A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your lovely comments. Your encouragement is so very motivating and your reward for your kindness is below. You inspired me to neglect my responsibilities today and write. I hope you like it.

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Packing up their laptops after a grueling three hour class, Bingley was shocked to see a small smile gracing Darcy's face. 'What's going on with him?', he wondered. He couldn't remember the last time a pleasant look had crossed Darcy's face, especially since all of the trouble with Georgiana and her school. Darcy had never shared the full story with him but he was glad to see his best friend looking a little lighter. "Darcy, care to grab some dinner tonight? It's been awhile since we've caught up." Charlie asked.

"That'd be great. I'd love to swing by my place to drop off my laptop and to check on some things first." William said.

"It's still early yet. We can go back to your place, grab a beer, check email and catch up a bit. How does that sound?" Charlie suggested.

"Perfect." William responded.

Over the years of friendship, Charlie and William had an easy camaraderie. They were equally comfortable at each other's homes and the Bingleys had somewhat adopted him as a second son. It was no surprise when Charlie walked into Darcy's kitchen, grabbed two beers and some chips and settled comfortably in the living room waiting for Darcy to return. Bingley popped open his laptop and was scrolling through his emails when William walked out into the living room typing something on his phone. Sitting down across from Charlie, William picked up the already opened beer and took a sip.

"So how's Georgie doing? Are you meeting up with her for Thanksgiving?" Charlie asked.

"Um no. She's spending Thanksgiving with the Fitzwilliam's down in DC and I need to head up to Maine to visit my Aunt Cathy." he responded distractedly. A grin broke across his face as he looked down at his phone.

"Well something is certainly amusing you and it's not generally a mention of your Aunt Cathy. What's going on?" Charlie inquired.

"Um, what? I'm sorry Charlie. I wasn't attending," still looking at his phone.

"What's so amusing on your phone Darce?" Charlie asked.

"Oh um nothing, just making some plans." He responded. "So how are things going with Jane? Are you two still dating?"

A broad smile broke across Charlie's face. "She's wonderful. Her family's coming to Palm Beach to spend Thanksgiving with us. I can't wait for my mom to meet her. She's going to love her."

"Wow. Meeting the parents. That sounds serious. I hadn't realized it had progressed so far and so quickly." 'Impulsive Bingley. He was always the same,' Darcy thought. "It's been like a month since you first met Jane right?"

"Yea I guess its only been about a month but I have to say it's never felt so right. We've been pretty much inseparable. She's been staying at my place most nights and I just couldn't imagine a full week without seeing her. " Charlie grinned.

"So where's the lovely Jane tonight?" William asked.

"Jane was feeling bad about neglecting her roommates. She's worried there's something going on with one of them, and she wanted to see if she could figure it out. Actually, Jane mentioned your helping Lizzy on some immigration project or article she's working on. How'd that happen?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, um, do you remember when we bumped into Lizzy at the legal clinic?" William asked.

"Oh that's right, I totally forgot. You needed to work on some case for Gilpin that you weren't too happy about. Is Lizzy working on an article about that woman you told me about?" Charlie remembered.

A wave of guilt ran through William as he recalled his harsh words. "Kind of. It's related at any rate, so I've been helping her with research."

"So I guess the project's not so bad. Lizzy's pretty hot if you go for brunettes. I wonder if that's what's troubling her. The immigration issues must strike close to home if your family's originally from Mexico. Does she know the woman involved?" Charlie asked.

"Um, yea, you could say so." Darcy prevaricated. He was feeling decidedly uncomfortable with the conversation and would welcome any change in the direction of the conversation. He was trying to think of something when Charlie started speaking again.

"So I saw you grinning before while you were looking at your phone. I can't remember the last time I saw a grin cross your face. What's going on with you?" Charlie asked again. "You keep dodging the question counsellor but I won't let it go."

"If you insist...I was just setting the details for a date this Friday evening." William responded, the smile breaking a little brighter on his face.

"Shut the door! William Darcy is going out on a date...and he's happy about it?" This is incredible. Who? Do I know her?" Charlie was incredulous.

"You've met her." Darcy answered cryptically.

"C'mon. Don't make me drag the details out of you. You're making this painful for both of us and you know you'll eventually tell me all, so spill." Charlie demanded.

"I don't know. I'm rather enjoying myself." Darcy smugly responded. Charlie shot him a pleading look and Darcy decided to give in. "Oh all right. I'm actually taking Jane's roommate Lizzy out to dinner on Friday night. We're going to Elephant Walk which she apparently loves."

"So I guess you do go for brunettes. Caroline's going to be devastated." Charlie responded and William rolled his eyes. "Well I'm glad you found someone willing to go to Elephant Walk with you but how, when did this come about? I guess I'm really out of the loop to not have picked up on this."

"Why be so surprised? You, yourself said she's hot. And she's bright, witty, kind and has the ability to find humor in any situation. And didn't you notice how much care she took of Jane when she was ill. We've been spending time together working on this project and I've gotten to know her better." Darcy answered with a shrug.

He'd forgotten about the time Lizzy had come to take care of Jane. And Darcy had driven her back home hadn't he. He'd been so wrapped up in Jane this past month that he hadn't really been paying any attention to his friend. He felt bad actually. It reminded him that he and Jane needed to pay attention to others around them. He was glad that Jane had suggested they spend a night apart. They needed to probably have a little more balance. "I'm glad for you Darce. It's about time that you found someone who can take care of you a bit. Lizzy seems like a good one. Very grounded, kind, and like you said, bright. You need someone who can match your intellect. Maybe the four of us can go out sometime."

"Don't rush it Charles. Friday night is our first time going out. I don't even know if she likes me."

"What's not to love Darcy? You are one of the best people I know. A little quiet and reserved maybe but a better friend I couldn't find. And from what Caroline says, you're considered pretty hot too." Charles teased.

"Alright. I think we've now thoroughly exhausted this topic. Let's head out to grab some food." Darcy said, standing up and effectively ending the conversation.

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Lizzy was reclining lazily on her bed looking down at her phone. Smiling to herself, she remembered how shy William had become when he'd asked her out. So Friday night, he'd be by at 7:30 to pick her up. She was surprised to realize how much she was looking forward to the night out with him. He was quiet, to be sure, and not a man of many words, but she trusted him. He was kind and he clearly cared deeply for his sister. He'd been through so much in his life and yet he stood tall and kept moving forward, just like she was trying to. She heard someone coming into the room and looked up, surprised to see Jane.

"Wow, twice in one week Jane. Is everything ok with Charlie?" Lizzy asked, concern etched on her face.

"I hadn't realized I was so absent. Everything is wonderful with Charlie, but I was a little worried for you and thought I'd try and spend a little time with my best friend. Care to grab dinner with me so we can catch up?" Jane asked.

"I'd love to. Let me pop on my shoes and we can head down to the dining room." Lizzy said as she scooted off her bed.

"Oh, I thought maybe we'd go out to grab something. It's been awhile since we went out just the two of us." Jane suggested.

"I'd love to Jane but I, um, I can't go out. I can't really afford to spare the expense." She said, looking down.

Jane moved to directly stand in front of her friend. "Lizzy, this is part of what I wanted to talk to you about. I know I haven't been around much but you also have really pulled back. You never join me and Charlotte out anymore, and you haven't been going home either. We're both worried about you. What's going on?"

Lizzy was very uncomfortable. She'd promised their freshman year not to keep any secrets from Charlotte and Jane and yet, she'd never had a secret this big before. No, she wasn't ready to bear all to them, Jane maybe, if she could keep a secret from Charlotte but it wouldn't be fair to ask her to do so. Instead, she prevaricated, "There have been some issues going on with my family that I really can't discuss. Let's just say that I'm not in contact with my family any longer and I'm not working at the restaurant anymore. As a result, I don't really have any income and can't afford to go out."

Lizzy found herself wrapped in Jane's arms. "I'm so sorry Lizzy. Is this about your internship? I know you were a bit worried to tell you dad about it. Is he upset that you're going to New York for the summer?" Jane asked.

"Um, the internship is what started the break between us. My father made a choice that has now made it impossible to be together. It's been a rather difficult month, to say the least." Lizzy responded, sitting back down on her bed.

"That's so terrible. What are you going to do? Where will you go for Thanksgiving?" Jane asked, sitting down next to her.

"I'm going to the Gardiner's for the week. I figure I can help them with the kids and help Maddy with the cooking to help offset the inconvenience of hosting me." Lizzy answered.

"Lizzy, you know you aren't an inconvenience to anyone. I'm sure they are thrilled to have you. I'm sorry I can't host you for the week." The pieces were coming together for Jane, "Was that why you were asking last Sunday about our plans for the holiday? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Well I am genuinely interested in what's going on in your lives Jane, but yes, I was trying to figure out where to go next week. At any rate, Thanksgiving is all settled now and I'm looking forward to spending it with the Gardiners." Lizzy answered, a forced smile plastered across her face.

"I'm glad." Jane paused, "Lizzy, I respect your independence but it's ok to lean on your friends now and again. We love you and would love to help you in anyway. You're always helping others and you don't make it easy to help in return. If you need to rely on our help, we'd love to return all of the aid you've given us. I know I wouldn't have made it through that British Lit class without your tutoring me. Please, lean on me, and Charlotte."

Lizzy smiled. "Thanks. I'm afraid I might have to lean on you guys quite a bit in the coming months. I just don't want to have to start before I have to. Things are remarkably complicated right now in my life and I'm just not sure what the coming months will bring."

"Just ask Lizzy. We'd love to help you if we can, so let us." Jane gave her friend another hug and resolved that she was going to talk to Charlie about their need to have a bit more balance. Taking an appraising eye to Lizzy she could see that her best friend had been under an enormous amount of stress. Lizzy had lost some weight and had dark circles under her eyes. Jane wanted to be there to support her as her friend had always looked after her and Charlotte. She could tell Lizzy wasn't telling her the whole story but knew better than to press her.

Lizzy's phone buzzed again and she looked down at it to check the message. Brightening a bit, Lizzy said, "There is one thing you could help me out with right now. I have a date on Friday night with William Darcy. He's taking me to the Elephant Walk for dinner and I don't have a clue as to what I should wear."

"William Darcy is taking you on a date? How did that happen? When did he ask you out?" Jane asked, clearly diverted by the change in topic.

Lizzy laughed. "One question at a time. So, he asked me today. It happened the way I guess these things all happen, he simply asked me if I'd have dinner with him Friday night. Then before you arrived he texted me to let me know we have 8:00 reservations on Friday night and he'll pick me up at 7:30. Just now he told me to dress warmly as the weather report says its going to be 15 degrees Friday evening."

"Nice catch Liz! Charlie praises Darcy constantly for his intellect and loyalty to his friends and family. And Caroline showed me an article about William that says he's worth billions." Jane teased.

Lizzy was dismayed with the second statement. She was no fortune hunter and didn't want it to appear that way anyone. "It's dinner Jane. I'm not marrying the man. I don't even know if I like him that way." Lizzy protested.

"What's not to like? He's very good looking, wealthy and his friends don't have a word to say against him. How'd you two get to know each other?" Jane asked.

"As you know, he's helping out on a project I'm working on. We've been spending more time together as a result and were meeting today. When I arrived he was waiting for me and asked me out before we started our meeting. Now, I need your help figuring out what to wear on Friday night and given you are leaving for home on Friday afternoon, you'd better help me figure it out now. I don't know when I'll see you again." Lizzy teased.

"Alright. I'll help you now, on two conditions. First, you have to call me on Saturday to tell me all about your date. Second, you need to let me buy you dinner tonight because I can't bear to eat downstairs in the dining hall." Jane insisted.

"It's a deal. If it means saving you from certain food poisoning, I'm willing to come along. But nowhere too expensive. First to my closet." Lizzy directed her best friend.

Jane made quick work of selecting an outfit for Lizzy. Her talents, refined with her studies in art and art history, ensured she knew how to blend the right combination to ensure an attractive combination of colors and patterns.

"How do you do that? I'm going to need you to live with me for the rest of my life to ensure I am properly dressed." Lizzy laughed.

"Oh Lizzy, you are the easiest to dress with your chocolate brown hair and green eyes. Your features are so distinctive it's hard to go wrong. At any rate, I expect to become known for dressing the NY Times' star reporter. You can feature the work of my fashion company in your articles." Jane teased as the two girls headed out to grab a bite.

Falling asleep that night, Lizzy was glad Jane had come back to the house tonight and they'd had a chance to hang out. She hadn't realized how much she had isolated herself since this mess had started and it was so nice to simply be a 20-year old college student for a night.

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Friday evening arrived faster than Lizzy could have imagined. She'd pushed her foremost concerns from her mind and managed to mostly focus on the day-to-day concerns of school in its feverish pace before Thanksgiving vacation. It had been wonderful to throw herself into schoolwork. How simple school was in comparison to all of her other concerns, Lizzy reflected.

Lizzy had happily wished her roommates a wonderful Thanksgiving break and then returned to their room, jumping through a shower in anticipation of the evening she was going to have with William. She dressed carefully in the outfit Jane had suggested and applied makeup to her face and eyes, something she rarely did but Jane had insisted. A rich, warm rust-colored lipstick covered her lips contrasting beautifully with the coral and bronze powder highlighting her cheek bones. Her phone buzzed alerting her to William's arrival at her house.

William was waiting in Pho-Ho's entry. He grinned as he watched Lizzy descend the stairs coming towards him. "Do you mind if we walk to the restaurant? It's not so far from here and the night is clear."

"I love walking out in the evening and would welcome a walk to the restaurant. Besides, you warned me to dress warmly and I followed your advice." Lizzy grinned.

"Thank goodness you did or else my proposed walk would have been most impractical." Darcy remarked.

"You will find, William, that I'm ever practical." Lizzy teased.

The couple walked companionably, stopping to look in shop windows as they continued along Massachusetts Avenue towards the restaurant. William was pleased to note that he and Lizzy shared very similar likes and dislikes.

"So I know I said I didn't want to discuss my immigration stuff but before dinner starts perhaps you could fill me in on your meeting with Professor Gilpin yesterday." Lizzy asked.

"Of course. It seems that he and your faculty advisor had some good meetings with the financial aid office and got the name of someone in the student services office to help answer questions on student visas. It seems that a meeting with the Mexican consulate will be in order. Professor Gilpin asked me to do some inquiry with the consulate and I've managed to get an appointment for the Monday after Thanksgiving. My uncle has some influence there and his secretary was able to make the appointment." William explained. "I'm sure your advisor can fill you in on their appointments in more detail than I could but Professor Gilpin seemed quite satisfied. I wish I could meet with the consulate sooner but it's the first they had available."

"Thank you so much. I have to admit it has been nice to offload a lot of this work to others so I could focus on my classes this week. I've been so distracted this month and will probably spend a significant part of next week trying to catch up on school work." Lizzy sighed. "Ok, enough of that depressing talk. So William Darcy, why law school? Did you always know you wanted to study the law?"

William laughed. "Why law school? Because my father told me I needed to go to grad school for my MBA and Law degree. I was accepted in the joint program and enrolled. It was no more complicated than that."

"And do you always follow your father's directives so carefully?" she asked.

"Well, until he passed away, I'll admit I never questioned him. I pretty much followed the path he put me on. I never thought to question his directives until recently. He's been gone for five years now and I'm about to graduate and take control of a multi-billion dollar corporation. I recently realized, when this whole issue with Georgie's custody came up, that I need to start trusting my own instincts. Doing things my way is the only way I'm going to succeed." William said. "You know you are really easy to talk to. I've never spoken to anyone about this stuff as candidly as I do with you. Thank you."

"Anytime. I'd love to help you as you are helping me. Not simply to return the favor but, because I want to." Lizzy added. "Ok, this has become way to serious again. So let's play a little game. I'm going to give you a series of choices and you tell me which you prefer. You can only give me the answer and then over dinner we can discuss why you answered the way you did."

"Sounds interesting. I'll play along but you need to return the favor over dinner and tell me your preferences too." William suggested.

"That's fair, but I'm going first. So...Chocolate or vanilla?" "Chocolate"

"Washington or Lincoln?" "Lincoln"

"London or Paris?" "London, definitely London"

"Sushi or A Hamburger?" "Both" "Nope you have to choose one, you can't choose both. That's not the way the game works." Lizzy teased. "Alright Miss Bossy. Hamburger but with a Guiness." He teased her back.

"Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall?" "Definitely Fall, although I have a feeling that winter is going to be interesting this year" William added. "Boy you don't know how to follow rules. I said only one word answers and you're not playing by the rules." Lizzy said with a smile.

"Blondes, brunettes or red heads?" "Definitely not red heads. I'm feeling a decided preference for brunettes these days."

"Good answer Mr. Darcy."

They arrived at the restaurant and were shown to their table. Lizzy broke the first rule of dating when she ordered one of the messiest and most difficult to eat foods on the menu, the chicken lettuce wraps. These required them to eat with their hands and would certainly not fall into an etiquette guide of things to attempt on a first date. William loved how unassuming she was and her true enjoyment of the meal. As they discussed her quiz, she revealed her own preferences and they had a vigorous debate over the merits of Washington vs. Lincoln. He had a feeling that she in fact, agreed with him but was arguing with him just for the fun of it. Dinner had flown by and he wasn't ready to bring her back to her house. He wondered if she might be up for some hot chocolate at Burdick's and suggested they hop in a cab to head back to Harvard Square. She teased him about being afraid of a little walk but when they got back outside and realized how much the temperature had dropped, she readily agreed that a cab was a good idea.

Burdick's typically had a line out the door on a Friday night but given the approaching holiday it was relatively quiet. It seemed that most of Harvard's students had already left town. "I don't think I've ever seen this place so empty. I'm going to have to remember this for next year." Lizzy commented.

"Are you going to have the spicy hot chocolate Lizzy?" William asked.

"You bet. I'm impressed you remembered. I like my chocolate with a little kick now and then. I'll grab us a table while you order, ok?"

"Sounds perfect."

Walking over to the table, William was balancing the two hot chocolates with a slice of lemon cake with vanilla icing on a plate with two forks. "I thought we could share. Aside from chocolate I have a thing for anything lemon."

"Good to know. I'll have to remember that. I love to bake and lemon squares are one of the easiest things to make. If I get access to a kitchen sometime I can make them for you." Lizzy added.

"You are welcome to my kitchen anytime. Since Georgie left for boarding school, very little has been cooked or baked in my kitchen. Mrs. Reynolds, our housekeeper, has been taking care of the house in Maine since Georgie went away and only comes to stay during the holiday breaks when Georgie and I are both in Cambridge. I'll admit that I order in or eat out quite a bit. I can't make much more than scrambled eggs or pasta." William admitted.

"How depressing and I'm sure its not healthy! Why don't we work out a trade. I'll come and cook some meals for you on the weekends to keep you in food for the week in exchange for your help with all of my immigration stuff." Lizzy offered.

"You don't need to cook for me to get my help. We're friends now right? And friends help each other." William said quietly.

"Alright, then as your friend, I'm going to make sure you eat properly. When we get back from Thanksgiving, we can do some grocery shopping together so I can get a feel for the food you like and then I can make some meals for you. All you'll have to do is warm them up in the oven or microwave. It's also so much cheaper than eating out all the time." Lizzy said.

William smiled. It was so nice that she wanted to do something like this for him. It was a really good feeling that she cared.

"Well that's a lovely smile. You've been doing that a bit more recently. I don't remember you smiling very much at the beginning of our acquaintance." Lizzy remarked.

"I've had a really nice time tonight. And I haven't felt this comfortable with someone in a long time. Truthfully, Bingley and my cousin Richard are the only people I feel so relaxed around. And now I have something to look forward to for after Thanksgiving...grocery shopping." William remarked.

They finished up the last bite of cake, splitting it between the two of them, and William helped Lizzy back into her coat. They walked quietly back to Pho-Ho looking up at the few stars they could make out against the city lights. "Up in Maine, at my house there, you can see millions of stars on a clear night." William sighed.

"Do you know any of the constellations?" Lizzy asked.

"Not really. I always say that I'm going to get a book to study them but have never actually done it. Do you know them?" William asked in return.

"Nope. I'm a city girl and haven't had much exposure to nature of any sort."

They found themselves walking up to Lizzy's house and she began to wonder how the evening might end. Would he kiss her? Did she want him to? She thought she might but was not about to be the one to initiate it. "Thank you for a lovely evening. I had a really great time." she said.

He was looking down at her, her cheeks and nose rosy from the cold. He glanced down to her lips and wondered how they would taste. Her eyes met his and he reached down placing a gentle kiss on her lips. 'Lemon and chocolate, his new favorite combination,' he thought. "I had a great time as well. I hope you relax some on this vacation. Can I call you when I get back to town?"

"I hope you will. We have some grocery shopping to do." She said, her eyes twinkling.

"A trip to Whole Foods, its a date." He teased.

She knew she needed to get inside. He was going to freeze out here and still needed to walk back to his apartment. "Happy Thanksgiving." she cheered and turned to go back into her house. 'She'd have a good report for Jane tomorrow,' she thought as she climbed the stairs, still tasting the lemon and chocolate on her lips. 'Her new favorite combination,' she thought.

William watched Lizzy as she ran up the steps into her house. He didn't even feel the cold as he pondered the evening. It was easily the best first date he had ever been on. As he wandered back to his condo, he thought about how he was going to have to leave his Aunt Cathy's early on Sunday so he could get back in time to go shopping with Lizzy. The idea that they already had something planned made him almost giddy. Not the most romantic idea in the world and yet, he knew that even at a grocery story they'd have fun.

Comments, thoughts, all of it is soooo welcome and VERY motivating...