Fic: Criminology 101 (8b/?)
XXX
Jeff sat at his desk, knee bouncing excitedly in anticipation. Annie put a real scare into Pelton because he had taken back his testimony faster than Jeff knew was possible. The news of it had spread quickly, and if you asked the right people the news of why he'd taken it back wasn't hard to get to either. All of which meant Pierce had to know by now.
All that was left for Jeff to do was to sit through the quiet and wait for the storm. The problem was not knowing when the storm was coming. It made him feel anxious.
He considered getting some scotch while he waited, but he thought better of it. This wasn't going to be a pretty exchange. He'd be better off if he kept his wits about him, and he couldn't do that with any alcohol.
A knock came at his door, causing Jeff to sit up straight, and double-check that he had easy access to his gun.
"Come in," He called.
The door opened quietly and Annie slipped inside, closing it behind her. Jeff slumped in his seat with a mixture of relief and even more anxiety.
"You okay?" Annie asked, looking at him curiously.
"Yeah, just ..." Jeff waved a hand dismissively to finish the sentence.
Annie nodded.
"What's up?" Jeff asked, eyes flickering to the door before focusing on Annie properly.
Annie stepped forward, and sat on the seat in front of his desk. "I just wanted to thank you. For today. I really needed it."
Jeff shrugged. "Hey, we've all been there."
Annie nodded. "Yeah, I guess. But, you know, I probably would have ended up killing my dad or something if you hadn't given me the chance to take it out on Pelton."
Jeff didn't say anything, sensing there was more she wanted to add.
"It's weird. Wanting to kill someone so badly, without even thinking about it," She admitted.
"Better to let it out than to keep it bottled in," Jeff said, because it was true. He's had to clean up plenty of messes from people who held onto their rage. Mainly Pierce.
"No, I know," Annie said. "It's not that I'm ashamed of it or anything. It's just … when I was nine years old I wanted to be a doctor. And now, I'm here doing things I couldn't have ever imagined and … I love it more than anything."
"That's what you came here to tell me?"
Annie smiled softly. "I came here to tell you I'm glad you gave me a chance. I mean, I could have ended up being a doctor."
"I think Greendale should thank me for the fact that you're not, all things considered." Jeff smirked.
Annie laughed. "Yeah."
Jeff assumed that was it, but Annie stayed put, and watched him with an odd expression.
"Anything else?"
Annie bit her lip nervously. Jeff tried not to think about how pink it looked. "Yes, actually, there is something else." She leaned forward, and tilted her head slightly, the same way Abed did when he was about to subtly interrogate Jeff. "What were you thinking today, when I was paralyzing Pelton?"
Jeff raised his eyebrows, caught off-guard. "What?" He said, though he'd understood her perfectly. The problem was that he had been thinking about her. About the dark look in her eyes. About how he really, really wanted to touch her.
Annie repeated the question. Jeff gulped.
"Nothing," He winced. His voice sounded ridiculous and choked. God dammit. What was he, fifteen?
"Didn't seem like nothing," Annie said. He could see the determination behind her eyes.
"Yeah? And what did it seem like?" Jeff asked. He knew he was playing with fire here, but he couldn't help himself. He was slowly growing used to the fact that he could never help himself when it came to Annie.
"Oh, you know," Annie said innocently. She got up from her seat, and walked around the desk, fingers dancing on the edge of the wood. "You had that look on your face. The Annie is awesome look."
"I wasn't aware I had a Annie is awesome look."
"You wear it a lot," Annie told him, only slightly smug.
"Logically, that's your fault," Jeff told her.
"What were you thinking, Jeff?" She asked again. Her voice was soft. Her feet were right in front of his, if he stood up, they'd be inches apart.
Jeff's heart was beating wildly in his chest. For brief moment he thought about all the ways this was a bad idea. For starters, he was a mess of a human being. And if Laybourne ever heard about it, there's no doubt that Annie would be number one on his revenge hit-list. That is, if she wasn't already, after today. And she was young, and relatively new, and …
And she was smiling at him with that dark look on her face.
"Well?" She prompted.
Screw it, Jeff thought. If there was a hell, he already had reserved seats.
He stood up slowly, stepping in close to her. Personal space was practically non-existent at this point. Annie's eyes were wide, and bright, looking up at him.
"I was thinking of doing this," He said, and leaned in to kiss her. From the second their lips met, everything they had been holding back was finally let loose. Annie's hands gripped his collar tightly, and she pressed herself into Jeff. Jeff ignored the fact that his suit was going to be totally creased because holy crap.
He wrapped his arms around her, and swung them both around so that Annie was leaning against his desk. The kiss became rougher and messier. Months of waiting, of longing, finally paying off. It was so much more fantastic than he'd imagined. And, oh boy, he had imagined. A lot.
Annie pushed herself up so she was sitting on his desk, and wrapped her legs around him. Jeff's brain was about two minutes away from short-circuiting. He licked into her mouth. She tasted sweet. Jeff thought that was so typical of her while also being completely unexpected. This girl, god damn it.
Annie leaned back on the desk, pulling him down with her. Her hands started to slide his suit-jacket off him, followed by his holster. He trailed kisses down her jaw and her neck, because they were both in desperate need of some breathing time. Annie let out a quiet groan that Jeff decided was his favourite sound in the universe. Once the holster was off, he brought his hands back to grip her waist. His fingers flirted with the hem of her shirt, brushing lightly at the warm skin under it.
This was insane. All he could focus on was her, and her smell, and her skin.
And then a stomping noise outside startled him out of it. Jeff stopped and pulled away, listening carefully.
"What's wrong?" Annie asked.
And then he heard it again. Footsteps coming upstairs. Pierce's footsteps.
"Crap," He muttered, pulling himself away from Annie, just in time for Pierce to kick the door open and focus his glare on him.
"Jeffrey," Pierce said, on the brink of rage. "We need to have a little talk."