EPISODE: FIGURING THINGS OUT

Nothing unexpected greets us as today's video begins: just Lizzie, dressed nicely, sitting in her chair in her office at Pemberley. She seems to be in a decent enough mood, and starts in right away on her monologue: "So this is the end of my third week at Pemberley...or as I like to call it, That Bizarre Alternate Universe Where Darcy Is Actually Human."

A cut, and she's nodding emphatically with wide-open eyes. "Seriously!"

Another cut, and she's gesturing in what is presumably the general direction of Darcy's office. "That nice, polite, friendly, warm Darcy you saw when I first got here?"

Another cut, and she nods again. "Yeah. That's what he's been like the entire time since then."

Another cut, and she's making stabbing gestures with an index finger. "All day. Every day."

Another cut, and she shrugs expansively. "I don't know what happened, or why...but the Darcy-bot? Gone."

Another cut: "Vanished!"

Another cut, and she throws her hands in the air. "Poof!"

Another cut, and she's leaning towards the camera, frowning. "And I find myself having to re-evaluate pretty much everything I thought about him before."

Another cut and she's sitting straight up in her chair again. "My name is Lizzie Bennet...and I'm having trouble figuring this one out."

When we return from the animated logo and theme song, Lizzie still looks confused.

"Okay, so...what I still don't understand is how Darcy could be so snobby and douchey last summer...and so warm and lovely and..." she drops her shoulders helplessly, "actually kind of engaging to be around...now?" She opens one hand in an unconscious gesture. "I mean, ordinarily I would assume that a person who changes like that is lying...or has gone through some radical life change...or therapy, or something." She looks directly at the camera, shrugging. "But like I said before...everyone here, where he's worked for years, has made it pretty clear that they've only ever known Nice Darcy."

A thought seems to strike her, and she looks away, pondering. "And actually...that also fits in with what I was wondering a while ago." Her eyes move back to the camera. "I never understood what it was that really great people like Bing and Fitz could ever have seen in him, that they were such good friends." She shakes her head. "But if he's always been like this, that would totally explain it! In fact," she tilts her head, "the only person I met that hated him the way I did was...George Wickham." She makes a moue of distaste. "And it's pretty clear now that he can't be trusted any further than I can throw him." Her eyes widen. "You should hear Mrs. Reynolds talk about him!" She holds up her hands defensively. "I mean, don't get me wrong, the woman is very tactful, but...yeah. She's been here for decades, and has watched Darcy and George grow up, and she says George...uh...'didn't turn out too well'."

A cut, and she gestures again, getting back to the topic of Darcy. "So...where does all this leave us?" She shrugs, talking it all out to herself. "I guess...with just a really super guy who's very shy around new people, and who...maybe...retreats into himself in new situations, and...therefore comes across as all snobby?" Her expression becomes very sheepish, and she winces. "At least, to judgey, snarky girls who aren't willing to give somebody a chance?"

She runs her hands frustratedly through her hair, then fidgets with her fingers. "Which means that Darcy...has got to be the most generous person, like, ever." Another frown, and she looks appealingly back at the camera. "I mean, think about it...you fall for a girl who's done nothing but be rude to you...not to mention that she makes friends with probably your worst enemy...you're very private and shy, but you suck it up anyway to declare your love for her in front of the whole world...she completely cuts you down...and then, when she turns up at the company you run, you not only don't boot her butt out of there, but you're nice to her...and you encourage her to be friends with your sister...and you drop by her office...every day..." realisation begins to dawn on her face, "...to...'check in'...and, uh, you come to watch her play tennis most of the time...and..." she clears her throat awkwardly, "suggest that we all go out for tea afterwards...and..."

Lizzie looks very distressed by this point, and falls silent, thinking. After a moment, she leans forward and, with her voice so low it's almost a whisper, confesses, "I think...I think Darcy might...still...like me."

Having thrown this bomb, she leans back, red-faced, and thinks some more. "That would probably explain why Gigi wanted to get to know me...if he's been talking to her about me..."

She exhales slowly, carefully, bringing one hand up to place it feelingly on her chest. It's very hard to read her expression. This realisation certainly doesn't anger her, at least. She looks like she feels guilty...but is that because of the way she's treated Darcy in the past, or because she's thinking of having to let him down a second time? Is that pity we can see in her eyes, or hope?

She casts her eyes upward, and lets out a small, self-derisive little chuckle. "Do you think it would it be totally crazy if-"

Whatever she was about to say is cut off, as we hear a knock at her office door. She looks over and calls out, "Come in?"

A confused mix of pleasure and embarrassment ripples over her face as the door clicks open and she can see who it is.

"Lizzie?" comes Darcy's deep, gentle voice. "Am I disturbing you?"

She smiles genuinely, shaking her head slowly. "No, not at all. Are you rushing off somewhere...did you want to come in?"

A brief pause, then..."That would be nice, thank you."

Darcy's torso and then head enter the frame as he walks around to where Lizzie is sitting and takes a chair himself. It takes him a moment to tear his eyes away from her and notice the camera, but when he does, he sits up straight and stiffly. "You're filming," comes the familiar wry phrase, complete with the familiar single raised eyebrow.

Lizzie gestures quickly towards the camera. "Oh, I can turn it off, if you want-"

Darcy inhales in a self-fortifying sort of way, and turns to her with a smile and a chuckle. "No, that's not necessary. I mean, why stop now?"

Lizzie laughs nervously. "I guess that's true."

Darcy cocks his head, as if to better take in her appearance. "I haven't seen you yet today. I just wanted to ensure everything was as it should be. I understand you spent the morning with the statistics analysis group...was that helpful for you?"

She smiles gratefully back, nodding. "Yes, it...was actually pretty interesting, given that it was, you know..." she chuckles, "statistics analysis. Darcy nods affably in response, smiling at her amusement. "But," she goes on, loosening up a little, "we went through some of the A/B testing they've been doing for one of the accounts, and that was cool. The software you've got makes the testing setup really easy."

She receives a dimpled smile as a reward for this compliment, which makes her blink quite a bit. She frowns and looks down at her lap. "Look, Darcy..." A faintly panicked look crosses his features, and he inhales with concern. She looks back up at him with an open, appealing expression. "I just...wanted to thank you."

He relaxes and smiles. "I don't require thanks, Lizzie."

She shakes her head. "No, I really do...I mean, you do. I...you've been so great to me here, especially given...other stuff that happened before..." At this, both of them break eye contact. "But I've been realising...that for you to put that aside and be so...kind..." Here, Darcy starts shaking his head in denial and takes a breath to speak, but she plows on determinedly. "No, it's not nothing, it's...it takes a lot to be so forgiving, and I..." she looks right up at him. "I've been thinking that you're a far better person than I am."

Darcy looks genuinely surprised at this conclusion and immediately brings a hand up defensively. But he doesn't say anything; he just looks at Lizzie in astonishment. At length, he says softly, "I...don't believe that." Tentatively, he places the upraised hand gently on her arm.

Her breath catches. His hand falters a moment, but steadies as he sees she isn't taking offence at the contact.

They stay there a moment, staring at each other - she, appealingly into his eyes; he, intensely into hers. Unconsciously, they lean towards each other slightly, and he drops his gaze lower, to her mouth. Her eyes do the same to his. He swallows, his breath coming a bit stronger. A moment later, and he glances fleetingly at the camera. He looks back at Lizzie, presses his lips together, takes a deep breath, and leans back again.

She sits up straight as well, looking confused. He smiles at her. "I think...that I am very much looking forward to your coming to dinner again this weekend," he ventures. "I find it less inhibiting to have a conversation in a...less public setting." Unconsciously, his eyes again flick briefly towards the camera.

Lizzie's eyes follow his glance, shifting over and back again, and then she, too, smiles, visibly relaxing. "True," she concedes. "Well, then..."

His answering expression is rather delighted, and he nods, patting her arm once gently before withdrawing his hand and standing up. "I'll leave you to your work," he tells her quietly.

She nods back, smiling up at him. Her eyes follow his path out of her office. As soon as her door clicks shut, she looks right at the camera. She takes a breath to say something, then pauses, and winces.

"Oh, shut up!" she tells the audience exasperatedly.

The screen goes black.