NOTES: Odd POV— lots of switching. You'll catch on soon tho ;) just picture like a movie cutting from one scene to another. Very fun to write lol. Normal length.

Will post again soon— looking forward to seeing how y'all like this on! 💕 ~Vinny

"So picture this," Williams said, leaning back on the couch, "A very wealthy, very attractive man walks into a cafe. He is super smart, and successful— he could pick any woman in there to be his girl, right?"

"Right."

"Wrong!" He stabbed a finger at Darcy. "You are not god's gift to women. They do not exist just for your sake."

"I know that!" Darcy said stubbornly, swatting the finger away.

"Then why did you expect her to fall for you, just like that, huh?"

He leaned back, crossing his arms in a frown. "Well she did, didn't she?"

"Yeah," Williams conceded, "but you got lucky, bud. Winning her back won't be so easy."

Darcy snorted. "Like it was easy the first time…"

"I didn't like him at first," Lizzy was admitting, hands folded in discomfort, "but.. he grew on me."

"How?" Her father's eyes were dark green and piercing.

She leaned back a bit, folding her hands tighter in a forced smile. "Well… I.. uh.. we had this sort of… teasing game. Used to make my day. I would.. uh, purposely get his name wrong on every order."

"What was his name?"

"Fitzwilliam," Lizzy said, slight pink tingeing her smile as it grew more real.

Mr Bennet's bushy eyebrows raised. "Wow. His parents must have had a nasty sense of humor."

"I dunno about that.. but he did NOT seem like he had a sense of humor when we first met. He was very…"

"Rude, snobbish," Williams ticked off on his fingers, "Awkward, and angry. These are the things you need to fix, Darcy."

The rude, snobbish, awkward and angry man in question bit the inside of his cheek, shrinking back into his shirt. "Actually… Lizzy always said she found my awkward side.. cute."

Williams' thin eyebrows raised. "Wow. She must have really loved you."

Darcy's face fell once more, crumbling slowly. The use of past tense did not escape him. Not that he could blame his cousin. It was true— Lizzy didn't…

"..think he was anything special," she said. "Just some man who came in just to stare at me."

Mr Bennet chuckled. "Okay, my fatherly instincts are saying he's a creep, and to stay away from him— but the inner romantic in me is screaming for you to keep going."

Lizzy laughed. "Violette said pretty much the same thing. She went bonkers when we— Fitzwilliam and I— finally started talking. It was all very.. anticlimactic, really… it didn't feel like—"

"It was the most important relationship of my life," Darcy said, pacing back and forth. "Still is, really. I- I used to daydream about marrying her, Williams."

His cousin put a hand over his mouth in an unreadable expression. "But… weren't you guys only together.. for a few weeks?"

"YES!" Darcy cried, practically wearing a hole into the carpet as he increased his pace, "And that's the crazy part! I've never been as irrational as I was around her! I wanted to run, to laugh, out act like a kid and do whatever the hell I wanted— nothing mattered as long as I was with her!"

He stopped his rant, a faraway look in his eyes. He sat down, and put his head in his hands. "And look where that got me," Darcy mumbled, wretchedly.

Williams pressed his lips together. He sat down beside his cousin.

"Darcy. Look at me."

He did. Even when their eyes met though, it took a few seconds for Williams to find his words.

"You.. are not a bad person. You never were. You were rude, sure, but I know you had good intentions. You just made some mistakes; we can fix that."

"But how?" Darcy asked miserably, "How do I even start?"

His cousin considered the question. "Well, I think a good place to start would be… oh, I dunno… apologizing for—"

"—yelled at me. At the party."

"No,"Mr Bennet said, disbelievingly.

"Yes," Lizzy replied, eyes wide and solemn. "He had somehow managed to get drunk in the 15 minutes we were apart—"

"That takes talent," her father approved dryly. She shot him a look.

"—And then started going on about how I didn't really love him. How I shouldn't be crying because HE was the one who was hurt."

"Oh that BASTARD," Mr Bennet said gleefully.

Lizzy wished she could laugh about it like he did. Instead she just tried for a smile, actually half-succeeding this time. "Yeah, well," she said, "I end up taking him outside and getting him a cab. He was in really bad shape."

"I'm glad you did that. Shows your true colors, Lizzy."

She raised an eyebrow. "Suddenly serious, are we, dad?"

"Only when speaking of alcohol!" He joked. "You know how I love the subject."

"You haven't been drinking again, have you?" Lizzy asked worriedly.

Mr Bennet threw his hands up in exasperation. "As if I was some teenager caught on the booze! No— I haven't been drinking. I'll be two years sober come April."

"Good. Doctor said that'll be good for you."

"Doctor's a hack," Mr Bennet mumbled cheekily, tucking in his chin.

Lizzy swatted his arm, giggling herself. "Anyway, you want to hear the rest or not?"

"Oooh there's MORE?! Lordy, keep going then! This is more diverting than all your mother's romance novels combined!"

Lizzy laughed, "Yeah, well, this next bit gets sorta romantic… in a bittersweet kinda way…"

"I proposed to her?!" Darcy cried.

Williams nodded, expecting this sort of reaction, and frankly bored with the conversation so far.

There was a pause.

"What.. did she say?"

"She didn't say yes," Williams exclaimed, looking at his cousin with disbelief. "You see, THIS is why we need to work on your ego. You had just drunkenly SCREAMED at her, for god's sake!"

Darcy had the sense to look ashamedly down to the floor. "I know, just…" he looked up again. "Right now, I would really welcome having the connection to her. Now she's just my.. my…"

"Ex-girlfriend, yes."

Darcy swallowed. "Right. I- I'm just not used to… that. Yet."

"Well, with any luck, you won't have to be used to it for long," Williams promised, standing up. "I know the boss where she's working now. I can get info for ya, and—"

"No," Darcy interrupted, shaking his head. "That wouldn't be right. She said she needed space. Much as I hate, that's what I'm giving her."

Williams held up his hands in a half shrug. "Suit yourself."

His cousin hesitated, for just a moment. He ran a hand through his dark curls. "But… one thing. Her dad's.. sick. If anything happens to him— it'd really hurt Lizzy. I'd like to know if… that.. happens. Please."

He patted Darcy on the shoulder as he walked past. "Don't worry, man. Everything's going to be…"

"..just fine," Mr Bennet was saying, as he led Lizzy out of the study. "You can come and check up on me as much as you want.. but… well…"

"I'll find a hotel room somewhere," she promised.

Her father sighed relievedly. "No offense meant, Lizzy, I just know that when you and your mother.. share close quarters… um…"

"Bad things happen," Lizzy laughed. "Don't sweat it, dad. I understand."

"Thank you, sweetheart."

He ruffled her hair, as she embraced his thin frame. "See you tomorrow, dad," Lizzy smiled, pulling away.

"Leaving already?!" Mrs Bennet's voice called from the kitchen (where a suspicious amount of smoke was emerging).

"Yes, mom!" Lizzy called, "But I'll be back tomorrow!"

She winked at her father, who chuckled at her antics. They waved goodbye at the door. Lizzy took a deep breath, and walked out onto the dandelion-ridden lawn.

Alright, Lizzy Bennet. Time to start the day.