Pride & Prejudice
By Simarillion

Fandom: TV show RPS (Supernatural, Prison Break, House M.D., Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill, Smallville, Coupling, Grey’s Anatomy, Numbers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ally McBeal, Desperate Housewives, Will & Grace)
Rating: G to PG-13
Pairing: of interest: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki, Wentworth Miller/Hugh Laurie
Warnings: AU, slash, M/M, evil! Chad
Beta: tecetyeintyale
Summary: There's nothing of greater importance than gossip. Besides marrying your children off. So when Mr. Padalecki announces the opening of a new Padalecki gallery on Third Street, it comes as no surprise that both gossip and marriage plans are on the daily schedule.
Disclaimer: None of the herein presented happenings and events are true. Everything is 100% fiction and that includes the sexuality of the characters. We don’t claim to be in the know about their relations and private affairs and we don’t make any money with the creation of this story.
Notes: The idea of a Jane Austen AU cames to me a very long time ago, with a different Austen novel as the plot and in a completely different fandom. It re-surfaced this summer though, and when talking about it with duchess_of_hell, it soon became clear that the writing of this story would be my summer project.
I absolutely adore the cast of the fic and it took me and Susi hours to decide which actor would be the right one for which character. It was great fun though, and made us laugh so hard at times, that people were looking at us funny.

[Previous Parts]



Chapter Seven

The weeks after the joint outing to Rosenbaum’s club are littered with invitations from Jared Padalecki – sometimes for Jensen Morgan alone, but sometimes for Wentworth Morgan as well. The desire to avoid another confrontation with Mr. Hugh Laurie has the second oldest Morgan scion declining invitations more often than not.

Surprisingly, Sandra Morgan’s dreadful headache disappeared soon after its appearance and has not returned so far. Two days after the gallery opening, she invited her friend Teri Hatcher over, and after hiding out in the yoga chamber for half a day, the two women returned with plans of how Jensen Morgan was to ensnare, seduce, and capture Jared Padalecki.

Jeffrey D. Morgan’s comment on the natural progress of the relation between the oldest son and the fought-about Padalecki offspring is met with condescending remarks about men’s lack of understanding of emotions and subtleness.

With a vigour that equals the pre-opening excitement, Sandra Morgan starts a campaign that she titles “Artistic Medicine” to underline the future alliance between her son and the intended son-in-law. One afternoon as she sits and discusses the current progress of project “Artistic Medicine” with her friend Teri Hatcher, she can be heard to say: “Isn’t it a fortunate coincidence that one of my sons is gay? I always knew that my Jensen couldn’t be so beautiful and gay for nothing.”

Both women agree that fate has everything to do with the match between the two young men, and they never tire to point out to everyone who deigns to listen – even to many who listen most unwillingly – that Jared Padalecki is the luckiest young man in the United States for going out with Jensen Morgan.

Even the occasional reprimand from Jeffrey D. Morgan cannot rein the two women in. In the end, there is no other topic for the parent generation of the Santa Monica community but the fateful meeting of Jensen Morgan and Jared Padalecki.

The younger generations are somehow able to avoid the excitement that has mothers congratulating Sandra Morgan for the good match. The younger Morgan siblings spend most of their time during the day at the beach or shopping. During the night, Michael Rosenbaum’s club is the place to be, and so the days turn into weeks, during which the group of young men and women do naught else but relax and enjoy the days.

The times when Wentworth diverts himself by visiting David Hatcher, who is his best friend, grow in frequency. In the past, he was joined by his older brother Jensen for these outings, but with Jared Padalecki calling almost daily, the second oldest Morgan offspring finds himself alone and in need of diversion.

During the second week, Keiko Lee calls him and invites him to visit her in North Las Vegas. His course colleague from college stays with her brother during the summer holidays and is in dire need of distraction from the boredom that has her in its grasp. It doesn’t take a lot of convincing to have Jeffrey D. Morgan agree to let him visit his friend, and so Wentworth starts preparing for his departure to Nevada.

It comes as a surprise, though, that at the same time Wentworth receives his invitation to North Las Vegas, Jensen Morgan receives an invitation as well. It is not a college friend that invites the young Morgan heir, but the destination sounds strangely familiar.

Las Vegas is the name of the place to go, and the reason is none other than Mr. Padalecki. The young man is to visit the diverse city with his family and his friend, and he extends an invitation to the object of his affection.

When Jared Padalecki hears about Wentworth Morgan’s trip to North Las Vegas, he offers to take the other Morgan son with them on his private jet as well and invites Wentworth to stay the last two days of the trip with the rest of the group in Las Vegas.

The time between the planning of the journey and the departure is filled with two parties that are both hosted by friends of the family. It is an unwelcome surprise for Wentworth to find the abominable Mr. Laurie at both of the parties, but Jensen Morgan’s wish for his family to get along with Mr. Padalecki’s entourage reins Wentworth’s tongue in.

It helps that David Hatcher is at both of those parties and that Wentworth can avoid having to talk to anybody else by staying close to his friend. What intrigues him, though, is the seemingly single-minded persistence with which Mr. Laurie searches Wentworth out and tries to goad the young man into sharing his opinion on various topics with him.

Not only the arts and culture are of interest to Hugh Laurie, but Wentworth Morgan’s opinion on the Live Earth movement, the involvement of David de Rothschild in various ecology projects, and the trend towards (Product)RED™ in the fashion industry are of equal interest to the renowned critic.

The day before the collective departure to Las Vegas, the second oldest Morgan son decides to avoid the partying crowd, and he deems it of importance to see the Medieval Beasts exhibition at the Getty. The reviews of the exhibition promised a unique experience, and the desire to avoid another run-in with Mr. Laurie at another society gathering is just the right amount of motivation to visit the museum.

The fine weather outside causes not only sun-burnt skin and golden tan galore, but also results in almost non-existent queues at the ticket booth of the museum. Eager to learn something new and enjoying the air-conditioning inside the building, Wentworth Morgan starts his exploration of the Getty, slowly heading towards the medieval exhibition.

In the past, the young Morgan visited every medieval themed exhibition that had been featured. His interest in this particular period of history caused many taunts from school colleagues and family friends, but to the date, nobody has been able to vanquish the interest, and it can be safely said that Wentworth enjoys any outing that involves his favourite research topic.

Last semester at college, he joined a group of history majors who headed for Greeley, Colorado, where a medieval festival with a market took place around the beginning of June. Although not everything re-enacted and displayed was one-hundred percent historic, the trip to the festival had been very pleasant and the group had disbanded after promising to see the festival next year again.

The rooms are rather devoid of people, but Wentworth Morgan prefers the silence and tranquillity that accompanies the lack of people to the noise and excitement that is his everyday life at the moment. The exhibits are beautifully crafted pages of medieval books that impressively show the splendour and skilful calligraphy of days long gone by.

A Franco Flemish rendering of a dragon captures his interest, and his perusal of the carefully painted magical creature has him in its thrall. He doesn’t even notice the person stopping in front of the showcase next to him. The noise of a throat being cleared makes him look up, though.

His first instinct is to turn around and leave the room. Upon further contemplation, Wentworth steels himself and fully turns toward the most unwelcome newcomer. It is clear that this confrontation will be uncomfortable for at least one of the two men.

“What a surprise meeting you here, Mr. Laurie.”

“I take it it is not a pleasure, though.” The charming smile has rather the opposite effect, and it strengthens Wentworth Morgan’s resolve to dislike the man.

“Well, life cannot always be about pleasure, right? May I inquire about what brings you here at this particular time?”

“You may, and I am not against telling you that I enquired after your whereabouts when you did not join your illustrious siblings at the beach. Your older brother informed me about the choice of your preferred outing. I have to say that I commend your choice.”

“Thank god. For it is my greatest wish to find your approval, Mr. Laurie. Now that I have it, I may rest assured that one day I might not be considered mentally challenged anymore.”

To avoid further talking with the taxing Hugh Laurie, Wentworth Morgan says his goodbyes and makes to leave. He regrets not being able to see the entire exhibition, but he flat out refuses to be taunted by this man. Without a further comment, the young man braves the hot weather outside as he makes his way back home, where he will change to join his family at the beach.

His good mood takes half of the day to return, and by the time he finds enough amusement in the happenings around him to join in the occasional laughter, Wentworth Morgan has decided to never let the presence of Hugh Laurie get to him like this again.



Chapter Eight

It is a pleasant morning when the two oldest Morgan brothers leave for Nevada in the company of none other than Jared Padalecki, his siblings, and, of course, his best friend, Hugh Laurie. After exchanging pleasantries and the required remarks about outfits and accessories, the party boards the private jet and settles comfortably in for the flight.

The next hour is spent with idle chat. Milo Padalecki entertains the party with stories about his friends in New York and the theatre politics of the Broadway. After listening to stories about the lives of people unknown to him for twenty minutes, Wentworth Morgan decides to amuse himself with reading the new Harry Potter book. Anything is better than stories about theatre rehearsals.

It comes as no real surprise to Wentworth, though, that his attempt at individual entertainment is boycotted by Milo Padalecki.

“Mr. Wentworth Morgan does not care for theatre or the art scene in New York. He takes no pleasure in entertainment, and rather prefers to read a children’s book instead.”

“There is no need for such censor. I enjoy theatre and art greatly, and I prefer reading adult books to children books.” To emphasise the statement, the young Morgan closes the book again and puts it down in his lap.

“I have not heard you participate in our conversation, though.”

Whatever response Wentworth Morgan has for the taunt is stopped by Jared Padalecki’s attempt to avoid an argument. The conversation takes a turn and revolves now around the reason for the party going to Las Vegas. In an attempt to prove Milo Padalecki’s accusation of disinterest in anybody else wrong, Wentworth Padalecki elaborates on his reason for travelling to North Las Vegas.

His remarks about his friend Keiko Lee is interrupted when the pilot announces that they are approaching the Las Vegas airport. The party stops all interaction, and the next minutes are spent in silence. Wentworth Morgan anticipates his departure from the group and already dreads his return to them. The desire to spend more time with Milo Padalecki and Hugh Laurie is somewhat limited. The only reason he refrains from booking a return flight without his travel companions is that he knows his brother would be embarrassed about it.

Inside the airport, the younger Morgan offspring departs from the group and joins his friend and her older brother, who are already awaiting his arrival in the arrival hall. He promises Jensen to call every day and inform them early enough in advance about when he is going to rejoin them in Las Vegas.

Keiko Lee is a kind if somewhat energetic young woman. It came as a surprise to everyone that Wentworth Morgan and the lively young woman became such fast friends. At first look, the two young people are exact opposites, but upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that both are people that feel very passionately about the things they like.

After the course they had both attended had been over, both agreed on taking one course each term together. This has sometimes been difficult to manage since both study different majors and Wentworth Morgan’s Law classes often clash with Keiko Lee’s communication courses. So far, they had attended courses in gender studies, antique languages, and a very interesting philosophy class.

The house where James K. Lee lives in North Las Vegas is much smaller than what Wentworth is used to at home, but the warmth with which the two siblings take him in make the young Morgan feel at home right away.

Keiko and Wentworth spend the next days exploring the community of North Las Vegas with occasional ventures into Las Vegas City. Conversation flows freely, and after the third day Sendhil Ramamurthy, Ali Larter, and Leonard Roberts join them, and the friends eagerly share their holiday experiences, which vary from Wentworth’s recaps about the gallery opening to Ali and Leonard breaking their relationship to the rest of the group.

The time until Wentworth Morgan has to part with his college friends passes too fast, and sooner than it pleases him, the young Morgan has to leave for Las Vegas to rejoin the party of Jared Padalecki and his brother Jensen Morgan. Promises to meet up in Santa Monica at the end of the summer are made, and Wentworth calls his brother the last time from the Lee house to inform him about Wentworth’s departure from North Las Vegas in the afternoon.

Goodbyes are said, and in the evening, Wentworth Morgan braves the Las Vegas nightlife not with his friends but with the Padalecki entourage and Jared Padalecki himself, since Jensen Morgan feels unwell from the fish and crabs he had for lunch. Without success, Wentworth tries to convince his older brother to let him stay with him. In the end, the younger of the two brothers promises to be on his best behaviour and try to get along even with the much despised Mr. Laurie.

The party heads out to a cocktail reception due to an invitation that was extended to Hugh Laurie, but after two hours of small talk over hors d’oeuvre and ridiculously expensive champagne, the party leaves, and it is decided that they party during their last evening before the departure back to Los Angeles.

The Club is full of people, but it is no problem for them to get in, and once inside the building, a table is quickly secured. The ambience is very different from Rosenbaum’s, but the crowd is almost the same.

Wentworth Morgan watches the crowd for some time when Milo Padalecki saunters up to the table from the dance floor.

“Wentworth, may I induce you to come out to the dance floor and join me for a dance? It is so liberating.”

The first impulse is a definitive ‘No,’ but the promise made to his older brother has Wentworth Morgan agree to the dancing, and soon he finds himself gyrating between hot and sweaty bodies on the stuffed dance floor. The whole time he dances, the young man has the distant impression that eyes are resting on him, and when a turn has him facing their table, he notices Hugh Laurie watching his every move.

But Wentworth Morgan is not the only one noticing Mr. Laurie’s fascination with the young man, and so Milo Padalecki drags his dancing partner up to the unabashed voyeur.

“Why don’t you join us with the dancing? I insist on your joining us.”

“But that would defeat the purpose.”

The statement surprises Wentworth Morgan, but before he can wonder about the meaning, Milo Padalecki voices his displeasure about the refusal.

“How terrible of you. But tell me what you mean by this?”

When an answer does not come in the next seconds, Milo Padalecki asks until Hugh Laurie deigns it the right time to reveal the secret message.

“Well, there can only be two reasons for you to dance out there on the dance floor, and I would intrude on both accounts. The first reason would be to talk away from us and share some secrets. If so, I ought not come between the both of you. The second reason would be to show your figure off on the dance floor, and my joining you would make it impossible to admire them properly.”

The explanation has the table laughing, and Jared Padalecki’s only brother does not tire to point out the naughtiness of the words. When the party has calmed down somewhat, the younger Padalecki once again turns to his chosen dancing partner.

“What should we do to punish him, hm? Such words cannot go unpunished.”

“Tease him. Make fun of him,” is Wentworth’s suggestion.

“Make fun of Mr. Hugh Laurie, art critic extra-ordinaire? That is not possible. It is a feat that cannot be accomplished. His wit is too sharp for anyone not to get hurt when duelling with him in a battle of the mind.”

Wenworth Morgan’s comment upon the severeness that is Mr. Laurie is met with much merriment from the group and an assessing look from Mr. Laurie himself. There can be no doubt that he is enjoying the attention that is focused on his person. It comes as a surprise, though, that Hugh Laurie does not launch an attack of his own at Wentworth in retaliation for the insult to his character.

“I try to better myself and keep from making myself a ridiculous spectacle. It does not become one to be the centre of attention for one’s failings and flaws. It behoves us all to strive for improvement and rid ourselves of bad behaviour or misinformed folly.”

“And this quest for perfection leaves no room for amusement. I see now that there is nothing to be laughed at with Mr. Laurie, and is no amusement to be found with him.”

“I certainly am not such a boring man that there is no amusement and laughter to be had in my presence. No person is ever safe from being laughed about, especially if somebody’s intent is to make a joke of others.”

This statement induces Wentworth to smirk as he replies: "But surely I am not such a person. I think it to be awfully rude to make fun of others. In the end, nobody is above being found wanting at some point."

“That may be so, but I aim to do away with my weaknesses and flaws.”

“Such as pride and vanity, I suppose.”

“Yes, those are weaknesses indeed, but with pride, I am of the mind that if there is a strong and able mind, pride will always be under control.”

Wentworth’s final deduction of Hugh Laurie’s superiority in character and mind is met with much protestation from Mr. Laurie, who then does not hesitate to point out his failings and flaws. His evaluation ends with the grave statement that his good opinion cannot be won back once it has been lost.

As the night continues, Wentworth refrains from involving himself in the conversation, and instead watches the crowd on the dance floor. He does not fail to notice though the intense staring of Hugh Laurie and the occasional sour look from Milo Padalecki.

When the party returns to the hotel, Wentworth eagerly tells Jensen about the outing and the strange conversation that took place. The two siblings laugh about the awkwardness of the situation, and the younger brother is able to look at things more relaxed than a couple of hours ago back in the club.

“My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever.”

“Oh Wentworth, don’t feel bad about his words. I am sure that he doesn’t mean them like that.”

Jensen Morgan’s reaction has Wenworth Morgan laugh some more.

“Ah, but Jensen, you forget that I do not care for Mr. Laurie’s good opinion. I have to say, though, that I feel bad for him. There is nothing forgiving or happy about him, and I can’t imagine what it must be like to live like this, always condescending and disagreeing with others.”

In the end, the two brothers tire enough to go to bed, and it appears to be only minutes later that the wake-up call raises them and has them prepare for departure. The general mood of the party is rather sombre, but this might be credited to the heavy heads that some of the group members complain about.

The flight back is spent in silence, and Wentworth gets to continue his book. They arrive just as Harry Potter gets rescued out of an icy pond, where he had been diving for some ancient silver sword.



Chapter Nine

Charisma and Tom greet their two older brothers with tales about their adventures and the description of the newest waiter at Rosenbaum’s, who has the hearts of the young women aflutter. The two youngest Morgan siblings only stop with their bothering when the two travellers promise to come to the club that night.

Much to Wentworth’s dismay, Jensen calls Jared Padalecki, who then agrees to accompany the group, together with his whole entourage.

“It is not like I did not spend the whole night in the unpleasant presence of Mr. Hugh Laurie and Mr. Milo Padalecki.”

“Wentworth, please.”

“I promise, brother, that I will behave myself and even refrain from reacting to Mr. Laurie’s or Milo Padalecki’s taunts and comments.”

This promise made the two brothers dress for going out and, together with their two younger siblings, leave for the club where, they will meet up with Jared Padalecki and the others. Once more, the queue in front of the club is passed by, and the bouncer at the door lets them in without even a second look.

Surprisingly, the same two tables they occupied the last time are free again, and so the groups settle down. The mysterious waiter is not working their tables, so Wentworth soon finds himself being dragged to the bar, where a blond young man juggles cocktail shakers and glasses while flirting with a group of young women.

“Hi Chad!”

“Well, hello there! Who is this gorgeous young man that accompanies you today, Miss Charisma?”

The compliment calls for some giggles and blushes from the female audience and has Wentworth smile, amused.

“My name is Wentworth Morgan, and I am Miss Charisma’s brother.”

“Aha, one of the famous Morgan brothers.”

“Pray tell me, what are we famous for?”

The conversation is interrupted when another group of young women arrive at the bar and order drinks. It is obvious that the new bartender and waiter is very popular with the female proprietors, and the popularity results not only in high tips but also in lots of bare flesh and offers of sexual gratification.

Wentworth notices Jared Padalecki and Hugh Laurie leaving the table and making their way over to the bar. The two men are in a deep discussion when they arrive next to Wentworth. Mr. Padalecki almost immediately includes the young Morgan in their talk, and while Wentworth and Jared Padalecki discuss the fine points of the music blearing from the sound system, Mr. Laurie leans onto the bar counter and scans the crowd at the other end.

When his eyes fall on the blond barkeeper, something strange happens. Now Wentworth known to be a person who easily interprets other people’s moods and behaviour, but what transpires between Mr. Laurie and Chad the barkeeper is not interpretation, but actual facts.

From the corner of his eyes, the young Morgan watches the eyes of the other two men meet, and there is a flicker of emotion on both of their faces. The emotion varies greatly, though. While Mr. Hugh Laurie’s reaction is a short flash of surprise that gets masked by disdain, anger and then an emotionless mask, the feelings that are to be observed on Chad’s face are an intriguing mixture of surprise, fear, and nervousness.

A dark-haired waiter asks them for their order, and the time between placing the order and getting the drinks is spent commenting on the people and comparing the establishment to the Las Vegas club.

Jared Padalecki and Hugh Laurie leave again, so Wentworth stays at the bar on his own and contemplates the curious interaction between Mr. Laurie and the new waiter. Before he is able to come to a conclusion about what exactly was going on and what it all means, a drink is placed in front of him and the blond barkeeper smiles charmingly at him.

“We never finished our conversation.”

“No, indeed we did not.”

Chad Michael Murray, for that is the name of the mysterious stranger, explains the charm and the mystery that is the Morgan siblings and elaborates on his own theories concerning the mentioned mystique.

Wentworth is curious about the mystery that is Chad Michael Murray and thinks about ways to ask for an explanation concerning the reaction to Mr. Laurie. His curiosity is assuaged when the young blond leans closer to share more insightful information.

“Are you good friends with the Lauries?”

“Not particularly, no. We only met Mr. Hugh Laurie because of his close friendship with Mr. Padalecki.”

“You must know that I used to be quite closely connected to the family in New York. We called each other brothers in the past.”

This intrigues Wentworth, and he is thinking about how to ask for clarification when Chad Michael Murray continues.

“You have to know that Mr. Laurie’s and Alexis Laurie’s mother died in a car accident when young Alexis was just a year old. Three years later, their father met my mother, and so we became one big family. Old Mr. Laurie was a very decent and kind man, and he never made me feel like a step-son. After his death, though, when it was upon Hugh Laurie to take care of my education and future career, he told me in few words that he did not consider me to be family and that it was upon me to earn my education. He practically threw me out of my home.”

“What an abominable act! You ought to protest against that. Maybe you can sue him?”

“No, there is nothing to be done about it, and I don’t want to shame the memory of Mr. Laurie Sr. with a legal war between his children.”

The conversation gets interrupted once more, but this time Chad Murray is required to wait a group of tables, and Wentworth Morgan is left on his own to contemplate what he just learned. The story only confirms what the young Morgan scion has suspected for a long time now. Hugh Laurie is a heartless and horrid man who only cares for himself.

When he returns to the table later on, Wentworth Morgan remains silent for a long time, and only Jensen’s coaxing has him participate in the table’s conversation. The young man cannot forget the sadness in Chad Michael Murray’s eyes. It seems unfair to him that a man like Hugh Laurie could get away with something like he did to his step-brother. His comments are sparse and he flat out refuses to talk to Mr. Laurie.