Chapter 1-Part 1

Posted on Wednesday, 1 June 2005

Elizabeth Bennet snapped shut the last of her suitcases and ran her hand loving across the handmade comforter on her bed. All her things had been packed and crated days ago and she could not help but feel a stirring of fear at the transition she was about to make. The next time she returned to this room, she was sure she was going to be a somewhat different person. She looked around one last time, taking in the familiar warmth of the room which had been her sanctuary for the past eighteen years, and finally pulled her bedroom door firmly behind her. On the staircase, she came face to face with her mother.

"I don't know why you feel the need to go away to college," her mother picked up right in the conversation they had left off over a half an hour earlier. "Everything you'll ever need is right here."

"Mom, you know why I have to go."

"No, I don't. You could go to the community college in Lexington and commute from home. Cincinnati is just too far away." Elizabeth turned her head to hide her smile as she continued down the stairs knowing no response was really needed from her. "Do you know how long it will take for you to finish getting your M.D.? By that time, you will be an Old Maid. Who's going to want to marry an Old Maid? How're you going to find someone to love you when your nose is always in a book? What about Marcus? Lizzy, he asked you to marry him."

"Fanny, please leave Lizzy alone." Ben interrupted them, "Besides, if she takes all those pre-med classes she might fall in love with a doctor. You know how much money they make."

"Marry a doctor?" Fanny asked reverently. "You know I never even thought about that."

"Thanks, Dad, now I will never hear the end of this."

He ruffled her hair with his hand. "Do you have everything you need?" He fished his wallet from his pocket attempting to give her some money for the road, but she refused the bills when he tried to hand them to her.

"Really, Dad, I have everything I need." She grinned, lifting her backpack from beside the front door. "I've got my "Who's Who of Young Eligible Pre-med Majors" and I have my "How to Catch a Husband Handbook."

She heard the horn and stopped to kiss her father's cheek. "Remember to watch the cholesterol levels and don't work too hard." She ended her sentence with a finger poke in her father's chest. "You watch that heart of yours."

"I'll be good," he promised, but impulsively grabbed his daughter in a final hug. "You be sure to watch that heart of yours, Lizzy-Bear!"

There was another impatient honk and she finally pulled away from her father. "I have to go now."

"Lizzy, Jane is waiting." Fanny was in a flutter as she came forward to hug her daughter one last time. "You know we raised you to have better manners than to keep your friends waiting." Elizabeth hugged both of her parents to her tight trying to ignore the tears she felt on her own cheeks.

Minutes later, Elizabeth lugged her final suitcase outside. "I really appreciate this, Jane."

"No problem. I'm glad for the company." Both of Jane's parents were off jet setting. Her mom, Lola, had been in Cancun the last time she bothered to call and her father, Tiger, was in Paris closing another business deal. Staring over the roof of the navy Honda, Elizabeth was convinced that Jane Gardiner was the most beautiful girl in all of Kentucky. She had hair the color of wheat and startling blue eyes.

"Jane, I am envious. I bet you rolled out of bed and flopped into your clothes and here you are looking like God's gift to mankind." Imitating her mother's voice, Lizzy said, "I mean, really Lizzy how are you ever going to catch the eye of any eligible bachelors if you insist on hanging out with Jane all the time?"

Jane laughed. "Well, I know two dashing, eligible young males who I definitely don't have any designs on. Remember my cousins, Richard and Darcy, are going to be at Xavier. "

"Oh yeah, I forgot about them." Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes upward. As if there was a chance in heaven she could forget about them. Jane had talked of little else in the last two months. Every other word out of her mouth had been Richard and Darcy. Mostly Darcy. "I'm sure I'm going to love them."

Elizabeth's first run through Xavier's campus was exhilarating. Breathing in the fresh scent of rain, she turned her head upward and caught a few raindrops in her mouth before she pulled her cap over her auburn ponytail. The familiar slap-slap of her shoes hitting the pavement was like music to her ears, and she was thrilled to feel the tightening and loosening of her muscles in her legs and arms as she ran. As she turned up the base of Davis Hill, a jeep passed her on the street. It sent a high flash of muddy water clear up to her shoulders. She stopped and stared with fury at the passing vehicle, but then her sense of humor got the better of her. She smiled, then chuckled, and then picked up her pace. With each passing car, Elizabeth felt the mud and rainwater drench her legs. She laughed as she turned down Forrest Avenue with a sense of exhilaration. She couldn't wait to take a shower and meet Jane for lunch at the quad. Slowing in front of the gym, she began her stretches. All the tension from the first days of college had evaporated.

"Oh, you are too funny," squealed a high pitch voice. Elizabeth realized she had company and looked up to see a small group standing on the staircase. The owner of the voice, a blonde woman, was as pretty as Jane but way more voluptuous. Or rather, Elizabeth corrected, her clothes were a size too small. The woman was flanked by two very tall and well-built men. The blonde man was leaning against the railing as if he did not have a care in the world, while the dark one was leaning against the gymnasium wall looking as if he was holding up the world.

The blonde male questioned, "So, how are you going to handle the competition?"

"Competition! Do you honestly think I have anything to worry about? From a woman? "

Elizabeth looked up, insulted on the behalf of her entire sex by the man's words, and saw the blonde woman fawning over him as if he was the extoller of world truth.

Does she have no pride at all to let her sex be so demeaned in her presence? Elizabeth stretched her legs again. This was really none of her concern so she tried to ignore them.

"Elizabeth Bennett, I am sure is smart." They're talking about me!!! Unconsciously, she moved closer as she pulled one arm then another behind her head trying to finish warming down her fatigued muscles as quickly as possible. "Well, relatively smart. For heaven's sake, she comes from the backwoods of Kentucky, from a little hick town not even on a map. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually had real books."

"Speaking of books, did you see that picture in the freshman handbook?" The woman snickered. Elizabeth seriously doubted the buttons on the woman's blouse would be able to hold up if the blonde heaved her chest in laughter one more time.

"I know." The dark man shivered. "With looks like that, she wouldn't tempt me if she were the last woman on earth." Elizabeth seethed. Then, she remembered the picture, and winced. True, it hadn't been her best picture, but she didn't think it was that bad either.

The woman cooed snaking her hand through his arm. "I know I'm glad I don't look a thing like her." Well, I'm glad I don't dress like you. Elizabeth could not help but wonder how someone managed not to walk like a duck in such tight shorts.

"It is my general observation most intelligent women usually look likes shrews. But, this one looks like she has way too much testosterone. I bet she even shaves her moustache."

"Now come on you two," the blonde man interrupted, "Maybe it's just a bad picture. I'm sure she is really nice."

She grimaced at being called "nice." What girl wanted to be referred to as nice by a stud-muffin?

"She would have to be nice to make up for a face like that," the dark man could not seem to finish his own sentence without laughing.

Oh, how I will make him rue this day. After all, Lizzy mused, only an ugly girl with so much free time on her hands would have the time to contemplate a fitting revenge. He continued on, obviously enjoying his subject matter, ""In fact, as nice as she looks, I'll bet you anything she doesn't get a date all semester."

The gymnasium doors opened startling the threesome, and effectively cutting off the remainder of their conversation, much to Elizabeth's relief. Her relief was short lived, however, when Elizabeth saw the two guys exiting the gymnasium. Elizabeth immediately recognized them as founding members of Xavier University's very own Jane Gardiner fan club. One, she thought his name was Charles, yelled to her, "Hey, Elizabeth Bennet, where have you been hiding out?"

As the trio on the staircase turned and noticed her for the first time, she wished the ground would open up and swallow her. Charles's partner in crime, Michael, taking in her appearance joked, "You really should save the mud bath for the spa, love."

"Gee, thanks." Gracefully, she took the stairs two at a time stopping when she was even with them and leaned over the banister separating them. "But, I think I will take that advice next time, Mikey, but only if you join me." Michael blushed beat red.

When she reached the top of the staircase, she turned and locked eyes with the obnoxious male who'd been so disparaging of her looks and abilities only a few minutes earlier. At any other time, she probably would have swooned. He had been cute from a distance, but close up he was positively the best man she had ever seen in her entire life. His black curls framed a very strong and wise pair of brown eyes. Long lashes and everything! It is such a waste to be gorgeous and a jerk. There should be some sort of law. Smiling sweetly, she felt a sense of gratification when she noticed his obvious embarrassment.

She knew she ought to just pass them and not say a word, but that small voice she usually ignored got the best of her. "You know it is my general observation that rude, obnoxious men should really stick with classy women." She glanced pointedly at the blonde. "Someone like you couldn't begin to satisfy a woman like me." She paused for effect, before adding, "In fact, I'd be surprised if you could even keep up with me."

Elizabeth loved the expression that passed over blonde woman's face. She just stood there opening and closing her mouth, looking very much like a guppy out of water. Shaking her head, she was through the door before any of them could recover.

Once in the safety of the locker room, she retrieved her toiletries and caught her reflection in the mirror for the first time. Mud was caked not only on her arms and legs, but it hung in globs from her hat and it covered a large percentage of her face. She really did look as if she had tried to bathe in mud. Oh, I must have made one heck of a first impression. Laughter bubbled out of her as she headed for a well deserved hot shower looking forward to sharing this story with her best friend over lunch. After all, even shrews had to eat lunch!

Forty-five minutes later, she was opening the door to The Pub. It had only taken three days for both Elizabeth and Jane to decide that The Pub was their favorite hangout. Its main appeal was cozy booths and a cramped dance floor. Jane liked the quaint ease of the restaurant: The checked table clothes, the old fashion jukebox and the cheap beer. Elizabeth did not care about all of that - she just loved the pizza. As she approached the table, she considered that sometimes her best friend's motives were so transparent. She really wouldn't be surprised if one or both of the cousins just happened to drop by for lunch with them. Earlier that morning, Jane had been a little too anxious for her to look 'her very best' and a little too nervous this morning before she went for her run. Jane confirmed her suspicions when she slid into the booth opposite her. "You look great. I can't wait for you to meet them. You are going to have them eating out of your hands."

"Them? And, Jane, just who might them be?"

"I knew you wouldn't mind if I invited Darcy and Richard to have lunch with us."

"Well, I suppose they have to eat too."

Jane sighed loudly. "Please, be serious. This is important to me. I know you and Darcy are going to hit it off. He is as amazing as you are."

"I guess I am lucky I got here first because after what happened to me today I don't feel very amazing. Jane, you need to do some major, and I mean, major damage control." Elizabeth tried to distract herself from her nervousness at meeting Jane's cousins by telling her friend about the rude dark haired man and his adoring fan at the gymnasium. "And to beat all right before I could disappear into oblivion without detection, Michael and Charles came out of the gym and announce to the entire quad my identity. Jane, we really must begin to do background checks on your fan club members. I fear there is something severely wrong with that Michael character."

"Get back to the story. What did you do after they found out you were there?"

"Well, you know how I usually walk away from confrontation." When Jane nearly chocked on her Evian, Elizabeth smiled sheepishly. "Actually, I walked right up to the jerk and said that I did indeed believe that he should stick to classy women because I didn't believe he would be able to satisfy me." She laughed at the memory of the blonde woman's face. After recovering herself, she said. "I think I'll go to the bathroom and see if it's about time for another waxing. It would not due to have your precious Darcy see my mustache." She heard Jane gasping for air as she walked away from the table.

After running a brush through her hair and adding lip-gloss, Elizabeth felt about as ready as she would ever be to meet Jane's cousins. She had heard a lot about them. Even though she knew Jane was fond of both, there was something different when Jane talked about her cousin Darcy. He was the one who had helped her through her mother's frequent marriages (and frequent divorces), he was the one who was brave enough to teach Jane to drive a stick shift (though Elizabeth still doubted the quality of those lessons) and he was the one who had talked Jane into going to college instead of a year long tour of Europe (for that Elizabeth owed him a huge debt of gratitude). No doubt about it, Darcy was Jane's favorite cousin and Elizabeth believed he would be hers too. Anyone who Jane loved so fervently was someone she wanted to get to know. She made a promise to herself that she was going to do everything in her power to make Darcy Williams like her. At her reflection, she smiled. Not too bad for a testosterone overdosed shrew growing a mustache.

Elizabeth was in high spirits as she made her way back to the table and noticed the two additions to their booth. The infamous "cousins" had finally arrived. Both had their backs to her and were in a deep conversation with Jane. As she approached, she tried to quell the new set of nerves attacking her stomach.

"Oh, there you are. I thought you ran off and left us." Elizabeth halted when the two men both turned at her approach. She felt her cheeks blaze when her eyes collided with the now familiar brown ones. She was a little surprised to find in them not a trace of recognition. She quickly scanned the blonde's face and could find none on his either. "Lizzy, let me introduce my cousins, Darcy Williams and Richard Fritz."

Her tension evaporated and a smile curled her lips. It was days like these that made one glad to be alive. Oh, this was going to be fun.!

Suggestive blurb: A modern P&P set to the backdrop of Xavier University where Jane tries to unite her cousin Darcy Williams and her best friend, Elizabeth Bennet.

Chapter 1 Part 2

Posted on Tuesday, 7 June 2005

They'd only been on campus a few days and Darcy already felt weary of meeting new people. It seemed so many had ulterior motives. Some resented the fact there was no less than three buildings on campus named after his relations while others wanted to find a way to get close to him because of the same reason. He wondered briefly which group he would place his new acquaintance. Catching Jane's sweet expectant look, he decided for her sake he would make an effort to overcome his normally shy reserve and make her friend feel welcome.

Upon inspection, Darcy had to admit the woman who had approached their table was not at all what he had expected. He had half expected, after all of Jane's hype, a super model of Claudia Schifferian proportions to be joining them for lunch. Instead, her best friend turned out to be just an ordinary looking young woman. She was not unattractive, but neither was she remarkable. Her face was just a little too this for his taste, she had an almost boyish frame and her hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail. "Lizzy, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Likewise."

Gallantly, he moved aside so she could slide into the booth next to Jane but she slid instead into his vacant seat next to Richard. As he joined Jane he heard her say, "Jane cannot stop talking about you. In fact, she tells me that you are quite the ladies man." Darcy had been on the verge of responding when he realized she hadn't been addressing him at all but was looking at Richard.

"He's not the only one, Lizzy. Don't forget I told you Darcy gets his fair share of admirers too." Jane's defense of him was admirable but he felt like a little boy whose mom was trying to get the other kids on the playground to include him.

"I'll bet he does." Not sparing him the barest of glances she continued to lavish her attention on his cousin. "So, I hear you're going to play basketball for the Muskies. I bet you can't wait for the season to begin."

"No, I can't."

Darcy was not use to being ignored by a woman and realized he did not like the feeling. He inquired, "Lizzy, do you know anything about basketball?"

"I know a lot about a lot of things." Again, she seemed unable to peel her eyes off of Richard.

"Lizzy played all through high school." Jane answered giving her friend an openly searching look. "In fact, she was the captain of her team and broke all kinds of records and..."

He was sure his cousin would have gone on listing her friend's many accomplishments if she had not been interrupted. "As you can see, Jane's my one woman cheering section. I'm really not that good of a player. The only reason I was captain was because I'm from a..." Darcy got the distinct impression she was choosing her words carefully. "...very small town. There were barely enough people who could spell the word basketball much less play with one."

"I guess it would be too much for me to hope you're going to play for Xavier then?"

"No, I'm afraid I can't. I have other commitments."

"That's too bad. We could've had lots of fun."

"Even though I won't be playing on the team, Richard, I'm sure we will still have lots of fun together."

When Richard stretched and placed his arm behind Jane's friend, Darcy found himself disturbed by the act of possessiveness. Darcy could not help himself inquiring, "So, how long have you been friends with Jane?"

"More than half my life. We met about ten years ago and she's been my best friend ever since."

Her genuine love for Jane was apparent in her response. It pleased him. Darcy thought Richard's monopolizing behavior was rude and so he tried again. "It's amazing you've managed to stay friends all this time."

"Why's that amazing?"

After being slighted by her since she sat down, Darcy was now surprised to find himself the recipient of her full attention. Her features, which he had earlier dismissed as being unremarkable, were altered by the evident amusement dancing in her eyes. He became aware of the fact he was staring and it was apparent the way she cocked her eyebrow at him that she was expecting a response. "People...I...mean....friends usually drift apart..." He was dismayed to find himself stammering.

"For Lizzy and I, remaining friends has always been easy." Jane said rescuing him from his awkward moment. "We didn't go to the same school, but we did attend the same church. Our mothers are super close. In grade schools, we'd take turns having sleepovers, and in high school, Lizzy started dating Marcus..."

"Marcus?" Darcy asked, doing a mental inventory of the extensive list of his cousin's male acquaintances. "Aha, who's Marcus again?"

Jane gave him a strange look. "Marcus my brother...your cousin...."

"Marcus, right!" Lord, he thought to himself, what is happening to me?

Darcy was gratified he was not the only one shocked by the revelation. Richard's reaction was immediate as he straightened in his seat and removed his arm. Thankfully, his cousin recovered in time to ask the very question he himself was curious to have answered. "Are you still dating him?"

"No. Marcus and I decided to end our relationship a few months ago." Darcy considered it an inadequate explanation and an area he was interested in pursuing. However when she subtly steered the conversation back to Richard, it was clear she wasn't going to be forthcoming with any other details. "So, Jane mentioned you're going to major in physical education. Are you going to be a teacher?"

Did Jane tell bother to mention me at all? Before he had time to ponder where such a bewildering thought had come from, he watched as Richard replaced his arm around the back of the booth. "Yeah, I do. But, my dream is to coach."

"To coach, how fascinating," she said with unfeigned interest. While Darcy admired his cousin's career choice, he would hardly consider it fascinating. "I'm surprised you didn't say your dream was to play in the NBA."

"NBA? Now that is highly unlikely." Darcy's snort was unusually loud. Seeing the hurt expression mirrored on both of his cousins' faces, he rushed on adding, "Richard, you know, I think you're extremely talented. But for you to have a decent chance to be scouted by the NBA, the Muskies would have to at the very least get into the NCAA Tournament. From what I see, it isn't likely they'll go anytime soon."

"From what you see...it's Darcy, right?" Anger flared in him. He did not believe for one minute she had forgotten his name anymore than she had forgotten Jane's. "Well, I think the Muskies are a shoe in for the tournament this year."

"Really? Xavier hasn't made the tournament in the last twenty years. Exactly why do you believe they stand a fighting chance this year?"

"Well, for starters, they should have gone last year. They literally tore through the Atlantic 10 last year, and their season only ended because Taggert Smouth suffered a foot injury in the final conference game. Without that ill-timed injury, Xavier would have won the conference title. Then, they would have given them entrance to the tourney. I'll admit their bench is as deep as say UK or IU, but the players they have work cohesively as a team. I think this is going to definitely be Kyle Michael's breakout year and he's going to prove himself as one of the best point guards in the NCAA. Everyone else from last year's team has returned. With the addition of the Frosh recruits, including Richard here, there aren't going to be too many teams who'll stand a chance against them, especially if they're as underestimated by their opponents as they are by you."

Darcy did not know which annoyed him more. Her provocative set down or the reverent look Richard was giving her. "And, what may I ask is your major? I didn't notice a degree listed for daydreaming in the campus catalogue."

"Daydreaming?" She actually laughed at him and he could not shake the nagging feeling he had walked into a trap. "Is that really the best you could come up with? I had expected something more creative from you."

"Elizabeth, stop baiting him!" Jane glared from one of them to the other clearly upset at the way this meeting was going. "And, Darcy, how could you forget? I know I told you that she's a Pre-Med major just like you." Elizabeth not Lizzy. Seeing the way her eyes were glittering across from him, his mind made the connection instantly. Jane's roommate and best friend in the entire world had to be the one and only Elizabeth Bennet. The righteous anger, which had been steadily coiling in him at her treatment, rushed from his body only to be replaced with an overwhelming sense of humiliation. Jane continued on unaware of his discomfort. "I thought you'd both appreciate the fact I've gone through all this trouble to introduce you."

"Actually, Jane, you really needn't have bothered. I've already met both of your charming, cousins today." He felt like he was going to hyperventilate. "I met them at the gym this morning."

The gasp from the woman next to him destroyed any remote hope he still clung to that Jane did not already know about his earlier meeting with her best friend.

"Lizzy, I don't remember meeting you earlier," Richard scratched his head and was obviously the last of the four who still hadn't put all the puzzle pieces together. "And, I know I'd have remembered you."

"It's really no wonder you don't recognize me." When she patted Richard's hand sympathetically, Darcy fought down an almost irresistible urge to kick him in the shin under the table. "In fact, I barely recognized myself when I saw my reflection in the mirror. Let me help you. Think back. The last time you saw me I was covered head to toe in mud."

"That was you!" She nodded at his response and each bob of her head felt like a nail in Darcy's coffin. Richard briefly met his eyes over the table, before offering her a sheepish grin. "For what it's worth, you sure look a lot different than you did earlier."

"You could say we nice girls clean up real good." Darcy unconsciously slunk deep in his seat wondering if it was possible for someone to actually die from acute embarrassment. The remainder of the lunch passed in comfortable conversation to which he added very little fearing he had already said too much.

After lunch, Elizabeth excused herself from the group saying she was running late for her first day at work. Once her friend had made her escape, Jane announced that it was time for her to leave as well. She gave each of her cousins a hug, but whispered in his ear when it was his turn. "Don't worry, Darcy. I'm sure that we'll all have a big laugh about how you two met some day."

"I'm sure one of us is laughing right now." Over Jane's shoulder, Darcy's gaze was drawn back to the quickly retreating form of the slight, auburn haired woman. He felt strangely dissatisfied when she never glanced back at them. Not even once.

The two men started the short trip back to their dormitory in silence since both were evidently deep in their own thoughts. "Darcy?" Richard's voice pulled him out of his reverie. "Do you still think she won't get a date this semester?" Darcy glared at his cousin, who smiled in an almost goofy way, "I don't want to appear too desperate, but how long do you think I should wait before I call her?"

Later that evening, which was too soon in Darcy's opinion, Richard called Elizabeth from their room. Their easy rapport made him envious. It seemed even though he was trying to study the Calculus problems before them; the only thing he was actually memorizing was the one side of the conversation he could hear. At one point, he was sure if Richard laughed one more time he was going to pull the phone out of the wall himself. When he finally did complain, Richard's solution, which was to drag the phone and his conversation into the hallway, only further irritated Darcy.

When his cousin finally returned to the room, Darcy could not help but satisfy his curiosity. "Where did you two decide to go on Friday night?"

"No where. She already had a date."

Remembering the way her obvious good humor and her pert opinions made her eyes dance, Darcy acknowledged a date with her might be tempting to some guys. " Just ask her out for Saturday night."

"I did. She's got a date for that night too."

Darcy turned a page in his text trying for an air of nonchalance he no longer felt. "Sunday?"

Richard looked dejected. "She doesn't go out on Sundays."

"What?" He dropped the book on the desk no longer able to pretend it held his interest. "She really said that she doesn't date on Sundays? What is she, some sort of religious fanatic?" A part of Darcy clung briefly to the hope that she was.

"No, I didn't get that vibe from her." Richard dropped heavily on his bed. "She said she has to spend most of Sunday studying. I think she has to maintain a certain GPA to keep her full scholarship." Darcy grudgingly admitted he was impressed. There were only a few full scholarships awarded by Xavier annually. His cousin's face brightened. "It isn't a total lost cause, though. She did agree to eat lunch with me on Friday. Hey, did Jane mention to you that Lizzy is going to run cross country?"

I have other commitments. Darcy rubbed his temple with his index fingers. It was like she was in his head. "No. Maybe. Look, Richard, I don't really remember much of what Jane told me about Elizabeth." It was the truth. Over the years, Jane had offered snippets about her friend in her frequent emails and phone calls but he never committed the tidbits to memory. At the time, it just didn't seem like it would ever be information that would prove useful to him.

"Well, she is. I only mentioned it because of what happened early today and I don't want you to be blindsided again."

Just great! Am I going to get no peace from her?

"Darcy, I am sure it will all blow over quickly. I think Lizzy is willing to just forget it ever happened. She never mentioned it one time when we talked tonight."

"If you don't mind, I don't feel like talking about this right now."

"Ok." Richard spun a basketball idly on his finger. "Man, Darcy, she's what my dad would call a pistol. I mean we knew she was going to be smart. But can you believe how misleading that picture was? She is very easy on the eyes. I mean VERY easy on the eyes. And, she loves sports, has a great sense of humor, and did you notice the way...."

"Richard, do you mind?" Darcy could not keep the exasperation from his voice. Right now the last thing he needed was to be reminded of anything closely related to that woman.

"You do realize classes don't start until Monday?" Richard knew the expression Darcy shot him well enough to know he better leave the room and fast. "I think I'll go see if I can find someone who wants some company."

As soon as the door shut, Darcy wasted no time before he grabbed the Freshmen Handbook and flipped to the well-worn page. He glared at the picture as if it would be able to explain what was happening to his carefully constructed world. He knew it was only his imagination but he could still feel the heat of her piercing green eyes. This is ridiculous. Darcy felt as if the walls of the room were closing in on him. Glancing at the phone on the wall, he wished for the ease which with Richard talked to her. He wasn't able to talk on the phone the same way his cousin had and he didn't want her conscious of such a drastic comparison. He stood up and paced. Since calling her was out of the question, he considered his other options. He could write her a letter but that seemed a little impersonal. There was no way around it after leveling such grievance insults at her he was going to have to apologize in person. Grabbing his keys, he was glad he had finally committed to a course of action. He decided to walk across campus since it would give him some much needed time to work out exactly what he wanted to say to her.

His normal confidence returned in the clear air and he had formulated what he considered a decent explanation of his prior behavior. Determined, he was half way across the lobby of her dorm when he heard her laughter. He found himself spying on the downstairs lounge and he was not entirely pleased with finding her so quickly. She was sitting between Richard and Michael on a couch. From the look both men wore, Darcy was sure each was not happy with the presence of the other. Elizabeth seemed to be sufficiently entertaining them both. Watching her closely as she was animatedly explaining something, Darcy wondered how he every thought she looked boyish. Freed from the constraints of her earlier ponytail, her hair was a mass of untamable curls hanging loose past her shoulders. A door opened in the upper lobby and he suddenly remembered where he was. Silently, he backed himself toward the doorway he just entered. There was no way he could join them and apologize now.

As he trudged back across campus, he assuaged his tattered nerves with the knowledge they were bound to be thrown together often since they shared the same major and were both going to be on the same team. After all was said and done, he still did have his pride. He shouldn't be expected to publicly lay his thoughts bare for the entire world. No, a private audience was the better alternative. I just need to get her all to myself so I can explain everything properly. He froze. Do I really want to be alone with her? The image his brain concocted was not one of the two of them engaged in quiet conversation. His traitorous mind created an entirely different picture of communication.

Arriving at his dorm, he ran up the stairs, firmly shut his door, picked up the Freshman Handbook and ceremoniously dropped it in his wastebasket.

Chapter 2 Part 1

Posted on Sunday, 19 June 2005

Time passed by quickly for Elizabeth. Days joining weeks until there was a seamless and interchangeable pattern in her life: Running, Class, Work, Studying, and Dating. In between all of her duties, both assigned and self imposed, she did manage to find time to squeeze in a few hours of sleep a day. It was a grueling but rewarding schedule. There was one thing, though, she had come to dread about it. Even though she loved being active and had a natural proclivity to run, she found the one downside of her schedule was getting up at five every morning. It was hard for her to be motivated when she felt lonely without the camaraderie of her fellow teammates.

Add to that, she was homesick. Yes, she had Jane. Dear sweet Jane. But, there had been several times in the first week where she would have chucked the opportunity at Xavier University for waking up in her room back home in Kentucky. She missed and worried about both of her parents. The passing year had been particularly difficult for her father. He had spent most of it in and out of the hospital fighting one ailment after another. When they talked on the phone, he entertained her with witty stories about friends and neighbors poking fun where he could. Her mom, always prone to a nervous bent, was making special pains to hide her nerves from her daughter. The drastic change in her mother's behavior made her start to worry there might be something going on back home that they were keeping from her.

Then, of course, there were the classes, which were more challenging than any she faced in high school. Elizabeth questioned her own judgment on taking on such a difficult caseload. Why didn't I just take Cal I or Cal II like everyone else? At the time, she had reasoned skipping both would free up more space for her in her Junior and Senior year but now she was not so sure of her choice. What if I can't hack it? She thought of Jane the one time she had voiced her concern aloud.

"Lizzy, you're crazy! You never back down from a challenge. You won't from this one either. No one who meets you could ever find anything lacking."

That comment immediately reminded Elizabeth of the day she met Jane's cousins. She hadn't spent much time thinking back on their unfortunate meeting. She had been too busy to ponder the comments of someone who was not a part of her day in and day out activities. Darcy's insults were harsh, but she bore him no bad will. In fact knowing she had embarrassed him not once, but twice in the same day was enough of revenge that Elizabeth was satisfied. She knew she could bare the misfortune of not being Darcy's friend, but she was not sure if Jane could. Just the night before Jane had renewed her campaign.

"You know you could call him, Lizzy." Jane's tone caused her to glance up from her laundry. This had never been her favorite chore at home and any distraction was welcome. "Call who?"

"Darcy. You could be the bigger person and call him." Jane examined her basket frowning as she paired socks. "I mean if you really wanted to call him."

"But, I don't want to call him." Elizabeth shot a well aimed ball of paired socks at Jane which soon dissolved into a "laundry fight" before both women collapsed on their beds. The subject of their conversation forgotten as they laughed together with an ease they had since children.

And, then there was her job. Working at the library seemed like a good choice when she had accepted the position. After her first week at the job, she wanted to pull her hair out. She found it hard to believe people, who had applied and had been accepted to college, were not able to locate a book using the Dewey Decimal system. Some days she felt much like a police officer directing traffic. All that was missing was the whistle and white gloves.

It was at the library where she had spotted Jane's favorite cousin but she never had any desire to approach him to renew their acquaintance. When Darcy was alone, which was often, he usually isolated himself in the basement by the reference section content to surround himself with an impressive stack of books. Once she had been responsible for putting his discarded books back in the stacks and was intrigued to note his considerable interest in history particularly ones about politics. Other times he was with what Lizzy considered "the beautiful people." There was the blonde woman from the gymnasium, who she had come to learn, was his longtime high school sweetheart, Caroline Smith. From everything she had seen and heard about the two, they were well suited. Evidently, the few buildings on campus not named for his forefathers were named for hers. Then, there was the irrepressible Charles who seemed to divide his free time equally between following Darcy around campus and trailing after Jane like a puppy. Rounding out the group was Julia Cuddles, who seemed permanently tied to Caroline's waist. Lizzy had Biology with Julia and received a full report, as did the entire class, about how upset the cross-country team was about someone's "private practices." Elizabeth did not like the sophomore's nasty remarks but figured it would all sort itself at the first meet, where they like it or not, they were on the same team. Sometimes Richard or Michael joined them with a series of women who normally were as vapid as they were beautiful.

Dating was what seemed to unnerve her the most. Her limited experience had been mostly with Marcus, Jane's older brother by two years. Marcus had been both generous and patient with her. Unfortunately, she realized not all men were his equal. The few guys she had gone out with since arriving on campus seemed to think that because they were on a date they were entitled to more physical attention then she was willing to give. She didn't think she was a prude or cold, but it was hard for her to kiss someone who was a virtual stranger on a first date. It seemed the longer they were on campus the less appealing dating seemed to Elizabeth. A boyfriend would have been nice but she acknowledged it might be a costly distraction. She could not really afford any distractions at this delicate stage in her college career.

As the daily grind of classes and practice began, it had become increasingly clear to Darcy his path did not cross Elizabeth's. It turned she was not in any of his classes. Then, she never showed up at cross-country practice. By the end of the first month, when he was growing comfortable with the thought he would never have to see her again, Coach Lucas called a short meeting and explained Elizabeth had asked and been granted special permission to train privately. Darcy was astonished that Coach seemed relieved even though she was not coming to practice she would be able to attend all of the meets.

"Is it tradition for the entire men's team to be so supportive of the ladies?" Caroline winded her arm through his as she joined him bringing him firmly back to the present. "There weren't this many people at the men's meet."

"I imagine they're just curious." Who could really blame them? The suspense had been weeks in the making.

"Are they?" Caroline held his gaze for a long moment. "You know it's more than that. Most of the women's team is upset about Lizzy competing today. I told Julia I didn't think it was fair. Why should one woman be allowed to run with the team when she doesn't train with them?" Darcy was about to respond when he saw Elizabeth jogging alone across the field. He felt his stomach flip over. Even though she was dressed like the rest of the team, the same navy shorts and white shirt, she wore her hair differently. It was fashioned in two braids with blue and white ribbon wove through them. He was reminded him strongly of Polly Anna. "You know Julia considered not running today in protest but she doesn't want to hurt the team's chances."

"The team is fortunate to have someone so devoted." Jane commented joining them unexpectedly.

Darcy had mixed feelings about seeing Jane. Even though they had not talked much since their lunch at the Pub and on one hand he sorely missed her but on the other he knew Caroline had not. Barely civil under normal circumstances, he instinctively knew it would be ugly when the subject of Elizabeth Bennet came up. Caroline, who did not like Jane, had easily transferred her dislike of his cousin to her friend. She immediately pounced, "It seems some of the team is not so devoted."

"Don't worry, Caroline, Lizzy won't let the team down." Jane scowled as she nodded toward her friend. Elizabeth was standing by herself and the rest of her teammates were openly ignoring her presence. "She knows how everyone is talking about her."

Darcy wanted to defend himself but remained silent on the subject. He had not said one word about her friend missing their practices. In fact, more than once he had intervened when he thought the criticism by his fellow teammates because it reminded him that he had himself had said much worse about her.

" Everyone is talking about her ?" Caroline laughed. "She's really vain. Wouldn't you agree, Darcy?"

He was saved from responding when the announcement came over the loudspeaker for the runners to take their place at the starting line. Before going into her runner's stance, Darcy saw Elizabeth bring the charm around her neck to her lips and kiss it. Caroline noticed as well. "Is Lizzy superstitious? I wonder. Where does she put her rabbit's foot when she runs?"

"It's not a rabbit's foot." Jane's face was red in obvious anger. "It's a necklace her father bought her. She kisses it before every race in honor of him." Darcy was touched in spite of himself by the simple ritual.

The gun fired pulling all three's attention back to the race. As the runners spaced out due to their natural strides, Julia took the lead with a blistering pace impressing even Darcy. Caroline squealed appreciatively. "Look at Julia go! Jane, do you see who is in first place?"

"I do. There's nothing wrong with my vision."

"Oh, Janey," Darcy winced. Caroline knew his cousin hated being called Janey. "Your little friend looks like she is struggling." Darcy frowned because Elizabeth's stride was rough. She was dropping back quickly. In fact, from his angle, she looked as if she was maneuvering herself to run even with two of her own teammates.

"Just wait. It's still early and there's a lot of race left to run." Jane's my one woman cheering section. Elizabeth's soft southern voice drifted through his brain. He shook his head to clear it.

"Oh, I wasn't insulting her. It is discouraging to realize that college is a lot different than high school. There's so much better competition."

"Yes, there is." Jane smiled in his direction and Darcy felt his stomach flop again. Maybe I am getting an ulcer? .

As the final runner disappeared into the brush, Darcy was grateful when it seemed both women were now content not to squabble as they waited. There was nothing more to do but wait. The minutes seemed to stretch on like days. He kept watching the break in the foliage anticipating the lead pack back to finish the final leg of the race. Darcy was mildly disappointed when it was the not the Xavier's blue and white that returned first but the dreaded red and black of their neighboring rival UC.

Just when he thought UC was going to pull off an easy win, Elizabeth broke into the clearing. She had moved up to fourth place and there was no sign of her earlier difficulty. Darcy had barely registered her presence before he noticed she was joined by two of her teammates, Charlotte and Kylie. When they reached the final half mile marker, she yelled something to them and he watched as a group they picked up their pace. Darcy was aware of the screaming around him as he watched her skillfully avoid the attempts of the three UC women to bottle her. By the time they had only 1/4-mile remaining, she ordered Charlotte and Kylie to once again pick up their pace. They gained ground on two of the three opponents standing between them and the finish line. With 1/8-mile left, showing no signs of fatigue, she used up everything she had left in a sprint as she led her little group around their remaining obstacle to winning the race. Amazed, Darcy watched as the Xavier women swept their first cross-country event of the year.

Darcy glanced at Jane and she mouthed, "told you."

It was some time before he heard Caroline, who was clearly stunned say, "I really can't believe she won."

Darcy could. He never doubted it. When Jane finally made her way through the crowd to her friend, Darcy watched as Elizabeth stepped away from the group surrounding her to pull her best friend in a bear hug. The two jumped up and down excitedly for a minute before his view was impeded as the crowd swallowed them. Frustrated, he unconsciously stood up on his tiptoes to try to spot them again. Where so many people came from so suddenly was beyond him. Then, the group parted and the sight of her filled all of his senses in a rush. Her face glistened with the combination of sweat and sunshine, her uniform clung to her suggestively and her face was pink from her exertion. Darcy had never been more aroused at the sight of a woman in his entire life.

When Caroline dropped her hand from his arm, Darcy glanced at her and came firmly back to reality. The expression on her face was one he hoped never to see again. It was clear she was hurt. "Caro, I don't know what to say..."

When he moved to envelope her in a hug, she shrugged out from under his embrace. "Not now, Darcy." He did not miss the fact she was wiping at her cheeks as she headed for the Student Union. During their entire relationship, he had never made her cry and he was at a loss as to how to go about repairing the damage he had caused.

Darcy knew Caroline was a match for him in every way. They both had fathers who were physicians, both were from the same social circle, both families were close. In fact, it was unspoken belief after college they would be joined as man and wife. It would not be a bad fate. He was excessively fond of Caroline. She was beautiful and witty. And, normally, they got along very well. It was just lately that it seemed they were disagreeing on a regular basis.

After another moment's hesitation and God help him a final glance in Elizabeth's direction, he swore silently and ran after his girlfriend.

Chapter 2 Part 2

Posted on Friday, 8 July 2005

Elizabeth was anxious after she accepted Charlotte's invitation to join the team for lunch the day after their first meet. While she was relieved there were some on the team who were willing to put rumors aside to take time to actually get to know her, she was nervous about spending time with a group that was likely already prejudiced against her. She found she couldn't sleep very well the night before and had gotten up early to take extra pains with her appearance.

"At this rate, Lizzy, it'll be dinner by the time you get to the cafeteria." As if sensing her fear, Jane pulled her into a reassuring hug. "You look too good to be meeting some female teammates. I mean I could understand if you were putting this much effort into getting ready for a hot date."

"A hot date, I wish." She sighed loudly. College guys, it seemed, didn't have much interest in her. It felt like a repeat of high school, where only the guys she didn't want to ask her out managed to find a way to just that while the more desirable guys tended to shy away from her. It was this very reason that she ended up on her first date with Marcus, Jane's brother, who'd taken pity on her when she couldn't find a date for her Junior Prom. "I'd settle for someone on the team who didn't treat me like a leper."

"Lizzy, who really needs them when you've got me?"

Lizzy laughed at Jane. "Yeah, who needs 'em with a friend like you!" She did. Jane, a natural social butterfly, had already become involved in various organizations on campus while Lizzy began finding herself alone with increasing regularity. It wasn't that she begrudged her friend her activities but she didn't intend on becoming Jane's "tag along" their entire college career. So far away from home, she hoped college would be different than high school where her fellow students were polite but standoffish. The few people she'd counted as friends, with the exception of Jane and her siblings had been nothing more than mere acquaintances.

Once she arrived at the cafeteria and spotted Julia's presence at the same table as Charlotte and Kylie, Jane's earlier assurances she'd do fine melted away. It was clear, for whatever reason, Julia didn't like her. As she took an open seat at the table next to Michael and across from the woman who invited her, she was greeted warmly. Charlotte and Kylie returned her timid smile and Michael was happy to see her, but she was given the collective cold shoulder of the table's other three occupants. Julia and Caroline were deep in their own private conversation while Darcy didn't bother to glance up from a book he was reading. She shrugged. I guess the very rich can afford to offend where they like.

"Hey, you made it!" Charlotte looked happy to see her. "I was starting to think you weren't coming."

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Thanks again for inviting me. I usually eat lunch in the library on Sundays." Could I try to sound more like a nerd? Lizzy rubbed her palms on her jeans praying her desperation wasn't transparent.

"The library, eh?" Charlotte chewed thoughtfully. "I guess Billy wasn't exaggerating when he said you study all the time."

"Billy?" Lizzy racked her brain but could not remember a Billy from her acquaintances.

"Her fiancé, Billy Collins." Kylie nudged Charlotte with her shoulder.

Lizzy remembered Billy from her Calculus class and tried to hide her surprise. She'd assumed by the way he interacted with the other guys in class that he wasn't interested in the fairer sex. Personal feelings aside, she offered, "Congratulations."

"Thanks." Charlotte received another nudge from Kylie. "Well, I guess, Lizzy there is no reason to beat about the bush and we should just come out with the real reason we invited you to lunch."

"Oh?" A little disappointed, Lizzy wondered what they wanted from her. They weren't in any of her classes so they didn't need to borrow her notes. Lately, that seemed to be the only reason anyone bothered to talk to her at all. Jane was asked to parties, she was asked for her notes.

"Kylie and I discussed it last night and both of us would like to start running with you, that is, if you'll have us." Lizzy blinked. She'd never dreamed anyone would want to run with her. Mistaking her reaction, Charlotte added quickly, "You don't have to give us an answer today if you want to think it over."

Kylie chimed in, "We know you prefer to train privately."

"No!' Realizing what she said, Lizzy took a second to collect her scattered thoughts. "I mean, yes! I would love the company. And, no, I hate to run by myself." She couldn't help grinning playfully. "Though I have to warn you, I get started on the trail early, usually around five."

"Did you say five?" Kylie asked in disbelief. "As in five am?"

"Yes, that's really why I run by myself. No one wants to see me that early."

"I wouldn't mind seeing you that early, Lizzy." She swatted at Michael's arm as he tried to wrap it around her. He pouted pulling back his hand. "Ouch! Lizzy, I think I'm seriously hurt."

"I think you'll recover. It's a superficial wound."

"So, do prefer running in the morning?" Kylie asked. "Is that why you get up at that ungodly hour?"

"Who does anything by choice that early? No, I run that early because it's the only time my schedule allows. I work during the afternoons at the library." Lizzy felt a little sensitive knowing no one else at this table worked. It wasn't as if she was embarrassed by the fact, she just didn't want or need their sympathy. "I do hope to be able to run with the team in the spring because it's been hard to stay motivated by myself."

"Well I guess my beauty sleep can be put off for a semester." Charlotte shrugged easily. "If you're sure you wouldn't mind the company?"

"I wouldn't mind a bit." Lizzy was touched by the sacrifice both women were making for her. "I'll be honest. I think you've just made the highlight of my semester."

Most of the remainder of the meal passed with Lizzy getting to know Charlotte and Kylie better. Both were juniors and had been on the team since their freshmen year. As a casual observer it was clear, they two had a very close friendship. Kylie possessed a cheerful disposition and liked to laugh at life's absurdities. Charlotte was realistic and spent a good deal of time talking about her upcoming nuptials. Her wedding was to be held the summer after their graduation and they planned on honeymooning in Europe before eventually settling near his family's home in a small village outside of Kent in England.

It sounded terribly romantic. "England." Lizzy was envious of Charlotte's upcoming travels. She sighed. "I'd love to go there someday. I bet it's beautiful."

"The English countryside is breathtaking." Having forgotten Darcy was at the table, Lizzy was somewhat startled at the sound of his voice. It was the first time he'd spoken to her since their meeting at the Pub. Their eyes met over the distance of the table. "I think you'd find places like Kent more suited to your tastes than say the traditional tourist traps of London."

Her initial thought was to ask him how he could presume to know anything about her tastes, but his intense scrutiny made her feel somewhat intimidated. She didn't like the way his gaze made her feel. "So, do you go 'across the pond' often, Darcy?"

"Does he go 'across the pond' often? Really!" Caroline squealed as if Lizzy had just told the mother of all jokes. "The Williams own an estate in England. In fact, it's near Kent. Perhaps if you ever get to go to England yourself, Lizzy, you could take a tour. The estate's open to the general public most of the year." Caroline turned to Julia and continued loudly, "It's actually Darcy's second favorite home. His heart belongs to Pemberley, which is the family's mansion in Connecticut. Personally, I prefer the Williams' penthouse in New York, but I suppose that's because we had so much fun there last summer. Don't you remember, darling?" She wrapped a well manicured hand around his upper arm. "All the fun we had? "

Lizzy saw Darcy's jaw tighten. "I remember, Caroline."

Julia's eyes gleamed. "Exactly how many does your family own, Darcy?"

Blatantly ignoring her question, Darcy reopened his place in his book and began to read again. Lizzy almost laughed at his reaction, but caught herself in time. He didn't strike her as someone who enjoyed being teased and she didn't want to risk offending her new acquaintances by making sport of him again.

"I think there must be at least thirteen, Julia." Thirteen? An unlucky number. "Most are in the States naturally. There's Pemberley, the vineyard near Napa Valley, a beach house in Florida, the condo in Aspen, of course," Of course. God forbid the Williams not have a home in Aspen. Seeing Kylie's face turn pink at her own effort not to laugh, Lizzy was glad she wasn't the only one who found the ostentatious display amusing. "One in Texas, the villa in Mexico, the penthouse in New York. How many is that?"

"Enough." Darcy glared at his girlfriend and Caroline froze. Seeing the stricken look on the pretty woman's face, Lizzy felt strangely sorry for her and briefly wondered why anyone would be willing to put up with such a man. In the abrupt silence that followed, she couldn't help herself. If he was going to insist on having such bad manners, he deserved to be teased. "Wow, forget Boardwalk, Darcy, it sounds as if your family owns the entire Monopoly board."

In an instant, she wished she'd kept her mouth shut. If she'd thought his gaze earlier had been unsettling, this one seared her with its heat. "Monopoly?"

"You know the board game." She didn't know what to make of Darcy. For all of Jane's bragging, he didn't seem to know too much about anything useful. She cleared her throat in effort not to laugh. "Boardwalk for $400. The little top hat. Free parking."

"Darcy doesn't have time for games!" Caroline looked shocked at the suggestion.

"That's a pity." Lizzy glanced at her watch. "It's been fun gang, but I've got to scoot or I'm going to be late for work. Thanks for letting me join y'all." She stopped balancing her backpack and her tray and turned back to Charlotte and Kylie. "I guess I'll be seeing you two tomorrow morning at five a.m. sharp. We can meet at the base of Suicide Hill."

She finally got to laugh out loud when she heard the two women groan in unison.

Darcy prided himself on his self-control but he was finding it increasingly hard to ignore his preoccupation in the weeks following her unexpected appearance at lunch. When she joined them at lunch, he could focus on nothing but the questions asked of her and her answers. It turned out she wasn't just intelligent but she had a wicked sense of humor. He found himself amused by her thoughtful answers. She did not compliment to compliment. If someone asked her honest opinion, she gave it. In this, he thought they shared common ground. Every once in a while he'd contribute something to their conversation and then spend the rest of the meal mentally kicking himself when he did.

At the cross-country meets, it was difficult to pay attention to anything but her. Her presence in shorts had been bad enough, but when weather turned cooler and the team ran in tights, his concentration on her body intensified. Darcy knew his fixation with Jane's friend likely stemmed from his initial embarrassment the day they met. He often found himself fantasizing they had met differently under a different set of conditions. When he found himself drunk off these thoughts of her, he often sobered himself with the thought of his families' reaction, especially his mother's, if he ever decided to act on his attraction. No, it wouldn't do to give her the impression he was interested.

Not that she lacked for admirers from his teammates. That fact became clear on the team's first overnight trip. He was forced to endure watching as his male teammates hit on her unmercifully. Some were so determined in their pursuit Darcy felt the need to protect her to make sure they wouldn't get out of line with her. On the few bolder men his glare didn't deter, his physical presence was enough to dissuade. After that first trip, he began taking up a post in the seat directly behind her and was grateful when Michael unknowingly helped him by taking the open seat next to her. From his perch, he watched as her effervescent charm worked its magic on the rest of their teammates.

He knew he couldn't ruin all of his careful plans for a lustful preoccupation with someone entirely unsuited to his lifestyle. Besides, he had more at stake than just his own feelings. Darcy felt guilt at these unwanted feelings for Elizabeth and he could only imagine the enormity of what he'd feel if he ever gave way to do the things his body longed to do. He knew a brief fling wouldn't be worth the cost. The betrayal would hurt Caroline. In fact, it was the image of her crying which kept him from perpetually giving way to thoughts about Jane's friend. He was grateful for Caroline. She was like a lifeline to him keeping him firmly planted in all that was his duty and expectation. He could imagine the fool he would be over Elizabeth without his girlfriend keeping him grounded. He knew if he did what his body longed to do, he'd end up losing his own self respect at giving into such a weakness of the flesh. After the brief fling, he would be full of regrets. He resolved to put this crazy and dangerous preoccupation to rest finally once and for all.

His resolve didn't last the weekend. He joined Michael at lunch when Caroline and Julia were off shopping for a dress for some dance and felt anxious as he awaited her arrival. Her pattern on Sunday was embedded in his mind. He knew she always ate lunch with Charlotte and Kylie and they never missed an opportunity to join Michael. Darcy would've admitted if he'd been in the mood to be honest with himself, his low opinions of both women had improved drastically when they took Elizabeth under their protective wings. It seemed a mutual beneficial relationship where the upperclassmen provided her with their seasoned advice while in return it seemed the freshmen had given them a renewed belief in their abilities. Within weeks, the trio had become as inseparable force off as they were on the course.

"Stop it, Char." He felt a hot feeling settle in his stomach as he tracked her path as she crossed the cafeteria. She was trailed closely by her little entourage of Jane, Charlotte and Kylie.

"Then, there is the basketball team, Lizzy!"

"You know you don't mean the entire team." He couldn't believe it when she took the empty seat across from him. He glanced at her expectantly but her attention was diverted by her friends.

"Now wait a minute." Jane laughed, taking the seat next to him. "My cousin, Richard, is on the team."

"Then, he too will shortly be turned to the dark side. Trust me. I know from personal experience those guys are nothing but dogs when it comes to women. It's best to steer clear of the entire team. None of them are fit to date. " Darcy noticed Kylie didn't appear to be enjoying the topic. "I've got a friend who dated Taggert Smouth their freshmen year. He broke her heart by running off with that cheerleading floozy, Karen Cuddles."

"Cuddles?" Elizabeth crumbled up some crackers in her soup thinking a name like that couldn't be very common. "Is she any relation to Julia?"

"She's her evil sister." Jane shuddered. "I've got an art class with her. Last week, she offered to model nude in front of the entire class."

"Did you offer to join her, Jane?" Michael winked at Darcy across the table. "Now that'd be a class worth taking here at Xavier."

"I was tempted, Mikey, but I declined. I prefer my modeling left for private audiences only." Darcy made a mental note to talk to Jane about all of her extracurricular activities since it seemed she had a mission to date half the male student body by Christmas. His thoughts returned to the conversation with Charles just days earlier.

Charles cleared his throat several times. "I don't know why, Darcy, but I just felt I needed to come to you first. I guess I feel it is only right for me to ask you permission first."

"Permission for what?" Darcy tried to locate his notes for his Calculus class since he was running late for lab. When his friend did not answer him, Darcy stopped and gave his friend his entire attention. "Charles, what're you talking about?"

"I want to ask Jane out. I really like her a lot. And, since you two are so close, I thought I'd ask you what you thought." Charles sighed then smiled. "I really like her, Darcy."

Usually observant, Darcy wondered how he'd missed such a development and then wondered what other things he'd missed going on around him. Elizabeth's ability to distract him was added to the long list of her unsuitability he had constructed to persuade himself to stop thinking about her. He shook his head trying to focus on the matter Charles had put before him. He thought back over the many times Jane had joined him and Charles. His cousin had been cordial to him but Darcy detected no great interest on Jane's side. It was obvious by the way Charles was squirming in front of him that his friend was very fond of Jane. Having been good friends since high school, Darcy felt he owed Charles the truth. He could well imagine the damage his friend's tender-heart would suffer at Jane's hands.

"Well?" Charles looked perfectly miserable. "Do you think she might go to the movies or something?"

Darcy massaged his temples not wanting to hurt his friend but at the same time not wanting to give him false hope. "In my opinion, Jane would go out with you, but I think she'd agree only because you're my friend. She's never mentioned you or expressed interest in you. Charles, she's friendly but she is friendly with everyone." He hated the way Charles' expression changed from joy to disappointment. He'd never seen his friend look so crushed. Darcy ran a hand through his curls. "Look, man, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe she's been longing for you to ask her out. I've not been at my best this semester and really haven't talked to her in a few weeks. Why don't you ask her yourself? That's the only way to really know if she is interested or not."

"No, Darcy, you know Jane better than anyone else." Charles shrugged. "If you don't think she's interested, she's probably not. Thanks for sparing me the humiliation of asking Lizzy."

Elizabeth's question pulled him out of his reverie. "So, Kylie, is there any other group I should I avoid?"

"Well, most of the guys on the cross country team are pretty nice." At Kylie's answer, Darcy sorely wished for a change of topic. "Is there any guy you want to know about in particular?"

"Yes, is there?" Michael asked eagerly.

"No, there's no one in particular." Darcy searched Elizabeth's face for the truth. He didn't want to dwell on the thought of her dating one of his teammates. The long bus trips and overnight stays would be unbearable.

Lunch seemed to last an eternity as the women exhausted all possible single men on campus. When she excused herself for the library, Darcy waited a few minutes before he too left for the same destination. He found himself skulking off for the library every Sunday afternoon since he had committed her schedule to memory. The simple act of watching her put books back in the stack was as seductive to him as any dance performed by a nightclub stripper. Watching her made him feel like a voyeur and her effect on him was becoming more pronounced after each Sunday. Each time he left the library promising himself he wouldn't come back the next week only to find himself return back at his favorite spot across from the reference desk without conscious thought.

Instead of discovering a way to stay away from her, he had unconsciously stumbled on a course of action to get them alone when he did an online search of the library's collection and located two obscure political reference books he had interest in viewing for a course he was going to take in the Spring. He knew she'd have to help him find them in the restricted area and he found himself longing for the interaction with her. He paced outside the library for several minutes trying to gather the courage to go through with his plan and playing out various scenarios in his head. It wasn't long before he allowed his fantasies unbidden to his mind. The thought of them kissing passionately and undetected in the stacks caused his pulse rate to pound in his veins.

He found her easily familiar with her habits as he had become. Leaning across a book, highlighter in hand she was obviously studying. She had headphones on, bobbing her head in time singing softly very off key. "Love to love you baby. Tonight I'll be your naughty girl. I know you want my body. Oh, love to love you baby."* Hearing her lyrics he nearly chickened out but she happened to look up at that very instant and caught him in the net of her eyes.

She straightened and removed her headphones in one deft movement. "Can I help you?"

He laid the call numbers in front of her. "I need these two reference books from the restricted area. Today."

She glanced down at the paper in front of her frowning and for one minute he almost panicked thinking she would deny him access to the books. After asking for his student ID, she put his information in a large ledger before placing his ID on the counter behind her. Without looking back at him, she reached over to unlatch the half-door standing between them. "Follow me." As he did as she instructed, he could not help but admire her. He thought she made an enticing picture with her hair pulled into a hasty ponytail and dressed in her long sleeve turtle neck and overalls. She winded around several bookshelves leading him back to a well stocked but cramped set of stacks. The further back they went to the underground heart of the Xavier library the more it became obvious they were quite alone.

She stopped abruptly and ran her had over what seemed to Darcy a sea of identically black leather covers. She pulled out one volume, chewed her lip as she glanced at the cover. She wiped off some dust and smiled. "Here it is." She extended the volume to him and he took it careful not to touch her hand with his fearing what skin on skin contact would do to his slipping resolve. Without even looking at the title, he nodded. "Thanks." He turned away from her more than ready to be free of her company in this confining place.

"Darcy?" He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before turning back to her. If she made a pass at him, he knew he would yield. Again fantasies of them kissing passionately ran through his mind. He should've known the inevitable outcome once they were alone. Their mutual attraction was something neither of them could ignore. He turned back to her slowly wetting his lips in anticipation. "Yes?"

Her brow furrowed. "Did you change your mind about the other book?"

"No, of course not." His voice was harsher than he had intended due to his disappointment. "Why else would I come here?"

Her lips twitched into a lazy smile. "Yes, why else indeed."

The second book took longer for her to find than the first one and Darcy had a sneaking suspicion she did it deliberately to punish him. He fumed silently. Her lazy smile had made it obvious to him that she knew all too well the effect she had on him. More than once, he almost told her to forget about it. Being alone with her, close to her, without touching her was becoming painful. He saw her shoulders sag slightly when they stopped at another wall of reference books. Sighing loudly, she slid the ladder over to rest in front of them and started climbing.

Instinctively, he moved forward to hold the ladder steady when she started up the rungs. She glanced back at him. They were at eye level with each other and he knew it would've been easy to close the small distance between them and take what he wanted. Too quickly in his opinion, she turned away from him and continued climbing.

Knowing he couldn't trust his slipping restraint to not touch her when she made her return down the ladder, Darcy did the only thing he could in the situation. Without a word, he left the reference room stopping only to drop the first book at the counter and retrieve his student ID. He jogged the short distance to his dorm and immediately headed into a much needed cold shower.

*Naughty Girl by Beyonce.

Chapter 3

Posted on Sunday, 7 August 2005

Thanksgiving Break couldn't come soon enough for Lizzy. She longed for the sanity of her family and the soothing effect her beloved Kentucky landscape afforded her. She longed to immerse herself in the laidback pace of her hometown. She couldn't wait to get in Fannie's way in the kitchen as they prepared the traditional turkey dinner and she anticipated the quiet evenings with her father in the den reading by firelight. She even looked forward to returning back to the nursing home she worked at over the summer and becoming reacquainted with her dear patients.

Another unexpected but happy development was the fact Jane had decided to come home with her for the holiday. It seemed the members of Jane's family were just too busy with their own plans to include her. Jane's mom was island hopping in the Caribbean with Ivan. Tiger was tied up in Europe putting the final touches on the business merger which had called him away earlier in the year. Jane's elder sister, Morgan, was in Boston visiting with her fiancé's relatives while Marcus had decided for proximity sake to join Darcy's family for Thanksgiving in Connecticut.

"I just wish Marcus and Moe could've come home." They were in a long line of other cars leaving the Cincinnati waiting for their turn in the familiar bottleneck on I-75's infamous 'cut in the hill.' Privately, even though she missed both of Jane's siblings, Lizzy was glad Marcus had put off returning home. She wouldn't allow herself to regret her decision not to accept his proposal, but she wasn't quite sure if he'd come to his senses yet about the issue. "I think Marcus has some girl he's interested in up in Boston." Jane glanced over as if concerned for her reaction to the news. "He's mentioned her name a couple of times in the last few e-mails he sent."

"Good for him." She could feel nothing but relief for her friend. "I hope he's happy."

Jane turned on the radio, fiddled with the stations a moment, then she flicked it off disgusted. "I just don't know if I'm cut out for this college thing, Lizzy."

College thing? Lizzy frowned. It was true that academics never scored high points with Jane, but she had hoped that Jane had come to value the importance of a higher education. "How can you say that you're not cut out for college? You're doing very well in your classes and you're excessively popular. You're in the right clubs, guys are practically lined up around the Cintas Center waiting to ask you out, and you're practically a shoe in for the cheerleading squad."

"You really think I have a chance at making varsity?" Jane had cheered most of her high school career, but had given it up due to ankle problems in her final year. Lizzy knew why Jane's interest had returned to the sport. He was blonde and 6'2" with an adorable Connecticut accent.

"Yes, I do."

"Really? The girls on the squad didn't seem that impressed."

"Of course, they weren't. You're competing with them for a spot. From what I heard, the basketball team seemed pretty excited about your performance. I thought it was flawless." The cheerleading tryouts, which were open to the general public, seemed to be a favorite among the men on the campus. Naturally, most of the male basketball team had decided to check out tryouts. Between Charles asking about her roommate, Michael providing witty comments about most of her friend's competitors and Richard discussing the upcoming season, she had been thoroughly entertained. In fact, the only blight to a perfect evening was the fact Darcy seemed to insist on joining his friends and sat directly behind her.

"I don't know. Darcy said it was okay, but it wasn't anything remarkable."

"I didn't know Darcy was an expert on cheerleading."

"He isn't, but he always tells the truth. In fact, it's an annoying habit you both share." Seeing the look on Lizzy's face, Jane added, "You know I never dreamed you two would end up hating one another."

"Oh, c'mon, Jane, I don't hate Darcy. It's true I don't particularly care for him, but I don't hate him. It's more like ambivalence."

"Whatever it is, let's just say it's not what I had expected. You two have so much in common." Lizzy rolled her eyes. She knew after several months Jane was still not willing to give up on her idea that she belonged with Darcy. "You do and in more ways that you can imagine."

"Ok. He runs cross country and he's intelligent, but that is definitely where our similarities end."

"Did I tell you that he played basketball in high school? He was so good he was offered a full ride to play for a school out west but he turned them down to attend Xavier."

"It probably wasn't a prestigious enough school." Lizzy scrunched her nose but seeing Jane's dark look asked, "Ok, if he's so good, why doesn't he play for X?"

"I don't know. The few times I've heard Richard or Charles bring the subject up with him, he's been reluctant to discuss it."

"Darcy? Not the conversationalist? Now, I'm shocked."

"He's reticent by nature. He doesn't feel the need to pour his personal feelings and decisions out for the whole world to observe and judge them. In fact, I'd think you'd understand that about him." Lizzy shrugged as Jane continued, "Maybe if you were a little more friendly towards him you'd know that yourself."

"I should be friendly towards him? Are you out of your mind?" It perplexed Lizzy how her friend could understand her reasons for turning Marcus down while at the same time trying to ram her high and mighty cousin down her throat. As much as Jane hoped, Lizzy felt nothing for her 'impressive' cousin besides an occasional twinge of annoyance at his haughty behavior and bad manners. "I know you don't like Caroline, but she's really a perfect choice for him. He's rude and she's insulting. Both go around campus looking at everyone else as if we should feel lucky that we share the same air supply."

"He's not like that!" Lizzy thought Jane was a wee bit blind to Darcy's faults but chalked it up to familial loyalty. "And, Caroline's not the woman for him. She tells him what he wants to hear and does exactly what he wants her to do. She doesn't challenge him."

"I hate to say this but I don't think he likes to be challenged and especially by a woman."

"That's not true. Darcy thinks women ..."

"Oh, I know exactly what he thinks about women remember?" Lizzy crossed her arms over her chest.

"I can't believe you are still holding what he said that first day against him." Jane's brow furrowed. "It's not like you to go around holding a grudge."

"The insults I can forgive, but the fact he's never apologized I can't." Lizzy felt justified in her opinion. "And, unfortunately, he hasn't improved upon longer acquaintance. I told you the way he glares at me whenever he sees me. Then, what about what happened at the library?" Lizzy puffed out her chest and imitated his deep voice. "'Why else would I come here?' Jane, he didn't even want the books he requested. He just wanted to know as part of my job, I'd have to fetch them for him. It was a pure power trip."

"There's got to be another explanation for his behavior." Darcy did not like her and he wasn't afraid for the entire world to know it. Lizzy did not know why Jane refused to believe what was so plain to everyone else. "You don't know how hard it's for him."

"You're going to have a hard time finding anyone, including myself, who feel sorry for the "amazing" Darcy Williams."

"I'm not asking you to feel sorry for him. I'm asking you to be a little more understanding, Lizzy. He's different with his friends back in Connecticut. More relaxed. He's abrupt here because people treat him differently than they do you and me. People fawn over him and it makes him cynical. It's hard for him to know for sure if someone likes him for his money or for his merit. Think about it? The only people really close to him are the ones he knew before he started college."

"Speaking of people he knew before he started college, has Charles asked you to the Christmas dance yet?"

"No. And, he probably isn't going to ask me. He only puts up with me because Darcy's his best friend not because he likes me."

Lizzy was amazed her friend's uncertainty since Jane was normally confident with the opposite sex. "He most definitely likes you! Anyone with eyes can see that. In fact, when we were watching your cheerleading tryouts, he kept asking me questions about you." Charles and Jane could barely tear their eyes away from one another whenever they were together and Lizzy thought the two would be good for each other. Due to her mother's erratic behavior over the last few years, Jane had become increasingly jaded about men. She barely lasted a week with the same guy, as if it was the chase, and not the relationship, she thrived. Meeting Charles could really be something, something positive in Lizzy's opinion, to her best friend. "Mark my words, he's crazy about you."

"I don't know. He probably only talked with you about me because he knows I'm one of your favorite subjects. He's interested in the happiness of others and doesn't get hung up with people's faults. Know what I mean?"

Lizzy laughed when her friend's blush deepened. "Jane, you know we're definitely going to have to go shopping to find a dress for you. We need something sophisticated to knock his socks off when he finally musters up the courage to ask you out."

"Deal." Jane sighed and then giggled in a decidedly un-Janey sort of way. "What about you? Did that guy from the cross-country team finally ask you?"

"Jeff? No!" It was Lizzy's turn to sigh. She'd been disappointed when she found out Jeff Tilney was taking a girl from his Astronomy class. Jeff was a junior who was good looking, athletic and obviously not interested. He'd flirted shamelessly with her over the phone the night before the team had their last meet, but then his attention cooled on the bus ride to their destination. "He said he was sorry but he liked his limbs where they were. When I asked him what he meant, he said I should ask my 'roomie's cousin.' And, then, like he was trying to make sure he didn't hurt my feelings he said a lot of guys were scared off because of him. Personally, I think it's a crock! He just made that up as an excuse because he saw me eating lunch with Richard the other day and he didn't want to hurt my feelings."

"You ate lunch with Richard? When?"

"When, what?" Seeing Jane's confusion, Lizzy continued. "Oh, I thought you knew. Richard and I eat lunch most Fridays when Char and Kylie have their lab together."

"I thought you weren't interested in Richard."

"I'm not interested in him as a boyfriend." Lizzy bristled at the look Jane was shooting her. "Look, it's not like I've been keeping anything from you. We just sort of fell into a pattern of meeting once a week to have lunch. It's not any big deal or hot romance or anything. We're just two good friends enjoying lunch and keeping one another company."

"Are you sure he feels the same way?"

"Positive." Lizzy nodded. It was true. After the first time Richard had asked her out, he'd never asked again. She was glad because even though she was fond of him, she was sure her answer wouldn't be any different than it had been the first night they met.

"Well, don't worry. I'm sure someone will ask you to the dance. It's still early yet and besides, if all else fails, I'm sure we could talk Mikey into taking you."

"He'd be a fun date, I guess." Lizzy felt a little disappointed by what she'd seen as Jeff's betrayal but decided not to dwell on it. There were other fish in the sea. The idea of going to the dance, which had just lost its appeal, rebounded in Lizzy's mind. "Hey, when Charles asks you, we can double. It would be so much fun being with Charles and Mikey. It'd be a blast."

Lizzy was surprised her father and mother, who were normally so open and affectionate, seemed tired and strained upon her arrival. It wasn't apparent to Jane, but it was to her. Her mom burned a pie, something that Lizzy never remembered happening in all the time she'd been a Bennett. Her father, though he attempted to read the book she'd given him, couldn't seem to manage to commit any of it to his memory.

It wasn't until the day before the girls were set to return to Xavier that Lizzy discovered the problem. Jane had gone into town to visit some of her old high school friends, giving Lizzy some time alone with her parents. She returned from one of her favorite trails around the house when she stopped to bring in the mail for her mother. The stack of mail was thick and full of what appeared to be delinquent and overdue notices.

Since her parents weren't back from her father's doctor appointment, she ventured into his den where she found the most damaging evidence. She wasn't a financial wizard but she didn't need one to compare the large stack of bills against the pitifully small balance in the checkbook. There was a pink foreclosure notice in the pile her father had marked urgent. Not normally one to pry into her parent's finances, she settled back into her father's chair sick.

I'm so selfish. If I stayed home, this wouldn't have happened. She quickly made a decision. She would complete her semester at Xavier and transfer to the community college in town. She could even take some time off from school and work full time until they were caught up on the bills. She knew she could find a way to cover the mortgage payments. She wouldn't let her parents lose their home when she could help them.

Her parents wouldn't hear a word of it. After a long bitter argument where many tears were shed, she was overruled. She would return to college and focus on her athletics and academics while they managed, as they always had, to provide a home for her.

Chapter 3 Part 2

I did. Though I have to admit I didn't understand what the fuzzy dice were for at first.

I bet you were surprised! Which was your favorite present? The fuzzy dice, the Beamer or the Rolex?

I didn't get a Rolex. So, I guess it was the Beamer. The dice was a close second.

Did you put them up on the rear view mirror?

Of course.

I still can't believe your mom is letting you bring your car back to campus. You definitely have to take me for a ride. Maybe we could invite Lizzy since she loves going fast. Darcy's thoughts drifted back to the cheerleading tryout and the way the entire basketball team treated her. She was definitely a favorite of the entire group. Here were arguably the most beautiful and limber girls on campus preening and bouncing on the court, but everyone, including himself, had been drawn to her. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and she was wearing the green shirt she'd worn the day they'd met at the Pub. He'd love to take her driving but wasn't sure he'd want Jane around. The computer in front of him chimed. When are you going back to campus?

Hopefully, we'll get started this morning. Knowing how long it takes Charles to pack, it'll be more like this afternoon. With a stop to visit some of his relatives outside of Youngstown, we should be back on campus tomorrow evening. You?

Tomorrow afternoon. We're going to leave after Lizzy gets home from her overnight shift at the nursing home. I can't believe she worked her entire break. By the time we get back to campus, she's going to need another vacation. Jane waited for a response but when one did not come she continued typing. How's Marcus doing?

Fine from what I can tell. He's spent most of his break locked in the library working on some paper due the day he gets back to campus. I think he actually misses you, though I don't think he'd admit that without some sort of torture being employed.

Don't tell him, but I missed him too.

Your secret is safe with me, but I still don't understand why you insisted on spending Thanksgiving by yourself. I insist if your parents aren't back in time for Christmas that you come to Pemberley to celebrate with family. I can tell you from experience my parents give some pretty good gifts!

I doubt your mom would want me around, besides I wasn't alone for Thanksgiving. I was with Lizzy and her family, though I might come to regret the decision.

Why is that?

I think I've gained fifteen pounds over the holiday. Lizzy's mom can cook like no one else and I've been in a perpetual food coma since I've been here. Is that possible?

Yes, I'm in one myself. Mrs. Reynolds made her homemade pumpkin pie. I'm supposed to share a piece with you when I get back.

I should get my own piece or I'll tell Richard you have an entire pie.

No, don't do that! You're in a good mood. I guess you've had a good break.

I guess. My break was much more relaxing than Lizzy's. While she's been working, I've been hanging out with my friends from high school but most of them have changed so much I hardly know them anymore.

Yes, I noticed that myself.

I'm just glad Lizzy is at school with me because I don't know what I'd do if we'd grown apart.

I don't think that would ever happen. You two seem important to one another.

I know I'm probably boring you with all the talk about Lizzy, but I guess it's because I'm still sort of freaked out that she actually considered dropping out of school yesterday.

Elizabeth was going to leave Xavier? Why?

Family problems. I'm just glad her dad can be as stubborn as she can be. For a while, I thought she wasn't going to be persuaded.

What's wrong? Jane knew Lizzy wouldn't like to have her private problems aired for the world, but she knew Darcy would never say anything to anyone. It bothered her, if not for the millionth time, that the two of them wouldn't give the other a second chance for she was sure they would become close friends.

Her dad was sick for a while earlier this year and they're having some temporary financial problems because of it. Lizzy has it hard enough trying to juggle working, running and maintaining that impossible GPA of hers. Now she's got this to worry about too. It's not fair! Darcy read the last message several times when Jane IM-ed him again. I know you don't like her very much, but even you wouldn't wish all of this on her.

No, I wouldn't.

They continued to talk about pretty inconsequential things for a little while longer before Charles called to let him know he was ready.

Darcy was still mulling over the information Jane had given him about Elizabeth when he was at dinner a few weeks later waiting with the rest of her friends to learn how she did at Nationals.

"Well?" Michael asked when Charlotte joined them.

"I just got off the phone with dad. Lizzy placed eleventh."

"Eleventh?" Caroline mused licking yogurt off a spoon, "That isn't very good, is it?"

Kylie shot her a withering look. "Lizzy is the first to qualify in years. By just going to Nationals, she's brought a lot of interest to Xavier's program."

"Was she upset?" Jane was more eager to hear about the results of the race than Caroline's opinion of her friend.

"You know Lizzy." Charlotte shrugged. "She told my Dad she'd do better next year."

"We shouldn't put too much pressure on her. You never know, she may not even be around next year." Caroline offered. "You know one out of every three freshmen don't make it back their sophomore year." The silence was deafening. Darcy couldn't bring himself to contradict Caroline. Even though his relationship with his girlfriend improved upon the return home, things between them were still tenuous at best.

"She'll be back next year." Jane shot him a dark look as if he'd betrayed her. He tried to let her know without speaking he had not told Caroline anything remotely related to Elizabeth's problems.

"Even better news is that Lizzy accepted a job working as Dr Wingate's Cal II TA next semester."

"Aren't we signed up for his class?" Michael nudged his shoulder. Darcy nodded. Dr. Wingate was the bane of his existence during his first semester. If he hadn't lived at the math lab every spare minute, he never would've maintained such a high mark in Calculus. He'd hoped that next semester would give him release from Dr. Wingate, but as luck would have it he was the only instructor that would fit into his schedule. "Lizzy's definitely going to make a trip to the math lab more appealing."

"Well, you're not the only one excited about her new job, Mikey." Charlotte agreed. "Lizzy'll be able to join the team in the afternoon for track practice."

Darcy unconsciously pushed his tray away losing what little appetite he had. He'd have to see her at the math lab at night after spending an afternoon watching her run. He really couldn't take anymore bad news right now. Caroline was staring at him with evident disapproval. He shut his eyes hoping to retain some sense of decorum.

"So, I guess that means you and Kylie can finally catch up on that beauty sleep." Caroline was being rude on purpose and he shut his eyes. Evidently the ground they gained at Thanksgiving had been wiped away by his action.

"So, ladies, what are you going to wear to the Christmas Dance?" Jane asked smiling at the disharmony between her cousin and his girlfriend. As the women talked about their gowns, shoes, makeup, Darcy was glad for the interruption as he tried to collect his thoughts. Thinking it was a safe subject, he turned to his friend. "I don't think you told me, but who're you taking to the dance, Michael?"

"I'm taking Lizzy."

"What?" Darcy realized he had spoken loud enough to attract attention of those at a nearby table. "You're taking Elizabeth?"

"Can you believe my surprise when Jane told me that she didn't have a date? I couldn't believe my luck." He grinned at Jane before getting to his feet. "Hey, tell Lizzy to call me later and we can finalize our plans." He left the table with Charlotte and Kylie in tow.

"Maybe I could loan her a dress?" Caroline offered. "What do you think, Darcy? Don't you think Lizzy would just look lovely in one of my old ones?"

"Caroline, please don't..."

It was too late for Jane was already incensed. "Lizzy wouldn't be caught dead with your old hand me downs."

"Well, that's reassuring, Janey since I've got some pretty nice things I'm not willing to part with yet." Caroline narrowed her blue eyes on his cousin. "And here I thought she needed help attracting a date."

"Not as much trouble as your friend does, Caroline."

"Oh, didn't you hear, I've got a date. Charles Bingley is taking me." Julia examined her manicured nail. "But just imagine not being asked, Caroline? Having to rely on your friends to beg someone to take you."

"I didn't have to beg anyone. Lizzy's trouble isn't getting asked out. She's just picky."

"At least one of you possesses that quality." Julia said flipping her hair over her shoulder. Still momentarily stunned by the news that Charles was taking her to the dance, Jane couldn't believe Darcy was allowing Julia to attack her this way. "I don't see anything to attractive about Lizzy Bennet. You must know I was surprised when Caroline told me Lizzy use to date your brother. Their breakup must've been terribly difficult for you."

"Not especially."

"You didn't like Lizzy dating Marcus? You mean you didn't secretly harbor delusions you two would someday be sisters."

"I'd think you understand more than anyone else, Caroline." Jane slowly rose to her feet her pride and anger getting the better of her. "Sometimes people stay together for all the wrong reasons. You see, not everyone settles like you do."

Richard joined the half empty table unaware of the tension snapping at the table. "Hey, I just ran into Michael in the bookstore. Did you know he's taking Lizzy to the Christmas Dance?" At Jane's nod, he sank heavily in the chair. "Why didn't you tell me she needed a date? I would've asked her to go out with me." He looked positively put out. "You make sure she saves your favorite cousin a dance."

"Don't worry, I'll insist upon it." Jane tousled Richard's hair before leaving but Darcy felt her gaze touch him. Gritting his teeth, Darcy was beginning to dread this Christmas Dance.