So, I wrote a thing, inspired by episode 80 and the beautiful costume theater between Lizzie and Darcy. It does not include today's Q&A referenced tour of San Francisco, but you can imagine it did and Lizzie just doesn't mention it. I'm not the best at grammar and I'm trying to post this now before I self-consciously delete it all, so please forgive any mistakes. I hope you enjoy it.

Edit: Many of you have asked for a sequel/follow-up to this. I am planning on continuing, although I'd like to have a better idea of where Lydia's arc is going before I go too far with that. Thank you so much for all the support.

Reminder that I'm not Bernie Su or Hank Green in disguise, nor am I Jane Austen the Zombie, so neither the LBD nor Pride and Prejudice belongs to me.

It wasn't costume theater, not even hyper-mediation, really. Just her asking him a question and seeing where it led.

Just Lizzie Bennet being too scared to have a real, true conversation with William Darcy. That became apparent to her as she watched the video again.

Ordinarily, Lizzie didn't watch herself after editing. At first, it had only been out of the self-conscious fears of seeing negative comments specifically about her and the insecurities of putting yourself out there in front of the entire internet, unguarded and open for anyone to see. It had only become harder to watch as time went on. Now, she could only see the mistakes, the errors in judgement and timing and just the common sense failures that had led to so many problems in the last year. The videos of Charlotte and Lizzie's fight were unbearable, those featuring her relationship with Wickham sickening. No videos where she mentioned Darcy, not after the letter. What had once seemed like slightly over-the-top but justifiable statements smacked with cruelty when she realized that Darcy had seen each and every one of them. She couldn't even consider the videos with Lydia just after her birthday. She'd broken the promise she'd made to herself to be independent and asked Charlotte to edit and upload them for her. She claimed to be busy setting up a new internship - in truth, she just couldn't bear to see it again, try to pick out moments that were actually worth showing the world in the disintegration of their relationship.

In the end, Lizzie had only rewatched six episodes out of the all the ones she'd made: Snobby Mr. Douchey, Meeting Bing Lee, Snickerdoodles, Are You Kidding Me, The Lizzie Trap, and her most recent, the 80th.

Snobby Mr. Douchey had been after she'd read the letter, then again after she'd first seen him at Pemberley. She'd wanted to remind herself why she hated him - instead, she'd just realized how quick she'd been to judge him. She hadn't even known him a full night before she'd wanted to hate him. Sure, he'd called her "decent enough," but she'd slandered him to the entire internet. They were clearly even.

Meeting Bing Lee just to make sure it was real after Bing left, to confirm that yes, she'd seen it with her own eyes. They loved each other, or at least they would've if they'd had the time. It made his choice to leave just that much more baffling.

Snickerdoodles in looking for a more valid reason to continue hating Darcy - not even a true rewatch as she couldn't make it more than halfway through without having to stop. It was hopeless by that point, though. Once she read the letter, the ability to hate him just left her. It was so much harder to loathe a real person with a real sister and a real life than it was to despise a man who, if she was being honest, she saw as little more than endless snobbery and insulting remarks in a bowtie and a newsie hat. The caricatures and the man himself had blended in her mind, and once he'd separated them forever with a few pages of scribbled words, there was no way to put them back together.

Are You Kidding Me to try and process it all. Darcy loved her. He had actually loved her, or at least thought he had, the girl who only months before he'd dismissed as decent enough. He was still dismissing her, despite his apparent "love." Lizzie still couldn't connect that person to the person that had been in her office today, the man who'd willingly thrown on that hat and the bowtie and stepped into her world, to the one who'd derided everything in it. Eventually, she just concluded that it wasn't the same person. Somewhere along the line, she had opened her eyes and he had changed his mind.

The Lizzie Trap was just to confirm it all, really. She watched it three times, twice just to make sure that the Darcy she'd seen that day was real. He wasn't a robot that day, not even close to the stiffness in his confession back at Halloween. His hair was mussed and he was surprised and he was a human being, not hidden behind a laptop or spewing derisive comments about her family. Instead, he offered her a ride, something that still baffled her. He had to hate her after what she'd said, what he'd seen. Yet, upon watching it, it was obvious he didn't. Perhaps he, like her, just didn't have the capacity to hate her after seeing the videos or writing the letter. Maybe he was just a better person than Lizzie Bennet, plain and simple. He didn't love her, though. Not anymore. No matter what Charlotte said, he hadn't stared at her that much. He'd just watched her while she talked. That's what you do when you're having a conversation. Darcy just likes to look at people, and she was no exception.

Well, maybe that wasn't strictly true. But, he did seem to like to look at her. Still, it didn't matter. There was no love left. There couldn't be.

This one, though - she didn't know why she'd had to see it again. Just for the strange mix of amusement, shock, admiration and guilt she felt as she saw Darcy walk in with the bowtie that had started it all? No, she had to admit to herself, that wasn't it. It was the conversation about Jane and Bing that had drawn her back, and another glimpse at the Darcy she'd seen that day. The Darcy who had joked, who understood and actually appreciated her field of study, and who'd kept her secrets despite it all. No, this was not the person she'd seen when she'd gone to the Gibson wedding all those months ago. She couldn't help but wonder what might have happened if she had, how different the course of their relationship (or lack of one, to quote Gigi), might have been.

That was in the past, though. The truth was he'd been silent and moody and made disparaging comments about her the first time they'd met. That could not be changed, nor could her videos or his viewing of them. The damage had already been done.

Nevertheless, for reasons she couldn't quite understand even as she made up her mind - new beginnings? - Lizzie decided that, should she need a costume theater partner at Pemberley, it would be William Darcy. After all, he did have a clear advantage over some of her previous partners - he brought his own costumes.

"So, are we still on for a tennis match tomorrow afternoon? My house?" Gigi asked as she stood up to leave.

Lizzie nodded, "Yeah, of course. Although, I don't think I'd call it a match. It'll hardly be even enough to actually consider a game."

"Oh, c'mon. You said you played tennis."

"Yes, but I'd hardly say 'played' means the same thing as 'was good at.' Certainly not a match for Miss Nationally Ranked Tennis Star." Lizzie teased.

Gigi looked down and smiled, embarrassed but flattered by Lizzie's comment. One of the few things she wasn't good at, along with leading children's tours and subtlety, was accepting praise. "Well, we'll have fun anyway. You'll love the courts, I swear. They're straight out of the Olympics. Even an old, out-of-shape tennis player can appreciate those."

Lizzie laughed, "Not when I'm sprinting back and forth on them, trust me. So, eleven tomorrow?"

Gigi nodded, "Yeah, sure. Do you need a ride? I mean, I know you like walking, but our house is a ways out, and I'm sure I could convince William to-"

Lizzie cut her off, waving a hand, "Let him work. I'll just find a BART train out that way or something."

"William's leaving at lunch anyway. He'd be completely fine with giving you a ride out there if I asked. Or if you asked. Whichever."

Lizzie bit her lip, undecided. On the one hand, getting a ride really would be more convenient than the million connecting trains it would take to get out to the area where the Darcys lived, which would still probably require a cab from there to get into their exclusive neighborhood on the outskirts of San Francisco. She didn't really doubt that Darcy would be willing to drive her, either. He was too polite to refuse, even if he'd wanted to, and he had seemed to want to, that night a couple of weeks ago when they'd first seen each other.

"I'll think about it, okay?" Lizzie said wearily, already regretting the decision. Gigi would be a nightmare about it. Even though she'd stopped shoving them into rooms together, her campaign to get Lizzie and Darcy together was still on in full force, and Lizzie's minor concession would only add more fuel to the fire.

Her suspicion was confirmed as Gigi tried hard to hide a grin, "I'll let him know."

Gigi got up to walk out of Lizzie's office, but stopped halfway to the door. Lizzie was suddenly struck with an eerie sense of déjà vu of past encounters with Darcys in corporate offices. "Sorry, I completely forgot! William asked me to give you these."

She pulled the gray newsie and the maroon bowtie that Darcy had worn during their costume theater out of her purse and handed them to Lizzie.

What was this supposed to mean? Why was he giving her the newsie and the bowtie? "Oh, no, I can't..." she said.

Gigi snorted, "Don't worry about it, Lizzie. He has at least four more identical hats."

Lizzie couldn't help but laugh at that. Did he really spend his fortune on a collection of hipster clothes? Was there some room in his house full of suspenders and bowties? Curiosity over the Darcy house, and the Darcys themselves, was taking hold.

Maybe this meant a new beginning for Lizzie and Darcy. Maybe this meant he'd really forgiven her for the videos, more than he had that day when he'd given her the letter. Maybe, just maybe, it was time for Lizzie to stop being stubborn and start doing some forgiving of her own.

"Hey, Gigi!" Lizzie called down the hall, "Tell your brother I'll meet him by the doors at ten."

Lizzie couldn't see it, but she knew that, halfway down the hall, Gigi was beaming.

As they sat in Darcy's predictably beautiful convertible, arguing over the merits of Game of Gourds, Lizzie plopped the newsie hat he'd given her on his head.

"While, Charlotte has done a very good job, you have to conceded that the show still isn't-" Darcy was suddenly perplexed as Lizzie pulled out her phone and took a picture, laughing a little at the outcome. A vaguely confused looking Darcy wearing his hat, somehow trying to look at her and the road at once.

She felt silly as she apologized, "Sorry about that. I just realized the viewers would never forgive me if they didn't get a picture of this."

Darcy rolled his eyes, but she could see a small smile on his face, "I'd hardly call this an epic adventure."

"I think the two of us going to the dentist could be an epic adventure in their minds. They're a little bit obsessed with you."

Darcy's smile was rueful now, "I...gathered that."

Lizzie gasped in pretend-shock, "William Darcy, don't tell me you read the comments section?"

Darcy shook his head, "No, but Twitter does a fairly good job of letting me know. Do you really feel you have to tell them everything, Lizzie?"

Lizzie looked down, not sure how to answer. She certainly hadn't told them everything, but she did have a tendency to tell them more than was probably necessary. But, c'mon, hundreds of thousands of people watched her talk about her life every week. Didn't she owe them something? "Not everything. But, I have to throw them a bone sometimes."

"Understood," Darcy said, "and I'm sorry I asked. I know you don't...after the letter, what happened to Gigi..."

"No, you're right. I probably say too much a lot of the time, especially before I really know what I'm talking about." she said. She hoped he could hear the apology behind it. Someday, she'd say the real words, when she had the strength. For now, this was the best she could do.

"Well, you go by what you've seen. Perhaps it's also a failure on the part of those who failed to fill in the gaps in your knowledge." He looked directly at her for a moment, and Lizzie's eyes were everywhere but on him, very interested in the streets, the cars, the bay distantly to their left.

"There's still time to change things, though. The videos aren't over yet." she replied softly.

"Lizzie?" Darcy asked.

"Yes?"

"I know there's not a camera, but...is this hyper mediation?"

Lizzie's mouth fell open slightly as she realized what he meant. Why was she only able to say these things when he had the hat on? Why was this still such a base part of who she thought he was? "No."

A ghost of a smile crossed his face, "May I take off the hat, then?"

"I don't think you need my permission."

"It's your hat now. You decide what's done with it."

Lizzie pressed her lips together to try and keep herself from grinning, "Fine, then. Yes, you may take it off."

"Thank you, Lizzie."

"You're welcome, Darcy."

Sure, she'd made him wear the newsie hat. She still hadn't had the guts to just say those things to him without reducing him to that caricature again.

But, it was a start.

Lizzie didn't play tennis with Gigi after the first day, in which after a valiant effort, she lost in straight sets. Twice.

However, she did return to the Darcy house for lunch a few days later, at Gigi's invitation. Of course, Gigi neglected to mention her brother would be home at the time. It didn't bother Lizzie nearly as much as she thought it would, but she still would've appreciated a warning.

Their house was beautifully decorated, not gaudy in the way that the de Bourgh house had been, or trying-too-hard-to-be-modern as certain parts of Netherfield had been. Very timeless, very grand. Lizzie privately referred to it as Pemberley Manor. Houses like it shouldn't exist, not in the middle of modern California. They were reserved for period pieces and fairytales.

She could almost see herself living there, in another life, in which the last year had gone very differently.

Lizzie knocked on a large oak door that Gigi had pointed out as his office. After a moment, the door whipped open, "Gigi, I-"

Darcy looked faintly shell-shocked at the unexpected visitor for a brief second before he regained his composure and said, "Lizzie. I-What can I do for you?"

Lizzie waved a hand, "Oh, it's nothing, I just wanted to give you something. I would've the other day, but I didn't have it."

Darcy furrowed his eyebrows, "That's really not necessary-"

Lizzie cut him off, "I insist, though." She rifled through her bag before finding the familiar tan newsie hat and the thin, bright red cotton bowtie and handed them to him.

Darcy looked as if he was trying to process what had just occurred, "Don't you need these, though?"

"I have another set at home. I just thought...I don't think I'm going to do anymore costume theater with them. At least, not at Pemberley."

He was still staring at the cheap costume props in his hands, and Lizzie expected him to be mad at her. After all, she'd just handed him the tools she'd used to mock and belittle him for the past ten months. Why had she thought this was a good idea? She'd just wanted to be even, to let him know she didn't feel like mocking him anymore. She couldn't, really. He hated her. He should hate her, after what she'd done.

She quickly tried to add some explanation, "You don't have to keep them. I mean, you can burn them or I could keep them or...I just wanted to give you something since you gave me...and I know that you have a ton of them, but I just thought..."

"Lizzie," Darcy said, looking at her with sudden intensity, "Thank you."

Lizzie had to fight hard to look him in the eye, "You sure?"

"Are you positive that you don't need them for costume theater?"

Lizzie shrugged, "I...I don't think so. Maybe I'll stick to real conversations for a while."

Darcy smiled at her, a real, genuine smile, "I'm sure I'll find some use for them, then."

Lizzie looked down, and she could feel herself starting to blush for some unfathomable reason. Real conversations with William Darcy. Was it even possible? "Anyway, sorry to take time away from your work. I'm sure you're very busy."

Now it was Darcy's turn to look away, "Oh, yes. I should get back. Um...see you soon, Lizzie?"

"Uh, yeah. See you later." Lizzie replied, still feeling dazed. Had that really just happened? The door shut with a heavy thud, and Lizzie just stood there, unable to move.

"What was that about?" Gigi asked, coming up behind her.

Lizzie looked over at Gigi, trying to form coherent thoughts, "Nothing. I just wanted to... talk about something with your brother."

Gigi's eyes lit up, taking away from the overly-nonchalant tone she was trying to use as she said, "Oh, okay. Hey, I was wondering, would you want to come get Chinese with William and me tomorrow? Fitz is meeting us, and I know you said you wanted to see him again."

"Sure." Lizzie said, surprised that it actually sounded sort of appealing. Not just seeing Fitz and Gigi, but spending more time with Darcy. Figuring out who that guy she'd seen in the car the other day and at the door to his office today had been. Piecing together how exactly he might feel about her, and how on Earth he didn't hate her.

"Great!" Gigi said, seemingly surprised at how easily Lizzie had agreed, "I'll get you the address. Do you need a ride back to the offices?"

Lizzie knew that Darcy would inevitably be roped into giving her the ride or being present in the car. Gigi, as sweet as she was, did nothing without a motive. But, that was okay. Lizzie could handle being around him.

She sort of wanted to, although she'd never admit it.

"Yeah, that would be great, thanks."

Lizzie found out how exactly Darcy planned on using the hat and bowtie a few days later during a staff meeting that included Catherine de Bourgh, dropping in to talk about the company's progress and goals for this year as one of the major stockholders in Pemberley Digital. He actually wore them both, surprisingly enough, in a strange contrast between his expensive, professional ware and the obviously cheap hat and bowtie.

"William, take that wretched thing off. It's unprofessional." Ms. de Bourgh snapped before the meeting began. Lizzie was close enough to hear, and looked at Darcy, wondering what he would do, why he was wearing them in the first place.

"Actually, Aunt Catherine, it's part of an experiment for a company project in web media. A friend gave them to me."

Ms. de Bourgh rolled her eyes, "What kind of project, William?"

Lizzie could have sworn Darcy looked in her direction as he replied very calmly, with only a small smirk to hint at the joke behind it, "We don't have a title yet, but it currently involves lobsters, robotics, and some lessons in humility."

Ms. de Bourgh gave an exaggerated sigh, "Honestly, William, I do not understand where your head has been these past few months."

Darcy shook his head, "On the contrary, Aunt Catherine, I think I'm finally getting myself in order. Shall we begin?"

Lizzie quietly stepped away from her position near the raised platform at the front of the large meeting room and took her seat in the front row. She couldn't help but smile through the majority of the meeting, holding back laughter at his serious presentation in that hat and bowtie and the memory of his "project," and at the strangeness that Darcy considered her a friend.

She could've sworn he winked at her once, as if they were in their own club, sharing their own little inside joke.

"You really think I should be the one to play Bing?" Darcy asked incredulously.

"It's that or your conversation with Caroline." Lizzie pointed out, smirking.

"This is a terrible idea. I'm not good at being...charming." Darcy said uneasily, "I should just be myself."

Lizzie shook her head, "Ah, but this is a conversation between Bing and I. Do you think you could be me?"

"No, I'm fairly certain that's not going to work either."

"Well, alright then. Bing it is." Lizzie said before Darcy could protest. She rifled through her costume theater bag, pulling out the medical mirror-thing and stethoscope, handing him the headpiece and putting the stethoscope around his neck.

Darcy gave Lizzie a look that said exactly how crazy he thought she was, and Lizzie could almost feel him regretting ever saying he'd help her with this video. Well, that was the price you paid for being too nice to say no.

At first, she thought he'd just walk out, claiming he couldn't do it as she pressed play on the camera. She was prepared to do very one-sided costume theater as she threw on her blue plaid shirt. But, Darcy surprised her.

Putting on the most overexaggerated casual voice she had ever heard and smiling - not with teeth, but still longer than she'd ever smiled - at her, he read from the script, "Hey, Lizzie, what's up? Haven't seen you in a while. Didn't know you were hanging out with Darcy now."

Lizzie couldn't help it. It was just a completely ridiculous picture, Darcy in the doctor costume, actually trying in the most hilarious way she'd ever seen. She burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand.

Darcy looked hurt, returning to his normal voice, "Did I perform poorly? I did say-"

Lizzie shook her head, "No, no that was actually...better than I could've imagined. I honestly just did not expect that from you."

"Expected what?" Darcy replied.

"For you to actually try. And actually sound like Bing, kind of." Lizzie was still laughing through her words, but Darcy was smiling at her too, now that he seemed to understand she was laughing with him.

She hoped he knew that, that she wasn't making fun of him. The whole thing reminded her of that first day she'd filmed with George, who'd promptly said he'd never do costume theater, because he didn't want to embarrass himself. Then there was Darcy, who'd basically signed up for public embarrassment the moment he and Lizzie had seen each other again, and he didn't seem to care. He never looked at the camera, didn't seem to think about what the viewers might think of him. He only looked at her.

Lizzie tried not to think about what that might mean.

"Well, I'm hardly the actor you are." he said.

"Hey, give yourself more credit. It's always hardest the first time." she said, punching him lightly in the shoulder.

"So, are we going to continue?" he asked, his eyes alight with some spark Lizzie had never seen.

Lizzie smiled in disbelief, "By your lead, Darcy, by your lead."

Lizzie laughed until her face hurt that day, and she heard Darcy laugh for the first time, a deep, melodious sound that made her wish he did it more. Maybe that should be her job, to make him laugh more.

No. Lizzie didn't have a job when it came to Darcy. She didn't have anything. He was just her friend.

He was her friend, though, that could not be denied anymore.

"So, what do you want to do with your life, Lizzie Bennet?" Darcy asked, chalking his cue before he aimed for the blue striped ball.

"Where did that question come from?" Lizzie retorted, smirking as the ball missed its target and rolled off in another direction.

"Well, you seem to be masterful at hustling people at pool, so I wondered if the mass communications studies might simply be a cover-up for your true life goals." he replied as Lizzie sunk the red and maroon balls in one shot.

"No, that's just how I'm going to pay off the student loans." she joked, lining up another shot.

"Are you looking to be a YouTube celebrity, or do you want something more?" Darcy persisted, ignoring her joke.

Lizzie frowned; why did he want to ask the serious questions? Only William Darcy would decide that a game of pool was the proper time to ask what Lizzie wanted to do when she grew up. "Of course I want something more. The videos are only a year-long project. Well, that's the way they're supposed to be. Maybe I'll make a few more, but I think I'm definitely ready to have my life out of the spotlight. Graduate, get a job, start doing the things I want to do."

"Such as?" Darcy shrugged one shoulder, taking his own shot after Lizzie had missed.

Lizzie sighed, "I, um, I don't really know yet. I think something in web media, definitely. Serving as a creative director on scripted projects, maybe writing...I'm going to VidCon again this year to see. Figure out what might be out there for me to do."

Darcy nodded, smiling briefly as his ball sank into a corner, looking as if he was trying to put something together in his mind. "Would you like a reference letter? Pemberley isn't the best known company, but perhaps it could help you in whatever career you decide to go into."

"Of course, that would be fantastic, thank you." Lizzie said, though Darcy didn't seem to hear her. He was still lost wherever he'd gone after her answer. What had he wanted her to say?

Darcy shook his head once and looked at her again, seemingly back. "Would you like to work on it this Wednesday? At lunch? I know that's when you film your videos, but it's the only day I have free."

"Wednesday works for me." Lizzie said, watching Darcy intently, "Thank you, really. You don't have to write me a letter. I mean, you're the CEO."

Darcy smiled at her, "You're my friend. Anything I can do to help you get where you want to go."

Lizzie genuinely believed it, too. Fitz had been right, even though Lizzie hadn't believed him at the time. Darcy really would do anything for his friends. She was happy that she was one of them.

However, she was a little disappointed by it all. She couldn't figure out why. Maybe she'd just wanted something from Darcy that wasn't there.

"You should call him William, you know." Gigi said, after Lizzie finished telling a story about some new idea she and Darcy had batted around when he'd given her a ride home from work the other night. A scripted series for Pemberley's web media division, a serial adaptation. It would be a nod to their previous work on television, and a way to branch into more new media.

"No...I can't. Besides, everyone else calls him Darcy." Lizzie reasoned.

"You're not everyone else." Gigi pointed out.

"Gigi, he doesn't-" Lizzie started.

"It doesn't matter whether he does or not. You still should." Gigi said. "He won't mind, trust me."

"I don't know..." Lizzie trailed off. Calling him William was much more personal - it would be putting her on the same level as his sister, and they'd only been friends for a month. But, Gigi had said she could. Darcy had so much negative connotation in her life. Darcy, although he was now a friend, was still the sociopathic robot who had called her decent enough.

Maybe calling him William was the final, complete step in letting that go.

Gigi cocked her head, "Just something to think about. I'm happy you two are friends, Lizzie Bennet."

Lizzie smiled, unable to meet Gigi's eyes as she said, "I am too."

Darcy took it completely in stride, the first time she called him William. It was while they were at his house, and she was thanking him for agreeing to give her a ride back. Well, really him insisting he give her a ride back, since it was after midnight, and apparently even in a very wealthy, gated community, it still wasn't safe to be walking alone this late. Lizzie didn't really feel like protesting. She was tired, and all the BART train connections she'd have to take gave her a headache just thinking about it.

The name just slipped out, as simply as, "Thanks, William."

Maybe Darcy just attributed it to her being tired or maybe the younger Darcy had prepped him for it, but all he did was give her a small smile, "Not a problem, Lizzie."

"That is not your real name." Lizzie insisted.

"I guarantee you it is. It was just a rather unfortunate case of family tradition," William explained, "William's the family name, the middle name's the maiden name of the mother...it's just bad luck."

Lizzie couldn't help but laugh a little, "William Fitzwilliam Darcy. I can't believe it."

"It's not as if Elizabeth Bennet isn't a bit of a mouthful." William pointed out.

Lizzie rolled her eyes, "No one calls me Elizabeth, though. Only my mother."

"No one calls me William but Gigi."

"And me, now." Lizzie said, feeling slightly uncomfortable at what that meant.

William didn't argue, nor did he ask her to call him Darcy again. He just said, "Well, doesn't that mean I should get to call you Elizabeth?"

"Oh, wait. I forgot. Ricky Collins calls me that, too."

"Lizzie's fine, then."

Charlotte was wrong. She'd lost her mind. Just because Lizzie had said they couldn't have lunch on Wednesday because that was when she and Darcy were going out to work on her letter. Crazy with jealousy, that one. Never would have expected something like that from her typically calm, level-headed bestie.

Of course, Lizzie had failed to mention that she and Darcy had had lunch for a few Wednesdays now, and a couple of Saturdays. Once on a Monday. That, and the fact that the letter had been finished ages ago. They just kept finding things to talk about, projects and plans and things that they both liked or things one liked and one didn't. They debated quite a bit, over books and film and anything and everything.

Once, Lizzie had thought that meant he was condescending and belittling her, automatically disagreeing with whatever she said. Now, it was enjoyable, a conversation with a person who had opinions and was willing to challenge others on theirs if he saw fit. Funny, how much things changed when your views did.

Funny how William Darcy, who she'd hated so much, was now one of her favorite people.

She didn't tell people that. They wouldn't believe her, not after seeing the antisocial, rude person he'd been at Netherfield.

They hadn't ever had the chance to see what Lizzie had seen here, the kind-hearted, intelligent, slyly funny person who made her regret judging him so quickly a little more every day.

They'd wasted so much time, offending and blindly hating.

He didn't still love her. That was completely, utterly unimaginable. She had rejected him so harshly in front of the entire world. Feelings couldn't survive that. Anyone with common sense, which Lizzie believed Darcy had, would change their minds. They'd realize that they didn't know that person as well as they thought they did, realize they weren't in love and never had been, and begin that slow and painful process of moving on with their lives.

That was what he was doing, through them becoming friends. Moving on with his life. He'd give her that letter in a couple of weeks and she'd thank him profusely, and maybe they'd see each other again someday, but by then, any remembrance of those feelings would be distantly in the past.

Lizzie hadn't mentioned that she called him William now. It was irrelevant.

Charlotte was completely and totally wrong.

Lizzie certainly wasn't falling in love with William Darcy either.

Lizzie couldn't help but smirk as she saw Caroline at William's birthday dinner. It was a private, close friends and family only sort of thing, and Caroline couldn't have looked more surprised when she saw Lizzie walk in the door that night. She covered it well, though, all smiles and false kind words.

However, her composure did slip for a long second into absolute shock when she heard Lizzie wish William a happy birthday, pointedly using his first name.

Lizzie didn't like being the kind of person that rubbed things in other peoples' faces, but she couldn't pretend that she hadn't enjoyed that moment.

"Please don't be offended by this." Lizzie said, as she handed William his second gift, after a couple of records she'd picked up at a vintage store near the offices.

William looked amused and a little hesitant as he opened the envelope. There was a reason that Lizzie had waited until they were out of sight of everyone else to give it to him, mostly so he wouldn't have to try and cover up any embarrassment or anger at her if it arose. She hadn't thought until after buying it that it may not come off as so much of an inside joke as something incredibly tactless.

He laughed a little as he read off the paper, "The Bowtie of the Month Club."

"I just thought it sounded like fun, and you wear them pretty often, so I thought..." Lizzie looked away. This had been an awful plan.

He just kept laughing, "Lizzie, I like it. You don't have to sound so guilty."

"You do?"

He nodded, "I have a sense of humor, even if smiling does distort the face."

She looked up at him, very serious for a moment, "You know I'm sorry too, right?"

"You don't have to be."

"But I am." she said adamantly.

"You should know I forgave you a long time ago, then. I'm not sure I was ever angry with you. It was all justified."

"No, it wasn't." Lizzie said, "But, I'm glad you did."

Lizzie didn't tell Charlotte a lot of the things that went on now, nor did she tell Jane. She rarely read her tweets or her YouTube comments or her asks on Tumblr. They would all say the same things, especially if they knew exactly how much time she and William spent together, something that was getting increasingly hard to ignore. Lizzie could deny it if accused, but she wasn't sure she wanted to.

She might be a little bit in love with William Darcy. Possibly.

It didn't matter. He didn't return her feelings.

William knocked on her door, "Lizzie."

"Come in." she called, turning away from her laptop to face the door.

"There's something I have to tell you." he said urgently.

Lizzie felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. This is it, she thought, This is the moment if there ever was one for him to try again.

"Um, go ahead." Lizzie said, looking up at him and trying to figure out what she'd say in response.

"Lizzie.." She waited for the words. Lizzie, I still love you. Lizzie, I want to go out with you.

"Lizzie, would you consider working at Pemberley Digital? When you've got your degree. If that's something you want." William said.

It was definitely unexpected, to say the least. Lizzie chided herself; why had she thought he'd say those things? Because she only had one full week left here? Because she felt them?

This was still something, though. A job at Pemberley Digital, a company she'd fallen in love with in the time she'd been here. A job right out of grad school, with people she liked, in a beautiful city, doing something she loved. There was really just one question. "But...I'm unqualified. I'd be right out of grad school. What would I do?"

William shook his head, "Quite the opposite, actually. You're a highly successful producer of web media. I can't think of anyone better to hire to head up the serial adaptation project we discussed."

Lizzie's mouth fell open. That was a real project, one she was very interested in, but one she never thought she'd have the chance to be a part of in a million years. "Surely there's someone other than a 24-year-old with no credentials you want to hire as creative director."

"You conceived the project. According to our company procedure, you'd have the first opportunity to oversee the production. I have faith in you, Lizzie. There's no one I want more." William said simply, so earnestly Lizzie couldn't help but believe him.

"I will...strongly consider that, then. As long as you think it over, too. Don't want you making hasty decisions." Lizzie said, grinning at him.

William gave her a very small smile, "Lizzie, I won't change my mind. But, I understand waiting until you're done with your studies to make a decision."

"You'll regret it." Lizzie said.

He just rolled his eyes, "Are we still going to lunch, or will I regret that as well?"

Lizzie snorted, "Italian. See you in an hour."

She couldn't say how badly she actually wanted to work there, to supervise. But, she was saving him. He couldn't pick her for something like this. He needed someone who knew what they were doing, not someone who turned on a camera and saw what happened twice a week.

The CEO had told her she was the only person he wanted, though. Offers like this only came once in a lifetime. Her inner Charlotte was telling her it would be stupid not to accept.

Then, there was the small secret part that wanted her to accept so she could see him every day, work with him, hope he might come to feel the way he had again, even if that wouldn't happen.

Yes, it was selfish to accept, but Lizzie could be very selfish when she wanted to be.

The last day. It was hard to believe she'd actually spent six and a half weeks here. In some ways, it seemed very short, and in others it had been the longest of her life. She had the camera in front of her as she talked about packing and going back home, finishing out her thesis and her paper on Pemberley, getting a degree, and starting the search for work. She didn't mention the job offer, but she did say Pemberley Digital was at the top of her list.

She was organizing her things, putting her costume theater bag back together when William knocked on the door. "Hey," she said, not looking up from what she was doing.

"Hello, Lizzie." he replied, sounding sad. Lizzie wasn't sure why, and she wasn't going to allow herself to hope that it might be her departure.

She continued her inventory. Flower, sunglasses, stuffed dog... She held up the gray cap and slightly crumpled maroon bowtie for William to see. An idea struck her, "One last costume theater? For old times' sake?"

She handed William the cap and bowtie, and she threw on her blue plaid shirt. It was funny to see him in those again. The last time she'd seen him in full hipster regalia, he'd still been Darcy to her, distant and awkward and unfathomable.

Lizzie searched for the words as William watched her, "I think...I think I'd like to accept your job offer."

He smiled at her then, a real smile, not the small quirking up of the lips that she usually received. "Wonderful. I hoped you would. You enjoyed your time at Pemberley, then?"

She nodded, "Immensely." She was strangely unable to look away from him. Should she say it and ruin the moment?

He started reaching for the cap, taking her silence as a sign that their conversation was at an end, "Do you need anything else before you leave? I know you'll be over for dinner tonight, but I thought I would-"

It was funny how many thoughts could race through a person's head in a single moment. How Lizzie could think that it was hyper-mediation and she could pass it off as something she wouldn't normally do. How the camera was still on. How he would just push her away. How she'd only cause more problems. How he'd change his mind about the job. But, what if he did still want her, though.

It was even funnier how Lizzie could push aside all of it and just go on instinct, leaning in and kissing him before she could stop herself.

It was a very chaste kiss, just her mouth on his, light and sweet, just a faint taste of coffee and the smell of his aftershave. He didn't pull away, didn't push her away, but before he had time to respond, she pulled back, pulling her vibrating phone out of her pocket.

Jane, it said, and Lizzie frowned. Jane never called in the middle of a work day unless something was wrong.

She looked up at William, who looked completely blank. Something broke inside Lizzie. He had just been too polite to stop her, but it was clear now: He didn't want her.

"I...um...I have to take this." Lizzie said, standing up and turning off the camera as she walked out of the room and answered the phone.

After hanging up, Lizzie went back into the room and told William what had happened, fighting back tears.

"Give my apologies to Gigi. I know she's been planning this party for a while." Lizzie said.

William shook his head, still looking distant, "Don't worry about that. I'll get you the first flight out tonight."

"Will..." Lizzie breathed, at a loss. She'd failed so miserably with Lydia, failed to see the obvious signs spattered through her last few videos, failed to see who she was with. All because she'd wanted to give her space. How had she been such an idiot?

All she wanted was for him to comfort her, and even that wouldn't happen now, not after she'd ruined everything. Not after that terrible beat of silence and the horrible moment of realizing that everything she'd thought all along had been true.

"I'll call someone for that flight," William said softly, turning for the door, pausing midway as he was so fond of doing. It would have been amusing if Lizzie hadn't been so crushed by the past hour's events, "I'm...very sorry for what happened to Lydia, and any way that I might have...contributed to that. Goodbye, Lizzie."

Lizzie never took off the blue plaid shirt, no matter how silly it looked, as she left the offices for her flight. She clutched Darcy's newsie in one hand as the plane took off, and tried to remember how happy she'd been only a few short hours ago. But, the happiness was like smoke, slipping through your fingers as you tried to clutch it, leaving you only with a lingering reminder of the fire that had once existed.

She wished that this was all some costume theater, some strange exaggerated situation that couldn't possibly exist. Her sister was never in danger, she had never been compelled to kiss William Darcy, and he had never been so completely unresponsive to her. But, there it was, her bizarre and ironic life, in which she felt things too late and made all of her own worst fears come true.

Now, there was nothing Lizzie Bennet could do but remove the shirt, return to reality and attempt to pick up the pieces.