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: draft version (unbetaed)
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 Twenty-Four

Another surprise comes to the two brothers when one week before the Easter break Dr. Robert S. Leonard visits them. The man invites Wentworth out for dinner and he politely enquires after Charisma Morgan, being interested in how the young woman is doing and if she has talked about the whole incident yet.

After some time Wentworth grows suspicious and asks Dr. Leonard about the sudden interest in the youngest Morgan offspring. His questions are evaded but the young man refuses to be diverted from the topic and so he finally gets the information that he seeks for.

“You have to know that your sister did not return of her own free will and on her own. It was Hugh Laurie who found her in Dallas, Texas. He had been searching for them from the moment you left the island in the Caribbean but it was difficult to get a starting point to track Chad Michael Murray down.”

“But how did he know where to look in Texas?” asks Wentworth.

“It was Alexis who brought the insight needed to find your sister. She remembered a place Chad mentioned where he wanted to go with her.”

This piece of information confirms what Wentworth had been fearing and suspecting all the time. The revelation of Mr. Murray’s past dealings with Ms. Alexis Laurie could have, if not prevented everything, helped with the faster finding of Charisma Morgan.

Dr. Robert S. Leonard then goes on with explaining how Mr. Laurie came upon Mr. Murray and Charisma in Dallas.

“He found them in a club close to the apartment they staid in, and when he confronted the couple, Mr. Murray was easily persuaded to let your sister go. She is underage and Mr. Laurie threatened to take him to the next police station. Your sister was most unwilling though. She simply refused to leave the club and even threatened Mr. Laurie with suing him.”

The older man then goes on describing in great detail how Hugh Laurie sent Mr. Murray packing and made Charisma come to her senses and start with the preparations to return to Santa Monica.

“She was afraid though about the money she had taken and only agreed to return to her parents when Mr. Laurie offered her to replace the money with his own money. He accompanied her to Santa Monica and made her promise to go to the nearest police station.”

“Thank you for telling me the truth about what happened. I always suspected there to be a story but Charisma did not talk about it at all.”

“Well, Hugh asked her not to reveal his involvement in this issue. It has something to do with the relationship between him and your mother, I take it.”

The last comment makes Wentworth smile for it amuses him that even when dealing with such a serious situation, Mr. Laurie still finds the time to continue his quarrel with Sandra Morgan.

“Well, one might say that the two of them had a bad start.”

“I take it she is the mother of the young man Mr. Padalecki is interested in?”

“Yes, she is.”

The question about Jensen reminds Wentworth of another mystery that needs answering and he suspects Dr. Leonard to know the details to this story as well.

“How is the friendship between Mr. Laurie and Mr. Padalecki these days?”

“They are well, as far as I am informed.”

“But why did Mr. Padalecki arrive without his good friend this time?” Wentworth asks further.

“Hugh is currently in Europe but he is to return in time for the exhibition start in one and a half weeks.”

When it becomes clear that Dr. Leonard is not to give up the desired information without more incentive, Jensen bluntly asks about how Mr. Padalecki was made aware of the entirety of Mr. Laurie’s intervention.

“Why it was Hugh himself who explained the whole affair to Jared. He told him shortly after Alexis’ birthday party and he was also the one to suggest coming here in person and asking for forgiveness.”

This explanation comes as a shock to Wentworth and he refuses to believe it until his conversational partner relays to him word by word what was said in the conversation. The young man had never expected Mr. Laurie to act in such a way.

The rest of the dinner the two men talk about more agreeable topics and when Dr. Leonard has to leave, he promises Wentworth to be at the opening at Mr. Padalecki’s gallery. Upon returning to the apartment Wentworth finds his brother on the phone to Mr. Padalecki. He hears the happiness in Jensen’s voice and wishes Mr. Laurie was already back from his trip to the Old World.



Chapter Twenty-six

It is ten days after the revelations about Mr. Laurie’s involvement in settling the affair of Charisma and Mr. Murray as well as his influence in Mr. Padalecki’s returning. In the evening Wentworth is going to see the man in person for the first time since his hastened departure from the Caribbean island. For reasons unknown to even himself Wentworth kept his newly acquired information to himself, and so nobody but him knows the complete truth about certain dealings in the past.

The whole Morgan household is in an uproar. Ever since Jensen Morgan was reunited with Mr. Padalecki, Sandra Morgan has been busy spreading the news about the fortunate turn on things. On this particular day she has spent the whole noon at the hair dresser where she informed everyone frequenting the parlour about the most favourable connections her oldest son made.

Jeffrey D. Morgan staid at the studio and the garage as long as was possible and only returns when it is time to leave for the Padalecki gallery. His choice of clothes is not approved by Mrs. Morgan and so the whole family has to wait for him to change his outfit. The nerved children are indoctrinated in the proper way of harmonising the outfit of a group while waiting for their father.

When the family arrives at the red carpet they find themselves swamped with reporters who enquire after the relationship between Jensen and Jared Padalecki. The siblings use the chance of escape from the crowd when Mrs. Morgan gets another chance of talking about her connection to Mr. Padalecki.

“One would think she was to marry him from the glee she exuberates when relaying the news,” sighs Wentworth.

“In the end everything we do is done to get her off our back.” Jensen laughs and winks at his brother before he guides them to the crowd at the bar.

Wentworth is surprised to not only find Mr. Padalecki, Mr. Laurie and Dr. Leonard but with them there is Ms. Alexis Laurie. She greets the young man before having Dr. Robert S. Leonard accompany her through the gallery. This move leaves the four men to their own devices. Mr. Padalecki takes advantage of this development and engages Jensen in a conversation.

For some time Wentworth listens to the talk but the need to talk with Mr. Laurie about his help is too great and so he asks Hugh Laurie to tour the gallery with him. Mr. Laurie readily accepts and so they start their trek through the exhibition rooms.

“I want to thank you for your help with Charisma. My family does not know about your involvement in the affair but I want to express the gratitude in the name of all of us.”

“There is no need to thank me in the name of your family. I did not help because I wanted to do them a favour. To be completely honest the only person I did it for is you.”

The words are not what Wentworth expected and he feverishly thinks about an appropriate response to this confession.

“You are too kind to endure my presence. I ask you to tell me once and for all what your feelings are where I am concerned. My emotions are unchanged since my revealing my love to you last December but if you feel like you told me back then, please just tell me and I will be silenced on this topic forever.”

Wentworth listens to Mr. Laurie pour his heart out and argue his case with love shining in his eyes. Suddenly feeling shy, the young man avoids Hugh Laurie’s eyes while fighting for composure. The words are more than Wentworth had ever dared to hope for and he fears saying the wrong thing.

All the time while the young man tries to find his inner centre again, Mr. Laurie describes to Wentworth in detail the motivations for his actions and he describes to the object of his affection in great detail his talk to his sister and his cousin Dr. Robert S. Leonard, when he informed them about his intentions where Wentworth is concerned.

The deep emotions he feels for the young Morgan has Hugh Laurie almost begging the other to think once more about the proposition that had been made during the Christmas break. Before the older man talks himself into a complete frenzy, Wentworth relieves him by answering the question.

“My feelings, what I said back then … I was angered by the revelation about my brother and Mr. Padalecki and therefore said many hurtful things and I find that my feelings about you have changed quite a bit since them. In fact they are the opposite of what they were back then.”

The reply has Mr. Laurie stare with disbelief at Wentworth and it takes some seconds before he reacts at all.

“So you are going to accept the offer made back then?”

“Am I going to be a secret? With my family being what they are and me being a man I want to know what exactly I am to expect from the bond between us.”

Mr. Laurie answers with the pledge to never hide Wentworth and to do his best to heal the breach between him and Wentworth’s family. “I want to make sure that you never have to choose between them and me.”

It is clear that Hugh Laurie is willing to pay any price Wentworth asks for and even though the young man is not of the mind to demand any more than what was already offered, it impresses him to find out about the depth of Mr. Laurie’s feelings.

In the last week he thought about the history between them and he came to the conclusion that whatever the other man did in the past, Wentworth cared too much about Mr. Laurie to not desire a bond between them. This revelation had made him seek council with his friends and all three of them had agreed that he is to follow his heart in this.

Being faced with the current situation Wentworth follows the advice and therefore his heart. Without another minute of contemplating possible risks Wentworth accepts Mr. Laurie’s offer. He reaches out to the man and seals their agreement with a kiss that is only one of many to come in the future.

The rest of the evening does not find one of them without the other. There is an accepting smile from Ms. Alexis Laurie and an amused wink from Dr. Leonard but the rest of the group appears to be oblivious to the development in the relation between Mr. Laurie and Wentworth Morgan.

When the two men have to part late in the night, Wentworth promises to visit the next day. On the drive home the young man listens to Sandra Morgan’s recapture of the evening and her endless gushing about the beautiful dress young Ms. Laurie had been wearing.

“And the girl is of such an agreeable temper, much different from her abominable brother who only finds pleasure in disagreeing with my every word. Were he a man of some wit at least, he would see the wisdom in my conversation.”

Jeffrey D. Morgan points out that Mr. Laurie had been remarkable civil and charming this time and that it might be of interest to let go of old grudges.

“Mr. Morgan, this suggestion is intolerable. How can you say that he was charming? I watched him frown upon Teri Hatcher’s argumentation about the new winter colours in fashion.”

This time none of the other family members chooses to argue with her since it is obvious that Mrs. Morgan is determined to dislike Mr. Laurie.



Chapter Twenty-seven

It is much later when Wentworth prepares to retire for the night that Mr. Morgan enters his son’s room. He sits down at the desk and prepares himself for what he apparently perceives to be an uncomfortable talk.

“Mr. Herrmann approached me today at the gallery and asked me why I hadn’t informed him about the connection between you and Mr. Laurie. He told me that he had stumbled upon the two of you kissing.”

“Would it be a problem if I had been kissing Mr. Laurie at the party?”

Mr. Morgan reassures his second oldest son that his sexual preferences are not what is bothering him, but the choice of person is what worries Jeffrey D. Morgan.

“I can assure you father that Mr. Laurie is not of the faulty character mother’s descriptions make him out to be.”

“I would never judge a person by your mother’s characterisation. It has to be said that his past history with this family does not show him in a very favourable light. Are you sure that you want to spend your life with a person you cannot fully respect. I know you Wentworth; it would make you sad and depressive.”

“Is my former dislike of his character your sole reason for worry?” is Wentworth’s question.

When Jeffrey D. Morgan admits that Mr. Laurie is indeed a good catch, the young man reassures his father that there is nothing to worry about since Wentworth cares deeply and most fondly about Hugh Laurie.

With this promise Mr. Morgan leaves his son’s room and both men retire for the night, resting and preparing for the morning’s spectacle that would be Mrs. Morgan when finding out about the connection between her son and Mr. Hugh Laurie.

They are not disappointed when Sandra Morgan cries for three hours straight after Wentworth Morgan relayed yester eve’s development and the young man’s engagement to Mr. Laurie. The only person that is allowed to enter the attic is Teri Hatcher who informs her in great detail about Santa Monica’s reaction to Wentworth’s and Mr. Laurie’s kiss.

Surprisingly it is not Sandra Morgan who brings the topic forward and asks him for his reasoning. Jensen Morgan corners his younger brother on the patio and demands an explanation for the recent happenings.

“I cannot believe you would even consider entering into a relationship with Mr. Laurie. Didn’t you always tell me that it is of utmost importance to only enter into a serious relationship when being absolutely certain that person is the right one?”

“Jensen…”

“No, only days ago you talked about him as if he was the devil incarnate and today you are willing to bond yourself to him?” Jensen Morgan looks at his brother with an expression of disbelieve. “Pray tell when did you fall in love with him?”

“To be completely honest, I cannot say. It has been coming on so gradually. It is true that I was not talking kindly about him but what was contempt in the beginning was later on only a means of protection. I was afraid that Mr. Laurie did not favour me anymore and that my allowing myself to feel even the tiniest flicker of emotion might cause me serious pain upon Hugh Laurie’s rejection.”

“That is so not like you. You are always self-confident and there is nothing that scares you.”

This description of himself has Wentworth laugh and he points out several occasions where he had felt fear. “Please believe me brother, when I tell you that Mr. Laurie is all I ever wanted in a partner and that he cares just as much about my person as I do about him.”

Once more Jensen Morgan questions the seriousness of the emotions involved but when Wentworth describes in great detail the depth of his feelings for Mr. Laurie, Jensen stops his protestations. The older brother congratulates Wentworth to the bond and the two brothers continue to discuss the amazing changes that have taken place since the beginning of last summer.

In the afternoon Wentworth Morgan meets with Mr. Laurie, and his sister, and cousin for a late luncheon after which they are joined by Mr. Padalecki and Jensen Morgan. The party relishes the comfortable atmosphere and their outing lasts until well into the night before the groups disbands.

When the two young men return home, Sandra Morgan has still locked herself into the attic. The other family members are curious about a detailed recapture of the last evening and want to know how the situation was to come about.

Wentworth spends a whole hour relaying the eventful past of his and Mr. Laurie’s relationship. It is then that he tells his father for the first time Hugh Laurie’s part in the return of Charisma Morgan and the young woman talks about her perception of the whole incident. It is well past midnight when the family retires.



Chapter Twenty-eight

The last days of the Easter holidays are spent trying to breach the gap between Mr. Laurie and Sandra Morgan, and only when Hugh Laurie promises Mrs. Morgan to introduce her to his connections of the East Coast society, Sandra Morgan warms up to him.

The departure to Palo Alto is hard on the two young men since they would much rather prefer to stay in Santa Monica and in the presence of their love interests. Promises are made to visit and the summer holidays are nearing, easing some of the pain the parting brings.

This time when Jared Padalecki visits Jensen Morgan unannounced he is accompanied by Hugh Laurie and they spend the whole weekend with the two brothers. It is clear to everyone who observes the two couples that the feelings are true and deep.

As time passes even Mrs. Morgan grows to like Mr. Laurie, and she happily fawns over Ms. Alexis Laurie, who she considers to be her second daughter. This development is not much to the liking of Hugh Laurie, but when his young sister assures him that she enjoys the attention, and considers Sandra Morgan as a close and good friend, even Hugh Laurie cannot interfere with what he considers to be a bad idea.

The summer holidays are spent most of the time in Santa Monica but for three weeks Mr. Laurie invites his and Wentworth’s friends and family to Isla de la Casilla Blanca. Mrs. Morgan spends the whole stay in raptures about the beauty of the place and happily points out that Mrs. Calista Hatcher does not own such a beautiful place.

For the rest of Wentworth Morgan’s studies, Wentworth and Hugh Laurie spend their time together in Santa Monica and only during longer holidays they occasionally visit Mr. Laurie’s friends on the East Coast.

After the young man has finished his studies, he gets the offer to work as a legal advisor and representative of Mr. Padalecki, and it is decided that Wentworth will relocated from California to New York City. The importance of this decision is something that Mr. Laurie is well aware of and shows the depth of Wentworth’s feelings for Hugh Laurie.

Jeffrey D. Morgan greatly misses Jensen and Wentworth after their leaving the family. Although Jensen now lives together with Mr. Padalecki in Santa Monica, Wentworth’s relocation to the East Coast has him mourn the loss of the only family member he enjoyed talking to.

Although there are times when Mr. Laurie and his younger lover are not of one mind, not one hard or loud word is ever said and there is the general consensus that there is no other couple that matches so perfectly.

Wentworth’s lively spirit and zeal for life was the necessary component which made the rather stoical and sometimes proud Mr. Laurie loose some of his composure. There can be no doubt about the wholesome influence the young man had on his companion.

Many years from that fateful summer where the two men met each other for the first time they look back on their shared life and they come to realize that life could not have been any better.



THE END

Author Notes: This story was actually written very quickly during summer 2007. Unfortunately RL (mostly of all university) had other ideas than I did, and so the updates and posts were not made before now. Since I am much too lazy to post 28 seperate posts for each chapter, I took down the previous posts (I'm very sorry about the reviews, and I want to thank each and every one who left me a comment), and reposted/posted the story in several parts. I hope that these will be better to read. ;)
Let's hope that I can motivate myself to finish the other stories that are still waiting on my harddrive, half-finished and eager to be read by someone else than my sorry self.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the rather silly excursion into the world of Jane Austen.