Laboratory of Love: Chemistry

by Lissa

September 2002, Firthness Challenge Entry

Rated PG

Author's Note: This story takes place in Edinburgh. Both the University of Edinburgh (www.ed.ac.uk) and Heriot-Watt University (www.hw.ac.uk) are located there. I don’t know a lot about HW, and its chemistry program is apparently only decent, but I wanted to keep Elizabeth in Edinburgh. Some terminology… in Britain the word “thesis” is used for masters and Ph.D., as opposed to having a distinction between a masters thesis and a doctoral dissertation. A first year viva occurs at the end of your first year in a Ph.D. program, and is where you talk about your research before a panel, they grill you, and then they decide if you are allowed to continue with the Ph.D. or write up what you have as an M.Sc. A lecturer is the lowest of the three levels of professorship in British universities (reader and professor being the middle and top respectively). It corresponds to the American assistant professor. Nature is the premier life science journal; most researchers only dream of getting published in it. The Wellcome Trust Biocentre in Dundee is a world-famous biochemistry centre that has produced some of the major discoveries of the last few years, including the MAP kinase pathway. (Learn more about it by clicking here.) Post-doc is short for post-doctoral researcher, a position most people will seek after they finish their Ph.D. to get more research experience. Let me know if anything else needs explaining. Cheers! 

Dr. Elizabeth Bennet wandered around the lab, running her fingers over the familiar surfaces and smiling to herself. She had spent 3 years here, working in Dr. William Darcy’s group at the University of Edinburgh. For several months she had been in the lab only sporadically while writing up her Ph.D. thesis, and today she had finally received her degree. In a few days she would be starting her first post-doc on the other side of Edinburgh at Heriot-Watt University, toting a hefty fellowship from the MRC and more knowledge of biochemistry than anyone should have. She was hired to help a new lecturer establish his lab and improve the chemistry program at the young university, and was looking forward to the challenge.

At the same time, she was dreading leaving this lab. It had been her home for 3 years, and she had learned so much. With tears welling up in her eyes, she picked up the little stuffed highland cow that “lived” in the lab. Dr. Darcy had given Hamish to her when she had passed her first year viva, knowing how much she loved “heeland coos”. Dr. Darcy… yes, he was the real reason that she was sorry to leave. Elizabeth pulled herself up onto her former bench and allowed herself to reminisce.

She had come to William Darcy’s lab knowing little about him as a person, but plenty as a scientist. He was only 32, 7 years her senior but young for a lecturer, and renowned for his brilliance as a biochemist. As a Ph.D. student at Cambridge, his work had been the bulk of a breakthrough paper in Nature, and during his 5 years as a post-doc in the Wellcome Trust Biocentre at the University of Dundee, he had published in that prestigious journal twice more. Edinburgh had called him for an interview the same day he sent them his CV, and offered him the lectureship on the spot. In two years he had accumulated several million pounds in research grants and begun collaborations with labs at Cambridge, Harvard, and Imperial. Elizabeth had been thrilled when she was accepted into his prestigious lab. Her feelings changed when she actually met the man; though devastatingly handsome, he turned out to be an arrogant, cold man who knew just how good he was and flaunted it. In her first week, Elizabeth overheard him telling a post-doc that he had only accepted her because she had come so highly recommended from an old professor at Cambridge, but he wasn’t sure how good she would turn out to be. Infuriated, she had worked her ass off for the next six months, working 12-hour days, reading countless papers, and showing Darcy that she was even better than her professor had predicted.

Her feelings for him had gone from resentment to repugnance when she met George Wickham, a post-doc in the lab next door. Wickham said that he had been promised a job in Darcy’s lab, but was then passed off to the new lecturer Wickham now worked for. He claimed that it was because Darcy was “personally” interested in the woman he hired instead, and hoped to use his position to impose himself on her. She was shocked at this disgusting behavior, and had hated her boss even more. An explosive confrontation with Darcy had followed, where she accused him of arrogance and unethical behavior. He took a holiday immediately afterwards, leaving her a letter of explanation revealing the true details of Wickham’s hiring: Darcy had never even interviewed the man, much less promised him a job, but he had hired Wickham’s ex-girlfriend Georgiana. Wickham held a grudge against her and was trying to ruin her reputation with his accusations; as a result, Georgiana had left after only a few weeks. Elizabeth wasn’t sure what to believe, but when Wickham was escorted out of the building by security, fired based on charges of computer pornography at work, sexual harassment, and theft (from Darcy’s lab, no less), she was forced to re-evaluate her opinions of both men. Upon Darcy’s return, she also noticed that he was making an effort to change his ways. Instead of insisting on being called Dr. Darcy, he now insisted on being called William, and began treating everyone as equals and friends rather than minions. The atmosphere of the lab improved considerably, and over time, Elizabeth and William patched up their differences and became good friends.

Elizabeth let out a short, bitter laugh. Friends… she wanted much more than friendship from Dr. William Darcy. She had realized long ago that her feelings for him exceeded anything that was appropriate between a supervisor and student, but no rational objections could keep her from falling in love with him. She absentmindedly stroked Hamish the Heeland Coo as she thought about William’s smile, his figure, his smell, and how much she would miss him.

“Do you think Hamish will like living on the other side of the city?” Elizabeth looked up, startled. She smiled warmly at the sight of William leaning casually against the door, hands in his pockets, dimples showing. God, he’s dreamy.

“He’ll get used to it I suppose. But I think he’ll miss everyone here,” she replied, her voice choking with emotion. William stepped closer and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Everyone will miss him as well. He’s been a valuable asset.” Elizabeth forced a smile, but could not hold it long before bursting into tears. William hesitated for a moment, then wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug. “Elizabeth, I’m sure everything will be wonderful for you. You’re a brilliant scientist.”

“I’ll miss you so much… all of you,” she corrected quickly. William tilted her chin up with his finger and looked her in the eyes.

“It’s not as if you’re going to Japan Lizzy. You’ll still be in Edinburgh.”

“I know, but…” she took a deep breath, made a decision, and took a risk. “I won’t be able to see you everyday, and I don’t know how I’ll get by without you.” Her words combined with the look in her eyes made it impossible for him to mistake her meaning. He furrowed his brow and tentatively stroked her cheek.

“I… I don’t really know what to say. You’re a very special woman Lizzy… I…” William stopped short and stepped away, turning his back on her. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t.” Elizabeth’s heart was beating wildly. Could he possibly have feelings for her, feelings that he was stifling because of his strong ethics?

“It’s kind of funny to think that I won’t be your student anymore. I guess I’ll be more of a colleague now.” William turned around slowly, digesting her words. It was true, she was no longer his student… He came close to her again.

“I’m proud to call you my colleague Elizabeth,” he said softly, extending his hand. Elizabeth reached out, but instead of shaking it, William raised her hand and placed on it a gentle kiss. Elizabeth could not control the sigh that escaped her lips or the look of desire that met him when he raised his eyes to hers. He took another step towards her, then another, until he stood between her legs nearly against the bench. Their relative heights put them eye to eye, and William slowly leaned in until she could feel his breath on her cheek. “I’ve been fighting this for so long… this is so unethical…” he whispered. Elizabeth held his face in her hands.

“Not anymore.” William smiled broadly, and with the force of passion long-denied, gave Elizabeth a deep, slow kiss that took her breath away.

Copyright held by Lissa - 2002