Snapple Caps 2/7 - Jack/Liz
A/N: I cannot recall if Liz's "twelve dates" rule is canon or if it is from fanfic. If it's not canon, then I stole it from someone else and apologize to and thank you. Part 1 here.
#781 Women blink twice as much as men.
This was not Liz’s first evening spent as Jack’s… well, date isn’t the right word, but as his…companion? Yikes, that sounds worse than date. Anyway, this was not her first time at a fancy event with Jack. It wasn’t even her second. She was now comfortable enough to take his arm when he offered it to her, to allow him to lead her through the room with his hand on the small of her back, and not flinch when he introduced her as his girlfriend - live-in or otherwise, fiancée, second wife, second wife he’s separated from…her fake status for the evening all depended on how he felt his prospects were at having “drinks” with another female guest at the party after he dropped Liz back at her apartment. Tonight however, Jack introduced her to his colleagues only as Elizabeth Lemon.
“So, what, I’m not good enough to be your live-in girlfriend anymore? Or even your almost ex-wife?” Liz asked after Jack excused them from an insufferable couple when he felt Liz lose patience with their political opinions.
“I think it’s quite obvious to people what we are,” Jack shrugged, his hand on the small of Liz’s back as he led her over towards a quiet corner of the room.
“What’s that?” Liz asked, as she rubbed her eye, trying not to mess up her make up.
“What’s wrong with your eye?” he asked, ignoring her question.
“I think I got mascara or something in it. See what happens when you make me dress up?” she grumbled.
“Stop rubbing it, let me see,” he said and she put her hands down by her sides and lifted her chin up at him, blinking rapidly.
“Just an eyelash,” he said as he brushed it away then ran his hand down her cheek.
She was still blinking her eyes when he brought his other hand up and placed it on her cheek, pulling her face towards him before he placed a soft kiss on her lips.
“Uh, what was that?” she asked softly when their lips parted.
“I just felt like it,” he replied, smiling as he ran his hands down her arms.
“So we’re just kissing each other whenever we feel like it?”
Jack nodded, “I think we should.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I try not to make a habit of kissing my friends.”
“Friends? That’s all we are?” he asked, leaning in closer.
“Unless I missed the memo…”
“Liz,” he sighed. “I think we’re more than that, don’t you?”
She hesitated, “Maybe, but that doesn’t mean I’m just going to let you kiss me without warning.”
“I’m going to have to ask permission to kiss my girlfriend?”
“Jack come on, I am not your girlfriend.”
“You could be.”
“But why would you want me to be?” she asked seriously.
“Why? Because you’re…” he trailed off.
“See, you can’t even come up with reasons,” she laughed sadly and stepped out of his grasp.
“I don’t have to come up with them,” he argued. “I was trying to articulate them. You’re you. You’re smart and funny and beautiful,” he answered. “I am also all of those things, so what other reasons do we need?”
“You think you’re funny?” Liz asked. “On purpose?” she scoffed.
“And you make me happy,” he continued, ignoring her, “I think I could make you happy too.”
“Jack, think about what you’re saying,” she replied. “Think about who you’re talking to. Not this Elizabeth who wears makeup and pretty dresses, but the Lemon that you see every day. The one who gets food in her hair and stress-eats and sleeps in pajamas covered with food. Because that’s me. This isn’t me.”
“I know that. I know you. Better than anyone, right?” he asked and she nodded. “That Lemon is the one I fell in love with. And I know you well enough to know what you’re thinking. That I fall in love too easily, too often, but they end up being the wrong woman for me.”
“And what makes you think I won’t be another wrong one?” Liz asked.
Jack took a step closer to her, “Because I think maybe you’ve been the right one all along.”
Liz took a deep, shaky breath, “I’m too old for a fling, Jack. If I date someone, it has to be because I can see myself marrying him and having children with him.”
“And that’s not me?”
“That’s not what you want. You don’t want to marry me. You don’t want kids.”
“Actually, I do.”
“All of a sudden, you want to be a father?”
“Just because this is the first you’ve heard me say so doesn’t mean it’s all of a sudden. I admit, it’s not something I had thought would happen, at least not since I was with Bianca, but I do want a child. I want that with you.”
“I don’t know. This is so…unexpected. I mean, we’ve had moments where I thought maybe something would happen, but I never thought you would ever think of me that way.”
“I didn’t either, until I realized I did think of you that way. The way I feel about you isn’t sudden. It didn’t happen overnight. It wasn’t one thing you did or said, it’s a million little things. Things that would turn me off to other people are the things I love most about you.”
“You’re my best friend, Jack. If things didn’t work out…I don’t want to lose what we have.”
“Then we make sure things work out,” he said, as if it were all so simple.
“Oh, okay,” she laughed.
“I’m serious,” he replied and squeezed her hands. “Do I need to woo you? I will. I’ll bring you flowers. Chocolates. I’ll find out where the teamsters get those subs.”
“I don’t need to be wooed. But if you find out where those sandwiches come from, I may just marry you,” she teased.
“Is that a promise?” he asked softly.
“A threat,” she replied and he smiled before he leaned in and covered her mouth with his.
It didn’t take her long to respond to his kiss and he resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her and deepen the kiss. He pressed a soft peck to her lips before pulling away completely and asking her to dance. She hesitated, glancing at the couples slow dancing in the center of the room, but finally relented and let him lead her to the dance floor by the hand.
# 900 Neckties were first worn in Croatia, which is why they were called cravats.
Liz let Jack follow her into her apartment later that night, but turned as soon as they got inside the door.
“I’m not having sex with you tonight,” she told him.
“I assumed. It’s not our twelfth date yet.”
“Like you would wait that long,” she scoffed.
“I would for you,” he replied, his voice low. “I’ve already waited for years,” he added and she rolled her eyes before she grabbed the lapel of his jacket and pulled him in for a kiss.
He finally wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight against him as she opened her mouth against his. His hands moved down her back over the curve of her butt, serving as an alarm for her to pull back from the kiss.
“Man, you’re good at that,” she said, breathless.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” he grinned.
“And I’m not gonna see it tonight,” she reminded him as her hands drifted up his chest and played with his tie.
He glanced down as she pulled it loose then looked up and caught her eye.
“Seriously, not having sex. Just making you comfortable,” she insisted and he nodded as he took a step forward into the apartment, causing her to move backwards. “Want to watch a movie?” she asked as they entered the living, still in each other’s arms. “Or I have a backlog of Top Chef on my DVR…” she trailed off as he leaned down and caught her lips in a kiss.
“Sure, whatever,” he said quickly when they parted for air before coming together again.
“Cause we’re not having sex,” she said when they parted again as she started unbuttoning his shirt.
“Your hands say something different than your mouth,” he noted.
“Yeah, I don’t know which to listen to,” she sighed, looking up at him.
“Let’s keep your mouth busy so it doesn’t distract your hands,” he suggested.
“I am definitely not doing that tonight!”
“I meant more kissing,” he explained.
“Oh yeah, that’s good. Let’s do that. But um, let’s do it in the bedroom.”
“Sure. But we’re not having sex,” he nodded.
“Right. Probably,” she added. She inhaled a shaky breath. “Maybe. We’ve probably been on twelve dates, though, right? Even if they weren’t dates at the time?”
“At least,” he nodded.
“Okay, so I’ve still stuck to my rule.”
“You have,” he nodded and kissed her again.
“Good. That’s a good rule to have,” she insisted between kisses.
“If you say so,” he replied. “We can wait if you want to.”
She shook her head, “I don’t want to. I want….”
“What?”
“You. I want you. Tonight. Um, now,” she said, awkwardly.
“Now is good, but I hope you don’t mind if I take my time,” he said as he found the zipper at the back of her dress and eased it down, exposing her bare back. “I will not rush this.”
“Okay,” she said softly and shivered as he worked the dress down her body and backed her toward the bed, easing her down on the mattress and settling himself on top of her.
#781 Women blink twice as much as men.
This was not Liz’s first evening spent as Jack’s… well, date isn’t the right word, but as his…companion? Yikes, that sounds worse than date. Anyway, this was not her first time at a fancy event with Jack. It wasn’t even her second. She was now comfortable enough to take his arm when he offered it to her, to allow him to lead her through the room with his hand on the small of her back, and not flinch when he introduced her as his girlfriend - live-in or otherwise, fiancée, second wife, second wife he’s separated from…her fake status for the evening all depended on how he felt his prospects were at having “drinks” with another female guest at the party after he dropped Liz back at her apartment. Tonight however, Jack introduced her to his colleagues only as Elizabeth Lemon.
“So, what, I’m not good enough to be your live-in girlfriend anymore? Or even your almost ex-wife?” Liz asked after Jack excused them from an insufferable couple when he felt Liz lose patience with their political opinions.
“I think it’s quite obvious to people what we are,” Jack shrugged, his hand on the small of Liz’s back as he led her over towards a quiet corner of the room.
“What’s that?” Liz asked, as she rubbed her eye, trying not to mess up her make up.
“What’s wrong with your eye?” he asked, ignoring her question.
“I think I got mascara or something in it. See what happens when you make me dress up?” she grumbled.
“Stop rubbing it, let me see,” he said and she put her hands down by her sides and lifted her chin up at him, blinking rapidly.
“Just an eyelash,” he said as he brushed it away then ran his hand down her cheek.
She was still blinking her eyes when he brought his other hand up and placed it on her cheek, pulling her face towards him before he placed a soft kiss on her lips.
“Uh, what was that?” she asked softly when their lips parted.
“I just felt like it,” he replied, smiling as he ran his hands down her arms.
“So we’re just kissing each other whenever we feel like it?”
Jack nodded, “I think we should.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I try not to make a habit of kissing my friends.”
“Friends? That’s all we are?” he asked, leaning in closer.
“Unless I missed the memo…”
“Liz,” he sighed. “I think we’re more than that, don’t you?”
She hesitated, “Maybe, but that doesn’t mean I’m just going to let you kiss me without warning.”
“I’m going to have to ask permission to kiss my girlfriend?”
“Jack come on, I am not your girlfriend.”
“You could be.”
“But why would you want me to be?” she asked seriously.
“Why? Because you’re…” he trailed off.
“See, you can’t even come up with reasons,” she laughed sadly and stepped out of his grasp.
“I don’t have to come up with them,” he argued. “I was trying to articulate them. You’re you. You’re smart and funny and beautiful,” he answered. “I am also all of those things, so what other reasons do we need?”
“You think you’re funny?” Liz asked. “On purpose?” she scoffed.
“And you make me happy,” he continued, ignoring her, “I think I could make you happy too.”
“Jack, think about what you’re saying,” she replied. “Think about who you’re talking to. Not this Elizabeth who wears makeup and pretty dresses, but the Lemon that you see every day. The one who gets food in her hair and stress-eats and sleeps in pajamas covered with food. Because that’s me. This isn’t me.”
“I know that. I know you. Better than anyone, right?” he asked and she nodded. “That Lemon is the one I fell in love with. And I know you well enough to know what you’re thinking. That I fall in love too easily, too often, but they end up being the wrong woman for me.”
“And what makes you think I won’t be another wrong one?” Liz asked.
Jack took a step closer to her, “Because I think maybe you’ve been the right one all along.”
Liz took a deep, shaky breath, “I’m too old for a fling, Jack. If I date someone, it has to be because I can see myself marrying him and having children with him.”
“And that’s not me?”
“That’s not what you want. You don’t want to marry me. You don’t want kids.”
“Actually, I do.”
“All of a sudden, you want to be a father?”
“Just because this is the first you’ve heard me say so doesn’t mean it’s all of a sudden. I admit, it’s not something I had thought would happen, at least not since I was with Bianca, but I do want a child. I want that with you.”
“I don’t know. This is so…unexpected. I mean, we’ve had moments where I thought maybe something would happen, but I never thought you would ever think of me that way.”
“I didn’t either, until I realized I did think of you that way. The way I feel about you isn’t sudden. It didn’t happen overnight. It wasn’t one thing you did or said, it’s a million little things. Things that would turn me off to other people are the things I love most about you.”
“You’re my best friend, Jack. If things didn’t work out…I don’t want to lose what we have.”
“Then we make sure things work out,” he said, as if it were all so simple.
“Oh, okay,” she laughed.
“I’m serious,” he replied and squeezed her hands. “Do I need to woo you? I will. I’ll bring you flowers. Chocolates. I’ll find out where the teamsters get those subs.”
“I don’t need to be wooed. But if you find out where those sandwiches come from, I may just marry you,” she teased.
“Is that a promise?” he asked softly.
“A threat,” she replied and he smiled before he leaned in and covered her mouth with his.
It didn’t take her long to respond to his kiss and he resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her and deepen the kiss. He pressed a soft peck to her lips before pulling away completely and asking her to dance. She hesitated, glancing at the couples slow dancing in the center of the room, but finally relented and let him lead her to the dance floor by the hand.
# 900 Neckties were first worn in Croatia, which is why they were called cravats.
Liz let Jack follow her into her apartment later that night, but turned as soon as they got inside the door.
“I’m not having sex with you tonight,” she told him.
“I assumed. It’s not our twelfth date yet.”
“Like you would wait that long,” she scoffed.
“I would for you,” he replied, his voice low. “I’ve already waited for years,” he added and she rolled her eyes before she grabbed the lapel of his jacket and pulled him in for a kiss.
He finally wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight against him as she opened her mouth against his. His hands moved down her back over the curve of her butt, serving as an alarm for her to pull back from the kiss.
“Man, you’re good at that,” she said, breathless.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” he grinned.
“And I’m not gonna see it tonight,” she reminded him as her hands drifted up his chest and played with his tie.
He glanced down as she pulled it loose then looked up and caught her eye.
“Seriously, not having sex. Just making you comfortable,” she insisted and he nodded as he took a step forward into the apartment, causing her to move backwards. “Want to watch a movie?” she asked as they entered the living, still in each other’s arms. “Or I have a backlog of Top Chef on my DVR…” she trailed off as he leaned down and caught her lips in a kiss.
“Sure, whatever,” he said quickly when they parted for air before coming together again.
“Cause we’re not having sex,” she said when they parted again as she started unbuttoning his shirt.
“Your hands say something different than your mouth,” he noted.
“Yeah, I don’t know which to listen to,” she sighed, looking up at him.
“Let’s keep your mouth busy so it doesn’t distract your hands,” he suggested.
“I am definitely not doing that tonight!”
“I meant more kissing,” he explained.
“Oh yeah, that’s good. Let’s do that. But um, let’s do it in the bedroom.”
“Sure. But we’re not having sex,” he nodded.
“Right. Probably,” she added. She inhaled a shaky breath. “Maybe. We’ve probably been on twelve dates, though, right? Even if they weren’t dates at the time?”
“At least,” he nodded.
“Okay, so I’ve still stuck to my rule.”
“You have,” he nodded and kissed her again.
“Good. That’s a good rule to have,” she insisted between kisses.
“If you say so,” he replied. “We can wait if you want to.”
She shook her head, “I don’t want to. I want….”
“What?”
“You. I want you. Tonight. Um, now,” she said, awkwardly.
“Now is good, but I hope you don’t mind if I take my time,” he said as he found the zipper at the back of her dress and eased it down, exposing her bare back. “I will not rush this.”
“Okay,” she said softly and shivered as he worked the dress down her body and backed her toward the bed, easing her down on the mattress and settling himself on top of her.