Hello all. So story number two...My take on what happens when Lizzie discovers the Demo videos. Btw, nothing happens on camera, because I love LBD to death but it just seems a little unrealistic that every significant moment between Lizzie and Darcy happens on camera. So...

When you wish upon a star...nope. Still not Jane Austen.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

"Charlotte, will you pass me the manila folder by the foot of my bed?" Lizzie is working on compiling the last of her data from her time at Pemberley Digital. Now that all the drama with Bing and Jane is fixed and the situation with Lydia and Wickham has been taken care of, Lizzie no longer had an excuse to put off finishing her write up over Pemberley for her thesis. Which really sucks because she had been trying to put this off for as long as possible. It wasn't as if the paper itself was extremely difficult. She had a ton of information, interviews, and statistics to work with so it would only take some time. But finishing this write up just made the end of her time at Pemberley seem so final. And for reasons she can't explain—or maybe she can and she just doesn't want to admit it to herself—the thought of that makes her very sad.

She should be thrilled. She had to leave a week early and, save for a few details that could be taken care of with some online research and quick emails, still managed to gather all the data she needed to complete the write up. And Professor Gardiner and everyone at Pemberley Digital were so understanding about her sudden departure without needing to know all the gory details. She was very luck. So why did she feel like she was missing something extremely substantial?

Because you are. And you know exactly what—who—it is so there is no point in avoiding it. The voice in her head, which sounds a lot like Charlotte, calls her out. Okay, so she knows the reason she feels so empty. She also knows that there is no point in dwelling on the reason because it would only cause her more pain. It just sucks because, although she was truly fortunate to have her life settled and have one of the biggest family crises she's ever faced completely averted through no effort of her own, the one thing she really wants to work out is never going to happen. It is ironic that, at one point, William Darcy wanted her, was in love with her, and her stupid judgmental self rejected him, and now, now that she has seen what a truly sweet man he can be, now that she wants him, he wants nothing to do with her.

And she can't even escape the pain of the fact by burying herself in her work because her work revolves almost entirely around him! Every interview she reads, every graph and chart she scans, every single paragraph she writes at some point refers to William Darcy, CEO. So, Lizzie is learning to just deal.

Charlotte, wonderful woman that she is, agreed to come over and help her during her minivaction, because Lizzie knew there was no way she had the motivation to keep herself on task alone. So, while Lizzie Bennet goes through folder after folder and notebook after notebook of factoids, Charlotte sits next to her on her computer doing some work on a new web series.

"Oh God," Lizzie sits back with a groan. "It's great that this company is doing so well and everything, but it's so much work for me! I mean, the amount of growth and progress made in the last five years alone!" Lizzie gestures to all the files scattered around her bed.

"Well, they're a pretty amazing company," Charlotte nods. "You're going to submit your resume after you get your degree, right?"

"I don't know," Lizzie sighs as she combs her hands through her hair.

"What do you mean 'you don't know'. You have to! It's an amazing opportunity."

"No that's not what—I mean, of course I'll send them my resume, but I just meant I don't how much good it will do. I won't get the job," Lizzie shrugs.

"But I thought you said they really liked you there?" Charlotte scrunches her face slightly in confusion.

"I did. They do. But there is one major person who is not too fond of me," Lizzie says dejectedly and at Charlotte's questioning look she elaborates. "The CEO." Charlotte rolls her eyes.

"Okay, number one: he does not dislike you. And number two: even if the guy did hate your guts, which we know he doesn't given everything he's done, he wouldn't prevent you from working there. Darcy just isn't that kind of guy. He cares about his company, and if you were qualified and a good addition to the staff, which you are, you would get the job." Ah Charlotte. Always so sensible.

"It's not just that he dislikes me," Lizzie mutters. "It would be weird. We have a history, and it would cause awkwardness and affect my work."

"Whatever, I think you're just afraid to face him because you don't want to admit that you were wrong about him and apologize on the extremely unlikely, and let me add ridiculous, chance that he might not forgive you." Trust Charlotte to cut right to the heart of the matter.

"This doesn't even matter. Because I don't have my degree yet, and if I keep carrying on like this and not finishing this write up, chances are I never will." And so Lizzie and Charlotte continue with their work. Both are very productive. That is until Charlotte gets out her phone…and starts dictating to it.

"Domino, message Richard Collins: I have just finished up the edits on the pilot episode and sent them to you via email. Let me know you thoughts and if there is anything else I can do."

"What are you doing?" Lizzie asks, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Why were you just talking to you phone?"

"I was texting." Charlotte says like it is obvious.

"Okay, but why did you call it Domino?" Lizzie asks, still just as confused as before.

"I was just using the app," Charlotte says simply.

"What?" Nothing that she is saying is making any sense to her.

"The app. You know, the Domino app. The one that—Oh my God, you don't know about the app!"

"Well, obviously! But tell me because it looks kind of cool," Lizzie is now distracted by the prospect of new technology, but Charlotte is not to be deterred because another realization hits her.

"You don't know about the app, which means you don't know about the videos. Which means you don't know about anything!" Charlotte jumps off the bed with a surprising level of uncharlotte like energy. It is very Lydia-esque.

"What are you talking about? What videos?" Lizzie follows her as she flits around the room collecting her stuff.

"Oh this makes so much sense now," Charlotte says to herself as she bends over to pick up her scarf. Then, she turns to face Lizzie as she wraps said scarf around her own neck. "Okay, go online to Pemberley Digital's YouTube page."

"They have a YouTube page?" This is news to Lizzie. Charlotte chuckles in delight.

"Yes. They have a YouTube page. And I want you to go there and watch the Domino demo videos. There are, like, six. I want you to watch all of them." Charlotte instructs.

"That freak fest you just had was all about me learning to use an app?" Lizzie says incredulously. Charlotte laughs again.

"Just do it, okay. Now I just remembered I have to, uh, meet my…sister…for…lunch! Yeah!" Lizzie can tell she is lying but doesn't comment. "So, um, anyway just watch the videos. Promise me, you'll watch all of them," Charlotte insists.

"Alright! Jeez Ms. Pushy. I'll watch them. Have fun at 'lunch', Char."

"Watch the videos," Charlotte says one more time as she leaves the room.

Lizzie heaves a sigh, lying face down on her bed. Her friends are so weird. She sits back up and thinks about continuing to work on her write up. For about two seconds. Then, curiosity gets the better of her, and she pulls her MacBook to her lap. She opens a new tab and searches the Pemberley Digital YouTube channel. And there, in all her adorable glory, is Gigi Darcy in the screen shot for demo video 1.

And so Lizzie presses play.

Well actually, first, she gets out her phone and downloads the Domino app. She figures if Charlotte is going to get this worked up over her learning to use an app it must be good, and she might as well use it if she is going to learn about it.

Then, she presses play. She watches the videos. She watches all the videos. And it quickly becomes clear that Charlotte probably gives zero shits about her learning to use Domino. She is learning about something a lot more important.

The first video is relatively easy to get through. Apart from the slight pang she feels when Gigi mentions her and Darcy's potential date, there is little to upset. The second video is harder, with clear references to the situation with Lydia and the obvious possibility that Darcy was trying to help. And then, they just go downhill from there. The sheer amount of work that Darcy had been putting in to find George without her knowing was unbelievable. She can't press play fast enough, desperate to get all the information she can. And she starts to empathize with her viewers who complain about the ads before her own videos. She groans in annoyance and frustration when the Pepsi commercial plays for the third time.

She has to pause several times through the fifth video; when George, the manipulative bastard, calls Gigi peach. And when his face appears on screen. And when she starts crying. She doesn't even finish the last video. She pauses toward the end, after Darcy had talked about continuing to fix things, and stares at the screen. Darcy's face is frozen with a slight smile gracing his lips, and Lizzie is sad that she's not seeing it in person. She knows now. She probably has for a while, but she's actually saying it to herself now. She's in love with him.

She doesn't understand how. How could they have done all of this without her knowing? There was actual, documented, video proof of everything, available to the public, and she didn't know. For weeks. If Charlotte hadn't said something it would have taken her much longer. Maybe she never would have known. She knows William Darcy was a very sweet, kind, slightly awkward man, but she might not have known just how good he truly is. She might not have been able to thank him.

When that thought crosses her mind there is only one possible thing she can focus on. She grabs her cellphone.

"Domino, call William Darcy." She doesn't choose the video chat option. Lizzie doesn't think she would be able to look him in the eyes so soon after everything she just heard, even if it is through a screen. She's stressing about what to say to him and whether or not it will be possible for her to have a conversation without blurting out everything at once. But she's saved from actually having to speak with him when his voicemail picks up. She can't help the little pang of disappointment she feels, but Lizzie knows it's for the best.

"Hello, you have reached William Darcy. I apologize that I cannot take your call, but if you will please leave your name and phone number, I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you." As she listens to his curt voice, Lizzie is struck with an idea. It's a weak one, but it's also the only one she has.

"Hi Wi—Darcy. This is Lizzie. Um, Elizabeth Bennet. Anyway, I'm sorry to, uh, bother you, I know you're busy with...things. But, um, as you know, I left Pemberley a week early and rather than head all the way back to San Francisco, Doctor Gardiner and I decided to just call the internship finished and I'm doing the write up for my thesis and there are just a few things I need and I have a few questions for you. About the company, that is. So, if you could just call me back whenever you're, um, not busy that would be wonderful. Um, I mean, that is to say…it would be very helpful. Anywaythanksbye." She hangs up the phone, rolls over, and groans into her pillow. It's a ridiculous, bumbling message. She knows she sounds like an idiot. And she knows he is never going to talk to her again after her hears it because he is going to think "Why would I ever associate with a ridiculous girl who can't even leave a proper voicemail."

Lizzie tries to get back to her thesis, but it's very hard to concentrate on anything when she is waiting for such an important call. Her whole fate rides on this phone call. Okay, maybe she's being a little dramatic.

She decides the thing she might need to help her concentrate is a little sustenance, so she heads down to the kitchen to get a snack. Of course, that's when her phone rings. She hears it, even when she's all the way downstairs and leaning into the fridge. Elizabeth doesn't think she's ever run so fast in her entire life. She takes the stairs three at a time and rounds the corner into her doorway a little too sharply, clipping her hip and guaranteeing a bruise in the process. But she makes it. Wincing and gasping for air, she answers her phone.

"Hello." She's hoping he can't tell how out of breath she is from just one word.

"Elizabeth Bennet, this is William Darcy." She thinks she hears a hint of teasing in his voice because of her stupid voicemail, and Lizzie hopes she's right because if he's back to calling her Elizabeth then she has a problem.

"Hi. Thanks…for calling…me back," She gasps.

"Are—are you alright?" he asks cautiously.

"Yeah," she chuckles nervously. "I…I just was…downstairs when you…called, so I had to…run to get to the phone."

"Oh, um, okay."

"Anyway," she begins, attempting to dispel the awkwardness. "Did you listen to my voicemail?"

"Yes, I did." Lizzie doesn't think she imagines the smirk she hears in his voice.

"So, I didn't know when would be a good time to talk to you. Um, we can do it now or I could just call you later when you have time to speak." She was rambling a little, but that can't be helped. In all honesty, she really doesn't need to interview him anymore. She doesn't have any questions prepared. Lizzie was only using it as an excuse to get him on the phone, so if he say he can do the phone interview now she would be screwed.

"Well, um, I'm actually in town…so if it would be easier to do in person, I have time later tonight." His words are stilted and awkward as he tries to force them around his throat, which is closing up on him. She doesn't know how to handle this new development.

"You're in town?" She asks quietly.

"Yes."

"How long have you been in town?"

"Um, about a week." A week? He'd been in town for a week? And he didn't say anything to her? Didn't try to talk to her? Lizzie is starting to question whether or not it's a good idea to meet up given that it is clear he doesn't want to see her. But she can't back out now, so it was best to just get it over with.

"Alright. Well, if you prefer to meet in person that's fine. Um, where did you want to meet?" She sounds entirely unenthusiastic to her own ears so Lizzie can't imagine how she must sound to him.

"Why don't we just meet at the Starbucks by Carter's at five?" he suggests hesitantly.

"Sure. That sounds fine. Bye, Darcy."

"Goodbye, Lizzie." Well, at least she is back to being Lizzie again.

She leaves her house at 4:45 after stressing for an hour over what to wear. Lizzie had been debating on whether or not she should dress more professionally, but in the end, she decided that although Darcy was under the impression it was a formal interview, she knew the content of their conversation would be more personal, so jeans and a light blue v neck would be fine. She did dress it up with a scarf and tried to convince herself she wasn't doing it for Darcy's benefit.

When she pulls into the Starbucks parking lot, she notices Darcy leaning against the hood of his Audi. She climbs out of her own car and walks over to him. He's in a pair of jeans and a long sleeved, green tee shirt. And of course, he has a gray scarf wrapped around his neck. She hadn't seen him dressed so casually since her tour of San Francisco. He looks good, but the thing that gets her is his glasses. He's wearing them again. Lizzie had only seen him in them once before, at a time when her feelings for him were only just beginning to warm. Even then, she was able to appreciate how attractive they made him look. But now, now that she knows that she loves him, Lizzie can safely say that William Darcy in glasses is hot. With all capital letters.

He pushes himself off his car to stand up straight and takes a few steps closer to her. It is then that Lizzie registers the two cups he holds in each hand. She gives him a questioning look and gestures with her head towards the coffee.

"I guess when I chose this location I didn't take into account the fact that they close at five," Darcy chuckles awkwardly. "I was able to get us both something, but we won't be able to sit in there for the interview."

"Yeah, I didn't think about that either," Lizzie nods.

"Here, this is for you," Darcy hands her a cup and watches Lizzie take a sip. "I remember you saying something when you were at Netherfield about how you like your coffee black, but I brought some splenda just in case." He produces a few packets from his back pocket.

"No," Lizzie assures him. "This is great. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he says quietly.

"So, where do you want to do this?" Lizzie asks.

"Well, I was thinking about how it's such a nice evening, so maybe we could just walk to the park and find a picnic table."

"That sounds great." She gives him a small smile.

They walk almost the entire way in silence, both sipping their coffees and sneaking glances without the other noticing. As they near the park, Lizzie decides to speak.

"How are things at Pemberley?" He must have been lost in thought because he starts at the sound of her voice.

"Oh, um, good. Everyone is doing well. A lot of people miss you there. We're all sorry you had to leave. You meshed very well with the team," he says hesitantly but with tiniest upturn of the corners of his lips.

"Well, I miss all of them." She tries to convey as much meaning as possible into that short sentence and stares him in the eyes, but she doesn't think he gets it because after a moment he just blinks and turns away.

"I wasn't kidding when I said you fit well with everyone. I hope you'll consider submitting your resume when you finish shadowing your last company." Lizzie is taken aback by the sincerity in his voice. She has assumed that he wouldn't want her working at Pemberley, but she supposed Charlotte was right. He cares about his work, so if he thought she would be a good addition to the team, he wouldn't let a personal relationship get in the way.

"Well, thank you. That's very kind to say. But I don't even have your company write up finished, so it's just baby steps right now. I did enjoy my time at Pemberley though."

"I'm glad." He flashes her a wide smile. Well, wide for him.

They find a place to sit, and continue to make small talk and catch up. She asks about Fitz and Gigi, and he tells her all about Fitz's trip to Fiji and Gigi's latest escapades. He says Gigi wants her to visit soon because she has thought of a slew of places around the city she wants to show her. Darcy asks about how her thesis project is going. It's not, she informs him. He asks about her family, and she dances around the Lydia subject, not quite ready to broach that topic yet. Lizzie tells him about Bing and Jane, which he is a lot less surprised about that she thinks he ought to be. Finally, Darcy looks at her and says,

"So, what kind of questions do you have for me?"

Lizzie takes a deep breath, steels herself for the possibility that he might just get up and walk away from her, and begins.

"Okay, so I have a confession." Will's brow furrows, and Lizzie shocks herself a little by the fact that she called him Will, even just in her thoughts. That was the first time she thought of him as anything other than Darcy. She likes the way it sounds. Will nervously instructs her to continue.

"Well, I actually don't have to interview you about anything. I don't have any questions about Pemberley. I, um, I wanted to talk to you about something else." Will's eyes widen in surprise. And maybe a teensy bit of hope. He swallows thickly.

"W-what, uh, what did you want to talk to me about?" he stutters. Lizzie takes another deep breath.

"I know what you did for Lydia," She says bluntly and Will stiffens.

"Oh."

"I just wanted to say thank you. Truly. My family doesn't know, so I'm saying it on behalf of all of us. You don't how much it means. I don't know how I could possibly make you see how much it means," she says earnestly.

"Your thanks isn't necessary." He nods stiffly.

"But it is. I'm not sure you understand how kind that was of you. You hate him, more than any of us, and yet you did what nobody else could. You confronted him and dealt with him and took the responsibility to go after him, as if you were the one to blame."

"Wasn't I?" Will asks harshly.

"No." Lizzie is firm. "That's something else I wanted to say to you. I saw what you said to Gigi in that video. How you blame yourself for this. That's not true. I thought a lot about this when I came home, tried to find someone who was at fault. I blamed Lydia for being so naïve and stubborn, I blamed my parents for not keeping a closer watch on her; I blamed Jane for not being at home. I blamed myself for abandoning her and treating her poorly enough to make her feel like she didn't matter, to make her feel like she had to go to him to be loved. And then I realized that the only person to blame in this situation is George. He made the decision to put up that website. He made the decision to try and sell that tape. And he got punished for it. Because of you. So, out of all the people in this situation who could possibly be blamed, you are the very last person. You fixed everything." She reaches her hand out and touches the back of his closed fist. He looks up at her and smiles gently, almost melancholy.

"I just didn't—that day when you found out. You looked so distraught and upset. I know what it's like to have a baby sister go through that. I just didn't want you to have to deal with more than you absolutely had to."

"Well, thank you."

"You're welcome," he pauses and stares at her for an immeasurable moment and finally says, "Friends?" Lizzie's shoulders fall ever so slightly, but she knows she has to keep going. She has one more thing to say to him before they can really be okay.

"Hopefully. I have one more confession and then you can decide if you would still like to be friends."

"More confessions?" He teases. Lizzie looks down and begins to fidget with her hands. "What's wrong?" He tries to reach out to touch her arm, but she jumps up and stands. He can't touch her, try to comfort her, or she will never get through this.

"Nothing," she says quickly. "It's just, this is kind of a big one so I don't want you to say anything until I'm finished. Just let me talk." He nods his head, confused and a little worried, and she takes a deep breath and looks at her hands, her feet, the ant crawling across her shoe, anything but him.

"I've been thinking a lot about what I said to you in October. I just want to say I'm sorry." Will tries to speak up by she cuts him off. "Uhun. This is my turn to talk. Anyway, I'm sorry. Really, truly sorry. I misjudged you and acted like a bitch. I was cruel. And more than that, I was wrong. You're not arrogant and prideful and rude. You're kind and generous and sweet and so good. And sure, sometimes you're a little introverted and awkward, but I've also seen a side to you that is passionate and confident. And it made me realize that you are honestly one of the best men I know." She doesn't look at him as she takes a deep and continues with the most important part of her speech. "And all that lead me to realize something else. So, I am saying this without any expectation of the sentiments being returned. But I feel that I do need to get it out in the open or else it will eat away at me. I'm in love with you William Darcy. And I am sorry if it makes you feel uncomfortable, but it's the truth. I love you. I can't even exactly explain how it happened, but at some point between you showing me how wonderful you are and me realizing I'm an idiot, I fell in love with you. So there." She heaves a sigh and looks at him. He is starring, slack jawed, eyes wide, unable to believe everything that he has just heard. When it becomes apparent to Lizzie that he isn't going to say anything, she blinks several times and holds back her tears so he won't see her cry.

"Well, I'm going to give you time to process that. Like I said, no expectations and we never have to talk about it again. If you still want to try the friend thing, let me know." And she turns and walks away before Will can even register what is happening. He sits in shock, trying to sort through everything that has just been said.

Meanwhile, Lizzie decides that a nice solitary walk is not what she needs at the moment. She takes about eight steps, and then as the tears begin to roll down her face, she breaks into a dead sprint. Seeing her bolt is what finally breaks Will out of his thoughts. And he moves faster than he ever has before. He jumps up off the picnic table bench but trips over his own feet as he is trying to climb around it. He scrambles up and takes off running, thanking whatever God there is that his legs ware twice as long as hers. She is quite a ways ahead of him. He keeps calling after her, but she either doesn't hear him or is refusing to acknowledge him. Finally, when gets close enough, he does the only thing he can think of. Will grabs her around the waist and pulls her down so they both fall to the ground, him lying on top of her effectively pinning Lizzie to the grass.

That doesn't stop her from trying to escape. She squirms around, trying to find some way to wriggle out from underneath him. The action elicits a very embarrassing, although all together not unpleasant, reaction from Will, and he has to take deep breaths and remind himself that they are in the middle of a very public, child filled park.

"Lizzie, stop moving," he practically begs her. Of course, she ignores him. "Lizzie, please. You're killing me here. You. Have. To. Stop." The full meaning of his words finally hits her, and she freezes and turns bright red.

"Well, you need to get up," she says defensively.

"Are you going to try and run away again?"

"No promises." He gives her a look, and she concedes with a roll of her eyes. "Alright, fine. No, I won't run away." Will gets to his feet and takes her hand to help her up. But he keeps holding it, even when she is fully standing.

"Did you really just tackle me?" she asks incredulously as she dusts herself off one handed.

"I didn't know how else to get you to stop! Why did you run from me?" His voice is gentle, and he tugs on her hand to get her attention. Unfortunately, it does not have the desired effect. Instead, she rips her hand out of his and takes a step back.

"Because I'm not really looking forward to this conversation," she mutters. "But I guess it's nothing less than I deserve, so go ahead. Take your best shot." She plants her feet and lets her arms fall limply at her sides.

"What are you talking about?"

"Can we just please not drag this out?" she pleads as she feels tears begin to burn in her eyes and slip down her cheeks. Will notices right away, and advances towards her.

"Why are you crying? Please don't cry." He reaches up and wipes the tears away from her cheeks.

"Please stop. I know why you're here, and comforting me is only going to make it worse, so please, just say what you want to say and be done." Her voice is so weak. Nothing like the strong, vivacious, exuberant Lizzie she usually is.

"Elizabeth, can you please explain to me what you're talking about. Why did you run away?" he begs.

"Because even though I deserve to hear it, it's going to hurt like hell to have to stand here and listen to you reject me like I did to you all those months ago."

"Do you really think I'm here to reject you? That I would do anything to hurt you?" He tilts her face so she is looking him in the eyes. He smiles. "I never want to see you in pain. Practically everything I've done since I realized how I feel about you has been to prevent any possible hurt you could feel, you silly girl."

"You-you're not going to say anything mean?"

"Of course not." The idea that he would ever be purposefully cruel to her is outrageous.

"So, why are you here then?" She thinks she already knows but doesn't want to do anything until she is positive. Will rolls his eyes.

"Have I not been clear enough already? I love you. I am still in love with you. That never changed, and it probably never will. Nothing you or your family does will ever change how I feel. Unless you did something completely atrocious like eat a baby. Or buy a hummer." His joke has the desired effect. She laughs.

"You still love me?" she asks for good measure.

"Yes."

She smiles. "Well then."

And then she kisses him and he bends over so she doesn't have to crane her neck back so far. But that gets uncomfortable so he decides to pick her up instead. He laughs against her lips when she gasps after he lifts her off her feet, but they don't break the kiss. Hands are in hair and gripping shoulders and legs are around waists and somehow they end up back on the ground. Will continues to remind himself that they are in public place but can't fully bring himself to care anymore. That is until some clears their throat loudly to get their attention.

Reluctantly, they pull apart and Will is quite red now that he is out of the moment, and the embarrassment of the situation can hit him. They sit up to apologize to whatever angry mother has come to scold them for scaring her child. But it's not an angry soccer mom. It's something much worse.

"Lydia!" Lizzie says in shock and a little out of breath. "I thought you were out?"

Lydia Bennet stands over them with her arms crossed and a distinctly smug expression on her face. She keeps trying to look at Darcy, but he won't make eye contact.

"I am out, dear sister," Lydia says sugary sweet. The kind of sweet that makes you teeth hurt. "I was with Mary and her boyfriend at the park. We were having a great time, when to my surprise, my sister goes flying past me at, like, 80 mile per hour. And who should follow her not ten seconds later but William Darcy. So, being the wonderful sister I am, I decided to make sure everything was okay. Low and behold, what should I find but the two of you trying to suck the lips off each other's faces."

"Lydia!" Lizzie screeches.

"What?" Lydia shrugs but sends Lizzie a smirk to tell her she is only teasing. "You guys should be thanking me. From the looks of it, you were about two seconds away from having sex in this park. Been there done that. So not worth it."

"Oh my God." Lizzie buries her face in Will's shoulder. All is silent for about thirty seconds before Lydia speaks again.

"So, you coming to dinner?" Lizzie stiffens and lifts her head.

"No," she says firmly.

"Oh come on Lizzie. You can't actually think Mom's not going to jump all over this once she finds out."

"She's not going to find out," Lizzie insists.

"It's only a matter of time," Lydia sing-songs as she walks away. Lizzie turns to Will.

"I'm sorry," Lizzie says quietly.

"It's alright. I already told you, that stuff doesn't matter. It won't change anything," Will insists gently. Lizzie rests her head back on his shoulder. The sit, quiet and content. Then, in a rare moment of teasing, Will turns to Lizzie.

"So, I guess I'm coming to dinner?" And they laugh.