Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

A/N: Sorry, my summer job ate my brain/time/energy/etc. way more than I would have thought. Also, this story just keeps getting longer and this isn't the last chapter after all! I've started the next one, so here's hoping I can wrap it up soon.

The day after Christmas, Dr. Gardiner sends Lizzie an urgent email: "Your January/February shadowing experience has fallen through. I've arranged an alternative experience at Pemberley Digital. I think you know the CEO. ;) I have friends who need a house-sitter during this time as well, so lodging will be free. You begin shadowing on January 6. Season's greetings, Dr. Gardiner." Lizzie reads the email four times in case she's misunderstood something, and then she calls Darcy.

Darcy picks up after the second ring. "Lizzie, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. You'll never guess what I have to tell you."

"No, I suppose I won't. What is it?"

"The shadowing experience Dr. Gardiner and I had lined up for the next few months fell through."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope this doesn't affect your ability to graduate when you had planned."

"No, no, nothing like that. Dr. Gardiner lined up something else instead. Guess where?" Lizzie is trying to keep herself from giggling with moderate success.

"I haven't the slightest idea."

"Pemberley!"

There's a long silence on the other end of the line, so long that Lizzie starts to wonder if Darcy finds the news upsetting rather than exciting. Then Darcy says, "Lizzie, is this one of those times when you are teasing me? I cannot tell." There's a slight catch in his voice and Lizzie nearly melts.

"No!" Lizzie assures him immediately. "I would never tease you about something like this. I'm coming to San Francisco in two weeks. I thought you'd like to know."

"I . . . I do like it, yes."

"Good." There's a long pause. "Well, that was the news."

"Lizzie—would you allow me to take you out to dinner on your first night here? To welcome you?"

Is he asking her out? Lizzie isn't sure. "I don't know if I'll be very good company right when I arrive. I'll have spent all day traveling."

"Right. Of course. How thoughtless of me." Darcy's voice is falsely level, but the dejection is evident.

"Darcy—that isn't what I—I mean . . ."

"What is it, Lizzie?"

Lizzie swallows. "If the offer stands, I'd love to go to dinner with you. I mean, maybe not my first night, but sometime. If that's what you want."

"It . . . is, yes."

"Okay then."

"There's a very nice restaurant not too far from the Pemberley offices. I think you'll find it quite excellent." His voice is gentle now.

Lizzie chews the inside of her lip. "I'm not sure I'm 'nice restaurant' person."

"I see."

"I mean—God, I'm sorry—I'm sure it would be lovely. I just . . ."

"Lizzie. If the price is what concerns you, let me assure you that I'm planning on paying."

"So it would be a date."

"It . . . would, yes."

Lizzie doesn't know what to say. Screaming, "Thank God!" doesn't seem appropriate, somehow.

"Forgive me, Lizzie. I have been too forward. I promise I will not bother you like this again. Please accept my apologies. Have a good rest of your day."

"Darcy, wait!"

"I do not see how prolonging this conversation could do either of us any good."

"I do want to go on a date with you," Lizzie says in a rush in case Darcy's about to hang up. "I'm sorry—I just didn't know what to say. But if the offer stands, my answer is yes."

"Please say you are not teasing me." There's even more of a catch in his voice this time.

"God, Darcy, no." Lizzie lets her voice grow tender and repeats, "No. You can't possibly think I'm cruel enough to joke with you about this."

"I'm having trouble believing I'm worthy of a serious positive response."

"How?"

"I started our acquaintanceship off on the wrong foot. I was deeply unkind to you at the Gibson wedding. I hurt both you and your family on numerous occasions after that. Just two weeks ago I tried to seize control of your decisions. Why should I deserve a chance with you?"

"Because none of that still matters! We both messed up a lot at the beginning, Darcy. But we've also both apologized, and we've moved past it. We've been friends for a couple months now, and you've been gracious and forgiving and patient about a lot of things. We both mishandled that conversation two weeks ago, but we both meant well and we've talked about it since. You don't need to worry that I'm still mad at you for anything."

"I'm glad. But just because you're not mad at me doesn't mean you have to go on a date with me."

"I told you, I want to go on a date with you."

"Really?"

"Yes."

There's a long pause. "I look forward to it, then." Then there was a sigh. "I apologize, Lizzie, but Gigi has made hot chocolate from scratch and I think it's getting cold. I'll see you in two weeks."

"Oh, right. I'll let you get back to Gigi, then. See you soon."

Lizzie stares at her phone for a few minutes after Darcy hangs up, not out of nerves or indecision as she often has, but rather out of sheer happiness. She and Darcy are going on a date! It's hardly a surprise—things have been leading up to this for months, even if she hasn't always wanted to admit it—but it's still a thrill to have it finally happening, to have given in to what part of her wanted all along.

Lizzie doesn't tell anyone that she and Darcy are going on a date until Charlotte comes over the next day. By this point, she's used to scheduling confessions and revelations so that they'll be caught on camera. First, Lizzie tells Charlotte about the new arrangements to shadow at Pemberley Digital.

Charlotte frowns. "Isn't that Darcy's company?"

Lizzie shrugs and tries to play it cool, but she can't entirely hold back a smile. "Yeah."

"You do realize your video diaries are public, right? And that the fact that they're your thesis project means that Dr. Gardiner is basically guaranteed to see them?"

"So?"

"Aren't you worried that it's going to look like a conflict of interest for you to be shadowing at the company of a man you . . ."

"A man I what? What are you trying to insinuate, oh bestie of mine?"

Charlotte glowers at her. "I'm trying to think of a way to phrase this that you won't immediately contradict. Um, a man who's in love with you, and whose attentions you enjoy?"

"You mean, more of a conflict of interest than shadowing at a company where my since-fetuses best friend works, and whose CEO I proposed to in the second grade?"

Charlotte laughs. "Touche."

"Honestly, I think Dr. Gardiner is hoping something will happen. When she told me I was going to be shadowing at Pemberley Digital, she said, 'I think you know the CEO,' and then she added a winky face."

"She didn't."

"Oh, yeah, she did."

"You can't possibly be telling me that you think your adviser is trying to set you up."

Lizzie shrugs. "She was your adviser too."

Charlotte bites her lip and then says, "You know, I almost can see her trying to set you up. Hey, does the way you're talking about this mean that you're okay with being set up with Darcy now?"

"What do you mean, the way I'm talking about this?"

Charlotte waves her hands in Lizzie's direction. "You know. Playful. Smiley. Not about to bite my head off."

Lizzie puts her hands on her hips in mock offense. "I have never bitten your head off."

Charlotte rolls her eyes. "You know what I mean. Also, you're evading the question: Does that mean you're okay with other people trying to get you two together?"

Lizzie sits up straighter and pulls her sweater closer around her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Charlotte wagged a finger in Lizzie's direction. "Something is definitely up here. What are you not saying?"

"What do you mean, what am I not—" Lizzie tries, but then she collapses, slouches a bit, and says, "Fine. I called Darcy yesterday as soon as Dr. Gardiner told me I was going to shadow at Pemberley, and he asked if I'd let him take me out to dinner, and I said yes."

"And you waited 24 hours to tell your since-fetuses best friend that you had a date?"

"Well, I haven't told anyone else yet, either." Lizzie sighs. "Come on, Charlotte. It's basically still Christmas. We both had family stuff last night, the email came pretty late in the day, you were already planning on coming over today so we could film something, I thought it would be good to catch this on camera—"

Charlotte laughs. "Calm down, Lizzie. I'm not that mad."

Lizzie smiles. "Okay. Good. Thanks."

Charlotte smiles too. "So . . . ? What are the plans?"

"Dinner? At a nice restaurant? God, what am I going to wear?"

Charlotte gets up and opens Lizzie's closet door. "You've got plenty of dresses. It's not like Darcy's going to take you to dinner somewhere that only accepts ball gowns. You'll be fine. Hey, what about this green one? It's kind of lacy. Nice."

Lizzie turns to face Charlotte. "Yeah, that could work. But Char? Let's do an outro before we pick me out a date outfit."

"Good plan," says Charlotte, hanging the green dress on the closet door knob and coming back to take a seat on her stool again. "Do you have an outro worked out yet?"

"Yeah. I was thinking we should tell them 'Happy New Year.' Say 'Happy New Year,' Charlotte!"

Charlotte waves at the camera and mimics Lizzie's voice: "Happy New Year, Charlotte!"

Lizzie waves, too. "Happy New Year, everybody!"

Lizzie turns off the camera. "I'd be willing to edit that," says Charlotte.

"Really?"

Charlotte knocks Lizzie's shoulder with her own. "It's thanks to you I've got this much time off. And I like working on your videos."

"Are you sure?"

Charlotte nods. "Yeah." Then she gets up. "So, do you like this dress?"

Lizzie squints at it and then nods. "Yeah, it'll work."

Lizzie and Charlotte hang out for a few more hours and then wind up baking snickerdoodles with Jane and Lydia. Lydia starts eating the dough, and then the rest of them give into the temptation, and they only end up with half as many cookies as the recipe was supposed to make. It's nice to just do something simple together—and nice that Jane can finally stand the idea of snickerdoodles. She and Bing are semi-officially dating again; they've met up several times in Los Angeles for coffee or lunch, and apparently he's been talking about taking her to dinner. Bing (and, unfortunately, Caroline) are planning on stopping back at Netherfield for a few days around New Year's, and there's the prospect of another Carter's outing, if not more.

Lizzie spends the next week oscillating between getting ready to head to San Francisco and trying to make the most of the time she has left before she, Jane, Charlotte, and Bing all scatter again. Jane and Bing kiss at the stroke of midnight on New Year's and finally make their relationship Facebook official. Lizzie and Darcy text a bit, though they don't talk on the phone because Darcy is intent on spending as much time with Gigi as possible, and Lizzie is just plain busy. Charlotte helps Lizzie pack, and Lydia even helps her shop for a few new outfits, although Lizzie has to shoot down more than half of Lydia's suggestions ("No, I am not going to wear a crop-top. Not happening") and steer her away from the mall and toward consignment shops.

And then it's January 5, and, after a relatively short flight, Lizzie is in San Francisco. She unpacks her suitcases and collapses into bed, but it takes her nearly two hours to get to sleep. Tomorrow I'll be at Pemberley . . .