First Impressions

After Jane's outburst, Lizzie resorted to silence concerning Patrick Kane or anything else regarding the sport he played. The sizable elephant in the room remained, but it was better off that way. The sisters still were close, but both focused on their respective lives rather than each others. Jane continued to receive high praise at the Art Institute, and Lizzie's name, thanks to Douglas' interest, became well-known to several professors on campus. 

The weeks flew by towards the holiday season, and Lizzie felt she hardly had the time to even think about Jane's love life. Aside from studying for semester exams, she was busy forming lesson plans with Douglas, shopping for Christmas presents for her family, and volunteering to wrap presents for under-privileged kids at the Rogers Park community center.  

Shivering through campus as the lake breeze snapped at her cheeks, Lizzie now hurried away from the library, three textbooks in her arms. Her last class had run over ten minutes extra and now she was urgently attempting to reach the station and catch the 4:24 train back to Chicago- otherwise, she'd be late to the community center. 

Though Lizzie worked well under pressure and stress, one thing she absolutely hated was to be late. So, she trudged on, clad in her navy peacoat, jeans tucked into sheepskin winter boots, and her dark ringlets blowing in the breeze under a grey knit cap. She lowered her chin onto her matching scarf that neatly sat on her chest, biting back the already harsh winter. It wasn't that Lizzie wasn't used to cold winters; the U.P. naturally prepared her for this time of year. But she hadn't worn her thick winter coat today, and her peacoat could only do so much to shield her body.

As she walked, her thoughts wandered to Jane, who was currently in New York accompanying her boss to several art auctions and events. What was she doing there? Lizzie wondered. Taking notes? Bidding? Was she taking time to herself and seeing the sights?

Hastily, Lizzie peeked at her watch underneath the books. 4:18 PM. Could she make it in six-

"Oh!"

Lizzie Bennet had slipped on a patch of ice. And here she sat, now at 4:19 PM, on the said patch of ice, books sprawled on the ground and her bottom painfully sore. Some of the contents of her bag had fallen out as well.

"Could this get any worse?" Lizzie grumbled, trying to pull herself up. There were several sympathetic onlookers at a distance, but none of them appeared to want to help her out, or were just as adamant about getting somewhere else as she just was.

"Lizzie!" A male voice suddenly called from behind her. It got progressively louder, indicating that the person was approaching her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright, thanks," Lizzie called as she remained sitting, reaching out to grab her things. She found her gloved hands suddenly accompanied by a pair of bare ones, helping her put her pens and notebooks back into her bag. "Thank you-" she looked up to appreciate whom she assumed was one of her classmates, but instead met familiar, chocolate irises. "Jonathan?"

"Lizzie," Jonathan Toews responded to her surprise,  though with a hint of worry in his voice. "Here, let me help you up."

And Jonathan did just that, taking both of her hands in his and propping her back up on the sidewalk.

"They should be more careful about icing the sidewalks," he noted authoritatively. "That's a lawsuit waiting to happen."

Lizzie wanted to joke about how in fact, she was the proper authority on that sort of thing (or almost), not him- but then she remembered it was Jonathan Toews she was taking to...and when was the last time he took a joke? 

So a simple, "What are you doing here?" sufficed, she decided, still baffled at his sudden appearance.

"I was just visiting my cousin," he shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I took her out to lunch, and brought her back."

"It's almost 4:30..."

"Late...lunch. She's been studying all day."

"Ah, as have I," Lizzie smiled lightly at the connection.

Jonathan nodded, standing stiffly in his dark coat, only brightened by a red scarf. Obviously he had team spirit, even when looking so wound up. 

"So, uh, how are you?" Lizzie asked before she could remember she had a train to catch. "Looks like your season's going well."

"You've been following?"

"Of course- Jane and I-" Lizzie had to mention her sister, obviously. "we've been keeping track."

It was a tiny fib- Jane didn't want anything to do with hockey, but Lizzie was sure if she'd wanted to know that Patrick was the lead goal scorer on the Blackhawks right now, she'd easily be able to check online.

"Oh." 

"Mhm."

"How is Jane? And your family?"

"Jane and I are living together, actually!" Lizzie suddenly realized that Jonathan had no idea of this. "She's working at the Art Institute, as an intern curator."

"Good for her," said Jonathan, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "I didn't realize she was in Chicago."

"Well, now you know," Lizzie chucked awkwardly. "So, uh, how's Patrick doing?"

Jonathan looked away momentarily before responding.

"He's doing well- he's really focusing on improving his game," he answered vaguely. "He's more serious than I am."

"I doubt it," Lizzie cracked a grin, but Jonathan suddenly looked at her pointedly.

"I'm not as serious as everyone says, you know."

"Oh-kay," Lizzie nodded slowly. "Well, it was nice seeing you Jonathan, and thank you for helping me up. But I have to try and catch this train..."

"Are you going back to the city? I can give you a lift," Jonathan nodded to a lone black SUV in the nearby parking lot. 

Lizzie bit her lip, glancing at her watch. 4:23. Sixty seconds to walk five blocks? Rats.

"If it's not too much trouble," she looked at him, searching for a shred of disdain. There was none.

Jonathan smiled at Lizzie, carefully pulling away the textbooks from her arms so he could carry them instead before leading her to his truck. 

"It's definitely not."