Previously: Darcy gets a glimpse of a very naked Elise and Caroline tries to have him for dinner.

7

On Saturday morning Elise lay in her hotel room bed staring at the ceiling. She had awoken certain that the previous night of Darcy and Carrie Bingley had been a vivid dream, but slowly realised that it was, in fact, reality. She wondered briefly how her bird-fearing bodyguard was faring.

Darcy woke up in a foul mood. His sleep had been interrupted several times during the night by the phone ringing. The one time he'd actually answered, nobody had spoken and he had listened to the eerie noises of heavy breathing of a couple of minutes before hanging up. When it had happened two times afterwards, he'd finally unplugged the phone. He was doubly annoyed because Elise had told him they had no early appointments that morning but his traitorous body had awoken at 7am anyway and his hopes of a lie-in were dashed.

As a result, when at 11am Elise knocked at his door so that they could head over to another apartment viewing together, he slammed the door behind him and strode briskly in front of her to the lifts.

"Did you have a good sleep?" Elise asked tentatively.

The scowl she received in response was so intense that she determined that no line of conversation would be appropriate this morning considering her companion's mood. At the viewing, for the first time, Darcy did not pepper the estate agent with probing questions. Instead he glowered at her so severely that the woman cowered in her kitten heels and stammered through the numerous advantages of the flat they were looking at.

Whether it was because of Darcy's intimidating stare or the qualities of the apartment itself, the estate agent's sales pitch did not convince Elise in the slightest. Her frustration at not finding an apartment that suited her needs was growing and somehow her enthusiasm about her medical school offer was waning. She was unsure if it was simply because the novelty of receiving an offer was fading or if it was actually that she couldn't find a place she liked. Elise was eager for Jen's arrival as she knew her calm and sensible sister would be able to talk some sense into her and reassure her.

Bingley and Jen had texted to inform Darcy and Elise of their imminent arrival at some point around lunchtime. After the first viewing Elise and Darcy saw two more flats. However, by the end of the third flat viewing, Elise's nerves were wearing thin and she decided to call it a day. Anxious to see Jen, who had texted to say that she and Charlie were headed to the hotel, Elise demanded that she and Darcy return to meet them there. When they walked through the lobby, Elise was hoping that Jen and Bingley had decided not to leave for lunch and that she could speak to her sister as soon as possible. She desperately needed Jen's calm vibes.

Elise and Darcy walked into the lobby and stood waiting for a lift to arrive. When the doors opened the pair were pleasantly surprised to see the flushed faces of Bingley and Jen.

"Jennie!" Elise exclaimed flinging herself into her big sisters arms. "I'm so glad you're here. Was the road ok? How was your interview?"

"Yeah, my interview seemed fine, but I guess I'll find out pretty soon if it actually was. The road was... nice," Jen responded slightly hesitantly, flushing.

"Nice?" Elise eyed her sister suspiciously. "Since when are car journeys nice?" She shrugged Jen's comment off as she realised that she would be able to pry an explanation out of Jen as soon as they were alone.

Darcy clapped his friend on the back and quirked his eyebrow at Jen's description of the car ride. Bingley's face heated and Darcy smirked wiggling his eyebrows. Bingley tried to give him a menacing scowl, but his generally pleasant expression thwarted that plan. In fact, instead of feeling threatened, Darcy broke out in a grin. The interaction between the two men went unnoticed by the sisters as Elise vented her frustrations to Jen.

"It's just driving me nuts, Jennie! We've seen so many apartments the past two days but there's always a problem. One had no furniture; another was in a dodgy area. Then there was one where kitchen can only hold one person at a time. The best yet was the flat where there's no bathroom door! It's not like I even have that many conditions that need meeting!

"My price range is obviously pretty flexible- Daddy's not keen on me moving but he wouldn't take issue with me buying some luxurious 10 bedroom penthouse. I just want a place close to the medical school with decent facilities. I'll pay freaking extra if I have to but that's all I'm asking for!" Elise stomped her foot for effect.

Jen put her arm around her sister's shoulders. "Ellie you're getting too stressed out for no reason, bubs. First of all you haven't even heard from all your Med Schools yet! You're not even a hundred per cent sure you're moving here. Secondly, this trip was made so you could scope the place out. It was supposed to be fun!

"We never expected you to find an apartment immediately. Especially when you're not even sure you want one. I think you've done enough apartment hunting, Ellie. You need to de-stress. We are going to do something fun the rest of today!"

Elise hugged her sister. "Thanks, Jennie. I really needed that talk."

"No problem bubs. Let's get us some lunch and then go have some fun!"

They ended up going to the burger place Elise and Darcy had visited on their first day in San Diego. This time, Darcy ordered a salmon teriyaki burger, causing Elise to snort in a un-lady-like manner as he placed his order. Elise decided to try out a grilled tuna burger instead of ordering the same. Jen and Bingley ended up ordering the same meal. Conversation flowed mostly between Jen and Elise, with the occasional interjection from Bingley. Darcy remained largely silent.

It was decided that a trip to the San Diego Zoo was in order. The girls came up with the idea and the guys were in agreement, although even if they had not been, Elise and Jen were so exuberant that they would have been forced to go anyway.

They bought their passes and squeezed in the barriers amongst the numerous children spending Saturday at the zoo with their parents. Elise squealed as she saw the big cats, proclaiming excitedly that she wanted to 'squish them'.

Jen and Bingley walked side by side the majority of the time, their hands lightly brushing but yet not joined. At one of the stalls, Bingley knocked the stack of cans down thrice and won a massive stuffed giraffe Jen had been eyeing. He presented it to her bashfully and she proceeded to kiss his cheek in thanks, causing him to blush and run his hand through his rust-coloured hair. The giraffe was so large that in time Jen grew tired of lugging it around and Bingley chivalrously offered to hold on to it for her. She kissed his cheek once more, and the animal was dumped on Bingley for the rest of the time.

As they walked around, Darcy spotted a stall selling waffle fries and he bought some whilst everyone else claimed they were not hungry. Elise couldn't resist stealing one from him, and gosh those things were addictive potatoey goodness. She ended up eating about half of them while Darcy looked on amused.

By the time they'd seen the pandas, Jen was reaching for Bingley's hand while he manoeuvred the giraffe so that he could hold hers. When they arrived at the aviary, Darcy tried to convince his charge that it wasn't worth seeing, making remarks such as 'they're probably all asleep anyway' and 'it's too hot, they'll probably be hiding', but there was absolutely no way Elise was going to miss seeing any part of the zoo. She rolled her eyes at him good-naturedly and grabbed his wrist.

"Don't worry Darcy, I'll protect you from the big mean birdies!" she ribbed. He scowled intensely.

Funnily enough, once she let go of his hand to go look at the macaws, he quickly followed her, grabbing on to her arm. She let out a laugh and offered him the crook of her elbow to place his hand in, and then proceeded to lead him around. She only stopped for short periods in an attempt to minimise his misery. They arrived at the lorikeet feeding cage and Elise sarcastically asked Darcy if he was interested in feeding them. He glared at her and muttered something that sounded like "I'd rather wipe my ass with those $3." Elise giggled and decided to spare him, navigating them towards the monkeys.

When they were finishing up their day at the flamingo enclosure, Darcy's fingers tightened around her arm. She looked up at him in question and he whispered "Carrie" in her ear, drawing out the syllables to make the name sound more eerie. Elise's wide eyes caused him to guffaw loudly and she soon joined in his amusement, bursting out in giggles. Their laughter caused Jen and Bingley to shift their focus from each other for the first time, and they looked on in shock at the laughing pair. Both were very much surprised at Elise and Darcy's camaraderie, especially after hearing their rants about each other.

Dinner that evening was a pleasant affair. Worn out after hours at the zoo, none of the party could be bothered with anything other than a relaxed, casual evening. They opted to have an Italian meal at a quiet and informal restaurant. Conversation flowed easily, everybody contributing and the group learning more about each individual.

Elise asked the men how long they'd worked together and was surprised to hear that Darcy had only just joined the company. She found this strange as Darcy and Bingley seemed to share an easy-going camaraderie, indicative of a longtime friendship. She said as much to the men. Bingley explained that they had known each since their teenage years and had in fact worked together at a previous job. Her curiosity was piqued by his vague statement about their last employment.

"Oh, so you guys have worked as bodyguards for a long time?" she asked, in attempt to get one of them to reveal more. Jen caught on to her ploy and squinted at her sister.

"Uh, not that long. So what was the job you were doing in England?" he changed the subject, eyeing Darcy somewhat nervously.

Elise noticed the way he skirted around the issue, but chose not to press it as she had taken a liking to Bingley's affable personality and did not want to make him uncomfortable.

"Well, one of the professors I'd had as an undergrad was publishing a paper with a London university. I'd gotten to know her quite well since I'd done some summer projects with her. I wanted the research experience and I also felt like it would strengthen my med school application since I hadn't majored in a medical related field for undergrad. Since we had a pretty good rapport, my professor was happy to have me on the team researching with her so I ended up across the pond."

"That's really great! What did you major in for undergrad?"

"International Trade. Minored in Neurobiology."

"Wow, that major is so different to medicine! How come..." Charlie trailed off as he saw Jen trying to subtly shake her head at him.

"My dad thinks the career path I've chosen is pointless," Elise responded vehemently. "He wants Jen and me to 'continue the legacy he started for us' and 'use the better opportunities he has provided'," she said accentuating her rant with air quotes. "He basically gave me an ultimatum. I had to pick a degree he approved of if I wanted him to pay for my degree. So I caved and did what he wanted."

"Lizzy," Jen admonished, uncomfortable with the light she was painting their father in.

"No Jen, you know very well that's what happened. You never had it as bad as me anyway. For you he was just 'suggesting' that you do a degree that would help you run the company, but in the end he wasn't going to push it because you're not the lucky one he wants to follow in his footsteps," she argued sarcastically.

Jenine smiled apologetically at Darcy and Bingley. With her reserved nature, she was somewhat annoyed at Elise for airing their dirty laundry in front of their company. She understood, though, that this had been bothering Elsie particularly of late, especially since their father was blatantly ignoring Elise's decision to go to medical school. As much as she didn't like to point out the flaws in others, she couldn't deny that David Bennet took ostrich to a new level, burying his head in the sand as deeply as possible.

"Anyway, thankfully things have worked out now, and Ellie has an offer from medical school!" Jen stated with a fake smile, trying to diffuse the tense atmosphere somewhat.

"Yeah, that's great! And it must have been really helpful that you spent this past year doing research in London. Hey Darce, isn't some of your family from over there?" Charlie added, trying to help Jen with her cause.

"Uh, yeah. My mom's family is from England. Not London, though, from the north."

"Oh, so do you travel over there at all?" Elise asked, deciding her rant was best left for another time and for other company.

"Well, we didn't much as kids, but my sister decided she wanted to move there recently and now she lives in my mother's family's ancestral home. I go over when I have holidays."

"That must be really pleasant. So you've just got one sister then?" Jen asked Darcy, smiling.

"Yes."

Elise noticed the way his jaw tightened infinitesimally with his curt response and chose to move the discussion away from him in the interests of calm conversation. "Charlie, how about you? Any siblings?"

"Nope, I'm an only child," he replied, pouting comically.

"But you're not bratty at all!" Elise exclaimed jokingly.

"Oh, but I can be. I don't share. Especially food." He guarded his plate from the rest of them and made what must have been an attempt at a menacing face. They all laughed pleasantly at his funny expression. "I suppose I have quite a sibling-like relationship with my cousins. You met Carrie at the hotel, and there's her sister Eloise. She lives back on the east coast. But to be honest, we never lived close by and I never spent enough time with them as a kid to call them sisters. Darce here is probably the closest thing I have to a sibling."

"Must have been really different for you girls than it was for us, growing up with a big family and all?" Darcy asked.

"Well, yes and no. For a long time it was just me and Jen. Fran and her girls joined the family when we were already teenagers. I guess we got to experience living in both a small family and a big family. I mean when we lived with our mom, it was just us three girls, so that really was a small family."

"Wait so…. Mrs. Bennet… Fran…she-" Darcy started, confusion etched on his face.

"She's our stepmother. And Marissa, Carissa and Alyssa are our stepsisters," Elise finished for him.

"Oooh." Darcy said slowly.

"Dude, you didn't know?" Bingley was surprised that Darcy had neither realised nor been told this tidbit.

"Uh, no. I just figured Mrs. Bennet was you guys' mom. So your actual mom, she…uh….uh…" Darcy suddenly realised this was not the best path to proceed on if their mother had passed away.

"Relax, Darcy," Elise instructed, realising the path his mind was on, "Mom is very much alive. She's just off the radar. Somewhere in Ecuador I think."

"Mom's a travel writer," Jen explained to the guys. "Actually Ellie, I got an email from Edouard saying he and mom would be in Paris in a couple of days, so that might be a good time to give her a call."

"Edouard is our stepfather as of, oh, about four years now. He's actually a photographer for National Geographic, so him and mom are travelling a lot. He's a really cool guy," Elise elaborated for Bingley and Darcy's benefit.

"It's fantastic that you girls have good relationships with your stepparents. I think Cinderella put a downer on all step-family members for me and I've always felt like friction within joint families would be normal." Charles blushed slightly at the nudge he received from Darcy when he admitted his knowledge of Cinderella.

"Not for us I guess, although to be honest Jen and I weren't very young when our parents remarried. They'd been split up for years before either of them did anyway, so it never felt like either Fran or Ed was tearing our family apart. Ed's really lovely, I think he's almost like a cool uncle for us. And Fran certainly isn't an evil stepmother. She's always looked after us alongside her own daughters and, although I wouldn't say we have a close relationship with her, she does show us her love in her own way."

"It's great to have family, in any shape or form," Charles stated pleasantly, receiving nodding assent from the rest of the party.

The rest of the evening went smoothly and it was not long until the next morning, when Elise and Darcy found themselves back in Betty the Beetle, ready to set off back to Los Angeles. Jen needed to drive her car back and Bingley, in the name of duty, of course, rode back in her passenger seat. Darcy loaded both his and Elise's duffles into Betty's boot and climbed into the car, squashing his large form into the passenger seat, as he had on the way there.

The Sunday morning was still warm, but nowhere near as stifling as the weather had been on their previous journey on Thursday. The traffic, though present, was less of a force to be reckoned with as well. Betty was soon speeding along the motorway. Elise pushed in a cassette tape to play for the duration of their drive.

You look like an angel

Walk like an angel

Talk like an angel

But I got wise

You' re the devil in disguise

Oh yes you are

The song blared from the radio and Darcy eyed Elise quizzically. "Elvis?"

"Yup. You got a problem with that?"

He chuckled. "No, not at all. Who doesn't love 'The King'?"

"Exactly."

After that song, the tape played on and the pair soon found themselves singing along to The Rolling Stone's 'Satisfaction' and Leslie Gore's 'It's My Party', although Darcy claimed to hate the latter. A couple of songs later, The Beatles were sounding out through the car.

"Well I'm shaking a baby, shaking a baby!" Elise sang loudly as she drove.

"Did you just say 'I'm shaking a baby'?"

"Yup."

"That is most definitely not what he's singing."

"Mhmm."

Unsure of whether this was a sound of agreement or not, Darcy went on, "I think you'll find the lyrics are actually 'shake it up baby'."

"I know."

"Then why were you 'shaking a baby'?"

"I used to think it was that. And anyways, I like those lyrics better. More entertaining."

"More ridiculous, more like it," Darcy muttered.

"You say ridiculous, I say tomato."

Elise continued to sing the lyrics her way and it wasn't long before Darcy joined in on the ridiculousness. The next song was 'Surfin' USA' and they both sang at the top of their voices. Elise managed to include some of her very own lyrics in that song too.

"Is this by any chance a 60's tape?"

"It is indeed!" Elise confirmed for Darcy.

"It's amazing. I'd ask you to make a copy for me, but I don't have anything that plays tapes," he sniggered causing Elise to glare, before joining in with giggles.

Elise climbed up the stairs back at the Bennet home with her duffle bag slung over her shoulder gently humming Simon and Garfunkel. She stood a few stairs up and waved at Jen and Bingley who entered the front door. Bingley was carrying Jen's bag in for her. Elise bit back the urge to run up to them and pinch their cheeks for being cute and sweet and huggable. She trudged up the stairs and opened the door to her bedroom. At the sight she was met with, Elise's eyes filled with tears.

A/N:

I'm sorry chapters have been more infrequent of late because of travelling, but I should be home soonish and so I intend to try and get them out faster. We'll see what happens. Oh, also, if you have tumblr, I'm there a lot (mysomewherefaraway). Massive thanks to my beta and to everyone who has expressed interest in this story! - N