Mistletoe

A/N: a little x'massy drabble. i must confess with great dismay that i do not own Pride & Prejudice, but i love the story. GO AND READ IT. (: enjoy reading this oneshot, i know it's a little -short- at the ending and it really isn't up to my usual standard but i would really appreciate comments. cookies for everyone! (:

She plugged in her earphones, turning up the volume so that she wouldn't have to listen to her best friend's nagging.

The music filled her ears as she stared straight ahead, ignoring the fact that her best friend was currently glaring at her. Well, it wasn't her fault, was it?

She could have at least asked, she grumbled inwardly. She knows I detest parties, especially any involving him.

She closed her eyes, tapping her feet to the beat. The car turned a corner smoothly, and without even opening her eyes she knew that they had reached their destination.

Of course, if it had been her choice –

Never mind. She sighed, pushing away the urge to get out of the car and run a few streets back home.

A sharp rap on the window jerked her out of her music-filled bliss. She opened her eyes.

Are you coming or not, her friend mouthed through the window, still looking abruptly cross.

She sighed and got out of the car, stretching her limbs. Seriously, she didn't even know why they'd chosen to drive. A walk would've been loads better.

Her eyes took in the splendor of the mansion. It was big, sure, and definitely very pretty. At any other time she would've enjoyed the sight.

The only problem, she mused, was its owner.

At the mere thought of him she rolled her eyes and dismissed his image from her brain. Goodness knows how much effort she was going to have to put in for tonight, she grumbled.

Her friend tugged at one of the earphones she was wearing, releasing a blast of sound that made her wince. "Gee, d'you know what you're missing?" the redhead said with a large scowl.

She put on a thoughtful look. "Let me guess. Girls who barely wear anything despite the weather, cups spilling with spiked punch and lots and lots of sweaty people dancing?"

The biting sarcasm in her words made the scowl on her friend's face grow even larger, if that was possible.

"I made you come here so you can relax, you moron."

"Isn't that ever so thoughtful," she said with her brightest smile, snatching back her earphone. "Well, you can go off and make out with Peter now. I'll just stand here, freeze my shoes off and relax, like you wanted me to."

"Oh, for the love of-" her friend started to swear, and stopped abruptly.

"Peter!"

That well-placed squeal was enough to deafen anyone for millennia, she thought, scrunching her face up. She turned her face to prevent her eyes from seeing the disgusting sight of her best friend diving into tonsil hockey.

"I'll just be off now," she said loudly to no one in particular, and was about to start off for home when a manicured hand grabbed her arm.

"C'mon, don't be such a wet blanket," her best friend hissed, drawing her into the crowd with a strength she didn't know the small redhead possessed.

"What, no smoochies with Petie-poo?" she said mockingly, allowing herself to enter the house amidst a blast of warm air. Really, she didn't have a choice, did she?

The redhead drew her deeper into the crowd of people, and she turned her head to see her exit barred with much dismay.

Oh well, she sighed.

She kept her eyes open, searching the crowd in case she bumped into that detestable figure. She was going to have her job cut out for her today, she reckoned, seeing as she would have to look after her friend, look for her friend and look out for that dreadful pompous idiot.

The music in her earphones blared, mingling very unsatisfactorily with the background sounds of the music in the room and with the conversation of other people. She was going to have a brilliant headache after this night, she thought glumly, removing her precious earphones and tucking her iPod safely into her bag.

It didn't really make much of a difference. There was so much noise in the room that she felt a drumming in the back of her head and shook it, frowning.

"Hey," her friend yelled over the blaring music. "I'll be there." She jerked her thumb towards a punch table in the middle of the room. People were hanging around, refilling their cups with drink.

She nodded and let slip a tight little smile as her friend disappeared.

Great. Perfect. Now what?

"Hey, sweet thang. Wanna dance?" A hoarse voice sounded in her ear, and a large sweaty hand grabbed her elbow.

She jumped, realizing that the man was drunk. He looked somewhat older than twenty, and she guessed that he was probably a friend of one of the party guests.

"Your breath stinks," she said with a pretty smile. He leered closer, and her smile grew wider. He was obviously stoned.

The smile disappeared when he put a hand on her back, heading southward. It never reached his destination.

"Thank you," she said politely to the person whom she'd grabbed a cup of punch from.

She bent down to the groaning man, still smiling dangerously. "Don't get too drunk the next time."

Then she sniffed, and disappeared into the crowd.


He saw everything. From the moment she stepped onto his grounds to the moment she kicked ass.

A small smile graced the corners of his mouth. She was attractive. He would never tell anyone that, however.

He wouldn't tell them that he also happened to have a little crush on her.

His dark blue eyes followed her proud figure as she weaved in and out of the crowd, heading for one of the many other rooms in the mansion.

His mansion.


She needed some space.

Out of the corner of her eye, she felt someone watching her. A tiny smile crossed her lips. Of course.

He would've been watching her little scene with the drunk, she guessed. He never missed anything.

Her smile grew a little as she stepped into a cozy little study room. Finally, a room which didn't contain half-naked couples trying to get it on.

She crossed over to the bookshelves, tracing the spines of several books. Her eyes alighted on a particular title. Pride and Prejudice, she read, and her eyes brightened. It was one of her favorites. She pulled it out.

Odd, however, that it seemed to have been read many times, she thought absentmindedly, flipping through the pages. From what she knew the owner of the mansion was a single child, and his mother didn't exactly have the time to read romantic classics.

Of course, that wasn't saying that she knew him well at all, she thought, defending herself. She was merely interested.

In him, her brain said, and she scowled at the thought. Not possible.

"I daresay my books are more interesting than the party outside."

She nearly dropped the book at the voice. Pulling her pride together, she turned to the doorway.

"It saddens me greatly, but I have to agree," her voice came out light, mocking.

His eyes laughed at her. "Really? Isn't that a bit of prejudice on your side?"

She flushed, knowing that he'd noticed the cover of the book.

"Not at all," she said pleasantly. "I would much rather keep my brains than to converse with the mindless twits out there."

The next moment she realized the opening that she'd given him.

"Pride comes before a fall, my dear girl," he said, his eyes darkening merrily with the light of laughter.

"Perhaps. Don't you have anything better to do than to pick on my faults?" she remarked calmly, her eyes beginning to glow.

"I find them very amusing."

"As do I."

There was silence for a moment as he appeared to contemplate something.

"Do you read a lot?"

"Much more than you ever could," she replied coolly, her eyes like icy-blue chips in her pale face.

He couldn't resist. "That would be surprising, considering my grades over yours last term."

At the last moment he realized his very own mistake.

"Pride comes before a fall, my dear sir," she said tartly, but her eyes glimmered with fun.

There was something about him tonight, she realized, and the pit of her stomach tightened a little. Something was going to change.

"Prejudice never did anyone good, either," he remarked, stepping closer so that he towered over her at a grand height of 6'1.

She immediately forgot her thoughts and glared at him, seeming not to realize their closeness.

Before she could retort, his eyes caught a glimpse of green, dangling very inconspicuously from the ceiling.

He grinned, realising what it was.

"Mistletoe," he said softly.

She opened her mouth and closed, looking confused.

She never got a chance to think as he bent down and kissed her softly on the mouth.

"Merry Christmas," he said, but his eyes held a different kind of light, one that she didn't recognize immediately.

Perhaps something was going to change after tonight.