Work Text:
She doesn't know why she feels uncomfortable on her first day at work. Pemberley Digital should feel like home, but it feels foreign to her. The other new employees in her department are standing with her in HR. They are nervous about getting lost in such a large building. That's not what she's nervous about.
Mrs. Reynolds is going to take them down to their new workspaces and get them settled. That's where they're headed when they run into him. He's in a slim fitted Harris Tweed suit, with suspenders and a skinny tie. He looks like a (hipster) college professor.
"Mr. Darcy," Mrs. Reynolds begins, "these are the new employees. This is Ms. Alice Walker, Ms. Kate Saunders, and you already know Ms. Bennet," she smiles.
"Hello, and welcome to Pemberley. I hope you're finding everything alright. If you have any questions," he tells them, "I'm sure Elizabeth would be happy to help you."
She feels her cheeks get hot; she's sure she's gone pink. She's paranoid everyone has figured it out already, "I shadowed Pemberley Digital for my thesis," she clarifies.
"If you'll excuse me," Darcy says looking at his watch, "I have a conference call."
He disappears down the hall and Mrs. Reynolds tells them that he's the CEO. Lizzie can tell from the looks on the other girls' faces that they're shocked that the CEO knew exactly who a grad student was. Her stomach churns and she regrets eating eggs, eggs her boyfriend served to her naked in bed this morning.
Mrs. Reynolds takes them to their cubicles and introduces them to their managers and the editors they'll be working with. Not long after Mrs. Reynolds takes her leave the gossip begins.
"Holy crap," Alice starts, "I had no idea that the CEO would be so hot."
"I know, although he could totally be gay. Did you see what he was wearing? I don't know too many straight guys who wear their suits cut so slim," Kate adds, "Lizzie, it seemed like you two knew each other. Spill. What do you know about him?"
What does she know about him? Well, he sleeps on the left side of the bed. He's been taking care of his sister and a company for almost a decade. He's not an arrogant asshole; he's just shy. He wears contacts most of the time, but when he doesn't he goes for his hipster glasses. He's always loved wearing scarves (especially in the summer) and he wears them even more now because she loves to leave marks on his neck. Oh, and he's madly in love with her. "Not much," she tells them. It's not totally a lie. She could spend a lifetime with him (she's planning on it) and still not know everything there is to know about William Darcy. "His best friend is dating my sister."
"Is he single?" Alice asks.
"No," she says at first, territorial about her boyfriend, "well I'm pretty sure he has a girlfriend," she adds, "I'm almost positive."
"Okay," Kate says. They drop the subject.
She's confidant she'll be able to hide her relationship with William Darcy long enough to establish herself at Pemberley Digital without being known as his girlfriend. Eventually she knows she'll have to come clean, but for now she is confidant she can hide it. She's confidant until Gigi shows up to take her to lunch.
"Lizzie," she says strolling in oblivious to the other occupants of the cubicles, "Come on, Will said you wouldn't let him fulfill his boyfriend duties of taking you to lunch on your first day, so I'm stepping in," Alice and Kate are staring, "I got his credit card," she says producing a black card. She finally notices Alice and Kate, who have abandoned their work, "Hi, I'm Gigi Darcy," she introduces herself.
Lizzie is frozen in shock over Gigi's appearance and subsequent reveal of her relationship with Will. She can see that Alice and Kate's jaws have dropped, "Gigi," she squeaks out.
"What?" she asks, oblivious to what she's just done, "oh, oh my God, I'm so sorry. I just realized why you didn't want Will to take you out. Wow, I'm really sorry."
"Let's just go," Lizzie said grabbing her purse and jacket. She's panicking. The relationship came out in less than four hours. She's screwed.
When she returns from lunch an hour later, calmed down my Gigi and later Will after Gigi told him what happened, she returns to the smirking faces of Alice and Kate. She briefly considers running up to her boyfriend's office and getting a change of office, but she decides against it. She wants a future with Darcy, she has a future with Darcy, and it would be impossible for that to happen in secret. Everyone was bound to find out someday. She just wishes it wasn't on her first day.