My first fanfiction for LBD. I have my very important exams coming, but I couldn't resist this. At all. Standard disclaimer in my profile. I don't own the italicized quote from Brushstrokes of a Gadfly, that belongs to E.A. Bucchianeri!

Date/Time: 9th February 2013/4:18 pm IST

Summary: Darcy had perfectly no clue as to how his playlist changed so swiftly. Was it possible to love something he loathed so ardently? Gigi never expected this. Quality (sort of indirect) Dizzie guaranteed. Lizzie Bennet Diaries fanfiction.

It was not like Darcy was oblivious to the existence of actually worthwhile popular music. He had just neglected it, or thought it to be Gigi's field.

Darcy normally listened to what his mother had sometimes played for him when he was a kid. Her, and now his favorite being Beethoven Violin Sonata #5, 'Spring'. He used to listen to music which people would call elegant and posh. Darcy never cared about that, but was a bit proud to live up to his social class.

Caroline Lee had praised his selection, and he had hardly been a bit happy to have a fellow classical music enthusiast when she said, "Wolfgang Chopin was one of the best, don't you think?". Inwardly sighing, William just frowned a bit and turned away as soon as it could have been considered polite. Bing, being lost as ever, never really cared.

Gigi, however, not in pressure of maintaining an amiable relationship with Darcy, thinking he would have to stick with her no matter what, constantly troubled him about it.

"William, are you really going to listen to that the whole day?"

"Gigi, it's not the time to be discussing this."

"It's the lunch break and Fitz is out of town! You are my only hope! Now, why are you so obsessed with them?"

"Does it cause you any trouble?"

"Yes. I mean, I get it, big bro, it's nice to listen to them once in a while, but afterwards they get boring! Can't you try Chvrches once in a while? Like, who would hook up a workaholic like you who actually listens to classical music in this day and age! That's like an instant recipe for perpetual bachelorhood!"

"Gigi."

"Fine, I'm going. See you at eight, William."

So it was no surprise when Darcy, after getting a new phone and asking Gigi to sync it with his old one while he was busy in a board meeting that day, found himself lost in unfamiliar band names and singers he had perhaps only read about in e-papers. Fortunately, before he stormed into her office, he found that she has indeed included his favorites too. And due to another emergency in the Human Resources department, that soon slipped out of his mind.

So that is how it became a habit to skip the artists till he came across more familiar ones.

That is, until a certain Lizzie Bennet came into his life. And Darcy... well... he fell in love with her.

It was after he saw her dance at Carter's, that he actually began to pay attention to the miscellaneous songs in his phone. He swore that he only looked for it because the tune was quite pleasant, and not because she had said she loved that song. And why did he need to swear to himself? That remains a mystery...

So he came across the popular music genre, and by trial and error and making his way through five hundred of what Gigi claimed to be her favorites, he found the song she had loved.

To his surprise, during his stay in Netherfield, he found himself immersed in mushy love songs for the first time in his life. If someone would have dared to ask him how the selection contained every song he had heard her mumbling, he would make a poker face and say, "Coincidence". Now that he thought, even Moon River didn't sound so syrupy.

And on his flight back he decided he couldn't get enough of it and quite uncharacteristically he made it his ringtone.

It was in his first meeting since he came back to Pemberley did everyone get to know of it. He had forgotten to put the mode on silent, not that such sudden forgetfulness was related to anything that happened during his visit to his friend, no, not at all. As fate had it, his phone rang when the meeting was almost over. The staff stared at the CEO like they had seen, or in this case heard, a ghost. A blank stare from their boss was enough to cause them to scramble away at twice the pace, except for Gigi, of course. She had not moved since she had heard the ringtone. After quickly attending the phone, Darcy, already aware of her burning gaze, hastily got up and went to retrieve his coat when she said;

"So, who is she?"

Flustered at such a sudden and straightforward question, he stammered, "No one."

"The correct response would have been 'Who?'. Spill it William."

"It doesn't matter, Gigi. There are more important matters like have you completed designing that ba-"

She smirked. "Spill it or I'll tweet that the great William Darcy is actually obsessed with 'Love like woe'."

Trying to make the most stern face he could, he said, "Gigi."

"Won't work today, bro."

He was defeated. "Lizzie Bennet."

"Where did you meet her?"

"She lived across the road from Netherfield. We met up a few times at a local bar."

"Alone?"

"With company. Is that enough?"

With a Cheshire grin, she said; "Satisfied."

He stormed off and she called Fitz; "You won't believe this."

Sadly for Gigi, William didn't explain his real reason for visiting Collins & Collins. Luckily for her, Fitz was always ready with updates. That is how she came to know about the rejection. Ouch. She had expected his attitude. It was her duty(and her favorite pastime) to predict her brother's actions.

The song suddenly disappeared, and Chopin's movements took its place. Darcy had a coping technique he had used since the tragic accident years ago, and she knew of this. Immersing himself in work sixteen hours a day listening to Piano Sonatas became his routine. That is when Gigi admonished him on a video call while he was in LA;

"The dark circles under your eyes will even put a Panda to shame!"

"Hmmm..."

"William, if you don't come back this very moment, I am going to run off to Paris and never come back!"

Even if he knew she would not do that, the existence of such a thought made him come back, that very day. After his and Lizzie's first forcefully accidental(she would glare if you said otherwise) meeting, she heard him humming when they were going back home.

Darcy never realized it, perhaps.

As for his subconsciousness, he found himself relating to the song. Social classes long forgotten, that song gave him some support. He listened to the song for exactly 7 times before finally mustering enough courage to ask her to go to the Theater. She had almost agreed.

His damn luck.

It was after Lizzie came back to complete her shadowing that Gigi heard him actually singing the song. She couldn't contain her excitement. Well, time for Gigi to turn the wheel of fortune. So she asked him at a lunch, specifically in front of Lizzie;

"Finally! Congrats on memorizing a popular love song, William!"

He just blushed and averted his eyes.

She sighed, "Agoraphobic lobster."

"I have heard you singing too. It is my favorite song!"

It was epic to see how William spilled the drink on himself in surprise. And how he blushed when Lizzie gave him a napkin. And how he took it. And how Lizzie blushed on the contact. And how William quickly excused himself to bathroom. And how Lizzie suddenly snapped out of her stare...

For Gigi, the list goes on and on.

After all that hard work, she thought she may deserve a bit of a holidays. As if on cue, she received a text dripping with sarcasm:

'Thanks there. If you are planning for a holiday, remember that Domino's demo presentation is still not over.'

"Oh no!"

All rights to The Ready Set. If Darcy seemed a bit OOC because he made it his ringtone, my only defense would be: 'Love makes us do strange things.'! I was kind of obsessed with the song and LBD at the same moment. It suited Darcy's situation perfectly. Re uploaded with minor changes.

Please Review!

Thanks for reviewing.

Tensai-Teki Kuroneko (Anna)