Darcy was overwhelmed with so many feelings at the same time. He didn't know if the despair was worse than his fear or sorrow. He couldn't shake the numbness and the emptiness that suffocated him. If there was a way to describe sorrow, William Darcy would have fathom to endure such a task already. R&R

Disclaimer: As if you didn't know this already, but just as a precaution I'm mentioning it any way. I'm just borrowing these brilliant characters. All credit goes to Jane Austen of course! Without her we wouldn't enjoy of such dashing heros and lovely heroines.

PD: This one-shot is meant to applaud genuine friendship. I dedicate this one-shot to my own best friend. To all those Charles Bingleys in the world that manage to persuade every difficult Will Darcy to open up as only a brother could.

SORROW AND PAIN

If there was a way to describe sorrow, William Darcy would have fathom to endure such a task already. At the moment he had no words left in his mind to keep his sanity. No matter what he tried, he knew there was no possibility to be the way he was before. He'd thought that he could overcome anything, but as reality hit him like a ton of bricks something unfamiliar escaped him.

Frustration.

He felt agitated at the thought of loosing his composure. He had worked so hard on his mask of cool indifference. For years he had kept himself safe from the close scrutiny of people only interested in his family name.

He knew no true friends amongst the usual circles he was swamped in since birth.

But that had changed lately as he was finishing high school and completing his college degree, when his most trusted friend Charles Bingley came along. Such a sincere and candid soul could not be left without an offer of friendship and camaraderie.

With him, he discovered the wonders of having a brother and the true value of friendship.

Charles or as he liked to call him "Charlie" was such an open book and did not mind people's queries about himself. On the other hand, William or "Will" as Charlie would call him; was very guarded most of the time.

Charlie did not mind his friend's reserve, but he made it his mission to earn his trust… Something that Will truly appreciated now, because there was no one who would understand him as his best friend did.

Even if he tried to hide the true nature of his feelings, Charlie always knew when something was wrong. He remembered the one time he waited for hours outside knocking on his door insistently the day his beloved family was taken from him in a car accident.

He was still reminded on how Charlie did not leave until he opened the door and got the chance to talk to him of what happened to the rest of the Darcy family.

Most of the time people misjudged Will and considered his aloofness as a slight with a severe air of arrogance and conceit.

Personally, the man had stopped caring about pleasing others. He did not truly bother on winning someone over anymore. And now he had all the reasons to maintain his conviction.

Charlie had always tried to encourage him to be more open and talk about what he felt without fear.

He had always mentioned that he should not keep everything to himself as it was not healthy. And William being himself could not stop pointing out that telling others unnecessary information wasn't productive either. Moreover, he made it clear that he was not interested in giving others the upper hand with things he could work out by himself.

Only now he completely regretted not following his own advice.

No one who knew William Darcy would describe him as a weak man. On the contrary, everyone that had met him considered him a fine example of poise,elegance and strength of character.

His success after taking over his family's business got him the praise of his parents' friends. He had everything a man could ask for. Unfortunately, he had no one to share it with it. His parents and his baby sister long gone had left him bereft of any true enjoyment. Because a part of him died the day George, Ana and his little Gina left this world.

That was the beginning of the very somber days for Will. For everyone who saw him, would never have guessed what his heart concealed. All the pain of one very determined individual well hidden from society.

Always playing his part, always being polite and going to the extent of helping others without any of them knowing.

The truth was that William Darcy was a man with such a strong heart that could be shattered by so many feelings placed on his shoulders. And that was the main and most important reason to not let anyone get close and play with it.

He had only trusted Charlie and had never lived to repent on it. Mournfully, he had made the grave mistake of putting his heart on a woman's hand as well.

His logical mind had taken some great extended vacations leaving him injured in the end. He was overwhelmed with so many feelings at the same time. He didn't know if the despair was worse than his fear or sorrow.

He couldn't shake the numbness and the emptiness that suffocated him. He had been so distracted of his wearabouts and had forgotten where he was for the past hour.

He took a deep breath as his pulse quickened,making his eyes readjust again. Then he caught his own reflection in the mirror of his room and saw the face of a haunted man. The color had drained from his visage, and his vivid blue eyes, he discovered with shame were red from crying.

Then his features suddenly contorted in anger, obscuring his handsome face. In his right hand he had the fateful luxurious box he had meant to give to the woman responsible for his madness.

And with all the power and ire he could muster, he smashed the mirror with said velvet box breaking the fine shining piece into tiny,pointy shards.

Gone were his hopes of gaining control of this situation. He didn't want to lie to himself any longer.

He had been careful in the past letting no one pass through his defensive walls and now that someone had gotten his guard down, they had completely destroyed him with little to no regard.

Hence he concluded that Charlie was wrong about believing in people easily. He had been a fool to believe that talking about feelings and letting others into his heart was a good idea. He would never turn away from his best friend as he had proved himself to be worthy. Although, that most decidedly did not include women who were capable of subjecting him to ridicule or obnoxious pain such as this.

He had been so stupid to uncover his secrets to such a treacherous creature who did not truly cared about him. It was too late when he learned that the woman he had fallen for only wanted his money and nothing else.

He needed time time to get over this suffering. He would not turn to Charlie this time. His best friend didn't need to know about his problems. Nor he wanted to make him feel guilty about his own advice working against him. He was too good and would never do anything with malice. He would heal, but he promised to himself that he wouldn't let anyone do the same to Charles Bingley while he was able to stop it.

Author's note: There you have it! My first Pride & Prejudice one-shot. Please review after you're done reading and let me know your thoughts. I really appreciate feedback as I enjoy giving it every time I go through a story.

Happy reading and writing to all of you :)

—Noukinav018—