A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. I still don't own Pride and Prejudice.

Chapter 2: Lazy Day

Lizzie's POV

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my ringing cell phone. A quick glance at the clock told me it was eight in the morning, so I was not surprised when I picked up my cell phone and saw that my mother was calling. "Hello?" I mumbled into the phone.

"Lizzie, darling!" my mother chirped into the phone. "How was your night last night? Did you have a good time at Charlotte's party?"

"Yeah, it was fine," I sighed. My mouth was in serious pain and I wanted nothing more than to stumble down the hall to the bathroom where my prescription strength Motrin was sitting on the counter.

"Were there any cute boys there?" My mother, Marybeth Bennett, wanted nothing more out of life than to see her five daughters married to handsome wealthy men. Mom had gotten married when she was eighteen and saw no reason why Jane and I didn't follow her lead. I had told her that I wasn't as mature at eighteen as my mother was at that age, which was actually true.

"There weren't any who were my type," I told her. "Listen, Mom, I don't mind talking to you, but I need to grab some Motrin really quickly."

"Why? Are you hung-over?"

"No, Mom, I'm not hung-over. However, I did have a root canal yesterday, if you'll recall, and my mouth really hurts right now. So let me take some Motrin and then I'll call you right back."

"Oh, Lizzie, that's just ridiculous. I'll just stay on the phone with you while you take your pill."

I sighed as I crawled out of bed. When I got to the bathroom, my eyes found the bright orange bottles easily even amid the clutter of make-up and toothbrushes and cleansers. I filled a cup with water and quickly swallowed my Motrin and then the amoxicillin. "All right, Mom, I'm all drugged up again."

"Oh Lizzie, don't make jokes about drugs. It's not funny. Didn't you learn anything from Megan Collins's mistakes?" Megan Collins was Ethan's older sister who had gotten involved in some fairly sketchy behaviors when she was in high school; Ethan of course always looked down on her and treated her with a "holier than thou" attitude.

"Yes, Mother, I learned a lot from her," I sighed. "But technically the pills I'm taking are called prescription drugs."

"Elizabeth Anne, please stop being so ridiculous. I simply called to ask you how your evening was and to invite you and your sisters to come over for dinner tonight."

I wanted to remind her that we had been over for dinner only two days ago for a huge Thanksgiving dinner, but then she'd probably tell me that was an extended family dinner and she just wanted to have a private immediate family dinner. "What time do you want us to come?"

"Would seven o'clock work for you girls?"

"Let me talk to Mary and Jane when they wake up and I'll give you a call, but for right now, I'll just tell you we'll be there."

"Good, good, then I'll see you this evening."

"See you then." I hung up before she could come up with anymore crazy schemes.

I spent most of the rest of the morning ensconced on the couch grading my Spanish II students' tests and watching movies with Jane. Mary was in her room reading Nietzsche while Jane and I watched While You Were Sleeping. Mary's use of her time might have been more sophisticated, but some days you really just need time to relax. Plus you need some kind of distraction while you're reading a fifteen-year-old trying to describe the Holy Week festivals in Seville but you have to correct their grammar or spelling every other word.

Jane wanted to talk about Charlie who had asked her on a date for that evening. So after she called Mom to tell her that only Mary and I would be coming to dinner, I listened to her describe Charlie to me. "He's so handsome," she sighed. "And he's an amazing dancer. He doesn't do that sweaty boy slow dance thing, but he takes your left hand in his right hand and then he puts his left hand on your waist."

I smiled to myself but I knew Jane was gone. She had told me when we were in college that she was going to fall in love with the first guy who ever danced with her the "real way." Since Charlie seemed to know how to dance the "real way", I figured, she would be head over heels for him in the next two days.

"And he loves reading," she told me. "He actually knew who Graham Greene is. And he loves Hemingway."

"Jane dear, you hate Hemingway," I told her. "He's not happy enough for your standards."

"I know, but he's at least aware of Hemingway. I've read Hemingway plenty of times; I just don't like him. However, he rereads The Lord of the Rings every year."

"What about music?" I asked. "What are his tastes in music?"

"He likes swing music and classical music."

"Does he know who Salieri is?"

"Lizzie, you ask that about every guy I meet. Heck, you even asked that about Matt Perkins at the library and he's forty-five years old."

"But he's single," I protested. "And he's handsome in a dignified way."

"His hair is going gray."

"He knows who Salieri is and he didn't learn that from Amadeus."

My sister shook her head and smiled. "Lizzie, you're a music snob. Granted you listen to fifty different genres of music, but you know too much about music."

I shrugged. "Says you, but you're a literary snob. You dumped Ben Price purely because he didn't know who Jasper Fforde was."

"Not only did he not know who Jasper Fforde was, but when I loaned him my copy of The Eyre Affair, he told me the book was complete garbage. Then he tried to get me to read some book on accounting."

"Oh, but I always thought you wanted to be an accountant."

"Right after I take the bar exam," she snorted.

Jane as a lawyer was one thing I could never see. She was born to be a librarian; when she was eight years old, she reorganized all the books in our house by fiction and nonfiction and then by alphabetical order by author's last name. The nonfiction books were also sorted by category. When I started teaching at Lakeview, she came in and organized all the books on my bookshelves. She has our entire movie collection cataloged and alphabetized; her music collection is basically the same way. My favorite part is the binders. One sits with her music; the other is with our movies, and they are labeled "JANE'S MUSIC COLLECTION" and "THE BENNETT SISTERS' MOVIES". Lydia and Katie are always making fun of her for it, but trust me, if you're looking for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, the Bennett sisters' movie guide really helps you find the movie.

Darcy's POV

I found myself watching CNN, drinking coffee, and eating blueberry muffins the next morning. I was also checking my email and keeping up with business while out of town. In addition to being a partner in the law firm of Darcy, DeBourgh, and DeBourgh, I also inherited my father's chain of resorts called Pemberley Resorts and Spas. We currently have resorts in Miami, Virginia, Santa Barbara, New York, and Chicago, but we're looking into launching two new resorts, probably in North Carolina and somewhere along the Great Lakes in Michigan.

In the middle of all of this, I was also thinking about Lizzie Bennett from last night. I was glad she hadn't thrown the wine at me, but I was also mad at myself for talking about her like that. I don't know why I do things like that except for the little known fact that I am very shy; that's not one of the facts about me listed on Darcy, DeBourgh, and DeBourgh's website.

Name: William Richard Darcy

Date of Birth: March 5, 1978

College: University of Chicago

Law School: The University of Michigan

William is the son of founding partner Anne Fitzwilliam-Darcy; Ms. Fitzwilliam Darcy passed away after a long battle with cancer in 1999. William graduated from the University of Chicago that same year before receiving his juris doctoris from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in 2003. Following this, he took the bar in Illinois and Michigan.

He joined the Darcy and DeBourgh practice in the fall of 2003 and was named a partner in the fall of 2004. He works primarily in Chicago; however he is interested in taking the bar in New York State, due to the amount of time he spends there working with his other business interest, Pemberley Resorts and Spas.

In his free time, Darcy enjoys wine tasting, foreign films, and skiing in Vail. If you are interested in contacting Mr. Darcy you may email him at last bit is a complete load of bullshit invented by my Aunt Catherine DeBourgh. My email address really is but my favorite hobbies are not wine tasting, foreign films, or skiing in Vail. I enjoy those activities, but they are not my favorites. I much prefer reading, listening to music, dancing, and spending time with my close friends and my little sister, Georgiana. But these events are not as cultured or sophisticated as Aunt Catherine wants me to sound, so they are not allowed to be my favorites.

I know I told Lizzie Bennett that I hate dancing but that was a lie. I love dancing, but I was terrified of her. She's beautiful and so sure of herself; I didn't know what to do with her. I was used to women throwing themselves at me so I didn't have to do any work. But I wasn't interested in women like Caroline Bingley. They weren't interested in a serious relationship; they were interested in my money and what could be gained from an associated with William Darcy, successful lawyer, owner of the Pemberley Resort and Spa chain, and heir to the Darcy fortune. I wanted a woman who was interested in me as a person and wanted me for more than my name and my money. Lizzie Bennett could be that girl.

As I was thinking all of this, a new message popped up in my inbox; it was from my little sister, Georgie. She's nineteen and she hasn't had an easy life. Our mother died when she was twelve and her father followed eighteen months later. It was then that I adopted her. I didn't want to leave her alone at Thanksgiving, especially considering everything she's gone through during the past year. But Charlie really wanted me to see his new hotel and Georgie told me she'd be fine if I went with him. She's spending the weekend with our cousin, Richard Fitzwilliam, and his family. Rick and his wife, Evelyn, live on the north side of Chicago with their two little boys, Connor and Logan. Georgie likes spending time with Rick and Evelyn because they treat her like she's a real adult, not like Aunt Catherine or our cousin, Anne DeBourgh. Plus she loves playing with Connor and Logan.

To: "William Darcy" "Georgiana Darcy" November 24, 2007

Subject: (none)

Will,

Life at Rick's is going pretty well. He actually shut the restaurant down on Thursday and spent the whole day at home with us. Aunt Catherine called us from Fiji to wish us a happy Thanksgiving and tell us that she and Anne are enjoying the sun and they wish we were there with them. But you and I both know they don't wish we were there with them. Aunt Catherine and Anne are perfectly happy vacationing away from the rest of us.

I'm doing pretty well. I've been spending most of my time with Evelyn and the boys. Yesterday, we left the boys with their nanny while we went shopping for Christmas presents. We found some great presents and we also did a little shopping for the baby. We figured with all the great day after Thanksgiving sales, it would be a good time to pick up a couple things the baby will need.

Will, I know you're apprehensive about the baby and maybe you don't think I'm making the best decision but you have to realize this is my decision. It was my decision to sleep with Damien and I will bear those consequences myself. I'm keeping this baby. I'm not killing her and I'm not giving her up for adoption. I'm keeping this baby and that's my final decision.

Willie, I'm not saying I don't respect you or your opinion. I'm just saying that there are better ways to do this than what you suggested. I'm going to have this baby and you can't stop me. Just trust me; I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions.

Your loving sister,

Georgie

I smiled. My sister was a brave girl. Her ex-boyfriend, Damien Wickham, had gotten her pregnant shortly before they broke up in June. The baby, a girl, was due in early March. Georgie was taking this year off from school. I wanted her to go back to school in the fall but she wasn't sure she wanted to do that. She wanted to be involved in her baby's life and if school got in her way, then school was going to have to wait.

I honestly don't understand my little sister. Actually, I'm not sure how much I understand about women in general. Of course then there is the fact that I tend to insult women by accident. Like last night, I called an incredibly beautiful woman "barely tolerable" and said it wasn't worth looking at her. All of that was part of my stupid defense mechanisms and my shyness. But the thing was that most people didn't know I was shy; they thought I was arrogant and self-centered.

"Hey, Will, are you planning to have any contact with humanity today?" Charlie asked as he walked into the study. I was using the study of Charlie's penthouse as an office while I was staying in Meryton.

"I'm checking my email. Georgie emailed me and I also need to look over some things for a case Aunt Catherine has that's going to court a week from Monday."

"Caroline is asking for you. She wants to talk to you about something; she said it was important."

"With her it's always important, but with me, it's always the same. I'm not interested in her."

Charlie sighed. "I know you think she comes on too strongly, but once you get past her rather crass exterior she's really a nice person."

"Charlie, listen to yourself. I've known Caroline since she was four years old. This isn't a rough, crass exterior. Your sister is a gold digger looking for a husband with a well-known name and a large bank account. There's no huge difference between her interior or exterior; she is what she is. She does put on an act in public, but her snootiness is not the act; it's the simpering sweetheart bit that's an act."

"Darcy, how can you say these things about my sister? Caroline has never been anything but kind to you."

"That might be true, but she doesn't treat other people with the same kindness and sweet nature."

"Give me one example."

"She is exceptionally rude to Georgie. She was downright insulting to Lizzie and Jane last night."

"I thought you didn't like Lizzie; I thought she was plain, dull, and barely tolerable. Or at least, that's what you told me last night."

"Maybe I lied," I snapped back. "Maybe I was just saying that because…because, oh I don't know why I said that. I said it because I was being stupid."

Charlie stood there staring at me for a few minutes. He looked like he was going to say something when Caroline pranced through the door. "Oh there you are, Willie. I've been looking for you everywhere. I checked in the bathroom and your bedroom. I even looked around the hotel and the place is a pit. I don't know how you can handle the mess the construction workers are making."

"It's a necessary evil," Charlie told her. "I need to spruce this place up a bit before I can have the grand reopening. And you have to live with the dust during the remodel."

"Well, I don't like the dust and I think I might just fly back to Chicago today. I really can't stand this place and I don't get why you dragged us up here."

"I brought you up here because I wanted you to see my new hotel. If you want to leave, I'll arrange for you to leave. With you gone, it'll be easier for me to start dating Jane Bennett."

I don't know why Charlie said that because the minute those words were out of his mouth, Caroline was suddenly completely committed to staying in Meryton no matter how much of a "backward hick town" it was. She told me later that day that she felt a strong need to protect her brother from any "money grubbing whores" that might be in Meryton. Caroline didn't want to protect Charlie just from "money grubbing whores" but also from any women who might have any interest in marrying him. With Charlie single, she and Louisa stood to inherit his entire fortune when he died, but if he married then his wife (and children if he had any) would inherit the bulk of his fortune on his death.

Unfortunately, Charlie didn't see his sister's actions as selfish; he saw them as her wanting to build a relationship with Jane. From the little bit I knew of her, Jane was everything Caroline wasn't. Instead of being selfish and focused on material goods, Jane was gentle and loving and she always looking for the best in other people. She was a lot like Charlie in that respect. Jane was very mild-mannered while Caroline was very high-strung and expressive with her emotions.

So while Charlie was out with Jane that night, I did a little work and watched a movie with Charlie's dog, Felix. Caroline and Louisa kept trying to "help me" or rather, interrupt the movie, but since I was watching Braveheart, they kept leaving the room because the movie was "too full of icky gross blood stuff," to quote Caroline. Too bad for her, I really like Braveheart and I don't really care what she thinks for the movies I watch. She can go blow it out her ear.

A/N: Thanks for reading and please review! I hope you guys liked it.