"Well, I wouldn't call it stealing if you genuinely deserve them…"

"Lizzie! Stop it. Stop making it seem like this isn't my fault." He started pacing angrily. "I should have transferred more of my clients from the beginning. And there are at least half a dozen big investors I could have sent your way over the past year. Why didn't I think? Why didn't I—"

"William Darcy, if you say one more word I will walk out of that door and not come back." The determined look in her eyes told him she was serious—of course she was serious, she wouldn't joke about leaving him, not after everything they had been through—so he obediently shut his mouth. Internally, however, the monologue continued. I could have helped. I could have helped.

Relieved that he had stopped, Lizzie took his hands in hers once again. "You see? This is why I didn't tell you before; because I knew exactly how you would respond. First, you would blame yourself. Then you would insist on fixing everything on your own because you feel obligated. But William, when are you ever going to learn that that is never what I want?"

He smiled gently. "When am I going to learn? Lizzie, it's the very reason I love you so much. Sometimes I simply get a bit carried away trying to make you feel the same way."

"Well, that's one thing you never have to worry about." She rested her head against his chest, and William thought briefly of the ring he had been keeping in his office safe for the past several months. But now wasn't a good time. He would have to be patient again, as he waited for the next chapter in their lives to begin.

"So, what are you going to do?" he asked.

"I'm going to be honest with you, William, as my boyfriend, but also as my fellow businessman. Mansfield Media has certain things over Pemberley Digital. We are much more intimate. Our creative department is ranked number one in the country, and Pemberley is ranked number three. But the fact of the matter is that Pemberley's history and reliability trumps those things almost every time. And frankly, there is nothing I can do about it."

"I could still send you some cli—"

"No, William. I refuse to ride the coattails of your more established and successful company. I will not be a charity case."

"So there's absolutely nothing I can do?" He could see her patience was wearing thing, but he couldn't help but ask one last time.

Lizzie touched his cheek and smiled faintly. "No, I don't think so. But if I think of anything, I promise I will come straight to you. No more hiding. Okay?"

"Okay."

...

...

...

"Lizzie, I have an idea."

"Is it a place for dinner tonight? Because we haven't eaten out in over two weeks and I love you, but I could use some—"

"It's about Mansfield Media."

"Oh."

They were sitting in a café approximately halfway between Pemberley and Mansfield (Lizzie argued that it was a closer drive for William because of traffic patterns, but if it was a choice between driving and not seeing him, she wasn't going to complain.) It had been two weeks since their conversation, and Lizzie had not mentioned her troubles since, but she was coming home more tired and stressed out than ever. Nevertheless, William had been careful to wait until their daily lunch break together to bring up his idea, because he knew she wouldn't listen to a word of it if they were at home.

Even so, she grimaced and said, "You know, I love these lunches because they are a break from work. But," she said, silencing the protest forming on his lips, "you were probably right in thinking I would refuse to hear anything about this at home. You were right, William. I shouldn't have kept this from you."

Taking courage from her smile, he took a deep breath and continued. "Lizzie Bennet, I would like to offer you a business opportunity."

Lizzie scrutinized him for a moment, taken aback by his formal tone. "William Darcy, I was under the impression you were my boyfriend, not my business associate."

William shrugged, ignoring the little dance his heart still did whenever Lizzie called him her boyfriend. "Who says I can't be both? You're a CEO, I'm a CEO, with deal in extremely similar things." He sighed. "Will you at least hear my proposition?"

"I'm all ears."

"About three weeks ago, I was approached by a woman named Mrs. Woodhouse about a potential business venture. She wants to take a classic novel and retail tell it in a modern setting through a series of video diaries, and she wanted Pemberley's expertise. It would be a long-term project—the video diaries need to be planned, cast, and filmed, not to mention sufficiently advertised, and Mrs. Woodhouse wants them to last for over a year, but after careful the executive board of Pemberley Digital has decided to partner with Mrs. Woodhouse. She has spearheaded some very successful projects in the part and, well," William smiled, "Let's just say she has the money to back this one."

"That sounds like wonderful news William…" Lizzie looked confused. "But what does it have to do with me?"

"Ah. Well, over the course of our negotiations with Mrs. Woodhouse, it became clear that she had seriously considered going to Mansfield Media with her project. She liked the small, intimate atmosphere at Mansfield, and she is aware of your own personal experience with video blogging."

Lizzie winced. Part of the reason she had ended her video diaries was because she was nervous about people judging her as the person has had been at the inception of her vlogs—much the same way she had prejudged certain people she was now quite friendly with. Part of her wondered if one of the reasons Mrs. Woodhouse hadn't decided to make her offer to Mansfield had been hesitation to deal with the Lizzie she had seen onscreen.

William, too caught up in his scheme—which she was still aching to hear—took no noticed of her discomfort, and pressed on. "Ultimately, she decided that her concept was risky enough that she was more interested in advertising and reliability than the best possible quality, and she instead brought her offer to Pemberley Digital. However," he continued, excitement bright in his blue eyes, "what if I told you the executive team at Pemberley—of which I am, of course, the head—was willing to collaborate with Mansfield Media on the project? Mansfield covers the creative aspect, and Pemberley works out the logistics? We both play to our strengths and everyone is happy?"

"You—you want to collaborate? Mansfield and Pemberley, working on the same project?" Lizzie worked to keep her face emotionless, but William saw a glimmer of his own excitement reflected in her eyes.

"Mrs. Woodhouse has already approved the idea, we are just waiting on confirmation from the head of Mansfield Media. Which would be you."

"Collaborate with Pemberley Digital…" Lizzie repeated the phrase slowly, testing it out. "William…" her face broke into a grin. "I think that's a wonderful idea! I mean, you're absolutely right—it's perfect! We both do what we're best at, we both get the business and the publicity; it's a win-win-win!"

She leaned over the table to plant a kiss on his cheek. "When can we start?"

...

Notes: Thank you guys so much for all of your reviews and kind words! I am so sorry I couldn't get this up sooner; I have a rather busy couple of months coming up, but I will try to finish this as soon as I can! I predict 2-3 more chapters, and the next one is almost finished already, so it should be up soon!

-LeftPawedPolarBear