(no subject)
Chapter: 2
Pairing: Jack/Liz
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
Notes: A tiny bit of happy times for my much appreciated commenters! This entry is kind of long, but I'm sure you all will be fine with that.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Jack saw red, and in a panic, Liz went on the defensive, shooting back as many hurtful accusations as she could think of, because though she may have snooped, she was the victim here; the one being cheated on. Jack’s anger surged from red to white hot, but instead of screaming, he became deadly quiet. Liz felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room, and was unable to move or even speak from where she was pinned to the ground as he slowly approached her. He took the scrap of paper from her hands.
“Andrea is the owner of a small bed and breakfast in Chicago I thought you would might like to visit. It’s not too far from where you lived with Jenna when you performed at Second City. I know you love the city, and I wanted to provide you with the opportunity to go back and visit.” Picking up the first receipt for the plane tickets, he explained,
“Those tickets were for the two of us. But you got the flu, I would never have gone and left you home alone. So I rescheduled.” He placed the second receipt in her hands. Finally he noticed the open date book, he stopping to look in her eyes, he questioned,
“See anything suspicious in there?”
Her voice shaking, she questioned,
“Tiffany’s. Why so many visits to Tiffany’s, Jack?”
Jack sighed, reached into his pocked and pulled out a small box. He opened it to reveal one of the most gorgeous rings she had ever seen. Liz gasped as her eyes flashed from the emeralds and diamonds, back to his face. She felt sick when her eyes met his.
“As you probably concluded by now Liz, this is an engagement ring. I planned on proposing to you in Chicago. The reason for so many visits to Tiffany’s was because I wanted to find you the perfect ring, and when I couldn’t find it, I designed it and had it made. I was attending appointments to look at drafts, and pick out stones. That’s why you couldn’t come along for lunch with me on those days. And when you became suspicious, I began to sneak to try and stop you from interrogating me. I wanted to keep it a surprise. Well, this is certainly a surprise for both of us, isn’t it?”
“Jack, I-“
“Don’t start Liz. This is enough. You need to leave.” The anger in his voice sent chills down her spine, and she tried to reach out for him, but he spun away, sweeping the contents on his desk back in his desk drawer, and slamming it shut.
“I begged you to trust me. I adored you, and would have done anything in my power to make you happy and give you what you wanted, and this is how you repay me? I can’t believe it had come to this, with you of all people. I thought we were better than this. Please see yourself out of this office before I have security escort you out. “
And just like that, she was going to become a lonely old hermit and neighbourhood kids would talk about the crazy cat lady, but Liz couldn’t even be a cat lady if she wanted to because she had an adverse reaction to anything that might love her. That also included men, apparently. Liz would not get her happy ending because she was an ungrateful, suspicious bitch.
It’s been several weeks now and, oh boy. Liz was still pining away for her apparent lost love, except this love wasn’t really lost. She had to see him every damn day, with his perfect hair and blue eyes, and he acted like he didn’t care and its killing her, and every day she just wished once that he would give her even the slightest inking that he misses her too. But instead he is the consummate professional, more formal with her than the day they met. Never rude, just cold and dismissive. Liz wishes they could at least be friends again, because she could really use someone to talk to about the fact she is unabashedly in love with her ex-boyfriend who also happens to be her boss who also happens to hate her.
Now Liz finds herself seated across from him at his desk, and she hates how formal their business meetings have become. Liz wants desperately to be having any other conversation than this current discussion how the network is greatly displeased with her and the apparent levels of suck TGS has been demonstrating in the past few weeks. And oh God, she had knew the quality of her writing had badly slipping, but she thought she had been a decent job of covering under the guise of giving the newer writers a chance to shine. This conversation needs to end before Liz has a panic attack, so she digs into her limited arsenal of flirting tactics and flashes Jack with her best pouty faced, big doe-eyed look, blinking up at him before allowing a small, sweet smile. The same look that had often gotten her out of trouble in years past. The same look that could bring him to his knees when they were together. Because maybe, just maybe, if he reacts or slips up his line of thought just a bit, it might be an indication that he maybe misses her too. He notices, glares at her and before declaring,
“Stop making that childish face, Liz. You look ridiculous”. Not ‘Lemon’, but ‘Liz’. She is surprised at how much she misses hearing her surname drop from his lips. He continues on about declining viewership while Liz desperately tries to hold back the tears swelling up in her eyes, stinging more from his clipped tone than concern for her show. He continues berating her, but his voice waivers. It is barely even perceptible, but she notices. Suddenly, Jack is on his feet and facing away from her, regaining his composure. He declares a sudden end to their meeting. He reaches to open the door for her, and she turns to meet his gaze. Though his tone is harsh, the look in his eyes is not quite cooperating. Despite his best attempts, he is unable to conceal the glimmer of sadness, and guilt for having nearly reduced her to tears.
Liz evaluates as she heads back to the TGS floor. The result of several weeks of heavy food-assisted contemplation had lead Liz to a rather grim conclusion. It seemed she was still head over feet in love with her former ex-boyfriend who also happens to be her former best friend and current boss. But that one little slip, that one waiver in his voice provided the tiniest thread of hope that he might still care for her, even in the slightest. Liz decided to be optimistic in her life, just for this once. Pessimism was obviously not working out for her.
And so for the first time in weeks, the writer’s watched in interest as their boss bounced into the room, dropped a box of doughnuts on the table, and giggled as she pursued the large stack of scripts in front of her. Because Liz had hope, and now she could make a plan to him back. She simply had to figure out what the hell that plan was.