Lizzie pressed the switch on the camera, and the red recording light flickered off. She exhaled, and closed her eyes, relaxing now that it was only the two of them. Immediately Darcy pulled on her right hand, and in response Lizzie intertwined her fingers with his and allowed herself to be guided back to him, where she sat carefully across his lap. The barrier that existed between them had snapped with the kiss, and their physical closeness felt comforting rather than obtrusive and awkward like it had so many times before.
Darcy squeezed her hand, and she noticed his was trembling. He looked timidly back up at her, his eyes betraying his nervousness.
"Sorry-" Lizzie said, she went to move off him, but he instinctively pulled her back, and wrapped his arms around her.
He titled his head up, and softly pressed a peck onto her lips. She lent into him.
"Comforting," he said.
"What is?" she asked, smiling as she quickly kissed him back.
"You," he said simply. The gap between their mouths was less than an inch, and she felt his breath as he exhaled intertwine with her own shallow breathing.
Lizzie felt his hands tracing the lace flowers on the back of her dress. Warm fingertips outlined the petals, flowing soothingly around and around in circles.
"You're shaking," she said.
"I know," he replied as if it was something to be indulged in and remembered. His lips twitched upwards. "I'm trying not to be concerned by it."
Lizzie smirked in response and closed the gap between them. She lent into him, and ran her hands from over his chest, to up his shoulders and into his soft dark hair. He physically relaxed and tightly held onto her as he deepened the kiss.
They broke apart smiling at each other. Lizzie's eyes creased at the edges and there was a spark in the corner of them that had not been seen for weeks. And Darcy looked, if possible, happier than when she had made him do costume theatre at Pemberley.
"Dinner?" he asked, finding her hand to hold onto.
"Now?"
"Why not? You are dressed for such an occasion," he said, "Stunning, might I add."
"The dress was a gift from Jane, and the necklace from Lydia," she fingered the silver flowers, "I suppose Charlotte and Lydia haven't left us any Chinese."
"-And then dinner out will be my gift to you."
"You don't owe me a gift, after everything that you've done. And then coming all the way over here and that kis-" he cut her off, with another.
"Fine. You owe me dinner," he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Pizza," she said instantly, not put off by his teasing. "Nothing fancy."
"Fine," he pecked her lips and stood up, taking her with him. "Get your coat, Elizabeth Bennet. We're going out."
She laughed and opened the door out of the den. Charlotte and Lydia froze in the doorway, caught with armfuls of Chinese boxes trying to scamper away. They grinned madly at each other, and then Lydia quickly and awkwardly hugged Lizzie and ran off down the hallway singing:
"LIZZIE BEE IS NO LONGER PERPETUALLY SINGLE! HOOOLLLLAAA!"
Lizzie grabbed William's hand and ran outside, realising that this secret wasn't going to be kept from her mother for long.
