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Gigi waits for the inevitable interruption on Thursday morning with bated breath. She assured Lizzie that William wouldn't be angry about airing her story, but now it's out there and there is no taking it back, and that fact alone makes her anxious.
The quiet knock on her office door comes at 9:17. She takes a moment to admire his restraint. Then she looks up and sees that he's holding out a cup of hot chocolate, wordlessly offering comfort she didn't realize she needed. Suddenly, the extra ten minutes he took to get to her make sense.
"Thanks," she murmurs, taking it from him with a sheepish smile. "Are you mad?"
He rolls his eyes and purses his lips. "No. Mad is not the word I would choose."
She sighs and inhales the sweet smell coming from her mug. William has never been a huge fan of chocolate, unless it is dark and bitter, but he always makes the most delicious hot chocolate she has ever tasted. Although he claims that he just uses the powder mix and a splash of milk, she can't ever replicate it to her satisfaction.
"You didn't have to do that, you know," he says, peering down at her in concern. "Lizzie was right. You don't owe anyone anything, least of all thousands of strangers on the Internet."
His stern tone breaks into her chocolate reverie. He's using his ‘Father’ voice, which differs slightly from his Big Brother voice. Gigi wonders if anyone but her could hear the distinction.
"I didn't do it for them," she insists. "I did it for me. It felt good. Cathartic, in a way."
A slight quirk of his eyebrow is the only response she gets. This is something that William can't understand, she supposes, because he has always been so private. The need to vent is something he is unfamiliar with. Even with Fitz and Bing, he seldom shares his innermost feelings, preferring to rely upon his own counsel and no one else's.
"Besides, now all those girls who weren't sure about you will be jumping on the Team Darcy bandwagon! I bet Lizzie gets a ton of comments about it."
This time she gets a better reaction. He scowls and shakes his head, but his eyes aren't quite in it. Instead, she sees hope and confusion, and the tiniest bit of longing. William's poker face is legendary, but his eyes have always broadcast his true feelings.
"Don't be ridiculous. I doubt she reads a fraction of her comments. Besides, the opinion of her viewers doesn't matter to me."
"Uh huh. Right. We'll just forget about that time I caught you scrolling through the comments to Episode 80 in your office."
"For the last time, I wasn't—"
She doesn't let him finish. Teasing him is fun, but she's more interested in building him up. Lizzie's time at Pemberley Digital is limited, and there is only so much Gigi and Fitz can do from behind the scenes. William needs confidence to make his move again, especially considering what a train wreck his last confession of love had been.
"I really think she's starting to come around, William. She wouldn't have cared about your opinion a couple of months ago. Plus, she really seemed excited about our plans for the weekend. She wants to spend time with you!"
He's shaking his head before she's done talking.
"She wants to see the city, she likes you, and she ... tolerates me."
"She likes you," Gigi says firmly. "More than you think. And she cares about your good opinion. Stop fighting it and be yourself! You're a really great guy, William, and Lizzie is finally starting to see that. Promise me you'll relax this weekend and try to have some fun?"
There it is again, that heartbreaking hope in his eyes, but he doesn’t comment any further. Instead he nods and pats her shoulder gently. "You're all right? Tell the truth."
"I am one hundred percent all right. Promise." She crosses her heart with her index finger like she used to as a little girl and smiles up at him. His shoulders relax and he returns her smile with a small one of his own.
"Hey, Gigi, I just wanted to—" Lizzie comes around the corner abruptly, also carrying a steaming mug. She nearly runs straight into William's chest, but stops herself at the last second. Liquid sloshes up and around the sides of the mug, but doesn’t spill out. "Oh. Darcy. Hi."
Eyes drop to the floor, and Lizzie shifts her weight from foot to foot. The tension is unmistakable, and Gigi doesn't bother hiding her grin.
"Lizzie. Hello."
"Are you—did you—how are you?"
Gigi covers her mouth, but can't quite stifle her giggle. Lizzie's head snaps up and she seems to remember why she came. She turns, blocking out William's towering figure with her own shoulder and focusing on Gigi. She holds out the mug in her hands.
"I brought you tea. Camomile. You know, in case you needed a little something after..."
Lizzie sneaks a glance over her shoulder at William, who is watching her with interest. Her cheeks flush and she turns back to Gigi. "Just in case you needed cheering up."
Gigi sets her hot chocolate down and accepts the tea. "Thank you, Lizzie. I really am fine, though. No regrets."
Lizzie seems to be fighting another glance at William. Her eyes wander up and to the right, and her shoulders pivot ever so slightly. "Promise?"
This time, Gigi laughs freely.
"You two should get together and form a worrywart club! Seriously, I'm fine. I will tell you the same thing I told him." Gigi points at her brother, and this time Lizzie does glance up at William. Their eyes meet for a long, quiet stretch of seconds. She almost hates to break the magic of the moment, but she speaks anyway, because Lizzie apparently needs to hear it as much as William did.
"It felt good. It was cathartic. It was difficult but worth it, and I don't regret it. Okay?"
With seeming effort, Lizzie tears her eyes away from William's and delivers a hard look, her eyes sweeping over Gigi's face and taking careful inventory of what she sees. It is one of those moments when Gigi can't help but tally up all the ways that Lizzie and her brother are the same. This compulsive need to care for their friends and family, to fix anything that has gone wrong, is something they share. Gigi wonders if Lizzie has realized that yet.
Apparently satisfied with the results of her examination, Lizzie nods. "Okay. Good. I was just checking. I guess I'll be going now."
She turns and does a shuffling kind of dance with William, finally working her way past him with a smile. She turns the corner into the hallway, but she's back a moment later.
"I can't wait for this weekend. Thank you for offering to show me around." Lizzie delivers her words to Gigi, but then looks up at William and smiles brilliantly. "Both of you. Thanks."
Then she's out the door, darting down the hall at top speed, leaving William to stare after her, confusion written all over his face.