The Adventures of Ben and Ellie

Pigs and Prejudice

Ellie giggled and turned the page of her Jane Austen novel. She loved the wit, the gentlemen, and the romance of course. She especially loved Pride and Prejudice. She felt connected with Elizabeth Bennett, they shared a name after all. Her oven beeped and she was dragged back into this time period. Ellie sighed and reached for her bookmark. A silly picture of Ben of course. She smiled at her own Mr. Darcy. Her oven beeped again.

"Okay okay. Patience." She tossed her book and blanket aside and shuffled her slippers into the kitchen. She peered at the brownies through the glass door.

"Hmm." She pushed the timer to three minutes and ran back to the still warm chair in the living room. Just as she sat down, the phone rang.

"Gosh dang it." Ellie groaned and stood up again. "Hi Kat." She said putting the phone to her ear. It was her best friend Katherine Hancock.

"Hey girlie. How you doing? It's been a while."

"I'm doing great! School work sucks, but that's college."

"Ugh, same here. So Nathan is out of town. You wanna do something? I've got Netflix and a bag of popcorn all ready over here."

"I would love to but-" The timer went off interrupting her.

"Uh oh, you made brownies didn't you.. Gosh dang it Elizabeth what happened to sisters before misters."

"Well, it's kind of a special day. It's the day we met." Ellie pulled the pan out and sat it on the stove.

"So it's your anniversary. You've been dating what a year?"

"Almost. In March it will be. No, this is when we met six years ago." Ellie laughed, "We met at Shakespeare club in highschool remember? It's kinda our thing."

"Oh that's right. You guys are too adorable." Kate giggled. "Well, have fun. Save me a brownie."

"I'll try but I'm not making any promises."

"Oh! And no snogging after midnight. Got it?" Ellie could almost see her friend's implying eyebrows.

"Oh my gosh, Kat you're awful." She laughed.

"You know it. Have fun sweetie. Bye!"

"See ya." Ellie plugged the phone back into the receiver and looked at the clock. "Seven thirty..." She glanced longingly at her book. "I have time for one more chapter." She plopped onto the couch curled up around Pride and Prejudice.

"With the Gardiners, they were always on the most intimate terms. Darcy, as well as Elizabeth, really loved them, and they were both sensible of the warmest gratitude towards persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them." Ellie read and closed the book.

"Perfect.." She hugged it close and sighed. The miniature Big Ben chimed from it's perch on the mantle above the fireplace, reminding her of the present.

"Holy crap it's eight!" Ellie looked down hopelessly at her gym shorts, stained t-shirt, and fuzzy purple slippers. She rushed to her bedroom, kicking her slippers in the general direction of her shoe rack. She threw her shorts aside and pulled on a pair of jeans, much more appropriate for the fall weather. Ellie grabbed a nicer shirt that didn't smell and checked her crazy curly caramel hair in the mirror.

"Beautiful." A key jiggled the lock and the front door opened.

"But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Ellie is the sun." Ben announced his arrival with a booming theatrical voice. Ellie laughed and stuck her head out the door.

"Benjamin, Benjamin. Wherefore art thou Benjamin?"

"Hey, you totally skipped my monologue." He said, hanging up his coat.