Lizzie Bennet Diaries fic - "Just Like Tony Stark"
Fandom: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Title: Just Like Tony Stark
Characters: William Darcy/Lizzie Bennet, Fitz, Gigi
Setting: Post episode 83
Word Count: ~ 6,300
Rating: PG
Summary: "So, who's your favorite Avenger?" During a movie night with Gigi and Fitz, Lizzie gives Darcy reason to hope. Later, an unexpected role model inspires him to action.
Author's Note: I expect this to be canon-shafted by the end of the week, but it was fun writing in the meantime. Thanks for reading and reviewing.
When the doorbell rang, William made sure to answer it. Fitz and his boyfriend, Tommy, had already arrived, so they were only expecting one more guest.
"Lizzie," he said, "Come in. We're glad you could make it."
He tried not to read too much into her smile when she said hello, or the way her eyes lingered on him when he took her jacket for her. It didn't mean anything. Not really.
Their Saturday of sight-seeing the previous weekend had effectively banished any remaining awkwardness between them, and over the course of the past week they'd fallen into a rather relaxed and friendly rapport. But William couldn't let himself hope for more than friendship. Everything that had passed between them last year was too much to overcome. The type of relationship he'd envisioned when he first confessed his feelings to her in the fall was now nothing more than a distant dream.
He could be happy with her friendship. He reminded himself of this fact several times a day.
It meant a great deal to him that someone he so deeply admired could recognize the efforts he'd made to overcome his prideful and snobbish habits, to the point where she could now enjoy his company. But he could not deny the fact that he might feel more comfortable with their "friendship" once it could be carried out safely from a distance-over twitter and email.
Seeing her on an almost-daily basis made it difficult to repress the feelings that still hadn't faded away.
He was glad that Gigi had thought to include Fitz and Tommy in her plans for a casual pizza and games get-together that Sunday night. It was safer that way.
The pizza arrived not long after Lizzie, and Gigi pulled out a few bottles of red wine to go with it. William arched a disapproving eyebrow at her-minds need to be sharp for a successful night of board games-but she simply smirked and stuck out her tongue.
It seemed he'd have to choose an easy game.
The conversation came fast and light over dinner, and William found himself smiling and laughing along with his friends. Several times he caught his eyes lingering on Lizzie's bright smile or lively eyes and he had to pull his gaze away before anyone noticed.
Yes. This friendship would be much easier to navigate once her time at Pemberly came to an end.
After dinner came the inevitable discussion: which game to choose?
William sighed as he loaded plates into the dishwasher, with the others still clustered around the kitchen island sipping more wine. "I don't suppose any of you would be interested in Risk?" he asked.
"Risk takes five hours to play," replied Gigi, rolling her eyes.
"Not necessarily," said William, closing the dishwasher and wiping his hands on a dish towel.
"It does the way you play it," said Fitz, giving him a pointed looked.
"I like Risk," said Lizzie.
William stood a litter taller and couldn't help but smile. "Really?"
She nodded. "Yeah. When I was an undergrad I had a group of friends who would get together two or three times a month for board-game nights. Risk was in the rotation. But I agree with Gigi-I'm not really in the mood for a game that lasts hours and hours, tonight."
William's heart beat a little faster as he conjured a mental image of knowing Lizzie as an undergrad and wooing her over hotly contested battles on the Risk board.
"And nothing with a million tiny little pieces," Tommy piped in.
William squeezed his lips together and nodded, pondering. "How about Ticket to Ride?"
"What's that?" asked Tommy.
Lizzie leaned against the island, cast a brief, knowing glance at William, and then turned to Tommy. "It's a railroad game. It's pretty fun and doesn't last nearly as long as Risk."
William's heart sped up again. She really knew her games.
"But it still has a million tiny pieces," said Gigi.
"Pass," Tommy replied immediately. "Do you have Sorry?"
"Sorry is for six year olds," said Lizzie before William could give his equivalent but more diplomatically worded reply.
Instead, he shook his head. "No. We don't own Sorry."
After several more minutes of discussion, they finally settled on UNO.
It was just as simplistic as Sorry, but at least it could move at a fast enough pace to provide a moderate degree of entertainment.
William found himself sitting across the table from Lizzie, and trying to keep his gaze off of her eyes and lips proved a difficult task, which lead to a far worse performance in the game than he'd expected.
After several rounds Fitz declared himself bored, but before William could suggest another game, Gigi jumped up.
"Let's watch a movie! I still haven't watched the Blu-Ray of The Avengers that I got for Christmas. Want to watch it now?" she said.
"Hell yes!" said Fitz.
"I'd probably have watched it four or five times by now, if I was you," added Lizzie. "Come on-that is seriously a great movie."
At Lizzie's words William let his budding protest die on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he nodded his agreement. "Certainly. Let's watch it."
William wasn't normally a superhero-movie kind of guy, but Gigi had converted him to the oeuvre of Joss Whedon not long after their parents passed away, and when The Avengers came out in theaters, he'd decided that Whedon's involvement made the film worth seeing. He'd enjoyed it, but hadn't watched it since it left theaters. Now seemed as good a time as any.
"Okay," said Gigi, "William, Lizzie-you two go find some movie snacks in the pantry. Fitz and Tommy, come help me search through our discs."
"You really should have kept the collection alphabetized like I-" William began.
"Whatever." Gigi cut him off. "Go get snacks."
She dashed off toward the family room with Fitz and Tommy following hot on her heels. William turned to Lizzie, who still stood beside him in the kitchen. "It seems we're in charge of the snacks."
"Yep. It looks like we are. So," Lizzie raised an arm, pointing upward, "to the pantry!"
William smiled as he followed her. She seemed to have a knack for making any mundane moment into something more.
They entered the spacious walk-in pantry, and William watched Lizzie's eyes widen as she scanned the shelves.
"Oh my god." She held up her hands and turned to him with an incredulous expression. "You labeled all your shelf space? Seriously?" She jabbed a pointing finger into his chest. "And don't try to pretend like this was Gigi. It has your name written all over it."
William nodded sheepishly. "Well-I do like to keep things well organized." Why did she manage to make him feel so defensive over such a simple thing?
He opened his mouth, fully prepared to defend his system at length, when Lizzie flashed him another of those smiles that effectively rendered him temporarily incapable of speech.
"Of course you do," she said, turning back to the shelves. "Bizarre and obsessive, yes. But at least you made it easy to find the microwave popcorn." She reached up to the appropriate shelf and pulled a few packets of popcorn out their box. "Oooo-and peanuts!" She retrieved those as well and shoved them into one of William's hands.
"Now," she said, "do you have M&Ms?"
"I think so." He nodded and gestured. "Over in the-"
"The candy drawer," she finished, stepping over to the row of drawers and pulling open the one labeled "candy." She fished out a large bag of plain M&Ms. "Perfect." She smiled up at him. "This is my favorite way to have popcorn. I dump it into a bowl and add a hand-full of peanuts and a bunch of M&Ms. You eat it all mixed up together. It's like an instant snack mix."
William raised his eyebrows. "That sounds quite-good," he admitted. Though the way she grinned as she described the treat was more than half the appeal.
"It is," she replied, looking up at him.
Only then did he realize how perilously close they stood to one another. They were normally only this close to each other when filming one of Lizzie's videos, and that was out of necessity due to the frame of the camera. This, on the other hand, was a choice.
Still smiling up at him, Lizzie sidled a half-step closer.
William could feel his heart pounding, and almost unconsciously he began to lean. When his face came within a few inches of hers, he stopped himself.
What was he doing? She was merely being friendly. Nothing more. It was outrageous of him to try to take advantage of her open nature in such a-
And that was when she kissed him.
Every muscle of his body froze in place as her lips brushed against his-soft and warm and moist.
After just a few seconds she pulled back, locking her gaze with his, her eyes holding an unspoken question. One which William was more than ready to answer in the affirmative.
He leaned in for another kiss.
Her lips parted invitingly beneath his, drawing him in. Warmth surged through his entire body as their mouths moved together in a still uncertain harmony. He raised his free hand to cup her cheek with his palm and thread his fingers into her silky hair while he wrapped his other arm behind her back, still desperately clutching the jar of peanuts.
He heard the bag of M&Ms drop to the floor with a clattering thud moments before Lizzie's fingers began to trace their way up his spine.
The whole world was spinning, and Lizzie was its axis.
"Where's those snacks?" Gigi's voice rang out from not-so-distant family room.
With a gasp of surprise, Lizzie pulled back from his embrace.
She stared up at him with wide eyes, lips swollen and red, her chest heaving.
William's mind felt momentarily empty of all rational thought. He held his arms out at his sides, peanut jar in hand, not at all sure what to do with his limbs.
Lizzie took a step back. "I-I guess we should get out there."
William swallowed. "Yes. Of course. We should. Now. Out there."
A flicker of a smile returned to Lizzie's face, sending a wave of relief through William.
"Okay." She bent down to retrieve the bag of M&Ms, and then stood. "Let's go."
Once back out in the kitchen, William paused. He wasn't ready to face Fitz and Gigi, yet. He needed a minute to regain his composure. "Here-I'll make the popcorn. You go on ahead."
Lizzie nodded, an uncertain look in her eyes. "Okay. Here." She traded him the popcorn for his peanuts and headed to the family room, glancing back over her shoulder once.
William unfolded the first bag of popcorn and put it in the microwave. He took a few deep, slow breaths as the familiar electronic noise of the microwave filled the air.
He needed to figure out what the hell just happened.
Placing his hands on the counter, he closed his eyes and leaned forward. This couldn’t possibly be what he wanted it to be. His mind refused to accept it.
No. Lizzie Bennet couldn't possibly be falling for him.
There had to be another rational explanation.
She'd had two and a half glasses of wine with dinner. That was enough to impair her judgment and loosen her inhibitions. The kiss had been an impulse. The sort of spontaneous moment of exploration that William had heard stories of from friends and seen portrayed in movies but had never experienced himself.
That had to be it.
Because the other option-the one he desperately wanted to be true-still felt impossible. Too much baggage still stood in the way.
But what if. . . ?
He shook his head. No. He wouldn't let his mind head down that path. That was exactly the sort of fantastical speculation that had prompted his ill-advised confession in October. He wouldn't let it happen again.
He put the second bag of popcorn into the microwave and dumped the popped bag into a bowl.
By the time the second bag of popcorn was ready, he felt sufficiently composed to face everyone again.
Striding into the family room with two bowls of popcorn, he found the movie frozen on the menu screen up on his sixty-five inch television, with everyone already settled onto the cushy sectional.
Gigi lounged on the divan-end of the sectional, Tommy and Fitz snuggled in the middle, and Lizzie sat next to Fitz, leaving a space next to her, by the armrest. That left room for William to either squeeze in between Gigi and Tommy (which might make Lizzie feel slighted), or to sit at the end next to Lizzie (which was guaranteed to make him uncomfortable all night).
William handed his first bowl of popcorn to Gigi and she fiercely pointed to the end of the sofa by Lizzie, glaring at him.
Well, then. It seemed he'd be sitting by Lizzie.
She smiled at him as he stepped around the coffee table and gingerly sank into the small space next to her, still clutching the last bowl of popcorn in front of himself like a shield.
This would be all right. He could handle it. No problem. He could sit right next to Lizzie for two hours, the memory of their recent kiss constantly circulating through his brain. This wouldn't be awkward at all. Really.
If only.
Lizzie leaned forward to grab the peanuts and M&Ms and proceeded to demonstrate her snack mix by dumping some of each into the bowl in William's lap. She passed the nuts and candy down for Gigi to repeat the process in her own bowl.
As the movie got started, Fitz declared Lizzie's snack mix to be outstanding. But all that William could focus on was the way Lizzie kept dipping her hand into the bowl that still sat in his lap.
"Try it," she said, smiling up at him.
William had begun to think that his strangely erotic fixation on the snack mix was a very bad thing, but there was no way to politely decline, so he picked up a few pieces and popped them in his mouth. The pleasure salty-sweet mixture did nothing to dispel his increasingly sexual thoughts.
"See?" said Lizzie, a teasing note in her voice. "It's good."
"Yes," he managed to say without choking. "Yes, it is."
God, this was going to be a long night.
As the opening action sequence unfolded, William noticed Lizzie gradually shifting closer to him on the soft cushions, until less than two inches of space separated them. Was this just to reach the snacks, better, or did she really want to be close to him?
He decided to experiment. "Here," he said, handing Lizzie the bowl. "Fitz can reach better if you're holding it."
"Oh, sure," she replied, taking the bowl. At the same time she scooted even closer to him, so that their thighs were touching and their arms brushed together.
Before William could fully process this turn of events, Gigi spoke up. "So, who's your favorite Avenger?"
"Thor," Fitz and Tommy replied simultaneously.
"That man's arms are something else," added Fitz.
"You've got that right," said Gigi. "Speaking of arms-I think I like Steve Rogers, best. He's so noble and earnest. And pretty," she added, almost as an afterthought. "How about you, Lizzie?"
William's eyes fixed on Lizzie's face as she replied. "I think I like Bruce Banner."
William raised an eyebrow. "You like men with anger management issues?"
Lizzie laughed. "No. But there've been times when I really wished I could turn into a giant green rage monster."
William could relate.
"But seriously," Lizzie continued, "I like that he's always trying to improve himself. Struggling to be a better man. And that he tries to solve problems with his intellect before resorting to force."
William felt warm as she spoke. He'd like to think he was that kind of man-but did Lizzie see those qualities in him, or just in fictional characters?
"Plus," she added, "Mark Ruffalo is adorable."
William wasn't quite sure what to think about that one.
"Your turn, William," piped up Gigi. "Who's your favorite Avenger?"
"I don't have one," he responded automatically.
The others all protested, and Lizzie rolled her eyes at him. "Come on. You've got to like one of them better than the others."
"I don't normally spend enough time thinking about fictional superheroes to formulate that kind of opinion," he said truthfully. Maybe Lizzie would think of him as a party-pooper, but at least he was an honest party-pooper.
"Come on," said Fitz. "You know Natasha is your favorite. You've got a thing for redheads."
William squirmed uncomfortably and looked down at his hands. He coughed. "While I, uh, respect Agent Romanoff for her many-skills-I don't judge people by the color of their hair. I care much more about a person's intellect and character than their appearance. He glanced up to see a rosy flush on Lizzie's cheeks, and Fitz giving him an exasperated stare.
"Although," William added, "red hair can be quite fetching, on the right person."
Lizzie's shy smile made him think that he might actually be getting the "flirting" thing right, this evening.
"Oh, you know your favorite is Tony Stark," said Gigi.
William knitted his brows and stared over at his sister. "Why would you say that?"
"Because you're just like him," said Gigi.
"Excuse me?" Since when had he been an international playboy arms-dealer with a secret mechanized armor suit? "In what way am I just like Tony Stark?"
"You're a rich CEO of the technology company your father founded," said Fitz.
"You lost your parents at a tragically young age but stepped up to carry on running the business," added Gigi.
"You're handsome and brilliant," said Tommy.
"And you're sometimes an arrogant prick," said Fitz, shrugging, "Sorry man-the truth hurts."
This was beginning to get exceedingly uncomfortable. William wasn't sure if he dared to meet Lizzie's eyes.
"Above all else," said Gigi, "you're a good man who can put everything aside to step up and help the people he cares about. Just like Tony Stark."
That last point, while certainly more flattering than the others, still left William feeling ridiculously self-conscious. He finally let his eyes meet Lizzie's. "What do you think about this comparison?" he asked softly.
She looked thoughtful. "While there are some uncanny similarities, I think you're much sweeter than Tony Stark."
That was enough to leave William speechless.
Fortunately, the action was ramping up enough to take everyone's attention off of him and back onto the movie.
As the film progressed, Lizzie settled deeper into the cushions until she was leaning slightly against him.
Even while he tried to process what was happening in the movie, the bulk of his thoughts were fixated on Lizzie-wondering exactly what tonight meant for them.
Enough time had passed for the effects of the wine to diminish, yet she seemed as intent as ever on being close to him.
When the climatic sequence began, and aliens started pouring into New York, she slid her hand from resting on her own thigh to resting on his. William felt light-headed and butterflies danced in his stomach.
Gathering his courage, he rested his hand on top of hers, and turned his face to look down at her. She smiled up at him, her eyes shining.
For the first time since she came to San Francisco, William allowed himself to genuinely hope that this was the beginning of something more than just friendship. He allowed himself to believe that maybe they really could find a way to be together, in spite of everything.
All he could think of was the warm comfort of her body leaning against his, and the small softness of her hand beneath his. He rubbed his thumb along the back of her wrist, and she shifted to snuggle even closer to him.
He didn't really notice the rest of the movie.
When the film ended and everyone shifted to stand up, letting her go left him feeling empty and adrift. Every part of him ached to stay close to her. But she was already busy declaring she'd better go home and sleep and accepting a ride from Tommy.
William helped her into her jacket at the door, and her fingers briefly tangled themselves with his as she said goodnight.
He stood, slumped against the coat-closet, as the door closed behind her.
Instead of losing himself in his thoughts, he was immediately confronted with a squealing Gigi.
"Oh my god, William! What was going on with you and Lizzie? Were you holding hands?"
He stiffened up. He wasn't ready to start dissecting something that he still didn't fully understand himself. "I don't know. Maybe. A little."
"William!" Gigi seemed ready to dissolve into raptures before his eyes.
He held up a hand to stop her. "Look-I don't know what any of this means, yet. I need some time to talk to Lizzie in the morning. Just-please give me a little space to sort this out for myself. Please?"
Gigi squeezed her lips together in frustration, but nodded agreement. "Fine. But as soon as you figure it out, I better be the first one to know."
"Naturally. Now, we'd better get to bed. It's a work day tomorrow."
Not that he expected to get much sleep.
~ ~ ~
Just as he predicted, Williams spent most of the night tossing and turning, trying to decide how to approach Lizzie in the morning, and trying to figure out where their relationship might be headed.
He left for work early and forced his way through a pile of busywork until 8:30. Surely Lizzie would be in by now.
He knocked politely on her door, and felt a mixture of relief and anxiety when he heard her voice calling, "Come in."
She smiled at him when he stepped inside, and she didn't seem to mind when he closed the door behind him. In fact, she seemed happy to see him. It helped settle his nerves-at least a little.
"So," he said, sinking into the chair next to hers, "I've been thinking a lot about last night."
"So have I," she said. Her smile looked a little nervous, and he found it oddly comforting to think that she might be as anxious about him as he was about her.
"I know that our relationship has been a little rocky-" he began, but the look in her eyes left him flustered and stuttering. "-but, but, uh, I was hoping . . ." All his carefully planned words vanished from his mind and his mouth hung open for a moment.
Lizzie raised her eyebrows.
"Would you like to go out to dinner with me? On a date?" He sounded like a buffoon. He wanted to duck out of the room and go hide somewhere.
Yet, oddly enough, she didn't seem to mind. "Yes. I'd love to go to dinner with you." She beamed at him.
He heaved a deep breath of relief, and couldn't stop a broad smile from taking over his face. "Good. Good. That's good. Uh-oh-wait. We can't go tonight."
Lizzie blinked in surprise. "What? Why?"
William waved his hands in front of him. He felt as if half his brain had drained out of his ear as he slept. "Sorry. I just, uh, remembered that I'm leaving town this afternoon. For a business trip. But, but I'll be back Wednesday morning. So we could go out on Wednesday. Would that work for you? Are you free?"
Lizzie's smile returned. "Yes. I'm free. Wednesday would be great."
"Pick you up at seven?"
She nodded. "Seven sounds perfect."
William couldn't stop grinning. "Okay. Okay. I'll, just, see you then. Wednesday."
"Wednesday," she repeated as they both stood.
"I'd better get back to work now," he said.
"Of course."
He fluttered his hand in a silly little wave as he left her office. He felt like a bumbling idiot. But he was a bumbling idiot who kissed Lizzie Bennet last night, and who was taking her on their first date on Wednesday. So it wasn't half bad.
He was going to do things right, this time. No more skulking around in hallways hoping to bump into her. No more flirting-so-subtle-she-didn't-know-it-was-happening.
No. This time he was going to date her, and court her, and win her heart like a real gentleman.
He hadn't felt this good in years.
~ ~ ~
William didn't get into the office on Wednesday until early afternoon, but he put off his work long enough to step into Lizzie's office and say hello.
He didn't chat for long-just long enough to exchange some pleasantries and share a few tidbits about his trip. But it was plenty long enough to see that she was excited and happy to see him.
He knew he'd never be able to focus completely on work-not with his big night coming up. But he did his best.
He plunged into his mountain of calls and emails and meetings and didn't come up for air until just past 5:30. It was only then that he noticed the text on his phone from Lizzie.
Have to cancel tonight. So sorry. I'll explain later.
William felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. The text had come almost forty-five minutes ago, and nothing more since.
He leaned back in his office chair and stared up at the ceiling.
Had he done something wrong?
William stayed in the office late into the night, avoiding Gigi's gleeful texts asking him how the date was going. He had nothing to say.
He wasn't sure he ought to feel hurt, or angry, or disappointed, or merely confused, so he rotated through all those emotions and more.
He ended up only spending about four hours at the condo that night, just long enough for a nap, a shower and a change of clothes before returning to work.
Just after ten the next morning he was in the middle of an email when his cell rang. It was Lizzie.
"He-Hello?"
"Hi," she said with a weary voice. "I just-I wanted to call and apologize again for last night."
"It's-it's all right," he said.
"It's just, uh, there's been a family emergency-"
"Is everyone all right?" he asked immediately.
"Not really." Her voice was strained, as if she was holding back tears. "It's Lydia. She's in trouble. She-god-everyone will find out soon enough anyway. She got herself involved with George Wickham. And things fell apart pretty fast, as they tend to do when Wickham is concerned."
William leaned back, stunned. "What-did he-?"
"Ugh. Look. Half of it is on Lydia's vlog. And the other half is stuff I'm not really ready to talk about yet."
She sounded so unbelievably tired.
"Yes. Of course. I understand." Wickham. That bastard. William clenched his fist. "Do you need to go home? I can help you find a flight-"
"I took the train last night. I'm actually home already."
"Oh." Once again, William felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him.
"Yeah. Um. My mom is a basket case. And I just found out that my dad has been working two jobs just to keep the bills paid, and Jane still has her work in L.A.," her voice shook, as if she were about to break, "and they needed someone level-headed down her to come and sort things out. So here I am."
"I understand," he said, helplessly. "Family comes first."
There was a pause before she responded. "I wish I'd remembered that before Lydia got into trouble. I haven't been a very good sister lately."
"This isn't your fault."
"I know, but I might have made things worse."
"Lizzie-"
"Look," she cut him off, "I guess what I need to say is that I'm pretty sure I won't be able to come back and finish the last few weeks of my independent study. I'm not sure if I'll even be able to finish school this semester. This whole mess looks like it'll be taking up most of my time for foreseeable future. You know?"
"I understand," he repeated again, feeling increasingly helpless. Then an idea sprang into his mind. "I could have Mrs. Reynolds send you any further reports or documents you need to review, and arrange video conferences with the personnel you were still planning on interviewing. Perhaps you can still finish your independent study from home."
Lizzie made a sound that he wasn't sure if it was a laugh or a sob.
"Thanks," she said. "That would be really great. I appreciate it."
William paused, unsure of what to say next. "Is there anything else I can do to help?"
Lizzie sighed. "No. This is a Bennet family problem. We'll have to figure it out ourselves."
"Understood."
They paused again.
Lizzie finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry things had to end this way."
"So am I." She had no idea. His heart ached in his chest. He wanted to hop on a plane and go to her that very hour. He wanted to find a way to save her-to save her family.
But it wasn't his place.
"Goodbye, William Darcy," she said softly.
"Goodbye, Lizzie Bennet."
~ ~ ~
"You have to do something!" Gigi pounded her fists on the table. "You can't just let George run around hurting another woman the way he hurt me. You have to help them."
William shook his head, already regretting his decision to confide in his sister. "I can't. Lizzie made it perfectly clear that this is a family matter, and she doesn't want me getting involved."
"Bullshit. That is total bullshit, William. You have to do something." Gigi glared as if she could burn a hole in his chest with her eyes.
"What exactly do you propose I do? Go down there and-and punch him in the face? How does that help anyone?" Not that he didn't sympathize with his sister-he did. But he had to think rationally.
"It would help me feel better." Gigi said with a pout, her resignation starting to show.
William sighed. "Me too."
She shook her head and clenched her teeth. "I still don't understand how you can just sit still and do nothing while the woman you love is going through something horrible. You are still in love with her, aren't you?"
He closed his eyes as the old pain welled back up. "I think you already know the answer to that question."
"So prove it to her. Go make a grand gesture and try to help," Gigi pleaded with her.
He wished with all his heart that it would be that simple. But life was more complicated than that.
"I tried a grand gesture once, and it didn't work out so well. The best thing I could do now is to respect her wishes and give her some space." He didn't expect Gigi to understand, but he had to try to explain himself.
She frowned at him. "That really sucks."
"Yes. It does."
~ ~ ~
For the next several days, William threw himself into his work, catching up on the little pieces of busywork that had been piling up since Lizzie first arrived. He even worked through the weekend. He needed to fill his time with something productive, or he'd fall into a black pit of depression.
Gigi avoided him, and he didn't mind. Her nagging would only make this worse.
On several occasions his fingers itched to click over to Lizzie's vlog to re-watch some old videos, but he resisted the temptation. No good would come of wallowing.
Late in the morning on Monday, Gigi burst into his office.
"You have to watch something," she said.
William knit his brows and frowned. "What? I'm busy. I have a meeting in an hour that I need to prepare for."
"Doesn't matter," said Gigi, grabbed the back of his chair and dragging him away from his desk.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
She leaned over his computer and typed a web address into his browser. "I'm showing you Lizzie's new video. Right now."
With a click of the mouse, Lizzie's face suddenly filled his screen.
Gigi glared at him as she walked out. "You can thank me later."
William found himself unable to look away as the video began. Lizzie looked tired and pale. Not like herself at all.
"Hello,” said video Lizzie. "A lot of people have been tweeting me because I didn't upload a video on Thursday. I just wanted to let you know that I'm all right, but I did have to leave San Fransisco early due to a family emergency which I'm not ready to talk about, yet." She lifted her chin a little higher, and William couldn't help but smile a little. "And I won't talk about it on Twitter, either, so don't bother asking. But I knew you would never leave me alone if I didn't post something, so here is the video I filmed last Wednesday. It's the last thing I filmed before leaving San Francisco, and it will probably be the last thing I post for the next few weeks. So, anyway, here it is."
William hated seeing her look so worn down, and his heart ached again at his inability to help her.
The video shifted to her sunny Pemberly office, and a much happier looking Lizzie.
"There's something that I feel like I need to clear up, right here, right now, even if it means I need to swallow my pride to do it. My name is Lizzie Bennet, and I was completely wrong about William Darcy."
William's eyes went wide and his heart began to race while he listened to Lizzie's theme music play. He didn't know quite what to expect when her face reappeared, but he was utterly astonished when Lizzie began what amounted to a lengthy apology to him, explaining to her viewers all the ways she'd misunderstood him. Then she launched into a list of his virtues that made William's face feel warm. She talked of his skills at his job and how much his employees liked and admired him, she expanded on what a good brother and friend he was, and even complimented his sense of humor.
He felt utterly flummoxed. This was what she'd been filming the afternoon before their scheduled date? He'd hoped to change her opinion of him during her time at Permberly, but this was more than he'd ever expected.
"Finally," said video-Lizzie, "William, if you're watching, I just want to say that I'm really glad I gave you a second chance. And I'm really glad you gave me one, too. Thanks."
And with that, the video ended.
William's heart was in his throat. There was so much he wanted to say to her-so many things he wanted to tell her.
But she wasn't here. She might never come back.
He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. In that moment, for some inexplicable reason, his mind went back to the ridiculous conversation they'd had about the Avengers a week ago.
Tony Stark also fell in love with an intelligent, spirited red-head.
William shook the bizarre thought out of his head and stood, pacing his office.
Another bizarre thought rose in his mind. Tony Stark never would have stood idly by while the woman he loved suffered.
Absurd and juvenile, yes, but William couldn't help but feel spurred on.
Perhaps Gigi had been right, after all.
He started by finding Lydia's vlog and reviewing all the videos featuring George Wickham. Then he placed several phone calls to old acquaintances. Gradually, he began to piece together what had happened.
And he began to formulate a plan.
Stepping into his outer office, he spoke to his assistant. "Mrs. Reynolds-I need you to clear my schedule for the rest of the week. I have some urgent personal business that I need to attend to."
She raised one questioning eyebrow, but nodded. "I'll take care of it."
"And call the pilot. I'll need to use the corporate jet later this afternoon."
"Right away."
William nodded and strode back to his office to pack up a few essentials.
He texted Gigi a few hours later as he boarded the jet. Going out of town for a few days. Finally taking your advice and making a grand gesture. Wish me luck.
Her reply came a few minutes later. Yayyyy!!!!!
As he sank into his seat he pondered the insane venture he was about to embark on. There was still a very good chance that he wouldn't be able to clear up many of Lydia's problems. And he might not be able to get rid of George forever. And, as depressing as it might be, there was a very strong possibility that he'd still never be able to win Lizzie's heart-and that his actions might even turn her against him.
But none of that mattered. Because if he could do anything, no matter how small, to assist her and her family and to make their lives better, even by a small margin, then this fool's errand would be worth it.
And there was always the chance that he would succeed beyond his wildest expectations. He might not be Tony Stark, but he had certain resources unavailable to the Bennet family, and he intended to put them all to use.
In the end, only time would tell.
Title: Just Like Tony Stark
Characters: William Darcy/Lizzie Bennet, Fitz, Gigi
Setting: Post episode 83
Word Count: ~ 6,300
Rating: PG
Summary: "So, who's your favorite Avenger?" During a movie night with Gigi and Fitz, Lizzie gives Darcy reason to hope. Later, an unexpected role model inspires him to action.
Author's Note: I expect this to be canon-shafted by the end of the week, but it was fun writing in the meantime. Thanks for reading and reviewing.
When the doorbell rang, William made sure to answer it. Fitz and his boyfriend, Tommy, had already arrived, so they were only expecting one more guest.
"Lizzie," he said, "Come in. We're glad you could make it."
He tried not to read too much into her smile when she said hello, or the way her eyes lingered on him when he took her jacket for her. It didn't mean anything. Not really.
Their Saturday of sight-seeing the previous weekend had effectively banished any remaining awkwardness between them, and over the course of the past week they'd fallen into a rather relaxed and friendly rapport. But William couldn't let himself hope for more than friendship. Everything that had passed between them last year was too much to overcome. The type of relationship he'd envisioned when he first confessed his feelings to her in the fall was now nothing more than a distant dream.
He could be happy with her friendship. He reminded himself of this fact several times a day.
It meant a great deal to him that someone he so deeply admired could recognize the efforts he'd made to overcome his prideful and snobbish habits, to the point where she could now enjoy his company. But he could not deny the fact that he might feel more comfortable with their "friendship" once it could be carried out safely from a distance-over twitter and email.
Seeing her on an almost-daily basis made it difficult to repress the feelings that still hadn't faded away.
He was glad that Gigi had thought to include Fitz and Tommy in her plans for a casual pizza and games get-together that Sunday night. It was safer that way.
The pizza arrived not long after Lizzie, and Gigi pulled out a few bottles of red wine to go with it. William arched a disapproving eyebrow at her-minds need to be sharp for a successful night of board games-but she simply smirked and stuck out her tongue.
It seemed he'd have to choose an easy game.
The conversation came fast and light over dinner, and William found himself smiling and laughing along with his friends. Several times he caught his eyes lingering on Lizzie's bright smile or lively eyes and he had to pull his gaze away before anyone noticed.
Yes. This friendship would be much easier to navigate once her time at Pemberly came to an end.
After dinner came the inevitable discussion: which game to choose?
William sighed as he loaded plates into the dishwasher, with the others still clustered around the kitchen island sipping more wine. "I don't suppose any of you would be interested in Risk?" he asked.
"Risk takes five hours to play," replied Gigi, rolling her eyes.
"Not necessarily," said William, closing the dishwasher and wiping his hands on a dish towel.
"It does the way you play it," said Fitz, giving him a pointed looked.
"I like Risk," said Lizzie.
William stood a litter taller and couldn't help but smile. "Really?"
She nodded. "Yeah. When I was an undergrad I had a group of friends who would get together two or three times a month for board-game nights. Risk was in the rotation. But I agree with Gigi-I'm not really in the mood for a game that lasts hours and hours, tonight."
William's heart beat a little faster as he conjured a mental image of knowing Lizzie as an undergrad and wooing her over hotly contested battles on the Risk board.
"And nothing with a million tiny little pieces," Tommy piped in.
William squeezed his lips together and nodded, pondering. "How about Ticket to Ride?"
"What's that?" asked Tommy.
Lizzie leaned against the island, cast a brief, knowing glance at William, and then turned to Tommy. "It's a railroad game. It's pretty fun and doesn't last nearly as long as Risk."
William's heart sped up again. She really knew her games.
"But it still has a million tiny pieces," said Gigi.
"Pass," Tommy replied immediately. "Do you have Sorry?"
"Sorry is for six year olds," said Lizzie before William could give his equivalent but more diplomatically worded reply.
Instead, he shook his head. "No. We don't own Sorry."
After several more minutes of discussion, they finally settled on UNO.
It was just as simplistic as Sorry, but at least it could move at a fast enough pace to provide a moderate degree of entertainment.
William found himself sitting across the table from Lizzie, and trying to keep his gaze off of her eyes and lips proved a difficult task, which lead to a far worse performance in the game than he'd expected.
After several rounds Fitz declared himself bored, but before William could suggest another game, Gigi jumped up.
"Let's watch a movie! I still haven't watched the Blu-Ray of The Avengers that I got for Christmas. Want to watch it now?" she said.
"Hell yes!" said Fitz.
"I'd probably have watched it four or five times by now, if I was you," added Lizzie. "Come on-that is seriously a great movie."
At Lizzie's words William let his budding protest die on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he nodded his agreement. "Certainly. Let's watch it."
William wasn't normally a superhero-movie kind of guy, but Gigi had converted him to the oeuvre of Joss Whedon not long after their parents passed away, and when The Avengers came out in theaters, he'd decided that Whedon's involvement made the film worth seeing. He'd enjoyed it, but hadn't watched it since it left theaters. Now seemed as good a time as any.
"Okay," said Gigi, "William, Lizzie-you two go find some movie snacks in the pantry. Fitz and Tommy, come help me search through our discs."
"You really should have kept the collection alphabetized like I-" William began.
"Whatever." Gigi cut him off. "Go get snacks."
She dashed off toward the family room with Fitz and Tommy following hot on her heels. William turned to Lizzie, who still stood beside him in the kitchen. "It seems we're in charge of the snacks."
"Yep. It looks like we are. So," Lizzie raised an arm, pointing upward, "to the pantry!"
William smiled as he followed her. She seemed to have a knack for making any mundane moment into something more.
They entered the spacious walk-in pantry, and William watched Lizzie's eyes widen as she scanned the shelves.
"Oh my god." She held up her hands and turned to him with an incredulous expression. "You labeled all your shelf space? Seriously?" She jabbed a pointing finger into his chest. "And don't try to pretend like this was Gigi. It has your name written all over it."
William nodded sheepishly. "Well-I do like to keep things well organized." Why did she manage to make him feel so defensive over such a simple thing?
He opened his mouth, fully prepared to defend his system at length, when Lizzie flashed him another of those smiles that effectively rendered him temporarily incapable of speech.
"Of course you do," she said, turning back to the shelves. "Bizarre and obsessive, yes. But at least you made it easy to find the microwave popcorn." She reached up to the appropriate shelf and pulled a few packets of popcorn out their box. "Oooo-and peanuts!" She retrieved those as well and shoved them into one of William's hands.
"Now," she said, "do you have M&Ms?"
"I think so." He nodded and gestured. "Over in the-"
"The candy drawer," she finished, stepping over to the row of drawers and pulling open the one labeled "candy." She fished out a large bag of plain M&Ms. "Perfect." She smiled up at him. "This is my favorite way to have popcorn. I dump it into a bowl and add a hand-full of peanuts and a bunch of M&Ms. You eat it all mixed up together. It's like an instant snack mix."
William raised his eyebrows. "That sounds quite-good," he admitted. Though the way she grinned as she described the treat was more than half the appeal.
"It is," she replied, looking up at him.
Only then did he realize how perilously close they stood to one another. They were normally only this close to each other when filming one of Lizzie's videos, and that was out of necessity due to the frame of the camera. This, on the other hand, was a choice.
Still smiling up at him, Lizzie sidled a half-step closer.
William could feel his heart pounding, and almost unconsciously he began to lean. When his face came within a few inches of hers, he stopped himself.
What was he doing? She was merely being friendly. Nothing more. It was outrageous of him to try to take advantage of her open nature in such a-
And that was when she kissed him.
Every muscle of his body froze in place as her lips brushed against his-soft and warm and moist.
After just a few seconds she pulled back, locking her gaze with his, her eyes holding an unspoken question. One which William was more than ready to answer in the affirmative.
He leaned in for another kiss.
Her lips parted invitingly beneath his, drawing him in. Warmth surged through his entire body as their mouths moved together in a still uncertain harmony. He raised his free hand to cup her cheek with his palm and thread his fingers into her silky hair while he wrapped his other arm behind her back, still desperately clutching the jar of peanuts.
He heard the bag of M&Ms drop to the floor with a clattering thud moments before Lizzie's fingers began to trace their way up his spine.
The whole world was spinning, and Lizzie was its axis.
"Where's those snacks?" Gigi's voice rang out from not-so-distant family room.
With a gasp of surprise, Lizzie pulled back from his embrace.
She stared up at him with wide eyes, lips swollen and red, her chest heaving.
William's mind felt momentarily empty of all rational thought. He held his arms out at his sides, peanut jar in hand, not at all sure what to do with his limbs.
Lizzie took a step back. "I-I guess we should get out there."
William swallowed. "Yes. Of course. We should. Now. Out there."
A flicker of a smile returned to Lizzie's face, sending a wave of relief through William.
"Okay." She bent down to retrieve the bag of M&Ms, and then stood. "Let's go."
Once back out in the kitchen, William paused. He wasn't ready to face Fitz and Gigi, yet. He needed a minute to regain his composure. "Here-I'll make the popcorn. You go on ahead."
Lizzie nodded, an uncertain look in her eyes. "Okay. Here." She traded him the popcorn for his peanuts and headed to the family room, glancing back over her shoulder once.
William unfolded the first bag of popcorn and put it in the microwave. He took a few deep, slow breaths as the familiar electronic noise of the microwave filled the air.
He needed to figure out what the hell just happened.
Placing his hands on the counter, he closed his eyes and leaned forward. This couldn’t possibly be what he wanted it to be. His mind refused to accept it.
No. Lizzie Bennet couldn't possibly be falling for him.
There had to be another rational explanation.
She'd had two and a half glasses of wine with dinner. That was enough to impair her judgment and loosen her inhibitions. The kiss had been an impulse. The sort of spontaneous moment of exploration that William had heard stories of from friends and seen portrayed in movies but had never experienced himself.
That had to be it.
Because the other option-the one he desperately wanted to be true-still felt impossible. Too much baggage still stood in the way.
But what if. . . ?
He shook his head. No. He wouldn't let his mind head down that path. That was exactly the sort of fantastical speculation that had prompted his ill-advised confession in October. He wouldn't let it happen again.
He put the second bag of popcorn into the microwave and dumped the popped bag into a bowl.
By the time the second bag of popcorn was ready, he felt sufficiently composed to face everyone again.
Striding into the family room with two bowls of popcorn, he found the movie frozen on the menu screen up on his sixty-five inch television, with everyone already settled onto the cushy sectional.
Gigi lounged on the divan-end of the sectional, Tommy and Fitz snuggled in the middle, and Lizzie sat next to Fitz, leaving a space next to her, by the armrest. That left room for William to either squeeze in between Gigi and Tommy (which might make Lizzie feel slighted), or to sit at the end next to Lizzie (which was guaranteed to make him uncomfortable all night).
William handed his first bowl of popcorn to Gigi and she fiercely pointed to the end of the sofa by Lizzie, glaring at him.
Well, then. It seemed he'd be sitting by Lizzie.
She smiled at him as he stepped around the coffee table and gingerly sank into the small space next to her, still clutching the last bowl of popcorn in front of himself like a shield.
This would be all right. He could handle it. No problem. He could sit right next to Lizzie for two hours, the memory of their recent kiss constantly circulating through his brain. This wouldn't be awkward at all. Really.
If only.
Lizzie leaned forward to grab the peanuts and M&Ms and proceeded to demonstrate her snack mix by dumping some of each into the bowl in William's lap. She passed the nuts and candy down for Gigi to repeat the process in her own bowl.
As the movie got started, Fitz declared Lizzie's snack mix to be outstanding. But all that William could focus on was the way Lizzie kept dipping her hand into the bowl that still sat in his lap.
"Try it," she said, smiling up at him.
William had begun to think that his strangely erotic fixation on the snack mix was a very bad thing, but there was no way to politely decline, so he picked up a few pieces and popped them in his mouth. The pleasure salty-sweet mixture did nothing to dispel his increasingly sexual thoughts.
"See?" said Lizzie, a teasing note in her voice. "It's good."
"Yes," he managed to say without choking. "Yes, it is."
God, this was going to be a long night.
As the opening action sequence unfolded, William noticed Lizzie gradually shifting closer to him on the soft cushions, until less than two inches of space separated them. Was this just to reach the snacks, better, or did she really want to be close to him?
He decided to experiment. "Here," he said, handing Lizzie the bowl. "Fitz can reach better if you're holding it."
"Oh, sure," she replied, taking the bowl. At the same time she scooted even closer to him, so that their thighs were touching and their arms brushed together.
Before William could fully process this turn of events, Gigi spoke up. "So, who's your favorite Avenger?"
"Thor," Fitz and Tommy replied simultaneously.
"That man's arms are something else," added Fitz.
"You've got that right," said Gigi. "Speaking of arms-I think I like Steve Rogers, best. He's so noble and earnest. And pretty," she added, almost as an afterthought. "How about you, Lizzie?"
William's eyes fixed on Lizzie's face as she replied. "I think I like Bruce Banner."
William raised an eyebrow. "You like men with anger management issues?"
Lizzie laughed. "No. But there've been times when I really wished I could turn into a giant green rage monster."
William could relate.
"But seriously," Lizzie continued, "I like that he's always trying to improve himself. Struggling to be a better man. And that he tries to solve problems with his intellect before resorting to force."
William felt warm as she spoke. He'd like to think he was that kind of man-but did Lizzie see those qualities in him, or just in fictional characters?
"Plus," she added, "Mark Ruffalo is adorable."
William wasn't quite sure what to think about that one.
"Your turn, William," piped up Gigi. "Who's your favorite Avenger?"
"I don't have one," he responded automatically.
The others all protested, and Lizzie rolled her eyes at him. "Come on. You've got to like one of them better than the others."
"I don't normally spend enough time thinking about fictional superheroes to formulate that kind of opinion," he said truthfully. Maybe Lizzie would think of him as a party-pooper, but at least he was an honest party-pooper.
"Come on," said Fitz. "You know Natasha is your favorite. You've got a thing for redheads."
William squirmed uncomfortably and looked down at his hands. He coughed. "While I, uh, respect Agent Romanoff for her many-skills-I don't judge people by the color of their hair. I care much more about a person's intellect and character than their appearance. He glanced up to see a rosy flush on Lizzie's cheeks, and Fitz giving him an exasperated stare.
"Although," William added, "red hair can be quite fetching, on the right person."
Lizzie's shy smile made him think that he might actually be getting the "flirting" thing right, this evening.
"Oh, you know your favorite is Tony Stark," said Gigi.
William knitted his brows and stared over at his sister. "Why would you say that?"
"Because you're just like him," said Gigi.
"Excuse me?" Since when had he been an international playboy arms-dealer with a secret mechanized armor suit? "In what way am I just like Tony Stark?"
"You're a rich CEO of the technology company your father founded," said Fitz.
"You lost your parents at a tragically young age but stepped up to carry on running the business," added Gigi.
"You're handsome and brilliant," said Tommy.
"And you're sometimes an arrogant prick," said Fitz, shrugging, "Sorry man-the truth hurts."
This was beginning to get exceedingly uncomfortable. William wasn't sure if he dared to meet Lizzie's eyes.
"Above all else," said Gigi, "you're a good man who can put everything aside to step up and help the people he cares about. Just like Tony Stark."
That last point, while certainly more flattering than the others, still left William feeling ridiculously self-conscious. He finally let his eyes meet Lizzie's. "What do you think about this comparison?" he asked softly.
She looked thoughtful. "While there are some uncanny similarities, I think you're much sweeter than Tony Stark."
That was enough to leave William speechless.
Fortunately, the action was ramping up enough to take everyone's attention off of him and back onto the movie.
As the film progressed, Lizzie settled deeper into the cushions until she was leaning slightly against him.
Even while he tried to process what was happening in the movie, the bulk of his thoughts were fixated on Lizzie-wondering exactly what tonight meant for them.
Enough time had passed for the effects of the wine to diminish, yet she seemed as intent as ever on being close to him.
When the climatic sequence began, and aliens started pouring into New York, she slid her hand from resting on her own thigh to resting on his. William felt light-headed and butterflies danced in his stomach.
Gathering his courage, he rested his hand on top of hers, and turned his face to look down at her. She smiled up at him, her eyes shining.
For the first time since she came to San Francisco, William allowed himself to genuinely hope that this was the beginning of something more than just friendship. He allowed himself to believe that maybe they really could find a way to be together, in spite of everything.
All he could think of was the warm comfort of her body leaning against his, and the small softness of her hand beneath his. He rubbed his thumb along the back of her wrist, and she shifted to snuggle even closer to him.
He didn't really notice the rest of the movie.
When the film ended and everyone shifted to stand up, letting her go left him feeling empty and adrift. Every part of him ached to stay close to her. But she was already busy declaring she'd better go home and sleep and accepting a ride from Tommy.
William helped her into her jacket at the door, and her fingers briefly tangled themselves with his as she said goodnight.
He stood, slumped against the coat-closet, as the door closed behind her.
Instead of losing himself in his thoughts, he was immediately confronted with a squealing Gigi.
"Oh my god, William! What was going on with you and Lizzie? Were you holding hands?"
He stiffened up. He wasn't ready to start dissecting something that he still didn't fully understand himself. "I don't know. Maybe. A little."
"William!" Gigi seemed ready to dissolve into raptures before his eyes.
He held up a hand to stop her. "Look-I don't know what any of this means, yet. I need some time to talk to Lizzie in the morning. Just-please give me a little space to sort this out for myself. Please?"
Gigi squeezed her lips together in frustration, but nodded agreement. "Fine. But as soon as you figure it out, I better be the first one to know."
"Naturally. Now, we'd better get to bed. It's a work day tomorrow."
Not that he expected to get much sleep.
~ ~ ~
Just as he predicted, Williams spent most of the night tossing and turning, trying to decide how to approach Lizzie in the morning, and trying to figure out where their relationship might be headed.
He left for work early and forced his way through a pile of busywork until 8:30. Surely Lizzie would be in by now.
He knocked politely on her door, and felt a mixture of relief and anxiety when he heard her voice calling, "Come in."
She smiled at him when he stepped inside, and she didn't seem to mind when he closed the door behind him. In fact, she seemed happy to see him. It helped settle his nerves-at least a little.
"So," he said, sinking into the chair next to hers, "I've been thinking a lot about last night."
"So have I," she said. Her smile looked a little nervous, and he found it oddly comforting to think that she might be as anxious about him as he was about her.
"I know that our relationship has been a little rocky-" he began, but the look in her eyes left him flustered and stuttering. "-but, but, uh, I was hoping . . ." All his carefully planned words vanished from his mind and his mouth hung open for a moment.
Lizzie raised her eyebrows.
"Would you like to go out to dinner with me? On a date?" He sounded like a buffoon. He wanted to duck out of the room and go hide somewhere.
Yet, oddly enough, she didn't seem to mind. "Yes. I'd love to go to dinner with you." She beamed at him.
He heaved a deep breath of relief, and couldn't stop a broad smile from taking over his face. "Good. Good. That's good. Uh-oh-wait. We can't go tonight."
Lizzie blinked in surprise. "What? Why?"
William waved his hands in front of him. He felt as if half his brain had drained out of his ear as he slept. "Sorry. I just, uh, remembered that I'm leaving town this afternoon. For a business trip. But, but I'll be back Wednesday morning. So we could go out on Wednesday. Would that work for you? Are you free?"
Lizzie's smile returned. "Yes. I'm free. Wednesday would be great."
"Pick you up at seven?"
She nodded. "Seven sounds perfect."
William couldn't stop grinning. "Okay. Okay. I'll, just, see you then. Wednesday."
"Wednesday," she repeated as they both stood.
"I'd better get back to work now," he said.
"Of course."
He fluttered his hand in a silly little wave as he left her office. He felt like a bumbling idiot. But he was a bumbling idiot who kissed Lizzie Bennet last night, and who was taking her on their first date on Wednesday. So it wasn't half bad.
He was going to do things right, this time. No more skulking around in hallways hoping to bump into her. No more flirting-so-subtle-she-didn't-know-it-was-happening.
No. This time he was going to date her, and court her, and win her heart like a real gentleman.
He hadn't felt this good in years.
~ ~ ~
William didn't get into the office on Wednesday until early afternoon, but he put off his work long enough to step into Lizzie's office and say hello.
He didn't chat for long-just long enough to exchange some pleasantries and share a few tidbits about his trip. But it was plenty long enough to see that she was excited and happy to see him.
He knew he'd never be able to focus completely on work-not with his big night coming up. But he did his best.
He plunged into his mountain of calls and emails and meetings and didn't come up for air until just past 5:30. It was only then that he noticed the text on his phone from Lizzie.
Have to cancel tonight. So sorry. I'll explain later.
William felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. The text had come almost forty-five minutes ago, and nothing more since.
He leaned back in his office chair and stared up at the ceiling.
Had he done something wrong?
William stayed in the office late into the night, avoiding Gigi's gleeful texts asking him how the date was going. He had nothing to say.
He wasn't sure he ought to feel hurt, or angry, or disappointed, or merely confused, so he rotated through all those emotions and more.
He ended up only spending about four hours at the condo that night, just long enough for a nap, a shower and a change of clothes before returning to work.
Just after ten the next morning he was in the middle of an email when his cell rang. It was Lizzie.
"He-Hello?"
"Hi," she said with a weary voice. "I just-I wanted to call and apologize again for last night."
"It's-it's all right," he said.
"It's just, uh, there's been a family emergency-"
"Is everyone all right?" he asked immediately.
"Not really." Her voice was strained, as if she was holding back tears. "It's Lydia. She's in trouble. She-god-everyone will find out soon enough anyway. She got herself involved with George Wickham. And things fell apart pretty fast, as they tend to do when Wickham is concerned."
William leaned back, stunned. "What-did he-?"
"Ugh. Look. Half of it is on Lydia's vlog. And the other half is stuff I'm not really ready to talk about yet."
She sounded so unbelievably tired.
"Yes. Of course. I understand." Wickham. That bastard. William clenched his fist. "Do you need to go home? I can help you find a flight-"
"I took the train last night. I'm actually home already."
"Oh." Once again, William felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him.
"Yeah. Um. My mom is a basket case. And I just found out that my dad has been working two jobs just to keep the bills paid, and Jane still has her work in L.A.," her voice shook, as if she were about to break, "and they needed someone level-headed down her to come and sort things out. So here I am."
"I understand," he said, helplessly. "Family comes first."
There was a pause before she responded. "I wish I'd remembered that before Lydia got into trouble. I haven't been a very good sister lately."
"This isn't your fault."
"I know, but I might have made things worse."
"Lizzie-"
"Look," she cut him off, "I guess what I need to say is that I'm pretty sure I won't be able to come back and finish the last few weeks of my independent study. I'm not sure if I'll even be able to finish school this semester. This whole mess looks like it'll be taking up most of my time for foreseeable future. You know?"
"I understand," he repeated again, feeling increasingly helpless. Then an idea sprang into his mind. "I could have Mrs. Reynolds send you any further reports or documents you need to review, and arrange video conferences with the personnel you were still planning on interviewing. Perhaps you can still finish your independent study from home."
Lizzie made a sound that he wasn't sure if it was a laugh or a sob.
"Thanks," she said. "That would be really great. I appreciate it."
William paused, unsure of what to say next. "Is there anything else I can do to help?"
Lizzie sighed. "No. This is a Bennet family problem. We'll have to figure it out ourselves."
"Understood."
They paused again.
Lizzie finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry things had to end this way."
"So am I." She had no idea. His heart ached in his chest. He wanted to hop on a plane and go to her that very hour. He wanted to find a way to save her-to save her family.
But it wasn't his place.
"Goodbye, William Darcy," she said softly.
"Goodbye, Lizzie Bennet."
~ ~ ~
"You have to do something!" Gigi pounded her fists on the table. "You can't just let George run around hurting another woman the way he hurt me. You have to help them."
William shook his head, already regretting his decision to confide in his sister. "I can't. Lizzie made it perfectly clear that this is a family matter, and she doesn't want me getting involved."
"Bullshit. That is total bullshit, William. You have to do something." Gigi glared as if she could burn a hole in his chest with her eyes.
"What exactly do you propose I do? Go down there and-and punch him in the face? How does that help anyone?" Not that he didn't sympathize with his sister-he did. But he had to think rationally.
"It would help me feel better." Gigi said with a pout, her resignation starting to show.
William sighed. "Me too."
She shook her head and clenched her teeth. "I still don't understand how you can just sit still and do nothing while the woman you love is going through something horrible. You are still in love with her, aren't you?"
He closed his eyes as the old pain welled back up. "I think you already know the answer to that question."
"So prove it to her. Go make a grand gesture and try to help," Gigi pleaded with her.
He wished with all his heart that it would be that simple. But life was more complicated than that.
"I tried a grand gesture once, and it didn't work out so well. The best thing I could do now is to respect her wishes and give her some space." He didn't expect Gigi to understand, but he had to try to explain himself.
She frowned at him. "That really sucks."
"Yes. It does."
~ ~ ~
For the next several days, William threw himself into his work, catching up on the little pieces of busywork that had been piling up since Lizzie first arrived. He even worked through the weekend. He needed to fill his time with something productive, or he'd fall into a black pit of depression.
Gigi avoided him, and he didn't mind. Her nagging would only make this worse.
On several occasions his fingers itched to click over to Lizzie's vlog to re-watch some old videos, but he resisted the temptation. No good would come of wallowing.
Late in the morning on Monday, Gigi burst into his office.
"You have to watch something," she said.
William knit his brows and frowned. "What? I'm busy. I have a meeting in an hour that I need to prepare for."
"Doesn't matter," said Gigi, grabbed the back of his chair and dragging him away from his desk.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
She leaned over his computer and typed a web address into his browser. "I'm showing you Lizzie's new video. Right now."
With a click of the mouse, Lizzie's face suddenly filled his screen.
Gigi glared at him as she walked out. "You can thank me later."
William found himself unable to look away as the video began. Lizzie looked tired and pale. Not like herself at all.
"Hello,” said video Lizzie. "A lot of people have been tweeting me because I didn't upload a video on Thursday. I just wanted to let you know that I'm all right, but I did have to leave San Fransisco early due to a family emergency which I'm not ready to talk about, yet." She lifted her chin a little higher, and William couldn't help but smile a little. "And I won't talk about it on Twitter, either, so don't bother asking. But I knew you would never leave me alone if I didn't post something, so here is the video I filmed last Wednesday. It's the last thing I filmed before leaving San Francisco, and it will probably be the last thing I post for the next few weeks. So, anyway, here it is."
William hated seeing her look so worn down, and his heart ached again at his inability to help her.
The video shifted to her sunny Pemberly office, and a much happier looking Lizzie.
"There's something that I feel like I need to clear up, right here, right now, even if it means I need to swallow my pride to do it. My name is Lizzie Bennet, and I was completely wrong about William Darcy."
William's eyes went wide and his heart began to race while he listened to Lizzie's theme music play. He didn't know quite what to expect when her face reappeared, but he was utterly astonished when Lizzie began what amounted to a lengthy apology to him, explaining to her viewers all the ways she'd misunderstood him. Then she launched into a list of his virtues that made William's face feel warm. She talked of his skills at his job and how much his employees liked and admired him, she expanded on what a good brother and friend he was, and even complimented his sense of humor.
He felt utterly flummoxed. This was what she'd been filming the afternoon before their scheduled date? He'd hoped to change her opinion of him during her time at Permberly, but this was more than he'd ever expected.
"Finally," said video-Lizzie, "William, if you're watching, I just want to say that I'm really glad I gave you a second chance. And I'm really glad you gave me one, too. Thanks."
And with that, the video ended.
William's heart was in his throat. There was so much he wanted to say to her-so many things he wanted to tell her.
But she wasn't here. She might never come back.
He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. In that moment, for some inexplicable reason, his mind went back to the ridiculous conversation they'd had about the Avengers a week ago.
Tony Stark also fell in love with an intelligent, spirited red-head.
William shook the bizarre thought out of his head and stood, pacing his office.
Another bizarre thought rose in his mind. Tony Stark never would have stood idly by while the woman he loved suffered.
Absurd and juvenile, yes, but William couldn't help but feel spurred on.
Perhaps Gigi had been right, after all.
He started by finding Lydia's vlog and reviewing all the videos featuring George Wickham. Then he placed several phone calls to old acquaintances. Gradually, he began to piece together what had happened.
And he began to formulate a plan.
Stepping into his outer office, he spoke to his assistant. "Mrs. Reynolds-I need you to clear my schedule for the rest of the week. I have some urgent personal business that I need to attend to."
She raised one questioning eyebrow, but nodded. "I'll take care of it."
"And call the pilot. I'll need to use the corporate jet later this afternoon."
"Right away."
William nodded and strode back to his office to pack up a few essentials.
He texted Gigi a few hours later as he boarded the jet. Going out of town for a few days. Finally taking your advice and making a grand gesture. Wish me luck.
Her reply came a few minutes later. Yayyyy!!!!!
As he sank into his seat he pondered the insane venture he was about to embark on. There was still a very good chance that he wouldn't be able to clear up many of Lydia's problems. And he might not be able to get rid of George forever. And, as depressing as it might be, there was a very strong possibility that he'd still never be able to win Lizzie's heart-and that his actions might even turn her against him.
But none of that mattered. Because if he could do anything, no matter how small, to assist her and her family and to make their lives better, even by a small margin, then this fool's errand would be worth it.
And there was always the chance that he would succeed beyond his wildest expectations. He might not be Tony Stark, but he had certain resources unavailable to the Bennet family, and he intended to put them all to use.
In the end, only time would tell.