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The Moments Between

Summary:

Starts at episode 97. Lizzie Bennet and William Darcy are together now, and sharing glimpses of their life on Lizzie's videos. But what happens in all the moments in between?

Notes:

I recently rediscovered and rewatched the entirety of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and though I haven't written fic in a while and I'm more than a little rusty, I just couldn't help it. They're too cute, and I needed more fluff. All the fluff.

Also, I'm rating it M pre-emptively because I'm probably going to try my hand at some smut in later chapters. The first chapter is completely PG, however.

Chapter 1

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

William Darcy was a successful businessman. He could stride into any crowded conference room and immediately take command. He was confident and self-assured when meeting with investors, clients, and business associates. His reputation for being cool and collected under pressure was well known in his professional circle. He had walked into the offices of innumerable high-powered CEOs without hesitation. A simple front door on a quiet suburban street should not have been all that intimidating.

And yet he found himself paralyzed with fear, staring at the dimly lit doorbell. In the early evening light, he was very visible to any passersby, and he worried that if he stood there much longer, a neighbor would call the police. He took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.

After the longest twenty seconds of his life, the door swung open. Charlotte Lu stared at him in confusion. “Darcy?”

“Charlotte,” he replied. “I didn’t expect… um… hi. Is Lizzie home, perchance?”

Charlotte tilted her head and examined him carefully, seemingly debating whether to let him in. William tried not to squirm under her scrutiny.

“She’s in the den,” Charlotte finally said, stepping back to allow him entry. She gestured to an open doorway to her left. “Right through there.”

“Thank you,” he said sincerely. He took two steps toward the den and turned around. “It was nice to see you, Charlotte.”

Charlotte gave him a polite smile, as if she was still not quite sure if she should trust him. “Nice to see you too, Darcy.”

He nodded and turned back toward the den. “Hey, do you need money for the tip?” Lizzie called out as he reached the doorway.

He took one last deep breath to steel his nerves before he spoke. “Excuse me, Lizzie.”

************

“Um… one sec,” Lizzie said, reluctantly pulling away from William’s lips. She reached toward the camera and quickly turned it off. “Okay. That’s better. Now where were we?” she teased, tangling her hands in William’s tie again.

William’s lips twitched slightly in amusement. “You might have to remind me.”

Lizzie smiled and leaned in, gently pressing her lips to his. He brought his hand up to cup her face, his thumb slowly sliding across her cheekbone as he deepened the kiss. Lizzie kept one hand on his chest, but wrapped the other around his neck to play with the short hair at the base of his scalp. He lowered his hands to her back, pulling her in as close as possible. Lizzie got lost in the feel of his lips against hers, the sound of his ragged breathing when they paused for air, the subtle smell of his probably ridiculously expensive cologne, and she thought she could be perfectly content trading kisses with William Darcy for hours.

Instead, it was only about fifteen minutes before Lydia called out, “I hope you ordered enough food for me, because I’m starving!”

Lizzie and William pulled apart as Lydia reached the door. “What movie -- Darceface?” she said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I… um…” William stammered.

“Lydia! Um… yes, Darcy is here because…” Lizzie started at the same time.

Lydia took in the slightly rumpled state of their hair, the faint lipstick stain on Darcy’s lips, and the flush in her sister’s cheeks. “Oh, I think I know exactly why he’s here,” she snickered. “So, finally made your move, huh, Darceinator?”

William looked completely lost for words, so Lizzie jumped in. “Lydia, leave William alone.”

Lydia wandered over to the couch and took a seat, completely unfazed by Lizzie’s dark stares. “Oh, I’m sure William knows I’m teasing,” she replied. She had every intention of continuing, but she looked over at Darcy and saw he was still struggling to find a response. Normally, that would serve as additional fodder for her, but he was the guy who just bought a company to spare her the humiliation of a public sex tape, so Lydia decided to cut him some slack. “I thought you and Charlotte were going to watch a movie for your birthday,” she said, looking at Lizzie.

“Charlotte!” Lizzie exclaimed, jumping up as if to go find her.

“She’s not out there,” Lydia informed her.

Lizzie sat back down and scrambled for her phone. She had two unread text messages waiting for her, both from Charlotte.

Charlotte: Stuck around long enough to make sure you wouldn’t need additional distraction, but you seemed plenty distracted, so I let myself out. Call me tomorrow!

Charlotte: By the way, I intercepted the honey walnut shrimp and I’m taking it with me. You already have a birthday treat, so this one is all mine now.

“I’m sorry for ruining your birthday plans,” William said, looking sheepish. “If I had realized it was your birthday, I would have postponed my visit.”

Lizzie smiled at him softly. “I’m glad you didn’t.” Her right hand drifted back up to toy with his tie, and he found himself leaning toward her, his eyes drifting shut…

“Whoa! At least let me get out of the room first!” Lydia called out from the couch. 

William pulled back abruptly as Lizzie blushed slightly. She recovered quickly and looked over at her sister. “Okay, get out.”

“Maybe I should stay. You two seem like you could use a chaperone,” Lydia responded.

“Lydia….” Lizzie warned.

Lydia stood up from the couch. “Fine, I’ll leave. Though you might want to do the same, unless you want Mom to wander by and see you making out with Darcy and start planning your wedding…”

Lizzie groaned. “No, that would be bad.”

“I should go so you and Charlotte can get back to your birthday plans,” William said, starting to stand.

Lizzie quickly grabbed his arm. “No, don’t leave,” she pleaded, slightly embarrassed by how desperate she sounded.

William’s face softened. “But you had dinner plans with Charlotte,” he said quietly. “It’s your birthday.”

“And I want to spend it with you,” Lizzie said earnestly.

Lydia made a fake gagging noise. “Get a room,” she called over her shoulder as she exited the den.

Lizzie blushed again and William shifted uncomfortably. Lizzie started nervously fiddling with his tie, not quite making eye contact. There was a slightly awkward silence while both of them tried to figure out what to say.

“Would you--” William started.

“We should--” Lizzie began at the same time.

They both nervously smiled at each other.

“You can--”

“You should--”

Lizzie dropped her forehead against his chest and let out a little laugh when they both started speaking simultaneously again. William let his hand travel up her back to play with the ends of her hair. Lizzie murmured in contentment and wrapped her arms around his waist, tucking her head under his chin. He loosely wound a lock of her hair around his fingers, and she snuggled closer. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Lizzie lifted her head. “Okay, as nice as this is, Lydia had a point. If we don’t get out of here soon, my mom is going to find us, so unless you want to start picking out china patterns…” she trailed off.

“That sounds a bit premature,” William replied with a small smile. “I believe it is traditional to go on at least one date first.”

“Why, William Darcy, are you asking me out?” Lizzie teased.

“Yes, I believe I am. Would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner, Miss Bennet?” 

Lizzie pretended to fan herself with her hand. “Oh my, this is all so sudden,” she drawled, using the same accent she used when imitating her mother. “I just don’t think it would be proper to accept a date this late in the evening, even if the offer comes from a very handsome gentleman.”

“I apologize for being so forward, Miss Bennet, but your charm has overpowered my usual sense of propriety.”

Lizzie smiled, happy to see that he was comfortable enough to play along. “Well, I suppose since we were just making out, we can probably abandon any attempts at propriety.”

William gave her a gentle smile. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes, Mr. Darcy, that’s a yes,” she replied. They both sat there grinning at each other until Lizzie’s phone went off.

Lydia: You need to leave. Like now. Mom’s talking about checking in on the birthday girls, and I can’t distract her much longer.

“Okay, we need to go. Mom alert,” Lizzie said, standing up and grabbing William’s hand. She slung her purse over her shoulder and pulled him to the front door as quickly as possible. When they got outside, Lizzie made a beeline for his rental car, which was the only vehicle parked on the street in front of their house. Luckily William’s legs were long, so he was able to keep up with her as she frantically cut across the lawn.

“May I ask where we’re going?” William said quietly.

Lizzie shrugged. “You’re the one who asked me out,” she replied distractedly as she texted Lydia back.

Lizzie: Thank you for covering for me. You’re the best. I owe you one.

“Yes, but you’re the one who dragged me out of the house, quite literally, so I assumed you had a destination in mind,” he responded as he opened the passenger door for her.

“Food?” she asked as she slid onto the passenger seat, smiling at Lydia’s text reply.

Lydia: Yeah you do. You can repay me with all the date details. And some drinks. Really fancy expensive ones that I can’t afford.

Lydia: Oh, and I’ve already got a lie planned if you and Darcy get too busy to come home tonight ;) ;) ;)

“Food sounds good, but it doesn’t give me a very specific destination,” William replied as he settled into the driver’s seat.

Lizzie slid her phone back into her purse. “What are you in the mood for?”

He shook his head. “No, it’s your birthday. You decide.”

“How do you feel about taking a little drive? There’s this really good Italian place about 45 minutes away. The food is delicious, and it’s got a romantic atmosphere,” she said, reaching out to touch his hand resting on the gearshift. “Plus, it’s far enough away that my mom’s gossipy friends are unlikely to be there.”

He flipped his hand over and linked their fingers together before bringing her hand up to his lips for a quick kiss. Lizzie had previously thought the gesture to be a bit ridiculous, but with William, it somehow seemed utterly charming. “Your wish is my command, Lizzie Bennet,” he murmured, and Lizzie felt a slight fluttering in her chest.

William released her hand and passed her his phone. “Could you please put in the address so I know where to go? Unless you know how to get there.”

“It’s probably better to use the GPS. I don’t go there often enough to have memorized the route.” Lizzie tapped the home button to wake up his phone as he started the car. “Oh, it’s locked,” she says.

She started to hand it back to him, planning to use her phone instead, but he interrupted her. “The passcode is Gigi’s birthday. 0513.”

The fluttering in her chest picked up intensity. Somehow, the fact that he used his sister’s birthday for his passcode was the most adorable thing ever. “Wow, already sharing phone passcodes? You move quickly, William Darcy,” she said as she entered the address into Google maps.

“Only with women I really love,” he replied sincerely, and the fluttering intensified even further.

“And how often does that happen?” Lizzie asked, trying to sound like she was teasing rather than extremely curious. Even though she was, in fact, extremely curious.

He smiled over at her as he stopped at a red light. “Wow, already sharing relationship histories? You move quickly too, Lizzie Bennet,” he teased.

“Only with guys who fly across the country to reply to my voicemails,” she retorted. “Now stop dodging the question.”

His smile broadened, making his dimple appear. “Not often.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Quite infrequently.”

Lizzie groaned.

“Extremely rarely.”

“You’re still dodging the question.”

“Am I? I believe I answered it. You asked how often it happens, and I gave you an answer. In fact, I gave you three answers.” He was still smiling, so she knew he was teasing her.

Lizzie scrunched her nose in annoyance. “Fine. Don’t answer. See if I care.”

“At the risk of sounding repetitive, I did give you an answer. It is not my fault if you didn't find it satisfactory. Perhaps you should ask a more specific question if there's a specific answer you're seeking."

"You're impossible," Lizzie sighed. When William flinched slightly beside her, Lizzie panicked. "Sorry. I didn't mean that. I was kidding. It was a bad joke. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Lizzie. I knew you were teasing."

"Then why did you flinch?"

He shrugged. “Habit. However, I'd like to think I've become better at noticing when you're teasing. After all, I did have 96 videos to learn from.”

“I’m still really sorry about what I said about you in the earlier videos,” she said solemnly.

He took one hand off the steering wheel and reached for hers. “You don’t need to apologize. I acted like a jerk and made a terrible first impression. Your videos helped me see some things about myself that I didn’t particularly like. I realized I needed to change, not only to become someone worthy of your love, but also and more importantly, to become someone worthy of my own.”

“Darcy…” she began softly, before realizing she didn’t even know what to say. She settled for squeezing his hand tightly, hoping he understood what she was trying to convey.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before William spoke. “William.”

Lizzie looked over at him in confusion. “Are you talking to yourself?”

He shook his head. “No, it’s a request. Can you call me William? I don’t mind Darcy, but something about the way you say my name…” he trailed off.

She smiled. “I suppose it would be a little weird to refer to you by your last name all the time, now that we’re making out and everything.”

His lips twitched slightly in amusement, but he said nothing.

The GPS interrupted the conversation with an instruction to “keep left at the fork”. William glanced over at his phone, then back at the road. “What fork?” he asked, looking at the road ahead, which had no obvious forks or intersections of any kind.

“Maybe it’s further ahead and we can’t see it?” Lizzie offered optimistically.

“In 1000 feet, keep left at the fork,” the GPS instructed, almost as if replying to Lizzie’s comment.

Lizzie shrugged. “Okay, or the GPS is just confused.”

“Keep left at the fork,” it repeated.

Since there was no other option, William just continued driving straight ahead.

“Recalculating,” the GPS immediately said.

William glanced over at his phone in confusion. “There was nowhere else to go.”

“In three quarters of a mile, turn left,” the GPS replied.

“Well, at least I actually see an intersection ahead this time,” Lizzie said.

William followed the instructions and turned left at the next street. Immediately, the GPS said, “Take the next left.”

The only street ahead on the left was a tiny unlabeled side road. “Surely it can’t mean that one.”

Lizzie peered at the map. “That’s what it says.”

William raised a brow skeptically, but followed the instructions.

“In 500 feet, turn right,” the GPS commanded.

They turned right, and Lizzie burst into laughter. “It’s a dead end,” she commented.

The GPS was undeterred. “In 300 feet, make a U-turn.”

William furrowed his brow. “I do not understand.”

“Make a U-turn,” the GPS repeated.

Lizzie was still laughing as Wliliam rounded the cul-de-sac. “In 300 feet, turn left,” the GPS directed.

“That’s where we came from,” William observed.

Lizzie unclipped the phone from the dashboard cradle and skimmed through the directions. “It’s taking us back to that non-existent fork,” she said, laughing. “It literally just drove us here to turn us around.”

“That makes no sense,” William replied in confusion, turning left off the dead-end road.

“In 500 feet, turn right,” the GPS said.

“I’m just telling you what the phone is telling me,” Lizzie commented.

“Yes, but the phone does not make sense. Why did it turn us around? There was no fork to take,” William replied.

“Apparently your phone disagrees.”

They were back on the main road where they started. “In three quarters of a mile, make a sharp left,” the GPS said.

“Onto the invisible road,” Lizzie finished.

William just looked at the phone in frustration. “That doesn’t make sense,” he repeated.

Lizzie was busy looking at the map. “It looks like there’s another way to get there, but we’d have to backtrack quite a bit. And I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”

“I haven’t eaten anything since an early lunch in Chicago,” William replied.

“So like 8 hours ago?” Lizzie asked.

William glanced at the clock. “Closer to ten with the time difference.”

“Okay, so you definitely need food. So I say instead of driving another half hour or so, we just eat somewhere else.”

“Are you sure? It’s your birthday. I don’t mind waiting to eat,” William replied.

Lizzie laughed. “I mind. How do you feel about Indian food?”

“I enjoy Indian food,” he answered.

“Excellent. There’s this really great hole-in-the-wall place in a strip mall about 10 minutes down this road.” Lizzie laughed when she saw the skeptical look on his face. “Don’t be a snob! The food is excellent. The best Indian food in town.”

“Is that just by default?” William asked.

Lizzie pretended to be insulted. “No! There are at least 2 other Indian places I can think of nearby.”

“I stand corrected. Quite a competitive market,” William replied. 

Though he kept a straight face, Lizzie picked up on the subtle hint of sarcasm. She released his hand to punch him playfully in the arm. “Shut up. Not all of us live in major metropolises like San Francisco.”

“I apologize. I was not trying to offend your hometown.” The playful undertone was gone from his voice.

“Hey, it’s fine,” Lizzie said. “I’m just teasing you.” His face still looked too serious, so she reached out to hold his hand. “William, it’s okay.”

William interlaced his fingers with hers. “I do not want to repeat my earlier mistakes and drive you away again. I know I can have elitist tendencies, but I am trying to do better.”

Lizzie leaned over and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “It’s going to take a lot more to drive me away than that. Now come on. The Indian place is in that plaza up ahead on the right. Let’s go offend your upper-class sensibilities with some delicious Indian food from a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant in a small-town strip mall.”

Forty-five minutes later, William was surprised to admit she was right about the food. It actually was incredibly delicious, on par with some of the best Indian restaurants in San Francisco. He never would have expected that from a crowded little restaurant with only a handful of tables.

“I told you so,” Lizzie said triumphantly when he shared his thoughts aloud.

It was close to 10 when they finally finished up their meal. Although William didn’t want to say goodbye to Lizzie, he could feel the long day of meetings in Chicago and the jet lag catching up to him. He offered to drive Lizzie home and was slightly gratified to see she looked disappointed to leave him too. He almost asked her to come back to Netherfield with him, but he didn’t want to move too quickly and scare Lizzie off.

They were most of the way back to Lizzie’s house when she asked, “Wait. Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?”

“Before he moved to New York, Bing gave me a spare key to Netherfield. ‘In case I found myself in the area,’ he said. I guess he was more optimistic than I was at the time that this would work out.”

“Bing and Jane. Ever the optimists,” Lizzie commented. “It would almost be annoying if they weren’t so cute and sweet about it.”

With the light of the passing street lamps, Lizzie could just make out the smile William gave her. “I have to admit, optimism is growing on me.”

“Oh no, is it contagious?” Lizzie teased.

William nodded. “I’m afraid it is. I am sorry to say that you have probably already been infected.”

Lizzie laughed. “So that’s why I’m feeling so hopeful about things this evening.”

“Indeed,” William agreed. “I can’t think of any other possible explanation.”

“No, none at all. I mean, maybe if I had just gone out on an amazing date with an incredible guy, that might do it, but sadly the only possible explanation is some weird infectious disease,” she teased.

“You wound me, Lizzie Bennet,” he replied.

“I’m sorry. Do you want me to kiss it and make it all better?” she asked.

“I certainly will not turn down kisses, if you’re the one offering,” he answered.

She rolled her eyes. “That was cheesy,” she complained, but William saw the smile on her face that belied her words.

Too soon, they pulled up to the curb in front of the Bennet residence. “Normally, I would walk my date to the door, but considering you live with your mother… and your sister, it might be safer for you if I forego that ritual,” William said as he turned off the car.

“Definitely safer,” Lizzie replied, turning toward him in her seat. “Though I hope that doesn’t mean I have to forego the goodnight kiss too.”

William shifted toward her and cupped her face in his hands. “Oh no, that ritual is sacred and must be preserved,” he murmured.

“Oh, good,” she whispered just before he captured her mouth with his.

The goodnight kiss turned into a series of kisses, but eventually William pulled back. “I should let you go before someone in your house notices my car and gets suspicious.”

“I suppose,” Lizzie sighed. “Can I see you tomorrow? Or do you have to go back home?”

William shook his head. “I don’t have any travel plans. I wasn’t sure how tonight was going to go.”

“And how did tonight go?” she teased.

He shrugged. “It was decent enough, I suppose.”

Lizzie laughed and pulled him in for another kiss. “Call me tomorrow?” she asked as she opened the car door.

“Of course,” he replied. “Sleep well, Lizzie Bennet.”

“You too,” she said, getting out of the car.

She was about to shut the door when William called, “Oh, and Lizzie?”

She poked her head back into the car. “Yes?”

“That question you asked earlier? It really is exceedingly rare. Once in a lifetime, in fact.”

Lizzie leaned across the seat and gave him a tender kiss. “You’re wonderful, William Darcy.”

“So are you, Lizzie Bennet.” They shared another quick kiss before Lizzie closed the passenger door and practically floated into the house.

Notes:

I have no idea how long this is going to be, and I'm far too scatterbrained to stick to any sort of regular posting schedule. Sorry in advance - I've got a few chapters mostly ready to go that I'll put up soon, but I honestly make no guarantees.

I'm also not ashamed to admit that I am shallow and driven by attention, so kudos and comments of any variety will almost definitely help keep things coming.