Fic: "What is Right", Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Title: What is Right, Chapter 1
Fandom: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Characters: Lizzie Bennet/William Darcy, Lydia, Jane, Gigi, George, Mr. Bennet
Rating: R overall (PG this part)
Word Count: ~8,500
Summary: William Darcy has a plan to stop George Wickham. He needs Lydia and a car. What he doesn't plan for is Lizzie inviting herself along for the ride. A road trip AU.
Author's Note: I've compressed the timeline of Lizzie's videos during the sex-tape arc, having her post 85 on the Saturday after returning home, 86 with Jane on Monday, and 87 with Lydia on Thursday. I did this mostly because I prefer this faster pacing and I don't like the cliché of stopping the bad-guy just in the nick of time. I'd much rather stop him well before the deadline, thank you very much. Much thanks to the wonderful beta work of Kyrie Anne. I expect this to run a total of 2-3 chapters.
It's been one week since Lizzie received Charlotte's frantic call.
One week since Darcy's assistant booked her a flight and called her a car and sent her to the airport.
One week since the website.
"Seriously. Lots of grad students work. I can do it-especially if it's only part-time. This P.I. is charging an arm and a leg. Please. I want to help," Lizzie pleads for what feels like the twentieth time.
Her father grips his mug of tea a little tighter and shakes his head. He looks as worn and tired as she's ever seen him. "Not yet, Lizzie. We have a little savings to dip into. Let me handle things a bit longer. There's still plenty of time to stop this."
Lizzie bites her bottom lip to stop herself from blurting out that the P.I. hasn't done much good so far. And that even if they manage to find George in time it might take formal legal action to stop the tape. Lawyers charge even more than P.I.s.
Maybe the Starbucks in their neighborhood is looking for a new barista? She could do that and still manage her independent studies, couldn't she? She'll pick up an application in the morning.
In the one week since the website, Lizzie has done next to nothing on her independent study. Thinking about Pemberley-remembering what she had to leave behind so abruptly-hurts in an unexpected way, so she does her best to block it out.
Instead, in between calling Jane home and helping her father, she's posted four new videos. They chronicle the moment she received the call from Charlotte, her first terrible confrontation with Lydia (the one that still makes her ache with guilt), her desperate plea to her viewers to avoid the website, Jane's wonderfully soothing return, and, in the video she filmed this morning, another conversation with Lydia.
Since hearing Jane's advice on Sunday, Lizzie has watched all of Lydia's videos. She saw her sister's loneliness and pain first-hand. She watched her being slowly cut off from the people she cared about the most, and then sucked into that painful, abusive relationship.
Lizzie had never felt so sick. She'd never felt so blind. Or like such a failure.
Finally, this morning, as she filmed the most recent video she talked things through with Lydia. She held her as she cried. She told her how much she loves her.
But she's not sure if it will be enough to heal the hurt she's caused.
Whenever she sees Lydia drifting through the halls, her face downcast, Lizzie remembers all the times she called her sister a slut and all the times she's publicly shamed her for her party-girl behavior. Each of those times she pushed Lydia further and further away, and those memories burn like ulcers deep inside of her.
Lizzie has begun to wonder whether it would have made a difference if she'd set a better example of empowered, responsible sexuality for sister. But that was never in the cards.
Somewhere between childhood Sunday school, the four summers of Christian youth camp (with its pro-abstinence exterior and its seedy underbelly of adolescent hormones), and her high school freshman heath class which featured a very graphic slide-show of the physical symptoms of various sexually transmitted diseases, Lizzie had developed a long list of sexual hang-ups.
During her teens she had quietly vowed that only the deepest love (and a commitment to long-term monogamy) would induce her into a sexual relationship. She felt strengthened and validated in her choice when it became apparent that both Jane and Charlotte had made a similar choice.
As a consequence, Lizzie has only had two lovers in her life. And she spent her young adult years looking down her nose at anyone who chose a more promiscuous, "less enlightened," (or so she thought) path in life. Some of her advice and criticism probably was correct, but just as much of it wasn't.
Lizzie feels sick to her stomach as she thinks about it. Why was she so certain that her way was the "right" way? And what damage has she done to her sister in the process? If Lydia hadn't been shamed and criticized at every turn, maybe she would have had more confidence. Maybe she could have stayed closer to her sisters and friends. Maybe she wouldn't have been so vulnerable to someone like George . . . .
Yes. It's hard for Lizzie not to blame herself at least in part.
So she tells Lydia that she loves her, again and again. She tells Lydia not to blame herself. She tells Lydia that they'll get through this together. Because it's all she knows how to do.
She has no other answers, so she sits up, late at night, drinking tea with her father and contemplating a barista career. Because she has to do something. Anything to make this right, again.
Though she's not quite sure what right is anymore.
Her father shakes his head. "Go to bed Lizzie. Things will seem better in the morning. They always do."
She wishes she could agree.
When Lizzie slips into her bed, she stares at the bubbling fish tank, and watches the brightly colored tropical fish dart around and the seahorses float near the bottom. When she can't fall asleep, instead of counting sheep, she starts to count her mistakes. All the times she publicly criticized and condemned her little sister. All the times she balked at taking real risks with her life because staying home with her parents and sisters seemed so much easier and safer. All the people she's misjudged-Bing, Caroline, George, Charlotte, Lydia . . . and Darcy.
He's the one person who might actually be able to help. He has the resources, the money, and even some motive . . .
She squeezes her eyes shut. She can't let herself think about him. Not anymore.
As soon as he put his assistant to work on arranging Lizzie's trip home, he'd vanished without even a proper goodbye.
She'd begun to think that he still-no. It doesn't matter what she'd begun to think. All that matters is that he cares too much about protecting his sister to let himself get mixed up with George Wickham, again. No. He won't be coming anywhere near this particular problem.
Lizzie's friendship-or whatever else it might have been-with Darcy is over. She needs to accept that. Now is the time to focus on Lydia. Not on what might have been.
~ ~ ~
When Lizzie's new video goes up on Thursday, William watches it as Gigi hovers over his shoulder.
His chest tightens when Lizzie's face appears on his screen, just as it does every time he sees her. But seeing her in pain, as he has over the course of the past week, intensifies everything. He wants so much to make things right. To see her smile and laugh again.
He hears Gigi sniffle a few times during the video, but he doesn't dare turn to look.
The whole scene is far too familiar. He remembers holding Gigi like that as she sobbed over George. Was it really two years ago, now? It feels so much closer. A wound that still aches in the quiet hours of the night.
"We could have prevented this," Gigi says as the video ends. "You should have warned them about George as soon as he turned up in town."
William nods slowly. "You're right." His pride and desire for privacy had stopped him from speaking up. But sometimes the truth needs to be shared, even if it hurts.
"I am?"
"You are." He holds her gaze, and sees the corners of her lips turn up ever so slightly.
He's always been too hard on her. The obvious pleasure she gets from his faint praise is proof of that. Apparently that's another item he needs to add to his growing list of "Things William Darcy Needs to Improve On."
It can go right below, "Open and honest communication," and, "Make amends for past mistakes."
Gigi takes a deep breath. "Have you heard from the P.I.?"
William nods. "He has some strong leads as to George's whereabouts."
"Newport Beach? Like I told you?" Gigi seems almost nervous repeating her admission regarding her one-time romantic getaway destination.
She shouldn't be nervous to speak the truth. William frowns a little. Yes-he really needs to be more easy-going with her. "Yes. The P.I. has located several of George's old friends in the area, and he feels confident that he'll locate the man himself very soon."
"And Fitz's contacts?"
"They've found the distributor. Tilney is drawing up the legal paperwork to stop distribution right now. I was only waiting for confirmation that Lydia would be amenable to authorizing our actions. I'm still not entirely certain . . ." That's been the one major stumbling block in his endeavors to help the Bennets. William was uncertain until he saw Lizzie's video over the weekend that the tape was being released without Lydia's consent. And even now, he's not sure if the heartbroken girl will want to bring the full force of his legal team down on George.
"She'll do it," says Gigi. She folds her arms and gives him a pointed look.
William frowns again and rubbed his chin. "She is still very much in love with him. I'm not certain she'll be ready to take such extreme measures-"
"I need to talk to her. Let's go down. Today, if we can. We'll bring Tilney with us, and we can talk to Lydia in person. I know I can get through to her." Gigi's jaw is set in a hard expression that reminds him all too much of their father.
He won't be able to talk her down. But his stomach stirs at the thought of seeing Lizzie again under these circumstances. She made it clear that she didn't want or need his help. Would he be overstepping his place? Would this action end whatever chance they might have had once and for all? Or, worse, would she feel obligated to him? He never wanted that kind of relationship with her.
He closes his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath. This is exactly the kind of self-centered thinking that got him in trouble with Lizzie over the summer.
William has always worked to maintain a high degree of order and balance in his life. And, over the past decade, he brought his love life into the same orderly pattern that he strives for in his professional life.
Since reaching his teens, William has had (not necessarily in this order) exactly two puppy-love crushes, two somewhat juvenile relationships that never made it past making out, two one-night stands, two purely sexual flings, and two achingly frustrating friendships in which he wanted more but the women in question did not. He has only had one relationship which successfully balanced friendship, romance, and sex. Unfortunately, it ended badly. Very badly.
When his time at Netherfield ended, it seemed that Lizzie would be third woman to enter the "never-more-than-friends" category. It ate at him. It disrupted the pattern of his life just as badly as she had disrupted the order of his mind.
He couldn’t stop thinking about her, even as he worked to keep her sister and his friend apart. So when his aunt casually mentioned Lizzie's presence at Collins and Collins, he'd done something completely out of character-something not at all orderly or balanced.
He'd gone after her.
Oh, he rationalized his impetuousness with flimsy excuses. He wanted to make sure she fell into his relationship pattern as the second successful, well-balanced relationship, rather than become a third unrequited friendship. He convinced himself that all their heated debates at Netherfield had made as much of a mark on her heart as they had on his.
But really, he'd been selfish. He'd grown accustomed to getting his way, and once he realized that, in spite of his reservations, Lizzie was what he wanted, he'd fully expected to have her.
Though it still stings, at times, he's grateful for the lessons in humility, communication and respect that her rejection (and her videos) taught him.
Ever since he has been trying to see the world from other perspectives. Trying to open his mind to viewpoints he wouldn't have considered before. Trying to approach his life with the attitude of "what is best," and "what is right," rather than, "what do I want," or, "what is best for me."
When Lizzie came to Pemberley, he made no plans and held no expectations. He strove to live each day as if it would be his last chance to make a new, better impression on her. To show with each moment that her words had changed him.
Even when he'd worked up the nerve to invite her to the theater, he fought down any expectations. If she thought of it as a friendly outing, he would content himself with that. If she thought of it as a date, he wouldn't push their intimacy any faster than she wanted go. And if she declined to go, he would accept her rejection gracefully. He'd been determined to let Lizzie dictate the course of their future interactions.
He learned to let go of his order and his patterns.
That's why he can't let himself fixate on the personal ramifications of acting against George. What matters is that he could have prevented George from abusing the trust of that girl and her family, and he failed to do so. He needs to make amends, regardless of the personal cost.
He'll have to deal with the personal fallout later. After the immediate problem is resolved.
"Very well. We'll head out as soon as Tilney has the papers ready."
Gigi flashes a triumphant smile, and William's stomach stirs again. He hopes they're making the right choice.
~ ~ ~
Lizzie dreams of Darcy that night.
It's not the first time he's appeared in her dreams, but this is his first featured role. They're back at the Gibson wedding (or something much like it) where they first met.
Darcy is wearing the newsie hat and bowtie he had on for the wedding, but she is wearing the shlubby grey hoodie she's been wearing a lot this past week and her hair is in a messy ponytail. None of this deters Darcy from asking her to dance. And instead of failing to find an excuse to get out of it, like she had at the wedding, she quickly says yes.
He holds her closer than necessary as they sway to the music, and the dance is anything but awkward. His large hand on her shoulder feels warm, even through her clothes, and his cologne smells fresh and clean and outdoorsy.
Somehow everyone else at the wedding has vanished, and it's just them and the music. She leans against his chest and he holds her close, both of them barely swaying to the music. She knows if she lifts her head and looks up, he'll kiss her. Call it dream intuition.
But she won't lift her head.
She sucks on her bottom lip and buries her face in his shirt and fights the urge to let go and give in.
She's aware enough, now, to know that the memory of kissing William Darcy will do nothing but torture her for weeks to come, even if it's only in a dream.
Eventually the music fades and the dance disappears and the dream dissolves into a blur of confusing images.
She wakes up still remembering the warmth of his hands.
She stretches and sits up to stare at the fish, bobbing along in their blissful ignorance.
For the first time since coming home, she gives serious thought to calling him. Not because of the dream. Well-not just because of the dream.
Rather, because, in the quiet of the early morning, she finally sees what has been plaguing her and frightening her every bit as much as the worry that video might actually go public. It's a question: If she was so horribly wrong about Lydia, what else might she be wrong about?
It's a question that shakes her to her core, especially as she looks back on all the many, many things she was wrong about over the past year. Her certainty of Jane and Bing's happiness-wrong. Her belief that Charlotte taking the job with Ricky would be a mistake-wrong. Her conviction that Caroline was a true and helpful friend-wrong. Her opinion that George was a charming and honest guy-wrong. Dead wrong.
And, as the dream has so forcefully reminded her, her judgment that Darcy was just a douche-y, robotic snob was so horribly, horribly wrong.
For a short moment she even allows herself to wonder if her assumption that he no longer wants to be her friend stems from her growing belief that she doesn't deserve his friendship-or anyone else's, for that matter-rather than from anything true. Maybe he really would show up, money and resources in hand, if she only had the courage to dial her phone and ask for his help.
After all, this is the man who Bing, Gigi, and Fitz have all sworn will do anything to help the people he cares about. And they are three of the kindest, sweetest people she's ever met. This is the man who built a company that respects and values all of its employees and provides them with the best possible facilities and resources. This is the man who, at the age of twenty, stepped up to take on the role of parent for his thirteen year old sister after their mother and father died in an accident.
Lizzie can't even image how hard it would have been to shepherd an impetuous and heartbroken Gigi through her tumultuous teen years.
The bottom line: William Darcy is a good man.
Yes-if Lizzie calls on him, he will probably step up and help. It's in his nature.
But will he do it because he feels obligated to help because of his history with George? Or will he do it because he still cares about her?
In the long run, do his motives really matter?
They shouldn't. Not when he could do so much to help her sister. But still, they do. They matter to her. And she's not sure why.
She's not sure of anything, anymore. After all her missteps this past year, nothing is certain. Not her thesis, not her family relationships, not her friendships. None of her own judgments or opinions hold any weight anymore.
She no longer trusts herself.
After staring at his name in the contacts list in her phone for a long, long time, she finally sets it aside.
Not yet. Maybe she'll get that desperate sometime in the next few days. But not yet.
~ ~ ~
William clenches his teeth as he presses the bell next to the Bennets' door. His whole body tingles with anxious anticipation. Though they arrived in town late last night, he deemed it appropriate to wait until morning to disturb them. He hopes eight-thirty isn't too early.
Gigi looks unusually serene next to him, and he wonders if he looks the same to her. They're cut from the same cloth after all.
The door opens, and Jane Bennet blinks at him, a shocked look on her face. After a moment she regains her composure. "Darcy! Hi, wow, it's-it's so good to see you."
William almost laughs at her trademark greeting. He squeezes his fists at his side and nods. "It's good to see you again, Jane. I'm sorry to bother you this early, but I'm here on important business. Is Lydia available to talk to me? And, your father might be interested in hearing what I have to say, as well."
Jane knits her brows in obvious confusion. "Lydia? You're here to talk to Lydia? Uh-she's not really up to visitors, right now. Maybe if you told me what you're here for . . .?"
"Of course. This is my lawyer, and good friend, Hank Tilney," says William, gesturing behind him to where Tilney stands. "I'm aware of the difficult situation Lydia is facing at the moment, and I'd like to offer our assistance with certain legal matters."
Gigi shakes her head. "Stop being so stiff, William. No wonder you made such a bad first impression." She turns to meet Jane's curious gaze. "We're here as friends. We want to help. I'm Gigi, by the way. His sister." She gestures at William.
His chest swells. His sister had a talent for connecting with people that he's always lacked. She'd been right to insist on coming along.
Jane moves her mouth soundlessly for a moment, taken aback. "Really? You think you can take down the website and stop-stop everything?"
"Yes." William steps forward, hoping she will see the sincerity in his eyes. "That's exactly what we can do."
Jane ushers them into the den, uttering phrases of bewildered thanks before hurrying off to find her father and Lydia.
He sits stiffly on the sofa, Gigi and Tilney on either side of him, and stares around the room that he's never seen outside of Lizzie's videos. It's very much like he imagined, including Lizzie's camera and tripod huddled in the corner, as if waiting for her to appear at any moment. He thinks he's prepared to see her again, but one can never be completely certain on matters involving this much emotional baggage.
After a few minutes William shifts his weight a few times. Gigi begins tapping her foot impatiently. Tilney shuffles papers in his briefcase.
At last, he hears the sound of people approaching.
William rises to his feet as the group enters the den, his nerves lighting back up, and he can see Gigi and Tilney standing beside him out of the corners of his vision.
Jane and Mr. Bennet lead the way, a pale and nervous-looking Lydia following behind, with Lizzie's supportive arm wrapped around her shoulders.
William's heart races as his eyes meet Lizzie's. Her expression, normally so open, is unreadable.
He breathes in slowly to steady his nerves. He can't think about Lizzie right now, no matter how much he wants to. He has business to attend to.
His eyes flick to her father. "Mr. Bennet, Lydia, Lizzie." He says her name in a low, rough tone.
He coughs to clear his throat, and then looks back to Mr. Bennet, striving to keep his focus on him and Lydia. "I'm sorry to see you again under such difficult circumstances. But," William takes his cue from Gigi, "I'm here as a friend. To help."
Mr. Bennet seems wary as he speaks. "Jane tells me you have a way to stop this website. Is this true?"
William nods. "Yes. It is."
"But why? Why would you go out of your way to help my girl like this?" Mr. Bennet seems genuinely befuddled.
"Please, sit. Allow me to explain everything."
~ ~ ~
When Jane rushes into Lizzie's room to tell her that Darcy is downstairs with a lawyer, ready and waiting to get rid of the website, Lizzie wonders if this is some sort of dream. But when pinching herself doesn't work and Jane calls on her to help rouse Lydia from her bed, it sinks in that this is actually happening.
Just a few hours ago she was dreaming of him and thinking of him and wondering if she should call him to ask for help, and suddenly, here he is. Lizzie wonders, quite seriously, if she's some sort of wizard with the previously undiscovered talent of conjuring up friends exactly when she needs them the most.
Thank god her mother went out to catch an early-bird sale this morning. There'd be no avoiding an honest explanation if she was here for all this.
Lizzie's heart is in her throat as she wraps her arm around Lydia's shoulders to guide her reluctant sister down the stairs. If she wasn't holding her sister so tightly, she suspects that her hands would be shaking.
She holds her breath as she enters the den and sees him standing there, looking utterly calm and composed in his jacket and tie. His eyes meet hers as soon as she enters the room, but they immediately dart away, as if he can't bear to look at her.
Oh.
She feels temporarily winded by his reaction. But she reminds herself that Darcy always plays his emotions very close to his chest. She won't have any answers to her questions until she has a chance to get him alone. And even then, she might have to pry her answers out of him.
Deep down inside, she feels certain that Darcy isn't just here because of Lydia or George or Gigi. He's here, at least in part, because of her.
The thought is a little overwhelming, and more than little confusing. She has no idea how she's supposed to respond to this sort of gesture.
There's not enough seating in the den for everyone, so Lizzie lets her father, Lydia, and Jane sit in the chairs across from the sofa currently occupied by team-Darcy, while she stands. She has too much nervous energy to sit anyway.
She watches and listens as Darcy and Gigi blame themselves-over and over again-for not warning everyone about Wickham. For not stopping him in time.
They say that they are responsible for not protecting their friends from his actions, and they insist on shouldering all the expenses.
They have everything in place.
All they need is for Lydia to sign a few papers, and they can make everything go away.
Lizzie is both overwhelmed with gratitude and deeply frustrated. Frustrated that she didn't accept Darcy's offer of help from the start and that she didn't call him days ago. Frustrated that her father is still so convinced that Darcy is an unpleasant snob that he needs him to repeat his motives half a dozen times before he believes him. Most of all, she is frustrated that her family will now owe Darcy a debt they can never repay.
And, though she feels ashamed even to think it, she is frustrated that he barely glances at her. That he hardly acknowledges her presence in the room. That he looks so freaking composed and professional. Robot Darcy is back with a vengeance.
Lizzie knows that she's hardly essential to the business at hand. But she longs of some sort of sign as to what he's expects from her. Does he expect anything at all? What the hell will all this mean for the two of them?
It's stupid and selfish to fixate on something that never happened. Something that very well may never happen. Especially when all the solutions they've been searching for over the past week are being handed to them on a silver platter.
But she can't help it.
All she wants is for him to look at her. To see something in his eyes to let her know what he wants from her.
It gives her pause to realize how much she's come to care what he thinks of her, because that used to be that least of her concerns. Now, however, she feels quite the opposite. As soon as Lydia's video is wiped out of existence, what Darcy thinks of her is at the forefront of her mind-no matter how immature and self-centered that might be.
His opinions matter to her. He matters to her-in ways she's nowhere near ready to understand or admit.
Lizzie's impatience grows with every passing minute. She feels nearly ready to jump up and down with frustration as the lawyer starts slowly explaining the various legal documents he spreads out on the coffee table in front of her father and Lydia. Can't he just cut to the chase and have her sign the damn things?
But that's when Lizzie realizes that even team-Darcy to the rescue might not be enough to save this day, because Lydia asks a question. "What will all this mean for George?"
Lizzie feels heart drop. No. Nononono. Lydia didn't use her "kill the bastard, vengeance is mine!" voice. Instead, she used the soft, pained, "why didn't he love me?" voice.
Crap.
"Well," says the lawyer, "he's named as a co-defendant in the lawsuit."
"But what does that mean? What will it do to him?" Lydia asks.
"It means that he'll have to share in the burden of the legal fees, as well as in any damages that the judge awards to you. There are also several avenues of potential criminal prosecution that we could pursue."
"Oh no. No. I don't want that. I don't want any of that." Lydia looks almost as shocked as she did when Lizzie first showed her the website.
This is not a good sign. Lizzie sucks on her bottom lip and fights to restrain herself from shouting at her sister that yes, that is exactly what she should want.
"The criminal prosecution is not necessary," says Darcy, finally showing a few flickers of emotion. Is he actually being-comforting? "The lawsuit should be more than sufficient to take down the website and provide for eliminating any and all copies of the recording."
"George doesn't have any money," says Lydia. "I don't want him to have to pay for any of this. I want him to take down the website, but I don't want to hurt him. I just want to erase it all, and put it behind me."
The lawyer coughs. "Well, without the threat of financial penalties, he may be unwilling to comply with the cease and desist order. And it will make destroying all copies of the video a more complicated task. This is really just a starting point for negotiation purposes. In all likelihood, this will be settled out of court."
Lydia shook her head. "I don't care. I know he's done a lot of crappy things, but I still don't want to hurt him. I don't want to punish him. I just want this to go away."
"Miss Bennet, I'm not certain if you understand-" begins the lawyer.
Lydia cuts him off. "I won't sign anything that makes George pay money. I can't."
"Lydia!" Lizzie can't stop the frustrated cry.
Lydia looks back and frowns. But before she can respond their father speaks up.
"Really, sweetheart. You have to see reason. This is the best chance to avoid permanently damaging your reputation. Think of your future."
"No, Dad-" Lydia begins.
"Lydia," a new voice interrupts.
Lizzie raises her eyebrows in surprise as Lydia turns to the new speaker-Gigi. It is the first time she's spoken up since the initial introductions.
"Do you know who I am?" Gigi asks, holding Lydia's gaze.
Lydia nods briefly, and glances over her shoulder at Lizzie before turning back to Gigi. "Yeah. I've seen the videos."
Lizzie holds her breath. Where is Gigi going with this?
"I won't pretend to know exactly what you're thinking or feeling," says Gigi, earnestly looking into Lydia's eyes. "But I do think I understand what you're going through better than anyone else here. I understand why you don't want to sign the papers, and why you don't want to hurt George. I don't want to hurt him either. Do you-do you want to take a short walk? Just the two of us? I promise I won't pressure you to do anything you don't want to do. We don't even have to talk, if you don't want to. You just look like you could use a break for a few minutes."
Lydia stares at Gigi in silence for a few moments. Lizzie can't even begin to imagine what must be going through her head. Finally, Lydia says, "Yeah. Sure. A walk would be nice."
Gigi nods, her smile warm, and the two girls stand.
"We'll be back in a few minutes," says Gigi, following Lydia to the front door.
Lizzie slumps in relief. If anyone can charm Lydia into signing the papers it's Gigi. That girl has more charm than any one human being should be allowed.
Lizzie's eyes linger on the door as Lydia slips on some shoes and they head outside. Once the door closes, she looks back toward the sofa. And finds Darcy looking right at her.
His eyes are so full of deep, indecipherable emotion that Lizzie takes a step back and steadies herself against the wall.
Darcy's eyes linger for a moment before her father draws him back into a conversation about the details of the proposed lawsuit.
Lizzie takes a deep breath.
Well. That was something.
For a while now it's been dawning on her that "Robot Darcy" is merely the veneer he wears when he's nervous or trying to put on a good show-and that look in his eyes confirmed to her just how difficult that veneer is to maintain. Every single day of her stay in Netherfield he must have fought to keep up that act.
If only he'd realized how much more she would have liked him if he was just his natural shy and awkward self. Where would they have been now?
She continues to study his face as he and his lawyer talk things through with her father and Jane, and she notices details that weren't apparent during her initial emotional haze. He has slight bags under his eyes, like he's had a lot of late nights over the past week. There is a small scab just under his left sideburn where he must have nicked himself shaving. And there is fresh dirt on his shoes, as if he spent a fair amount of time walking outside before coming to their door. Apparently Lizzie isn't the only one with a lot of nervous energy, right now.
God, she hopes Gigi can change Lydia's mind.
Lizzie tries to focus on that thought. Because now that her frustration is gone, her stomach feels all wobbly with questions that she doesn't know how to answer.
Gigi and Lydia are gone for more than a few minutes.
After finishing his questions about the lawsuit, her father suggests they all step into the kitchen for some coffee.
Lizzie lingers by the wall as everyone else leaves the den ahead of her, and she manages to catch Darcy's gaze again as he passes her. Their eyes lock for just a moment, and she feels an almost palpable energy pass between them before he casual tilts his head and gestures for her to follow them to the kitchen.
She feels like she has so much to say, but her mind refuses to formulate the words. Still, she can't stop herself from reaching forward to lightly grab his wrist just as they step into the kitchen.
He freezes like a kid in a game of tag, and meets her eyes again.
Lizzie lets go of his wrist immediately. Not that she wants to. But really, everything is so weird and confusing and uncertain. She needs to pace herself. She needs to figure out where she stands-and she needs to figure out exactly what she wants here, because, quite frankly, she still isn't entirely sure.
"Hey," she says, still floundering for some words.
"Lizzie," he replies. "I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk before-everything. I wasn't sure if you'd want me to come if I told you what I was planning. I understand how much your independence means to you."
"You don't have to apologize," says Lizzie, shaking her head. How did he spend six months perpetually saying the wrong thing, yet now he nearly always gets it just right? "I-I was actually thinking about calling you. To ask for help. Earlier this morning."
His eyebrows arch a little, and his lips curve ever-so-slightly into the smile she's grown so fond of over the past several weeks. "You were?" He has almost the same look in his eyes that he'd had when he invited her to join him for lunch in the Pemberley cafeteria just after his costume theater performance as Fitz. That had been a pretty great lunch.
"I was," she says softly.
The way he looks at her leaves her more flustered than ever, so she looks away before she manages to stammer out her next sentence. "Thank you. For all of this. It means a lot that you would do this for my sister. You really didn't have to-"
"I meant what I said." Darcy's tone is firm. "I feel responsible. I could have prevented this. When I heard that, once again, George had chosen to seek financial gain by hurting someone I care about, there's nothing that could have prevented me from working to stop him."
Lizzie feels about a dozen butterflies take flight in her chest as she raises her eyes to meet his gaze again. "I didn't realize you cared so much about Lydia." She almost bites her tongue as soon as the words are out of her mouth. God-you do not flirt about your sister being taken advantage of. What the hell is wrong with her today?
Darcy's lips hover slightly apart, and his face looks a little flushed. This time he's the one who lowers his gaze. "I . . ."
"How do you take your coffee, Mr. Darcy?" calls her father from the other side of the kitchen.
Darcy shoves his hands in his pockets and straightens up. Lizzie watches as his face settles back into its Robot-Darcy mask.
"Black with two sugars, thank you," he says.
Lizzie sighs. "Go drink your coffee. We can talk more later. When all this is done."
He nods and steps across the kitchen to take the offered mug.
Lizzie thinks that she could use some coffee, too. Her brain is not at all with it today.
Once everyone is most of the way through their coffee, Lydia and Gigi finally return. Lizzie rushes out of the kitchen as soon as she hears the front door open, and gets there in time to see the two girls walk in, their elbows linked together.
That has got to be a good sign. Right?
Lydia glances at Lizzie with red-rimmed eyes and flashes her a bittersweet smile just before the rest of the crowd arrives. Lydia looks right at their father and announces that she's ready to sign the papers.
As everyone heads back into the den, Lizzie clutches the banister on the stairs to steady herself. The adrenaline and anger that she's been running on for the past week is still in high gear, and she's not sure if she can bring herself to feel relieved just yet. She manages to gesture to Gigi, who joins her by the stairs instead of heading into the den.
"How did you do it? How did you convince her sign?"
Gigi frowns a little and hesitates.
"Is it a secret?" asks Lizzie. What in the world did Gigi confide in Lydia to make this happen?
"No. Not really. But I don't think you'll like it," replies Gigi, "I promised to pay all of George's legal expenses out of my own trust fund."
Lizzie's jaw drops. "But-but-after what he did to you-"
"Yes. After what he did to me. And after what he did to Lydia." Gigi shakes her head. "I don't expect you to understand. Just-accept it. Lydia doesn't want to hurt him. Give her that. She needs control over something right now, and this what she chose. Let her have it."
Gigi is right. Lizzie doesn't understand. But she hasn't been where Lydia and Gigi have been. It's time to admit that she doesn't have all the answers, and let someone else take the reins. She clamps her mouth shut and nods.
Gigi smiles. "Don't worry, Lizzie. Just because I promised not to let this hurt him financially, doesn't mean we can't scare him a little first." She winks, and then heads into the den.
Lizzie smiles-a real smile-for the first time today. Gigi might just be her favorite person in the world, right now.
~ ~ ~
As Tilney walks Lydia through the documents one at a time, allowing her to sign each in turn, William's eyes keep drifting up to look at Lizzie. She seems pretty focused on the process of signing, but every once in a while he'll catch her gaze flicking in his direction.
His heart is pounding, and he hasn't felt so nervous and excited around her since the evening at Collins and Collins when he'd first worked up the courage to confess his feelings to her.
He doesn't much care for that comparison.
But things have changed so much since that night. They are friends, now. Real friends. And she had been thinking of him-wanting to call him.
This information changes everything. It gives him hope greater than he's ever dared to embrace before. But as the signing moves forward, doubts begin to intrude. Was she thinking of him because she wanted to speak to him as a friend, or because she recognized the potential benefits his resources could bring to her family dilemma? Would it be such a bad thing if had been a combination of both?
As Lydia signs the final paper, Lizzie's eyes meet his again, and this time she smiles.
His whole body thrums with anxious energy. There is more in her expression than simple gratitude. He's certain of it of this time.
He knows her, now. He's beginning to understand her. There's definitely something there that wasn't there before.
Now, the question remains, what should he do about it? And how soon?
It seems prudent to move slowly. To give her and her family a little space so she knows he has no expectations based on any perceived sense of obligation.
How long will be enough? Two weeks? Three? He's not sure if he can bear to wait that long.
While Tilney carefully stacks the documents and returns them to his briefcase, everyone stands. There is much thanking and shaking of hands over the next few minutes, and William's heart is warmed by the soft smile on Lydia's face.
She looks as if a burden has been lifted. But he knows full well that there will be months more of healing ahead of her. For that, he has no solutions to offer.
Lydia pulls Gigi off to one side of the room to speak in low tones and Mr. Bennet steps up to occupy William's attention.
"Truly, I have no words to thank you enough," the man repeats for at least the third time.
"Really, I am happy to have helped."
"And I know this lawyer and his associates must be costing you hefty sum," says Mr. Bennet, "I need to repay you. I can't let you shoulder this debt. She's my daughter. I should pay."
William's eyes widen a little and he searches for the right answer. This is a complication he'd hoped to avoid. "No. I'm only making amends for my own failure. You have no need to repay anything."
"She's my daughter," Mr. Bennet insists, and then drops his voice, "this is as much my failure as anyone's. Please."
"I-but-Tilney is on retainer for my company. He'd be paid regardless-"
Mr. Bennet frowns. "I'm an educated man, Darcy. I know the way the world works, and I'm not fooled for an instant to think you'd let your company pay for personal legal matters like this. Don't take pity on me. I may not be able to pay you back all at once, or even in full, but rest assured, I will pay you."
William feels ashamed for his attempted deception, and his respect for Mr. Bennet grows by the moment. He nods. "I apologize. You're right, of course. I did intend to pay for Tilney's time personally. I shouldn't have implied otherwise. I understand your position, and if you truly insist upon it, I will happy to receive your repayment."
"I do insist." Mr. Bennet nods with an air of finality.
"Very well. Once Tilney works up his final bill, I'll forward you the pertinent information and we'll work out a payment schedule. Will that suffice?" Not that he intends to pass even half the burden of these expenses onto the Bennets, who can ill afford it.
"It will."
He shakes Mr. Bennet's hand again. When the man heads toward Tilney, no doubt for another round of thank you's, William turns his glance to where Lizzie and Jane stand in the front foyer speaking softly. He is pondering how to approach them when Gigi bounds across the den to where he stands.
"Hey-I was hoping I could take Lydia out to lunch before we leave. She wants to talk some more, and," Gigi smiles, "I like her. I want to hang out while I have the chance."
"Yes. I'm certain we can make that work," says William, just as he finds Lizzie suddenly at his side.
"You want to take Lydia to lunch?" she says. "That would be so great. You have no idea how happy I am that you're talking to her about things. Sometimes I have no clue what to say to her. Do you guys need a car? You can borrow mine."
"That would be very helpful, considering the three of us arrived in the same vehicle," says William, tilting his head to indicate Tilney. He's pleased to see how well Gigi is getting along with Lydia. If their families are to ever become more closely associated, it will help to have another ally among their ranks.
He glances at Lizzie, feeling warmly embarrassed about his thoughts. It's too soon. He needs to be patient.
As for today, there are other matters to attend to.
He follows Lizzie and the other girls toward the door, where Lizzie passes off her keys to Lydia. He bides his time, waiting for his sister and her new friend to depart before speaking with Lizzie again.
But as soon as he opens his mouth to speak, she's already beaten him to it.
"What now? I mean-the website isn't down yet. So what happens next?"
"The lawsuit will be served to the distribution company sometime over the weekend. And it'll be served to George, as well. Then, unless they're fools, they'll pull the site immediately."
"Let's hope they're not fools," answers Lizzie, peering out the nearby window to watch Lydia and Gigi drive away. She stares after them for a moment, resting her palm against the cool glass.
She looks tired. And he can't blame her. The past week can't have been easy on any of them.
"Do you know where George is?" Her voice is tinged with bitterness, and she curls her fingers like claws as she trails them down the window.
A part of him wants to keep this information a secret from her. He hasn't even confided his whole plan to Gigi, though he's sure she suspects. But he's kept too many secrets from Lizzie for too long. It's worn him down. He won't keep this one.
"Yes. I do."
She looks up at him with fiery expectation in her eyes.
He hopes his plans will meet with her approval. "I have a P.I. who located George in Newport Beach. He texted me early this morning to let me know that he's trailing him. I've instructed him to keep tabs on George all day. Once Tilney puts the finishing touches on the paperwork, I plan on taking it with me and heading south. I want to be there to see the look on George's face when the P.I. serves him with the lawsuit. I want to be there to make sure he knows exactly how serious we are." He can't stop his voice from taking on a hard edge. He's never been a vengeful sort of man, but George's treatment of Lydia has stirred up too many old demons. His two previous attempts to distance himself from George failed. This time, he's determined to make certain that George never dares to come within shouting distance of anyone connected to the Darcy family ever again.
Lizzie scowls. "You're going there today? To personally take him down?"
"I am." He hopes she doesn't think less of him for it.
She steps closer to him, staring up with eyes flashing with anger. "I'm coming with you."
William blinks in surprise. Though he shouldn't be-not after what she's said about George in her most recent videos.
"I'm her sister," Lizzie hisses in a low, harsh voice. "If anyone has the right to be there, it's me."
Clearly William isn't the only one with vengeance on the mind. He doesn't like the idea of putting Lizzie in the middle of such an ugly conflict. But Gigi's recent example has proven to him that sometimes he needs to stop protecting the women in his life, and instead step aside and let them do what needs to be done.
He lets out a small sigh and nods. "You're right. You do."
She raises her eyebrows and takes a step back. "You mean-you'll let me come?"
A vengeance-driven road trip is absolutely not the way he'd hoped to spend a day alone with her, but he'd have to take what fate handed to him. "Yes. I will. I hope to leave no later than four, after I drop Tilney and Gigi at the airport. We won't make it back here tonight, so pack an overnight bag. I'll text you when I'm on my way to pick you up."
She nods eagerly after every sentence. "Okay. Good. I'll pack and be ready for you. Wow. So. We're really doing this." She looks stunned, but undeniably pleased.
"Indeed. It seems that we are."
A few minutes later, when he heads out to his car with Tilney, William still feels dazed and flustered. His whole frame buzzes with nervous energy-and almost none of it has to do with facing down George.
In just a few hours, he and Lizzie will be hitting the road and he has no idea where it will take them.
TBC
chapter 2
Fandom: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Characters: Lizzie Bennet/William Darcy, Lydia, Jane, Gigi, George, Mr. Bennet
Rating: R overall (PG this part)
Word Count: ~8,500
Summary: William Darcy has a plan to stop George Wickham. He needs Lydia and a car. What he doesn't plan for is Lizzie inviting herself along for the ride. A road trip AU.
Author's Note: I've compressed the timeline of Lizzie's videos during the sex-tape arc, having her post 85 on the Saturday after returning home, 86 with Jane on Monday, and 87 with Lydia on Thursday. I did this mostly because I prefer this faster pacing and I don't like the cliché of stopping the bad-guy just in the nick of time. I'd much rather stop him well before the deadline, thank you very much. Much thanks to the wonderful beta work of Kyrie Anne. I expect this to run a total of 2-3 chapters.
It's been one week since Lizzie received Charlotte's frantic call.
One week since Darcy's assistant booked her a flight and called her a car and sent her to the airport.
One week since the website.
"Seriously. Lots of grad students work. I can do it-especially if it's only part-time. This P.I. is charging an arm and a leg. Please. I want to help," Lizzie pleads for what feels like the twentieth time.
Her father grips his mug of tea a little tighter and shakes his head. He looks as worn and tired as she's ever seen him. "Not yet, Lizzie. We have a little savings to dip into. Let me handle things a bit longer. There's still plenty of time to stop this."
Lizzie bites her bottom lip to stop herself from blurting out that the P.I. hasn't done much good so far. And that even if they manage to find George in time it might take formal legal action to stop the tape. Lawyers charge even more than P.I.s.
Maybe the Starbucks in their neighborhood is looking for a new barista? She could do that and still manage her independent studies, couldn't she? She'll pick up an application in the morning.
In the one week since the website, Lizzie has done next to nothing on her independent study. Thinking about Pemberley-remembering what she had to leave behind so abruptly-hurts in an unexpected way, so she does her best to block it out.
Instead, in between calling Jane home and helping her father, she's posted four new videos. They chronicle the moment she received the call from Charlotte, her first terrible confrontation with Lydia (the one that still makes her ache with guilt), her desperate plea to her viewers to avoid the website, Jane's wonderfully soothing return, and, in the video she filmed this morning, another conversation with Lydia.
Since hearing Jane's advice on Sunday, Lizzie has watched all of Lydia's videos. She saw her sister's loneliness and pain first-hand. She watched her being slowly cut off from the people she cared about the most, and then sucked into that painful, abusive relationship.
Lizzie had never felt so sick. She'd never felt so blind. Or like such a failure.
Finally, this morning, as she filmed the most recent video she talked things through with Lydia. She held her as she cried. She told her how much she loves her.
But she's not sure if it will be enough to heal the hurt she's caused.
Whenever she sees Lydia drifting through the halls, her face downcast, Lizzie remembers all the times she called her sister a slut and all the times she's publicly shamed her for her party-girl behavior. Each of those times she pushed Lydia further and further away, and those memories burn like ulcers deep inside of her.
Lizzie has begun to wonder whether it would have made a difference if she'd set a better example of empowered, responsible sexuality for sister. But that was never in the cards.
Somewhere between childhood Sunday school, the four summers of Christian youth camp (with its pro-abstinence exterior and its seedy underbelly of adolescent hormones), and her high school freshman heath class which featured a very graphic slide-show of the physical symptoms of various sexually transmitted diseases, Lizzie had developed a long list of sexual hang-ups.
During her teens she had quietly vowed that only the deepest love (and a commitment to long-term monogamy) would induce her into a sexual relationship. She felt strengthened and validated in her choice when it became apparent that both Jane and Charlotte had made a similar choice.
As a consequence, Lizzie has only had two lovers in her life. And she spent her young adult years looking down her nose at anyone who chose a more promiscuous, "less enlightened," (or so she thought) path in life. Some of her advice and criticism probably was correct, but just as much of it wasn't.
Lizzie feels sick to her stomach as she thinks about it. Why was she so certain that her way was the "right" way? And what damage has she done to her sister in the process? If Lydia hadn't been shamed and criticized at every turn, maybe she would have had more confidence. Maybe she could have stayed closer to her sisters and friends. Maybe she wouldn't have been so vulnerable to someone like George . . . .
Yes. It's hard for Lizzie not to blame herself at least in part.
So she tells Lydia that she loves her, again and again. She tells Lydia not to blame herself. She tells Lydia that they'll get through this together. Because it's all she knows how to do.
She has no other answers, so she sits up, late at night, drinking tea with her father and contemplating a barista career. Because she has to do something. Anything to make this right, again.
Though she's not quite sure what right is anymore.
Her father shakes his head. "Go to bed Lizzie. Things will seem better in the morning. They always do."
She wishes she could agree.
When Lizzie slips into her bed, she stares at the bubbling fish tank, and watches the brightly colored tropical fish dart around and the seahorses float near the bottom. When she can't fall asleep, instead of counting sheep, she starts to count her mistakes. All the times she publicly criticized and condemned her little sister. All the times she balked at taking real risks with her life because staying home with her parents and sisters seemed so much easier and safer. All the people she's misjudged-Bing, Caroline, George, Charlotte, Lydia . . . and Darcy.
He's the one person who might actually be able to help. He has the resources, the money, and even some motive . . .
She squeezes her eyes shut. She can't let herself think about him. Not anymore.
As soon as he put his assistant to work on arranging Lizzie's trip home, he'd vanished without even a proper goodbye.
She'd begun to think that he still-no. It doesn't matter what she'd begun to think. All that matters is that he cares too much about protecting his sister to let himself get mixed up with George Wickham, again. No. He won't be coming anywhere near this particular problem.
Lizzie's friendship-or whatever else it might have been-with Darcy is over. She needs to accept that. Now is the time to focus on Lydia. Not on what might have been.
~ ~ ~
When Lizzie's new video goes up on Thursday, William watches it as Gigi hovers over his shoulder.
His chest tightens when Lizzie's face appears on his screen, just as it does every time he sees her. But seeing her in pain, as he has over the course of the past week, intensifies everything. He wants so much to make things right. To see her smile and laugh again.
He hears Gigi sniffle a few times during the video, but he doesn't dare turn to look.
The whole scene is far too familiar. He remembers holding Gigi like that as she sobbed over George. Was it really two years ago, now? It feels so much closer. A wound that still aches in the quiet hours of the night.
"We could have prevented this," Gigi says as the video ends. "You should have warned them about George as soon as he turned up in town."
William nods slowly. "You're right." His pride and desire for privacy had stopped him from speaking up. But sometimes the truth needs to be shared, even if it hurts.
"I am?"
"You are." He holds her gaze, and sees the corners of her lips turn up ever so slightly.
He's always been too hard on her. The obvious pleasure she gets from his faint praise is proof of that. Apparently that's another item he needs to add to his growing list of "Things William Darcy Needs to Improve On."
It can go right below, "Open and honest communication," and, "Make amends for past mistakes."
Gigi takes a deep breath. "Have you heard from the P.I.?"
William nods. "He has some strong leads as to George's whereabouts."
"Newport Beach? Like I told you?" Gigi seems almost nervous repeating her admission regarding her one-time romantic getaway destination.
She shouldn't be nervous to speak the truth. William frowns a little. Yes-he really needs to be more easy-going with her. "Yes. The P.I. has located several of George's old friends in the area, and he feels confident that he'll locate the man himself very soon."
"And Fitz's contacts?"
"They've found the distributor. Tilney is drawing up the legal paperwork to stop distribution right now. I was only waiting for confirmation that Lydia would be amenable to authorizing our actions. I'm still not entirely certain . . ." That's been the one major stumbling block in his endeavors to help the Bennets. William was uncertain until he saw Lizzie's video over the weekend that the tape was being released without Lydia's consent. And even now, he's not sure if the heartbroken girl will want to bring the full force of his legal team down on George.
"She'll do it," says Gigi. She folds her arms and gives him a pointed look.
William frowns again and rubbed his chin. "She is still very much in love with him. I'm not certain she'll be ready to take such extreme measures-"
"I need to talk to her. Let's go down. Today, if we can. We'll bring Tilney with us, and we can talk to Lydia in person. I know I can get through to her." Gigi's jaw is set in a hard expression that reminds him all too much of their father.
He won't be able to talk her down. But his stomach stirs at the thought of seeing Lizzie again under these circumstances. She made it clear that she didn't want or need his help. Would he be overstepping his place? Would this action end whatever chance they might have had once and for all? Or, worse, would she feel obligated to him? He never wanted that kind of relationship with her.
He closes his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath. This is exactly the kind of self-centered thinking that got him in trouble with Lizzie over the summer.
William has always worked to maintain a high degree of order and balance in his life. And, over the past decade, he brought his love life into the same orderly pattern that he strives for in his professional life.
Since reaching his teens, William has had (not necessarily in this order) exactly two puppy-love crushes, two somewhat juvenile relationships that never made it past making out, two one-night stands, two purely sexual flings, and two achingly frustrating friendships in which he wanted more but the women in question did not. He has only had one relationship which successfully balanced friendship, romance, and sex. Unfortunately, it ended badly. Very badly.
When his time at Netherfield ended, it seemed that Lizzie would be third woman to enter the "never-more-than-friends" category. It ate at him. It disrupted the pattern of his life just as badly as she had disrupted the order of his mind.
He couldn’t stop thinking about her, even as he worked to keep her sister and his friend apart. So when his aunt casually mentioned Lizzie's presence at Collins and Collins, he'd done something completely out of character-something not at all orderly or balanced.
He'd gone after her.
Oh, he rationalized his impetuousness with flimsy excuses. He wanted to make sure she fell into his relationship pattern as the second successful, well-balanced relationship, rather than become a third unrequited friendship. He convinced himself that all their heated debates at Netherfield had made as much of a mark on her heart as they had on his.
But really, he'd been selfish. He'd grown accustomed to getting his way, and once he realized that, in spite of his reservations, Lizzie was what he wanted, he'd fully expected to have her.
Though it still stings, at times, he's grateful for the lessons in humility, communication and respect that her rejection (and her videos) taught him.
Ever since he has been trying to see the world from other perspectives. Trying to open his mind to viewpoints he wouldn't have considered before. Trying to approach his life with the attitude of "what is best," and "what is right," rather than, "what do I want," or, "what is best for me."
When Lizzie came to Pemberley, he made no plans and held no expectations. He strove to live each day as if it would be his last chance to make a new, better impression on her. To show with each moment that her words had changed him.
Even when he'd worked up the nerve to invite her to the theater, he fought down any expectations. If she thought of it as a friendly outing, he would content himself with that. If she thought of it as a date, he wouldn't push their intimacy any faster than she wanted go. And if she declined to go, he would accept her rejection gracefully. He'd been determined to let Lizzie dictate the course of their future interactions.
He learned to let go of his order and his patterns.
That's why he can't let himself fixate on the personal ramifications of acting against George. What matters is that he could have prevented George from abusing the trust of that girl and her family, and he failed to do so. He needs to make amends, regardless of the personal cost.
He'll have to deal with the personal fallout later. After the immediate problem is resolved.
"Very well. We'll head out as soon as Tilney has the papers ready."
Gigi flashes a triumphant smile, and William's stomach stirs again. He hopes they're making the right choice.
~ ~ ~
Lizzie dreams of Darcy that night.
It's not the first time he's appeared in her dreams, but this is his first featured role. They're back at the Gibson wedding (or something much like it) where they first met.
Darcy is wearing the newsie hat and bowtie he had on for the wedding, but she is wearing the shlubby grey hoodie she's been wearing a lot this past week and her hair is in a messy ponytail. None of this deters Darcy from asking her to dance. And instead of failing to find an excuse to get out of it, like she had at the wedding, she quickly says yes.
He holds her closer than necessary as they sway to the music, and the dance is anything but awkward. His large hand on her shoulder feels warm, even through her clothes, and his cologne smells fresh and clean and outdoorsy.
Somehow everyone else at the wedding has vanished, and it's just them and the music. She leans against his chest and he holds her close, both of them barely swaying to the music. She knows if she lifts her head and looks up, he'll kiss her. Call it dream intuition.
But she won't lift her head.
She sucks on her bottom lip and buries her face in his shirt and fights the urge to let go and give in.
She's aware enough, now, to know that the memory of kissing William Darcy will do nothing but torture her for weeks to come, even if it's only in a dream.
Eventually the music fades and the dance disappears and the dream dissolves into a blur of confusing images.
She wakes up still remembering the warmth of his hands.
She stretches and sits up to stare at the fish, bobbing along in their blissful ignorance.
For the first time since coming home, she gives serious thought to calling him. Not because of the dream. Well-not just because of the dream.
Rather, because, in the quiet of the early morning, she finally sees what has been plaguing her and frightening her every bit as much as the worry that video might actually go public. It's a question: If she was so horribly wrong about Lydia, what else might she be wrong about?
It's a question that shakes her to her core, especially as she looks back on all the many, many things she was wrong about over the past year. Her certainty of Jane and Bing's happiness-wrong. Her belief that Charlotte taking the job with Ricky would be a mistake-wrong. Her conviction that Caroline was a true and helpful friend-wrong. Her opinion that George was a charming and honest guy-wrong. Dead wrong.
And, as the dream has so forcefully reminded her, her judgment that Darcy was just a douche-y, robotic snob was so horribly, horribly wrong.
For a short moment she even allows herself to wonder if her assumption that he no longer wants to be her friend stems from her growing belief that she doesn't deserve his friendship-or anyone else's, for that matter-rather than from anything true. Maybe he really would show up, money and resources in hand, if she only had the courage to dial her phone and ask for his help.
After all, this is the man who Bing, Gigi, and Fitz have all sworn will do anything to help the people he cares about. And they are three of the kindest, sweetest people she's ever met. This is the man who built a company that respects and values all of its employees and provides them with the best possible facilities and resources. This is the man who, at the age of twenty, stepped up to take on the role of parent for his thirteen year old sister after their mother and father died in an accident.
Lizzie can't even image how hard it would have been to shepherd an impetuous and heartbroken Gigi through her tumultuous teen years.
The bottom line: William Darcy is a good man.
Yes-if Lizzie calls on him, he will probably step up and help. It's in his nature.
But will he do it because he feels obligated to help because of his history with George? Or will he do it because he still cares about her?
In the long run, do his motives really matter?
They shouldn't. Not when he could do so much to help her sister. But still, they do. They matter to her. And she's not sure why.
She's not sure of anything, anymore. After all her missteps this past year, nothing is certain. Not her thesis, not her family relationships, not her friendships. None of her own judgments or opinions hold any weight anymore.
She no longer trusts herself.
After staring at his name in the contacts list in her phone for a long, long time, she finally sets it aside.
Not yet. Maybe she'll get that desperate sometime in the next few days. But not yet.
~ ~ ~
William clenches his teeth as he presses the bell next to the Bennets' door. His whole body tingles with anxious anticipation. Though they arrived in town late last night, he deemed it appropriate to wait until morning to disturb them. He hopes eight-thirty isn't too early.
Gigi looks unusually serene next to him, and he wonders if he looks the same to her. They're cut from the same cloth after all.
The door opens, and Jane Bennet blinks at him, a shocked look on her face. After a moment she regains her composure. "Darcy! Hi, wow, it's-it's so good to see you."
William almost laughs at her trademark greeting. He squeezes his fists at his side and nods. "It's good to see you again, Jane. I'm sorry to bother you this early, but I'm here on important business. Is Lydia available to talk to me? And, your father might be interested in hearing what I have to say, as well."
Jane knits her brows in obvious confusion. "Lydia? You're here to talk to Lydia? Uh-she's not really up to visitors, right now. Maybe if you told me what you're here for . . .?"
"Of course. This is my lawyer, and good friend, Hank Tilney," says William, gesturing behind him to where Tilney stands. "I'm aware of the difficult situation Lydia is facing at the moment, and I'd like to offer our assistance with certain legal matters."
Gigi shakes her head. "Stop being so stiff, William. No wonder you made such a bad first impression." She turns to meet Jane's curious gaze. "We're here as friends. We want to help. I'm Gigi, by the way. His sister." She gestures at William.
His chest swells. His sister had a talent for connecting with people that he's always lacked. She'd been right to insist on coming along.
Jane moves her mouth soundlessly for a moment, taken aback. "Really? You think you can take down the website and stop-stop everything?"
"Yes." William steps forward, hoping she will see the sincerity in his eyes. "That's exactly what we can do."
Jane ushers them into the den, uttering phrases of bewildered thanks before hurrying off to find her father and Lydia.
He sits stiffly on the sofa, Gigi and Tilney on either side of him, and stares around the room that he's never seen outside of Lizzie's videos. It's very much like he imagined, including Lizzie's camera and tripod huddled in the corner, as if waiting for her to appear at any moment. He thinks he's prepared to see her again, but one can never be completely certain on matters involving this much emotional baggage.
After a few minutes William shifts his weight a few times. Gigi begins tapping her foot impatiently. Tilney shuffles papers in his briefcase.
At last, he hears the sound of people approaching.
William rises to his feet as the group enters the den, his nerves lighting back up, and he can see Gigi and Tilney standing beside him out of the corners of his vision.
Jane and Mr. Bennet lead the way, a pale and nervous-looking Lydia following behind, with Lizzie's supportive arm wrapped around her shoulders.
William's heart races as his eyes meet Lizzie's. Her expression, normally so open, is unreadable.
He breathes in slowly to steady his nerves. He can't think about Lizzie right now, no matter how much he wants to. He has business to attend to.
His eyes flick to her father. "Mr. Bennet, Lydia, Lizzie." He says her name in a low, rough tone.
He coughs to clear his throat, and then looks back to Mr. Bennet, striving to keep his focus on him and Lydia. "I'm sorry to see you again under such difficult circumstances. But," William takes his cue from Gigi, "I'm here as a friend. To help."
Mr. Bennet seems wary as he speaks. "Jane tells me you have a way to stop this website. Is this true?"
William nods. "Yes. It is."
"But why? Why would you go out of your way to help my girl like this?" Mr. Bennet seems genuinely befuddled.
"Please, sit. Allow me to explain everything."
~ ~ ~
When Jane rushes into Lizzie's room to tell her that Darcy is downstairs with a lawyer, ready and waiting to get rid of the website, Lizzie wonders if this is some sort of dream. But when pinching herself doesn't work and Jane calls on her to help rouse Lydia from her bed, it sinks in that this is actually happening.
Just a few hours ago she was dreaming of him and thinking of him and wondering if she should call him to ask for help, and suddenly, here he is. Lizzie wonders, quite seriously, if she's some sort of wizard with the previously undiscovered talent of conjuring up friends exactly when she needs them the most.
Thank god her mother went out to catch an early-bird sale this morning. There'd be no avoiding an honest explanation if she was here for all this.
Lizzie's heart is in her throat as she wraps her arm around Lydia's shoulders to guide her reluctant sister down the stairs. If she wasn't holding her sister so tightly, she suspects that her hands would be shaking.
She holds her breath as she enters the den and sees him standing there, looking utterly calm and composed in his jacket and tie. His eyes meet hers as soon as she enters the room, but they immediately dart away, as if he can't bear to look at her.
Oh.
She feels temporarily winded by his reaction. But she reminds herself that Darcy always plays his emotions very close to his chest. She won't have any answers to her questions until she has a chance to get him alone. And even then, she might have to pry her answers out of him.
Deep down inside, she feels certain that Darcy isn't just here because of Lydia or George or Gigi. He's here, at least in part, because of her.
The thought is a little overwhelming, and more than little confusing. She has no idea how she's supposed to respond to this sort of gesture.
There's not enough seating in the den for everyone, so Lizzie lets her father, Lydia, and Jane sit in the chairs across from the sofa currently occupied by team-Darcy, while she stands. She has too much nervous energy to sit anyway.
She watches and listens as Darcy and Gigi blame themselves-over and over again-for not warning everyone about Wickham. For not stopping him in time.
They say that they are responsible for not protecting their friends from his actions, and they insist on shouldering all the expenses.
They have everything in place.
All they need is for Lydia to sign a few papers, and they can make everything go away.
Lizzie is both overwhelmed with gratitude and deeply frustrated. Frustrated that she didn't accept Darcy's offer of help from the start and that she didn't call him days ago. Frustrated that her father is still so convinced that Darcy is an unpleasant snob that he needs him to repeat his motives half a dozen times before he believes him. Most of all, she is frustrated that her family will now owe Darcy a debt they can never repay.
And, though she feels ashamed even to think it, she is frustrated that he barely glances at her. That he hardly acknowledges her presence in the room. That he looks so freaking composed and professional. Robot Darcy is back with a vengeance.
Lizzie knows that she's hardly essential to the business at hand. But she longs of some sort of sign as to what he's expects from her. Does he expect anything at all? What the hell will all this mean for the two of them?
It's stupid and selfish to fixate on something that never happened. Something that very well may never happen. Especially when all the solutions they've been searching for over the past week are being handed to them on a silver platter.
But she can't help it.
All she wants is for him to look at her. To see something in his eyes to let her know what he wants from her.
It gives her pause to realize how much she's come to care what he thinks of her, because that used to be that least of her concerns. Now, however, she feels quite the opposite. As soon as Lydia's video is wiped out of existence, what Darcy thinks of her is at the forefront of her mind-no matter how immature and self-centered that might be.
His opinions matter to her. He matters to her-in ways she's nowhere near ready to understand or admit.
Lizzie's impatience grows with every passing minute. She feels nearly ready to jump up and down with frustration as the lawyer starts slowly explaining the various legal documents he spreads out on the coffee table in front of her father and Lydia. Can't he just cut to the chase and have her sign the damn things?
But that's when Lizzie realizes that even team-Darcy to the rescue might not be enough to save this day, because Lydia asks a question. "What will all this mean for George?"
Lizzie feels heart drop. No. Nononono. Lydia didn't use her "kill the bastard, vengeance is mine!" voice. Instead, she used the soft, pained, "why didn't he love me?" voice.
Crap.
"Well," says the lawyer, "he's named as a co-defendant in the lawsuit."
"But what does that mean? What will it do to him?" Lydia asks.
"It means that he'll have to share in the burden of the legal fees, as well as in any damages that the judge awards to you. There are also several avenues of potential criminal prosecution that we could pursue."
"Oh no. No. I don't want that. I don't want any of that." Lydia looks almost as shocked as she did when Lizzie first showed her the website.
This is not a good sign. Lizzie sucks on her bottom lip and fights to restrain herself from shouting at her sister that yes, that is exactly what she should want.
"The criminal prosecution is not necessary," says Darcy, finally showing a few flickers of emotion. Is he actually being-comforting? "The lawsuit should be more than sufficient to take down the website and provide for eliminating any and all copies of the recording."
"George doesn't have any money," says Lydia. "I don't want him to have to pay for any of this. I want him to take down the website, but I don't want to hurt him. I just want to erase it all, and put it behind me."
The lawyer coughs. "Well, without the threat of financial penalties, he may be unwilling to comply with the cease and desist order. And it will make destroying all copies of the video a more complicated task. This is really just a starting point for negotiation purposes. In all likelihood, this will be settled out of court."
Lydia shook her head. "I don't care. I know he's done a lot of crappy things, but I still don't want to hurt him. I don't want to punish him. I just want this to go away."
"Miss Bennet, I'm not certain if you understand-" begins the lawyer.
Lydia cuts him off. "I won't sign anything that makes George pay money. I can't."
"Lydia!" Lizzie can't stop the frustrated cry.
Lydia looks back and frowns. But before she can respond their father speaks up.
"Really, sweetheart. You have to see reason. This is the best chance to avoid permanently damaging your reputation. Think of your future."
"No, Dad-" Lydia begins.
"Lydia," a new voice interrupts.
Lizzie raises her eyebrows in surprise as Lydia turns to the new speaker-Gigi. It is the first time she's spoken up since the initial introductions.
"Do you know who I am?" Gigi asks, holding Lydia's gaze.
Lydia nods briefly, and glances over her shoulder at Lizzie before turning back to Gigi. "Yeah. I've seen the videos."
Lizzie holds her breath. Where is Gigi going with this?
"I won't pretend to know exactly what you're thinking or feeling," says Gigi, earnestly looking into Lydia's eyes. "But I do think I understand what you're going through better than anyone else here. I understand why you don't want to sign the papers, and why you don't want to hurt George. I don't want to hurt him either. Do you-do you want to take a short walk? Just the two of us? I promise I won't pressure you to do anything you don't want to do. We don't even have to talk, if you don't want to. You just look like you could use a break for a few minutes."
Lydia stares at Gigi in silence for a few moments. Lizzie can't even begin to imagine what must be going through her head. Finally, Lydia says, "Yeah. Sure. A walk would be nice."
Gigi nods, her smile warm, and the two girls stand.
"We'll be back in a few minutes," says Gigi, following Lydia to the front door.
Lizzie slumps in relief. If anyone can charm Lydia into signing the papers it's Gigi. That girl has more charm than any one human being should be allowed.
Lizzie's eyes linger on the door as Lydia slips on some shoes and they head outside. Once the door closes, she looks back toward the sofa. And finds Darcy looking right at her.
His eyes are so full of deep, indecipherable emotion that Lizzie takes a step back and steadies herself against the wall.
Darcy's eyes linger for a moment before her father draws him back into a conversation about the details of the proposed lawsuit.
Lizzie takes a deep breath.
Well. That was something.
For a while now it's been dawning on her that "Robot Darcy" is merely the veneer he wears when he's nervous or trying to put on a good show-and that look in his eyes confirmed to her just how difficult that veneer is to maintain. Every single day of her stay in Netherfield he must have fought to keep up that act.
If only he'd realized how much more she would have liked him if he was just his natural shy and awkward self. Where would they have been now?
She continues to study his face as he and his lawyer talk things through with her father and Jane, and she notices details that weren't apparent during her initial emotional haze. He has slight bags under his eyes, like he's had a lot of late nights over the past week. There is a small scab just under his left sideburn where he must have nicked himself shaving. And there is fresh dirt on his shoes, as if he spent a fair amount of time walking outside before coming to their door. Apparently Lizzie isn't the only one with a lot of nervous energy, right now.
God, she hopes Gigi can change Lydia's mind.
Lizzie tries to focus on that thought. Because now that her frustration is gone, her stomach feels all wobbly with questions that she doesn't know how to answer.
Gigi and Lydia are gone for more than a few minutes.
After finishing his questions about the lawsuit, her father suggests they all step into the kitchen for some coffee.
Lizzie lingers by the wall as everyone else leaves the den ahead of her, and she manages to catch Darcy's gaze again as he passes her. Their eyes lock for just a moment, and she feels an almost palpable energy pass between them before he casual tilts his head and gestures for her to follow them to the kitchen.
She feels like she has so much to say, but her mind refuses to formulate the words. Still, she can't stop herself from reaching forward to lightly grab his wrist just as they step into the kitchen.
He freezes like a kid in a game of tag, and meets her eyes again.
Lizzie lets go of his wrist immediately. Not that she wants to. But really, everything is so weird and confusing and uncertain. She needs to pace herself. She needs to figure out where she stands-and she needs to figure out exactly what she wants here, because, quite frankly, she still isn't entirely sure.
"Hey," she says, still floundering for some words.
"Lizzie," he replies. "I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk before-everything. I wasn't sure if you'd want me to come if I told you what I was planning. I understand how much your independence means to you."
"You don't have to apologize," says Lizzie, shaking her head. How did he spend six months perpetually saying the wrong thing, yet now he nearly always gets it just right? "I-I was actually thinking about calling you. To ask for help. Earlier this morning."
His eyebrows arch a little, and his lips curve ever-so-slightly into the smile she's grown so fond of over the past several weeks. "You were?" He has almost the same look in his eyes that he'd had when he invited her to join him for lunch in the Pemberley cafeteria just after his costume theater performance as Fitz. That had been a pretty great lunch.
"I was," she says softly.
The way he looks at her leaves her more flustered than ever, so she looks away before she manages to stammer out her next sentence. "Thank you. For all of this. It means a lot that you would do this for my sister. You really didn't have to-"
"I meant what I said." Darcy's tone is firm. "I feel responsible. I could have prevented this. When I heard that, once again, George had chosen to seek financial gain by hurting someone I care about, there's nothing that could have prevented me from working to stop him."
Lizzie feels about a dozen butterflies take flight in her chest as she raises her eyes to meet his gaze again. "I didn't realize you cared so much about Lydia." She almost bites her tongue as soon as the words are out of her mouth. God-you do not flirt about your sister being taken advantage of. What the hell is wrong with her today?
Darcy's lips hover slightly apart, and his face looks a little flushed. This time he's the one who lowers his gaze. "I . . ."
"How do you take your coffee, Mr. Darcy?" calls her father from the other side of the kitchen.
Darcy shoves his hands in his pockets and straightens up. Lizzie watches as his face settles back into its Robot-Darcy mask.
"Black with two sugars, thank you," he says.
Lizzie sighs. "Go drink your coffee. We can talk more later. When all this is done."
He nods and steps across the kitchen to take the offered mug.
Lizzie thinks that she could use some coffee, too. Her brain is not at all with it today.
Once everyone is most of the way through their coffee, Lydia and Gigi finally return. Lizzie rushes out of the kitchen as soon as she hears the front door open, and gets there in time to see the two girls walk in, their elbows linked together.
That has got to be a good sign. Right?
Lydia glances at Lizzie with red-rimmed eyes and flashes her a bittersweet smile just before the rest of the crowd arrives. Lydia looks right at their father and announces that she's ready to sign the papers.
As everyone heads back into the den, Lizzie clutches the banister on the stairs to steady herself. The adrenaline and anger that she's been running on for the past week is still in high gear, and she's not sure if she can bring herself to feel relieved just yet. She manages to gesture to Gigi, who joins her by the stairs instead of heading into the den.
"How did you do it? How did you convince her sign?"
Gigi frowns a little and hesitates.
"Is it a secret?" asks Lizzie. What in the world did Gigi confide in Lydia to make this happen?
"No. Not really. But I don't think you'll like it," replies Gigi, "I promised to pay all of George's legal expenses out of my own trust fund."
Lizzie's jaw drops. "But-but-after what he did to you-"
"Yes. After what he did to me. And after what he did to Lydia." Gigi shakes her head. "I don't expect you to understand. Just-accept it. Lydia doesn't want to hurt him. Give her that. She needs control over something right now, and this what she chose. Let her have it."
Gigi is right. Lizzie doesn't understand. But she hasn't been where Lydia and Gigi have been. It's time to admit that she doesn't have all the answers, and let someone else take the reins. She clamps her mouth shut and nods.
Gigi smiles. "Don't worry, Lizzie. Just because I promised not to let this hurt him financially, doesn't mean we can't scare him a little first." She winks, and then heads into the den.
Lizzie smiles-a real smile-for the first time today. Gigi might just be her favorite person in the world, right now.
~ ~ ~
As Tilney walks Lydia through the documents one at a time, allowing her to sign each in turn, William's eyes keep drifting up to look at Lizzie. She seems pretty focused on the process of signing, but every once in a while he'll catch her gaze flicking in his direction.
His heart is pounding, and he hasn't felt so nervous and excited around her since the evening at Collins and Collins when he'd first worked up the courage to confess his feelings to her.
He doesn't much care for that comparison.
But things have changed so much since that night. They are friends, now. Real friends. And she had been thinking of him-wanting to call him.
This information changes everything. It gives him hope greater than he's ever dared to embrace before. But as the signing moves forward, doubts begin to intrude. Was she thinking of him because she wanted to speak to him as a friend, or because she recognized the potential benefits his resources could bring to her family dilemma? Would it be such a bad thing if had been a combination of both?
As Lydia signs the final paper, Lizzie's eyes meet his again, and this time she smiles.
His whole body thrums with anxious energy. There is more in her expression than simple gratitude. He's certain of it of this time.
He knows her, now. He's beginning to understand her. There's definitely something there that wasn't there before.
Now, the question remains, what should he do about it? And how soon?
It seems prudent to move slowly. To give her and her family a little space so she knows he has no expectations based on any perceived sense of obligation.
How long will be enough? Two weeks? Three? He's not sure if he can bear to wait that long.
While Tilney carefully stacks the documents and returns them to his briefcase, everyone stands. There is much thanking and shaking of hands over the next few minutes, and William's heart is warmed by the soft smile on Lydia's face.
She looks as if a burden has been lifted. But he knows full well that there will be months more of healing ahead of her. For that, he has no solutions to offer.
Lydia pulls Gigi off to one side of the room to speak in low tones and Mr. Bennet steps up to occupy William's attention.
"Truly, I have no words to thank you enough," the man repeats for at least the third time.
"Really, I am happy to have helped."
"And I know this lawyer and his associates must be costing you hefty sum," says Mr. Bennet, "I need to repay you. I can't let you shoulder this debt. She's my daughter. I should pay."
William's eyes widen a little and he searches for the right answer. This is a complication he'd hoped to avoid. "No. I'm only making amends for my own failure. You have no need to repay anything."
"She's my daughter," Mr. Bennet insists, and then drops his voice, "this is as much my failure as anyone's. Please."
"I-but-Tilney is on retainer for my company. He'd be paid regardless-"
Mr. Bennet frowns. "I'm an educated man, Darcy. I know the way the world works, and I'm not fooled for an instant to think you'd let your company pay for personal legal matters like this. Don't take pity on me. I may not be able to pay you back all at once, or even in full, but rest assured, I will pay you."
William feels ashamed for his attempted deception, and his respect for Mr. Bennet grows by the moment. He nods. "I apologize. You're right, of course. I did intend to pay for Tilney's time personally. I shouldn't have implied otherwise. I understand your position, and if you truly insist upon it, I will happy to receive your repayment."
"I do insist." Mr. Bennet nods with an air of finality.
"Very well. Once Tilney works up his final bill, I'll forward you the pertinent information and we'll work out a payment schedule. Will that suffice?" Not that he intends to pass even half the burden of these expenses onto the Bennets, who can ill afford it.
"It will."
He shakes Mr. Bennet's hand again. When the man heads toward Tilney, no doubt for another round of thank you's, William turns his glance to where Lizzie and Jane stand in the front foyer speaking softly. He is pondering how to approach them when Gigi bounds across the den to where he stands.
"Hey-I was hoping I could take Lydia out to lunch before we leave. She wants to talk some more, and," Gigi smiles, "I like her. I want to hang out while I have the chance."
"Yes. I'm certain we can make that work," says William, just as he finds Lizzie suddenly at his side.
"You want to take Lydia to lunch?" she says. "That would be so great. You have no idea how happy I am that you're talking to her about things. Sometimes I have no clue what to say to her. Do you guys need a car? You can borrow mine."
"That would be very helpful, considering the three of us arrived in the same vehicle," says William, tilting his head to indicate Tilney. He's pleased to see how well Gigi is getting along with Lydia. If their families are to ever become more closely associated, it will help to have another ally among their ranks.
He glances at Lizzie, feeling warmly embarrassed about his thoughts. It's too soon. He needs to be patient.
As for today, there are other matters to attend to.
He follows Lizzie and the other girls toward the door, where Lizzie passes off her keys to Lydia. He bides his time, waiting for his sister and her new friend to depart before speaking with Lizzie again.
But as soon as he opens his mouth to speak, she's already beaten him to it.
"What now? I mean-the website isn't down yet. So what happens next?"
"The lawsuit will be served to the distribution company sometime over the weekend. And it'll be served to George, as well. Then, unless they're fools, they'll pull the site immediately."
"Let's hope they're not fools," answers Lizzie, peering out the nearby window to watch Lydia and Gigi drive away. She stares after them for a moment, resting her palm against the cool glass.
She looks tired. And he can't blame her. The past week can't have been easy on any of them.
"Do you know where George is?" Her voice is tinged with bitterness, and she curls her fingers like claws as she trails them down the window.
A part of him wants to keep this information a secret from her. He hasn't even confided his whole plan to Gigi, though he's sure she suspects. But he's kept too many secrets from Lizzie for too long. It's worn him down. He won't keep this one.
"Yes. I do."
She looks up at him with fiery expectation in her eyes.
He hopes his plans will meet with her approval. "I have a P.I. who located George in Newport Beach. He texted me early this morning to let me know that he's trailing him. I've instructed him to keep tabs on George all day. Once Tilney puts the finishing touches on the paperwork, I plan on taking it with me and heading south. I want to be there to see the look on George's face when the P.I. serves him with the lawsuit. I want to be there to make sure he knows exactly how serious we are." He can't stop his voice from taking on a hard edge. He's never been a vengeful sort of man, but George's treatment of Lydia has stirred up too many old demons. His two previous attempts to distance himself from George failed. This time, he's determined to make certain that George never dares to come within shouting distance of anyone connected to the Darcy family ever again.
Lizzie scowls. "You're going there today? To personally take him down?"
"I am." He hopes she doesn't think less of him for it.
She steps closer to him, staring up with eyes flashing with anger. "I'm coming with you."
William blinks in surprise. Though he shouldn't be-not after what she's said about George in her most recent videos.
"I'm her sister," Lizzie hisses in a low, harsh voice. "If anyone has the right to be there, it's me."
Clearly William isn't the only one with vengeance on the mind. He doesn't like the idea of putting Lizzie in the middle of such an ugly conflict. But Gigi's recent example has proven to him that sometimes he needs to stop protecting the women in his life, and instead step aside and let them do what needs to be done.
He lets out a small sigh and nods. "You're right. You do."
She raises her eyebrows and takes a step back. "You mean-you'll let me come?"
A vengeance-driven road trip is absolutely not the way he'd hoped to spend a day alone with her, but he'd have to take what fate handed to him. "Yes. I will. I hope to leave no later than four, after I drop Tilney and Gigi at the airport. We won't make it back here tonight, so pack an overnight bag. I'll text you when I'm on my way to pick you up."
She nods eagerly after every sentence. "Okay. Good. I'll pack and be ready for you. Wow. So. We're really doing this." She looks stunned, but undeniably pleased.
"Indeed. It seems that we are."
A few minutes later, when he heads out to his car with Tilney, William still feels dazed and flustered. His whole frame buzzes with nervous energy-and almost none of it has to do with facing down George.
In just a few hours, he and Lizzie will be hitting the road and he has no idea where it will take them.
TBC
chapter 2