Time and Time Again

A sequel to:

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

By: JR

 A.N. This story is under revision so bear with me please.

            Elizabeth Darcy steps into her husband’s office.  “Mr. Darcy,” says she, “this day is a beautiful one. The children have prepared a basket with bread and various fruits. We would be delighted if you would be so kind as to join us for a midday picnic.”

            As the recipient of these words looked up from his book and grinned. The grin was not a normal grin. It was one Mr. Darcy reserved for his wife when they were alone, for she was the only woman who was ever able to enchant him.  “My dear Mrs. Darcy, I shall go on this little picnic of yours, but where shall we go?”

            “I haven’t an idea in the slightest. Genevieve and Jasper have it all planed.”

            But what Mr. and Mrs. Darcy did not know is that plans can change with the blink of an eye.

            ************************************************************

            Genevieve Darcy stood at the door to the kitchen, waiting for her brother to finish telling their mother what their plan for that day was. Genevieve was a very handsome lady whose father said was very accomplished as much as 6 times a fortnight. She even wrote her mother’s sister every three days until she died. Mrs. Bingley was taken out of the world of the living by the Tuberculosis disease. This seemed to take a toll on Eve’s mother the most. Even more than it did on Mr. Bingley. It has been almost two years since that happened and Mrs. Darcy seems well now.

            As Genevieve looked into the kitchen, she heard light footsteps in the hall. She quickly whipped around and jumped out of the way of Jaspers falling body. Jasper’s expression was one of surprise and horror. Evie giggled a tad bit as he got up and gave her a disapproving look that made him look stern and that was hilarious because it wasn’t in Jaspers nature to be stern.

            “Mother has agreed to come with us on this splendid day sister. She has gone up to father’s study to ask him.” Jasper said to Evie once he was sure he had gotten all the dust off of himself. “So we shall walk through the plain and set our picnic in the meadow beyond it?” Evie stated this more than asked because it was her twentieth year.

            “Yes Evie, as you wish.”

            *********************************************************** 

            The Darcy’s laid down their picnic beneath Genevieve’s favorite tree, the willow. After they had all eaten, conversed, laughed, and danced to imaginary music, they all fell asleep. What they awoke to was something that they never thought of nor expected at all. It was a giant, blue box with words on parts and it was making a noise that suddenly stopped.

            *************************************************************

            As the Doctor stepper out of his Time And Relative Dimension In Space (TARDIS), he most definitely did not expect to see a willow tree and picnic splayed out before him. Another thing he didn’t expect to see, were four people from the 1700s. He was supposed to be in the 1950's with poodle skirts. The two women were sitting as though they were royalty. The two men looked like they were to be unconscious at any moment. They all stared at him, while in their ‘finery’ he was in a cream button down shirt, bow tie, black trousers, a tweed jacket and black lace up boots.

            “Hello, I am sorry to interrupt your picnic, but I happen to be in the wrong time.” the Doctor said to the group. They promptly got up and hid behind the tree. All except for a girl. She just stood staring at the man and his machine.

            “Sir may I ask, what is this… contrapment? It is the strangest thing I have ever seen. Sir, your clothes, the way you converse and address my mother and I before ever talking to my dearest father is strange. Can you explain it all to me?”

            “I can try… I am ... well... this is hard. it would be much better if you just came with me." This girl is quite amusing and interesting.  

            “Can you take me there? To where you are from? It is also my 20th year today.” Evie steps closer to the machine, curiouser than anyone in the world at that point has ever been.

            “I could if you wan-”his words were stopped abruptly by his being tackled by the black haired boy.

            “You shall not take my sister anywhere!” he yelled, keeping the Doctor down without a problem.

            The thoughts in those men’s minds were very different at that particular moment.

            Jasper: This man from only God knows where is trying to run off with my sister!

            Doctor: I should work out more... And somehow get these people to come back with me.

            Somehow Ben miraculously got them to go into his TARDIS. They all almost fainted after they took four steps inside. You see the TARDIS is bigger on the inside and the inside has glowing orbs all around and a column in the center. They all just stared as the vwoo-vwoo-vwoo noise started again.

            “I am the doctor by the way. You may call me... Ben. Yes, that will do very nicely.”

             If Ben wasn't his name then...  Doctor Who?

            *************************************************************

            “This world is so strange. May I ask why?” Elizabeth asks Ben as he pays for the families modern clothes.

            “I already told you, we are many years after your picnic.” he responds in a low voice as to not alert any passerby of his time travel.

             All the Darcy’s looked at the strange carriages that needed no horse to move them. They looked at the women and men and how little clothing they had on. Elizabeth’s first thoughts were so; these women must all sell their bodies. Jasper's first thoughts were; I did not know that a lady had that much skin or legs that long. People talked to small, flat, shiny boxes and carried packages with pictures of half naked men and women on them.  People also stared at the family with curiosity.

            The Doctor starts to tell people that they have just been at a renaissance fair.

            “Ben, pray tell, what is a renaissance fair?”

            “Um… it is a place where people dress like you and do things that you would do in your time. But you can’t talk like that.”

            “However do you mean?”Mrs. Darcy asks

            “Instead of saying, good day say hello or hey.” Is Ben’s reply.

            “Hay? But that is for horses to eat.” Mr. Darcy speaks for the first time.

            Ben laughs. “Yes it is. But this one is spelt different. It’s a shorter way to say hello.”

            “So I would say, ‘Hey what’s up?’ instead of, ‘Good day. How are you doing?’…right?”

            “Yea. You’re a natural at this!” Ben says, surprised.

            Jasper smiles even though he wasn’t sure what it meant. He hoped it was a compliment. After all Jasper and his family were still very new to this revised world.  “Alright, these are the changing rooms. You will change into these clothes and then I will take us all back to my TARDIS.” Ben starts to hand out the clothes. Mrs. Darcy stares at the dress she has been handed.

            “Must I wear this?” she asks with a disgusted look on her face. The dress is a blue, long one with a sky blue cover.

            “Well it’s the only one they have and you won’t sweat like a pig.” Ben says. Mrs. Darcy raises her eyebrows at it but goes into the dressing room.

            They all come out after Ben helped them all at least five times, figuring out how to put on their clothes. It was awkward when Genevieve came and asked him how to put on a bra…

            Jasper looked like he might be a Hollister model in his tight t-shirt, skinny jeans and Vans. Mrs. Darcy looked like any normal woman in her forties, though she looked no older than 27. Mr. Darcy was dressed in black slacks a white t-shirt and black dress shoes. A modern day business man thought Ben. Genevieve was the last to come out of the dressing room. Ben had thought she looked gorgeous in her gown but in her long white dress and sandals, she looked like an angel.

            While Ben was admiring Evie, Daphne King, the doctors companion, had found them and was just staring at the side of Ben's face. When he noticed her standing there, Ben jumped, what he thought was, six feet into the air.

            “Dear God Daphne,” Ben says, “Don’t do that to me! Oh guys this is Daphne. She is my roommate.”  The Darcy family looks at Ben confused. “She lives with me.” Ben restates. They nod their heads but still look slightly confused.

            “Daphne, this is my Elizabeth and William Darcy, and their children, Genevieve and Jasper Darcy.”Ben tells Daphne.

            Ben thought it was funny how Daphne's jaw dropped at Jasper. He thought that she didn't want anything to do with old fashioned men, but his mind had surely changed.

             “Well hello, Madame.” Jasper said lifting Daphne's hand to his lips. She blushed wildly at his intimate gesture. Evie started to move towards the two but was stopped by her mother. 

            “Uhh.... Hello,” Daphne says and turns to Ben, " So are they from... a different time?"

            “Ball,” Ben says confused at first and then realizing, “oh! For all hallows eve!”

            “No, it’s for Easter. Yes you bloody wanker!”

            Genevieve giggles like she saw a girl do with a man on the strange, paved road. Her mother lightly elbows her. Dear lord, Elizabeth thought, I hope she doesn’t turn out like Lydia. I would rather her have more a likeliness to Kitty.

            “Would your lovely family like to come to this event?”Oliver asks, tilting his head.

            “Yes, please,” Genevieve said before she could stop herself, “if you would allow it.

            Ben laughs a big, deep laugh. For some reason it made Genevieve feel, feel, she doesn’t know the name of the feeling. But it is somewhere between comfort and want. Wanting to hear more of it. Wanting to make him make that sound.

            Not understanding Ben laughed, Ollie then said, “Well we would need to shop for your gowns an tuxedos, but,” Evie’s eyes light up, “Yes you may all come.” Evie started to smile and almost jumped around like she used to when she saw her aunt Jane. Her smile instantly dropped. Aunt Jane, she thought, how we miss you. Why did that horrible disease have to take you from us?

            ****************************************************************

            The lovely music coming from the ballroom made Genevieve, Oliver, and Ben all giddy. Jasper was used to it all though. He didn’t like that two boys were looking at his baby sister the way that they were. Genevieve looked stunning in her light blue gown. When they entered the room it was as if every eye turned to look on at her in all her splendor.

            Earlier that day, Ben had taken Mr. Darcy and Mrs. Darcy back to their home because they were starting to basically go insane being thrown into the new world. He promised to them that he would bring their children home safely.

            As another song started to play, Ben held his hand out to Genevieve and she started to put her hand in his until Jasper took it and started waltzing with her. After a few moments though, they came back around and Evie was handed off to Ben. They could’ve burst with joy for being with each other.

            Evie wanted to stay with Ben in that world to learn, to discover, and to teach proper English to people. Ben wanted her to stay in that world with him and no one else. Jasper just wanted to go home to see his lovely fiancée, Annabelle Farley.

            They were reminded of the time when Oliver started ringing a giant bell. So they all went to the TARDIS. Except for Ollie, he didn’t know.

            *************************************************************

            After Jasper had gotten situated in the TARDIS, Genevieve and Ben were alone.

            “Do I have to go?” Evie says as a single tear slips down her face. Ben turns from the TARDIS and as he does, Evie is shocked to see hot, fresh tears streaming down his face.

            “I promised. I never break a promise.” As Ben says this he steps toward Evie in four long strides. He stopped when he was a mere inch from Genevieve’s face. But, she thought, that means saying goodbye. I don’t want to say goodbye.

            As if reading her thoughts Ben said “I will never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting. I don’t want to forget you Genevieve Darcy, because in these two days that I have known you, I have fallen in love with you.”

            Evie stares at Ben. Somehow her hands had wound up in his hair. She pulls his lips towards hers and they kissed. They stood there, holding each other and kissing for only God knows how long and how much they both loved each other.

             “You kissed me.” Ben says after their lips part.

             “Yes I did.”Evie says. Ben smiles, picks Evie up and twirls her around. When he sets her down, his smile disappears.

            “You and you brother must be home now.” Ben says. He and Evie go into the TARDIS and it disappears from sight. At least in this century it does.

            *******************************************************************

            I shall see you soon my love. I will never forget your face or the time we spent just know that I love you. If you ever start to doubt just read this letter and know that I will come for you my dearest.

                                    Love,        Benjamin Huber

            As Genevieve Darcy reads the faded letters for the hundredth time she sighs and thinks, When will you be here my love?