AN: Stole this prompt from unforth's Writing Prompt Wednesday: The fuel for our onscreen chemistry that apparently makes us hot as hell to watch - don't ask me, I don't see it either - comes from a decade of hating each other's damn guts, and, well, at least it lets us rake the money in but I am so fricken sick of seeing your face in every damn movie and show I do…

I love unforth's Writing Prompt Wednesday... I have so many fics I would love to write based on them. I actually planned on writing this one a while ago, but then I started What's in a Name and (whoops) that's turning out longer than expected. I opened a file earlier to jot down some notes on this story since I had a free minute... and it kinda snowballed into an actual story pretty quickly. Oh well, I'm more than happy to go where my muse is interested in being right now.

Just as an aside, since I feel this warrants mentioning, I know like... nothing about acting or the film industry (besides the part where I watch movies). So... let's hope nothing sounds too far fetched :)

The Darcys and the Coppolas are the two biggest families in the film industry, filled with some of the most talented actors and filmmakers of their generation. It's of course expected for William Darcy to continue in his father's footsteps and do something with film. He's pushed into acting early on as a child, and he just sort of goes with it. He never takes the time to figure out if it's something he wants, but he does enjoy it, so there's no need to question the decision.

He's about to start a new project that a friend recommended. It has a new, up-and-coming director that does a lot of quirky not-quite-comedies but not-quite-dramas. The script's interesting and he knows some of the other actors so he takes on the leading role.

Shortly after his first day on set, he's introduced to the other cast members. After a few brief hello's they break off into smaller groups to chat. Darcy's not terribly surprised to find himself pulled away by Caroline Bingley. They've never worked together, but he's good friends with her brother so they know each other well.

She talks his ear off about whatever big party she's just attended, or the latest rumors about the Oscars, or maybe about such and such celebrity's secret wedding. This isn't exactly new to Darcy, his only option is to direct her line of thinking so that she falls on topics that interest him. Minimal participation, besides the occasional nod, scoff or laugh, are required on his part.

As she goes on and on about (drat, he stopped listening), his eyes end up following one of the other actresses. If he remembers correctly, she's his co-star. He makes a mental note to do a proper job of introducing himself later. But Caroline notices his staring, and the gossiping commences.

"I see you've noticed Miss Elizabeth Bennet," she coos, and he knows instantly she's about to tell him everything she's ever heard about the other woman.

He tries not to appear too interested.

In no short order, he finds out that Elizabeth is the second oldest of five sisters. That they come from a decently wealthy family, but that she's the only one in "the business".

(Caroline scoffs at the very idea of trying to make it in the industry alone - she has an aunt who was a famous actress some years ago, and has done a great deal to ride on her coattails. She's even gone so far as to style most of her headshots in the old style of 60's. Darcy's seen the prints, they look identical to her aunt's. So mission accomplished, he supposes.)

The other sisters all are reasonably talented as well. (And yes, he notes the way she says "reasonably" talented, as though Elizabeth only possesses the smallest modicum of acting ability.) The eldest, Jane, is a model. Caroline does concede that the woman is quite pretty, doing the type of high fashion that is actually more along the lines of art. But success doesn't interest her, so she moves on to other sisters quickly.

Mary is an opera singer, though with mixed reviews. And there's a sister, Kitty she thinks the name is, who has a local talkshow in "some city" (which he takes to mean one not as exciting as her home town of New York). And then the youngest, Lydia, has a clothing line that Caroline is all too pleased to talk about. By the end he can't tell if it's because it's too gaudy and she hates it, or it's spectacularly en garde and she loves it.

Then once she's out of juicy tidbits to share, she asks Darcy what he thinks of her with a knowing type of smile. Like she knows what he's about to say and she's in on the secret. He just shrugs and comments that she doesn't have the "right look" for the part. She doesn't have that certain "Hollywood figure" that he's come to expect from leading ladies. Caroline chuckles, comfortable in the fact that she herself does have that "look."

Unfortunately for Darcy, he's too wrapped up in the conversation to notice that Elizabeth herself had been making her way over. That she's close enough to hear the last part of their exchange, particularly the easy dismissal of her because of her looks. Taken slightly aback, she just turns around and walks away. She's professional enough that she'll never bring it up to him what she overheard. But she's not gracious enough to forgive him.

(And even more unfortunate, it's not until later Darcy realizes he wasn't exactly wrong, that she doesn't have the super thin look that casting directors seem to be going for these days, but that it doesn't mean she's not attractive. Actually he finds it quite the opposite. She's got the perfect mix between a more athletic build and softer lines that actually makes her perfect for a lot of the "girl next door" roles she's been getting so far.)

Darcy never really finds the opportunity to say anything to her before filming starts. It almost seems like she's avoiding him, but that doesn't make sense so he dismisses the thought.

Even without talking, they work together seamlessly. He's never connected so well with another actor so quickly. And the crew seems to notice, if the pleased chatter by the director's chair is anything to go by. They're actually playing opposite each other as rivals, but there's obviously something between them that translates very well to the screen.

It also carries over very well when months later they have to start making rounds to promote the movie. During interviews they tease and jab at each other as though they were still in character. (At least, that's Darcy's assumption. There's no other way for him to interpret some of the things Elizabeth says.)

During some interview, someone says that Elizabeth's character "loves to hate" Darcy's character.

"I couldn't agree more!" Elizabeth says through a fit of giggles.

It's adorable.

The movie's a huge success, which leads to them getting cast together for their next role as well. Not that either knew at the time they accepted the part. This time it's an action movie where they're spies working together to save the world from some rogue faction. The plot is complete nonsense, truth be told, but it's a fun summer blockbuster. Darcy doesn't do a lot of them, but his sister loves seeing him in that type of movie that he occasionally caves in and does one.

The scene that always gets the most acclaim is the one where Elizabeth's character punches his. Everyone always talks about that scene, begs them to re-create it for promos and interviews. They usually do since it never fails to get an audience screaming.

He's always polite enough to not mention that she did, in fact, accidentally punch him during one of the takes. And it just so happened to be the take they used. And she did manage to give him a black eye from that. She looked mortified when she saw the bruise forming almost instantly. It was actually kind of endearing the way she'd demanded to hold the ice pack herself, ignoring his protests that it was fine.

He also ignores the fact that it's probably the nicest she's ever been to him.

But that scene just epitomizes their on screen relationship. The chemistry's there in a feisty way. Maybe a little rough around the edges, but there's no arguing with the end result.

There are rumors everywhere once the movie comes out that characters must be really into each other because it's easy to interpret the way they interact as being very flirty. People go on and on about the actors' chemistry adding that great little facet to the movie that otherwise wouldn't have been there. (And let's face it, the movie is so shallow it desperately needs even that little bit to make it palatable.)

And once the word "chemistry" comes up, it's all anyone ever talks about when they bring up the two actors. Every role they take opposite someone else is always compared to the chemistry Darcy and Elizabeth have. Other movies will always fall short in the public's eyes, other actors will always be miscast, and this movie will live forever as the one that opened people's eyes to the Darcy-Elizabeth pairing.

Darcy notices that whenever they say that in an interview, Elizabeth's eyes narrow dangerously but she puts on a smile and jokes about how she secretly just wants to slap him sometimes (or kick him or throw him down a flight of stairs... the specific answer always varies but the gist of it is always the same), but she has to play nice or the Darcy clan will rebel against her and she'll never get work again.

(She says it frequently enough he starts to wonder if there's any truth behind it.)

Shortly after the hype for their movie dies down, he takes a long break from filming. Almost a whole year to spend time with his family and catch up with friends. He's done project after project for so long, it's hard to remember how to be a real person sometimes.

While he's busy vacationing, he keeps up with the film industry. He likes to know who's doing what because he gets to feel at least a little involved that way. His phone alerts him when Elizabeth's next part is announced. (So what if he set an alert for when she's in the news? He's just curious about a co-star.)

It's some independent film with George Wickham. He reads the headline about five times before it fully sinks in. He barely notices the way his friends are asking him what's wrong as he walks from the pool into the house. Doesn't remember what excuse he gives them either but he just needs a minute.

He means to send her a text warning her about how unsavory Wickham can be, especially a week later he sees some tabloid with pictures of them going out drinking together. But then he realizes they've never actually talked to each other outside of work related things. What would he even say if she asks what he means? It's not like he tell her the truth.

He deletes the text.

The next time Darcy sees her at an award banquet, she mentions that Wickham talked about him. He raises an eyebrow at that, because he doubts Wickham has nothing good to say about him and the feeling's quite mutual. But he also hopes Elizabeth wouldn't blindly trust someone she'd just met over him. They've been working together for years! No, she must be curious and nothing more.

When she asks how they know each other, he decides to be vague because he doesn't really want to go into the sordid details. Somehow that only seems to annoy her. He wants to backtrack and fix things so that she'll stop glaring at him and making vaguely snide comments. But he's not sure how.

They don't say two whole sentences to each other for the rest of the evening, despite the fact that they're sitting at the same table.

Over the next few years, they get cast a few more times together, though for a while not as the two leads. But even then, all audiences talk about is how the screen just lights up when the two of them are on together. There's practically public outcry for them to do another major project together.

And they do. It's a big budget, period piece romance. The sets are amazing. The costumes are spectacular. And the director is phenomenal and already has two Oscars. Darcy probably wouldn't have turned it down anyway, but when he hears they're trying to cast Elizabeth too it might solidify his decision. It takes months, though, to negotiate a contract with her. She outright refuses the first few times they try to cast her, but eventually relents once the paycheck is big enough.

(Darcy just thinks it's a bargaining tactic. There's no reason he can see why she wouldn't want to do the picture. And it works, as far as he can tell, because she'll be making several million more than him for this movie.)

Everything's the same between them on set for most of shooting. Their usual dynamic of banter and this weird almost passive-aggressive flirting. They don't hang out during production, they never have, but they're stuck around each other a lot at the director's insistence.

Sometimes Darcy notices that Elizabeth's grumpy about it. He starts walking over and her expression just sours for a moment before she wipes it clean and puts on a fake smile. (As though he doesn't know it's fake - they've worked together how long? He knows which smiles are real and which are for the camera.) So he tries to cheer her up, tells her about things he read in the newspaper or dumb jokes he heard or shows her silly internet memes Charles sends him.

But all that just seems to frustrate her even more.

Then they start filming the building romance between their characters. Anyone with eyes could tell you the immediate change in tone on set. The air is thick with sexual tension the longer they keep filming. The closer their characters get, the more uncomfortable it is. The chemistry is fucking tangible at this point, which is ridiculous.

Darcy's a little surprised, actually. Not because he doesn't think she's attractive (he knows better by now), but because he thought he'd be able to keep a grip on himself. But then he realizes, after seeing a few of the takes, that it's working really well for the movie. So he kinda goes with it. Purposely channels it.

Which brings out some strange look in Elizabeth. The intensity in her eyes when they lean in for a kiss. And then again, because they need a new angle. And again, because the lighting was wrong. Again again again. It's driving him crazy because he's pretty sure he's never going to be able to forget the way she tastes or smells now. Each time feels a little more desperate, a little more passionate.

They make it through three days like that. Three days of being driven slowly insane.

After a particularly long day of filming, Darcy walks off set and plans to head straight to his trailer. He needs a drink or he's going to be too wound up to sleep. About ten steps later he practically feels her coming up behind him. Gives her a questioning look but then she's dragging him back to his trailer.

The door's barely closed before she's on him, lips against his and hands everywhere. His body responds before he's mentally caught up, not that he's in any way going to stop this once it sinks in. It's a struggle to not just rip off her damn clothes, but he knows the costume department would give him an ear full if so much as pulls off a button.

With careful eagerness, they quickly undress and then they're on his bed.

It's passionate and wild and probably pretty loud (there's no doubt anyone walking by would know exactly what they're doing). But Darcy is long past caring because yes. Finally. It's Elizabeth and he has her and this is probably the best night of his life. Fuck he's far gone on this woman. And it's so nice to not have to deny it, not have to hide it or pretend it's just acting.

He holds her after and just enjoys the feeling of being with her as he tries to catch his breath. He's almost managed it when she pulls away and gets up.

"Well that was fun."

"Yes," he agrees, a little confused.

She's hopping around the mess of clothes, trying to find her own and manages nothing more than her underwear and bra. It takes only one aborted attempt at putting the dress back on before she thinks better of the effort.

"I really needed that." Now she's rummaging through his closet, pulling on a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants. "I mean, I've experienced character bleed before, but things were just getting ridiculous." And she laughs. Actually laughs.

"Character bleed?" he repeats dumbly. He just watches, frozen to the bed, as she starts picking up her costume, takes a second to push back some stray hairs.

"Well, I know you didn't think that was me who jumped you when we came in here." No laugh this time, but there's definite humor in her voice. "Don't worry, I dislike you as much as I know you dislike me." She checks herself in the wall mirror before apparently giving up on making herself look presentable. "But some chemistry is better than no chemistry I guess." With a shrug she adds, "At least it pays the bills, right?"

Darcy is confident he's hearing everything correctly, and judging by the numbness he's feeling he's at least peripherally aware of how bad it is. He notices her looking at him with an eyebrow raised, waiting expectantly. "Oh, yeah I guess," he says lamely.

But it must be enough. She gives him a smile before she's out the door, quick footfalls retreating from his trailer.

To say he sleeps poorly that night is an understatement. He tosses and turns, tormented by dreams of a woman he cares about taunting him with kisses that she doesn't mean. When he manages to wake for a few moments, it's only to roll over to pull someone in for an embrace... and to find himself alone in his bed.

The next morning isn't pleasant. He's got a heading from lack of sleep and even the strongest coffee he's got does nothing to chase away his grogginess. Or his bad mood. All he can do is think about Elizabeth's words over and over.

I dislike you as much as I know you dislike me.

How could he have so badly misinterpreted- Never mind. It doesn't matter. He's a professional. This will not effect his work. Or how he behaves towards Elizabeth. He owes her that much, at least, for somehow giving her the idea that he doesn't even like her.

With a sigh, he leaves his trailer to go face the day.

AN: So what I think I'm going to do is a three-shot. This story is self-contained and could be done, but I plan on getting around to adding an Elizabeth POV continuation of this at some point. I'm gonna be vague about the timeline on that though - I've got a couple WIPs I gotta finish first before I officially pick this up as a multi-chapter (or multi-installment) fic.