Chapter Fourteen

I know, I am incredibly sorry I have no excuses other than life and the sheer amount of writing I had to do for Uni that made me feel drastically guilty every time I tried to take a break from it. For those of you who messaged me and reviewed (and basically told me to hurry up) thank you! You are all wonderful people and you were the ones who made this chapter happen.

So, here it is… The much, much awaited date! I hope you enjoy it, it's been written across a long period of time, so I'm not quite sure what I think of it, but at least it has been posted. I have something else that I've also been working on… I shall give you a little teaser at the end ;)

This is quite a lovely but tame chapter, just because of my plans for our two lovebirds in the future, but there is plenty of sweetness here for you. In my rush to upload it for you, I've only done a brief edit – I apologise in advance for any mistakes, they are all mine. I tried to wrap it up nicely so you won't be left hanging again. Thank you all once again, what would I do without you?

Kamarooka xx

Lizzy practically ran home from work on Wednesday afternoon, leaving much earlier than she usually would have on a normal school day. She whirled through her apartment, arranging it into some semblance of tidiness – just in case. The morning's breakfast dishes were quickly washed and stray clothes gathered up and thrown into the laundry basket. She took her time in the shower, calming herself under the cascade of hot water. When she had finished, she wrapped herself in a towel and went into her bedroom to survey the outfits that Jane had selected for her. Chewing on her lower lip, she tried to decide what to wear; she wanted to look nice, but not go over the top and not knowing where she was going made that a bit more difficult. A beep from her phone alerted her to a new text message so she turned away from her wardrobe and sat down on her bed to read it.

'My mind has been agreeably engaged today meditating upon the pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow – and yours are utterly bewitching. I eagerly await tonight as in vain have I struggled to focus upon my work. Until then, Miss Bennet.'

Lizzy's stomach spun crazily and a giddy laugh bubbled up out of her throat. Her fingers hovered over the keypad as she considered how reply.

'In cases such as this, it is, I believe, appropriate to express some gratitude for the sentiments expressed. I am sorry to have caused you pain and to have distracted you from your work – it was most unconsciously done and I hope it will be of short duration. I do hope you will allow me to make up for it in the course of the evening.'

She quickly hit send and stood up, walking over to her wardrobe; Darcy's witty banter had struck a chord and her fingers immediately plucked one of the outfits from the door. Preparing for a date had never been something Lizzy enjoyed overly much – she could think of much better ways to spend her time than focussing on her hair and makeup. However, the minutes passed quickly this evening as she readied herself. Thinking as she pottered around, she realised she was slightly disappointed that it was only Wednesday evening; she would have appreciated the luxury of a quiet Saturday or Sunday morning after tonight, instead of having to go about her ordinary routine for work in the morning. Then again, maybe the weekend would bring yet another outing with it.

Those last minutes to herself seemed to fly and soon her intercom was buzzing, letting her know her date had arrived.
"I'll be down into two seconds." She spoke into it quickly and then quickly slipped her shoes, grabbed her clutch and threw her coat over her arm. She took a deep breath and smiled to herself as she pulled open her door and stepped out into the hallway.

Lizzy was still smiling broadly when she reached the foyer and spied the tall, handsome man waiting for her. She felt a little thrill of excitement as his own smile grew at the sight of her.
"Wow." He said, reaching for her and pressing a gentle kiss on her lips. "You look stunning."
"Thanks." She replied, grinning at him, admiring the striking figure he cut before her. "You don't look too bad yourself. Are we ready to go?"
"We are indeed." Will said, taking her coat from her and helping her slip into it. "It's cold out there." He told her as the fingers of his right hand lingered on her neck, stroking lightly. He moved the hand up to cup her cheek and once more kissed her softly, lazily wrapping his other arm around her back. Just when Lizzy began to feel a little light-headed he pulled back and smirked at her.
"We had better go; we don't want to be late for our reservation." He smirked, taking one of her hands in his and led her outside.
"Tease." Lizzy muttered under her breath, but his slight chuckle let her know he had heard her. He walked them over to his car and opened the passenger door for her, helping her in. Will responded to her thanks with a wink and a grin, before shutting the door after her. Lizzy watched his lean figure walk around to the driver's side and slide in, turning to face his as he fastened his seatbelt.
"Are you going to tell me where we are going yet?" Lizzy asked.
"Nope." Darcy replied, smiling as he pulled away from the curb. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride."
"Oh, I intend to…" Darcy looked at her as he stopped the car at a red light and Lizzy smirked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Yes?"
He leant across and grabbed her by the back of the neck, pulling her in for a deep kiss, only pulling away when the car behind them started honking after the light turned green. Lizzy narrowed her eyes at him as she took him in sitting perfectly composed behind the steering wheel.
"What?" He asked cheekily after a minute of silence. Lizzy raised an eyebrow at him, her own smirk playing on her lips.

"Tease." She said again. Will's laughter filled the car

"Okay, so tell me about your family." They were sitting at a table in a quiet restaurant near Covent Garden. It was so inconspicuous from the outside that Lizzy would have walked right past it if Will hadn't been guiding her. The inside was perfectly decorated and beautifully intimate; it was busy without being loud and distracting, and the satisfaction of the patrons added to the wonderful atmosphere. Their main meal had just arrived, and they were slowly consuming mouthfuls between much conversation and laughter.
"Prepare yourself," Lizzy laughed, dabbing at her lips with a napkin. "They are characters to say the least."
"I'm sure I can handle it." He smiled at her.
"I have four sisters, including Jane." She told him, enjoying the small look of shock he passed her. "I'm the second eldest. It made for quite the experience growing up."
"I can imagine; I thought one was difficult enough!" Will leaned back in his chair, fixing his eyes on her. "What are they like?"
"Well, Jane you've met. She is quite possibly the kindest, most incredible person I know. She has always been the one to push me and stand up for me. Honestly, I don't know if there is a better person anywhere in the world. You've seen how lovely she is. But, I'm telling you, she is worse than a mother bear with her cub when she wants to be; there's a little warning for you." Lizzy sent him a teasing wink as he chuckled. "After me there is Mary, she's 25 and so far she has studied philosophy, art history and is now doing a course in naturopathy; you could say she is a professional student." Lizzy paused for a sip of her wine and a grin formed on her face before she began again. "Then there is Catherine, or Kitty. She's 23 and is quite the shock of the family, I would say. She took a few of years off after she finished high school, worked for a year and a half, cast off her foolishness from her teenage years, and then took off backpacking around Europe before somehow ending up volunteering in orphanages and medical centres in Nepal. She got back a few months ago and has enrolled in a midwifery course. I think she gets a kick out of surprising us. And last, but most certainly not least, there's Lydia. She was an unexpected surprised, she came along about fourteen months after Kitty. Mum couldn't even get to the hospital before she made her presence known in the world and she honestly hasn't slowed down since. She seemed to be destined for trouble for a while there, but something just clicked a couple of years ago and she pulled herself together and is studying speech therapy. I think it was really important to mum and dad that all of us go to university, so we've all tried to do them proud in that respect."
"I'm sure they're incredibly proud of you." They smiled at each other over the table. "Do you take after them much?"
Lizzy let out a small laugh. "Definitely in some ways. I think I inherited both of their stubbornness though, so I was never out of trouble long growing up, particularly with my mother. I love them dearly though. They met at university and have been together almost thirty-six years from when they first started dating. Dad was studying law and was practising until about twelve years ago when he decided to quit and open up a book shop. Bit of a shock for mum at first, but it I think they're both happier now he has more time to spend at home. Dad's pretty incredible. I remember when I was little, he would always say to me: 'Lizzy, you can only learn to fly if you are not afraid to fall.' Although, another favourite saying of his was: 'It's hard to soar like an eagle when you are surrounded by turkeys.' He has quite the way with words – sometimes you can never quite be sure what he means." Will's warm chuckle wrapped around her.

"And your mum?" He asked.
"Ah, my mum." She paused for another drink. "I love my mum dearly, but she can be quite the handful. She was a teacher too, but she had a cancer scare about four years ago." She stopped and gave Will a sad smile.
"It's okay," He said, reaching over and taking a hold of her hand. "Keep going."
"Well, since then, she has kind of been obsessed with all of us getting married and popping out a few grandchildren each for her. Of course, she mainly focuses on Jane and I, but the others aren't exempt from her match-making attempts either, now that they are a bit older. Dad tries to rein her in as much as he can, but, when it comes down to it, we know she means well and we are all pretty good at tuning her out when she gets really bad."
"At least you understand that she is doing it because she cares for you." Will told her, smiling.
"Oh, there is definitely no doubt about that… the only problem is how varied our opinions on proper men are." Lizzy replied laughing as she thought back over some of the toads her mother had thrown at her just because of the family they came from or where they went to university. Will leaned towards her again, fixing his mirth-filled eyes on her.
"Well, what do you think she would think of me?" He asked. "Would she consider me a proper man?"
"My, my, Mr. Darcy… We are impertinent tonight, are we not?" She teased. "I'm sure she would. But I am still quite interested in how… improper you could be."
Laughter bubbled up out of her throat as a passing waiter stumbled after hearing her comment. She turned back to the man across from her and her belly began to churn as she took in his darkened eyes.
"Just you wait, Miss. Bennet." He picked up his knife and fork once more. "Just you wait."

The restaurant had started to empty by the time they finished off their desserts, their intense conversations having drawn out their meal greatly. Lizzy's cheeks were hurting from how much she had smiled and laughed; she was sure she had a grin the size of the Cheshire Cat's on her face even now. Will had exceeded all of her expectations thus far; he was charming and polite, teasing and funny, kind and sincere. He listened to everything she had to say, told stories of his own, and made her laugh till her belly ached. As Lizzy savoured the last morsel of cheesecake from her fork she glanced up and caught him smiling at her.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Thank you for coming tonight." Will replied. "And thank you for giving me the chance to explain the other day."
Lizzy set down her fork and smiled at him. "It was my pleasure. And I'm sorry again, for flying off the handle at you." She was embarrassed now that she thought back to how she had reacted.
"Don't worry about it… I quite enjoyed seeing you angry." A teasing lilt once again entered Will's voice. "Besides, I thought we had already established that red was a lovely colour on you."
Lizzy laughed once again. "One day very soon, Will Darcy, you will regret all of this teasing that you are doing."
"I look forward to that day, Elizabeth Bennet."

The couple stood up not long after Will had settled the bill and retrieved their coats. They stepped out onto the quiet laneway and found that snow had started to fall while they had been ensconced in the warmth of the restaurant. Lizzy giggled as she stuck out her tongue to catch a swirling flake.
"You can't help but retain some childish habits when you work with children." She said to Will when she turned to face his grin. Much to her delight, he stepped towards her and put his arms around her, bending down to kiss her softly. They were both smiling when they separated and he took her hand in his as they walked towards the car. Once more, he helped her into her seat before they started making their way back to Kensington. They were quiet as they sat, but the air between them was comfortable, if a little charged with warmth and the promise of things not yet realised. They reached her road too quickly; Lizzy was reluctant to leave the warmth of both the car and the man sitting beside her. She turned her head to watch him as he drove, taking in the small smile playing at the edge of his lips. Cars lined wither side of the street, so Will was forced to park a bit further away from her flat than he had when he picked her up. They meandered slowly along the street, too content in each other's company (and protected by large coats) to worry about the cold or the still gently falling snow.

Fifteen metres from her flat, Will gently pulled her around to face him and lowered his lips to hers. She tasted the rich red they had been drinking on his lips and shifted closer to him, eager to share in his warmth. He wrapped his large coat around her, cocooning her in their own little bubble. She ran her hands softly over the smooth fabric of his suit until they pulled apart only briefly and smiled at each other. Will leaned down to kiss her again, pressing his arms a bit tighter against her body, holding her to him.

And there, on a quiet street, in a busy city, as snow fell softly around them, Lizzy Bennet kissed Will Darcy. And Will Darcy kissed Elizabeth Bennet with everything he could muster. And, for that moment, not another single soul existed for either of them.

Thank you all for reading. Please get in contact if you have any comments or questions… I would also love to hear if you have any suggestions for the story! All credit will be given where it is due!

And, as promised, here is your tiny preview for my little side foray:

The Target

If the weather could reflect a person's mood, then it should have been a gloriously sunny day with an azure sky and birds singing from every tree for Elizabeth Bennet, even if it appeared to be an ordinary Thursday. Working for the De Bourgh Group usually meant that good days in the office were few and far between, so she meant to make the most of this one. It wasn't that she hated her job; she loved it, but there were a few select people at her job that she couldn't stand. The Queen Bee (the dragon lady herself), Catherine De Bourgh, was one. However, Lizzy's branch was managed by Catherine's daughter, Anne, so luckily for Lizzy, she didn't make an appearance very often. The office secretary, Caroline Bingley was another. As much as Lizzy loved Charles Bingley, his sister was another breed of person entirely. Quite frankly, Lizzy was shocked that Caroline even possessed the skills to use a computer. She was a snobbish busy-body who delighted in giving herself airs and graces that nobody in their workplace actually cared about; they actually had more important things to do, believe it or not. Then there was Will Darcy, the witch's nephew. Being groomed to manage his own branch, he was the most unimaginative, arrogant, handsome, perfectly dressed, annoying, in-demand pain in Lizzy's side and an overall ass-kisser. God, what she wouldn't give to see someone rumple one of those pristine suits and mess up that perfect hair just once. It wasn't fair that someone could look like they had just stepped out of an Armani magazine spread after chasing a target across an entire city and scaling walls before tackling them to the ground in a dirty alleyway. When Lizzy did that she always ended up rumpled and red. She had once seen him take out three men wielding Glocks with a few well-placed kicks before turning their own weapons against them, all without putting a single piece of hair out of place. It was hard enough being a woman in this business without being compared to the likes of Will Darcy.