Four months after their wedding, Lizzie and William were still living in honeymoon bliss.
To add to their happiness, their projects at Pemberley were going well. Lizzie had taken the role of senior writer for another Pemberley TV show, and William was overseeing different projects, like always.
On a Saturday afternoon, Lizzie was reading in the library, when Jane's ringtone started playing. Lizzie smiled and immediately answered.
"Hello Lizzie!," Jane greeted as she appeared on the screen of Domino.
"Jane! How are you?"
"Busy but fine. And you?"
"Great, taking a break from work. How's your clothing line going?"
Jane was participating for the first time in the New York Fashion Week and she was presenting her Spring collection.
"Pretty good. Still have tons to do but I'm very excited. It's a great opportunity for my designs and my career."
"Everything will be great and amazing, Janey, as always. The world of fashion will be happy to have you."
Jane talked more about the event's preparation and Bing; and Lizzie told her about the recent advances in the show.
"And where is your lovely husband, by the way? Bing wants to say hello."
"My husband," Lizzie marked, "is working out downstairs. I can go find him."
"As if he's not getting all the workout he needs," Jane murmured and Lizzie gasped.
"Jane Lee! What was that?," she exclaimed, "You are spending too much time with Lydia."
"I wish. We've been very busy lately, but I think we're going to see each other more often."
"Well, I hope so."
Lizzie took the stairs to the basement where William was running on the treadmill.
"Hi love," he said when he saw his wife.
"Hey, Jane and Bing want to say hello."
"Okay, just give me one second," he said as he stopped the machine. He took his towel and cleaned the sweat off his face.
William sat on the couch next to Lizzie and looked at the screen.
"Hello, Jane, Bing. How are you?"
"Hello lovebirds! How's married life treating you?", Bing asked when he joined his wife.
"Amazingly," William answered, "and yours?"
"It's awesome. In fact...," Bing said.
"We were wondering how you guys feel about being godparents," Jane asked.
"Godparents?," William started but was cut off by Lizzie's screams.
"Oh my god! Jane, are you pregnant?!"
"Yes, Lizzie. We are expecting a baby," her sister replied.
Lizzie wailed again and the three of them laughed.
"Congratulations!," William said.
"I'm so happy for you both," Lizzie added.
"Thank you, Lizzie. We are ecstatic, everything is good," Bing said, "Well, except for the morning sickness. There were the worst, I'm glad we're done with those."
"You said it as if you were the one having them," William noted.
"Oh, believe me, Darcy. I suffered them with Jane. You'll see when it's your turn."
At Bing's comment, Lizzie blushed and William rolled his eyes.
"You haven't answered our question. Do you accept to be the godparents of our child?," Jane asked again.
"We will be honored," Lizzie replied, taking her husband's hand.
"Thank you for thinking of us," William added.
"That's settled then," Bing said.
"So, tell me everything. How far along are you, Jane?, Lizzie asked.
"Twelve weeks. We were waiting to past for our first trimester to give the news to everyone."
"And do you know the sex yet?"
"No. We want to be surprised," Bing answered.
"So, the first months were very bad?," Lizzie asked and Jane told her about them and the changes she had experienced.
The four of them talked for a little while, until Jane and Bing had to leave to call Caroline and give her the important news.
"Wow... Jane pregnant. I can't believe it. No, wait! I can," Lizzie commented.
"Well, we know how that works," William said, "and they had been married for more than two years now, and they are older than us. Also, Bing once told me that he did not want to be an old dad."
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Do you want to be young dad?"
"Mmm… yes."
"Ok."
They had discussed that subject briefly before their wedding, but now Lizzie wanted to know where he stood now, given what Jane and Bing had announced.
"Lizzie, that does not mean that I want children now," William added, "I am not ready yet. There is such much that I want us to accomplish before we take that step."
Lizzie sighed, relieved.
"Me too, sweetheart. I want to be your wife first, and then a mother. We will have kids when we are ready."
"Yes, when we are ready."
William kissed her on the cheek and stood up from the couch.
"What do you say if we eat out today? A little celebration for Jane and Bing, and little baby Lee?," he suggested.
"I love your idea. Brandon told me of a place that we can try."
"Alright. I'll just take a quick shower and then we can go."
"Do you mind if I join you?," Lizzie asked.
"We had lunch hours ago. Aren't you hungry?," William asked.
"Not for food...," she replied and gave him that look that did not give him any choice, but to please her.
William growled and surprised Lizzie by grabbing her and tossing her over his shoulder.
Lizzie squealed with delight, she still could not believe that she had found the love of her life and she was married to him.
The following months were eventful for Pemberley, and for Lizzie and William's family.
The new TV show was released and even though the reviews were mixed, it still worked for the company. Lizzie had taken a risk with the direction of the show, and she felt like it had paid off.
The two projects that William had been organizing were finally set to begin, one in Texas and the other one in Florida.
As in Sanditon, Gigi was chosen to be part of the team, but this time, she was given the role of supervisor. Because of that, she was going to have to move temporarily to the small towns in those states.
Her relationship with Sidney was going strong despite the time that they spent apart, as he was still working in Los Angeles. However, he was thinking about getting a job in San Francisco to be closer to Georgiana.
Since she was going to be away for several months, Sidney travelled with her to the first town and stayed for the weekend, making sure that his girlfriend was all set up.
Georgiana was not the only one with exciting news.
Jane's participation during Fashion Week had been a success and her designs were in high demand. However, with the upcoming birth of her child, Jane was planning ahead and arranging the necessary changes in her store.
Lydia was back in Broadway, starring in a new musical. She loved participating in TV shows and movies, but there was something about singing and acting on stage that she loved even more.
Also, between rehearsals and shows, Lydia had fallen for her co-star, Gael Ledesma. He was a famous singer and actor in his natal Argentina, and he had slowly made his way into the Hollywood industry. However, given his background, one of his biggest ambitions was to perform in Broadway.
Gael had been naturally attracted to Lydia and her effervescent personality. With all the time they spent together, he got to know her better and finally decided to ask her out. Little did he know, Lydia had the same desires but he asked first
Lizzie was looking forward to meet Gael, especially after hearing Jane's. However their busy lives did not give them time to get together until the holidays.
Since Jane was due during the first week of January, the Bennets and Lizzie had planned to spend Christmas and New Year's in New York, and stay for the birth.
Given the limitation in time and the fact that most of Jane's friends would be out of town in those dates, Jane did not have a proper baby shower. However, Lizzie and Lydia organized a small lunch for their very pregnant sister before New Year's Eve.
The attendants were mostly family, including Bing's parents, Caroline and her fiancé, Senator James Elton. They had met in California and, after four months of relationship, James had proposed.
Despite the fact that Bing and Jane had all ready for the arrival of their first child, their loved ones gave them gifts, baby supplies and plenty of advice, particularly from Fran Bennet.
Aiden Thomas Lee was born in the early hours of January 4th.
Lizzie was woken up by William, who received the frantic call from Bing. They rushed to the hospital where they met the rest of their family.
Eventually, after hours of waiting, Jane's doctor announced that she had given birth to a lovely and healthy baby, and that they could soon meet him.
Lizzie never saw Jane smile brighter than when she was cradling her son in her arms. Bing's happiness was also impossible to ignore.
Also difficult to look past was the grin in William's face when Lizzie took her nephew in her arms. She felt something especial for the little one the moment she held him. Aiden was adorable; he looked like a mini Bing, but with Jane's eyes.
William and Lizzie spent just a couple of days after Aiden's birth in New York. They did not want to hover over the new parents, but as godparents, they promised to visit, to keep in touch, and to spoil Aiden as much as possible.
On the flight back to San Francisco, William and Lizzie discussed again the topic of children.
William had been more than happy to see a baby in his wife's arms but it had not been enough to want to have their own at that time.
Lizzie would have lied if she said that she did not feel a maternal pull towards the baby, but the moment Lydia claimed him, it was gone.
They agreed that being godparents was all they were ready to do.
Lizzie and William's first two years of marriage were everything they hoped for. Yes, they would have the occasional arguments but they always found a way to solve them. And every moment and experience that they shared together was treasured.
They travelled a lot. They visited the Lees and their rest of their family as often as possible. They came back to Europe and visited more countries; and they finally went to their house in Buenos Aires. William's responsibilities took him around the country and Lizzie went with him almost of the time, as she had flexibility in her work.
In that time, Gigi returned to San Francisco after spending almost a year in between Texas and Florida. Sidney surprised her in there, telling that he had found a job in the city and was moving there.
Being in the same city at the same time was something that they had not experienced for long before, and they were more than ready to do it. Eventually, they took the next step in their relationship and they moved in together. Even thought he had a hard time dealing with the news, William knew that Sidney made his sister very happy, supported and respected her; and he came to terms with her decision.
Also, in that period of time, another surprising announcement was the one made by Brandon and Fitz. They were going to be parents, thanks to a surrogate.
They explained why they had kept the news a secret. The process had been particularly long and they had had some issues along the way. Even when they learnt the insemination had worked, they had waited a couple of months to divulge the news.
Lizzie and William were of the first people who met their daughter, Victoria. Fitz and his husband had found out early the sex of their child and had decided to name her Victoria, like the victory that she represented in their lives.
Unlike with Aiden, Lizzie spent more time with Victoria as she often volunteered to babysit her, and as a consequence William interacted as well with the baby.
Lizzie started to think more about her future and realized that her desire to have a baby on her own was not negligible anymore. She was thirty-one years old, which she considered to be a good age to become pregnant. In addition, if she wanted to have more than one child, she needed to start soon, before she hit her hard limit of thirty-five.
She could also tell what William's thoughts were. When they had Victoria in their house, he happily played with her and helped Lizzie. And also, there was an unmistakable longing in his eyes every time he saw her with Victoria.
The definitive time did not come until Halloween of that year.
Since it was Brandon and Fitz's anniversary, Lizzie and William had volunteered to look after Victoria.
When Lizzie saw William, sitting on the living floor with Victoria, reading her a book, she knew that she wanted to see that every day.
Except that William would read to their children instead.
She wanted to tell her husband in that instant but at the same time, she did not want to disturb the scene. It was not until they were alone in their bedroom, working to keep each other warm, that she spoke to him.
Lizzie was straddling William, kissing him senseless. He was very close to lose control when she suddenly stopped and sat on his thighs.
"Love…," she called.
"Yeah…," William responded, opening his eyes and breathing hard.
"I think it's time for Aiden to have a cousin…," she said.
"What?," he asked, suddenly more attentive to Lizzie's words.
"And little Victoria needs someone to play with."
"Lizzie… Are you saying that…," William was now sitting on the bed.
"I'm ready. I want to have a baby. Our baby."
William opened his mouth but no sound came out.
"I'm sorry I blurted out like that," she apologized, "it might not be the right time."
"Lizzie, don't be sorry. I am ready too."
"You are?," she said enthusiastically.
"Yes, definitely. I had been thinking a lot more about us having children. And when I saw you today rocking Victoria to sleep, I just knew it. I want us to be parents. Soon."
Lizzie smiled and hugged him. He took the opportunity and grabbed her hips to flip her on her back.
"I'm still on birth control, but tomorrow is my last day," she noted.
"Then we can start practicing tonight," William replied, "and tomorrow. And the day after."
She kissed him again, with great passion, until she stopped again.
"Yes?," William sighed.
"Let's make a promise that we are not going to get stressed about this, and that the minute this stops being fun, we'll talk about it."
"I promise, Elizabeth."
"I promise too. Now let's start practicing."
After their agreement, Lizzie saw her doctor, Lillian Weston, for a complete checkup. Dr. Weston did not see any reason why Lizzie would not get pregnant, and after telling her about prenatal vitamins, she wished her good luck.
With that information, William and Lizzie committed to the task at hand. If they ever thought that they could not top their honeymoon, they were wrong.
They gave in to every desire to be together, regardless of the time or place. They were almost caught in several occasions by Gigi, Kate, and even Brandon, who learnt that it was better to call in advance.
The holidays passed, and despite all the fun they were having, they were still not pregnant. It was difficult for Lizzie not to feel disappointed every time she had her period, but she remembered her promise, and the prospect of keep on trying with William was not bad at all.
For William's thirty-two birthday, Georgiana and Lizzie organized a surprise party at his favorite restaurant.
Lizzie was very busy with her work on Pemberley, as they were launching a new webseries; all the planning and also trying to hide the party from William. With all of that in her mind, she did not realize that her period was late.
The day of the dinner, after giving William a rather amorous morning wake-up call, Lizzie stayed home, as she had a late meeting at Pemberley. As she was getting ready, she called Kate to go over the details of the cake.
Before leaving for work, Lizzie checked her schedule and calendar one more time and something stroke her. She usually marked the days she had her period on, but there was nothing new.
She quickly did math and realized she was five days late. Instinctively, she placed her hands over her belly, hopeful.
To confirm her suspicions, she drove to the nearest pharmacy, bought three different pregnancy tests, and returned home.
The two-minute wait seemed like an eternity, but it was worth it when she saw the pregnancy lines in all of them.
Lizzie fought the impulse to call William; she wanted to be a hundred percent certain. Yet, she still could not believe it and called her doctor for advice. Dr. Weston told her that if three tests indicated she was pregnant, then she most likely was. But knowing that Lizzie was a worrier, she told her to stop by her office to get a blood test.
Lizzie went to the doctor's office and then to work. She was utterly distracted for the rest of the day. Even during her lunch with William, she was trying really hard not to blurt out the possible that she might be pregnant and was continuously looking her phone.
Finally, she received the email she was waiting for. As she read it, tears formed in her eyes.
"Love?," William called when he entered his house in the evening.
"Upstairs!," Lizzie answered from their bedroom.
William hurried up the stairs and met his wife, who was busy changing for dinner.
"Lizzie, is everything all right? You left without much explanation," he said as he hugged her.
"I was just feeling a little… off. That's all," she replied.
"Well, we don't have to go out tonight if you want to stay home."
"No, William, it's your birthday, and we should celebrate," Lizzie said. William only knew that the two of them were having dinner.
"Allright. I am going to take a quick shower. Do you want to join me and continue with our task?," he asked.
Lizzie chuckled as she pulled him for a quick kiss.
"If I join you, we are going to miss our reservations," she replied.
"I don't care…," William responded.
"Well, I do. So, hurry up!," Lizzie ended and watched him head to the bathroom, with a sad face.
When William reentered the bedroom, his wife was nowhere to be seen. He got dressed and went out to find her. She was in the library, pacing back and forth.
"Are you sure you're okay?," he asked again. Lizzie looked nervous, shaken, and had refused an open invitation for baby making.
"Yes, I am," she answered, "I was just waiting for you."
"Well, I am ready. What time is the reservation again?"
"Seven thirty. But before we go, I want to give your present."
"Lizzie…"
She walked to the desk in the library and took the large box that was on it.
"Happy birthday, my love."
William thanked her and opened the box.
"Sweetheart, what is th…," William started to say and stopped when he read the whole title of the book that was in the box. The title was "Daddy Hugs" by Karen Katz.
He looked up to find Lizzie's eyes. He did not need to ask the question, and Lizzie just nodded with a huge smile in her face.
William put the box back on the desk and took Lizzie in his arms. He lifted her and spun her around, their laughter filling the room. When he put her down, he took her face in his hands and kissed her.
"This is the happiest moment of my life," he said when they separated.
"Mine too. I am so happy right now, I think I am going to explode."
"Please don't," William teased while he delicately placed his hands on her belly.
"You have a baby in there," he noted.
"Our baby," she corrected.
"Whom I already love," William said.
"And he or she will love you."
"How long have you known?," he asked, while he picked up Lizzie's gift.
"Oh, that's a story," she said, and told him how she had found out that she was indeed pregnant. After receiving the email from Dr. Weston's office with her positive results, she cried for a couple of minutes in her office.
When she was calmer, she went upstairs to William's office. However, Mrs. Reynolds informed her that he was unavailable, still caught up in a meeting with possible investors. Lizzie was going to wait for him, but she had a better idea. She asked Ann to tell William that she was going to leave early and would see him at home.
On the way home, she stopped at a bookstore and bought that book for William. Obviously, when they had decided to have kids, William had gotten books about babies and first time parents. But that book was more about the interaction between a father and his child.
"I love you so much, Elizabeth," William said.
"I love you more."
"I will read this book to our baby every night."
"Looking forward to that."
"Now, I think we should really stay home and celebrate," William said.
"William, as much as I like that, we really have to go now. We'll be late," Lizzie responded.
"Well, since it is my birthday, I think I can do what I want."
"Yes, you can. But why don't you wait after dinner to see your other birthday present?"
"Allright. Let's go, so we can come back soon."
As they were driving to the restaurant, they discussed when and who they were going to tell. As much as they wanted to tell the world, they decided to wait until they pass their first trimester.
Lizzie could only hope that William would not say anything at the party because of the surprise. One thing for sure was that his ever-loving looks were hard to miss. Their intensity had multiplied by a million.
William did seem a little puzzled when, at their favorite restaurant, they were lead to the back, where he knew they were private rooms.
Before he could say anything, the doors of one of the rooms opened and a "Surprise!" erupted.
"Happy birthday, big brother!," Gigi yelled as she jumped to hug her brother.
"Gigi! Thank you", he replied.
Before the rest of the guests approached him to congratulate him, William turned quickly to Lizzie and mouthed an "I love you."
The dinner lasted more than Lizzie and Gigi had expected, as everyone was having such a good time.
Kate and Sidney were chatting in a corner, while James and Catherine were discussing something about the bakery business.
Fitz and Gigi kept bugging William about his age; and Lizzie and Brandon were talking about Victoria.
Brandon had noticed that Lizzie had not taken a sip of her wine for the toast or drank alcohol at all. Lizzie laughed, a little too nervously, and just said that she was taking antibiotics. Brandon frowned but he did not say anything else.
When they finally left the restaurant, William told Lizzie that Gigi had commented that she had not drunk at all. She laughed aloud; she could not believe that her not drinking had been noticeable. Luckily for them, William had come up with the same story, and Gigi had not asked for more information.
As William parked the car in the garage, he asked Lizzie about her other birthday gift to him.
"I am wearing it, so you have to catch me!," she shouted and ran out of the car.
"Lizzie, don't run!," he yelled, going after her.
He caught her in their bedroom and pinned her to the bed.
"You shouldn't exert yourself," he said, caressing her face.
"William, just because I'm pregnant, it does not mean that I am made of crystal now."
"You are the most precious thing in my life, Lizzie, forever."
"I know, and I love this side of you," she said before she captured his lips.
After a while, William reminded her of the gift, and she took action, taking off her dress and letting him admire her new set of lingerie.
It was a Saturday morning, and Lizzie was resting on her morning while William was getting dressed.
She had reached her second month, and the morning sickness had not disappeared or diminished at all. William now knew that Bing's words were true as it pained him to see Lizzie in such unease and not being able to do something to help her.
"Oh, you are wearing the bike clothes that I gave you!," Lizzie exclaimed from bed.
"Of course, they are my favorite."
"Mine as well," she added as she ogled him, and he blushed.
"Lizzie, are you sure you will be okay on your own? I can stay or I can call Gigi to come over," he asked one more time.
"William, I'm fine. It's just… pregnancy."
Lizzie was not lying. She knew that her discomfort was due to her pregnancy, but she did not know if what she was feeling was "normal". She had not wanted to distress William, who was already a worrier.
"Love…"
"It's okay, really. You should go outside and enjoy the nice weather. You deserve it. I'll be right here when you come back."
"Okay. I'm taking my phone. Please call if you want or need anything,"
"I will. Enjoy your ride."
William leaned down and kissed her, while a loving hand caressed her belly. Lizzie watched him go, and then returned to her laptop, even though her mind was in something else.
Her doctor had told her that feeling nauseous, tired and faint was expected in the first trimester. Except that, during the last week, Lizzie had felt especially exhausted and dizzy almost of the time, and she had not being able to hold most of her meals. She had observed for other symptoms, but there were none, and so she blamed her current state to work, hormones, and the changes in her body. As a precaution, she had Dr. Weston's number in speed dial in case she felt worse.
Lizzie stayed in bed for an hour, trying to write. When she could not write more than two pages, she decided to stretch her legs and go to the garden. However, when she got off the bed, she got nauseous again and she had to run to the bathroom when she threw up most of her light breakfast.
She rinsed her mouth and brushed her teeth. She was rethinking her idea of going downstairs but she was thirsty and the water William had left for him was gone.
She walked down the stairs with some difficulty, her hand holding tightly the handrail. In the kitchen, she reached for a glass in the cabinet and her vision got blurry.
All of the sudden, Lizzie felt very weak and the glass slipped through her fingers and broke in pieces.
"William…," she murmured as her knees gave in and she crashed against the kitchen floor, losing consciousness.