Modern AU fic with beaches, bitching and bogans. If you've never come across a bogan, either find yourself an Aussie to explain them to you or look it up on Urban dictionary.

This fic is my first foray into this fandom, though I've been a Lizzie and Darcy fan since I first read P and P in high school. The plot has been brewing for a long time. I'm in two minds as to whether I bring Darcy's perspective into the story, so if you kindly feel like reviewing , I'd love to know your opinion on this. It is M rated, as everything I write tends to be, so consider yourself forewarned.

It was commonly acknowledged that the Margaret river pro tour event coincided with an increase of scantily-clad young, and sometimes not so young, girls cavorting on the the southern beaches of Western Australia. The knowledge that Chuck Bingley was competing increased this number thrice fold. The Bennet family was in no way immune to this phenomena, the younger members of the household anyway. Lydia had been particularly exasperating. She paraded around in her bikini, striking provocative poses until even Kitty was ready to throttle her.

Lizzie rolled her eyes at her youngest sister strutting around the kitchen, gloating over her latest acquisition. "I wouldn't call it a bargain, Lydia, there's barely 10cm of fabric in the whole thing. It's obscene and you wouldn't catch me dead in it, even if I was still 16."

Lydia picked up the long sleeve of Lizzie's dress. "You may as well have been dead when you were 16, for all the fun you had. And I wouldn't be caught dead in this caftan, or whatever it is you call it. You could upholster a couch in it. "

Lizzie's printed cotton dress was chosen more for it's power to conceal rather than it's ability to flatter. Not because she was ashamed of her body. Indeed, the tiny bikini on Lydia's slender teenage figure was outrageously revealing but on Lizzie's own curves it would have been x-rated. Her desire to cover up had more to do with having skin so fair that she reckoned could probably get sunburnt in the rain. "Fine, don't listen to me. If Dad see you, he'll never let you leave the house anyway."

Lydia poked out her tongue. As if on cue, Frank Bennet entered the room, his genial expression changing to one of horror. "Lydia Frances Bennet, you are not leaving the house in that get up. It's indecent. Go put some clothes on."

"But Dad, don't be so mean! How can it be indecent when Mum bought it for me?"

"Lydia, your mother..."

"Mr Bennett, what about her mother?" Priscilla Bennet trotted into the room only to witness Lydia's outraged, head tossing exit. She always 'Mr Bennett'ed her husband if she was worked up in defence of her daughters, usually Lydia. "I think Lydia looks lovely. I bought her those bathers in the hope that at least one of our girls would land a boyfriend this summer. It's not right that they're all single. All five of them, Frank!"

Frank Bennett was a simple man, more at home with his livestock and tractor than dealing with female wiles, despite sharing his house with 6 of them. "Our daughters are fine as they are, Pris. And I don't think we need the kind of lads those togs are going to attract."

"If only Lizzie would wear the ones I bought her, I'm sure she would get more attention. She's 23 years old, Frank, and she's never even gone out with a boy! If only she'd keep her mouth shut and show a bit of skin, like I tell her."

Lizzie turned the corners of her mouth down in an attempt to stifle the laugh that threatened to burst from her mouth. She had indeed been out with boys but had yet to find one she would introduce to her mother. Not because she was worried they wouldn't like her, Lizzie hadn't cared enough for any of them to worry about that. It was more that her mother would like them too well, and then Lizzie would never be rid of him.

"I like my Lizzie exactly the way she is." Frank Bennet's voice was gruff with affection and Lizzie crinkled her eyes back him.

She stood up from the kitchen table and smoothed the creases from her dress. "It's a non argument, Mum, if I wore that I'd likely blind half the people in the whole region with the uncanny glare coming off my skin."

Her dad laughed but Priscilla made an exaggerated huff, her voice growing more shrill. "That's bull! Nothing a fake tan wouldn't cover up, but Lizzie won't even consider it."

Frank choked on his tea and set his mug down on the bench. "You know best, darl. If those togs catch our Lydia a bloke that can help with the harvest then they would have done me a good turn. As it is, I have to get back to work. Have a good time at the party, Lizzie. If you have a few to many, I can pick you up after dinner and you can get your car tomorrow."

"Ta, Dad, but I don't think I'll be getting drunk tonight. I want to get back and get some more writing done on my thesis. I'm only going because I promised Jane."

Priscilla snapped a tea towel at her daughter. "You should have a few drinks and meet a nice boy. Might even get lucky enough to find another reason to leave your car there overnight."

"Mum, I refuse to listen to you telling me how to pick up men. I'm going, I have to meet Jane early." Lizzie followed her father to the door, calling up the stairs as she passed them. "Lydia! Kitty! If you're not ready to go in 5 minutes I'm going to leave you behind. Bye, Mum."

She wandered outside into the hot autumn day toward the detached humpy that she shared with her sister, Jane. It had a self contained kitchen and they were pretty much free to come and go as they pleased, though that was no privilege their younger sisters missed out on, to use or abuse as they pleased day or night, despite their residence in the main house.

Lizzie's beach-bag hung inside the door, and she checked that it held her bathers and sunscreen. A quick glance in the mirror to smooth her curly locks, a straw hat and her large sunglasses were all that were required to complete her outfit. She walked back outside to find Lydia and Kitty already squabbling to who got to sit in the front seat of Lizzie's old Holden.

The beach party was being held at Grace town beach, which was only a 15 minute drive from their farm in Cowaramup. It wasn't the kind of event Lizzie would normally attend, preferring a laid back barbecue over all night full moon parties. Jane's involvement in it's planning however meant that it was a must attend. Besides that, between her sister's current round the clock work in event management and Lizzie's constant visits to Perth to see her thesis advisor, they hadn't spent much time together in weeks.

Jane was all smiles when she greeted her sisters in the carpark. She gripped Lizzie in a fierce hug and then kissed the two younger girls on their respective cheeks. Her long tanned legs were bared in black fitted shorts and even her shapeless event staff shirt managed to flatter her. With her sun bleached blonde ponytail, she was the ultimate beach babe. And the complete opposite of Lizzy. So much so, that they both teased their mother that she had filled up her lonely hours on their farm in Cowaramup by entertaining the post man.

Lizzie's curly dark mid length hair was more inclined to kink than fall in artlessly tousled waves. And no matter how she had tried to sunbathe in her youth her skin had burnt and peeled leaving her, if at all possible, paler than before. All that would remain from her attempts would be yet more loathsome freckles. She had long become wiser and now covered herself with 50+ sunscreen before she would even look outside to see what the weather was like. Through vigilance she had reduced the number of freckles on her face, except for the few scattered across her nose that infuriatingly refused to budge.

"Lizzie, I have a pass for you to the VIP tent." Jane removed one of the lanyards from the stack she held but Kitty thrust out her hand before Lizzie could take it.

"Where's mine? I know you've got more."

Jane withdrew the pass from her reach. "Kitty, you should stay with Lydia. We can't have a repeat of last year."

"But I'm 18 now so Lizzie can keep Lydia company, she's not drinking anyway."

"But...Lizzie will need the shade if it gets to hot."

Kitty's voice huffed from her lips. "That's not fair, you can't waste it on her like that!"

Lydia joined the argument. "And it's not fair if Kitty gets to go in and I don't."

Kitty swung around to their youngest sister, leaning into hre face to speak. "Yes it is, I'm 18 and at least I've never been arrested before."

Lizzie grabbed Lydia's arm before she could physically respond. It wouldn't been a first for a simple argument between the two of them to degenerate into violence, public event or not. "It's ok, Jane. I have my hat and I feel like swimming anyway. Keep the pass."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Between you and Mary, I'm not sure who is the most lame Bennet sister. Whatever." She turned back to Jane. "Have any pro tour surfers arrived yet?"

Jane shook her head. "No, I'm waiting here so Mr Lucas and I can direct them to the tents and facilities."

Lydia removed her tank top, revealing the tiny bikini atop her almost non existant denim cut offs. "Good, I'll wait with you."

Lizzy pulled her sun hat further over her eyes. "That's hardly appropriate, Lydia. Jane's actually at work if you hadn't noticed. Go and stand with the rest of the pro-ho's, if you want to look like a slut."

Lydia snorted. "Don't be stupid, Lizzie, you know Emma and I are fighting. Besides, Jane doesn't care."

Jane bit her lip but before she could disagree with her youngest sister, two large black 4wd's swung into the car park. The dark tinted windows hid the occupants but Lizzie instincts told her that Charles Bingley and his entourage had arrived. Her guess was confirmed as the tall blonde surfer emerged from the first car and smiled at the hushed crowd of bikini clad admirers.

Charlie Bingley was known as the nicest guy on the circuit, his easy charm and superb surfing winning him friends and sponsors alike. Lizzie had seen pictures of him but he was even better looking in real life than he was in a Billabong surf wear advertisement. If you went for that sort of thing. The classic bleached surfer look was pretty common amongst the local male population but none of them had anything like Bingley's apparent charm. Lizzie thought he smiled too much though. The man standing next to him was far more her type, with his dark curls and brooding looks. But in stark contrast to his friend, he didn't smile at all, looking grimly instead at the assembled crowd.

Lizzie nudged Jane. "I believe the main attraction has arrived. Lydia will start her mating calls any moment now."

Jane nodded distractedly. "He is good looking."

"Even you, my darling Jane, starstruck?"

Jane tossed her head. "He just looks nice, that's all."

Lizzie nodded. "That he does. It's amazing, given the sour expressions on the company around him. Must be an effort to keep up."

"Lizzie! Don't be so nasty. They're probably overwhelmed by the crowd. Everyone seems to want a piece of him."

"Including you, Janey." It was true though. The crowd had surged around the pro surfer and his entourage. Even Bingley's genuine smile began to grow a little fixed when Mr Lucas started tugging at his arm to get his attention.

Mr Lucas, or Luko as he was more commonly known, had been surfing the local breaks for more than 5 decades. He invariably felt it was his responsibility to take the pro tour surfing contingency under his wing, whenever there was a tournament. Lydia had moved nearer to the new arrivals, thrusting out her immature chest in a manner than made Lizzie groan. Before she could slip off and leave Jane to her business, she heard Mr Lucas call her name. "Lizzie! Jane! Come here girls, I must introduce you to Chuckie, no Charlie wasn't it? These are three of the Bennet sisters. Jane helped me organise this event. She's my number one, I couldn't have done it without her." His fatuous smile beamed over all of them. Lizzie met Jane's eyes in shared amusement, knowing that her sister singlehandedly organised all the social events connected with Western Australian leg of the tour, in spite of the old surfers interference.

Charles put his hand out to Jane. "Hi, I'm Charles, but my friends call me Charlie. Sorry, I didn't catch which sister you were. Jane, was it?"

Jane smiled flushingly as she took his hand in hers. "Yes, I'm Jane." She swallowed and Lizzie already recognised the symptoms of a crush taking hold as she stammered over her next words. "... And this is L...Lizzie and Lydia is my youngest sister."

Chuck returned the smile, his eyes barely following Jane's fluttering gesture before they strayed back to her face. He seemed to have it as bad as her. "Really pleased to meet you all. Darcy had said the southwest of WA was beautiful, but really, it's just taking my breath away. Um, the scenery I mean!" He finally let go of her hand and turned toward the rest of the people in his party. "Uh, this is Will Darcy and my sisters, Caroline and Louisa and...um, my manager, Fred Hurst, and..." His voice trailed to a halt as he looked helplessly at the remaining people beside him before turning back to smile at Jane again. "Um...I'm thirsty, do you think you might be able to show me where I could find a drink, Jane?"

Jane's smile went from half watt to full brilliance in seconds, dazzling the already stunned Bingley even more, if it were possible. "Of course, Charlie, it's this way."

Bingley followed in Jane's wake though the crowd leaving a wary Lizzie and a sulky Lydia standing uncomfortably before the silent group. Mr Lucas's eyebrows raised suggestively. "Perhaps, Lizzie, you could take Darcy here to find a drink and show him around a bit too, huh?"

Darcy spoke before Lizzie could respond, his deep voice cold. "Thanks, but it's unnecessary, I don't want anything."

He turned away from the group to survey the ocean, thrusting his hands into his pockets. Charles' sister Caroline gave them the once over and then leaned up to whisper something in Darcy's ear, causing his handsome profile to twist into a sneer. Lizzie felt her own lip curl up in a way that surely couldn't resemble anything friendly. "Mr Luko, is Charlotte here yet?"

The old man waved his hands towards the marquees set up below the carpark. "She around down there somewhere. Tell her to get a wriggle on with those sample gift bags."

Lizzie gave him a curt nod and turned away without acknowledging the rest of the group. She pulled her sun hat down further over her eyes, seething over the dismissive behaviour of Bingley's friends. William Darcy and his winery, Pemberley Estate, had been the subject of an article she had recently read, close in topic to some of the themes of her dissertation in viticulture. She had even planned to visit Denmark to tour his vineyards to see some of the new technology he had introduced. Now she had met him, that was a pleasure she could gladly postpone.

Her thoughts subsided as she heard Charlotte call her name and Lizzie forgot her irritation in the pleasure of catching up with her oldest friend. She had been too long away in Perth, distracted by the deadlines of her university coursework and it was nice to just loosen up and enjoy herself for a while.

The faint sea breeze had done little to cool the soaring temperature and Lizzie was sweltering in her long sleeves. She extracted a promise from Charlotte to meet her by the water and went to change into her bathers.

She paused in the changing room to replenish her sunscreen, slathering it thickly over her skin before going back outside, blinking to let her eyes readjust to the brightness. Charlie Bingley stood not far from her poking a body lying prone on a towel with his foot. The faint sea breeze made the man's words entirely audible. "Darcy, you can lie on the beach anytime and we came out to have some fun. Get up and join me!"

Lizzie couldn't hear Darcy's response, if there was one.

"Darce, you're at a party. Don't be lame. The water's beautiful and so are the girls."

His voice was pitched lower than Charlie's and was hard to hear over the music and the waves but Lizzie caught his last words as he finally lifted his head. "...And you've nailed the only babe here."

"She's an angel, isn't she? And she surfs too, and she's working at the tournament so I'm guaranteed to see her again." Charlie looked around. "But her sisters are smoking hot as well."

"The jail bait or the hippie?"

"The younger girls are certainly...enthusiastic, but Lizzie seemed nice."

Darcy sniggered. "Bing, you barely looked at her. Go tune your blonde and leave me to fend for myself. I don't want your seconds. I mean you saw the hat her sister wore? Eccentric isn't exactly my type."

Lizzie had heard enough. Eavesdropping on the conversation had made her feel akin to leftover meat on the barbecue. Chauvinist pigs. At least Darcy was in any case. Charlie seemed to somehow deflect the attitude of his friend, otherwise she'd be warning Jane well away.

Lizzie stalked past them, refusing to divert her route to the water to avoid the two men but refused to raise her head to acknowledge them. Charlotte was laying her beach towel down near the shoreline and waved her over.

"Who's the guy with Bingley?"

"William Darcy, the biggest wanker in the southwest. Probably the state."

"Well, he was just checking you out."

"I sincerely doubt that, Lottie. He basically just called me a hippie weirdo."

"Well, he's mistaken. You're a hipster weirdo and he was definitely looking at your arse."

"You're the hipster weirdo. What are those glasses? They're the same size as your face and clearly they don't even work."

"They can clearly see he's hot."

"He is that, but why does he always look like someone just farted?"

Charlotte giggled into her beer and looked over the sand to where Darcy now stood with Charlie, Caroline and Jane. Bingley's sister had draped her arm over his shoulder, but Darcy looked more inclined to shrug her off than draw her closer. "He does look uptight. I mean seriously, does he carry his surfboards up his arse?"

Lizzie burst into laughter. "Yes, and why is his girlfriend wearing a gold bikini? I mean she's dressed like she should be on a cruise, not for an afternoon in Gracetown!"

"Anyway, who gives a shit what he thinks. Or says for that matter. Just enjoy his pretty face."

"Only if he stays mute. Every time he opens his mouth he gets a little less good looking."

Lizzie spread her towel in the shade underneath the beach umbrella Charlotte had nabbed. Her blue polka dot two piece was nowhere near as provocative as Lydia's bikini but it still exposed a lot of Lizzy's pale skin. Finally she dropped her sunglasses and hat to the sand and ran down to the water where Charlotte was already swimming out. The swell wasn't very big though Lizzie had to dive under a few larger waves to get out to the deeper calm water. Despite her aversion to the sun, Lizzie loved the beach and was a strong swimmer, though she rarely had the time to surf as much as she had before. Usually Charlotte and Lizzie would would while away the time on the pontoon that characterised Gracetown's beach, but the shrieking girls that now covered it made her lengthen her stroke to reach her friend who floated lazily in the deep water beyond it.

Lizzie looked at the crowd on the beach as she tread water, the small figures discernible despite the distance. Jane was talking to Chuck, her smiles easy to make out. Caroline was now draped over her towel, fanning herself with a magazine. The dark haired figure next to her stood up and walked toward the water leaving the young woman to flop disconsolately back on the sand, all her assumed poise gone.

Darcy walked to the water's edge and peered at the waves. He was too far away for Lizzie to see his expression clearly but the furrowed line of his brow made a dark crease across his face. Too well pleased with himself to find himself worthy of such a modest affair, Lizzie thought. She would've given anything to wipe that look off his face. What she had said to Charlotte wasn't true though. If anything he got better looking the more she saw him. As she watched he pulled his T-shirt over his head, revealing a chest bronzed by the sun and honed by hours on the ocean. Lizzie knew she was perving but it was hard to tear her eyes away. Or it was until a wave swamped her head and she went under, swallowing a lungful.

Lizzie came up gasping and swam over to take hold of the pontoon to catch her breath. She would have cursed but the hair in her mouth made her choke. Darcy had walked further into the water; the bay didn't feel big enough for the both of them. She mentally willed him away but he refused to retreat, standing waist deep in the waves and staring out to the horizon instead. Of course he just happened to place himself directly in front of Charlotte and Lizzie's umbrella. She hardly felt like swimming up the beach and then walking back down in order to avoid him. But the sun was already starting to feel a little too warm against her skin and she knew it was time to find some shade.

All the way to the shore Lizzie thought she could feel Darcy's disapproving eyes burning into her but she averted her head, not letting herself return his gaze. When she finally reached the sand and turned back, to ostensibly wave at Charlotte, he was looking out to sea. She must have been mistaken.