Leaps and Bounds, Pride and Prejudice Fanfiction
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Leaps and Bounds -- Section IBy Danielle L
Section I,
Chapter 1, Section A
Posted on Tuesday, 08-Sep-98
August 31, 1996, Saturday - Labor Day Weekend
woman walks up to a man, asks a question, and he answers in return, "No thank you." Another woman, "No thank you." And another, "No thank you." And another, "Thank you, but no." And so on, "No… I am not gay! I am not married! I just don't want to dance!"
At a nightclub in Washington, D.C., that same man sits alone, with no drink in his hand and no intention to dance with any woman in the place. He gets up and snakes his way through the dance floor to his friend. "I'm leaving now." Darcy said matter-of-factly, as he tapped Bingley on the shoulder in the middle of the dance floor.
"Now?!?!" exclaimed his irritated friend. Darcy nodded his head. "Wait William! Why are you leaving now?" Darcy shrugged and pushed his way back through the crowd and out the door; Bingley went back to his dance partner. Bingley half-heartedly tried to go after his friend, but decided against it, he knew that after the party he would call his friend or go by his place later that night to check on him.
Later, around 2:00 a.m., Bingley called from the intercom, "William, let me in." Darcy pushed the button, so that Bingley could enter the building. He immediately unlocked the door for Bingley, so that he wouldn't have to get up a second time. Bingley burst through the door and found Darcy sitting in his favorite chair in the living room, with a half-empty glass in his hand and jazz music playing on the stereo. "What is with you man?! I've never seen you like this before! You've become so… so… moody and so easily bored. Well, more than usual. What's up?"
"I don't know Charles! I wish I knew. I just can't seem to get out of this funk."
"William," Bingley sat down in the chair next to him, "you have never liked the party scene anyway. So imagine my surprise when you suggested it. But then after only two hours in the place, you want to leave." He paused. "If you're having a problem… or something's wrong. Even if you just want to talk, please call me. I'm a good listener."
"I don't know what the problem is," Darcy paused to think. "I just think I'm a little antsy about the appointment… But, Charles if I find out what's wrong with me, you'll be the first to hear about it."
After more than 2 hours of listening to Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Diane Schuur, Duke Ellington, and other jazz masters, Bingley felt satisfied that he could do nothing more for his friend and so he left.
Charles Bingley had known William Darcy ever since his days at Harvard Medical School. In his second year of medical school, Bingley had discovered a new surgical procedure. His professor, Dr. Neimann advised him to seek a patent immediately and not knowing anything about patents, he went to the law school library to find some information. As he was turning into the library he ran into a dedication ceremony. William Darcy was giving the law school a large sum of money for a new wing to be dedicated specifically for foreign law studies. In his speech, the President Emeritus was praising Darcy as a child prodigy who was knowledgeable in every facet of law. Bingley decided at that moment to seek 'this Darcy person' out right afterwards.
Darcy's speech was short and to the point and as he was leaving Bingley approached him. Initially Darcy was going to brush him off, but he looked into his wide, puppy dog-eyes and decided to hear him out. Having his ear, Bingley told him about his discovery and Darcy said he would help him and he did. And because of the close working relationship they had over the next two months, they became friends. And over the years, they became the best of friends as they learned a lot about each other.
Bingley was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts and came from a well-to-do, respectable family. He was, at that time, 22 years old and with two older sisters: Caroline (age 24) single and Louisa (age 27) married. His parents died 6 years ago in a boating accident off Cape Cod. Bingley was going to specialize in heart surgery and two years ago he graduated Harvard pre-med. Bingley was sociable, likable and fun and almost always seemed to be happy.
Darcy was born and raised in Nags Head, North Carolina and came from a very, very wealth family, descending from royalty in Derbyshire, England and the Presidency of the United States. He was 25 at that time, had graduated Duke University at age 19 in pre-law, from Harvard Law with 3 law degrees at age 23, from Wharton School of Business at 24. His sister, Georgiana, was 12 years younger than he is. His mother died almost a month after he graduated from high school, when he was but 16 years old and Georgiana only 4, and his father died 5 years after that. Darcy was shy and reserved, sometimes called haughty and arrogant, and he was never really able to make friends easily. Instead of learning the social graces, he studied. He was driven with the firm belief that his success in life would overcome any weaknesses he and/or his sister may have in social circles.
Bingley now age 30, a renowned heart surgeon at George Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. His patented procedure put his name in the running for a Nobel Peace Prize, although he did not win. He is 6' 1", blonde-haired, blue-eyed; an eligible bachelor with money and great outlook on life. He's well known in the D.C. area as a party animal and has been in and out of love so often that he is considered carefree and fickle. He owns a house in the 'Gold Coast', which is off of 16th Street, NW in the District and new owner of a horse ranch, named 'Netherfield' in Charlottesville, Virginia. His sister Caroline, now 32 and 6' even, is a snooty former model turned fashion editor for the Washington Post. She is seen only in the company of those that she considers the upper echelons of society. His sister Louisa, now 35 and 5' 6", is a housewife and still married to James, better known as 'Jimmy the fish', Hurst. He is a lazy lush. Thank God he came from money. Louisa is now trying to get Jimmy into politics.
Darcy now age 33, a very rich and powerful attorney, a counselor to the higher ups in politics, entertainment and business, because of his unequaled instincts and fierce interrogation skills. He is soon to be appointed a judge in some superior court in Northern Virginia. He is the epitome of tall (almost 6' 4"), dark and handsome, an eligible bachelor with major money and the entire world at his feet. In his maturation, he has become an enigma of sorts, his private life is private and he has had only a few female companions, but nothing serious. He is managing partner of his own law firm, owns a penthouse in the Watergate Hotel in the District, Thomas Jefferson's Mount Vernon Home in Alexandria, Virginia, his family home, named 'Pemberley' in Nags Head, other properties, and several businesses. His sister Georgiana is 5' 7" and in a few days will be 21, she graduated from University of North Carolina with a B. A. in Marine Biology. She is currently working in a research lab, studying marine life. This lab, which is located about 20 miles from Pemberley, is funded by that same university.
Chapter 1, Section B
Posted on Wednesday, 09-Sep-98
Author's Note: Thank you all, for you kind comments. And thank you, Spring. Yes Spring, you were correct, Mt. Vernon is George Washington's presidential home, while Monticello is Thomas Jefferson's. I apologize to everyone for the mix up. I actually confused myself, because Monticello is in Charlottesville where most of this story takes place. Again, except my apologies.
September 1, 1996, Sunday
The phone rings at Bingley's home. "Hello."
"Charles… I'm sorry about last night." Darcy sighed. "I have no idea what I'm doing… I, I'm just bored, I need a challenge… a change. You know?"
"I think I do." Bingley really wasn't sure, but figured a change of scenery would do his friend some good. "Look, I just bought a horse ranch in Virginia." This was the first time in their friendship that Bingley had done something without Darcy's knowledge and guidance and he wanted his friend's approval, very much.
"A what?!" Darcy interrupted.
"A horse ranch! You know? You used to like to ride horses. And I'm planning, by the end of the month, to go and spend some time down there."
"Down where Charles? Where in Virginia?"
"Oh not far from here. It's barely a 2-hour ride. It's in Charlottesville and it's a beauty!" He paused, waiting for a response; but received nothing. "I'm taking some time off and I'm going down there around the end of this month, or no later than the first week of next month." He paused again. "I really wish you'd come with me."
"I don't know. Let me think about it."
"You need some time away William. You've relinquished almost all of your caseloads because of the appointment. By the way, have you heard anything yet?"
"No, not yet. It just needs some signatures and you know how long government officials can take on some things. But it's in the bag."
"Well then, come with me! I'm staying about a month and we can ride to our heart's desire. It's close to the University of Virginia and Monticello. They have a country club there, we can golf, play tennis, go swimming, whatever!"
"All right, I'll come!" He laughed; Bingley was infectious.
"Good! Talk to you when I have a definite date. See ya tomorrow."
"Good-bye." Darcy stood there with the receiver in his hand, not believing that he agreed to go to the boonies with Bingley. "I don't even know if this place has electricity." He laughed as he hung up the phone.
September 2, 1996,
Monday - Labor Day
Bingley was having a barbecue at his house with family and a few friends. By the time Darcy got there, the party was jumping. Bingley had invited almost half the hospital and most of his neighbors. Darcy was not pleased and decided he would stay only an hour or so.
Darcy walked through the house, placed a package on the table and went out to the back yard to find his friend.
"Hey William!" Bingley waved and jumped. "Over here!"
Darcy pushed through the crowd and slid up to Bingley and whispered, "I thought you invited only a few friends."
"I did! But I couldn't just invite some of my colleagues without inviting some of the others, now could I?" Darcy just frowned. "Did you bring the drinks?"
"Yes, I put them on the kitchen counter." He looked around. "But it's not nearly enough."
"Don't worry about it. I had everyone bring drinks!" Bingley laughed.
Darcy was about to say something, like good-bye to Bingley, but before he could Caroline grabbed his arm and spun him around.
"William, darrrrrling!" She gave him a wet sloppy kiss on his lips. He pulled back in astonishment. "I didn't think you'd ever get here! Why didn't you call me to tell me you'd be late!"
He wiped his mouth in disgust. At that moment, Darcy knew that if he stayed, it was going to be a long day and he wasn't up to it. Caroline was already putting on airs, and he just walked in the door. She was draped all over him and she was half-drunk. "Caroline what are you doing?!" He shook her by her shoulders. "Straighten up!" Then he pushed her away and stomped back in the kitchen to get a napkin to wipe the lipstick off his face. After that he left.
That evening, Darcy stared at the skyline from his balcony. This has been a typical William Darcy day! "Everywhere I go, some woman is fawning over me. Bah!!! They only want my money, they don't want me." He went inside, poured himself a drink, nuked some leftovers and went back to his balcony. There he sat down in one of the chairs and waited for the fireworks display. "At least I'm safe here."
September 3, 1996,
Tuesday
Darcy stayed home all day to work. He put the ringer off his phone, pulled out his laptop and started to write, but his mind was blocked. He couldn't concentrate. His mind was a complete blank page, yet it was racing; racing to nowhere.
What is it?! Why am I having such a problem?! Is this what limbo is like?! "Well if it is, I don't like it," he said aloud and kicked the air, "and I don't want to have anything to do with it!"
Darcy tried to work out in his fitness room; that didn't last long. He tried to cook, but he couldn't decide what to thaw. He wanted to order out for lunch, but couldn't decide what he wanted; so he ordered several dishes.
"Why am I so bored?!" He thought about it long and hard, but couldn't come up with a viable answer. "Something is missing, but what?" No one answered him.
He picked up the phone and heard the jumbled dial tone; he knew he had messages but chose to put off hearing and answering them, till later. Instead he called his sister.
"Georgie, how are you?!"
"Fine William, how are you?!" Georgiana was always excited to hear from her brother.
"Oh I'm good... Just calling to check on you and wish you a Happy Birthday."
Georgiana heard, for the first time in a long time, a hesitation in her brother's voice. "What's wrong?"
"Did you get the gifts I sent you?"
"No, the postman hasn't come yet. Are you trying to avoid my question? What's wrong?!"
"What makes you think something is wrong?"
"I know you, remember? By now, you normally have stories to tell me or you're asking me to come up to D.C. or you're singing to me. You haven't said anything yet."
"No, don't worry about me. I'm fine!" He lied.
"All right then, how did you spend the holiday?"
"I went over to Charles'."
"Who else was there? What did you do? How long did you stay?"
"About 400 of Charles' closest friends."
"So you didn't stay long, huh?"
"No."
"Why don't you come down here. You know I can't leave my job right now."
"I know… I miss you Georgie."
"I miss you too William."
"Well, I'll call you next week. Hopefully, I'll be in a better mood by then. I promise. Happy Birthday."
"Thanks. Talk to you soon. Bye."
Georgiana sat by the phone and wondered about her brother. "Maybe he's anxious about the appointment? Yeah, that must be it. He's just restless, that's all."
Darcy sat by the phone almost ready to pick it up and call his sister back. But what would he tell her? Why would he call her back? He didn't know. He then retrieved his messages, most were from Bingley and Caroline, 3 and 5 respectively, and the other one was from a client.
Bingley had called to apologize for his sister's behavior, while Caroline left profuse apologies in each message. He called his client and told him who at the firm was now handling his case. He called Bingley and told him that he's not up to speaking to Caroline at present. Then he sat down and watched old movies.
Hours later, his pager goes off. Only Bingley and Georgiana have that number to use in case of emergencies. It was his sister this time.
"Georgie, what's up?!"
"William, I just got the package you sent! The dresses, the shoes, everything, they're all absolutely beautiful! You are such a wonderful brother!"
"I'm glad you like them," he smiled.
"I can tell that you didn't let Caroline persuade you in your choices."
"I didn't even let her know that I was going shopping for you. She may have been a model, but her taste in clothes leaves much to be desired." They both laughed.
"But she is the fashion editor for the Washington Post."
"Yes she is, but she tries to dress everyone in her image. And you are nothing like her!" They both laughed again. Caroline has been known to wear outrageous outfits to the simplest of affairs. She is always trying to get attention, especially Darcy's.
"Oh, one more thing, they are broadcasting an evacuation, because a hurricane is coming."
"Georgie pack your bags and come up to D.C.!"
"I'm not coming all the way to D.C. to avoid a hurricane. I'll drive to Raleigh and stay there until the weather clears. Okay?"
"All right. Call me when you get situated."
"Okay, talk to you later."
"Bye sis. Be careful."
News flash from USA Today: Hurricane Fran slammed into the North Carolina coast east of Cape Fear around 8 p.m., Sept. 5, with howling gusts up to 120 mph, smashing trees, power lines, and coastal homes from the South Carolina border to Surf City, N.C… Fran's top winds quickly dropped to 100 mph after it slammed into Cape Fear, N.C., but the storm still caused damage on its way north to Wilmington and Raleigh.
September 6, 1996,
Friday
Darcy called his sister to make sure that she was all right and she was. Then he called Pemberley to make sure it was still standing. He was told that there was serious damage on the back of the house, but nothing the housekeeper couldn't handle. Darcy went home anyway. By the time he made it to Pemberley, Georgiana was safely back home and Mrs. Reynolds had taken care of calling the appropriate repairmen, receiving estimates, and scheduling the work.
While at Pemberley, Darcy spent the next 10 days in the same restless manner as he had in D.C. Though sometimes when the noise in his house was too much to bear, he went to the courts to play tennis, or the course for a game of golf, or to a nice cozy, dark jazz club, or somewhere that he could be active yet be alone with his thoughts. Then he went back to D.C. on September 16th.
Chapter 1, Section C
Posted on Thursday, 10-Sep-98
September 17, 1996, Tuesday
The phone rang at Darcy's office on 10th Street, NW. A secretary answered. It was Bingley. The secretary put him through directly.
"Yes Charles."
"William, we head out on Monday, the 30th. Is that okay?"
"Sure, I'll be ready. Should we each take our cars or just one?"
"No, no. You follow me. Just in case, you get bored and want to leave."
"Fine then." He paused. "Charles, what kind of ranch is it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Does it have electricity? Are the roads paved? Do we have to kill our own food?"
Bingley laughed heartily. "William, we aren't cavemen! What would make you think I would like roughing it that much?!"
"I'm sorry man. I just didn't know what to expect."
"It has all the modern conveniences. It's a pretty huge house with plenty of servants. If it didn't, my sisters would run like the devil back to civilization."
"Your sisters are coming?!?!" He cursed himself and Bingley. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I knew you wouldn't come." Bingley paused, waiting for his friend to renege, but he didn't receive one. "Look, the house is big enough that you don't have to see Caroline every minute of the day. Plus she doesn't ride, so at least you have that excuse."
"All right, I'm still coming."
"Good! We'll meet you at your place around 10:00 a.m. on the 30th. Is that all right?"
"Yes it is." Darcy was about to hang up. "Charles!"
"Yeah."
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me yet! Bye."
In Charlottesville
During a pinochle game at the club, Mrs. Long told Mrs. Bennet some very, very good news and she was very excited to tell her family of it.
"Frank! Frank! Netherfield has been bought at last," she shrieked as she ran after her husband on the 15th tee of the golf course. He offered nothing in reply. "Don't you want to know who's taken it?!"
"You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it, now that you've interrupted our game," teased Mr. Bennet, while the rest of his foursome chuckled.
"Well, it has been taken by a rich young man from D.C. A single rich man! He came down last month to see the place. His name is Charles Bingley and he is coming here again before the end of the month. And he is a doctor!" She continued, "What a fine thing for our girls!"
"How so? How can it affect them?"
"Oh, Frank, how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I'm thinking of his marrying one of them!"
"For a rich, single young doctor must be in want of wife," teased her husband.
"Yes he must indeed!" replied Mrs. Bennet. "And who better than one of our five girls!"
"So, that is his design in settling here, to marry one of our daughters?"
"Design?! Oh, how can you talk such nonsense! But he may, very likely fall in love with one of them. Therefore, you have to visit him when he comes."
"No, no, I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or better yet, send them by themselves."
"By themselves?!"
"Yes my dear, because you are as pretty as any of them; Dr. Bingley might like you best."
Mrs. Bennet was distraught the whole day and she complained to all of the club members who were willing to stand around and listen. "He'll see us all ruined… Oh, if only we had been able to have sons!"
Franklin Bennet has lived in Charlottesville all his life. He inherited the 125-acre horse ranch he lives on with his wife and five daughters, from his father, who inherited it from his father. Mr. Bennet's grandfather Reginald, purchased the land in 1910. He had a large house built and named it 'Longbourn' and raised champion racehorses. Reginald Bennet had two sons, Harold and William, and they constantly fought over the land. As was the practice in those days, the eldest son was to receive the house and most property, while all the children each received a share of the monies. However, Reginald put an exception in his will, as long as Harold's family bore sons, the farm would stay in that line. If not, the land would revert to William's family, but only if there were a living male heir on William's side. And vice versa, once it was in William's family. Harold inherited the land on his father's death in 1940 and William left to make his own way in the world. Harold and William each bore one child, Franklin and Madeline, respectively. Franklin inherited the land in 1966 when his father passed. Madeline married Daniel Collins and bore only one son, William II, but Franklin and his wife Frances were not able to have sons, they had five daughters. So the family farm will fall into the hands of William Collins, Madeline's son, on Franklin's death. Therefore Frances' main objective in life is to get her daughters married to rich young men, so that she and any unmarried daughters will have a place to live when her husband dies.
Franklin or Frank Bennet is a man of quick wit, sarcastic humor, reserve and caprice. A learned man, but he married imprudently. He saw the beautiful Frances with the operatic voice in a talent showcase and fell in love with her on the spot. He asked for her hand, before he really got to know her. Frances Bennet is a woman of little understanding and information, uncertain temper, and a voice that once was a beautiful mezzo-soprano, now shrieked. She sees her musical talents in all her daughters and wished that at least one of them would've pursued it beyond high school. She saw in Frank his good looks, education, manners, money and lands. She convinced herself that she could easily fall in love with a rich man as well as a poor one.
The Bennet's five daughters are as follows:
Jane, age 27, a tall (5' 10"), thin, blond-haired, green-eyed and beautiful; with the disposition of an angel. Mrs. Bennet, born to be a stage mother, tried to push Jane into modeling, singing and dancing, at a young age, but Mr. Bennet and his sister-in-law, Mrs. Gardiner stepped in, so instead she graduated from University of Virginia (UV), then Virginia Tech School of Veterinary Medicine.
Elizabeth or Lizzy, age 25, a tall (5'8"), curvy, raven-haired, raven-eyed, pretty young woman, with the disposition of a cat on a hot tin roof. Mrs. Bennet was too busy pushing Jane that she basically ignored her second daughter which caused Mr. Bennet to take Elizabeth under his wing. Behind this, Mr. Bennet became disenchanted with his wife and never fully recovered his initial feelings of love for her. Under Mr. Bennet's tutelage, Elizabeth graduated from UV; Suma cum Laude; then went on to graduate from Georgetown Law and the Wharton School of Business. She is a big-time history buff, as is Mr. Bennet.
Mary, age 21, a medium height (5' 7"), sandy-haired, dark-eyed, non-descript looking young woman, with an air of conceitedness and is always spouting proverbs from the bible. A graduate of University of Virginia with a double major B. A. in Theology and Accounting, she helps maintain the books for the farm.
Katherine or Kitty, age 19, a tall (5' 8") and rather thin, sandy-haired, dark-eyed, pretty young woman with no personality and is lead around by the nose by her younger sister. She works at the country club as a swimming instructor and sometimes moonlights as a singer in town.
Lydia, age 17, a tall (5' 8") dark-haired, dark-eyed, pretty young woman with the disposition of a spoiled brat with a foul-mouth. She is still in high school and is a very promising tennis player.
All the girls still lived on the farm with their parents, though Jane and Elizabeth moved into the little cottage about a mile behind the main house.
Important neighbors to the Bennet's are the Lucases. Bill Lucas has also lived in Charlottesville all his life. He is the former Mayor of the town and owner of the Country Club. He is married to Evelyn and they have 7 children, the oldest being Charlotte. Charlotte, age 32, is 5' 6", and also non-descript or plain. A graduate of University of Virginia, with a B. A. in Business, yet she works in the club as Secretary to her father and is Elizabeth's good friend. Maria Lucas is the second child, she is 23, also about as tall as her sister and is a graduate of University of Virginia with a B. A. in Liberal Arts. She has yet to decide what she wants to do with her life.
Chapter 1, Section D
Posted on Friday, 11-Sep-98
September 18, 1996, Wednesday
Life in Charlottesville was all a buzz about the arrival of Dr. Bingley on the 30th. Mr. Lucas announced that there would be a dance at the club on Saturday night, October 5, 1996, to welcome their new neighbor. Each mother began preparing their daughters to be the 'belle of the ball', so that they might be chosen to dance with Dr. Bingley.
September 19, 1996, Thursday
At Longbourn
"Oh Jane, Jane, we must go into D.C. to see if we can get you some new dresses!" Frances Bennet burst into Jane's office and shrieked; shrieking was her normal tone of voice.
"Mom, I don't need new dresses."
"Oh yes you do! Are you willing to see us thrown out of this house with no place to go!"
Jane said nothing, she knew that her mother was planning on Dr. Bingley falling in love with her, and there was no point in arguing with her about something as simple as a few dresses.
"Drop all your plans for tomorrow. We will go up to D.C. and find you something suitable to wear."
"Ma, I need some new dresses too!" chirped in Lydia who was running behind her mother.
"Why of course you do dear. Don't worry, I'll find something for you."
Jane remembered her mother's taste in clothes and almost screamed, "Why ...
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