NOTES: Lizzy's POV again— lots of fun dialogue, and also so fluffy it will give you a sugar crash. Shortish chapter; but I wanted to post ASAP, I'm not cruel ;) Next might be just hers again, or switch over to Darcy's!

Either way, I'll try and post again soon, and y'all have a great day! 🌺 ~Vinny

As soon as the door closed, Fitzwilliam started talking.

"Look, Lizzy, I didn't even do that much— I just—! It's not much money… I mean, uh, for me, well— I- it's not that big a de— well, of course it is, it's your father, but— I didn't do it to be— you don't need to— It—… I…"

She didn't move an inch. She didn't have to say a word. Soon enough, FItzwilliams' mouth closed, and his hands rose and fell in gestures of I-Don't-Know-What-To-Do.

Eventually, he stopped babbling and just stared at her, helplessly.

Lizzy's arms were crossed. Her gaze was steady. She turned her head and let out a quick breath. "I'm not stupid, you know."

Fitzwilliam sighed, and hung his head. "I know." Then his head snapped up. "I just— mphf!"

His floundering apology was cut off by Lizzy's lips crashing onto his. His hands flew up to catch her face and steady them both, before they toppled over into a wall. Fitzwilliam kissed her back through his shock, and eventually, breathlessly, she pulled away.

"Thank you," Lizzy said, "thankyouthankyouTHANKYOU. You.. you… We can never repay you for… My father is… Just… Thank you."

"You're welcome," Fitzwilliam laughed. His forehead knocked into hers. "But if you're going to thank me, do it for yourself. I- I love you, Lizzy. I would do anything for you."

Well. How could she not kiss him again after that?

"My dad's gonna be okay," Lizzy said as she broke away. She laughed, tears of joy springing to her eyes. "MY DAD'S GONNA BE OKAY!"

Fitzwilliam spun her around, kissing her and laughing and taking strength from her joy. Lizzy squirmed and shrieked, feeling lighter than she had in weeks.

When he put her down, the first thing she said was: "I am paying you back, you know."

"Sure you are," Fitzwilliam said, smirking.

"I AM! I am! I will!"

He laughed. "Alright, alright! But even if you don't— it's my gift. I couldn't just NOT do anything."

"Yeah… I know," Lizzy nodded. "I still wish you had told me you were going to pay for it though."

Fitzwilliam's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Would you have been okay with it? With me, paying for all the medical bills and costs and things?"

"EeeehhhhhHHHhhh…"

He snickered. "I thought so."

"But I'm glad you did it!" Lizzy exclaimed, clutching at his undershirt. "I- I can finally stop worrying about him! It—" She breathed out, sagging against him. "It's just a relief.. I… Thank you."

Putting his arms around her, Fitzwilliam buried his nose in her curls, messy and unwashed as they were. "You're welcome," he mumbled into her hair, chuckling, "again."

"I know… I'm not the easiest.. to get along with..," Lizzy said, "It makes me uncomfortable when people care about me, when they say they're there for me, and want to help. I'm.. I'm used to doing things on my own. But…." She sighed, and leaned farther into the love of her life. "I'm glad.. you're here. And you're helping. I love you too, Fitzwilliam."

He shuddered a sigh as his arms tightened around her. "You… really have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that."

They held each other for a while long. Not speaking. Not kissing. Just.. soaking up the feeling of being together. It warmed Lizzy more than any cup of coffee EVER could.

"Oh!" She said, raising her head. "I forgot! We were going to go get coffee!"

"Ah, right," Fitzwilliam responded, pulling away. "Want me to get some?"

"Nah, let's go together."

He paused for a moment then, and smiled at her. His brown eyes winked sunbeams back at her, reflecting the joy that sparkled inside him. He couldn't speak, but he just nodded his head.

"Oh," Lizzy giggled, her gaze flicking over him, "And you might want to put your shirt back on."

Fitzwilliam's face turned pink as he looked down at his sleeveless undershirt and wrinkled pants. He smiled at her, abashed. "I.. well, I just woke up…"

"I'm not judgin'!" Lizzy chirped, walking over to the chairs and picking up his crumpled up shirt. "So long as you don't say a WORD about my hair."

"Your hair looks lovely!"

"No, it looks like a rat's nest," she smirked back at him.

He shrugged with one shoulder, a half-suppressed smile creeping up his face. "Yeah, it kinda does."

"Erg! Hey!" Lizzy shoved him playfully, and he laughed. She was glad things were back to normal. She had missed him.. so much.

On their way out of the hallway, towards the cafeteria (where a coffee machine was sure to be), Fitzwilliam asked, "So… Is the wedding being put off then?"

Her head whipped around to him, on full alert. "Wait, wedding?"

"Charlie's…?" He blinked, obliviously. "And Jane's? Is their wedding being pushed back, because of all the stuff with your dad? Because I mean, if so, we probably need to rewrite invitations or back order some decorations or… Lizzy? Lizzy, are you okay?"

Lizzy had stopped in her tracks, and was staring blankly at her boyfriend. Her mouth was open. No air was coming out.

"Oh my god…"

"What?" Fitzwilliam asked, getting slightly worried now. "What is it?"

"OH MY GOD I FORGOT TO CALL JANE!"

"Wait, what?" Fitzwilliam cried. "Does she..?! Not know…? About— about—"

"Well, I called her consistently when I got here," Lizzy said, running a hand through her hair, "Like every day, letting her know how dad was doing. But then, when the surgery happened, I got.. distracted… and I… I forgot to…"

"Shit." Lizzy pulled out her phone. There were six missed calls from her dear sister. "SHIT!"

"I'll go get the coffee then," Fitzwilliam said. He may have been chuckling at her as he walked away, but Lizzy was too frantic to care.

"Yeah, okay, cool," she said distractedly, hurriedly dialing her sister's number. "You do that. I'll.. call…"

The phone only rang for two and a half seconds before Jane picked up.

In that time, Lizzy Bennet crossed her fingers and prayed that her sister's angelic and forgiving nature would hold, and Jane wouldn't be too mad at her for not letting her know the complications.

Also in that time, Lizzy lost all faith in prayer.