"Oh... Happy birthday," Lizzie's words sounded more like a question than a statement. Somehow the situation made more sense now. She hesitated to hug him, but at the end decided not to do it. Instead she put her hand quickly on his arm.

"Thank you," he answered and gave her a small smile.

"Well, since we are on that topic... Happy birthday, big brother!," Gigi exclaimed and hugged William.

"Thanks, Gigi," William said as he squeezed her gently.

"Happy birthday, man," Fitz started, "Sorry about the music."

"That's okay, Fitz, don't worry. Thanks," William replied.

"Yeah, what happened to you? I texted you yesterday to cancel this," Georgiana said and smacked Fitz on the arm.

"Hey, be careful!," he yelled, "you don't want to drop this!"

"Mmm, Brandon's famous cheesecake cupcakes! I'll take one," she exclaimed and tried to take one.

"No, no. These are for the birthday boy," Fitz said, moving the plate away from her.

Lizzie saw the whole scene taking place in front of her and felt that she was intruding that family scene.

"I should go… ," Lizzie said, to nobody in particular.

"No, you don't have to go."

"What? No, stay."

William and Gigi said at the same time.

"I don't want to impose. You were kind enough to letting me stay the night, but you probably have plans for today and I don't want to spoil them. I am fine, I can leave."

"Lizzie, it's fine. We don't want you to go," Gigi said.

"Yeah, Lizzie, stay," even Fitz said, despite the fact that he still did not know what she was doing there.

"I…. it would be nice if you stay, but we won't pressure you," William added. Of course, he did not want her to leave but he was not going to push her to accept.

Lizzie then remembered their conversation. They were friends again, and friends celebrated each other birthdays, right? Perhaps what she needed now was to have a nice time and occupy her mind.

"All right," she said, and William beamed with happiness.

"Perfect," Gigi said, "breakfast in ten, everybody!"

"I'll see you guys downstairs," Fitz commented.

"Mmm, Fitz, wait. Can I speak to you for a second?," Lizzie said.

"Of course," he answered and gave the cupcakes to William. He and Gigi got the hint to leave them alone.

Inside her room, Lizzie apologized to Fitz for her recent behavior and explained why she was with the Darcys.

When he heard about what George had done, he got very angry, and accepted her apology. He also told her that she had his full support and help in case she needed. Lizzie thanked him and was glad that she had fixed things between them.

Fitz excused himself and left her so she could change. Lizzie brushed her teeth, washed her face and tried to do something with her hair. She did not want to wear her dress again and wondered if Gigi would lend her something. The lace dress had been a Christmas present from him.

Lizzie got out of her room and walked in the direction she had seen Georgiana leave, but there were many doors and could not tell where her room was. She was about to call her name when Gigi opened her door, ready for breakfast.

"Hey, Lizzie, do you need something?," she asked.

"Yes, I was wondering if you have some clothes I can borrow. I don't want to wear that dress again."

"Sure, let's see," she said and invited Lizzie into her room. The room was bigger than Lizzie's and she could tell that it had belonged to a teenager. Almost everything was pink, and there were boy band posters on the walls.

"I know what you are thinking," Gigi said, "too pink."

Lizzie laughed, and was surprised that she could do that.

"Yeah, I know! After my parents died, I never stayed here long enough to redecorate. But once I finish college, I'll do it," Gigi said as she went through her closet.

"Oh! I think I found something!," Gigi said excited, "I have this pair of jeans, which I think can fit you, and this sweater that I just got. What do you think?"

The sweater was asymmetrical and was the same color as the room Lizzie had stayed in. It was pretty.

Gigi offered her bathroom for Lizzie to change. Lizzie took off the sweatshirt and pajamas and changed. The sweater was perfect and the pants fitted, although they were a little long for her because Georgiana was taller than her. She just needed to arrange the hem.

When she came out, Gigi gave her an approbatory nod.

"I also found these shoes. I remember you were wearing heels?," Gigi commented, holding a pair of nude flats.

"Yes, I was. Thank you, Gigi," Lizzie said and put on the shoes. Luckily, she and Lizzie had the same shoe size.

"You're welcome. Want to downstairs now?"

Lizzie nodded and they left the bedroom. Lizzie looked around and finally noticed how big the house was.

"Your house is beautiful and... very big," Lizzie remarked.

"Mmm... yeah, it is. My dad bought it because it reminded him of his family house in England," Gigi replied.

"England?"

"Yes, that's where my family comes from. William can tell you more about it, he knows more than me," Gigi added, "Anyway, maybe we can show you around if you like. I think you'll like the library."

Lizzie nodded. Seeing the spacious and rich place where George had spent his childhood made her kind of understand how he felt towards the Darcys.

When they arrived to the kitchen, Fitz was standing by the stove, cooking, and William was preparing the table.

"William, what are you doing? It's your birthday, we should be doing that!", Gigi exclaimed.

"It's all right, Gigi. That does not mean I cannot do things," he replied and looked at them.

Instantly, Lizzie noticed that he was wearing his glasses, and that he looked very casual, with a dark blue sweater and jeans. She had never seen him like that before.

"Let me help," Lizzie offered and walked towards him.

Gigi knew that the last thing in Lizzie's mind was a new relationship but she hoped that maybe later she would be willing to give his brother a chance. So she left them alone and helped Fitz with the food.

"You have a beautiful house," Lizzie said as she arranged the cutlery.

"Thank you," William replied.

Lizzie noticed on the table the plate with the cupcakes and a tray with more scones. On top of them, there was a note that said "Happy Birthday, William. Love, Kate."

"Kate is really great, as you said."

"Yes, she is. I'm glad you think that."

"And she is a very good baker, too. The scones that she gave were delicious."

William smiled at her and was about to say something more, when Fitz spoke.

"Food is ready!"

Gigi put down plates with eggs and beacon for everyone, and Fitz brought the coffee.

"Thanks, Fitz, it all looks really good," William said while he held Lizzie's chair so she could sit.

Lizzie was surprised by his action and thanked him. When they were all seated, Gigi rubbed her hands together and grabbed a cupcake.

"Finally!" she said and took a bite, "Mmm, they are so good, as always. Tell Brandon."

William and Fitz both laughed at her actions.

"Don't worry, GGD, you can tell him later. He's coming for dinner," Fitz added.

"Mmm… can I ask who is Brandon?," Lizzie said shyly.

"Of course, Lizzie," Fitz said, "He's my boyfriend, he was at Bing's wedding…"

"Oh, sure, I remember him now," Lizzie replied. She actually remembered seeing another man with William's group during the wedding, but she had not asked who he was and nobody told her either.

Fitz continued, "So, he's a lawyer and is working on a case right now. That's why he could not make it for breakfast."

"I see. Well, I can't wait to tell him about the cheese cupcakes, they are very good," she replied, "and I am pretty sure Jane need this recipe, she likes to cook too."

With that, Lizzie broke the ice and they all started to talk and eat. Every now and then, she noticed William's eyes on her, but she was not uncomfortable. She was feeling at ease with his family and was happy for deciding to stay.

At some point, she asked Fitz about the song he had played for William early.

"Ah, that's a birthday tradition that we have," he answered.

"No, it's your tradition, because you are the only one to participate," William added.

Fitz rolled his eyes at him. Lizzie repressed her laugh; she never imagined seeing someone roll its eyes at the CEO of Pemberley Digital.

"Anyway…as I was saying, I grew tired of the same old "Happy Birthday" song and I started to look for different versions of the song. So, when it's Darcy's birthday, I play something new."

"Well, this last one was a little bit…," Gigi said.

"Funky?," Lizzie completed. Gigi nodded and laughed with her.

When they finished eating, they cleaned the table and then Fitz asked William what he wanted to do before dinner.

"We did not make any specific plans," he replied, looking at Gigi, "just spending time together before Gigi leaves tomorrow."

"In that case, I need to get my supplies of chocolate for the semester. What if we go to Ghirardelli, we walk around the city and then come back here? Kate would be back by then."

"Lizzie, is that okay with you, or do you prefer to stay?," William asked her.

"I think I need chocolate too," she replied, shyly.

"All right," he said in return.

"I'll just get my bag, be right back," she added and left for her room.

She decided to turn on her phone and saw another bunch of calls from George, and thankfully, none for her family. For a minute, she thought that he might call her mother or her sisters to force her to talk to him. And then she thought, what if they ran into George in the city? She did not want to see him.

"No, I am not hiding," she said to herself. Besides, San Francisco was big enough to reduce the likelihood of that encounter.

She put her phone back on her purse and went to meet the others.

The song Fitz played for William is "Happy Birthday" by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Also, William's birthday is February 8.