Enjoy! Big thanks to FF user SOLYAHU for inspiring part of this chapter!
When Darcy put Gigi to sleep last night, he hadn't drawn her curtains because he wanted to rejoin Lizzie as quickly as possible. As a result, Gigi was awakened by the sun's rays in the morning. "My head is killing me! The things I do for love! If William didn't take this chance to hang out with Lizzie last night, my suffering this morning will have been in vain.", Gigi thought to herself before turning over to look at the clock on her bedside table.
"7:10 am?! Ughhhhh!", she groaned into her pillow.
She tried to go back to sleep but her headache was getting worse. "I'm probably dehydrated… I'll go down to the kitchen to get a bottle of water and some aspirin.", she decided, grabbing her phone and getting out of bed slowly. As she walked down the main hall, she passed the hall where Lizzie's guest bedroom was located. Gigi decided to pop her head in, just to see if Lizzie was sleeping well.
She slowly opened Lizzie's door and was surprised when she didn't see a silhouette on the bed. Gigi panicked, "OMG! Did Lizzie leave last night because I left them alone? Nooo! I've ruined everything!". She turned on the light to see if Lizzie really wasn't there. "Oh no!", she thought. She was suddenly very mad at herself and her silly plan, but then, she saw Lizzie's duffel bag on the floor, by the dresser.
"Hmm… what's this? She wouldn't have left her duffel bag, right? So then where could she possibly be? Her bed doesn't look slept in so I doubt she's in the bathroom or getting a snack… wait a minute!...", Gigi came to a conclusion as to where Lizzie could be. She gasped and then started laughing.
She ran to Darcy's room, headache forgotten, and then slowly opened the door. She poked her head in through the space between the door, and was confused when she didn't see anyone in Darcy's room. She turned the light on and looked around. "No sign of Lizzie's things or that the bed has been slept in at all... Where could they be?", she pondered.
"For a second there I thought my plan worked and that Lizzie and William finally accepted the fact that they were made for each other…", she thought, disappointed, and sighed to herself. She headed down to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water, and drank the aspirin. "So much for our movie night. Guess I'll just go grab the DVD from the theater and put it back on my shelf.", Gigi decided as she left the kitchen.
She stopped at the door to the theater and wondered why the dim lights were on. She shrugged and proceeded to open the door. She walked to the projector to get the DVD and froze when she saw the scene before her.
On one of the couches was Elizabeth Bennet, fast asleep, wrapped up in William Darcy's arms! It took every single ounce of restraint for Gigi not to squeal loudly and jump around the room, like her body was telling her to. "I have to get a picture of this!", she thought excitedly as she took her phone out of her pajama pants pocket. She almost dropped her phone twice because she was so fidgety. She snapped a picture, hoping the flash wouldn't wake them. It didn't.
She quietly exited the theater; Downton Abbey completely erased from her mind. She ran to her room and began jumping around and dancing and cheering. This was major! After calming down a little, she texted the picture to Fitz with the caption, 'Team FIGI: 1'. She was going to call him at first, but she wanted him to wake up to the surprise.
There was no way Gigi could go back to sleep now, so she decided to go on the internet to pass the time until she could see how the two lovebirds were going to act at breakfast.
Darcy, a natural early bird, had awoken not long after Gigi came in and found him and Lizzie together. At first, he hadn't realized he was really awake, and was stroking her hair absently while wishing this was possible outside of his dreams. But then, he became aware of his surroundings and recalled what had happened last night.
"She fell asleep on me while we were watching the show…", Darcy remembered. A sudden pang of anxiousness and panic hit him. He didn't want her to think he was taking advantage of her or being a creepy stalker, or anything. But he also couldn't find it in himself to part from her, so he would wait until she woke up first.
Darcy spent almost a half hour absorbing as much as he could of Lizzie's company, before she woke up. Lizzie woke up slowly, nestling further into Darcy for a minute, before she realized where she was and who she was with. Her face was stricken with horror as it hit her that she had just spent the night with William Darcy. She gasped.
Darcy acted as if the noise had caused him to wake up and he yawned and said, "Good morning, Lizzie.", nonchalantly, as if this picture didn't have the word 'WRONG' painted all over it.
Lizzie wiggled away from him and sat up, looking frazzled and embarrassed. She began blushing deeply and Darcy, who had chosen to sit up as well, made a mental note to tease Lizzie more often because he thought she looked cute when embarrassed.
"Good morning, Darcy.", she said shyly. She cleared her throat and said, "I must have fallen asleep last night… sorry about that…". She was beating herself up about this whole situation. "How the hell did this happen?! He must think horribly of me! Way to go, Elizabeth!"
Darcy was quite fond of this mortified Lizzie, but decided to try to put her at ease. "No worries. I fell asleep as well. I suppose it was all the wine we consumed." He felt rather bold and added, "I slept quite comfortably, though.", blushing lightly. The last part of his statement made her blush even more.
She laughed nervously and said, "Yeah, that's right! The wine! Ha ha… Well, I'm gonna go now…"
Darcy nodded and said, "Of course… Oh, wait, before you go: There will be breakfast for you when you come down."
Lizzie nodded and got up from the couch, leaving Darcy there smiling stupidly to himself. If anyone had seen his face, they would have thought he'd been possessed by something, for he hadn't smiled like that in a really long time.
On the way to his bedroom, Darcy decided to check on Gigi. She was pretty trashed last night and he wondered if she was sleeping well. "I don't know what got into her last night but I hope she's okay. A good hangover would serve her right, though.", he thought just before opening her bedroom door.
Gigi was fast asleep. Apparently, the headache and Gigi's excitement tired her out and she fell back asleep after a while.
She was smiling in her sleep, too, the reason unbeknownst to him. Darcy sighed and shook his head. He had been checking on Gigi for years and it never ceased to put a smile on his face seeing his baby sister so calm and peaceful. He left her room and went to brush his teeth and shower. He had to hurry because he wanted to be downstairs before Lizzie; he was going to make her breakfast.
Lizzie's shower felt like one of the longest showers she'd ever taken. She was mulling over everything Darcy-related. At one point, she stopped shampooing her hair and just stood there, thinking, under the stream of water. Had she seen herself in the mirror, she would've laughed heartily. "This is becoming a problem", she thought to herself worriedly as she stepped out of the bathroom and walked to her room to get dressed.
She came down to the kitchen, smelling bacon as she neared its location. She was surprised to see Darcy in front of the stove- with an apron, nonetheless! She couldn't help but laugh out loud at the scene, causing Darcy to look puzzled.
"What's so funny?", he wondered, looking like a deer in headlights. She stopped laughing long enough to point at his apron, and when he realized why she was laughing, he chuckled and quickly removed it. "Breakfast is ready anyway.", he said confidently, trying not to be embarrassed by the apron.
He gestured toward a seat, which Lizzie sat down in. Then he set down on the table: multiple pieces of whole wheat toast, scrambled egg whites, strips of bacon, grapefruit halves, and two mugs of coffee. Lizzie couldn't help but be impressed, but then she tried to attribute Darcy's lovely display to his being rich. Anything to antagonize him, so she could feel a little better about her budding feelings for him.
They had a pretty silent breakfast. Lizzie never said "Hey, Darcy, your cooking is the bomb!", but she was making very appreciative noises as she ate. Darcy was as proud as could be. He was happy that Lizzie liked his cooking.
As they were finishing up their food, Gigi bounced into the kitchen, and her face dropped a little when she saw that they were quiet. She assumed they'd be all over each other.
"I saved you a plate over here, Georgiana.", Darcy said to her. "Uh oh. He almost never calls me by my full name unless it's something serious or I'm in trouble…", Gigi thought gloomily as she walked over to her plate.
"Thanks, William. That's so thoughtful of you.", Gigi said sweetly, trying to butter Darcy up so she wouldn't get scolded.
"You're welcome… now, would you care to explain your behavior last night?", he asked with a kind-of serious tone. Gigi sighed and explained that she had drunk a little too much champagne at that company get-together she attended yesterday before Lizzie came over. That, coupled with her light dinner and her craving (and premeditated over-indulgence) of wine, led her to become inebriated.
"I'm sorry guys. I hope I didn't ruin your night, Lizzie. I woke up half-afraid you had left because I abandoned you. Please tell me William wasn't a lame host.", Gigi said apologetically. "Sorry, not sorry!", she thought to herself mischievously. What she had seen earlier that morning proved to her that her plan worked exceedingly well.
"Actually, Gigi, your brother was a great movie-night partner. I had a great time watching Downton with him.", Lizzie said honestly. She looked over to him and he was staring at her, like always, but he looked away when she caught him.
"Did you sleep well?... I hope you were comfortable.", Gigi said knowingly. Darcy almost choked on his coffee and Lizzie mumbled an affirmative. Had either of them looked up at Gigi, they would've seen that she knew.
Darcy cleared his throat and said, "You know what you should do, Gigi? You should take Lizzie on a tour of the house. You don't have anything to do between breakfast and tennis practice. I would accompany you all, but I have some business to attend to.", to which Lizzie added, "Yeah! You owe me some girl time!"
"Gladly, Lizzie. But afterwards don't complain you're too tired to play tennis with me.", Gigi agreed.
Gigi showed Lizzie all the rooms in the house, staying extra time in the important rooms to explain why they're considered important. Gigi really enjoyed spending time with Lizzie. She felt like the older sister Gigi never had. Gigi, very vaguely, told Lizzie a little about how her parents passed. "My mom got really sick when I was young- around 5 years old. I don't remember much, but I do remember her being in her room all day for weeks on end… And my father died about 10 years later. He was so much weaker after my mom died… William remembers much more. Maybe one day he'll tell you.", she said before exiting her parent's bedroom, thus ending the tour. Lizzie felt honored that Gigi trusted her enough to tell her about something that obviously still hurt.
After a snack, Lizzie and Gigi got ready for tennis. Sunday afternoons were dedicated to tennis practice for Gigi. They used to be spent swimming, but we all know why she doesn't swim anymore.
They walked together to the tennis court that the Darcys had on their property. "Wow, how convenient!", Lizzie exclaimed as they reached the court. She surveyed the area and liked the wide, open space around the tennis court/running track area.
"My brother is going to join us eventually. He always does his 5-mile run around the track while I practice. He used to do the same when I used to swim… but um-yeah. Let's get started, shall we?", Gigi said.
Lizzie saw Gigi's expression as she talked about swimming but decided not to explore the matter further.
They began playing tennis and Gigi let Lizzie serve first. They had just finished up their first round when Gigi yelled across the court, "Wow, Lizzie! You really made me underestimate you! The way you talked about your tennis skills made me think you were a novice. You're actually pretty good!". Just as she said this, Gigi spotted Darcy coming over with a plastic mini-cooler.
Gigi waited until Darcy was close enough to hear and said, "Seriously though Lizzie, you should pick up a tennis racket more often. You're actually pretty good competition compared to my big brother. He sucks at tennis! Right, bro?". And then the teasing began.
"I find squash much easier because you don't have to depend on another player for the ball. It's just your racquet, the ball, and the wall.", Darcy explained, his cheeks reddening under Lizzie's scrutiny. She was looking at him with an arched eyebrow.
"Hmm, I would've assumed that tennis ran in the family due to the way he spoke about her merits to his aunt.", she thought. "What's in the cooler, Darce?", she asked.
"I thought we might want refreshments later on.", he replied, while putting the cooler on the side of the court. He got his iPod out of the pocket of his basketball shorts. He put the ear buds in, turned to wave at them, and then ran onto the track. He began his 5-mile run.
When Darcy finished his run, he sat down on some bleachers next to the tennis court and opened up a bottle of water. He sat there watching Gigi and Lizzie play for a few minutes. Well, mostly Lizzie. "The look in her eyes is so intense when she's focused and she looks so graceful.", he noticed. Gigi noticed her brother on the side and commenced the next phase of her scheming.
"Let's take a break, Lizzie. We're 15-30 right now and that's only because my hangover headache is returning and the fact that I played with my left hand to give you a break. I'm gonna head back to the house for a couple of aspirins.", said Gigi feigning signs of a headache. She looked apologetically at Lizzie and then at Darcy.
"William, I know you're terrible at tennis but will you please finish up this round with Lizzie? You'll only need to cover for me until I get back. I've already messed up movie night, I don't want to ruin tennis too.", Gigi said sweetly.
Darcy nodded yes and Gigi smiled. "Oh, and William? Give me your t-shirt. It's drenched in sweat. I'll bring you a fresh one... Don't give me that face. It's gross!", Gigi asked him. He sighed and took off his sweaty t-shirt.
Darcy was facing away from Lizzie when he removed his shirt, so he didn't see the slight drop in Lizzie's jaw. Gigi, however, did and pretended not to notice.
Lizzie saw Darcy's sculpted back muscles and was mesmerized. Then, Darcy turned around. She was freaking out internally. She had always admired Darcy's frame but she never thought she'd see the real deal. He was perfect- well, her kind of perfect anyway. She liked a tall, lean figure; toned but not overly muscular; hard and soft in all the right places. Her libido had been mostly dormant for the past of couple years but now, thanks to Darcy, it was up and kicking. "Pull it together, Elizabeth.", she reprimanded herself.
Gigi smiled to herself at Lizzie's facial expression while she handed her racquet to Darcy. "Thank goodness my brother works out.", Gigi thought as she left with Darcy's shirt in hand.
So there they were, alone yet again. Darcy felt kind of awkward without a shirt and Lizzie kept trying not to stare. Darcy cleared his throat and broke the silence. "I guess we should start playing. You can serve. I'm telling you now I'm not that great at this sport, so go easy on me, Lizzie.", he said smiling nervously.
Lizzie nodded but did not keep her word. She was kicking Darcy's butt and making him dance around his side of the court. He was usually a very competitive person but he didn't mind. He was just happy to be spending time with her. Not to mention that he enjoyed the way Lizzie looked when she played. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, some hair loose around her face. She was all shiny and flushed, which he thought was extremely sexy. His train of thought betrayed him, though, and he missed the ball, causing Lizzie to win the match.
She jumped up and down in celebration of her victory, and Darcy's eyes followed every jump. His eyes shifted downward from her big smile, to her breasts bouncing underneath her tennis polo shirt and down to her shapely legs underneath the tight tennis skirt. "Stop it, lest she think you a pervert. Although it's not your fault she's so damn attractive...", Darcy thought to himself as lust grew inside of him. He tore his eyes away from her figure and set out to get himself a bottle of water. Maybe the cold drink would calm him down.
Darcy was a polite person, so he offered Lizzie a bottle of water before taking one from himself. She accepted it and began drinking. She was surprised at how thirsty she'd become. Darcy was frustrated, so when he tried opening his bottle of water, he opened it all wrong and splashed water all over his chest. Lizzie spit out her drink in laughter at Darcy. He reddened out of embarrassment and laughed at himself as well. It was then Lizzie noticed how hot Darcy looked. She'd already ogled at his physique, but now here was, all sweaty and colored and water dripping all over his chest. She almost wanted to wipe the water off for him. Almost.
Darcy sighed and drank what was left of the water in the bottle. Then, he proposed a challenge. "Since we played tennis and you beat me, let's see how you like running. It seems as if Gigi has forgotten about us, so we should race back to the house.", Darcy said playfully. Lizzie smirked and then agreed. She knew Darcy would win, but hey- she'd get a nice view of his ass the whole time.
"On your mark, get set, ready... GO!", Lizzie yelled and they dashed for the house. Darcy, however, had the same idea as Lizzie, and let her get ahead of him a couple of times during the race, for the 'view'. He ended up winning, though.
They were outside the side entrance to the house, both catching their breaths and trying to furtively check each other out. They locked eyes a couple times but attributed their blushes to the exercise. Lizzie broke the silence by jokingly saying, "Congratulations on your victory, my good sir.", and curtseying.
Darcy chuckled and responded, "Thank you, m'lady. As victor, my reward shall be your acceptance of a parting gift Gigi and I have for you." Lizzie wasn't expecting that but agreed to it.
"Sure, Darcy. Thanks... I'm gonna go clean up now.", she said smiling and waving before she headed inside.
Darcy swooned. The fact that Lizzie was now willingly smiling at him instead of giving him the death stare made his heart skip a beat.
Gigi had apparently fallen ill during the time she was gone and failed to alert both Lizzie and Darcy. So, after checking up on Gigi, Darcy let Lizzie know that they were to dine alone. It was silent, but not the awkward kind. When they spoke, it was only to tease one another about something from this weekend and they seemed to take more pleasure in the bit of conversation, than the in food itself.
The time for Lizzie's departure finally rolled around and Gigi still hadn't come down. Lizzie decided to check on Gigi to make everything was alright. Gigi really appreciated Lizzie's genuine concern and almost maternal tone when she came to check on her, and decided she would reveal to Lizzie what Wickham had done to her. "I'll do it tomorrow at Pemberly.", she decided.
Lizzie had to ask Darcy for a ride home and he obliged. The ride mimicked the pleasantry of their dinner and Lizzie arrived very content at her door. Darcy dropped her bag off in the living room and said, "Ah, before I forget. Your gift.". He ran to his car and came back with a gift basket filled with various wines and cheeses. She recognized some of the wines from their wine-tasting the night before. "How thoughtful! This is great. Thank you guys!", Lizzie exclaimed thankfully.
Darcy smiled and said, "You're very welcome... We're glad you enjoyed your stay at our home and that you return swiftly. Good night, Lizzie."
It felt as if goodbye wasn't sufficient enough. It felt as if they should exchange more words or a hug, even. But neither wanted to trespass onto the other's personal space, for fear of seeming too eager. So, Darcy just waved and headed out. Lizzie watched him get into his car and leave and couldn't help but feel a little sadness to see him go. She inspected her gift basket and saw a handwritten note. It read:
We hope you enjoyed your time at the Darcy home and that you come back soon. You are welcome at our home whenever. We hope you sleep comfortably tonight, as we understand the sleeping arrangements during your stay were different from the ones you are accustomed to.
Thank you for your lovely visit, the Darcys.
Lizzie couldn't help but laugh at the inside joke. Clearly, Gigi had no idea this letter existed and she doubted as to whether Gigi knew about the present she's supposedly half-responsible for.
Lizzie sighed and replayed the weekend in her head all night, until she finally fell asleep; her only consolation being that she might see Darcy tomorrow. She was no longer trying to find fault in his character; not even to suppress that faint feeling of longing when she thought about what a great time she'd had with him.
Hope you all enjoyed this. Next chapter will take place after Ep. 82, after Gigi tells Lizzie about Wickham. One chapter closer to her getting preggers! *fist pump*
Cyberhug to everyone who took the time to read this whole thing lol
Review! It boosts my morale and makes me really happy. :D