Lizzy Bennet had expected many things the day of her best friend's wedding rehearsal. She had expected herself to wake up with an untamable bedhead, because, well, c'est la vie. She had expected Billy Collins to be annoying and nitpick everything. She had expected Mrs. de Bourgh to be almost intolerably early, and for Charlotte not to be able to find her shoes. All in all, she fully expected something to go wrong.

But not like this.

She had been VERY annoyed with Billy when she heard he was using a virtual stranger as his best man, because (surprise surprise) Billy didn't have any close friends. She had been even more annoyed when said stranger arrived almost an hour late.

Lizzy had stormed outside to grab both Billy and the mystery man by the ears (or testicles, whatever worked) and physically drag them into the church, but was affronted with the sight of a very familiar-looking stranger.

Oh no. No, please. God no.

It was him. Will Darcy.

The man who had taken her heart, and stomped on it. The one man who had let her take down her defenses, waited 'til she started to fall in love, then took off without a second word. Well, he had said some words, but not to her face. And now he was crashing her friend's wedding. That bastard.

Lizzy glared at him, and soothed her anger by imagining punching him into a pulp. Except that, when she imagined him hurt, her treacherous heart gave a painful squeeze. She didn't want to see him hurt. But she also kind of wanted to throw him off a cliff. Feelings sucked. And for fuck's sake, WHY DID SHE STILL HAVE FEELINGS FOR HIM?!

She might have forgiven him, if it hadn't been for what he did to her. And 'her' didn't mean 'Lizzy,' by the way. It meant someone Lizzy cared a lot more about. Jane.

... Lizzy was walking home from the hospital, moving as fast as her legs would take her. She thought she might have heard Richard behind her, calling her name, but her thoughts didn't really make sense right then. Her mind was flatlining. Her heart was a fragile whisper inside her chest, a broken voice saying, "Will wouldn't do this. Will loves you."

Lizzy brushed away the tears, and forced down her weaker thoughts. She was done thinking. She was done lying to herself.

She knocked on the door to Jane's apartment. "Janie? It's Liz."

The door was unlocked. Lizzy frowned. Jane was usually not this careless. She pushed the door open. All the lights were off, and Jane's normally spotless apartment was littered with tissues and scraps of paper. "Jane?"

Her sister was sitting at the counter. Her clothes were rumpled, like she had slept in them. Her aqua eyes were sunken and puffy. They were staring out at a bottle of pills, unseeing, unfeeling.

"JANE!"

Lizzy tackled her sister, knocking the pill bottle to the floor, scattering the capsules all over the apartment.

Jane had always struggled with depression. You would never know it, meeting her. She always tried to push through, to smile and make everyone feel better, if only because she desperately needed someone to do that for her. Jane was deeply insecure about herself (though not physically), often invalidating her own emotions and opinions, prioritizing others before herself, in everything. She was the sweetest, most good-natured, most considerate human being you could ever meet. Most people would never guess the sadness that lurked behind that sweet smile.

Lizzy wrapped her sister up in her arms, holding her tight as she cried into her hair. "You're okay, it's all gonna be okay…"

"Oh.. Lizzy…," Jane murmured, her voice flat and dazed, "I made you cry…"

"Nonono," she hushed, "You didn't do anything wrong, Jane. You have to see that."

"But I did." Jane was crying now too, softly, numbly. "I pushed him away. Charles. I didn't show him I cared for him. He's blocked me, Lizzy. He doesn't like me, and it's all my fault. All I ever do is push people away.. I'm a bad person… and now you're crying too."

"Oh, sweetie," Lizzy hiccuped, "Never think that. Never, never. You're an angel, Janie. You could never hurt me. Never, never…"

"I should have… I should have…"

"Shhh… It's okay. We're gonna be okay."

They had sat there on the floor, pills scattered around them like stars, long into the night. They had cried into each other's arms. Lizzy's heart broke a little more each hour, when she realized who was responsible for this.

And now he was standing before her, looking at her in a way that he had no right to do. Not anymore.

Lizzy was immensely thankful that Richard was going to be the best man. She was still on friendly terms with him. She knew she wouldn't be able to avoid Will- DARCY. He wasn't Will to her anymore. He was DARCY… Anyway, she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid him, but maybe, with luck, he would take the hint and back the fuck up. She didn't want him there. She didn't.

She didn't know why it was so hard to keep her eyes pointed straight ahead as she walked into the church on Richard's arm, and out of Darcy's view.