how hypocritical it would be to stand there all the while thinking that he would rather be objecting. She had been liking the Darcy that she had finally been getting to know when Lydia had to go and ruin it all. But who was this man truly, if he would disappoint his best friend in this way?

Elizabeth was snapped back to the present and the man before her when Darcy answered evenly, in a controlled tone, no hint of what he thought of her question in his bland expression, "Thanksgiving dinner, same as you I expect. I came to see Bingley and to get away from my aunt." He paused and Elizabeth felt he was censoring himself when he added, only half looking at her, "she isn't always the nicest person to be around." He looked back in Elizabeth's eyes when he clarified, "I couldn't stand to hear her insulting someone I care about."

Elizabeth had only met Darcy's aunt, Ms. de Bourgh, once. She had been hosting a charity event to benefit leukemia research at her mansion in Nashville. Elizabeth's mother had bought two seats for a charity dinner and ball. Originally the seats were supposed to be for her mother and father. Mrs. Bennet had gone on and on about what a worthy cause it was and naturally Elizabeth had agreed (although she was almost certain that her mother's only interest in attending was to be able to drool over all the ostentation that was supposed to be Rosings Plantation).

Elizabeth found she had been outmaneuvered a day or so later when her mother told her, "It seems that your dad and I won't be able to attend that charity event after all, and to think we already purchased the tickets. You and Charlotte should go instead. I've already talked to the Lucases about it and they think it will be a great thing for you girls. You will both have fun and it is for a good cause after all, and there might just be some eligible young men in attendance." Mrs. Bennet winked.

Her mother tried to get her to go evening gown shopping with her a few days later, but Elizabeth had gotten the best of her mother by already having purchased an evening gown at a consignment store she had shopped at with Charlotte. Elizabeth had to take up the hem and take some material from the shoulders to fit her five foot two and a half inch frame, but once that was done, it had been perfect. Mrs. Bennet had to admit that she looked good in it, even if her mother would have lowered the neckline if she could have.

But then Elizabeth had the nasty surprise of finding out that their seats were at the table which Cousin Will Collins was hosting. Making small talk with Will was the worst, though Charlotte at least tried to help, telling Elizabeth when they were in the powder room, "He is not so bad."

Later in the evening, Will had insisted, "Come on Cousin Elizabeth, you must meet Ms. de Bourgh." Charlotte had come with them and so was there to hear Will Collins say, "Ms. de Bourgh, it is my honor to introduce you to my date, Elizabeth Bennet. I very much doubt she has ever had the honor of meeting anyone half as important as you."

Elizabeth regretted not contradicting him about their non-dating status, but did not want to embarrass him in front of his boss. Ms. de Bourgh said, "My, Elizabeth is it? You are a pretty-ish sort of girl. You will do for Mr. Collins indeed." And then to Mr. Collins, she sniffed, "I would not have even thought someone from the backwoods of Kentucky could clean up so well. When you mentioned your cousins the Bennets had five daughters all I could think was, haven't they heard of birth control? No one should ever have more than one or two children in this day and age."

Elizabeth was very angry (she could not imagine her family without Mary, Cathy and Lydia and how dare Ms. de Bourgh suggest they should not exist), but a charity event did not seem to be the right place to murder her hostess. Charlotte headed off anything Elizabeth might say by asking Will Collins, "Could you introduce me to Ms. de Bourgh, too?"

Just then Darcy had come by. He asked, "What are you doing here? Aren't these tickets a bit out of your budget?"

Elizabeth felt the insult in those words, but evenly said, "It is such a good cause. Shouldn't we all do our part?"

"Perhaps, but it would be better to just give the money directly rather than for all this money to be spent on the food and entertainment." Darcy proclaimed.

Elizabeth felt all the irritation inherent in his words, which implied she had made a poor choice to attend rather than just donate money, even though she had been thinking something similar herself. "Then why are you here, Darcy?"

"Well I have to be, Catherine de Bourgh is my aunt." Then without asking, he took her by the hand and led her out onto the dance floor. "My aunt is something else, but she is in a lot of pain. This event and ones like it are not going to change what has happened to those that she cares about most."

Still, though she was annoyed at him, Elizabeth had to admit that Darcy was a good dancer and it felt very natural to be in his arms, letting him expertly lead her. And the way he looked at her, like she was the only woman in the room, had her heart beating faster. She tried to remember why she hated him, his mistreatment of George Wickham, his disappearing act with Charles Bingley which had her thinking that Darcy had decided that Jane was not suitable for him, even after all the care Charles had lavished on Jane after she twisted her ankle on their ski weekend. She had overheard Darcy and Charles's younger sister talking about how uncouth her whole family was, Caroline had opined, "Jane is a sweet girl; too bad she comes from a family of hicks."

At the charity event while they danced, Darcy told her, "I am glad you are here, Elizabeth. I've been fighting my feelings for you for a long time, you aren't exactly the kind of woman I usually go for, I've been used to moving with the best families and let's face it, your whole family but for Jane are pretty embarrassing. But I would like to get to know you better. I think we should start dating; I think we can have a future together."

Elizabeth let him have it then, taking out all of her annoyance at her mother, Mr. Collins, Ms. de Bourgh and Darcy too, all in one extended tirade while they continued to dance: "Of all the hypocritical, egotistical, wrongly self-righteous crap anyone could sling, you have gone and done it. Darcy, if you were the last man on earth I would never date you. I was sure that Jane and Charles were a match made in heaven but you broke them up, didn't you? And now you want to go out with me after you have just insulted my family? You are so cruel with what you did to George, I would never trust you. I would rather date my cousin Will Collins because at least I would know what I was getting with him." Then she stormed off.

Elizabeth couldn't think of Ms. de Bourgh without thinking of how mean she had been to Darcy before she really understood the whole story about what a creep George Wickham was, or that Darcy had believed Jane's placidity meant she was willing to catch any rich man who came her way, rather than liking Charles for himself.

As Elizabeth walked beside Darcy, she wondered if Darcy's aunt had insulted Bingley. It would make sense that Darcy would come to see Bingley if that were the case. They walked to the door and rather than knock Elizabeth just walked in. "My sister is expecting me," she explained, "and she doesn't stand on ceremony." She called out, "Jane, Charles, I'm here."

"Me, too." Darcy echoed her, feeling off balance that he had just walked in after her. He wasn't family after all. They paused a moment in the foyer and Darcy set the suitcase down. He couldn't wheel it over the gravel path and it felt like she was packing a whole set of cast iron cookware in the battered black suitcase which looked like it was the maximum dimensions for an airplane checked bag.

"Coming," a feminine voice came from the right. Likely the kitchen, he thought, correctly as it turned out.

"How long are you staying?" Elizabeth asked Darcy as they waited, hoping desperately that he would be leaving after dinner. Elizabeth planned to stay for the whole weekend. She was between apartments and she couldn't move in with Charlotte until Charlotte's new lease started on Sunday and though she would be welcomed, she did not want to crash with the Lucases as Charlotte was doing. She would do her best to make nice with him for the sake of Jane, but it would be easier if it was just for today. And why did he have to smell so good and be so handsome? She felt how easy it would be to be "in like" with him again, as she had been before Lydia ruined it all. But she couldn't blame her sixteen-year-old baby sister too much, she had done dumb things too at that age, had snuck one of her dad's cigars just to see what it was like and made herself sick in the woods behind her childhood home, woods that had been bulldozed since then to make way for a new housing development.

"We were planning on staying the whole weekend, but I'll leave after dinner if you want me to." Darcy stared at her, thinking, I have waited so long to see you! Please, please tell me that you want me to stay, or at least that you don't mind if I do. I will be whatever you want. I know it is too late, but please, please feel something for me. I know you don't love me, but I couldn't stand your indifference.

"Who is we?"

"Gigi and Anne, oh my goodness I forgot about them. I'll be right back." Darcy dashed out of the front door, leaving Elizabeth standing there alone. She might have followed him out, she had liked Gigi when she had met her and was curious about girlfriend Anne, but no sooner had the door closed of its own accord than Jane was there.

Elizabeth found herself enveloped in a great big hug, the kind of hug only her closest sister or the dearest friend could bestow. But perhaps because she had just seen Darcy, she found herself comparing the current hug to the one he had given her, only once, when she'd gotten that text from Jane, saying that Lydia was missing and was believed to have gone off with George Wickham from a party at which they had both been drinking.