Fic: It's Always Open Season On Princesses Part 10
Title: It‘s Always Open Season On Princesses Part 10
Spoilers: Through Season 2
Word Count: 1758
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Dan Harmon owns all of this.
AN: Insert something vaguely witty and self-effacing here.
“Game,” Rich announced as Annie ran for the missed shot. She picked up the small ball and tossed it back toward him. With an apologetic smile, Rich approached the net, tapping his racket against the top of it. “Annie, we can stop.”
Slightly breathless, Annie shook her head. “No, this is good.” She waved her arm above her. “Fresh air. And I’m learning something new.”
Rich gave her an endearing grin in response. “And you are getting better.” He lifted the racket to point it in her direction. “You’re quite the little tennis player. You should keep at it when we go home.”
She shrugged as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. “There aren’t really many tennis players in Greendale, Rich.”
“Well,” he placed a hand against his chest, acting hurt. “I play and I think we could have a lot of fun.”
Annie forced a smile out. “Maybe,” she answered. “Hey, we should go see something totally awesome this afternoon.” She gave a little bounce and Rich chuckled.
“Okay,” he replied amiably. “What did you have in mind?”
She scrunched up her face, thinking. The truth was, she had rushed out and bought a very thorough guide book the day after she’d gotten the tickets and had carefully combed through the entire thing in only seven hours time. It sat up on the dresser in her room, miniature hot pink Post-Its marking everything she had thought she would want to see.
Always planning the fun right out of everything.
Annie shook her head. “I…didn’t have anything in mind.”
Rich nodded in understanding, apparently believing her lie. “Well, let’s eat some lunch and shower and then we can catch a train into the city and do some sightseeing. Sound good?”
She let out a light chuckle, laughing at her own words with a little incredulous shake of her head. “It sounds perfect.” He gave her a somewhat bewildered smile and made his way toward the patio door.
“Hey, what do you want for lunch? I can make us something.”
Annie’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “You cook too?”
Rich rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Annie, I am actually quite the cook. Jeff didn’t tell you?” The absolute absurdity of that question made her mind completely blank out. What did that even mean? Had Jeff and Rich been taking cooking classes together? Belatedly, Annie shook her head. “Well, I know my way around a kitchen,” he added as he pointed his tennis racket at her again. “What’s your pleasure?”
The previous night, after her exhausting excursion at the most miraculous place Annie had ever seen, called the Spanish Steps, she and Camilla had returned to the house to find Sergio in Pierce’s kitchen, whipping around chopping things in a mad rush. Rich had stood nearby, watching in wonderment as the Italian man worked quickly to make a meal. When Sergio had lifted the wooden spoon he had been using in the sauce, Annie had demurred. When Sergio had insisted that she taste real sauce, she had let her tongue venture from her mouth, her eyes on his dark intent ones. The explosion of flavor in her mouth had caused her to moan before she had been able to clap a hand over her mouth. It had been the best thing Annie had ever tasted.
It really had. It was just….
“I want…” she bit her lip before sighing. “This sounds stupid. What I actually want is grilled cheese. Is that weird?” she asked with a wrinkle of the nose.
“Nah,” Rich answered with a shake of his head. “You aren’t getting homesick already, are you?”
Annie was not even slightly nostalgic for her apartment, the tiny box above a store that sold penis-shaped pasta. But she was already missing her family. This place was amazing, truly breath-taking, but she wished she could be experiencing it with one of her friends. Then the realization hit her. She’d had the chance to bring any one of them. She could have brought Abed and actually re-created a walking tour of ’Roman Holiday’ for goodness sake. She could have brought Britta and been led to every funky boutique or underground party in a fifty mile radius.
Instead, she had invited Jeff. Gambled it all on a hand that she knew wouldn’t give her a pay out in the end. She had brought this on herself. “No,” she finally responded with a smile. “Just hungry for food that you could get at a truck stop I guess?” She gave a little self-conscious shrug at that and Rich chuckled.
As they walked back into the house together, Annie’s phone rang from where she’d left it on the kitchen counter. She sprang forward and picked it up, smiling at the picture ID that came up. “Abed!” she squealed, bouncing up and down.
“Hey Annie,” he answered in his normal tone.
She grinned at the sound of his voice. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much,” Abed replied. “You?”
“Abed,” she chuckled. “Why are you up so late?”
“I’m working,” he said, as if that was all the explanation that was needed.
“Okay,” Annie said after a beat of silence. “So, how is everything there? What‘s new with everyone?”
“Shirley is convinced that Ben is already speaking, which has led Britta to speculate that she’s going crazy.” He hummed. “Troy is still living with Pierce, and is the only one Pierce will talk to.”
“Except me,” Annie cut in.
“Except you,” Abed agreed.
Annie watched Rich pull a frying pan out and set it on the pristine stovetop. “What about Britta?”
“I haven’t seen her,” he answered. His voice got faint, distracted. “You didn’t ask about Jeff.”
“I don’t think we have American cheese,” Rich spoke up to her as he rooted through the fridge. “It might have to be mozzarella or acceglio.”
“Who was that?” Abed asked without hesitation. Suddenly, his voice was very focused again.
“Um,” Annie started, not sure quite what to say about the situation. “That’s Rich.”
There was a pause on the other end. “Greendale Rich?” Abed asked.
“Yeah,” Annie said as she reached up to rub her forehead. “Turns out Pierce invited him too.”
“That’s very interesting, Annie.”
She thumped the heel of her hand against her hairline. “Yeah,” she repeated. “So we’re here together at Pierce’s house.”
Abed was quiet for a moment. “Did you ask Pierce why he invited Rich?”
“I called him last night, but got his voicemail,” she responded.
“Could be screening,” Abed noted with interest.
“Abed, this isn‘t helping,” Annie whined.
“He’s going through a mid-life crisis,” Abed continued.
“Pierce?”
“Jeff,” he clarified. “You hadn’t asked about him yet.”
“I wasn’t planning on it,” Annie stated, hearing the edge in her own voice. Abed fell silent. “Did you hear that I gave him the extra ticket?”
“Annie,” he answered. “I’m the one that told you that was going to happen. Of course I know.”
“Right,” she replied miserably. “Okay, well what do you need Abed?”
“I was wondering if you would be able to film some parts of your travels for a project I’m working on.” Annie’s eyebrows rose slightly. She had been sure that was just going to be merely a drunk idea of Troy‘s. “I would give you billing as second unit director,” he added.
“Sure,” she nodded as Rich began to butter the bread that Sergio had baked for them the previous afternoon. “Is he sick?”
“Is who sick?” Abed asked and Annie bit her lip. Her stomach squirmed. Maybe that was why he hadn’t met her at the airport. It was because he…no.
She had to stop this.
“So, you don’t really know why Pierce invited Rich?” he pressed.
Annie sighed. “No, Abed.”
“This seems very movie-like, Annie.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “There are even wacky supporting characters.”
“Ooh,” Abed said in a low voice. “Send video of them, too.”
She chuckled at that. “Sure, Abed.”
“He’s not sick,” Abed stated. “He just seems angry most of the time.” Annie frowned. “And sullen for the rest.”
There was that squirm again. “So, you’ve seen him?” she asked, regretting it a second later.
“Yeah,” he answered. “I was at his apartment when he came back from- hold on.” There was a pause and Annie opened her mouth in indignation when a second later, he disconnected the call without a goodbye. Scowling, she pulled the phone away from her ear and dropped it back to the counter.
“Who was that?” Rich asked, completely oblivious to everything that had just happened. He slid a plate onto the counter in front of her with a perfectly grilled sandwich on it.
Annie let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and smiled appreciatively at him. “Abed.”
“Oh,” Rich said in a happy tone of recognition. “That guy sure is a character, huh?”
She hummed her agreement as she bit into the sandwich. Of course it was perfect. Like the kitchen. And the man who had made the sandwich for her. What was wrong with her? She was so much more conflicted about all of this than she should be. Picking at a piece of crust, Annie cleared her throat. “I hope you don’t mind everyone in the greater Greendale area knowing you’re in Italy, because Abed just heard you.” Rich smiled at her before turning back to the burner to begin his own sandwich.
“Nah,” he replied. She watched him work in silence, preparing his own food. “I’m just worried about what Jeff will think.”
What? Annie chewed silently, confused. What exactly was Jeff and Rich’s relationship anyway? Rich talked about Jeff like they were friends and Jeff talked about Rich like they were mortal enemies and Rich had been sent to Greendale to destroy Jeff. And in either situation, why would Rich think that his being in Italy would upset Jeff? Her headache was growing exponentially every second. Annie closed her eyes. It did make sense that Rich would think Jeff would be upset. Jeff had tried to get Ben into the group just to avoid Rich. Jeff did tend to be territorial of everything when it came to Rich.
But that had been before. Before he’d rather heartlessly ignored her invitation in favor of sitting on his couch all summer watching ’The Bachelorette’ and doing push ups.
That had been a pretty clear sign.
“Actually…” Annie took another bite of her sandwich and chewed. “I think he would be relieved, Rich.”