Chapter 12: Second Chance

She hated driving to Jersey: the tolls, the ridiculous traffic, the super long gaps between exits on 95 South. The day of Charlie's dinner had arrived, and Lizzy had spent most of it regretting her earlier promise to attend. Caroline had surprised Jane with an early morning visit and invitation for both her and her sister to spend Saturday afternoon shopping. When Lizzy declined the invitation in favor of letting the two women get to know each other better (and saving herself from the mortification of the obscene price tags that were sure to be witnessed on the excursion), the plan became that Caroline would bring Jane home to Jersey and Lizzy would drive her back after dinner. What this alteration meant for Lizzy was a day spent doing laundry and scrubbing the oven, and a completely solo and mostly frustrating hour and fifteen minute drive to Essex Fells.

Lizzy turned her parent's car down Netherfield Place and began looking for number 721. As she proceeded, it seemed to Elizabeth that each house she passed was larger than the last. Perfectly manicured lawns presented themselves in front of majestic, imposing houses; most of which were graced with columns on their doorsteps, expansive windows and Maseratis in their driveways. For all of their grandeur, they all feel awfully cold and impersonal. Suddenly, her GPS chimed in and interrupted her thoughts. "You have arrived at your destination."

Lizzy knew that she shouldn't have been shocked; that Jane's previous stories had made her more than aware of the Bingley's wealth, even when those stories had focused on everything but. Every circumstance had betrayed vast resources, but even Lizzy had not been able to imagine this.

The private road had been shaded by trees, but cleared to reveal an impressive driveway in front of a sprawling, white, French-Style Country Mansion. Elizabeth couldn't help but notice the feel of European splendor, and wondered how involved Caroline had been with its purchase. Although she had only met her briefly this morning, it had quickly become evident that anything that communicated wealth was what Caroline Bingley most enjoyed associating with. She reeked from designer perfume, name dropped other rich people she knew and wore a garish outfit in the name of couture. Elizabeth also enjoyed perceiving that she looked very much like a fish out of water in their tiny Queens apartment, and had to hide a smile when she witnessed Caroline wrinkle her nose and place a paper napkin on their vinyl sofa before taking a seat.

Glancing at her car clock, Elizabeth realized that she was already late. What do people do at houses like these? Does a butler come get them? Did I miss a call box? Talk about a fish out of water.

Ever the efficient one, Lizzy opted for ringing the doorbell. After a few moments the door swung wide, revealing none other than William Darcy. Elizabeth felt like the world had suddenly shifted on its axis; seeing Mr. Darcy in weekend casual was almost like meeting a whole new person. He looked relaxed; approachable, even. His jeans clung in all the right places as his left hand rested halfway in his pocket, and his designer sweater had a low mandarin collar with a zipper that was partially open. His face had lost the sharp edge that she had gotten so used to; all of its hard lines were softened with the ease of a Saturday spent with friends. Wow, work must be rough. Oh no…Lizzy don't check him out…oh god, how did I not see this coming?

"Miss Bennet!" he exclaimed.

"Mr. Darcy." she returned.

Silence. Each simply stared at the other.

After several interminable moments, he asked, "I beg your pardon, but, what are you doing here?"

"Charlie invited me. I'm Jane's sister." As if you didn't know that…god, can we quit the act already and have a normal conversation for once?

She opened her mouth to let him have it, but before she sarcastically proclaimed, I'm the 'Ugly Stepsister', remember?, she caught herself. This was Jane's evening; she wasn't going to ruin it before it even had a chance to begin. Exasperated with the absurdity of it all, she asked, "Can I come in?"

He opened the door wider, but not before the look of mild confusion was replaced with his usual impenetrable visage. "Of course."

She walked under the arm holding the door. Away from his gaze, she rolled her eyes and muttered, "Thanks PNC."

If it hadn't been for the door he was holding onto, Will Darcy may very well have fallen over onto the umbrella stand.

Even now, as he watched her lovingly greet her sister and engage Caroline in conversation, he sat dumbfounded considering how he could have been so completely blindsided. I must have looked at the wrong woman. It makes sense, because I have never seen siblings that look less alike than they do. Maybe one is adopted?

Everything is completely different now, he realized.

He had gone to her staff meeting Thursday determined to ask her on a date, with the added benefit, of course, of seeing her again. By that point, she had consumed his every thought, and he was physically exhausted from fighting the attraction he felt for her. This was not your everyday infatuation; she was not an everyday woman. Charlie had been right; in many ways she literally is the 'girl of my dreams'.

This posed a small problem, because until his introduction to Elizabeth Bennet, he had strictly limited his social circle to people of his own standing in society. He had discovered much earlier in life that friendships with individuals of lesser means were more often motivated by a desire to receive some small payout from his family's fortune instead of mutual respect. He cringed as he thought of his elementary school years; the large circle of friends who sat with him at lunch when he treated them to cookies, or candy bars, or birthday parties that included the renting out of Euro Disney for his and his guests' own private enjoyment. The same "friends" who would viciously laugh at him behind his back and mock him for the preppy clothes he wore, or the fact that everything came easily to him, or who had been told by their parents to, "make sure they were nice to Will Darcy so he would invite them over and they could meet his mum and dad."

It was this same type of individual who had created the strain that had eventually ended his parent's marriage. At the age of 13 he had watched his father, a man equal in good looks to his son and so congenial he could put Mr. Lucas to shame, send his lawyers to court battle after court battle fighting claims of sexual harassment and employee discrimination. His father vehemently denied any wrongdoing, but there was only so much his devoted wife could take. Years later, at the age of 20 and when both of his parents had already passed, Will decided that the truth of the allegations must lie somewhere in the middle: his father may have been overly friendly, but his accusers definitely saw what they stood to gain.

All of this had caused Will to determine that, as he had no control over the actions of others, it was up to him to ensure that the relationships and friendships he pursued did not threaten his or his family's happiness. His smattering of brief romantic attachments had always been with women he could be sure were not dating him only for his money, and his very close circle of friends had been thoroughly vetted and proven to be individuals of the highest character and loyalty. Yes, he was a loner; he could afford to be one, and preferred it to exposing himself to abuse at the hands of people claiming to be his "friends".

Fate had been cruel to further complicate circumstances by introducing him to Miss Bennet through a work relationship. The emotional hurdle, considering his parent's history, was enormous; but a small voice told him that Elizabeth – god, how he loved her name – was not the type of person to be motivated by mercenary pursuits. Maybe it was how she treated her employees as equals, or the fact that she didn't fawn over him like so many others - both men and women - did. Whatever it was, it had only taken her three days of an acquaintance to completely dismantle a lifetime spent fortifying a wall around his heart. Principles be damned, he wanted her, and he was going to pursue her.

That is, he was, until she had declined his lunch invitation that Thursday. He knew that she wanted him as well; hadn't she been asking for his opinion of her and inquiring as to how long he planned on staying in New York? However, by saying "no", she made it evident that her professional boundaries were still firmly in place, while his had already become non-existent. It made sense; as a woman, a decision to date him might materially damage her credibility within her professional network. Her rejection, therefore, had accomplished three things: a deepening of his regard for her as being the only person to have ever rejected anything offered by him, a return to the grim reality of their working relationship, and a sobering of his heart to the only path that lay before him if he wanted to respect her wishes and keep his sanity.

That night in the privacy of his study, he had resolved to put distance between them. There would be no further trips to Lucas Media. If he needed to give materials or get information from her, he would send one of his subordinates to do so. Severing this connection would ensure the weakening of his feelings and the preservation of what was left of his crumbled principles; in short, it was the only thing to be done. And then fate did him the incredible favor of putting her in the place that he least expected: on the doorstep of his best friend's home.

It would take some time, but here was his opportunity; a connection outside of work that would allow the eventual and steady development of a romance. He could get to know her, charm her, and win her entirely within the context of friendship. There would be no impropriety because any future interactions would be the direct result of the budding relationship between his best friend and her sister. Inside he felt almost giddy; never before had he been offered the opportunity for such a sorely needed second chance.