My whole life waiting for the right time

And to tell you how I feel

I know I try to tell you that I need you

And here I am without you

I feel so lost but what can I do?

…

Cause all my life I felt this way

But I could never find the words to say

Stay, stay

The hours following George's call had been agony for William.

He had called Fitz and Brandon, who were out on a date, and told them that George had Lizzie and that he needed their help. They agreed to meet at William's house and Brandon immediately called people he knew in the local police.

William waited in his house the arrival of his friends and police, fearing any minute for Lizzie's safety. He just hoped that involving the police had been the right call, and that she would be free soon, and George would be punished.

When his friends arrived, he quickly explained the whole situation to them. Fitz was enraged, but Brandon stayed calmer.

"George is a criminal but not a professional," Brandon said, "It seems to me that he is acting on impulse and we can take that to our advantage. He can be smart, but we are better than him. Don't worry, Darcy. We are going to find Lizzie."

"He is right, we are smarter than him," Fitz added, "And I am sure that this time we can get him once and for all."

William just nodded in response, and in that moment, he heard cars outside his house. It was the police. He gave them a very detailed description of the events of that day. They asked a lot of questions; and William was getting restless with every passing minute.

However, after some discussion, they proposed a plan to William. He would meet with George, alone, following his demands, but wearing a microphone and an earplug. He would have to make George talk and confess what he had done. The police would be near to capture him as soon as he took the money and released Lizzie.

William agreed, ant they all went over the details of the plan several times. William needed to be sure that the police would always be near so Lizzie would never in danger.

At some point during the night, Kate returned from her date and was surprised by finding police cars outside the house. She ran inside only to see a very haggard William. As she listened to him, she kept gasping. She hugged him affectionately, trying to make him feel better. But that would be impossible until he knew Lizzie was safe and sound, and far from George.

When George finally called again, William was ready to go.

But before they left, Fitz, knowing both his friend and enemy, advised William to remain very calm while he talked with George. He knew that George would do his best to provoke him and get on his nerves. William just nodded and said goodbye to Kate, who was staying in the house, waiting for their news.

William drove as quickly as possible to the meeting point and waited impatiently for George. And then when he finally showed up, William had to restrain himself when Lizzie was not with him.

Making George talk had been easier that he had expected, but his words hurt. George was talking of Lizzie and Georgiana as if they were nothing to him, just means to his end. And when George hinted to what was in the video, William was so close to lose all control.

The breaking point had been when George had left without saying where Lizzie was. Anger blinded William and he was ready to kill George. That feeling got worst when he saw in what state he had left Lizzie.

Seeing Lizzie tied to the bathtub, with a piece of cloth around her mouth in that awful place was probably one of the most horrible things he had seen. And it was all his fault.

Even he tried to set her free from her ties, he had hurt her. It was been his fault that George had taken her because he had left her meet him alone. He also regretted giving George money so easily that time with Georgiana. Maybe he should have done something to make sure he would never anyone again.

That was why he could not face Lizzie anymore.

The guilt and anger got the best of him, and made him stay away from Lizzie. Every time he heard her saying 'Thank you' was like a slap to him.

He had not been happy when she announced that she was leaving his house but understood her decision. He had also heard Lydia said that Lizzie would not be thinking in men in a while. That discouraged him.

They had been together during meetings at Pemberley and hearings at the courthouse, but they had not talked much. When she asked if she could go to her parents, he offered his support. He knew that her family was the best company and remedy for her. But he was still sad to see her go.

However, her absence forced him to think and reflect on everything that had transpired between them. He felt that they had bonded and that their relationship had grown during the brief period of time that she had stayed in his house. They knew more of each other, and he had secretly hoped that their newly reinstated friendship might lead to something else. But he had denied himself the chance to learn if that was a possibility when he had stayed away from her after the ordeal caused by George.

Two weeks passed, she had not returned from Arizona, and he did not contact her, as he did not want to be a distraction in her recovery, and he still felt guilty.

The only time they 'talked' was when he learned that the miniseries had been accepted in the film festival. He was elated and regretted that she was not there to share his happiness. Instead, he had to content himself to have a conference call with her and Elaine. But since was a work call, he could only talk about how grateful he felt towards them because they had allowed his aspirations come true. He tried to stay longer on the call, but he had to leave for a meeting.

There was so much that he wanted to tell her but it had to be face to face.

Unfortunately, before her return, he left for Chicago to oversee a company merger. The days passed and things got complicated and he had to stay longer in that city. One night, while he was on his hotel bed staring at the ceiling and thinking about Lizzie, his phone made a noise. He had a voice message and lost call from her.

"Hey... William, it's me… Lizzie. I know you are very busy, but... when you have a minute, give me call. I'd really like to chat...about things. Take care, bye."

William could tell from her tone that she had been nervous when she left the message. He tried to call her back but she did not answer. So he left one message for her and comforted himself by listening to her message several times.

He worked extra hard the following days to reduce his stay in Chicago and return to San Francisco as quickly as possible. Lizzie had sent him a text in response to his call. It did not say much, but it meant a lot for William. It gave him hope that things would be all right between them.

Lizzie returned to San Francisco after spending two weeks at her parents' house.

She was feeling better but she was also missing her job and the city. She had tried to do some work while in Arizona but she considered it was not enough. Besides, sooner or later, people were going to start wondering about her long leave. And she had to talk with William and somehow fix their friendship.

She was planning her return to San Francisco, when she received the email from the film festival committee. She was so excited and did not waste any time to tell her family. And she was also happy for William. She knew how much it meant to him. The call they had had afterwards with Elaine only made her want to get to Pemberley sooner.

Sadly, once there, she discovered he was on business trip and that his return to San Francisco had been delayed. So, she focused once again on her work.

One Sunday morning, Lizzie was still in bed, reading, when suddenly there were noises outside her door. She got up and carefully walked to the door. As she looked through the peephole, she smiled.

"Hello ladies," she said as she opened the door.

Lydia and Charlotte were standing in front of her, with a lot of bags on their arms.

"Happy birthday!," they both yelled, and tried to hug Lizzie. Her mind had been so occupied that she had forgotten her birthday was one day away.

"Bestie, by the look on your face, you did not remember," Charlotte chuckled.

"I told you! I'm glad we came over," Lydia replied.

"I'm so very glad that both of you are here," Lizzie said, letting them inside the apartment.

"Then, let's get this started!," Lydia shouted out.

That day was filled of hugs, candies, movies, some redecorating and presents. Finally, after all that time, Lizzie was feeling truly happy.

At the end of the day, the three of them were sitting on the floor, eating ice cream, after they had moved furniture around.

"Hey, Lizzie, have you talked with Darcy yet?," Lydia asked.

"Not after that one time. He's still in Chicago, I'm waiting from him to get back and talk."

"Lizzie, you know that there are phones, right?," Charlotte said.

"Yes, Charlotte, I know...," Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"Then why haven't you called him?"

"Because I can't be like, 'Hey, William, I think I like you, but maybe not'?"

"Wow! Who said anything about liking him?!," Lydia exclaimed, examining her sister's face.

"I... mmm, ahh!," Lizzie said exasperated.

"I don't know how I feel about him. During this time apart, I realized that I miss him, I find his presence, mmm… soothing and he makes me feel better. But I don't know if I feel that because I am so grateful to him, or if there is something more," Lizzie explained.

"So you need more time to figure out your feelings?," Lydia asked.

"Yes. Before I say something, I have to be sure, otherwise I wouldn't be fair to him. Besides, he might not reciprocate whatever I feel," Lizzie said.

"Oh, I think he will," Charlotte said, taking a spoon of ice cream.

"I did not want to tell you this before, but during the wedding, he was staring at you almost of the time. And he had this longing look...," Charlotte continued.

"Oh, really?," Lizzie raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," her friend confirmed.

"I think Charlotte is right. I know you guys are friends and all that, but it seems to be that he had gone far and beyond for you," Lydia added.

"I can't lie and say that I haven't thought about that before, but it only adds to my confusion about his recent behavior," Lizzie said.

"One more reason to call him, don't you think?," Charlotte said.

"But he's also my boss. I can't 'like' my boss!," Lizzie noted.

"Sis, Charlotte was Mark's boss. Darcy's mom worked for his dad before they got married, you told me that."

"Yeah..," Lizzie sighed and looked at her phone on the table, "Okay, I'll call him now."

Both Charlotte and Lydia smiled at her, as she took the device and went to her bedroom.

She breathed deeply, and pushed the call button. She waited a while and when he did not answer, she left a message and returned to the living room.

"What happened?," Lydia spoke.

"I got his voice mail, and I left a message, an embarrassing one, I'm afraid," her sister replied.

"It's okay. He will call you back. Want to watch another movie?," Charlotte suggested to change the mood.

However, hours later, when Lizzie finally went to bed, she noticed her phone blinking with a missed call from him. She immediately checked her voice mail.

"Hello Lizzie. I'm really sorry that I missed you before, but my phone never rang. I also want to... chat with you, but I want it to be face to face because... I need to. I'll do my best to finish business here and return to San Francisco as soon as possible. Bye, Lizzie."

She liked the message, and the fact that he had also sounded a little nervous, but not as much as her. She knew it was late to call him back, so she answered him the next morning, before her guests left.

Two days later, she got a pleasant surprise.

Hello again, William. I very much look forward to your return, so we can have that 'chat'. Maybe we can go to the Italian place near Pemberley. I have good memories from there. See you soon.

William read Lizzie's text one last time before stepping inside Pemberley.

Everything at Chicago had worked out after the weekend and he had taken the first flight to San Francisco. After a quick talk with Ann Reynolds, William went straight to Lizzie's office. He saw her through the windows, looking very attentive to her computer.

He knocked on her door and spoke, "Excuse me, Lizzie."

When she heard that voice, Lizzie jumped on her seat.

"I'm so sorry, I did not mean to startle you," William apologized.

"Oh no, that's okay," she replied, hoping she did not sound as flushed as she felt.

"I'm sorry, I should have called first," William said, looking down.

"No, that's fine."

"So... you wanted to chat?," he asked, making her smile by using that word.

"Yes. Just give me a second and I'll be free to go," she answered and quickly saved her work in the computer."

They barely talked as they went to the Italian restaurant they had gone to celebrate about their miniseries months ago. They were nervous.

After ordering, William cleared his throat, finally gathering the courage to speak his mind.

"Lizzie, before anything else, I owe you an explanation."

"Oh..."

"My recent behavior has been... not what you deserved from me. I am very sorry if I was ever rude to you. I felt... I still feel responsible for what he did to you," he said.

"What?!," she exclaimed.

"You being taken by him... It's my fault because I left you go alone that day. I wish I had done something to stop him after he hurt my sister or after he lied to you, but I didn't. And he hurt you badly. I even hurt you when I tried to help you..."

"I have to stop you right now, William," Lizzie said, taking his hand, "Nothing you did ever hurt me. I know you did everything in your power to help me. As I once told you, you are a great man, one of the best I've ever met and there are not enough words to express my gratitude. You must stop blaming yourself for his decisions and actions."

"But I...," William started.

"No 'buts'. It was not your fault and I won't take another apology from you, understood?," she said strongly.

William remained silent for a while, thinking about her words and what she meant. He knew she was right.

"Thank you."

Lizzie smiled and squeezed his hand before letting go.

"Now, what is it that you wanted to talk about?," William asked.

"Well, I needed to know why you were acting so... different. I was afraid our relationship might also be affected by... what happened," she replied.

"No, of course not. But it does seem that when we are in a good place, something happens and then we have to start almost from zero again," he responded.

"Someone, not something," she noted.

"Right... but maybe this time, we can resume our friendship, once all misunderstandings have been clarified," he suggested.

"Yes, I'd like that very much, William," she answered and gave him a big smile.

"Me too," he said as he smiled too.

By the time the waiter brought out their plates, they were talking and teasing each other as they used to do before George had interfered between them, and it felt so good. After their meal, they returned to Pemberley, both happy and with high hopes for the future.

Stay - Hurts

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