Charcoal Heart
Title: Charcoal Heart
Rating: G
Pairings/Characters: Lizzie/Darcy, Lizzie Bennet, William Darcy, Jane Bennet, Bing Lee, Lydia Bennet, Charlotte Lu
Word Count: 2578
Warnings: het, romance
Summary: Darcy's inner monologue of meeting the Bennet family at the Gibson wedding.
Author's Notes: Originally for blithers as part of the yuletide-admin 2012. Special thanks to shifty-gardener for beta-ing. Based on the following: here & here
Charcoal Heart
William Darcy had not been expecting much from this wedding. He didn’t really expect much from any wedding to be honest. He found them to be rather superfluous affairs packaged by greeting card companies and a multi-million dollar cake, dress and flower industry to snag young unsuspecting couples into thinking they must spend thousands of dollars to simply say the phrase “I do.” And then one must invite every relative under the sun, any person they had met, no matter how brief, in an attempt to not “offend anyone” and ensure that the “special day” went off without a hitch.
Suffice it to say, William Darcy was not a fan of weddings.
But Bing was his best friend and had kindly allowed him to stay indefinitely at his new home so he felt attending a family friend’s wedding was the least he could do. As they had left the house to go to the event, Bing had said jokingly that maybe this was Darcy’s chance to finally meet a girl who made him smile (dating and relationships had never been much of a priority for Darcy).
After the ceremony, which Darcy had found acceptable but a bit cliche (doves, really?), was the surprisingly low key reception. Caroline had, of course, denounced the decor as being rather bland with barely a pop of color and the theme (some sort of woodland motif) as unoriginal at best. He let Caroline babble on as he followed Bing’s eyes across the table dotted garden to a group of girls --- three red heads, who appeared to be sisters, and one blacked hair girl who must be their friend.
Only one of the girls, the tallest red head, was facing them. Her longish tresses were slightly pulled back and she wore a dress that looked as if it had come from the 1940s in a sharp shade of green. Her red lips parted into the most becoming smile as one of the girls (the darkest red head?) made what appeared to be a joke. He watched Bing out of the corner of his eye as he began to drift over to the girls and feeling protective of his friend, Darcy followed.
Bing and Darcy had been friends for many years after they first met in fencing club their freshman year of high school. Many people had a difficult time believing they were friends, as Bing was so friendly and outgoing while Darcy was...not. Still the friendship had persisted, even through the tough times for both of them.
As they approached, the tall redhead drew the group’s attention to them. They all turned to look at them, mid-laugh, slight tears in their eyes. Darcy was slightly surprised at how beautiful the dark redhead was.
“Hello,” the green dressed woman started, “I’m Jane Bennet and these are my sisters, Lizzie,” she gestured to the dark red haired girl who put up her hand in greeting.
“Lydia,” the smallest redhead flashed a grin in their direction
“and finally our family friend Charlotte Lucas,” the dark haired girl bowed her head slightly.
Darcy noted that Bing’s eyes had fleeted from the oldest Bennet for only a brief moment as she made the introductions. He was inwardly amused at how quickly and how deeply his dear friend had become infatuated with this woman.
“That’s great! I’m Bing Lee, I just moved in down the street and this is my good friend William Darcy. It’s nice to meet all of you.” Bing said, smiling mildly at Jane while gesturing to himself and Darcy, who gave a stiff nod at the mention of his name.
As Bing began to exchange the usual small talk and pleasantries with the Bennets, Darcy quickly began to make appraisals of the women in front of him.
Jane Bennet seemed a pleasant enough sort of woman. It appeared to Darcy that she was one of those women who would go out of her way to avoid stepping on a bug or to pick up someone else’s litter. She smelled vaguely of cookies underneath her rather dull perfume.From the tone of her voice and inability to look Bing straight in the eye, she seemed to be quite smitten with Bing.
Charlotte Lucas, dressed in a simple dark dress with little make-up or accessories, seemed the type of woman who did not care for such “girly” things. Being at the wedding seemed to make her a bit antsy, not because she found them boring as Darcy did, but because she would much rather be doing something else. What that was Dacry couldn’t say from the looks of her but she seemed very focused on it.
The youngest Bennet sister, Lydia, lacked depth he felt. She seemed to be exactly as she was inside as she was on her outside, which Darcy had to admit he was a bit envious of.. A girl who loved a good time, one that involved alcohol no doubt, and keeping with the latest trends, Lydia was dressed in a slightly revealing short, tight, sparkly gold dress. He could tell she was one that liked to stand out in a crowd and the decibel levels that her voice reached was rather surprising to him.
With that decision made. Darcy turned to the middle Bennet sister, Lizzie, short for Elizabeth no doubt. While she wasn’t as classically beautiful as her elder sister, Darcy couldn’t help noticing his attraction to her. Her dress, a simple navy blue. was not as revealing as her younger sister’s but was certainly very flattering upon her figure. As she watched Jane and Bing interact, he could see a glimmer in her eyes of happiness. Her blue eyes were the color of a calming stream and Darcy wanted to lose himself in them for hours.
At that point, he felt the small smile playing across his lips. He quickly set his lips into their usual line of disinterest and returned his thoughts from the higher qualities of Lizzie’s features.
“...Tolstoy is simply one of the greatest writers of the 19th century. The way that man crafts words could melt any woman’s heart.” Lizzie said, her passion for the subject obvious in her voice and waving gestures.
“Ugh, come on Lizzie! Nobody wants to talk about Tolstoy at a wedding. They want to party! And who always knows how to have a good time? The Ly-dee-ah!” Lydia said as she did a strange body roll before grabbing Charlotte’s hand and exclaiming, “To the dance floor, people!”
Bing, who had been speaking with Jane almost exclusively once Lizzie had been successfully derailed on Tolstoy, bashfully extended her his hand and asked, “May I have this dance?” He could see Jane blush slightly as she placed her hand in his and let him guide her to the floor.
Lizzie looked over at Darcy and smiled, her thumbs gesturing to the dance floor as she said, “Sooo, Darcy. Wanna dance?”
Darcy grimaced at the suggestion. Dancing was one of the few things he enjoyed less than weddings and the idea of dancing with this woman --- this beautiful, intelligent woman was more than he could bare.
“No. Thank you.” He said after what felt like an eternity. Lizzie’s smile vanished and was replaced with a look of slight confusion, as if she had never met someone who didn’t enjoy throwing themselves about a dance floor.
“Ok, well, see you later then.” She said and turned around abruptly to walk out into the throng of people moving to the beat of Duran Duran’s “Hungry like the Wolf.”
Darcy let out a sigh, realizing he had been holding his breath for most of the encounter. He could feel his heart beating a little faster and his mind was racing with ways he could have conducted that conversation differently, trying to find an outcome that didn’t require him to dance and didn’t have her leaving with a frown.
He ran his hand through his short cropped hair and shook his head, inwardly berating himself. It really wouldn’t have been that hard for him to say yes, to move about the floor to this atrocious music if it would have made her happy. He sat down at a nearby table through the next few songs, trying to muster up the courage to ask Lizzie for a dance as well as mustering up the courage to actually dance.
He felt like he was almost ready to give it a go when the DJ’s voice blared out of the speakers, “Alright ladies and gentleman, can I get all the single ladies to come to the center of the dance floor! It’s time for the bouquet toss!”
Darcy could hear Lydia’s squeal of excitement from across the dance floor and over the music the DJ was playing in the interim as the bride went to the center of the floor and the women formed a small pack in front of her. Darcy noted that Lizzie had been practically pushed onto the floor and into the foray by her mother.
“Alright ladies! Here. We. Go!” And with the final word from the DJ, the bride tossed her bouquet in a small arc over the various women trying to make a grab for it only to land practically in the face of one Miss Lizzie Bennet.
“Congratulations! Thank you so much for your participation ladies! Now will all the single gentlemen come out to the dance floor! The garter toss is next!” The DJ said as the women slowly started to abandon the floor.
Darcy had absolutely no intention of participating in such a silly and pointless exercise but he could already see Bing making a beeline for him and to avoid a scene Darcy begrudgingly removed himself from his chair and onto the outer skirts of the group of men.
The groom was already under his wife’s dress removing the garter with what appeared to be his teeth. When he emerged, the blue object in mouth, Darcy couldn’t help but be unamused. The groom gave a small shout before shooting the garter into the throng.
The garter sailed over the sea of hands grasping for it and hit Darcy square in the chest. He held out his hand to catch it as it fell, not really sure what to do with it.
“Alright! Ladies and gentleman we have a winner! Better luck next time gents. Will the fine young lady who caught the bouquet please come up to the front and claim her dance partner? It’s time for slow jam.” The DJ said.
Bing came by swiftly and winked at Darcy as he took the garter out of his hands. Lizzie came up to him a small grin plastered on her face as well as a slight look of annoyance. This was the worst moment that Darcy had ever experienced. Not only did he have to dance, he had to dance with Lizzie, a girl who his heart and mind couldn’t quite agree about, to a slow song.
He took her hands in his, trying to keep them calm and not sweaty. Outside of a few ballroom dancing classes Darcy had taken as a child, he really had no idea how to dance slowly with someone. Most of the couples seemed to be standing close together, swaying slowly on the floor. So Darcy began to sway, the stiffness in his movements apparent to himself and Lizzie.
After a few moments, Lizzie asked, “So, do you like it here in town?”
Not feeling the need to hide his true feelings Darcy responded, “Not especially.”
Obviously expecting a more elaborate answer, Lizzie waited a few moments. When nothing more was forthcoming, she said, “Do you enjoy dancing?”
“Not if I can help it,” he replied before he had a chance to fliter himself. With yet another tort response on his part, Lizzie seemed to not feel the need to keep the conversation going. Darcy was acutely aware of how soft Lizzie’s skin was in his hands. How slightly awkward he felt wrapping his arm around her waist, his hand on the small of her back touching the soft fabric of her dress.
But underneath his uncomfortableness of the moment, he could also feel something else. His heart was beating a bit faster. His eyes were darting around her face, trying to document all of her features. He noticed the slight flowery scent of her perfume, the sparkling earrings dangling from her curved ears.
The song came to an end and not knowing what else to say Darcy mumbled a “thank you” as their hands dropped. He swiftly exited the dance floor and went to stand outside of the tent that encased the dance floor and tables. He took a deep breath and tried not to think about what had just happened or Lizzie.
“Hey there buddy! How was it? Lizzie’s pretty cute right? I saw how you were looking at her in there.” Bing said as he came over to him, a picture of cheerfulness and youthful energy. “I could probably put in a good word for you with Jane if you want. You should totally dance with her again!” He continued, eyes dancing with amusement.
It’s not that Darcy didn’t trust Bing, he just didn’t want to talk about this now or here out in the
open where anyone could overhear them. He also needed time to think about his feelings, what they actually were and what they meant, before he even tried to discuss the matter with Bing (if he ever did). All he could think to do was deflect and deflect hard.
“You’re dancing with the only tolerable girl in the room so stop wasting your time with me. Sure, Lizzie is decent enough but why would I continue to dance with her when no one else does?” Darcy said quickly.
Bing gave Darcy a knowing look and said, “Alright man, whatever you say. I’ll catch up with you and Caroline afterwards, ok?” With that he turned on his heel and went back into the tent.
Darcy let out yet another sigh and glanced up at the stars. He could tell that causally interacting with Lizzie was not going to work for him. He could barely string two sentences together around her, let alone develop or propose topics of conversation. No, he must be prepared for next time.
“I’m going to have to read some Tolstoy.” He said quietly as went back into the tent to watch Lizzie dance the rest of the night away.
Rating: G
Pairings/Characters: Lizzie/Darcy, Lizzie Bennet, William Darcy, Jane Bennet, Bing Lee, Lydia Bennet, Charlotte Lu
Word Count: 2578
Warnings: het, romance
Summary: Darcy's inner monologue of meeting the Bennet family at the Gibson wedding.
Author's Notes: Originally for blithers as part of the yuletide-admin 2012. Special thanks to shifty-gardener for beta-ing. Based on the following: here & here
Charcoal Heart
William Darcy had not been expecting much from this wedding. He didn’t really expect much from any wedding to be honest. He found them to be rather superfluous affairs packaged by greeting card companies and a multi-million dollar cake, dress and flower industry to snag young unsuspecting couples into thinking they must spend thousands of dollars to simply say the phrase “I do.” And then one must invite every relative under the sun, any person they had met, no matter how brief, in an attempt to not “offend anyone” and ensure that the “special day” went off without a hitch.
Suffice it to say, William Darcy was not a fan of weddings.
But Bing was his best friend and had kindly allowed him to stay indefinitely at his new home so he felt attending a family friend’s wedding was the least he could do. As they had left the house to go to the event, Bing had said jokingly that maybe this was Darcy’s chance to finally meet a girl who made him smile (dating and relationships had never been much of a priority for Darcy).
After the ceremony, which Darcy had found acceptable but a bit cliche (doves, really?), was the surprisingly low key reception. Caroline had, of course, denounced the decor as being rather bland with barely a pop of color and the theme (some sort of woodland motif) as unoriginal at best. He let Caroline babble on as he followed Bing’s eyes across the table dotted garden to a group of girls --- three red heads, who appeared to be sisters, and one blacked hair girl who must be their friend.
Only one of the girls, the tallest red head, was facing them. Her longish tresses were slightly pulled back and she wore a dress that looked as if it had come from the 1940s in a sharp shade of green. Her red lips parted into the most becoming smile as one of the girls (the darkest red head?) made what appeared to be a joke. He watched Bing out of the corner of his eye as he began to drift over to the girls and feeling protective of his friend, Darcy followed.
Bing and Darcy had been friends for many years after they first met in fencing club their freshman year of high school. Many people had a difficult time believing they were friends, as Bing was so friendly and outgoing while Darcy was...not. Still the friendship had persisted, even through the tough times for both of them.
As they approached, the tall redhead drew the group’s attention to them. They all turned to look at them, mid-laugh, slight tears in their eyes. Darcy was slightly surprised at how beautiful the dark redhead was.
“Hello,” the green dressed woman started, “I’m Jane Bennet and these are my sisters, Lizzie,” she gestured to the dark red haired girl who put up her hand in greeting.
“Lydia,” the smallest redhead flashed a grin in their direction
“and finally our family friend Charlotte Lucas,” the dark haired girl bowed her head slightly.
Darcy noted that Bing’s eyes had fleeted from the oldest Bennet for only a brief moment as she made the introductions. He was inwardly amused at how quickly and how deeply his dear friend had become infatuated with this woman.
“That’s great! I’m Bing Lee, I just moved in down the street and this is my good friend William Darcy. It’s nice to meet all of you.” Bing said, smiling mildly at Jane while gesturing to himself and Darcy, who gave a stiff nod at the mention of his name.
As Bing began to exchange the usual small talk and pleasantries with the Bennets, Darcy quickly began to make appraisals of the women in front of him.
Jane Bennet seemed a pleasant enough sort of woman. It appeared to Darcy that she was one of those women who would go out of her way to avoid stepping on a bug or to pick up someone else’s litter. She smelled vaguely of cookies underneath her rather dull perfume.From the tone of her voice and inability to look Bing straight in the eye, she seemed to be quite smitten with Bing.
Charlotte Lucas, dressed in a simple dark dress with little make-up or accessories, seemed the type of woman who did not care for such “girly” things. Being at the wedding seemed to make her a bit antsy, not because she found them boring as Darcy did, but because she would much rather be doing something else. What that was Dacry couldn’t say from the looks of her but she seemed very focused on it.
The youngest Bennet sister, Lydia, lacked depth he felt. She seemed to be exactly as she was inside as she was on her outside, which Darcy had to admit he was a bit envious of.. A girl who loved a good time, one that involved alcohol no doubt, and keeping with the latest trends, Lydia was dressed in a slightly revealing short, tight, sparkly gold dress. He could tell she was one that liked to stand out in a crowd and the decibel levels that her voice reached was rather surprising to him.
With that decision made. Darcy turned to the middle Bennet sister, Lizzie, short for Elizabeth no doubt. While she wasn’t as classically beautiful as her elder sister, Darcy couldn’t help noticing his attraction to her. Her dress, a simple navy blue. was not as revealing as her younger sister’s but was certainly very flattering upon her figure. As she watched Jane and Bing interact, he could see a glimmer in her eyes of happiness. Her blue eyes were the color of a calming stream and Darcy wanted to lose himself in them for hours.
At that point, he felt the small smile playing across his lips. He quickly set his lips into their usual line of disinterest and returned his thoughts from the higher qualities of Lizzie’s features.
“...Tolstoy is simply one of the greatest writers of the 19th century. The way that man crafts words could melt any woman’s heart.” Lizzie said, her passion for the subject obvious in her voice and waving gestures.
“Ugh, come on Lizzie! Nobody wants to talk about Tolstoy at a wedding. They want to party! And who always knows how to have a good time? The Ly-dee-ah!” Lydia said as she did a strange body roll before grabbing Charlotte’s hand and exclaiming, “To the dance floor, people!”
Bing, who had been speaking with Jane almost exclusively once Lizzie had been successfully derailed on Tolstoy, bashfully extended her his hand and asked, “May I have this dance?” He could see Jane blush slightly as she placed her hand in his and let him guide her to the floor.
Lizzie looked over at Darcy and smiled, her thumbs gesturing to the dance floor as she said, “Sooo, Darcy. Wanna dance?”
Darcy grimaced at the suggestion. Dancing was one of the few things he enjoyed less than weddings and the idea of dancing with this woman --- this beautiful, intelligent woman was more than he could bare.
“No. Thank you.” He said after what felt like an eternity. Lizzie’s smile vanished and was replaced with a look of slight confusion, as if she had never met someone who didn’t enjoy throwing themselves about a dance floor.
“Ok, well, see you later then.” She said and turned around abruptly to walk out into the throng of people moving to the beat of Duran Duran’s “Hungry like the Wolf.”
Darcy let out a sigh, realizing he had been holding his breath for most of the encounter. He could feel his heart beating a little faster and his mind was racing with ways he could have conducted that conversation differently, trying to find an outcome that didn’t require him to dance and didn’t have her leaving with a frown.
He ran his hand through his short cropped hair and shook his head, inwardly berating himself. It really wouldn’t have been that hard for him to say yes, to move about the floor to this atrocious music if it would have made her happy. He sat down at a nearby table through the next few songs, trying to muster up the courage to ask Lizzie for a dance as well as mustering up the courage to actually dance.
He felt like he was almost ready to give it a go when the DJ’s voice blared out of the speakers, “Alright ladies and gentleman, can I get all the single ladies to come to the center of the dance floor! It’s time for the bouquet toss!”
Darcy could hear Lydia’s squeal of excitement from across the dance floor and over the music the DJ was playing in the interim as the bride went to the center of the floor and the women formed a small pack in front of her. Darcy noted that Lizzie had been practically pushed onto the floor and into the foray by her mother.
“Alright ladies! Here. We. Go!” And with the final word from the DJ, the bride tossed her bouquet in a small arc over the various women trying to make a grab for it only to land practically in the face of one Miss Lizzie Bennet.
“Congratulations! Thank you so much for your participation ladies! Now will all the single gentlemen come out to the dance floor! The garter toss is next!” The DJ said as the women slowly started to abandon the floor.
Darcy had absolutely no intention of participating in such a silly and pointless exercise but he could already see Bing making a beeline for him and to avoid a scene Darcy begrudgingly removed himself from his chair and onto the outer skirts of the group of men.
The groom was already under his wife’s dress removing the garter with what appeared to be his teeth. When he emerged, the blue object in mouth, Darcy couldn’t help but be unamused. The groom gave a small shout before shooting the garter into the throng.
The garter sailed over the sea of hands grasping for it and hit Darcy square in the chest. He held out his hand to catch it as it fell, not really sure what to do with it.
“Alright! Ladies and gentleman we have a winner! Better luck next time gents. Will the fine young lady who caught the bouquet please come up to the front and claim her dance partner? It’s time for slow jam.” The DJ said.
Bing came by swiftly and winked at Darcy as he took the garter out of his hands. Lizzie came up to him a small grin plastered on her face as well as a slight look of annoyance. This was the worst moment that Darcy had ever experienced. Not only did he have to dance, he had to dance with Lizzie, a girl who his heart and mind couldn’t quite agree about, to a slow song.
He took her hands in his, trying to keep them calm and not sweaty. Outside of a few ballroom dancing classes Darcy had taken as a child, he really had no idea how to dance slowly with someone. Most of the couples seemed to be standing close together, swaying slowly on the floor. So Darcy began to sway, the stiffness in his movements apparent to himself and Lizzie.
After a few moments, Lizzie asked, “So, do you like it here in town?”
Not feeling the need to hide his true feelings Darcy responded, “Not especially.”
Obviously expecting a more elaborate answer, Lizzie waited a few moments. When nothing more was forthcoming, she said, “Do you enjoy dancing?”
“Not if I can help it,” he replied before he had a chance to fliter himself. With yet another tort response on his part, Lizzie seemed to not feel the need to keep the conversation going. Darcy was acutely aware of how soft Lizzie’s skin was in his hands. How slightly awkward he felt wrapping his arm around her waist, his hand on the small of her back touching the soft fabric of her dress.
But underneath his uncomfortableness of the moment, he could also feel something else. His heart was beating a bit faster. His eyes were darting around her face, trying to document all of her features. He noticed the slight flowery scent of her perfume, the sparkling earrings dangling from her curved ears.
The song came to an end and not knowing what else to say Darcy mumbled a “thank you” as their hands dropped. He swiftly exited the dance floor and went to stand outside of the tent that encased the dance floor and tables. He took a deep breath and tried not to think about what had just happened or Lizzie.
“Hey there buddy! How was it? Lizzie’s pretty cute right? I saw how you were looking at her in there.” Bing said as he came over to him, a picture of cheerfulness and youthful energy. “I could probably put in a good word for you with Jane if you want. You should totally dance with her again!” He continued, eyes dancing with amusement.
It’s not that Darcy didn’t trust Bing, he just didn’t want to talk about this now or here out in the
open where anyone could overhear them. He also needed time to think about his feelings, what they actually were and what they meant, before he even tried to discuss the matter with Bing (if he ever did). All he could think to do was deflect and deflect hard.
“You’re dancing with the only tolerable girl in the room so stop wasting your time with me. Sure, Lizzie is decent enough but why would I continue to dance with her when no one else does?” Darcy said quickly.
Bing gave Darcy a knowing look and said, “Alright man, whatever you say. I’ll catch up with you and Caroline afterwards, ok?” With that he turned on his heel and went back into the tent.
Darcy let out yet another sigh and glanced up at the stars. He could tell that causally interacting with Lizzie was not going to work for him. He could barely string two sentences together around her, let alone develop or propose topics of conversation. No, he must be prepared for next time.
“I’m going to have to read some Tolstoy.” He said quietly as went back into the tent to watch Lizzie dance the rest of the night away.