The Case of the Nonexistent Aliens (And Two People Who Aren't Detectives) (Jack/Liz)
Title: The Case of the Nonexistent Aliens (And Two People Who Aren't Detectives)
For: twicetoldfandom (Archive is here.)
Prompt: Light.
Fandom: 30 Rock
Pairing: Jack/Liz
Spoilers: S1
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,352
Summary: "I can't believe he did this."
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue.
*
"I can't believe he did this... Well, I can, actually. But it still sucks." Liz clenched her fists. "We have a show in two hours. Two! Well, at least it's not zero hours, like the last time he disappeared on us. But then he was being held hostage by Kenneth's cousin while he was on the run from the Black Crusaders, and now he's chasing aliens... Wait, they're both ridiculous!"
"Calm down--"
"I will not be calm! The star of my show is chasing aliens in Central Park. How can you not be concerned?"
Jack frowned. "I am very concerned, as I'm sure you're aware. But at least we know he's around here somewhere. He didn't run off to some backwoods hole in the map to be tied up by an aspiring screenwriter."
"There are aspiring screenwriters in New York."
"But what are the odds that he'd be kidnapped twice in the same year?"
Liz took a breath. "You're right. We're going to find him. We are in Central Park and we are going to find Tracy and everything will be fine."
"Unclench your fists, Lemon."
She did so. "That's better."
They continued walking, periodically calling out Tracy's name. This being New York, such behavior earned them no curious looks from passersby, nor any offers to help.
"Maybe we shouldn't do this," she said. "What if he thinks we're alien shapeshifters who are impersonating us and runs away in terror?"
"If I had a nickel for every time I've been worried that someone was going to mistake me for a shapeshifting alien, I'd have absolutely no money."
Liz rolled her eyes. "C'mon, he's looking for aliens. Why can't we be shapeshifters?"
"He told me himself that he doesn't believe in shapeshifters. He thinks the aliens have too much pride in their species to let themselves take on the form of someone else, even if they did have the power to do so."
Liz let out a small sigh. "Makes sense."
"So," he said, "do you believe in the possibility of alien life forms?"
"No," she scoffed. "Do you?"
"Yes," he replied, glancing over at her. "I don't see what's so strange about being open to the idea of life on other planets. And anyway, aren't you big into science fiction?"
"The key word in that is fiction."
He didn't respond to her comment as he looked up at the sky. "Look at how vast it is up there, Lemon. Like an ocean. An ocean in the sky. Can't you see how it could be full of space fish?"
Liz didn't quite know how to answer that, so she took a moment. "Okay, fine. If there are aliens up there, why do they only come down to abduct people who seem kind of creepy and stick things in them?"
"Well," he replied, "those stories might be the ramblings of sad people who need attention, but there still could be aliens up there, not wanting to probe a soul. Or maybe they do, in fact, do that in order to discover... heaven knows what, I'm not interested in pondering such things. But if they do come down here, take those from the fringes of society -- people who could be easily dismissed -- do what they need to do, and then leave them to tell their stories to a world that's already forgotten them, that's genius." He was somewhere between fear and awe. "Evil genius."
"Wow. That's kind of dark."
"I never said the hypothetical aliens were nice."
"Fair enough."
They fell silent as they continued to look for any sign of Tracy. Suddenly, Liz saw a light in the sky coming toward them. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brightness, and when they did, everything around her suddenly seemed sinister. She was filled with a strange certainty that the aliens were coming for them.
"Oh, God," Liz gasped. "We're on the fringe of society."
She instinctively grabbed Jack's arm, hand moving down until her fingers were laced with his. It felt strangely pleasant, though the fact that aliens were coming to kill them kept her from lingering on that truth for too long.
"I'm not on the fringe," Jack said. "They must be coming for you."
He followed that insult by giving her hand a squeeze. She leaned into him and sucked in a breath, and...
It was a helicopter.
As it moved lower, Liz could make out Tracy in the passenger seat, which meant that her new anxieties were quickly replaced by old ones.
"We have a show in less than two hours! Two!" she screamed at him.
He probably couldn't hear her, but still. She had to let out her frustration at him, even if it was futile.
She was suddenly aware of Jack's eyes on her. She looked at him, at his gaze drifting down her arm, and then realized that she was still holding his hand. She immediately let go.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
He hesitated. "There's no need to be sorry."
"Right. Okay." Her eyes returned to the helicopter. It looked like Tracy was pumping his fist. "What is he doing?"
"He and one of his entourage have stolen a helicopter in order to search for the aliens from the sky."
She whipped around to face him. "You got all that from one gesture?"
"No. I just assumed." He shook his head, looking fairly disappointed. "I dare say that you need to work on your analytical skills."
"Well... maybe he didn't steal it. Maybe he owns it."
Jack frowned. "Then why didn't he invite me to take a ride? I let him take a ride in my helicopter."
"Why do you need to take a ride in his helicopter if you have your own?"
The disappointment returned to his face. "You truly have no idea how the upper class lives."
"I guess not." Her eyes returned to the sky, watching as Tracy's possibly legally owned helicopter moved in a slightly erratic fashion that was hugely alarming. "What should we do?"
"Well, I suppose we have no choice but to let him survey the area until he determines to his satisfaction what we both know: that aliens are not using Central Park as a launching pad for their invasion."
"Okay. Wait, so you don't think aliens exist?"
"There's a difference between being open to the possibility of life on other planets and believing they are about to attack."
"Uh huh."
"If you don't see the distinction, I can not help you." He was silent for a moment before his face began to show the faintest traces of amusement. "May I ask why you grabbed me before?"
"Well... it's not because I thought aliens were coming for us. So there."
"I'm quite sure."
"And I have no interest in holding your hand in the future."
Jack's face quickly fell into serious confusion. "I think you've misunderstood my teasing."
Liz hoped that the darkness of the night dimmed her embarrassment. "I guess so. I thought you were implying that I held your hand partly because... But you didn't. So, that's that. And don't take my assumption about your meaning as proof that I do want to hold your hand, because I don't. At all."
"I believe you, Lemon."
"Well... of course you do."
The silence that followed was rather awkward.
"So," Liz said. "Should we wait here for him to get finished doing... what he's doing?"
"I wouldn't think he'd land here, so... I suppose we should wait for him at the studio. I don't think Dot Com will fly him around forever. He has more sense than that."
Liz squinted. "I can't even tell who's flying it."
"Again," Jack said, "I just assumed."
"Yeah. Yeah, okay. I really don't want to hold your hand."
"Stop lingering on this issue. I do believe you, honestly and truly."
"Of course you do."
"Yes."
"Well, let's go back to the studio."
Jack nodded, a slight smile on his lips. "And I won't hold your hand. Unless Tracy's right and the aliens are invading."
She nodded, relaxing slightly. "Good."
END
For: twicetoldfandom (Archive is here.)
Prompt: Light.
Fandom: 30 Rock
Pairing: Jack/Liz
Spoilers: S1
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,352
Summary: "I can't believe he did this."
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue.
*
"I can't believe he did this... Well, I can, actually. But it still sucks." Liz clenched her fists. "We have a show in two hours. Two! Well, at least it's not zero hours, like the last time he disappeared on us. But then he was being held hostage by Kenneth's cousin while he was on the run from the Black Crusaders, and now he's chasing aliens... Wait, they're both ridiculous!"
"Calm down--"
"I will not be calm! The star of my show is chasing aliens in Central Park. How can you not be concerned?"
Jack frowned. "I am very concerned, as I'm sure you're aware. But at least we know he's around here somewhere. He didn't run off to some backwoods hole in the map to be tied up by an aspiring screenwriter."
"There are aspiring screenwriters in New York."
"But what are the odds that he'd be kidnapped twice in the same year?"
Liz took a breath. "You're right. We're going to find him. We are in Central Park and we are going to find Tracy and everything will be fine."
"Unclench your fists, Lemon."
She did so. "That's better."
They continued walking, periodically calling out Tracy's name. This being New York, such behavior earned them no curious looks from passersby, nor any offers to help.
"Maybe we shouldn't do this," she said. "What if he thinks we're alien shapeshifters who are impersonating us and runs away in terror?"
"If I had a nickel for every time I've been worried that someone was going to mistake me for a shapeshifting alien, I'd have absolutely no money."
Liz rolled her eyes. "C'mon, he's looking for aliens. Why can't we be shapeshifters?"
"He told me himself that he doesn't believe in shapeshifters. He thinks the aliens have too much pride in their species to let themselves take on the form of someone else, even if they did have the power to do so."
Liz let out a small sigh. "Makes sense."
"So," he said, "do you believe in the possibility of alien life forms?"
"No," she scoffed. "Do you?"
"Yes," he replied, glancing over at her. "I don't see what's so strange about being open to the idea of life on other planets. And anyway, aren't you big into science fiction?"
"The key word in that is fiction."
He didn't respond to her comment as he looked up at the sky. "Look at how vast it is up there, Lemon. Like an ocean. An ocean in the sky. Can't you see how it could be full of space fish?"
Liz didn't quite know how to answer that, so she took a moment. "Okay, fine. If there are aliens up there, why do they only come down to abduct people who seem kind of creepy and stick things in them?"
"Well," he replied, "those stories might be the ramblings of sad people who need attention, but there still could be aliens up there, not wanting to probe a soul. Or maybe they do, in fact, do that in order to discover... heaven knows what, I'm not interested in pondering such things. But if they do come down here, take those from the fringes of society -- people who could be easily dismissed -- do what they need to do, and then leave them to tell their stories to a world that's already forgotten them, that's genius." He was somewhere between fear and awe. "Evil genius."
"Wow. That's kind of dark."
"I never said the hypothetical aliens were nice."
"Fair enough."
They fell silent as they continued to look for any sign of Tracy. Suddenly, Liz saw a light in the sky coming toward them. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brightness, and when they did, everything around her suddenly seemed sinister. She was filled with a strange certainty that the aliens were coming for them.
"Oh, God," Liz gasped. "We're on the fringe of society."
She instinctively grabbed Jack's arm, hand moving down until her fingers were laced with his. It felt strangely pleasant, though the fact that aliens were coming to kill them kept her from lingering on that truth for too long.
"I'm not on the fringe," Jack said. "They must be coming for you."
He followed that insult by giving her hand a squeeze. She leaned into him and sucked in a breath, and...
It was a helicopter.
As it moved lower, Liz could make out Tracy in the passenger seat, which meant that her new anxieties were quickly replaced by old ones.
"We have a show in less than two hours! Two!" she screamed at him.
He probably couldn't hear her, but still. She had to let out her frustration at him, even if it was futile.
She was suddenly aware of Jack's eyes on her. She looked at him, at his gaze drifting down her arm, and then realized that she was still holding his hand. She immediately let go.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
He hesitated. "There's no need to be sorry."
"Right. Okay." Her eyes returned to the helicopter. It looked like Tracy was pumping his fist. "What is he doing?"
"He and one of his entourage have stolen a helicopter in order to search for the aliens from the sky."
She whipped around to face him. "You got all that from one gesture?"
"No. I just assumed." He shook his head, looking fairly disappointed. "I dare say that you need to work on your analytical skills."
"Well... maybe he didn't steal it. Maybe he owns it."
Jack frowned. "Then why didn't he invite me to take a ride? I let him take a ride in my helicopter."
"Why do you need to take a ride in his helicopter if you have your own?"
The disappointment returned to his face. "You truly have no idea how the upper class lives."
"I guess not." Her eyes returned to the sky, watching as Tracy's possibly legally owned helicopter moved in a slightly erratic fashion that was hugely alarming. "What should we do?"
"Well, I suppose we have no choice but to let him survey the area until he determines to his satisfaction what we both know: that aliens are not using Central Park as a launching pad for their invasion."
"Okay. Wait, so you don't think aliens exist?"
"There's a difference between being open to the possibility of life on other planets and believing they are about to attack."
"Uh huh."
"If you don't see the distinction, I can not help you." He was silent for a moment before his face began to show the faintest traces of amusement. "May I ask why you grabbed me before?"
"Well... it's not because I thought aliens were coming for us. So there."
"I'm quite sure."
"And I have no interest in holding your hand in the future."
Jack's face quickly fell into serious confusion. "I think you've misunderstood my teasing."
Liz hoped that the darkness of the night dimmed her embarrassment. "I guess so. I thought you were implying that I held your hand partly because... But you didn't. So, that's that. And don't take my assumption about your meaning as proof that I do want to hold your hand, because I don't. At all."
"I believe you, Lemon."
"Well... of course you do."
The silence that followed was rather awkward.
"So," Liz said. "Should we wait here for him to get finished doing... what he's doing?"
"I wouldn't think he'd land here, so... I suppose we should wait for him at the studio. I don't think Dot Com will fly him around forever. He has more sense than that."
Liz squinted. "I can't even tell who's flying it."
"Again," Jack said, "I just assumed."
"Yeah. Yeah, okay. I really don't want to hold your hand."
"Stop lingering on this issue. I do believe you, honestly and truly."
"Of course you do."
"Yes."
"Well, let's go back to the studio."
Jack nodded, a slight smile on his lips. "And I won't hold your hand. Unless Tracy's right and the aliens are invading."
She nodded, relaxing slightly. "Good."
END