Chapter 17: Ella Lounge

Lizzy retrieved her driver's license from the bouncer, stepped inside the retro doorway and took in her surroundings.

For a moment, she looked beyond the crowd to admire furnishings that reflected an intentional old Hollywood glamour, modernized by the use of colored LED lighting in the walls and ceiling. These glowing panels bathed the entire lounge in a provocative and sensual red light. Everything looked trendy and chic; from the cut glass chandeliers and vintage portraits, right down to the oversized red leather booths.

No wonder Charlie likes this place. It feels classic, yet fun…just like him.

Lizzy raised an eyebrow then, amused at how gaudily the activity within the lounge contrasted with its precisely appointed décor. Completely disjointed from the glamorous surroundings was the lively and wild Halloween Party that had already taken hold of the tiny space. The music was booming at the hand of a fantastic DJ, and already there was an overly large crowd on the dance floor. The high energy level tinged the air with excitement and anticipation.

Charlie greeted Jane with a lingering kiss, and Lizzy with a warm hug, before leading the way back to the bar so that they could meet up with Darcy and Caroline. They were only able to reach their destination by holding hands and following each other through the thick crowd of swaying bodies. Upon seeing the duo, it became immediately apparent that Charlie had passed along the Alice in Wonderland costume memo. Caroline was dressed in a sparkling, white short fitted dress, with a curled platinum wig and dark makeup that looked professionally done. Lizzy recognized her instantly as The White Queen.

It was Will's costume that intrigued her more – the low key aspect of it fit his personality, although he looked out of place next to the elaborate costumes the rest of their group had chosen; she was pretty sure the ever exuberant Charlie had even rented his. In contrast, Will had gotten a basic T-shirt custom designed with an artistically abstract version of a King of Hearts from a playing card. He was lost in thought when they came over, but snapped to attention when he heard Caroline say hello to Jane. His eyes, as always, immediately found her own.

Jane leaned over and shouted into Lizzy's ear, "I'm gonna go dance with Charlie."

"Have fun!" Lizzy shouted back.

She walked up to the bar and considered what to order. A few moments later, a second pair of elbows leaned next to her own on the cramped counter.

"Hey Lizzy."

She looked up to the side and greeted him with a small smile. "Hey Will."

Hearing her call him Will definitely had an effect. A smile spread across his face that he didn't even try to hold back. "Will, huh? I was wondering when I would get to hear you use my first name."

Lizzy looked back down the bar to try to catch the sight of the bartender. He was helping a crowd at the other end and looked like he would be awhile. She cocked her chin and glanced at Will sideways. "I think I was waiting for you to stop pretending that I wasn't Jane's sister. The fact that you did that allows me to feel no shame in confessing that I called you - 'Mr. Darcy' - many times as a simple means of retaliation." She turned to face him directly, arched her brows and extended her heart scepter. Using her best "regal" voice, she proclaimed, "Now hate me, if you dare."

He gazed back at her expressively and chuckled. "I could never 'dare' to hate you." He then pressed his lips together and reached back to rub his neck, before leaning one elbow on the bar to face her. "Actually, that reminds me. I have a confession to make too. I really didn't know that you were Jane's sister until you came over to Charlie's house. Charlie failed to introduce me properly at Toshi's, and the subject never came up afterwards for me to make the connection."

And…he's lying again. You're breaking my heart, Mr. King of Hearts. I thought maybe, just maybe, we could try to be friends.

Outside of her mind, however, she stayed silent. A packed club didn't seem an appropriate place to discuss his original insults. She might start throwing the lemons that she saw peeking out over the bar top at him, and then where would they be? I really do need to prioritize having the 'ugly stepsister' conversation soon, though; otherwise, it looks like we might never have it, she thought sarcastically.

He gently bumped the side of her arm, "Hey, can I ask you something?"

She had lost her enthusiasm already. "I guess."

"Has your mom always been like that? Towards you?"

She thought back to Sunday night, and how grateful she had been to him for briefly taking on her role and keeping her mother in her place. "For as long as I can remember, she has. I'm mostly used to it."

"If she hadn't been your mother I probably would have said much more than I did. You don't deserve it Lizzy. I hope you know that."

Tears pricked her eyes that she quickly blinked away. Deep down, her mom was always a sore subject for her. "Yeah, of course I do. Besides, my dad makes up for her in his own quirky way."

He smiled. "I know. He couldn't stop talking about you once he found out that I was the CEO who had selected your campaign proposal for my business. I really liked your dad. He's a funny guy."

She smiled too. "That he is."

At that moment, a slightly slurring Caroline stumbled over and grabbed both of Lizzy's hands. "Eliza, come and dance with meee!" she begged, lifting and lowering her heels to add an energetic bounce to her entreaty.

Lizzy wasn't sure what this was about, but allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor by Charlie's tipsy sister. Shortly after, Caroline turned and waved to Will. "Come join us Darcy."

"Caroline, you know that would defeat the purpose."

Caroline's face twisted in drunken concern. She dipped her head seriously towards Elizabeth and asked, "Eliza, what does he mean?" She immediately looked towards the King of Hearts and furrowed her brows. "William, what could you possibly mean by that?"

He laughed, and as he crossed his arms over his muscular chest Lizzy saw a new expression come across his face, one that she could recognize anywhere: a tease. "There are only two reasons that you would want to dance together, and I would be in the way of both of them. Either you have something secret to talk about; or, you are trying to provide me ample opportunity to admire the way your bodies move in those risqué costumes. Whether it is the first reason or the second, the outcome is the same for me, so I'm very happy to just stay over here."

Lizzy wasn't sure she had heard him correctly, and Caroline's jaw fell clean on the floor. "Did he really just say that, Eliza? Oooooo, he's a bad boy!" She leaned forward to playfully slap his wrist, but slipped on her Chanel heel as she did so; Lizzy had to quickly lean forward to catch her before she landed on the floor. Wow, Jane and I must have really been running late tonight if Caro found the time to get this wasted!

Lizzy couldn't help but be amused by how this was going so far. I wonder what Wickham will add to this adventure? Where IS Greg, anyway?

Will was wondering how long it would be before he could peel Caroline off of Lizzy so that he could ask her to dance himself.

She looks incredible tonight. Who knew anyone could make a polyester costume and a plastic stick look so damn alluring?

Just then, the beginning strains of Justin Timberlake's Sexy Back hit the room. The whole crowd shouted in the excitement of recognition; Will watched as Lizzy joined in the jubilant cheer with her arm raised over her head. The catchy bass line gripped its audience, and the entire dance floor began to bounce and sway with bodies. He continued to watch her and Caroline dance and noticed that she had excellent rhythm. She didn't just sway side to side; she would move her feet and roll her shoulders and seemed to become lost in the music that enveloped her. That must be the Latin blood flowing through her veins, he mused.

Dinner at Elizabeth's parents' house had been – what could only be described as - terrifyingly informative. He had been surprised to discover the very slight accent that colored Mrs. Bennet's speech, and the offered meal of chicken and rice stew that had the distinctive mouthwatering seasonings of the Latin Americas. However, when Charlie had asked her about her nationality and what the recipe was called, Fran Bennet had simply stated that she knew nothing besides the fact that it was her mother's recipe, that Jane knew how to make it too, and, "wasn't it wonderful that if they married he would be able to eat it every day of his life?"

Will had to admit, Elizabeth's mother was by far the loudest and most uncouth woman he had ever met. Her partiality for Jane was clear from the moment they had walked in the door; they hadn't been there a minute before he heard, "Doesn't Jane look lovely this evening?" and "You're going to adore Jane's biscuits, she always makes them so well!" She then began to make some comment about a tour of the house, and proceeded to stress to Jane that Mr. Bingley just, "had to be taken upstairs to see her old room."

It had been hard to witness the travesty of Fran Bennet, especially because it was painfully obvious that a lot of Lizzy's looks had come directly from her mother. Listening to the shrew-like matron made him blissfully relieved that an external likeness was where those similarities apparently ended. The only other characteristic that could possibly be claimed as shared was an energetic passion; but where Mrs. Bennet wasted this vigor on everyone and everything in a manner that was foolish, Elizabeth's passion was focused, and in his mind, one of her most admirable traits.

Sitting by Elizabeth's father at dinner had been a welcome relief from her mother's constant effusions, and had provided the final clue to the puzzle of Elizabeth's character. His conversation constantly reflected Elizabeth's own intellect and wit, although perhaps with a more pedantic flair; Darcy had warmed instantly to the man's satirical humor. In Mr. Bennet he had found a fellow loner; and the goodwill between the men quickly developed into mutual respect. Their battle of minds during the poker tournament, where Will had narrowly come out the victor, had only further served to endear the men to one another.

Knowing what he did now, he could not have been more grateful that he had never met Fran Bennet before that night. His reason was simple: if he had, he would have promptly disdained any further connection to the Bennet family and therefore, would never have been able to blindly and irrevocably fall in love with their 25-year-old daughter. It was during that evening, observing Lizzy at the opposite end of the table with her eyes aglow at the sight of her sister's new-found happiness, that he knew, suddenly and undeniably, that he had. In spite of himself, and before they had barely managed to form a friendship, he had lost his heart.

As unpleasant as many moments had been that evening, he wouldn't have missed it for the entire world. The experience had provided him with new eyes to see his Elizabeth: in his opinion, from an incredibly mismatched couple, she had inherited the best of two very different worlds. Watching her now in his solitude by the bar, a complacent smile rose to his face as he once again felt the truth behind the words – words he had never spoken to any woman before, except to his mother and sister - I love her.

Coming back fully to the present, he chuckled as he noticed that Caroline was sadly mismatched to her dancing partner; truth be told, she looked a little like wobbling jello, the alcohol contributing to a slight over-confidence in actual muscle control in her case.

Maybe I should get Lizzy a drink while I wait for this song to finish up? Good thing Charlie was able to ask Jane what she likes. Pleased with himself, he turned towards the bar and waved a fifty at the bartender to get his immediate attention.

Elizabeth felt her wristlet vibrate. Retrieving her cell phone, she accessed her text messages and saw Greg's note, "I'm here. Where are you?"

She looked up and only saw a sea of costumes. Her height didn't help either. She texted back, "Wait by the door. I'll come get you."

Moment of truth, she thought. If having another guy at my side doesn't seem to bother him at all, he definitely doesn't like me. If there is one thing that he has shown me, Will Darcy can't stand being out-done.

She settled herself as her heart whispered what her head refused to say: oh, please let it bother him.

Darcy had lost sight of Elizabeth, and was scanning the club in order to find her.

Finally, he saw her approaching with Jane and Bingley and a stranger; a stranger who seemed to have his hand on the curious position of the small of her back. Wait, is she dating someone? He searched his mind rapidly for any conversation that would have indicated that she wasn't available. Remembering none, he then briefly wondered that he hadn't even remotely worried about that possibility sooner.

The problem was, even with a Zorro mask on, this stranger was looking vaguely familiar. There was just something about the way he walked…

The group had finally reached where he and Caroline were standing. Elizabeth stepped forward and starting saying something that sounded like an introduction towards his ear.

He heard nothing she said. The stranger recognized him, and in that instant, Darcy had recognized him too. Anger seared out from his core and radiated through the strands of his muscles. He felt gripped by a violent force; Bingley must have seen it because in that moment his friend had placed both hands firmly on Will's shoulders and pinned him cautioning to the wall. Darcy clawed and shoved at Charles to get away, and even broke free at one point. Bingley was quick, however; he regained his grip and held firm. The words necessary to get Charlie to release him failed to come; there was so much that he just wasn't able to say when it came to this situation. Slowly, Darcy's senses returned to him as the tunnel vision his anger had induced finally dissipated. Jane was frozen to her spot, Charles had shock written all over his face, Caroline looked parts dotingly concerned and drunkenly oblivious, and Elizabeth…Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen.

Shit. Where the hell did they go?