Title: Out from Her Shadow
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice
Character: Catherine “Kitty” Bennett, Elizabeth Bennett (Darcy)
Rating: General
Length: 606 words
Author Notes: Stand alone fic set after the events of the novel.
Summary: Catherine "Kitty" Bennett has always been in the shadow of her younger sister Lydia.



Catherine Bennett gazed into the mirror and sighed. No matter how many times she tried, she couldn’t quite get her hair to look right. She began to take out the pins and attempt again when she heard a knock on the door.

“Kitty?,” came a female voice on the other side of the door, “May I come in?”

“It is Catherine,” she responded with a touch of annoyance, “And yes, you may.”

Catherine had previously had the nickname of Kitty, but upon her 18th birthday a few months ago, she had decided that she wanted to use her Christian name instead. While her sister Mary had been quick to catch on, she seemed to have been the only one.

The door opened and in came another sister of Catherine’s and the lady of the house in which she was staying. The Darcys had invited her to visit them at Pemberley and tonight, they were hosting a ball. Catherine had been excited to attend. Here, away from her neighbors, she might be able to finally break free of the dark cloud of her younger sister Lydia.

Lydia and Catherine had been inseparable just a few years ago and the two had been known for their rather silly behavior and flirtatious natures. Upon Lydia’s near-scandalous marriage to George Wickham, Catherine had finally started to see just how much Lydia’s influence had affected her. She felt embarrassed by her previous conduct and had set out on projecting a more grown-up and socially appropriate image. However, many of their neighbours still saw her as the silly young girl who was glued to her even sillier sister’s side.

Catherine attempted to pin her hair again while her elder sister watched. A few minutes later, Catherine scowled and began to unpin her hair again.

“Would you like some help with that?” offered Elizabeth

Catherine looked at her sister with watery eyes and nodded. Elizabeth took the pins from Catherine and began parting her hair.

“Lydia always did my hair,” she explained, “I wanted to do it on my own this time, but I just couldn’t get it right.”

Elizabeth smiled. In the last year, her sister had grown up immensely. In the few days Catherine had been at Pemberley, Elizabeth had noticed it. She was a lot quieter than she had been, a little more serious, but it suited her. The Kitty she’d known under Lydia’s influence was gone and, in her place, a blossoming young woman was standing.

Still, Catherine was having a lot of self doubt. Elizabeth decided to try and encourage her younger sister.

“You know Catherine,” she stated, “When we were younger, Jane used to have to do my hair.”

“Really?” asked Catherine. Elizabeth had always been confident and capable. She couldn’t picture her having to rely on their demure oldest sister.

“Yes,” she replied, “But one day, I decided to just try it myself. The first few times, it looked horrible and like you were, I was tearing out the pins in frustration.”

Catherine smiled at this image of Elizabeth.

“It took some time,” Elizabeth continued, “But eventually, I learned to do it myself. It just took some time and patience.”

Elizabeth put the last pin in. Catherine looked at herself in the mirror. The last year had been full of changes, but it had been for the better. In the mirror, she saw the culmination of those changes and for the first time in her life, she felt like she was truly herself. She had a feeling that the ball tonight would be the turning point in her life.

“Thank you, Lizzie,” she beamed, “For everything."