EPISODE: WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

Lizzie is seated in a very nice office, and in contrast to the previous episode, the camera is steady this time. She's dressed much more professionally than we usually see her, and frankly, she looks really nice, if you ignore the aura of awkwardness emanating from her at the moment.

"Hey Internet," she greets with a limp wave, "Yes, we're once again here at Pemberley, and yes, this is my," she pauses to take a quick look around the room, "incredibly nice office." She looks back at the camera with a disbelieving expression. "They've put me up in one of the rooms they keep available for any consultants they might bring in, and it's...awesome. For one thing, you would not believe how quickly they got me all connected up with the company's network, which is totally-" She stops herself suddenly, smiling self-deprecatingly. "But of course, you're not really interested in hearing anything about that, are you?" She gives a small shake of her head. "No...I've been reading all of your Tweets and your comments since the last episode, and I know! All you guys really want to hear about is, what happened after you and Darcy saw each other in the hallway?"

A cut, and she shakes her head disbelievingly. "Really, Internet?"

Another cut. "You're all about the hallway drama now?"

Another cut, and she holds her hands out expansively. "Buuuut, you know me, I'm all about making you guys happy!"

Another cut, and she's looking thoughtfully off into a corner of the ceiling. "And honestly, I guess from a certain perspective, the whole situation could be considered pretty funny..."

Another cut, and she's dripping with sarcasm. "Not my perspective, of course..."

Another cut, and we're back to broad hand gestures. "But anyway...hallway drama it is!"

Another cut, and her hands are in her lap. She takes a deep breath, and makes the intro: "My name is Lizzie Bennet, and...here's what happened next."

The theme music and animated logo play, and then we're back to the same view we had at the end of the previous episode: Darcy's knees. However, we've obviously backed up a few seconds from the episode's end, because...

"Darcy."

"Lizzie."

Awkward silence.

It's Darcy who recovers first; we see his knees move as he shifts his weight a bit. When he speaks, his tone is very different from anything we've heard so far, either by his imitators or his actual self - no more of the tense, uptight voice that sounds as though it's critical of everything and everyone; but instead, relaxed and friendly.

"How good to see you again. Have you been well?"

A confused pause.

"Ye...uh..." Lizzie clears her throat. "Yes...thank you...I've been doing...fine."

"I'm very glad to hear that. I hope your sisters and your parents are also very well?"

Another pause, in which we can only assume that Lizzie has blinked more than a few times. "Um, yes, yes they are..."

"And how are your studies going? Not too stressful, I hope?"

"My studies..." she repeats. The camera gives a convulsive wiggle. "Oh...yes!" The view is lurched upright once again; Lizzie must have recalled that she's holding a camera which is still recording. We can once again see what's going on: she's off to the side of the frame, with her head visible, looking around at Darcy. In between them is Mrs. Reynolds, smiling patiently, neutrally observing their exchange of pleasantries.

Darcy's eyes flick over to the camera. A small tremor passes over his face, and his eyebrows quirk. "You're filming," he states, reverting to his usual sardonic tone. "Again."

Lizzie flushes and chokes out a bit of a laugh, avoiding his eyes. "Yes...sorry...I'm just vlogging my tour here..." she trails off as it hits home that 'here' is his company, which she's unknowingly made her way into.

Darcy recovers fairly quickly, though. He abandons the uptight manner again, giving Lizzie a mild but genuine smile, the effect of which is kind of stunning. "And on a handheld - that'll be a very effective departure from your usual style, I think it's perfect for documenting a tour."

Lizzie smiles back confusedly, although still not quite looking directly at him. "Yeah...it...was a Christmas present."

His smile deepens. It does lovely things to his face. "I hope your holidays were very pleasant."

Lizzie blinks back. "Yes, they were...thank you."

He nods, but doesn't immediately say anything. Lizzie is obviously feeling much too out of her depth to be able to fill the conversational void herself, but before the silence stretches out too awfully, Mrs. Reynolds steps in. "Well, perhaps I should show Lizzie to her desk, and you can catch up more later once she's settled in?"

They both turn to look at her, evidently relieved. Darcy nods, and Lizzie manages a weak, "Okay!"

Mrs. Reynolds turns to Darcy. "I thought Consultant Room C would be best for her," she tells him.

He nods affably in reply. "Indeed. Thank you," he confirms. With a last look and faint smile at Lizzie, he walks off in the direction he was originally headed. Lizzie's head turns to watch him go, and then looks meaningfully at the camera with an astonished expression.

"It's just this way," says Mrs. Reynolds, and Lizzie tears herself away from the camera to turn and follow her.

Strategic editing cuts make the trip to Lizzie's new desk and Mrs. Reynold's showing of it very short. Eventually we see Lizzie setting down the handheld so that she can vlog seated at her desk, and her attention is focused beyond the camera. We can hear Mrs. Reynolds' voice saying, "Just settle yourself right in and finish filming, and then come see me, we'll get the IT folks to set you up with your connectivity. My office is just across from where the portraits are, you remember?"

Lizzie nods, smiling gratefully. "Thank you!"

Another cut, and Lizzie is facing the camera directly. She heaves a massive sigh, and opens her eyes wide and expressively. "Well...that was...uh...what it was...?" She clutches her chest. "Of all the bizarre quirks of fate! Can you BELIEVE that?!" Her expression becomes even more amazed. "And can you believe Darcy?! Frankly, I'm having a hard time believing that that was really him! He was..." she gropes for the right word, "...nice?" She frowns thoughtfully. "I didn't know that was...possible." She looks back to the camera. "But I guess...it must be...I mean, did you hear all those people talking about how fabulous he is?" She looks completely at sea. "Darcy?!" Her hands come up to rub at her temples as she tries to process it all. "I just don't get it...I mean, how has he changed so much since the summer? Or...but...well, according to everyone who works here, he's actually been that nice all along, and he just...didn't ever...show it?" She looks helplessly at the camera. "And, how can he be so nice to someone who rejected him so...completely? Not to mention publicly! Shouldn't he actually despise me? I don't get it!" She looks embarrassed, and then, suddenly horrified. "Oh gawd...what if he thinks I got myself this placement on purpose?"

She sits there for a moment, her hands over her mouth. But whatever she was thinking of saying next is cut off as we hear a knock at the door. "Come in?" she calls, looking over beyond the camera.

We hear the click of the door opening, and then the sound of Darcy's voice, polite and gentle. "Lizzie?"

She immediately stands up, pushing her head out of the frame. "Darcy!"

"No no, don't get up," comes the response, with all the politeness we heard earlier in the hallway. "I just wanted to check in now that you're at your desk...oh...you're still filming...I shouldn't disturb you."

Lizzie gestures unconsciously toward the camera. "Oh no, no, it's okay, you don't have to...I mean...well, you could come in...if you wanted, and, uh..."

There's a pause.

"Alright," he answers, though his tone sounds more tense than before. Lizzie sits back down and scooches sideways a bit as Darcy grabs a chair and comes to sit in front of the camera as well. He gives it the briefest of eyebrow quirks before smiling at Lizzie. "I didn't really get to say hello properly before," he ventures.

"Right," she manages to get out. "Well..." Casting around for a conversation topic, she looks back at Darcy. "This is...quite the amazing company you have here."

He looks pleased. "Do you like it? Did Mrs. Reynolds give you the full tour?"

She nods enthusiastically. "Oh yes, definitely...I mean, yes, I got the full tour, and yes, it really is incredible here. Your staff is...incredible, and the eqipment is...uh...incredible...and..." she gets visibly frustrated at not being able to come up a different adjective. "It's really delightful being here," she finally manages, awkwardly but sincerely.

"I'm glad," he answers, just as sincerely. "My family has worked very hard to make Pemberley a company of consequence, and a great place to work."

She nods. "Well, it definitely is that," she affirms. Then she blinks, and leans forward earnestly. "Look, Darcy, I...well...I mean, you mustn't think that I would ever have dreamed of, you know, putting myself in this kind of an awkward situation on purpose..." She takes a breath to steady herself. "It was my advisor at school who arranged for this placement. I had no idea it was your company until Mrs. Reynolds said so. And she said you weren't expected back in the office for a few days. I'm so sorry if my being here is...uh...inconvenient for you."

Darcy shakes his head in denial. "No, no..." he assures her, although he did tense up briefly when Lizzie mentioned the awkwardness of the situation. "It's quite true, I wasn't expected back so early. I'm here now because I've just arranged to have some guests staying with me for a while, and I wanted to get some work at the office out of the way before they arrived."

"Ah," says Lizzie nodding.

Darcy nods back. "Yes, they're arriving tomorrow."

She nods again. Together, they look a bit like bobbleheads.

Darcy stops nodding, and looks off to the side. "My guests..." he clears his throat. "Well...it's Bing. And...Caroline."

Lizzie presses her lips together and tenses up, absorbing this. "Ah. I...see."

He takes a breath and looks back at her. "But also in town...well, obviously, as she lives here...is someone who has been wanting to meet you for a while." A clearly confused look meets this statement, so he clarifies. "My sister. Gigi."

Lizzie's eyebrows go right up in surprise. "Your sister!"

He nods again. "Yes. Would it...be too much of an imposition to introduce the two of you?"

Lizzie is obviously astonished, but just as obviously not annoyed or offended in the slightest. "No, I don't mind at all...I...it would be a pleasure to meet her," she finishes, trying to collect her wits back together into some semblance of politeness.

She gets a pleased smile in response, so much so that there's a brief flash of dimple. "Good. That's good!" He chuckles. "Frankly, I doubt I'd be able to keep her away from the office once she finds out that you're here." There's a brief pause, during which his glance strays nervously to the camera. Taking a vigorous breath in, he slaps his lap with his hands and stands, saying, "Well, I don't want to keep you from your day, I'm sure you've got lots of...filming...left to do. And settling in, too, of course." There's a pause, while she glances up at him in a kind of glazed way. Eventually, he extends a hand towards her. "I look forward to having you working here...Lizzie Bennet."

She reaches up a hand automatically to shake his offered one, and manages a feeble, "Mmm-hmm." Their hands release and he stays there a moment, evidently looking her, but of course since he's standing, we can't see his expression. Then he turns and goes. Her eyes follow his progress until we hear the door click behind him, at which point she looks blankly back at the camera.

A pause, and then she tilts her head. "What...just...happened here?"

The screen goes black.