Author's note: I know this took me sooooo long to update. My bad. Thanks again to Lucy for being a great beta.

Commander's Personal Log: Stardate 2276.05

In some ways Captain Bennet was successful at her endeavor to know my mind's inner workings. With the exception of James she was, without a doubt, the person on the ship who was most familiar with my thoughts and ambitions. I am not quite sure when I first started to think of Bennet as a potential romantic partner. Perhaps it was when I first noticed how her face lit up when she found something particularly amusing. Or maybe it was her confidence in herself and others. There could be any number of reasons for my attachment, but I find it not worth my time to list her positive attributes.

Even now, after all that has happened, I still cannot find it within myself to suppress my attraction to her. Captain Elizabeth Bennet has forever altered my emotional capabilities. A good example of this would be the first time I felt any sense of jealousy. It was, at the time, most definitely an irrational emotion, seeing as how neither the catalyst for this reaction or I had absolutely any romantic claim to her.

U.S.S. Longbourn, in orbit above Lantax II: 2275.208

"Attention everyone, let's begin," Elizabeth announced to the Starfleet officers gathered in the conference room. "Due to his... unique connection with the Collins of Lantax II, Commander Darcy has agreed to give the briefing. Commander, you have the floor."

"Thank you, Captain," Darcy stated as he pulled up the ship's view of Lantax II. "The U.S.S. Longbourn has been assigned to begin negotiations with the Collins regarding their request to join the Federation. I am sure you are all familiar with the overview of the planet's history that was sent out last week. To refresh your memory I will be giving a brief summary. The Collins are ruled by a monarchical government. Their current leader is King William, who gained the title when his father passed away in 2265. First contact with the Collins was made by the Ferengi, approximately 75 standard years ago. The Ferengi quickly lost interest in the planet due to its lack of natural resources. The culture remained relatively isolated and unchanged until Catherine de Bourgh, an heiress with a penchant for..." here Darcy hesitated slightly before continuing, "exploring remote planets contacted the Collins five years ago. Since then the culture has significantly changed. Everything from their clothing to their caste system has undergone a rapid alteration. Mrs. de Bourgh is thought to be a major influence in these changes."

"According to her anyway," Fitzwilliam interrupted with a snicker.

"I'm a little confused here," Lieutenant King, who would be collecting flora samples during the negotiations, turned to James. "Do you know Catherine de Bourgh?"

"Unfortunately," James grimaced.

"As I was about to disclose," Darcy stated while glancing at his cousin, "Mrs. de Bourgh is our aunt. Both Captain Bennet and Vice-Admiral N'buta are aware of this potential conflict, and have approved our contributions to the negotiations.

As the ship's counselor, Lieutenant Commander Bennet will be leading the dialogue, with the assistance of Captain Bennet. Both Officer Fitzwilliam and I have been requested by King William to be present during this time due to our relation to Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The report previously sent to you all includes some important notes. A few words in the Collins' language have very specific connotations. For example, their word for 'beverage' is associated with peers, but 'drink' is associated with animals. Therefore, if you ask a Collins if they would like a drink, they would take offense at that as you would essentially be talking to them as if they were an animal. Of course, this is all reviewed in the report. That is all I wanted to touch on. We will be meeting in the shuttle bay at 0500. Any questions should be directed at myself or Captain Bennet. You are dismissed."

Oreon, Capital of Lantax II: 2275.209

Captain Bennet surveyed her surroundings as she disembarked from the shuttle. The Collins' greeting party stood about 20 feet away, and as she confirmed everyone was off the shuttle she heard her sister whisper in her ear.

"Remember Lizzie, it's a 'present' not a gift," she emphasized as she pointed to the book in Elizabeth's hand.

"Present, got it," Lizzie agreed distractedly as she walked in front of the other officers toward the group of Collins. Lantax II had a rainforest- like environment, with tall trees whose leaves cast shade over most of the ground. Even from their clearing she could spot shelters that looked like huts in the distance. The Collins themselves were tall, gangling, blue bipeds with bulbous eyes that took up most of their faces. Lizzie was surprised to note that although some of the group wore Regency styled clothing, the others had rags that only covered the middle of their bodies.

After approaching, Jane introduced the various officers of their landing party. In turn, the Collins introduced their king, who called himself William, and two other people of their group. Lizzie could only guess that the members who hadn't been introduced where probably the Collins' equivalent of servants, given their clothing. King William himself was wearing what looked to be trousers, a top hat, and a rather thick coat, despite the sweltering heat; Lizzie could see beads of sweat lining the top of his head.

Captain Bennet turned to the king and held out the book in her hand. "Mrs. de Bourgh told us that you liked the work of James Fordyce, so we thought you might appreciate some of his sermons. Just a little gift from the United Federations."

Lizzie remembered her sister's advice just as the Collins' eyes widened and she heard Jane subtlety facepalm. King William solemnly bowed at her before reaching a hand out for the book.

At his gesture, the Collins started to whisper urgently among themselves but quieted once he started to speak. "Thank you for this gift, Lady Bennet."

"And you are welcome for the present, King William. We sincerely-"

"Come now, we have a room prepared for our discussion," William interjected while holding his arm out for Lizzie, who glanced back at her sister. Jane shrugged in response, and Lizzie confusedly laid her palm in the crook of his arm. She turned just in time to see Darcy frown slightly at the contact.

The Starfleet officers followed the party to a building on the other side of the village, while Lizzie chastised herself for not remembering the correct terminology. What exactly had she implied by her word choice?

She discreetly waved her hand for Jane to come to her while flicking off the power button to her universal translator.

"Okay, I know screwed up," she started before Jane could chastise her, "but seriously, why was everyone surprised when I said 'gift'?"

Jane smiled at William, who was looking at them curiously, before turning off her translator and addressing her sister. "'Gift' has an implication in their language of being something that's exchanged between lovers. King William probably believes you're courting him."

"Courting?! But I said it was from the Federation."

"You know as well as I do that connotations can sometimes be more important than literal meaning. Plus, he might think you're being coy."

Lizzie tried hard not to panic and keep her voice low. "How do I fix this?"

"We don't really know all that much about the Collins' courtship rituals," Jane winced. "We'll play it by ear. Just trust me."

Lizzie turned slightly to see Darcy intensely staring at her arm on King Williams'. Trying not to roll her eyes at his disapproval, she turned back to face the front of the group. So she made a mistake! It was hardly going to be her last mistake in her career, and as far as she knew it wasn't a monumental error. She doesn't need his judgement to know she screwed up.

The group entered a crudely constructed room that had some very... interesting decor. There were ceramic trinkets intermixed with various stone statues, but the piece de resistance was the Baroque- styled painting of an older woman hung in the middle of the wall opposite the chair that King William moved to sit in. Fitzwilliam gave out a startled laugh when he glanced at it, and even Darcy's eyes widened the tiniest bit in surprise.

"King William, did our aunt give you that painting?" James asked while trying to suppress his mirth.

"Yes, she did. Lady Catherine has been very generous to our village. Not only did she give us such material things you see before you, but she also introduced us to human culture," he replied as he gestured to his clothing.

"Yes, and it's a very beautiful painting. You must think very highly of Mrs. de Bourgh," Jane suggested, and Lizzie almost applauded her for her sincere tone. On the other hand, Fitzwilliam was trying to hide his eye roll.

William lauded Catherine de Bourgh for a few more minutes until Jane slowly segued into discussing the standard Starfleet contract they had brought.

Her sister leaned back and quietly breathed out her relief. It seemed as if they could ignore her tiny error. Yay for no repercussions!

Honestly, Lizzie thought as they closed the bar to her jail cell, this was quite an overreaction. Not five minutes ago Lizzie was trying to disentangle her arm from the king's as the group said their farewells. Suddenly her leaving was considered an "abrupt dissolution of their courtship" and she should "stay until she saw reason."

What a load of shit.

Captain Bennet was often really understanding of a species' cultural habits. You have to be when in a diverse workforce like she was. But this, this was really pushing her patience.

Jane reached out threw the bars to squeeze her sister's hand, almost as if she could sense the seething anger Lizzie was trying so hard to hide. "Don't worry, Commander Darcy and I are going to talk to the king. You'll be out of here in no time." She then lowered her voice and leaned forward a little bit, but continued to speak soothingly. "I know you're going to try to break out once we leave, but please- just let us handle this diplomatically."

In acknowledgement, Lizzie gave a terse nod. Behind Jane she could see Commander Darcy hovering. He looked about as irritated as she had ever seen him, which meant that his face looked completely the same except for where his jaw was clenched. Lizzie could only guess at how much he was berating her in his head. Sighing, she nodded and waited for them to walk away before looking around.

The cell was an ancient construction of wood and metal. The padlock on the door was actually rusting, and they didn't even bother to post a guard! If the Collins were actually trying to keep her there they could've put in a little more effort. This was just insulting. Lizzie pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and got to work.

Thirty minutes later:

The sound of feet hitting the dirt floor made its way to Lizzie where she was sitting on the bench inside the jail cell. She looked up hopefully, and relaxed at Jane's gentle laughter.

"Again, we completely apologize for the confusion. Mistakes are always made when two cultures are learning to interact with each other. As you can understand, Commander Darcy is very anxious to get his fiance back."

Lizzie almost fell off the bench. His what?

Jane, Darcy and King William came to a stop in front of the bar door. "Yes, I am glad it's all sorted out. Of course Darcy is a more than worthy companion for Ms. Bennet. Anybody of Lady Catherine's blood must be an excellent partner. Why, just last month she was telling me about..."

William rambled on about yet another Catherine de Bourgh anecdote while Darcy tugged on the door. He raised an eyebrow at Captain Bennet when the door easily swung open. She shrugged minutely in response. Like it took very long to pick that old lock?

Lizzie stepped out and made to move toward the exit when Darcy's hand suddenly grasped hers. She flinched in surprise but he gave a gentle squeeze. The king glanced at their hands before continuing his story.

The group walked back toward the shuttle with the king and some of the servants escorting them.

"So," Jane asked as the rest of the crew boarded. "When should we expect your response?"

"I will send word using Lady Catherine's ship once she arrives in three months," King William promised.

Lizzie, Jane, and Darcy all said their farewells before stepping on the shuttle. Once inside Lizzie released Darcy's hand, and didn't notice the way it flexed once they were no longer touching.

"Fiance?" Lizzie questioned Jane.

Jane looked with a little admiration toward Darcy. "Yes, it was all the commander's idea. It was the best solution for getting us out of that little situation smoothly. Being a member of a patriarchal society, the king was going to take 'she's taken' a lot better than 'she's rejecting you.' Also being a relative of de Bourgh didn't hurt. It was a fairly quick and efficient solution."

Lizzie could feel her cheeks heating in embarrassment, but squeaked out a, "Thank you for your help, Commander."

Darcy nodded silently before walking over to sit next to his cousin and pulling out a datapad. James rolled his head onto his shoulder to smirk at Darcy.

"Fiance, huh?"

Darcy stiffened slightly. "Yes, it was a logical ruse."

Fitzwilliam couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. "You know what's funny? I'm also a single male relative of our aunt. Isn't it funny that you didn't think I would be a good candidate for a fake fiance?"

Darcy cleared his throat and concentrated more on his datapad. "Yes, well... you were the backup option-obviously."

"Yeah, man, whatever you have to tell yourself," Fitzwilliam snickered while pulling out his communicator to send Charlotte a message.