Falling Like Snow

The Epilogue | The New Year

Lizzie could not help but wonder why a household that usually only consisted of two people had so many board games.

Granted, not all of them were board games, but they fell into that category for Lizzie and most of the people she knew. But, the bigger question - and the one relevant to their two-person household situation - was why they owned so many games suitable for so many people. At Longbourn, most of the games could only be played with a minimum of four players, and Jane and Charles had many of the same ones.

Team games were the best, mostly because it gave Lizzie an excuse to whisper with William... As everyone paired off quite nicely though, no one minded, preoccupied with doing the same with their partner. The Sock Game, for example...

Sounds Fishy, Herd Mentality, Cards Against Humanity, Ticket To Ride - the list was endless. They played multiple rounds of Forbidden Island; with it being the players versus the game, no one could get upset about losing (Lizzie was looking at Caroline, here - Lottie had extended her visit after becoming entangled with her).

"There's so much alcohol - and it's all so expensive," Lizzie complained to William at one point. "I can hardly make a choice as to what to drink, what with there being so many options and combinations!"

"You'll have to get used to it, Lizzie, darling," William had laughed. "And I'm sure you'll soon acquire a taste for the finer bottles. It won't be long until we are forced to be social with some of my acquaintances who are much more... Snobbish. They are far from desirable people to have connections with, most of them." He sighed, then continued, "But are there no positives? No benefits at all to such a selection?"

Smiling slightly, Lizzie fell into his embrace when he tugged her towards him. "That's not fair," she murmured. "You know I'm tipsy." He said nothing, waiting for her answer. Finally, her arms twisted around his neck and she pushed up onto her tiptoes. Millimetres from his mouth, Lizzie whispered, "You're less self-conscious about kissing me when you've had alcohol."

Proving her point, he kissed her long enough for someone else to whistle and make a joking remark. Breathlessly, they pulled away, staring at each other. If he proposed right now, Lizzie though, I would say yes.

It was a vaguely alarming thought, for she had always insisted that she would have had to be with her partner for two years before she would become engage to them; her heart had betrayed her sensible mind though, it seemed, and yet she couldn't bring herself to care or feel betrayed by it. Too many of her rules for love had been broken for William - she had already told him that she loved him! However foolish such a claim might seem, it was true, and she couldn't imagine a life without him. In a single month, her world has changed drastically, but she couldn't imagine returning to how things has been before. In fact, she was horrified by the very thought.

She was pulled from contemplating her future with William when he wrapped an arm around her and dragged her towards the patio, pausing to snag two full wine glasses off a side table. They were the last couple out, with everyone else already holding unlit sparklers. Shivering against the cold, Lizzie berated herself for wearing such a dress. She had worn something fancier than she usually would have for such an occasion in an attempt to impress William, but such an outfit came with drawbacks - like not being as warm.

But William - ever the gallant hero - noticed her shivers, and immediately shrugged off his jacket. It was warm, and carried his scent, and Lizzie nestled into it with a fluttering heart after little protesting, wondering at her luck at become involved with such a perfect man. Before she could thank him, Jane handed them each a sparkler, and Charles began circling with a lighter. Lizzie set her wine glass on the ground, insisting that William did the same. He did so with little convincing, laughing at her crow of victory as she seized his free hand with her own.

The sparklers were great fun, even if the name-writing and random patterns soon all dissolved into circles which bent the sticks. The last sparkler, which was William's (he had kept drawing hearts at Lizzie with it, and she had blushed and written 'Mrs. Darcy' in response although she refused to tell him what she has written when he asked), burnt out just in time for someone to yell out, "Ten!"

Everyone joined in, chanting loudly.

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

"Seven!"

"Six!"

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Happy New Year!"

William pulled Lizzie in abruptly, kissing her hard. One of their wine glasses toppled over and smashed, but no one paid it any heed, not as Charles set off the first of their brilliant firework display and the couples all embraced.

"I love you," Lizzie whispered, enchanted by the way the light from the fireworks doused William's face in different colours. If only she could paint, she would have tried to capture this moment at a later time, to hang on a wall and keep forever.

"I love you, too," William replied.

"I wanted it to be the first thing I said this year," Lizzie confessed, blushing from a mixture of the admission, the scene, and the alcohol.

She would never tire of seeing his grin, especially when he beamed at her and for her, and only her. "I want it to be the first thing we say every year," he murmured.

Overcome with emotion, Lizzie could do nothing but kiss him again. He was a willing accomplice, but pulled away sooner than either would have liked. He tucked her under his arm, turning them to face the firework display.

Privately, Lizzie swore that London's fireworks couldn't compare to Netherfield's, but she didn't voice that opinion. She suspected the company was only what made it so; yet, that was in the spirit of such gatherings, surely?

The fireworks exploded into a spectacular finale, the group broke out into raucous cheers. Linking arms, they formed a wide circle, and begun singing Auld Lang Syne. All had consumed too much alcohol for their singing to be considered particularly good, but no one's ears bled, so their were no complaints. There were smiles aplenty - and that was enough.

Lizzie and William stood together, alone amongst the crowd of their friends and family.

And they were content.

I'm sorry this final part was shorter than the others, but as I was writing it I felt that it was good as it was and so I didn't want to add anything to it.

Before you vanish, never to think of this story again, I have tied up some loose ends for you in the next and final section. I could have done it here, but it's starting to get a bit lengthy, so I preferred to publish it as a separate thing.