Being A Donaghy [30 Rock; Jack/Liz]
TITLE: Being A Donaghy
CHAPTER 19: Curiouser and Curiouser
FANDOM: 30 Rock
PAIRING: Jack/Liz
SPOILERS: Through "Corporate Crush"
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
When Liz opened her eyes again, she was no longer staring at the ceiling in the living room. She was staring at the canopy in her bedroom. She frowned up at it, tilted her head at it, and kind of wished she could ask it how she got there. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly sat up and looked around. Her lights had been dimmed and her jacket shucked. Her suitcase had been neatly stored on the bench of her antique vanity table, and her carry-on was tucked in the corner of her room near the door.
Liz's fingers went immediately to her wedding ring, twisting it on her finger as she called out for her husband. "Jack?" She looked over at the clock and noted it was past midnight. Surely he wouldn't have gone out. "Jack?"
Soon, she heard his footsteps rushing toward her bedroom. He opened the door with wide, expectant eyes. "Lemon, what is it? I am right in the middle of hour four of a six-hour marathon of 'Meerkat Manor.' Have you ever seen it?" He was as giddy as a little boy on Christmas morning. "Lemon, it's like a soap opera... with meerkats!" He laughed. "It's delightful! Want to come and watch? I've got it on TiVo!"
She smiled uneasily. "No, thank you." She nodded toward her suitcase. "I think maybe I'll unpack."
"Lemon, just come out and watch it with me. You'll love it."
So Liz, against her better judgment, allowed Jack to pull her out of bed by the hand and lead her into the livingroom, where she plopped unceremoniously onto the couch. When she caught sight of the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table, her brows raised in appreciation. Jack, obviously noting her stare (or reading her mind again, she wasn't sure which), told her, "Help yourself."
She did. She grabbed the bowl, in fact, and positioned it in her lap as she sat Indian-style on the couch, feet tucked under her. Jack sat beside her and returned his attention to the TiVo (the eighth wonder of the world, in his words -- either that or YouTube, he'd never made an actual decision on that), clicking it back on and leaning back to enjoy his meerkat show.
Liz had to admit to herself that the show was kind of amusing... but not as amusing as watching Jack watch the show. He smiled the whole way through, a rather boyish smile (that was unfortunately too cute for Liz to be okay with it). At times, he barked a laugh, or talked to the meerkats as if they were in the room. "Oh Apollo, you little scoundrel, stealing Flower's food!"
Liz really did her best not to laugh at him, but... he was just so damned funny. And she had to wonder how exactly a grown man (middle-aged, in fact, despite his best efforts) could find such joy in a nature show. On Animal Planet. It was a struggle for her brain to compute.
He kept reaching over her for the popcorn, as well, grumbling each time he had to do so. "Come on, Lemon, share the wealth," he finally said as he took the bowl from her and deposited it in his own lap.
Liz frowned and shyly reached over to get more, then hesitated and drew her hand back. Without tearing his eyes from the television, Jack draped an arm over her shoulders and drew her close, putting her within easy reach of the bowl. She shifted and tucked her legs up beside her. It was okay to let herself lean against him, for the sake of getting popcorn, she figured.
When she laid her head on his chest, she rationalized that it was silly to let her neck get a strain from trying to hold it up. And when she fell asleep on Jack, she was about eighty-five percent sure it was because of the jet lag.
*****
After what felt like hours, Liz stirred, feeling her body moving without her conscious consent. Her stomach flipped when she was suddenly airborne, and she thought for a second she was dreaming until she felt an arm under her knees and her back. Her head automatically fell to the right, finding a hard shoulder while her arms looped around the neck. She felt them moving again, felt herself being tipped forward, and then she was on something soft, the unmistakable scent of her room, of her sheets, surrounding her. And then she heard him. Jack. "There. Sweet dreams, Lemon."
Rolling onto her side and just barely opening her eyes a slit, she rubbed the back of her hand over her forehead and complained sleepily, "Where are you going?"
"To my room. I'm going to bed too."
She shook her head, lips slipping into a pout. "No."
"What did I tell you about trying to be cute?"
She reached out blindly, eyes closed again, and caught his hand. She gave one swift tug and pulled him into the bed with her, rolling onto her side and curling his arm around her. "You're staying here," she grumbled in her sleep.
Liz heard him chuckle. "I am?"
"Yes. You're warm, and it's chilly in here."
"That's what you're telling yourself, then?"
"Mm-hmm." She nodded, nestling into her pillow.
She felt him relaxing behind her, against her, and his palm slid across her stomach, resting over it with fingers spread. She could freak out about this in the morning.
He really was warm, after all.
*****
Sometime in the middle of the night, Liz awoke to arms around her and a warm body pressed against her back. Someone was breathing on her neck and for a moment she was alarmed it might be a burglar, but then rationality kicked in and she figured there weren't many cuddly burglars out there. So she wriggled out of the embrace, confident it wouldn't be a burglar, and sat up to find Jack beside her, sleeping soundly.
Liz flew off the bed then, almost wishing it was a burglar because chances are she'd be less freaked-out right now. She kinda felt like Alice in Wonderland... and was almost inclined to say, "Curiouser and curiouser." If Jenna was there, though, she'd be quick to remind Liz that Alice was blonde, and that she should use some analogy from Snow White, or... maybe Beauty and the Beast. Jenna rather enjoyed that blondes had a monopoly on the Disney heroines.
Liz slipped out of the room and went straight for the balcony, needing some fresh air to clear her head. If she was able to clear it, maybe she had a chance of figuring out why the hell Jack was in her bed. Spooning her. Because that was weird. Wasn't it? A little?
She took a seat on the glider and started to rock back and forth, looking out at the lights below and beyond. Everything seemed so calm from up in Jack's (their) penthouse. Liz rubbed her hands over her arms and almost wished she'd grabbed a sweater, knowing she was too lazy to go in and retrieve one.
What was Jack doing in her bed? She fought hard to remember. She'd fallen asleep on him during that meerkat show, and maybe vaguely remembered him carrying her into her room, but then... how did he end up in her bed?
"Lemon?"
Though Jack's voice was soft, it still startled her, and she spun to look at him over her shoulder. "Jack, hi."
"When I woke up, you weren't there." Wordlessly, he draped a throw blanket over her and stood next to the glider where she sat.
"Yeah sorry, I just uh... needed some air."
Jack nodded. "You asked me to stay," he informed her conversationally. He tilted his head and amended, "Actually, you demanded that I stay."
"Oh." Why the hell would she do that? It seemed so unlike her.
"I don't know why," Jack went on, freaking her out just a little bit because it seemed like he was right in her head. He ducked his head, voice low. "I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable when you woke up."
Liz opened her mouth to reply, to try to explain exactly how it felt when she woke up. Because she wasn't uncomfortable, really. He was warm, and the way he fit against her wasn't awkward in any way, but... it freaked her out at the same time.
She realized she hadn't managed to say anything when Jack patted her shoulder and smiled fleetingly. "Hang in there, Lemon. This'll all be over soon. Goodnight."
Liz turned over her shoulder and tried to decipher whether or not he sounded sad about that as she watched him go back to bed... in his own room. After a few more minutes, Liz followed, adjourning to her room and stretching out in her bed -- alone -- and she slept fitfully for the rest of the night, Jack's words flowing through her head on a loop.
This'll all be over soon.
TBC
{x-posted to 30_rock and jack_liz}
CHAPTER 19: Curiouser and Curiouser
FANDOM: 30 Rock
PAIRING: Jack/Liz
SPOILERS: Through "Corporate Crush"
RATING: PG
SUMMARY:
*****
When Liz opened her eyes again, she was no longer staring at the ceiling in the living room. She was staring at the canopy in her bedroom. She frowned up at it, tilted her head at it, and kind of wished she could ask it how she got there. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly sat up and looked around. Her lights had been dimmed and her jacket shucked. Her suitcase had been neatly stored on the bench of her antique vanity table, and her carry-on was tucked in the corner of her room near the door.
Liz's fingers went immediately to her wedding ring, twisting it on her finger as she called out for her husband. "Jack?" She looked over at the clock and noted it was past midnight. Surely he wouldn't have gone out. "Jack?"
Soon, she heard his footsteps rushing toward her bedroom. He opened the door with wide, expectant eyes. "Lemon, what is it? I am right in the middle of hour four of a six-hour marathon of 'Meerkat Manor.' Have you ever seen it?" He was as giddy as a little boy on Christmas morning. "Lemon, it's like a soap opera... with meerkats!" He laughed. "It's delightful! Want to come and watch? I've got it on TiVo!"
She smiled uneasily. "No, thank you." She nodded toward her suitcase. "I think maybe I'll unpack."
"Lemon, just come out and watch it with me. You'll love it."
So Liz, against her better judgment, allowed Jack to pull her out of bed by the hand and lead her into the livingroom, where she plopped unceremoniously onto the couch. When she caught sight of the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table, her brows raised in appreciation. Jack, obviously noting her stare (or reading her mind again, she wasn't sure which), told her, "Help yourself."
She did. She grabbed the bowl, in fact, and positioned it in her lap as she sat Indian-style on the couch, feet tucked under her. Jack sat beside her and returned his attention to the TiVo (the eighth wonder of the world, in his words -- either that or YouTube, he'd never made an actual decision on that), clicking it back on and leaning back to enjoy his meerkat show.
Liz had to admit to herself that the show was kind of amusing... but not as amusing as watching Jack watch the show. He smiled the whole way through, a rather boyish smile (that was unfortunately too cute for Liz to be okay with it). At times, he barked a laugh, or talked to the meerkats as if they were in the room. "Oh Apollo, you little scoundrel, stealing Flower's food!"
Liz really did her best not to laugh at him, but... he was just so damned funny. And she had to wonder how exactly a grown man (middle-aged, in fact, despite his best efforts) could find such joy in a nature show. On Animal Planet. It was a struggle for her brain to compute.
He kept reaching over her for the popcorn, as well, grumbling each time he had to do so. "Come on, Lemon, share the wealth," he finally said as he took the bowl from her and deposited it in his own lap.
Liz frowned and shyly reached over to get more, then hesitated and drew her hand back. Without tearing his eyes from the television, Jack draped an arm over her shoulders and drew her close, putting her within easy reach of the bowl. She shifted and tucked her legs up beside her. It was okay to let herself lean against him, for the sake of getting popcorn, she figured.
When she laid her head on his chest, she rationalized that it was silly to let her neck get a strain from trying to hold it up. And when she fell asleep on Jack, she was about eighty-five percent sure it was because of the jet lag.
*****
After what felt like hours, Liz stirred, feeling her body moving without her conscious consent. Her stomach flipped when she was suddenly airborne, and she thought for a second she was dreaming until she felt an arm under her knees and her back. Her head automatically fell to the right, finding a hard shoulder while her arms looped around the neck. She felt them moving again, felt herself being tipped forward, and then she was on something soft, the unmistakable scent of her room, of her sheets, surrounding her. And then she heard him. Jack. "There. Sweet dreams, Lemon."
Rolling onto her side and just barely opening her eyes a slit, she rubbed the back of her hand over her forehead and complained sleepily, "Where are you going?"
"To my room. I'm going to bed too."
She shook her head, lips slipping into a pout. "No."
"What did I tell you about trying to be cute?"
She reached out blindly, eyes closed again, and caught his hand. She gave one swift tug and pulled him into the bed with her, rolling onto her side and curling his arm around her. "You're staying here," she grumbled in her sleep.
Liz heard him chuckle. "I am?"
"Yes. You're warm, and it's chilly in here."
"That's what you're telling yourself, then?"
"Mm-hmm." She nodded, nestling into her pillow.
She felt him relaxing behind her, against her, and his palm slid across her stomach, resting over it with fingers spread. She could freak out about this in the morning.
He really was warm, after all.
*****
Sometime in the middle of the night, Liz awoke to arms around her and a warm body pressed against her back. Someone was breathing on her neck and for a moment she was alarmed it might be a burglar, but then rationality kicked in and she figured there weren't many cuddly burglars out there. So she wriggled out of the embrace, confident it wouldn't be a burglar, and sat up to find Jack beside her, sleeping soundly.
Liz flew off the bed then, almost wishing it was a burglar because chances are she'd be less freaked-out right now. She kinda felt like Alice in Wonderland... and was almost inclined to say, "Curiouser and curiouser." If Jenna was there, though, she'd be quick to remind Liz that Alice was blonde, and that she should use some analogy from Snow White, or... maybe Beauty and the Beast. Jenna rather enjoyed that blondes had a monopoly on the Disney heroines.
Liz slipped out of the room and went straight for the balcony, needing some fresh air to clear her head. If she was able to clear it, maybe she had a chance of figuring out why the hell Jack was in her bed. Spooning her. Because that was weird. Wasn't it? A little?
She took a seat on the glider and started to rock back and forth, looking out at the lights below and beyond. Everything seemed so calm from up in Jack's (their) penthouse. Liz rubbed her hands over her arms and almost wished she'd grabbed a sweater, knowing she was too lazy to go in and retrieve one.
What was Jack doing in her bed? She fought hard to remember. She'd fallen asleep on him during that meerkat show, and maybe vaguely remembered him carrying her into her room, but then... how did he end up in her bed?
"Lemon?"
Though Jack's voice was soft, it still startled her, and she spun to look at him over her shoulder. "Jack, hi."
"When I woke up, you weren't there." Wordlessly, he draped a throw blanket over her and stood next to the glider where she sat.
"Yeah sorry, I just uh... needed some air."
Jack nodded. "You asked me to stay," he informed her conversationally. He tilted his head and amended, "Actually, you demanded that I stay."
"Oh." Why the hell would she do that? It seemed so unlike her.
"I don't know why," Jack went on, freaking her out just a little bit because it seemed like he was right in her head. He ducked his head, voice low. "I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable when you woke up."
Liz opened her mouth to reply, to try to explain exactly how it felt when she woke up. Because she wasn't uncomfortable, really. He was warm, and the way he fit against her wasn't awkward in any way, but... it freaked her out at the same time.
She realized she hadn't managed to say anything when Jack patted her shoulder and smiled fleetingly. "Hang in there, Lemon. This'll all be over soon. Goodnight."
Liz turned over her shoulder and tried to decipher whether or not he sounded sad about that as she watched him go back to bed... in his own room. After a few more minutes, Liz followed, adjourning to her room and stretching out in her bed -- alone -- and she slept fitfully for the rest of the night, Jack's words flowing through her head on a loop.
This'll all be over soon.
TBC
{x-posted to 30_rock and jack_liz}