A/N: Hello! Sorry I haven't really been active in a while- I was finishing up my senior year and dealing with heading to college and moving and all that jazz. But now that's calmed down and I am enjoying a much needed vacation- one without a whole lot of wifi access! So, not great for me but fantastic for my normally procrastination ridden writing process.
Without further ado, chapter six!
Disclaimer- I own absolutely nothing of the Bennets, Pride and Prejudice, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, or even really a lot of this initial idea. That comes from tumblr, youtube, and the wonderful mind of Jane Austen.
Chapter Six: Coffee and Cookies
Fitz hadn't heard back from William for a while, and there was something he desperately needed to tell him. The hack coming from the Agency had not been a rogue agent, or even an officially sanctioned hack.
It came from next door, which Fitz found absolutely hysterical. Charlotte Lu- witty, sarcastic, and absolutely brilliant, was running a hack on Lydia Bennet's laptop.
Which was why, no more than half an hour earlier, Fitz Williams had found himself leaning against the frame of her cubicle, holding coffee and projecting his friendliest smile.
"Is that coffee black?" Charlotte asked, her eyes lingering on the soft, wispy steam wafting from the Styrofoam cup.
"Mhm. And it's French roast."
Her eyes widened in delight for a millisecond before tightening again in suspicion.
"What do you want, Fitz?"
He shrugged. "I just wanted to bring my favorite colleague some of the perfectly blended French roast before the interns got their hands on it, that's all."
"That's never all. However, I will accept your offering." She reached out and he gingerly handed her the cup. She cradled it in her hands as a mother cradles a newborn. She took a prolonged sip.
"Now," He began, "Why were you looking into Lydia Bennet's laptop?"
"Lizzie. What is going on?"
Lizzie attempted to shrug indifferently, but it was clear that her concern matched her older sister's.
Jane sat next to her on the windowsill, staring cautiously at the two men speaking outside. The walls of the Bennet house were thin, but the men were so hushed in tone that even the most adept of eavesdroppers could not pick up their conversation.
"Lizzie." Jane turned to look her sister in the eye.
"It's- I don't know, Jane."
"Who is he? And I mean really."
"I've told you who he is. We met in a class I took online."
"What was the class called?"
"It was… called… Hyper-Mediation… In… New Media." She answered finally, "Hyper-Mediation in New Media. I took it last summer, for… um… just for kicks."
Jane oozed suspicion. Lizzie noticed but ignored it. The duo sat in silence momentarily, until Mrs. Bennet came in with a plate overflowing with cookies.
"Lizzie! Wherever is William? I've baked cookies for the two of you! Jane dear, would you like to invite Bing over as well. I'm sure William would enjoy the male company, especially since your father has pulled his infuriating trains out again. I doubt he'll be of any help from this point onward."
Between her sister's interrogation and her mother's ever present pressure to marry and start building a white picket fence, Lizzie felt her temper rupture.
"Mom, don't you think this is a bad time to play matchmaker? Your daughter is missing."
Mrs. Bennet froze. Her eyes began to well, and the plate of cookies began to shiver. A single tear slid from the corner of her left eye. It had no sooner escaped her cheek than Mrs. Bennet had wiped away its trail with the back of her hand, shook her head, and composed herself again.
"Oh, nonsense, Lizzie. Lydia will be home soon. She always comes home. Here, bring these to William, and Jane, take a few over to Bing and Caroline."
With that, she flitted away.
"Lizzie, that was unnecessary." Jane scolded, "She's barely even matchmaking at this point. After all, you are dating Will- aren't you?"
They exchanged a meaningful stare. Lizzie broke.
"Not anymore."
"So he's an ex?"
"More than that," Lizzie exhaled, "He's the ex."
Jane's eyes became saucers. "The ex as in San Francisco? As in Pemberley Digital?"
Lizzie nodded. It all came racing back. She fell into Jane's arms, crying for the first time in a long time for a man named William Darcy.
"We have an audience," said Bing with the hint of a smile on his face.
Darcy looked back at the house, to the window in the den. Lizzie and Jane were conversing tensely, sneaking glances through the glass.
"It appears that we do."
"Darcy, what are we doing here?" Bing took a seat on the front steps, running his hands through his hair abruptly.
"I'm not sure."
Silence.
"Why are you here, anyway?" Darcy began again.
"We've been over this- we're both here to help find-"
"Lydia, I know. But why are you even in this town? Elizabeth Bennet called me, but everyone here knows you." Darcy knew this was pushing it. Normally, there was a very clear don't-ask-don't-tell initiative in the Agency regarding an agent's agenda. If Bing was on a mission, that was classified information.
However, this was an anomaly. It required going off-record, and if Bing's mission had anything to do with Lydia's disappearance, then Darcy decided he had the right to the information.
"I'm… investigating the Bennets."
"Why?"
"There's been information given to the Agency that this house has had contact with a fugitive."
"Which fugitive?"
At this, Bing ran another hand through his hair and turned his toes up, remaining silent.
In turn, Darcy felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and his heartbeat go staccato. Bing looked into his eyes and Darcy saw.
"George Wickham."
"I don't even know who William Darcy is, you idiot. And you've definitely messed with the wrong girl."
"It doesn't matter if you know who he is- although I am certain that you do. You've been quite the little snoop, haven't you Lydia? Did you have a nice trip to San Francisco last summer?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"No… I'm sure you don't." A smirk crept across his chiseled features.
Her eyes glanced around the room. Although she had been awake for some time, the room still seemed hazy. Her head hurt. A lot.
He reached forward and pressed a wet cloth to her forehead.
She screamed.
Chapter Seven coming soon! Reviews are the best motivation!
-Molly