Chapter 8

Episode 47

"Why would I think that? I cannot even imagine how I rationalized that in my head. Watching these is like a shot of 'hey Lizzie, look how stupid that tool Wickham made you look like to the ENTIRE internet!'"

"We can stop Lizzie, we don't have to finish them if you don't want to. Or we can skip some. When I, well I didn't intend for it to be a punishment for you when I wanted you to watch them with me. You shouldn't feel like you're stupid, you aren't. You're amazing," Darcy assured Lizzie.

"If you can watch almost 50 videos of me slandering you, I can watch a handful of videos where I look like an airhead bimbo over some loser."

"Lizzie B, Wickham is a master manipulator. When he took a check from Darcy to leave GiGi, she blamed Darcy for the end of their relationship, not Wickham for accepting the check. She refused to talk to Darcy for months. We aren't judging you for this, okay?" Fitz told her.

"God how awful. I can't even imagine one of my sisters refusing to speak to me. That'd be a nightmare," Lizzie said as she reached out and squeezed Darcy's leg in sympathy.

"It was," Darcy admitted quietly looking at Lizzie's hand on his leg. "But we have a better relationship between the two of us now then prior to the incident. I find that the hardest things in life often teach the most valuable lessons and have the greatest rewards."

As the video continued Darcy was pleasantly surprised to find himself pleased with Lydia. She pointed out to Lizzie that Wickham should have called. He considered that he should send her a thank you present for that. As soon as the thought materialized Darcy realized not only had he fallen more in love with Lizzie through her videos, he found reasons to appreciate and like her sisters as well. 24 hours ago he thought her family was a liability, but now because they were her family they had endeared themselves to him.

The look on Jane's face as she processed Bing's tweet about returning to LA made him want to punch Bing, one of his best friends, in the face as the video ended. He wanted to shake him and demand why didn't he fight for Jane, why would he allow anyone to persuade him to walk away from someone he claimed to love. No one would ever persuade Darcy to leave Lizzie, no matter the circumstances. If there was a problem he would talk to her, he would do anything within his power to fix it and have her love him. He'd fight for Lizzie. If another guy appeared he would simply do his best to show Lizzie he was the better choice.

Knowing the part he played in Bing's leaving Darcy also wished someone would punch him. Bing trusted Darcy and relied on his advice. He was the one who persuaded Bing to just leave, a clean break he'd called it. He'd seen Bing a few times since leaving Netherfield. Bing was mopey, depressed and hadn't bounced back to his usual happy self. Leaving without a word was a Wickham move, and Darcy, arrogant ass that he was, encouraged sweet kind Bing to act just like Wickham. Darcy started to fear what Jane would be like in the next video.

Episode 48

Jane's over the top cheeriness seemed out of place. Even if she had been the gold digger Darcy had accused her of being she should have been at least upset to have lost her prey. The very thought now made Darcy ashamed. After the start of Lizzie's video where Lizzie was too upset to even do costume theater of her mom showed how out of place Jane's cheerful facade was. It seemed fragile and unexpected. Darcy braced himself for it to break and Lizzie to jump to a scene of her ready to hunt Bing down and lynch him. When the breakdown did happen, Darcy flinched.

"You all left without saying goodbye," Fitz accused Darcy, "I thought that was Wickham's style not yours."

"I'm sorry Lizzie. We should have said goodbye. I wish I could defend my actions but I cannot. There is no acceptable justification." Running his fingers through his hair, chin tucking into his neck, he continued, "I want to explain, but first I need to figure some things out. Talk to well- So I can tell you the whole story. I just hope that when I am able to and can you won't hate me, again."

Lizzie took a deep breath and said, "When Bing, and you and Caroline, left it was, it was, it was, well you saw Jane. I'd like to believe that I can extend the same grace to you that you have extended to me about my videos. I don't want to leap to the worst conclusion about you and Bing in this Darcy. That said I'd like to pre-apologize for my next video. I kind of accuse you of a convoluted plot to separate Bing from Jane."

Episode 49

"Sorry, now that I know the real you I realize how off base and wrong I was to think you'd break up Bing and someone as sweet as Jane. Bing's your friend and you're the type that wants your friends to be happy. The stuff I thought you held against Jane, well if I said it out loud now it would just sound ridiculous," Lizzie apologized to Darcy, turning towards him.

"Lizzie I can't have you apologize to me, not for this."

"Regardless I'm sorry. You are a better man then I gave you credit for."

"Lizzie I cannot let you apologize, please just don't," Darcy told her in a tight voice.

"Oh, okay. Is this were you start hating me Darcy?" Lizzie ask, her voice quivering a little.

"No Lizzie, God no. This is where I start hating me. And Bing. But never you. For the first time I actually see Wickham as the better guy. He had the decency to say goodbye. He didn't just leave without a word."

"Wickham is not the better guy. Remember he stood me up? And his goodbye, he made plans with me and bailed on them, again. Having the so called decency to say goodbye wasn't decency. He probably had some ulterior motive, we just don't know what it was."

Episode 50

"He really didn't hurt you, did he," said Darcy with wonder.

"Told you. Turns out I didn't like or care about him enough for him too."

Episode 51

"Lizzie B, where has your vlog been all my life? I'm so invested. Tomorrow when I see you and Charlotte together in person I might cry having witnessed your reunion. This is better then Dawson's creek."

Episode 52

"Charm and abs tend to do that. Well put Charlotte. I'm hugging her next time I see her," Fitz declared.

Episode 53

"Hey Darcy, you've been pretty quiet, I mean before tonight you always seemed fairly taciturn and reserved-"

"Nice Lizzie B, you are finally starting to understand my man," Fitz interrupted her.

"Ugg, yes. 24 hours ago I would have said something horrible like haughty and I don't know. But this is smarter Lizzie and smarter Lizzie doesn't pass harsh judgments. At least not on Darcy anymore. But seriously Darcy you haven't said much the last couple of episodes. You were much more talkative earlier in the evening. Is anything wrong?"

"Sorry I just have some things on my mind I am trying to process," Darcy said.

"Do you want to talk about it? Is it the videos? I really am sorry about them Darcy. I can take them down. I can come up with a new thesis or something."

"Don't take your videos down Lizzie. I'd hate myself if you had to start a new thesis. It's Jane and Bing. And I want to talk about it, but not right now."

"Okay," she told him.

"Shots," suggested Fitz knowingly.

"Yes shots," agreed Darcy idly playing with Lizzie's hair. Touching the soft silky strands was soothing to the inner turmoil he felt regarding Jane and Bing. It was abundantly clear to him now that she cared about Bing and wasn't a gold digger. He smelled something rotten and he suspected it was Caroline, Bing's own sister he thought with disgust. He didn't want to make any accusations until he talked with both Bing and Caroline. Caroline he thought it was clear, had manipulated more than just Lizzie.

Episode 54

"I apologize for my Aunt, she is a bit intrusive."

"Hold that thought, I'm about to insult you so my apology will cancel out your apology making us square."

"While Darcy and Annekins might make an interesting couple Lizzie B, his eye is on someone else I'm afraid."

"Anyone else other than an asthmatic dog I'd hope," Lizzie quipped. "Next time we do this, each time we apologize to the other we have to take a shot," she informed Darcy.

"We are doing this again?" Darcy ask hoping that she meant it. An activity that allowed him to spend hours with her, sitting next to her, smelling her hair- He was all in. Especially since it indicated she saw him in her future if she thought they would do this again at a later date. Hopefully that time he could hold her and kiss her.

"I guess, I guess not, you wouldn't want to watch these videos again. That was a stupid thing to say," Lizzie said feeling a little disappointed.

"It would be my pleasure to watch them again with you Lizzie."

His reward was a bright smile on Lizzie's face just for him.

"When is the next viewing?" Darcy inquired already imagining another night spent by her side with preferably more touching and lots of kissing, maybe more.

"Well I have to watch them all for my thesis paper at the end of the semester in a few months before I can graduate. I probably shouldn't take shots when I watch them for that, making it far less fun-"

"If would still be my pleasure Lizzie."

Episode 55

Seeing Lizzie in her gray dress Darcy sat up straight, looked at Lizzie and in a computerized voice said, "Darcy-bot is sorry. Darcy-bot did not mean to malfunction. Darcy-bot is sorry for blindsiding Lizzie."

With a laugh Lizzie surprised Darcy with a hug. "I wish we would have been friends before. Then I would have been pleasantly surprised by your visit, or if I knew about it looking eagerly forward to seeing you."

"That's because your quirky, nerdy minds are remarkably similar," Fitz told her since Darcy looked incapable of speech.

Episode 56

"Hey! I'm on this one," Fitz cried out. "No talking. I have a close up. And the camera loves me."

Darcy looked at Lizzie and rolled his eyes about Fitz.

...

"An agoraphobic lobster Fitz? Really?"

"If the shell fits. Now shhhhh."

...

"Next time I get to play me, "Darcy told Fitz. "You make me sound like a prat."

"And whose fault is that Darce?"

"Fitz, be nice," broke in Lizzie.

"Little Lizzie B defending Darcy now are we?"

"Shut up Fitz."

"Can I costume theater Fitz?" Darcy ask Lizzie pleased she defended him.

"Why?"Fitz demanded.

"I believe it is called payback."

"I'll even let you help me pick out the Fitz costume," Lizzie told Darcy.

Darcy smiled at her as the final video came to an end.

"Is that it, we're done? What time tomorrow does the next video upload?" Fitz ask.

"9 am sharp. If it's even 2 minutes late I get a flood of messages."

"Alright then. Goodnight Lizzie B, Darce. It is past my bed time. You two talk, communicate and do whatever you need to do." Fitz said as he headed out the door.