This is just a little two-parter I whipped up. The first part is about how Fitz learns of Lizzie (from Fitz's perspective), and the second is how he redeems himself as a wingman (from Lizzie's perspective). ;)
Something really weird was going on with Darcy.
Fitz considered himself a pretty reliable Darcy-oligist when it came to interpreting his friend's understated emotions. He knew when he was pleased with something; he knew when he was disappointed or annoyed. He knew his proud look and his angry look. He knew when he was devastated. (That he had only seen twice – once because of Darcy's parents, and once because of what happened to Gigi.) The difference between his moods was usually something really subtle, like a raised eyebrow, a furrow in his forehead, or a slight downturn or upcurve of his mouth. The guy didn't exactly wear his heart on his sleeve. Fitz considered it no small accomplishment that he'd learned how to read him so well.
But when Darcy came back from his summer vacation with the Lees (not that Darcy really ever took a vacation; Fitz expected he probably spent the bulk of it bent over his laptop, ignoring things like sunshine and fun) there was something on his face that Fitz couldn't read at all.
He was distracted, that was clear enough. Darcy had always been the kind of guy who took a while to answer questions, weighing his words carefully before speaking. Now, though, it seemed like he didn't even hear the question. Having a conversation with him was like yelling at someone through a fog.
One time Fitz thought he had figured it out when he caught Darcy at his computer, peering at someone's Facebook page. Darcy never went on Facebook, calling it "a shameless parading of one's personal affairs," but there he was, scanning an album of photos. Fitz, getting a peek of Bing's face in one of the pictures, asked, "That from this summer?"
Darcy closed the browser window in a flash, whirling around with a red face as if he'd been caught looking at nudes. "Yes, just – a party," he said very rapidly, chin practically disappearing into his neck. "Bing hosted a number of parties at Netherfield. They were very tiresome. Lots of noise and crowded rooms."
"Yeah…probably lots of pretty girls too. You hate those, right?"
Darcy cleared his throat and smoothed his tie and finally said, "I have little patience for silly women. It doesn't matter how they look."
So the guy had finally fallen for someone. Took him long enough. Now Fitz would just have to ferret out whether Darcy and this girl had hooked up, or if he was unrequitedly pining away like some melodramatic hero from another century.
Then Fitz started digging, and Darcy's response made him doubt his conclusion all over again.
Every time Fitz asked a question about the summer, Darcy flinched. Not in a good kind of way. Scowling more than smiling, like he was remembering a bad stomachache. He usually tried to evade the inquisition and change the subject, but after Fitz had persisted for a week or two, he actually got angry. "I have tried to be patient," he snapped, "but that is enough. It was not a pleasant excursion. I would rather not relive any of it."
"Wow. Sorry."
Darcy took a breath. "I am sorry. I have been difficult, I know. Our time at Netherfield….ended badly. Bing had managed to entangle himself in another romantic disaster."
"Yikes. Worse than Annette?" Fitz asked. He didn't throw around the word gold-digger very often, but she was one girl who definitely deserved it.
"Unfortunately, yes. She was not so calculating as that, but her mother - well, suffice it to say, Bing would have been badly hurt if it had gone on any further. It took a great deal of persuading to get him away. I believe he'll get over the infatuation now that he's separated from her. If only others were so fortunate," he added in a murmur that Fitz barely caught.
Okay, this was just plain weird. Fitz didn't ask Darcy about it anymore, but he kept looking for clues. He talked to Gigi, and she could only confirm that her brother was acting weird and wouldn't tell her anything. "If you can figure it out, please tell me," she said over the phone. "You don't think he's –" Her voice faltered. "Still mad at me?"
"Come on, Gigi D! He was never mad at you, just worried. You know that. And this isn't about that, anyway. Trust me. Something happened this summer."
"Yeah. Okay."
Fitz didn't expect the answer would come in the form of a trip to Collins and Collins.
He was confused when Darcy forwarded him an email from his Aunt Catherine urging her nephew to come and evaluate her latest investment. I believe there may be some value in taking a look at this, Darcy wrote. Fitz just stared at the message in disbelief. Darcy had been fending off his aunt's requests for months now, dismissing them as a waste of his valuable time. "This company specializes in inane tutorial videos and tawdry reality programming," he had said. But now, Some value in taking a look at this? What was going on?
Fitz didn't object to it himself. These kind of company evaluations were fluff work, leaving a lot of free time for fun. It was close enough to San Francisco that Brandon could take a day or two off work and join him. Practically a vacation, and getting paid for it? Yeah, he could deal with that. He just wanted to know what was up with Darcy's sudden interest.
Just before they left for Collins and Collins, Fitz thought he figured it out. Again. Catherine sent out three more emails to bring them up to date on every little detail of the company, and among loads of other boring stuff, she mentioned that this Ricky Collins guy had recently gotten himself a business partner by the name of Charlotte Lu. And she just happened to come from Collins's hometown, which Fitz just happened to recognize as the same place where Darcy had spent his summer.
"Gotcha," Fitz muttered.
They arrived on a Sunday, so Fitz was counting on a free afternoon before they had to get to work. He'd forgotten that a little thing like the weekend wouldn't keep Catherine de Bourgh from scheduling an afternoon of meetings. They went straight from the airport to Catherine's offices and spent a full hour listening to Catherine drone on while Collins, a weird little guy, nodded eagerly and hung on her every word. As for Charlotte, she seemed like a smart, competent type with near-endless patience. And Darcy was definitely not in love with her.
He'd greeted her with an absent nod and, "I hope your family is well." He didn't look at her once for the rest of the meeting, during which he spoke even less than usual. Since Fitz was sitting next to him, he noticed Darcy's foot tapping restlessly against the floor. Was he bored? Fitz sure was, but Darcy usually didn't show emotions like that.
Catherine was finally forced to stop when her voice went hoarse. While she took a long drink of water, Fitz took the chance to say, "Hey, it all sounds great. I can't wait to check out the offices tomorrow."
Collins perked up and said, "An excellent notion! But there's no need to wait. I will be happy to accompany you there immediately and offer you a full tour of the entire premises –"
"Or, if you prefer to have a break, we can do it first thing tomorrow," Charlotte said smoothly. "There's no rush. I was planning on picking up dinner with Lizzie. She's waiting at the offices right now."
"I would be interested in seeing the offices today," Darcy said with sudden energy. Fitz stared at him.
"Lizzie Bennet is a friend of mine from back home," Charlotte explained to Fitz, not batting an eye at Darcy's weird outburst. "She's shadowing the company as part of her graduate studies."
"Cool," Fitz said, immediately forming a new theory. So Darcy hadn't been bored during the meeting – well, maybe he was that too – but his restlessness, it seemed, had come from impatience. And suddenly Fitz was impatient too. "Hey, let's go ahead and check the place out. Sounds like it could be fun."
Collins beamed, practically flying out his seat in excitement. "Then let us proceed there at once!"
Charlotte just put on a long-suffering smile. Darcy, meanwhile, would have looked impassive to a casual observer, but Fitz could see the slight twitch at the corners of his mouth. Wow. This Lizzie must have really gotten to him.
They arrived at the offices, and Collins launched straight into an enthusiastic monologue as he led them down the first hallway. Darcy clearly didn't hear a word of it, his eyes darting from one empty office to the next.
When Collins was finally forced to stop and take a breath, Charlotte grabbed the chance to say, "So, I'm going to go and let Lizzie know we're here."
Darcy turned from the last office he was peering into, mouth moving wordlessly as if his vocal chords had been removed. Fitz took pity on him and came to the rescue.
"Hey, I'd like to meet her. Tell her Darcy wants to say hi. Don't you?" He nudged Darcy, who gave up trying to talk and just gave a curt nod.
"Okay," Charlotte said, holding back what might have been amusement.
They were forced to stand and listen to another flood of babble from Collins while they waited, but Fitz was too intrigued by the change in Darcy to be annoyed this time. He didn't even try to conceal his impatience at this point. Fidgeting, eyes roving. Darcy, who could usually win a staring contest with a statue.
"…and that, as your aunt so astutely enumerated, is one of the many crucial components of creating successful content…" Collins didn't seem remotely aware that Darcy was ignoring him at his point, his eyes turned instead on two figures who were just turning the corner at the far end of the hallway. Unfazed, he called out, "Ah, Miss Lu! Miss Bennet! I was just elaborating on Ms. de Bourgh's excellent –"
"Hi, Darcy," said Lizzie Bennet as she and Charlotte reached him. Fitz hung back, deciding he wanted to watch from a distance to get a good look at both Lizzie and Darcy's reaction to her.
Lizzie was pretty, not glamorous or drop-dead gorgeous, but whatever. Darcy said It doesn't matter how they look, and he was the kind of guy who really meant it. So what was so great about her? Her smile seemed a little strained, though maybe that was just because Collins was still trying to finish his tortuously long sentence.
Darcy, meanwhile, was in even deeper than Fitz had thought. He hadn't stopped looking at Lizzie since she first appeared, and he still hadn't said a word. Man. This guy could run a whole company, but he couldn't talk to a girl he liked? "Hello, Lizzie," he finally said, stiff and short. He cleared his throat and managed to ask, "How is your family?"
Lizzie's smile remained, but her eyes said something else. Fitz wasn't sure what. "They're all right," she said, pleasantly enough. "You know. Lots of changes lately."
Darcy nodded. Lizzie was clearly expecting him to say something, but she gave up waiting and went on, "Speaking of that, you know, Jane got a job in L.A. I don't suppose you ever ran into her while you were there with Bing and Caroline?"
A blink. "Uh. No. I – didn't."
"Oh."
Yikes. Fitz came to the rescue, approaching Lizzie and sticking out his hand. "Hey, I'm Fitz."
She accepted the handshake and gave him a smile that went all the way to her eyes. "Hi."
"Fitz is my friend and business associate," Darcy managed for an introduction, however belatedly. "We've come to monitor corporate progress at Collins and Collins."
"Yes," Collins exclaimed, clapping his hands together and somehow managing to push his way into the middle of the group. "And so you shall! If you'll follow me, I'll be delighted to continue our tour of the offices."
Darcy looked truly pained. Time for another rescue. Fitz put on his most disarming smile and said, "Yeah, about that – I didn't notice how late it was. I'm supposed to meet the BF for dinner in half an hour. Hey, you ladies want to join us?" he directed at Charlotte and Lizzie.
"Uh, sure," Lizzie said after glancing at Charlotte. "Sounds fun."
"Darcy?" Fitz gave him a meaningful look. But his stupid friend just shook his head.
"My apologies. I have – business to attend to."
So he practically handed Darcy a dinner date with Lizzie – okay, a group date, but still – on a silver platter, and he was chickening out? What was going on with this dude?
Lizzie slipped back down the hallway to finish whatever she had been in the middle of, while Charlotte placated Collins with the promise that they'd finish the tour first thing the next morning. Fitz took the chance to mutter to Darcy, "Business to attend to? Really?"
"I promise Gigi I would call her this evening."
"That's not going to take all evening."
Darcy grimaced. "Perhaps not. But I – I am not in the mood for social interaction at the moment."
"Huh. And that wouldn't have anything to do with the people I just invited to dinner?"
A definite flush spread over Darcy's face. "Fitz, please –"
"Don't worry, man," Fitz said. "I've got your back."
Before Darcy could reply, Collins came over to "bid them adieu until the morrow." Seriously, where did Catherine find this guy? This was going to be a weird couple of weeks.
But tons of fun too, if Fitz's wingman skills had anything to do with it.
The next morning he met Darcy just outside Collins and Collins, and they started inside together. "So," Fitz said, "we had a totally terrific time last night." He gave Darcy a thumb's up. "You've chosen well, man. Lizzie is awesome."
Darcy's mouth twitched. "You're making assumptions."
Fitz snorted. "Come on. It's so obvious. It's the only thing that explains this 'business trip.' Like you'd really come here to analyze videos about how to turn on a light-switch."
Darcy stiffened, halting mid-step. "Are you implying that I'm wasting company time and resources on personal indulgences?"
"Uh, yeah. And that's awesome. I bet you've never taken a personal indulgence in your life. It's about time you did."
Whether Darcy was going to protest or admit Fitz was right, he was cut off by Collins's arrival and the resuming of their tour. But the next time Fitz brought up Lizzie, Darcy seemed to have given up trying to deny it. By then (Wednesday afternoon), Fitz had learned that he had his wingman work cut out for him. Lizzie really didn't have the greatest impression of Darcy. They'd met at the worst possible place for him, a noisy party full of strangers. It was going to take some serious damage control. But Fitz could handle it.
After coming back from lunch with Lizzie, Fitz showed up at the office Darcy was using at Collins and Collins and sat on his desk. "All right, let's talk strategy. When are you going to make your move, D-man?"
Darcy looked up from his computer screen with a frown. "Who said anything about making a move?"
"I did. And it's happening. We just have to figure out the right time and place."
"Fitz…" Darcy tapped his pen restlessly against the desk. "I may not want to make any overtures."
"Yeah. Sure. I've seen how you look at her."
Darcy's mouth pulled into a tight line. "Be that as it may," he finally said, "there are a number of objections. Many people in my life would question the appropriateness of such a – relationship."
"Uh, who cares? This is your life, right?"
Darcy merely shrugged.
"So if you didn't come here to make a move," Fitz said, growing more and more exasperated, "why bother coming at all?"
Another long pause, and then Darcy answered in a low voice, "I just wanted to see her again."
"Wow." He really had it bad. "Okay, but you can't keep going on like this. Take a risk. Man, if I'd let my fears control me, I'd never be with Brandon. Don't you want to be happy?"
Darcy opened his mouth, shook his head, and stayed silent.
"You're going to do this. Oh, but not yet." At Darcy's questioning look Fitz went on, "I just need a few more days. Trust me."
"A few more days for what?" Darcy asked with a lifted eyebrow.
"Just trust me."
Darcy shouldn't have trusted him.
But then, Fitz couldn't entirely blame himself for being the worst wingman ever. Even if he had known Bing's ex was Lizzie's sister and kept his mouth shut about it, there wasn't much hope for a guy who opened his confession of love with a list of objections to the relationship. Oh, and making a confession of love before even asking her on a date? Darcy really didn't need much help shooting himself in the foot.
Somehow, Fitz would have to find a way to make it up to him. He'd just have to change tactics. And maybe find a wingman-ing partner.
